Chapter 66: Great Dragon Torch 

It didn't take ten minutes—just two short minutes—for the two of them to catch their breath and stand up simultaneously, as if by tacit agreement.

After exchanging a glance, they charged at each other once more.

"Ora!!!"

Kaidou roared, swinging his Spiked Club with immense force, while Caesar raised his sword to block.

The metallic clang reverberated, and the iron club and long blade collided mid-air, sending sparks of lightning crackling through the atmosphere.

"Geat Dragon Might!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The sound of the club whistling through the air filled the space as dense shadows of the weapon swung like the thousand hands of a Buddha, creating an impenetrable barrier. Yet, despite the speed, Caesar remained unharmed.

Every strike was either precisely blocked or deftly dodged and countered by Caesar.

The excitement in Kaidou's eyes grew more intense—a joy he hadn't felt since the death of Kozuki Oden, the exhilaration of having an opponent who could truly match him in a full-on battle!

Caesar's fighting spirit also burned fiercer, growing more and more exhilarated as the fight progressed.

To put it simply, this battle had given him confidence!

In just half a year, he had gone from the strength of a mere underling worth a few million to a level where Kaidou had to go all out against him.

At this moment, Caesar finally felt the tangible reality of controlling his own destiny!

"Bloodthirsty Bat Calamity!"

The moment Kaidou's club's momentum vanished, Caesar suddenly raised a finger.

Behind him, a crimson vortex formed, and countless blood-red bats surged toward Kaidou. Among them were black bats coated in Armament Haki, each the size of a palm, shooting toward Kaidou at speeds far surpassing that of bullets!

"Don't embarrass yourself with such petty tricks!"

Boom—

Kaidou snorted coldly and swung his club once more, shattering the swarm of bats into nothingness!

"Thunderous Roar - Eight Trigrams!"

"Thunderous Roar… Eight Trigrams!"

"Thunderous Roar… Ora!"

The Spiked Club swung wildly, and Kaidou didn't even bother shouting the names of his moves anymore. Though Caesar didn't understand why the man always felt the need to yell them out—perhaps for added intimidation?

The azure dragon-man resembled a frenzied beast, relentlessly swinging his club at Caesar.

"This won't do, boy!"

"I admit your strength has reached this level, but this alone is far from enough! Oroorororo…"

Ssssh—

The spikes on the club tore through the fabric of Caesar's shoulder, drawing a streak of crimson.

Blood slowly seeped out, quickly soaking through Caesar's clothes.

"Why aren't you healing? Your blood reserves should be more than sufficient, no?"

Kaidou pointed his club at Caesar, his tone dissatisfied.

"I just wanted to see how strong I really am…"

Caesar exhaled lightly. With adrenaline surging through him, the wound only felt slightly burning, with no significant discomfort.

"Besides, wouldn't that be like cheating? For this battle…"

"Cheating? Oroorororo!"

Kaidou burst into laughter upon hearing this, but then he suddenly fell silent, his expression stern as he stared at Caesar.

"Not bad… not bad at all, Caesar! I couldn't be more satisfied with you as my son-in-law, but for you to say such things now, you're still far too lacking, aren't you?"

"Far?"

"Or perhaps just a step away…"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Kaidou's foot stomped the ground, and his massive body shot toward Caesar. The Eight Precepts club was raised high above his head and brought down with crushing force!

The sharp momentum of the club was entirely different from before, carrying an unmistakable killing intent!

Clang—

Caesar once again raised his arms to block, his figure nimbly flipping with the force, but Kaidou suddenly kicked out, striking him squarely in the chest.

"Ugh—"

Caesar let out a dry heave, his body flying backward like a cannonball before crashing heavily to the ground.

"If you don't aim to kill your opponent, if you're not prepared to risk your life, you'll never stand at the end, just like this!"

The Spiked Club came crashing down from above again, but Caesar swiftly dodged, creating distance between them.

