One Piece: Starting as a Celestial Dragon, Building Amazon Lily

He did not rush to act. Instead, he first transformed into a pteranodon, gave his enormous wings a powerful beat that whipped up a gale, and soared into the sky.

He circled high overhead, his sharp, hawklike eyes surveying the scattered lights of the Flower Capital below, patiently searching for prey like a falcon in the night.

Soon, he spotted a figure in a secluded alley: a White Hair boy was sending a samurai flying with a single punch.

The samurai tumbled twice through the air, slammed heavily into a wall, then slid limply to the ground, motionless and unconscious.

In the alley, Saint Dio drew back his fist and shook nonexistent dust from his hand, frowning slightly.

Lately, he had increasingly felt that the quality of the Flower Capital's samurai had declined badly.

At first, those Gold Medal Enforcers could exchange dozens of moves with him, letting him properly experience the wonders of Ryuo.

But now, most could not even withstand three of his punches. They often went down in their very first exchange.

Was I improving too quickly, or were these samurai really just too weak?

Saint Dio felt that perhaps it was time to find a more formidable set of opponents.

Just as he was considering where to find stronger opponents next, a sudden sense of danger shot up his spine like an electric current.

Saint Dio's Observation Haki screamed a warning at that instant.

Without even time to look back, he stamped down hard and used Soru, his body shifting several meters sideways as though he had teleported.

The next second, a searing laser beam descended from the sky, striking precisely where he had just stood.

A thunderous boom! rang out.

The stone pavement exploded into a crater several meters across. Rubble and dust erupted skyward like a fountain, and scorching shock waves spread outward, violently rocking the lanterns on both sides of the alley.

Saint Dio steadied himself several meters away and swept a sharp gaze toward the sky.

An enormous pteranodon circled above the Flower Capital, its broad wings casting a moving shadow beneath the moonlight.

A pteranodon... King, one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars.

A smile slowly curled across Saint Dio's lips.

It seemed the commotion he had caused in the Flower Capital over the past month or so had finally drawn the Beasts Pirates' attention.

And the fact that they had sent an officer of King's caliber directly after him showed that they were taking him quite seriously.

"Perfect timing." Saint Dio flexed his wrist and looked up at the circling figure, fighting spirit igniting in his eyes. "Now I can see just how far this past month's training has taken me."

Chapter 77: Who Knows? Maybe, Maybe Not

Saint Dio slowly drew Jörmungandr from his back, its silvery-white blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight.

Holding the sword in one hand with its tip angled toward the ground, he looked up at the enormous black silhouette circling overhead, an undisguised smile on his lips.

Seeing that the White Hair boy had drawn a weapon instead of fleeing, a cold, fierce glint flashed through King's eyes.

He folded his wings and plunged like a meteor, his enormous pteranodon body moving so fast that a piercing shriek trailed through the air.

Just before reaching the ground, he snapped his wings open. Their edges resembled two enormous blades as they swept toward Saint Dio's waist with overwhelming force.

"Tankyūdon!"

The bladelike wings collided hard with Jörmungandr's edge.

Clang-!

The tremendous metallic crash burst through the night sky. A visible ring of air spread outward from the two of them, sweeping away every piece of rubble, wood splinter, and lantern fragment on the street. Even the paper doors of nearby houses rattled violently.

Saint Dio's feet plowed two long furrows through the ground as the tremendous impact pushed him back several meters before he barely managed to steady himself.

But he had not retreated; he had taken the attack head-on.

He raised his head and stared straight into King's eyes beneath his mask at close range, his grin growing wider.

His left hand reached toward his waist, gripped the hilt of his other sword-Kraken-and whipped it free.

The instant the blade left its sheath, it twisted and transformed into several thick, dark-purple octopus tentacles that shot toward King's face.

The tips of the tentacles spread open, exposing densely packed suckers as they lunged toward King's head with a fishy gust.

King's pupils contracted slightly. He immediately stopped contesting Jörmungandr's strength and beat his wings hard, launching backward at an incredible angle and rising into the night sky again, avoiding the tentacles' grasp.

