As the Azure Dragon and the warship drew closer, the trainees were so intimidated by the Azure Dragon's imposing aura that they dared not move.
Vic didn't move. He concealed his aura, still clinging to a sliver of hope. Maybe Kaido wasn't here to see him, maybe he was going to see Queen, or maybe he was just passing by. He couldn't possibly be that unlucky.
Gion had already contacted Sengoku and was now back on the deck, gazing at the enormous Azure Dragon in the sky. It was the first time she had ever seen such a creature, and the first time she had ever known that this behemoth was Kaido's transformation. She was somewhat mesmerized by what she saw.
"Have you made the contact?" Vic asked Gion, who was standing next to him.
"Yes, we contacted Admiral Sengoku, and he said he would send Vice Admiral Garp to pick us up!" Gion said absentmindedly, staring at the sky.
Kaido flew forward in the air, glancing at the warships on the sea below, then at the Vivre Card on his dragon claw, ignoring the warships.
"Are we near Marine Headquarters? Hmm, it's normal to see warships. Let's keep flying. Queen is still too weak. He was seriously injured and on the verge of death in Paradise. I'll have to teach him a lesson when we get back!" Kaido thought to himself.
Finally, the dragon arrived above the warship, and the trainees could clearly see the scars and scales on its belly. Then, the two sides passed each other again.
Vic finally breathed a sigh of relief. This was so exciting! Cold sweat broke out on his back. He had only just arrived on the Grand Line, and on his first voyage, he had already encountered such a big boss. How thrilling!
Vic's joy was short-lived, however, as he noticed the dragon in the sky had stopped flying and was looking back at the warship.
Yes, Kaido noticed that after the warship flew past, the Vivre Card moved back. This is terrible! Queen has been captured by the Navy, and he's inside that warship below.
"Hey, did you capture Queen?" Kaido flew to within fifty meters of the warship and shouted at it.
Kaido's voice, accompanied by a dragon's roar, boomed so loudly it made everyone's eardrums ache.
Vic's face turned grave; just what he feared had come to pass!
"You've already flown past, why didn't you just keep flying forward? Why did you turn back? Why did you turn back?!" Vic mentally screamed.
"What Queen? No." Vic could only answer awkwardly.
The others were terrified. Being stared at so closely by such a giant dragon was incredibly stressful; their hearts were pounding so hard that their ribs ached.
By this time, the warship was not far from the Sabaody Archipelago. The people on the island had witnessed this scene: a warship being targeted by a giant dragon. Reporters immediately took pictures; this was Big News Morgans!
Upon hearing Vic's words, Kaido scanned the area with his Observation Haki and indeed did not detect Queen's presence.
But now the Vivre Card is standing here motionless, and in an instant, Kaido's clever mind figured out the cause and effect.
Queen was defeated by this powerful navy officer. Queen found an opportunity to place the main piece of the Vivre Card on this warship, as a form of revenge.
Although Vic was trying his best to conceal his presence, it was no use against Kaido!
Having figured all this out, Kaido made his decision. He raised his dragon head, opened his mouth wide, and red light flashed inside.
Kaido is ready to fight at the drop of a hat. It's just a warship, a matter of a single Bolo Breath. Consider it revenge for Queen.
Vic knew he was in trouble the moment he saw that stance. That was the legendary "Bolo Breath" opening move! If Kaido, the warship would vanish without a trace, let alone the people on board.
" Gion, I'm giving you the ship. I'm going to deal with Kaido!"
Vic quickly said something and used Geppo to rush towards Kaido. Gion only had time to let out a scream before Vic flew into the sky.
" Bolo Breath "
A massive Fire Pillar hurtled toward the warship. Vic instantly drew his Blood Wither from his waist, wielding it with both hands, and unleashed a huge black and red Sword Gang toward the center of the Fire Pillar.
" One Sword Style: Seven Kills of the Heart"
A Sword Gang imbued with Vic's Mind Power instantly struck the spinning, advancing Fire Pillar of fire.
The Fire Pillar was cleaved in two, and the Sword Gang surged forward relentlessly towards Kaido's gaping maw. The split Fire Pillar of fire flew off to either side.
As the Sword Gang drew closer to Kaido, a growing sense of crisis rose within Kaido. Finally, the Sword Gang reached within two meters of Kaido, still cleaving the Fire Pillar.
