25: Energy Crystals

"Is this your true form?" At this moment, Shukaku tilted its head back to gaze at Kaido, whose immense dragon form loomed over it like an unstoppable force. Shukaku couldn't help but feel a flicker of panic—this was a creature far larger and more overwhelming than it had anticipated.

Kaido, now in his Azure Dragon form, exuded an overwhelming aura of dominance, one that Shukaku's instincts as a beast were acutely sensitive to. The oppressive presence radiating from the dragon made Shukaku's nerves fray with unease.

"Huff... huff…" Kaido exhaled deeply, releasing a gust of wind from his massive mouth that blew directly into Shukaku's face.

Shukaku let out a cackling laugh in response. "Kehahahaha! So that's the truth, huh? No wonder you could summon us—you're not even human! I was wondering how you managed to take my attacks head-on like that!"

"Yeah, I'm what you'd call a 'Dragonman,'" Kaido replied bluntly. Though he wasn't entirely sure of his own origins, the lore from the anime had long hinted that Kaido wasn't a typical human being.

Still, it was curious. Aside from his massive size and the bull-like horns protruding from his head, Kaido's body didn't seem all that different from a regular human's.

"Well, enough chit-chat. Now it's time for a battle between monsters," Kaido declared. As he spoke, flames began to gather in his mouth, flickering dangerously. "I'll even give this move a name—it's called Blazing Roar!"

With a thunderous roar, Kaido unleashed an enormous torrent of fire from his mouth. The flames surged outward in a rapidly expanding wave, consuming everything in their path.

"Damn it! Infinite Sandstorm Breakthrough!" Shukaku countered immediately. Multiple cracks appeared across its sandy body, opening into makeshift mouths that spewed powerful sandstorms. The fierce gales clashed directly with Kaido's fiery onslaught.

The collision between fire and sand created a cataclysmic explosion. The air itself seemed to ignite, and fiery sparks rained down across the surrounding forest, igniting massive wildfires in their wake.

The stalemate lasted for only a few seconds before Kaido's massive tail lashed out. With a single, devastating sweep, his tail struck Shukaku squarely, sending the beast flying over a thousand meters away.

Shukaku crashed into the ground with tremendous force, and the sand composing its body began to fall away in clumps. Its left arm and a significant portion of its torso had been obliterated by the attack. However, as the sand fell away, new grains began to gather and reform its body at an astonishing speed.

"Damn it! That hurt like hell... I'm done! I'm not fighting anymore!" Shukaku shouted, its tone laced with both frustration and genuine pain.

Kaido descended slowly, still in his dragon form, and peered down at the One-Tail with a curious expression. "Your body seems different from the other Tailed Beasts. It's entirely made of sand, yet you can still feel pain?"

"Of course it hurts, idiot! That sand is part of my body!" Shukaku snapped. "The only reason I'm still standing is because of my unique constitution. My recovery rate is second only to that dumb fox's." As it spoke, the gaps in its body continued to fill with fresh sand, restoring its form piece by piece.

"I might've underestimated this world," Shukaku muttered, its tone tinged with self-mockery. "Those two brats yesterday were impressive enough, but you? I didn't expect you to possess such monstrous strength. You're not as strong as the Sage of Six Paths, but you're leagues ahead of the samurai and shinobi from my world."

Kaido returned to his human form with a soft thud, sitting cross-legged on the ground as though the intense battle had been nothing more than a warm-up. "Tell me," he began, "does your world still have the Five Great Nations?"

"Five Great Nations? What's that supposed to mean?" Shukaku asked, tilting its head in confusion.

"Then what about the Uchiha and Senju clans?" Kaido pressed.

"The Uchiha and Senju?" Shukaku furrowed its brow in thought. "I've heard of them. They're supposed to be pretty powerful clans, and their abilities are quite unique. But compared to us Tailed Beasts, they're still far behind."

"Is that so?" Kaido smirked. "Then it's likely you haven't encountered Hashirama Senju or Madara Uchiha yet. Either that, or those two haven't been born yet."

Shukaku stared at Kaido, its expression a mix of disbelief and intrigue. This dragon-man's knowledge of its world was both unsettling and fascinating, leaving the One-Tail to wonder just how much stronger this bizarre opponent could become.

Shukaku immediately asked, "Who are they?"

Kaido saw no reason to keep secrets and replied, "They're the reincarnations of Indra and Asura, the two sons of the Sage of Six Paths."

"What?! It's them…" Shukaku's eyes widened in shock at the mention of those names. After a brief pause, it turned its incredulous gaze back to Kaido. "Wait a second! You're not even from our world! How do you know all of this?"

Kaido smirked and waved off the question with a casual tone. "Let's just say I have the ability to glimpse fragments of the future." He wasn't about to go into a long explanation—it wasn't worth the effort. Instead, he shifted topics quickly. "By the way, Shukaku, I am seriously asking again. Can I let my subordinates summon you Tailed Beasts?"

"Are you joking?!" Shukaku's irritation was clear in its voice. "I'll admit that you people from this world are pretty strong, but that doesn't mean you can just use summoning techniques to call on us! The contract is between you and us, and that's it."

"But as it stands, I can only summon three Tailed Beasts at a time," Kaido said, his tone turning serious as he stared at his open palm. "That's just not enough. To be honest, I haven't even fully mastered my own power yet. Even if I do gain complete control over it, there are still several individuals in this world whose strength can rival mine."

He paused, clenching his fist tightly. "If I can't summon all nine of you at once, then the power of the Beasts Pirates will remain too limited. There's no way we'll achieve the dream of conquering the world like that."

"Conquer the world, huh?" Shukaku grinned wickedly, a glint of amusement in its eyes. "Kehahaha! You've got some guts, kid. Your ambition's no joke. But since we've chosen you and signed the contract with you, we'll naturally do everything we can to help you achieve that dream."

As it spoke, Shukaku extended its sandy hand, revealing a yellow crystal that fell into Kaido's palm.

"This is my chakra crystal," Shukaku explained. "If you drip your blood on it, you'll be able to summon me anytime." A sly smile spread across its face. "But keep in mind, we Tailed Beasts are made entirely of chakra. To summon us, you'll need an enormous amount of chakra—or as you call it, that strange energy of yours."

"That energy is called Haki in our world," Kaido clarified.

"Whatever you call it," Shukaku said with a grin. "Summoning us requires consuming a ridiculous amount of Haki. So even if I give you this, weaklings won't be able to summon us. It's up to you to figure out the rest!"

Kaido gathered the dozen or so chakra crystals scattered on the ground, a grin spreading across his face. "For someone who acts so cocky all the time, you're surprisingly easy to get along with once I get to know you."

Shukaku froze, its sandy face turning a faint shade of red. "Shut up, you idiot! Don't say disgusting things like that to me!" It huffed, crossing its arms. "Since I signed a contract with you, of course I'll help you. Don't make me regret it."

Kaido chuckled, his spirits lifted. With Shukaku's power in his arsenal, his ambitions seemed just a little closer to reality.