"Trying to run?" Saint Dio stamped down and shot skyward like a cannonball, repeatedly stepping through the air with Geppo as he pursued relentlessly.

King looked down at the approaching figure, a cold gleam flashing through his eyes.

He adjusted his position in midair and crossed his wings before his chest. The flames on his back suddenly surged, burning fiercely and lighting the night sky crimson.

Then he snapped his wings open, spraying countless burning bullets of flame through the gaps in his wings, pouring them down on Saint Dio like machine-gun fire.

"Imperial Twin Blades!"

The flaming bullets swept toward him like a torrential downpour, blocking every avenue of escape.

Seeing this, Saint Dio neither dodged nor retreated. Kraken shuddered in his hand, and the octopus tentacles swiftly gathered and fused, returning to the form of a long, straight blade.

Yet thick, pitch-black ink began seeping from the blade, flowing slowly along its edge and dripping off, each drop turning into black mist in the air.

Saint Dio tightened his grip, drew a deep breath, and slashed down.

"Ink Splash: Sudden Shigure."

As the blade fell, the thick coating of pitch-black ink flew off and burst apart in midair, becoming thousands upon thousands of fine black streaks of rain that shot toward the flaming bullets like a downpour flowing in reverse.

The black rain and flaming bullets collided fiercely in midair, hissing as great clouds of white steam rose.

The black rain was denser. After suppressing the flaming bullets, it continued unabated, becoming an enormous black net that blanketed the sky and swept toward King himself.

King's gaze sharpened slightly. His attack had actually been suppressed just like that.

The flames on his back abruptly went out, and the pteranodon's speed instantly soared to its limit. His body traced a sharp zigzag through the air, narrowly escaping the area covered by the black rain.

A few drops of ink skimmed his wingtips, grazing several charred holes into his leather clothing.

King steadied himself high in the sky again and glanced down at the tears near his wingtips, his gaze growing increasingly grave.

The White Hair boy could actually keep up with his speed. His strength far exceeded King's expectations.

"You're pretty quick at running away." Saint Dio hovered in midair, stepping on Geppo as he looked down at the distant black silhouette that had risen into the night sky again, his tone teasing.

King did not respond.

He beat his wings, maintaining a safe distance from Saint Dio, his gaze growing serious beneath his mask.

He rapidly analyzed the information about his opponent-the sword could turn into octopus tentacles. No ordinary weapon-forging technique could achieve that; the only explanation was a Devil Fruit's power attached to the weapon. And those steady Geppo steps made his background clear-Geppo was one of the Six Powers, a technique only marines or World Government agents learned systematically.

* A marine?* King rapidly sifted through the powerful marines he knew, but none he remembered matched the image of a White Hair boy.

With this boy's strength, if he really was a marine, he could not possibly be a nobody.

Then the answer was clear: he was most likely a member of the World Government's Cipher Pol.

"Are you a marine, or a World Government lapdog?" King's voice descended from high above, carrying a probing edge.

Saint Dio could not help laughing at the question.

Rather than answering directly, he drawled in an amused tone, "Who knows? I might be a marine, or I might be with Cipher Pol Aigis Zero. I might be both, or I might be neither."

King's brows knitted even tighter.

He tried another angle. "A month ago, a pirate ship appeared off Wano Country's coast. Its crew were your people, weren't they?"

"Who knows?" Saint Dio shrugged, his tone as flippant as ever. "They might be my people, or they might not. Maybe they weren't my people at first but became mine later, or maybe they were my people at first but stopped being mine later."

A vein suddenly bulged at King's temple.

His teeth ground audibly, and his face beneath the mask had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

This White Hair bastard was deliberately leading him in circles with every sentence, openly provoking him with every answer.

In all his years, he had never encountered anyone so infuriating.

Since he could not get any answers, he would capture him and take him back to prison for a leisurely interrogation.

He would see whether this bastard could keep grinning so flippantly once he started pulling his bones out one by one.