With a deafening explosion, rubble flew in all directions.

Caesar tilted his head slightly, narrowly avoiding a piece of debris aimed straight at his face. He then assumed a sword-drawing stance, and suddenly, a black slash shot toward Kaidou.

Kaidou blocked with his Spiked Club, the force of the slash pushing him back, leaving two long trails several meters long in the ground. With a fierce motion of his arm, he deflected the slash upward!

"Challenging yourself and risking your life are two different things! Someone like you probably already planned an escape route before even coming here, right?"

"I'm not here to die!"

Caesar's face darkened. "If I can't win, can't I just run?"

"Where do you think you can run to?"

Kaidou sneered, relentlessly attacking Caesar.

"To the sea? To the sky islands? I know what you're after—you want to unify this sea, don't you? But are you truly prepared to face this sea? Are you ready to make enemies of the entire world?"

"You're just a naive brat who doesn't understand what war is, who doesn't know what death is!"

Boom!

Caesar swung his fist, sending a shockwave that forced Kaidou back.

"I understand far more than you!"

"Big talk!"

Kaidou swung his Spiked Club. "Adamantine Bullet!"

Caesar raised his hand lightly, and a crimson barrier materialized out of thin air, effortlessly dissipating the incoming Staff Aura.

"You're the one spouting nonsense! I learned this stuff back in school. Have you even read a book?"

"Why the hell would I read that crap? I've lived through it!"

"And what good did that do? You were just a pawn in the hands of those in power. Being in the thick of it, what could you possibly see clearly? Did your post-military career give you confidence, you fool?"

Hearing this, Kaidou was momentarily stunned.

"An opening!"

Caesar leaped up, swinging his sword, and slashed Kaidou across the chest, sending him flying!

The massive body crashed to the ground with a dull thud.

"I'm bleeding…"

Kaidou touched the wound on his chest, looking at Caesar in shock. "And I've been insulted with sharp words!"

"…"

Caesar was momentarily at a loss for words. After all, Kaidou had once been a victim of war, and those words had struck a nerve.

"I'm not angry…"

Kaidou paused for a moment, then grinned. "After all, you're practically my son!"

"You're clearly furious, you bastard!"

Caesar's face darkened. This guy couldn't win the argument, so he started pulling rank!

Normally, he didn't even care about his own daughter, and now he's using his status to his advantage?

"Shut up! Being a pawn once doesn't mean you'll be a pawn forever!"

Kaidou charged at Caesar, his Spiked Club wreathed in the thunderous power of Conqueror's Haki, slamming down with immense force.

"I've long been preparing for this world! A grand war that will sweep everything away!"

"Those who can't see themselves clearly are doomed to be manipulated forever!"

Caesar gripped his sword with both hands, meeting Kaidou head-on, their clash shaking the air!

Thunder erupted as Caesar's sword strikes coiled like a hunting python, firmly suppressing the Eight Precepts!

"Risking my life... I really believed the nonsense you reckless fools spouted. Those who don't care about their own lives can only be called idiots! True bravery is daring to sacrifice oneself for ideals and what one holds dear, right?"

Caesar sneered, as if an endless surge of power was coursing through his body. He took a step forward, sinking into a bow stance, and with a single slash, sent Kaidou flying!

"I've heard an interesting saying: 'A true warrior dares to face a bleak life and dares to confront the bloodshed head-on!' Father-in-law, could it be that you've lost your way on the path of your ideals?"

Boom—

The massive body shattered a rocky wall into pieces. Kaidou shook his head as he sat up from the rubble, his eyes momentarily dazed before quickly turning fierce.

"You brat... are you questioning me?"

Kaidou straightened up, his voice laced with anger.

"Don't you dare question me!"

"...Are you insane?"

"What juniors should do is obediently accept the fate arranged by their elders, kid!"

A hundreds-of-meters-long Azure Dragon soared into the sky, and a scorching dragon's breath erupted. Caesar dodged the breath in a flash and charged toward the dragon.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Elders should just accept the fate of being surpassed by their juniors, Father-in-law!"

