Blood splattered on the spot!
They could hardly be called evenly matched.
It was just that Shane was in his Sulong form, nearly out of control, with no perception of pain.
Kaido had a monstrous constitution, with outstanding Rokushiki complemented by Haki.
Every blow made the pirates who had placed bets clutch their chests.
How they wished Shane would fall immediately.
"Moon God Electro!"
"Thunder Bagua!"
Their first confrontation, their first currents of electricity.
There was no imposing, Haki-filled thrust of a finger.
There was no invincible power that pierced the Red Line.
There was no ultimate strike interwoven with lightning and coated in Conqueror's Haki.
Their first encounter was also a question posed by fate.
Haki covered Kaido's entire body, and he still wore a smile.
He did not yet have the dragon scales of later years.
"That's it, Shane!"
"You're still not strong enough! Without Haki, you'll never reach the top!"
"Squeeze out every last drop of your potential! Seek the ultimate in desperation!"
"Let your power loose! When you catch hold of an endlessly expanding thread within your heart!"
"Don't doubt it-that's Haki!"
Kaido swung his Kanabo, landing blows on Shane from time to time.
He struck with all his strength, impact intertwined with Haki.
Shane forgot himself, knowing only that the thread was right there!
"Kaido!"
Every twitch of his fingertips was an attempt to draw out the imposing power of Haki.
"Shane! Follow me!"
Bang!
Another head-on clash.
All awareness had vanished from Shane's eyes.
Sulong was devouring his reason.
Blood kept dripping from the corner of his mouth, and his internal organs churned with pain.
But how could he stop, with the exhilaration of battle and the pleasure of pursuing power!
The Paradise cabin erupted.
Even some of the high-and-mighty pirates from the main ship came over.
A Den Den Mushi burbled.
"That kid's called Shane? We'll have to remember that name."
Kurozumi Higurashi had already spent years wandering overseas, and her eyes burned brightly.
As the user of the Clone-Clone Fruit, she was determined to return to Wano Country.
It was her years with the Rocks Pirates that had allowed her to assume the appearances of various legends.
Kaido was a good person to rely on, because he was still young!
"I never expected to encounter someone from the Mink Tribe here."
"It's not that he isn't injured. Losing control of his Sulong form has left him unable to feel pain."
Kurozumi Semimaru, the user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, was known as the absolute defense.
He always appeared alongside Kurozumi Higurashi.
"The captain's calling on the Den Den Mushi. Looks like we're preparing to land at God Valley!"
Kurozumi Higurashi stared intently at Kaido and Shane.
These two newcomers were perfect!
Perhaps one day, they could help the Kurozumi Clan rise.
(PS: The two spent a long time fleeing overseas from Wano Country. During that time, Higurashi gave Kurozumi Orochi his fruit.)
(Higurashi could take on the appearances of several Rocks Pirates members, was an old acquaintance of Kaido's, and proposed that he station himself in Wano Country.)
However...
There would always be someone who used strength to smash every scheme and plot.
Bang!
Bang!
Kaido and Shane planted their feet, then charged at each other again.
One was a battle maniac, the other a madman out of control.
The situation briefly became uncontrollable, and some people even feared getting caught in it.
"Who's that guy? He's actually holding off that brat Kaido!"
Charlotte Linlin was in her prime.
At thirty, she already had multiple children.
She had come looking for Kaido, never expecting to witness a fight.
"Kaido, that guy Rocks is gathering the crew!"
Linlin caught sight of the two Kurozumi out of the corner of her eye and immediately barked at them.
"You two, stop watching these newcomers!"
The Kurozumi pair hurried away, thinking, Linlin again. She's set her sights on Kaido too!
Zeus was as cute as a puff of cotton.
Watching the fight, he smiled, two rosy patches appearing on his cheeks.
"Mama, that kid has electricity on him!"
Boom!
The two clashed one last time.
"Shane!!!"
Kaido felt thoroughly exhilarated and briskly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
He thought the fight felt incredible, like going mad!
"Kaido!!!"
Shane had not a shred of reason left; all he knew was to keep fighting.
"I'll remember your name, Shane! Mamamamamama!"
Linlin glanced at Shane, picked Kaido up, and leaped onto the thundercloud.
"Shane, see you at God Valley! Don't go dying easily!"
Kaido turned back to look at Shane.
Without thoroughly beating his opponent into the ground, he really could neither eat nor sleep in peace!
"Big Sis Linlin! Don't just interfere in other people's fights!"