King wasted no more words. The flames on his back blazed fiercely again, painting half the night sky crimson.

Chapter 78: Kaido Approaches, Eager to Fight!

High in the sky, King abruptly folded his wings. Amid twisting light and shadow, his pteranodon form rapidly shrank and changed, returning to his tall humanoid form, clad in black leather with wings on his back.

He slowly drew the katana at his waist, its blade enormous.

"Here it comes?" Seeing him draw his sword, Saint Dio instead smiled even more excitedly and even beckoned to King. "Come on, then. If you can beat me, I'll tell you everything you want to know. Provided you're capable of it, of course."

King ignored his provocation.

Gripping his sword in both hands, he held it upright before him. The flames on his back suddenly surged, spreading along his arms and onto the blade.

Searing flames swirled and coiled around the blade, winding around it layer upon layer until the entire katana glowed red and radiated scorching waves of heat.

His pupils were dyed crimson in the firelight, as though two fierce flames burned within them.

On the streets below, residents poked their heads out of windows and through cracks in doors, pointing at the two figures facing off in the sky and discussing them.

The Flower Capital had not seen a battle of this scale in many years.

Outside the shogun's residence, Kaido leaned against the doorframe with an enormous sake gourd in hand. Looking up at the burning flames in the sky, he suddenly burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Even King has to go all out! This enemy must be strong!"

In high spirits, he brought the gourd to his lips and gulped down all the remaining sake, then casually tossed the empty gourd aside and wiped his mouth.

His body also began swelling and twisting. Azure scales emerged across his skin, and his head transformed into a ferocious dragon's head.

With a dragon's roar that shook the heavens, he transformed into an enormous azure dragon and soared into the air, flying toward the battlefield.

Drunk, Kaido had also had his appetite for battle stirred.

Meanwhile, in the sky, Saint Dio watched King's katana wrapped in layers of flame, and a mischievous thought suddenly came to him.

He tightened his grip on Kraken.

Thick, pitch-black ink surged from the blade as though boiling, slowly flowing and spiraling along it, coiling around it layer upon layer. Its shape and path matched King's flames exactly, as though reflected in a mirror.

King's brow twitched sharply, and an ominous feeling rose within him.

But he did not hesitate. Holding his sword in both hands, he swung down the katana that had gathered an enormous amount of firepower.

"Fire Dragon Emperor!"

The flames coiled around the blade erupted at that instant, transforming into several lifelike Eastern dragons of fire. Each burned with flames as hot as magma as they twisted and roared, hurtling toward Saint Dio.

Wherever the flames passed, the air warped and distorted in the heat, sending out billowing waves of scorching air.

Watching the enormous flaming dragons charging toward him, Saint Dio's smile deepened.

He likewise swung Kraken down.

"Ink Splash: Black Dragon Emperor!"

The pitch-black ink wrapped around the blade exploded outward, likewise becoming several ink-black water dragons in the shape of Eastern dragons. Twisting and roaring, they lunged straight toward the enormous flaming dragons.

Fire and ink, crimson and black-the enormous dragons crashed together in midair.

King froze for an instant as he stared at the enormous ink dragons that looked exactly like his own attack.

That bastard was actually stealing my move!

With identical moves, whoever lost would be the embarrassed one.

In midair, the enormous flaming dragons tangled with the enormous ink-black water dragons, devouring and biting one another, neither giving ground.

The flames hissed, and the heat evaporated the ink into vast clouds of white steam. They tore at and rammed one another wildly in the night sky, evenly matched, neither able to overcome the other.

King's face was ashen.

He could feel his flames being gradually depleted and suppressed by his opponent's ink.

Yet the smile on Saint Dio's face only grew brighter.

Over the past month, he had not merely been honing his Ryuo; he had also been exploring Kraken's abilities in depth.

The Octopus-Octopus Fruit, Mythical Type, Kraken Form.

Aside from their enormous size and tentacled suckers, an octopus's most distinctive feature was its ink.

His first source of inspiration was precisely the "Super Beast Imitating Drawing" from Naruto.