That faint flicker of black flame—illusory and fleeting like a snowflake vanishing on contact—was so brief, yet so bizarre that all three watching caught it instantly.

Their eyes flew wide open. They stood rooted in place like puppets drained of soul, unmoving.

Only after Kaidou's scarred but still wild and domineering figure had walked far off and disappeared into the swirling dust did Dragon, King, and Queen finally snap out of it.

"T-That was..."

Queen's jaw practically hit the ground.

King was visibly shaken too—but soon, that shock turned into a surge of renewed confidence. His eyes lit up, filled with a fierce sense of hope.

That's Kaidou-san for you!

He clenched his fists tightly, his hands trembling with excitement.

If a moment ago he'd felt doubt, even confusion about Kaidou's strength...

Then with that single glimpse of black flame, all of it was gone. Every ounce of hesitation and uncertainty vanished.

That was... awakening.

The awakening of a Mythical Zoan!

"Well... this just got bad..."

Unlike Queen and King, who were bursting with excitement, Dragon looked like he'd swallowed poison. His expression was grim, the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

He never expected that after a life-and-death battle with Daren—one that nearly shattered the island—Kaidou would actually awaken his Devil Fruit.

That flicker of black flame, though faint like candlelight, seemed ready to go out at any moment.

But Dragon, who had once clashed with the Five Elders and witnessed Daren's fight against Saint Michael firsthand, recognized it instantly. There was no mistake—that was the black flame cloud that comes from Zoan awakening!

The image of Kaidou in his hybrid form, wreathed in black flames, flashed in Dragon's mind... and sent a chill down his spine.

Kaidou was already monstrous without awakening. Once he did?

Dragon didn't even want to imagine it.

An "Indestructible Body" paired with the Zoan's awakened traits—near-limitless stamina and regeneration, unyielding vitality, and a massive boost to power and physical strength...

That version of Kaidou would be an unkillable monster.

The idea of fighting something like that made Dragon break into a cold sweat.

Still, knowing Kaidou's nature, even if he wanted to fight someone, the first name on his list would always be Daren.

That thought alone gave Dragon a bit of relief.

"Kaidou-san lost this time... but he'll take that win back."

King suddenly turned, eyes sharp, voice firm as he stared down Dragon.

Dragon gave a relaxed smile.

"Is that so?"

"Don't forget—Daren hasn't gone all out either."

King went silent.

He glanced once more at the unconscious black-haired youth behind Dragon, then clenched his fists. With a beat of his wings, he shot into the sky.

In a flash, King transformed into a black Pteranodon and vanished into the distance.

"That guy's always like that. Don't take it personally."

Queen strolled over, rubbing the massive lump on his face and speaking casually.

"The World Government wiped out almost all the Lunarians. He's one of the few survivors."

"Kid's been an orphan since forever, locked up for experiments... He's got issues. Doesn't feel safe, you know? It wasn't until Kaidou-sama busted him out of that lab that he found something like... a father figure."

"What kind of kid looks up to their father and can stand seeing him fall, let alone get defeated?"

Dragon paused at that, then nodded slowly.

Fair enough.

If it were his own old man—someone he thought was invincible—getting taken down... he probably wouldn't take it well either.

"I didn't expect you to know psychology too."

Dragon chuckled.

Queen rolled his eyes, scratched his oversized rear, and said proudly,

"Told you already—I'm the greatest scientist in the world!"

"Analyzing the psyche and emotional state of test subjects is an essential part of the bio-experiment process."

With that, he adjusted his suspenders, squatted beside the unconscious Daren, and pulled out a device to begin scanning his injuries.

"Hmm... way worse than Kaidou-sama's..."

Queen's chubby face scrunched up, brows furrowing tightly.

"Over forty fractures across the body... signs of rupturing in both the lungs and spleen... bleeding is under control, but the internal trauma's pretty severe..."

Dragon frowned.

"Isn't Daren's physique on par with Kaidou's? Both have an 'Indestructible Body,' right?"

"And in his 'Magnetic Field Rotation' state, his power and speed should even surpass Kaidou's. So why are his injuries more serious?"

Queen shot him a look, like he was staring at an idiot, all while calmly using his mechanical arm to stop Daren's bleeding.

"They might both have 'Indestructible Bodies,' but that's only in their base states. Don't forget—Kaidou-sama's a Mythical Zoan user, and his dragon form changes everything."

"Whether he's in beast form or hybrid, those dragon scales of his are as hard as diamonds. Zoan fruits also boost a user's internal resilience across the board."

"Not to mention... Kaidou-sama's got one more trump card Daren hasn't mastered yet."

"That ability lets you bypass external defense completely—hitting from within with force far beyond what Armament Haki's internal destruction can achieve."

A flicker of light passed through Dragon's eyes. After a long pause, he exhaled.

"...Conqueror's Haki infusion."

Queen shrugged.

"So yeah, even if Daren's physical stats are technically higher, the gap in actual combat ability isn't massive. Of course, Kaidou still holds the edge overall."

He suddenly grinned.

"But if Kaidou-sama really awakens now, that gap could widen fast."

Dragon gave him a sidelong glare, clearly annoyed by his smugness.

"Kaidou's only brushed the edge of awakening—it doesn't mean he's truly awakened."

"And even if he has, that doesn't guarantee he'll gain an 'Immortal Body' like the Five Elders."

"Among the top-tier fighters on this sea, even 'awakening' has its tiers."

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