"That slash can hurt me!"
The thought crossed Kaido's mind, and he immediately shook the dragon's head.
The Sword Gang flew into the sky. Kaido tilted his head and squinted, glancing down at a wound on the edge of the dragon's upper jaw, which was bleeding. He hadn't completely dodged it.
Kaido had previously completely disregarded Vic and hadn't taken him seriously at all.
"Not Ryuo! The wound won't heal? A mysterious power? Interesting! No wonder Queen wasn't a match for him."
In the blink of an eye, the Sword Gang cleaved through the Fire Pillar and wounded Kaido in an instant. The two separated Fire Pillar had already tilted onto the sea surface, raising a large amount of water vapor.
However, this scene deeply shocked the warships and the people on the Sabaody Archipelago. This could no longer be considered as human power; it was comparable to the power of a natural disaster. At this moment, Vic was slightly out of breath.
Vic could only do his best to mobilize his Sword Qi and Mind Power, so there was some backlash.
Vic used Geppo to reach the same height as Kaido. Kaido also turned his gaze from his wound to Vic, his eyes filled with curiosity.
" Kaido, Queen isn't on board. How about we make a bet?" Vic glanced at the warship and then said to Kaido.
"Oh, a bet? That's interesting. What kind of bet?" Kaido asked nonchalantly.
"I bet you can't kill me with your full power. If I live, you leave. If I die, spare the people on the warship. I'm the one who injured Queen, so I'll take full responsibility!"
"Worororo, interesting brat. You managed to defeat Queen, you've got some skill. Too bad you're a Marine. If a pirate couldn't beat you, you'd definitely be captured by the Marines. But I'm a pirate, I can do whatever I want. I accept your bet."
Kaido laughed; despite his minor injuries, he was in a good mood.
"Why did you ask us about Queen before this? I don't quite understand. Did he ask you to avenge him?"
Knowing that Kaido had agreed to the bet and wouldn't renege on his promise to attack him, Vic voiced his doubts.
Kaido is incredibly precise! Does he hate the Marines so much that he attacks indiscriminately?
"Worororo, because Queen's Vivre Card points to this warship!"
Kaido laughed again, then took out Queen's Vivre Card and placed it in his palm. As a result, the Vivre Card began to move in Vic's direction.
"So it was on you!" Kaido, watching the Vivre Card move.
Upon hearing Kaido's words, Vic's expression shifted. He remembered that when Queen fought him, Queen was slower than him; at Queen's speed, he couldn't even touch him.
But once, Queen risked being slashed and punched Vic, for which Queen smiled.
Vic thought it was a retaliatory attack, a triumphant smile that showed he was willing to risk injury to deliver a punch. Now it seems that Queen was sowing the seeds of disaster back then; that was the smile of a cunning scheme succeeding!
Vic quickly searched the area where Queen had grabbed him and, sure enough, found a white piece of paper inside his clothes.
Vic had been tricked by Queen, and his face was grim.
" Queen, you just wait and see! I'll settle this score with you later!" Vic thought bitterly.
"Let's go, let's find a place where I can see Kaido of the Beasts's strongest attack!"
Vic said something to Kaido, then used Geppo to head towards the Red Line, and Kaido followed indifferently.
" Little Yellow, let's hurry and follow!" Gion quickly called to Little Yellow to follow as well.
On the beach of the Sabaody Archipelago, a large crowd of onlookers stood watching the spectacle unfold. They had witnessed the grand scene just moments before.
"Was the alien beast injured by that powerful naval officer?"
"This navy guy can fly!"
"That's the Navy's Six Powers ' Geppo,' a skill only the Navy's elite possess."
"I can tell, this is definitely an elite!"
"If these aren't elites, then the Navy would have to wipe out all the pirates!"
"That pillar of Fire Pillar was incredibly powerful; I could feel the heat even from this distance!"
"You must have filmed everything that just happened, right? That'll be tomorrow's headline!"
"Yes, supervisor, don't worry, everything has been filmed."
Vic led Kaido to the foot of the Red Line, where there was a protruding landmass, about the size of a football field, but insignificant compared to the thickness of the entire Red Line.
Vic landed on the red landmass, his back to the Red Line, and squinted at Kaido, the Azure Dragon, who had followed him.