Clang—

The long sword clashed with the dragon's maw. Kaidou's mouth began to glow with fire again, preparing to unleash a point-blank attack.

Caesar stepped mid-air, changing direction abruptly, and delivered a powerful kick to the dragon's chin!

Boom!

The scorching heat exploded in Kaidou's mouth before it could be released. The explosion sent Kaidou's eyes rolling, nearly knocking him out.

"Damn little monkey!"

"It's a bat!"

Kaidou shook his head, his gaze shifting.

"Huh? Where is he?"

"Up here!"

Caesar's voice came from above. Kaidou's massive dragon eyes looked up to find the guy somehow perched on his head, gripping his horns with both hands, looking down at him with a smug expression.

"Bastard! How dare you mess around on my head!"

"Sorry, here's a gift for you. How about you stop being mad?"

Seeing Caesar pull out a saddle from behind, Kaidou violently shook his head, transforming back into his human-beast form.

"You've got some nerve, kid. You almost had me doubting myself."

Kaidou sneered, "But the farce ends here! In the end, strength is what rules this sea!"

"That's true, but if that were all there was to it, you wouldn't be holed up in a small place like Wano Country now."

Caesar said calmly, "At least with your strength alone, you can't change the course of this world, can you? You yearn for change, yet you're trapped by reality, comforting yourself with the belief that violence is supreme?"

The air suddenly grew still. Kaidou fell silent.

After a long while, he looked at Caesar with a hint of surprise, seemingly unbothered by having his thoughts exposed.

"You seem... to know quite a lot. And your own insight and experience—even those royal families couldn't nurture a junior like this!"

"Oh, Observation Haki!"

"Bullshit!!!"

Kaidou's face darkened, but his curiosity outweighed his annoyance at Caesar's secrecy.

"So? What's wrong with what I'm doing?"

Caesar was speechless. "You're really open to criticism, huh."

"Of course, you're a smart man. While I enjoy scheming, I'm not particularly skilled at these convoluted matters. It's just that those foolish boys aren't very bright either, so I have to put in extra effort."

Kaidou still didn't forget to recruit Caesar: "If you're willing to stay, I might even hand over the Beasts Pirates to you, as long as you can help me achieve my goal—to drag those self-proclaimed superior beings down to the battlefield as equals!"

"Father-in-law, you're confused. If I defeat you, the Beasts will be mine!"

Caesar chuckled lightly: "How about you join me instead? I can assure you that within ten years at most, I'll definitely pull those lofty Celestial Dragons down from their pedestals!"

"With just you?"

"Since you can't do it on your own, why not give it a try?"

"Damn brat, ever since I first met you, I've wanted to sew that mouth of yours shut…"

Kaidou seemed to be both angry and embarrassed, swinging his club at Caesar: "Disobedient brat, I guess I'll have to beat you into submission first!"

"Yikes… what a savage fight!"

The members of the Beasts Pirates crawled to the edge of the battlefield, watching the two clash in the distance. Queen stared at King, dumbfounded.

"Has he really grown to this extent? I never thought you had the talent to be a teacher!"

"It has nothing to do with me."

King replied indifferently: "If it were you, even after a lifetime of teaching, you'd still be at the same level."

Queen was furious: "Bastard, what did you just say?"

"Let's calm down a bit, you two…"

Black Maria's tone was helpless: "Now's not the time for bickering."

Ulti looked at the group: "By the way, if Caesar loses, does that mean he'll join us for good?"

Everyone fell silent.

Looking at the current state of the battle, it was hard to say who would win or lose.

Even King, who firmly believed Kaidou would win, now felt a bit uncertain.

"Big sis."

"What is it, Page One?"

"Caesar is probably going to leave."

Wow! Brave!

As soon as Page One finished speaking, everyone turned to him with looks of admiration.

