"What is that?"
Kisame, who had just woken up, followed the others' gazes upward. The moment he saw the massive azure silhouette hidden within the clouds, a shiver ran down his spine.
Even with all his experience, he had never seen such a creature before.
From just a glimpse of its shadow, it was clear—the creature was enormous.
Before anyone could react, the figure suddenly flipped over, revealing a gigantic head that emerged from the dark clouds.
"Worororororo… So, you're the fish-man Doflamingo mentioned?"
"Come on! Kill me if you can!"
The monstrous head spoke in a deep, booming voice, catching everyone off guard.
The moment it mentioned Doflamingo, the crew immediately understood—the creature had come prepared.
But before they could formulate a response, the colossal beast took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful gale directly toward the ship.
Without hesitation, Kisame swiftly formed hand seals and chanted:
"Water Release: Water Formation Wall!"
The once calm ocean erupted into towering waves, forming a massive curtain of water that blocked the incoming wind blast.
"Worororororo… Interesting!"
The gigantic creature in the sky let out a surprised laugh as it saw the water shield neutralize its attack.
Then, twisting its massive body, it sneered, "It looks like you have some skill. Good. This would've been too boring otherwise."
With that, the enormous beast descended from the clouds, hurtling straight toward the ship.
Kisame knew that if the ship took a direct hit, they would all end up stranded on a deserted island.
Without a second thought, he leaped off the ship, landing on the ocean's surface and sprinting toward a nearby island, all while forming more hand seals.
"Water Style: Water Dragon Bullet Jutsu!"
ROAR!
The raging ocean surged upward, transforming into a ferocious water dragon over a hundred meters tall. It charged directly at the descending behemoth.
BOOM!
The water dragon struck the massive creature, instantly shattering into a torrential downpour.
"RAAARH! You actually made me feel pain. Good!"
The colossal beast roared in fury, seemingly enraged by the water dragon's impact. Ignoring the ship, it turned its full attention toward Kisame and gave chase.
"Z-Zeff, w-what is that thing?"
Revy, who had been frozen in fear, finally snapped out of it and turned to Zeff for answers.
Zeff rolled his eyes at the question. He had sailed the Grand Line for years, yet he had never encountered a creature like this.
With a helpless sigh, he shook his head. "I don't know. But I fear Kisame is in serious trouble this time."
From its sheer size and the power it displayed, this creature was beyond anything they had ever encountered.
In fact, a troubling thought crept into zeff's mind—even a Marine Admiral might struggle against that thing.
Hearing Zeff's words, Revy's face turned pale.
BOOM!
As they worried about Kisame's fate, lightning crackled through the storm clouds above.
Then, to their utter shock, the beast flying over the island suddenly transformed—its massive body shrinking and reshaping into a human form before plummeting to the ground.
"Impossible…"
Zeff's eyes widened in horror. He had speculated about the creature's identity, but he had never imagined it would be that person…
If it truly was him, then Kisame was doomed.
"What's wrong? Do you recognize him?" Revy asked anxiously.
Zeff took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes, I do. But it's not good news."
"Why?"
"Because that guy is…" Zeff's expression grew solemn. "That guy is one of the Three Emperors of the New World—Kaido of the Beasts, the strongest creature on land, sea, and air."
In this world, you might not have seen the bounties of the Three Emperors.
You might not even recognize their faces.
But you could never have not heard of them.
Especially Kaido of the Beasts, infamous for his brutal nature…
Upon hearing Zeff's words, Revy felt as if she had been struck by lightning. Her legs nearly gave out, and she almost collapsed onto the deck.
Was Kisame strong?
In her eyes, he was incredibly powerful.
But no matter how much she admired him, she knew what the name "Kaido" meant.
Forget Kisame—even if an Admiral were to face that monster alone, they wouldn't stand a chance.
"What do we do?" Revy asked, her voice filled with despair.
Sanji, clueless about the situation, looked on in confusion.
Zeff furrowed his brows, deep in thought. Even he had no idea what to do.
Meanwhile, on the island, the battle had already begun.
Even in his human form, Kaido was still several times larger than Kisame.
The difference between their sizes was like that of a child and an adult.
"Worororororo… A real man needs a big weapon. But yours? It's not enough."
Kaido, with his two demonic horns, glanced at the weapon Kisame carried on his shoulder. To Kisame's surprise, Kaido actually looked approving. Then, with a grin, he pulled out his massive spiked kanabo.
"Another Devil Fruit user?"
"This world is so strange… How are there so many people with these bizarre abilities?"
Seeing the massive beast transform into a horned human, Kisame couldn't help but feel both fascinated and alarmed.
The aura Kaido emitted far surpassed that of anyone Kisame had ever faced before.
"Worororororo… Fish-man, I hope you don't disappoint me."
Kaido let out a loud laugh, then suddenly his expression sharpened.
A terrifying pressure exploded around him as he raised his gigantic kanabo and swung it down toward Kisame.
Kisame's eyes twitched at the overwhelming force behind the strike.
His first instinct was to block it with Samehada—but he immediately changed his mind.
In a flash, he used Teleportation Jutsu to evade.
Reappearing beneath Kaido's legs, Kisame didn't hesitate—he swung Samehada straight at Kaido's shin.
CLANG!
A sound like clashing metal rang out.
The recoil from the impact was so powerful that Samehada nearly flew out of Kisame's hands.
"W-what… the hell is this monster?"
Even Kisame, who had faced Tailed Beasts in his own world, was completely stunned.
He knew exactly how much force he had just put into that strike.
Yet, that devastating attack… had felt like it hit solid iron.
Unbelievable.
Still, despite his shock, Kisame's instincts remained sharp.
In the very next moment, his senses screamed at him—MOVE!
Without hesitation, he vanished again, and at that very instant—
BOOM!
Kaido's kanabo smashed into the ground where Kisame had just stood, sending shockwaves and debris flying.
The sheer impact of the attack whipped up a violent storm of dust and wind.
And then, that booming laughter echoed again.
"Worororororo… You little brat, scurrying around like an insect, sneaking in attacks?"
(Sneaking? Are you kidding me?!)
Kisame nearly rolled his eyes.
This giant freak was built like a tank, had unbreakable skin, and still expected a fair fight?
What even is this guy?
Clearly, normal attacks were useless.
The only way to fight back was to rely on Ninjutsu.
For the first time in his life, Kisame—the Shark Skin Warrior, the Monster of the Mist—felt a moment of hesitation.
"Damn it… How did I end up in a fight like this?"
(End of Chapter)