On an unnamed island, Rubick lay unconscious in the middle of a huge crater.
The island had a sizable forest and plenty of animals. The enormous commotion the night before had sent the wary creatures into hiding.
By morning, they were growing restless again. Soon, a Tiger more than five meters long crept out of the forest toward the crater.
It was the undisputed ruler of the island. It recognized the hairless monkey in the crater at a glance. It had eaten creatures like this before. There was not much meat on them, but they were enough for a meal.
The Tiger let out a roar, scattering the animals that had gathered to watch. Then it swaggered toward the unconscious Rubick.
It sniffed him and found he was still alive, so it opened its jaws and lunged for his throat.
Boom!
Black-and-red lightning erupted from Rubick. His Conqueror's Haki had activated on its own when he was threatened, knocking the Tiger unconscious in an instant.
Rubick did not wake. He remained unconscious.
But the Tiger was not the only creature he had frightened. The other animals fled the area around the crater.
Rubick finally stirred that afternoon and immediately saw the Tiger lying beside him, unconscious and foaming at the mouth. His stomach was growling, so he made a meal of it on the spot.
Rubick rubbed his abdomen. A dull ache still lingered there.
"Damn, Kaido hits hard!"
Rubick figured that going up against Kaido now would be a death wish for anyone who was not a protagonist like Luffy. He did not have Luffy's luck, the kind that let him keep getting back up and leap three levels in strength in minutes.
After eating half the Tiger, Rubick felt much better. He used Life Return to turn all