Kaido was helpless.
He really could do nothing about this big sister.
"War's about to begin! Save your strength, kid!"
Linlin could hardly wait to go to God Valley and seize the fruits.
The cabin fell briefly silent.
The pirates knew.
These big shots were not people they dared mock.
Shane stood where he was.
His mouth was full of blood.
His eyes were lost, yet he instinctively lunged at the thundercloud.
"Thunder!"
Linlin was just about to have Zeus unleash lightning.
A barrier appeared at an unhurried pace.
"This fellow will soon die of exhaustion!"
Kurozumi Semimaru held two fingers together in a very strange gesture.
The barrier blocked the entrance and stopped Shane as well.
"Kaido!!"
Shane was still shouting his opponent's name.
Roar!
Amid his furious shouts...
Shane, in his Sulong form, attacked the barrier with his last ounce of strength.
As his strength ran out...
He fell to the floor with a bang.
Huff!
Soon, snores rang out.
The spectators were all deeply shocked.
None of them had expected this newcomer to be so formidable!
"So who won and who lost?"
"Neither went down before the fight ended. It's a draw, right?"
"Shane coughed up plenty of blood. Was that Kaido's Haki?"
"Kaido was hurt too. He's just a monster, so you couldn't tell."
"Fuck, neither of these two had better eat a Devil Fruit. Wouldn't that make them immortal?"
Many people were in a foul mood, because no one had bet on Shane winning.
Still less had anyone bet on a draw.
"What do we do with this guy?"
Jeff, the veteran pirate, looked at Shane and listened to his snoring.
"I thought he'd die of exhaustion."
Lock touched his revolver, glanced at Shane, and quickly left.
Someone would want revenge on Shane, and he did not want trouble.
Just as more people began approaching...
The arrival of two young men made quite a few people hang back.
"Katakuri, look at him! He's hurt so badly, yet he isn't dead!"
Perospero found it strange.
Shane's physical recuperative ability was astonishing.
"He was probably a member of one of the New World's special races to begin with."
Katakuri folded his arms and leaned against the corner.
"Hey, do you two know him? Why won't you let us vent our anger!"
"He cost us a lot of Beli to the bookie! Katakuri!"
"Katakuri! The Rocks Pirates don't have any rules about being bleeding hearts!"
Many people were resentful and itching to take revenge while Shane slept.
"Shut up, you useless trash!"
Katakuri glanced at the soundly sleeping Shane.
"Even in this state, he's more than you can handle! Idiots!"
At Katakuri's angry rebuke...
Only then did the veteran pirates turn disdainful looks on Shane.
Bzzzt!
Electro occasionally coursed over the surface of his body.
Especially around his heart.
Even fast asleep, Electro still surfaced from time to time.
Rather than saying he had fallen asleep from exhaustion...
It was more accurate to say Shane was subconsciously giving himself electrotherapy!
Anyone who approached would simply have the Electro turn on their body.
"Damn it! We should've let Kaido beat him to death!"
"It's all Linlin's fault for interfering. If they'd kept fighting, Shane definitely would've died!"
"What rotten luck. I want to fire a few shots. Can bullets punch holes in this guy?"
"What do you think? Kaido's Kanabo is way more freakish than bullets!"
"We'll reach God Valley tomorrow. I've got to plunder back everything I lost to the bookie!"
The disgruntled veteran pirates left the Paradise cabin one after another.
Others kept fighting, having the time of their lives.
Katakuri had been watching Shane all along.
A little more curiosity entered his gaze. "Let's go."
"Katakuri! I thought you were going to save him."
Perospero had never expected that he really would only take another look.
"Shane is a monster, and monsters don't die easily."
In Katakuri's eyes, Shane was still crackling with electricity.
The brothers walked down the corridor, chatting now and then.
"One day, we'll leave Hachinosu, leave Rocky Port."
"Build a kingdom where all our brothers and sisters are safe!"
"Before that, I have to get stronger, strong enough to protect everyone."
Katakuri's mind was filled with the powerful young fighters of his generation.
He could not shake Shane's figure from his mind.
The wind stirred the sails.
Rocks stared straight toward God Valley.
Many people had met long ago.
Yet later, they became strangers, no different from passersby.
Early morning.
In a cabin in Paradise.
Shane's fingertips twitched.
Dawn brushed his face like water.
The orange glow of the rising sun once again colored his eyes.
The pirates rushed about spreading the news, their cheers ringing out without end.
"We're almost at God Valley!"
Before you continue