"Why? That idiot? Wasn't he fine during the banquet earlier?"

Ulti puffed up her cheeks, grabbing Page One by the collar and shaking him back and forth, her tone filled with irritation.

Sasaki remained silent.

Wait, you guys had a banquet?

When?

How come I didn't know about it?

Isolation!

Is this isolation?

This is definitely isolation!

"Hehe, if I were you, I'd keep a close eye on that big guy."

Queen sneaked up to Ulti, pointing discreetly at Kuma in the distance: "That guy might be Caesar's backup plan for leaving!"

"Ugh, if he wants to leave, just let him go!"

"But you clearly care about him, don't you?"

"Who cares about him! You fatso! Idiot! Baldy! Blob!"

Kuma: "…"

This girl's personality is so much like Bonney's.

Looking at this, maybe I should keep Bonney away from Caesar in the future?

His gaze remained fixed on Caesar's direction. The two in the battlefield seemed like madmen, with blades and sword energy flying everywhere, accompanied by sprays of blood. The Azure Dragon soared, and shadows flickered.

"Roaring Thunder: Eight Trigrams!!"

"An upgraded version of Thunder Bagua…"

Seeing Kaidou's crimson eyes and his rapidly bulging muscles, Caesar felt a chill in his heart.

This state… must be the form of Tipsy Dragon: Eight Trigrams, right?

Stronger and faster than his Beast Form!

But this guy clearly hasn't been drinking…

No, maybe he's just not holding back!

A terrifying force surged as Caesar, gripping his sword with both hands, was sent flying by a single strike.

Caesar calmly observed Kaidou's state. Unlike Luffy, he had elementalization, so many of Kaidou's techniques, like Ruinous Wind, which couldn't be imbued with Haki, had no effect on him.

Therefore, to have any impact, Kaidou would need to rely on solid Haki attacks.

Relatively speaking, Caesar had a greater advantage over Kaidou.

His strength was no less than Kaidou's, and he was more agile. Additionally, while Kaidou had to imbue his Spiked Club with a large amount of Haki, Caesar only needed a small amount of Haki on his Blood Bullets to effectively harm Kaidou.

However, since both of them could use Foresight, this move wasn't very effective against Kaidou. And with Caesar's speed, as long as he didn't make the same mistake as before, Kaidou's attacks couldn't pose a real threat to him.

This was probably why top-tier fighters often found it hard to determine a winner…

"Orohohoho… What's wrong, kid?!"

"This isn't satisfying at all! Not satisfying at all!"

Kaidou laughed wildly, swinging his club at Caesar again and again, his eyes filled with bloodthirsty fighting spirit.

The immense force transmitted through his hands made Caesar's palms ache slightly.

"Where's your Beast Form? Show me! The legendary Vampire!"

"I'm already in Beast Form!"

"Stop lying! The Vampire Fruit is the Bat Fruit, right?"

"And the Azure Dragon Fruit is the Fish-Fish Fruit! Can you swim in the sea?"

Caesar's face darkened. His hybrid form had red eyes, pointed ears, fangs, and sharp, retractable nails, while his full Beast Form only added a pair of wings.

Kaidou: "Trash fruit!"

Caesar: "???"

You bastard, aren't you all about Haki supremacy?!

After a moment of thought, Caesar sneered, "Trash Kaidou, can't even awaken your fruit!"

"…"

Kaidou paused for a moment. "Let's not hurt each other with words during a fight. It's uncivilized."

Caesar was furious. "You're the one who started it, you bastard! And since when do you have any manners?!"

"Shut up!"

Kaidou roared, leaping high into the air before descending with a mighty strike: "Conqueror Thunder Bagua!"

"Hmph, such a long wind-up? Let me show you what real darkness is!"

Caesar sneered as a deep darkness spread rapidly from him in all directions.

A faint Blood Mist filled the air, and Kaidou suddenly found himself in complete darkness, unable to see any light from the outside. Even his Observation Haki stopped working.

In the darkness, the only thing visible was Caesar's blood-red eyes, glowing with an eerie light.

"Hey! This ability is way too unfair!"

For the first time, Kaidou felt a hint of panic. He wasn't afraid of most people, but Caesar could genuinely harm him!

"I told you it's darkness…"

Caesar's soft laughter echoed in the darkness, which even blocked out all external sounds.

From the outside, it looked as if a small black hat had been placed on top of the giant skull of Oni Island, appearing oddly comical.

Ssshh—

A flash of red light, and Kaidou barely dodged, but his arm was still grazed, leaving a bloody mark.

Now, he could only rely on the crimson glow of Caesar's eyes to track his movements.

However, in the next second, something even more disgusting happened—Caesar actually closed his eyes!

"Come on, now that no one can see, let's have a fair fight!"

"To hell with your fairness!"

Kaidou was furious. What a shameless brat! My Observation Haki has been blocked, and you expect me to compete with a bat in echolocation?

"Ruinous Wind!"

"Useless!"

Dozens of Wind Blades tore through the darkness, but they only caused the surrounding Blood Mist to sway slightly, with no sign of the darkness dissipating.

In the next instant, a blue dragon suddenly surged from the ground, breaking through the black curtain, and a dazzling flame erupted from its mouth.

"Dragon's Breath!"

Boom—

The terrifying Dragon's Breath instantly swept away the darkness, spreading in all directions.

"Ahhh!!"

"Hey, hey, hey, are you trying to take us all out? King, you bastard, don't fly so fast!"

In the distance, the crowd was thrown into chaos, scrambling to flee further away.

Suddenly, at the moment the Dark Veil was swept away, a streak of black light shot upward from below, slashing across Kaidou's chest and sending a spray of blood into the air!

"You damn brat!"

Kaidou roared in fury, transforming back into his human-beast hybrid form, and charged at Caesar with his club raised high.

"Dark Veil!"

Caesar raised his hand, and darkness enveloped the area once more.

"Dragon Breath!"

Boom—

Another terrifying Dragon Breath swept through, dispersing the Dark Veil.

Immediately after, the familiar black slash struck again...

"Damn brat..."

Blood splattered as Kaidou reverted to his human-beast hybrid form, coughing up a mouthful of blood, veins bulging on his forehead.

Then, that all-too-familiar voice that made his blood pressure spike rang out again.

"Dark Veil!"

"Is this never going to end? You beast! Dragon Twister!!"

Transforming into the Divine Dragon once more, Kaidou unleashed a Divine Dragon Tail Whip, sending dozens of hurricane-like tornadoes tearing through the sky and earth!

Although the Blood Mist that obscured Observation Haki was blown away, the deep darkness remained untouched.

This darkness was formless and pitch black, and only attacks like Dragon Breath, which brought light, could pierce through it.

"Dragon... Dragon Breath—ugh!"

Kaidou gagged, the frequent use of Dragon Breath not only draining his stamina but also making his throat feel raw.

A loud retching sound echoed, and the stench of alcohol filled the air.

Caesar recoiled, "Ugh, that's disgusting!"

"You're the disgusting one, you bastard!"

Veins bulged on the head of the azure dragon as he was about to curse, but then he noticed the darkness below suddenly dissipating, revealing Caesar standing tall on the ground, gazing up at him.

"Orohohohoho... I get it now, kid!"

Kaidou paused for a moment, then burst into laughter that shook the heavens.

Suddenly, a blazing Dragon Breath ignited from his mouth, instantly drying the blood at the corners of his lips and quickly enveloping his entire body in flames!

"You were waiting for this move, weren't you? You definitely... saw it, didn't you?!"

The already hundreds of meters long dragon body seemed to grow within the flames, rapidly expanding until it transformed into a terrifying dragon, a kilometer in length, wreathed in crimson flames!

"Fire Dragon Torch!!!"

————