Were these pests really trying to interfere?
"Get out of my way."
Shane frowned. Without even turning around, he kept swinging Kaido's massive dragon body with his left hand. His right hand flicked casually backward.
Boom.
A terrifying shockwave wrapped in black-red lightning erupted like a tidal wave.
King and Queen, who had just closed in, didn't even have time to react before the Conqueror's Haki blast struck them head-on.
"Gah!"
Queen's enormous brachiosaurus body spat blood as he was blasted backward, smashing through over a dozen walls before embedding deep into a distant cliff. His eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.
King fared even worse.
Having switched forms, his defense was already lowered, and he stood at the very center of the impact. He held on for barely a second before letting out a muffled groan, then spun helplessly through the air like a ragdoll, shooting skyward and finally crashing into the sea like a falling meteor.
With a single, casual strike, Kaido's two All-Stars were completely taken out.
"King! Queen!"
Still being swung around like a weapon, Kaido saw the scene and flew into a rage. Flames burned in his dragon eyes as he roared,
"Shane! Don't get carried away!"
In an instant—
The blue dragon opened its jaws, unleashing a blinding blaze.
But not toward Shane.
Instead, the flames wrapped around Kaido himself.
In the blink of an eye, the entire dragon ignited, transforming into a colossal inferno.
"Flame Dragon Torch!"
Blazing dragonfire spiraled violently around his body, forming a towering vortex that stretched from sky to earth.
The heat distorted the air itself. Even Shane felt a sting against his skin and released Kaido's tail, drifting back a few steps.
"Now this is more like it."
For the first time, a hint of interest appeared in Shane's eyes.
He had fought Kaido twice before.
But never seen this form.
So back then… the pressure he applied hadn't been enough.
"Come on, Kaido!" Shane called out. "Show me your limit!"
"Worororo! Just what I wanted!"
Roaring, the flaming dragon plunged downward.
Wrapped in overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, carrying enough force to burn seas and split skies, it slammed toward Shane.
"Rising Dragon: Flame Bagua!"
Every ounce of Kaido's Haki gathered into the dragon's head. This was his ultimate move in dragon form.
His strongest attack.
"Perfect!"
Shane laughed, drawing his right fist back inch by inch until it reached its limit.
"Vacuum—"
The space around his fist warped. Invisible pressure spread outward, lifting rubble from the ground.
"Galactic Impact!"
Boom!!!
Fist and dragon collided.
The entire Onigashima trembled. Blinding light erupted, forming a massive red-white mushroom cloud that illuminated the sea for dozens of kilometers.
Even far away in Hakumai, the sky lit up like day.
"Roar!"
Kaido howled in pain. Scales shattered across his dragon head, blood raining down. Yet he held on, flames surging even hotter, trying to swallow Shane whole.
"You're tougher than I expected," Shane shouted. "That's more like it!"
His left fist ignited with black-red lightning and smashed into Kaido's neck.
Boom!
The second Galactic Impact landed.
Kaido had already reached his limit. The overwhelming force left him no room to resist.
His massive body was hurled backward, crashing into the distant shoreline in a cloud of dust.
One second.
Two.
Three.
More than ten seconds passed.
No movement.
"Is that it?" Shane's voice carried through the dust, tinged with disappointment. "If that's your limit, it's not enough."
He walked forward slowly, hands in his pockets. With each step, his presence grew heavier.
The dust cleared.
Kaido stood there in human form, kneeling amid shattered stone. Blood covered his body. His chest heaved. His hair hung loose over his face.
Then he looked up.
His eyes burned again.
"Worororo… worororo…"
The low chuckle grew into wild laughter.
"Lucky. Too lucky."
He planted his kanabo into the ground and pushed himself up, blood dripping down its length.
"To think a man like you could exist… I've seen you grow stronger step by step, fought you again and again…"
His grin widened.
"I've got no regrets dying after this!"
He roared.
His body swelled.
From over seven meters to nearly fifteen. Muscles bulged. Blue scales covered his skin. Alongside his oni horns, a second pair of dragon horns emerged.
Hybrid form.
He yanked his kanabo free.
"I'm Kaido of the Beasts! Don't you dare say this is my limit, Shane!"
Boom.
He charged, lightning crackling around him. The kanabo spun violently, tearing the air apart before crashing down.
"Take this! Dragon Swarm!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Blow after blow fell, each strike carrying enough force to shatter mountains. The attack covered every angle, leaving no escape.
But Shane didn't intend to dodge.
His right fist rose, wrapped in black-red lightning.
"Galaxy… Impact."
Boom!!!
Kanabo met fist.
The shockwave tore across the island. The already crumbling Skull Dome collapsed completely. The sea surged into towering waves, as if the world itself were ending.
Crack.
Kaido's arms began to fracture under the strain, yet he held on, blood spilling from his mouth.
"Worororo! This is it! Again!"
"As you wish."
Shane grinned and threw another punch.
"Good!"
Kaido laughed wildly, blocking with everything he had before shifting his stance.
"Three Realms: Ragnarok!"
The kanabo rose high. Conqueror's Haki condensed into black-red lightning and crashed down like a meteor.
Shane crossed his arms and took it head-on.
"Ghh!"
The impact drove his feet into the ground.
Then—
He pushed back.
The kanabo was blasted away.
Kaido staggered backward more than ten steps, blood trickling from his mouth.
"Not bad," Shane said coldly. "But still not enough."
He vanished.
Reappearing above Kaido, fist already drawn.
Kaido reacted instantly, raising his weapon.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Boom!!!
This time—
Crack.
A fracture appeared in the kanabo itself.
The supreme-grade weapon trembled, unable to withstand the force.
Kaido's hands split open, but his eyes only burned brighter.
"Not done!"
"Not done yet!"
He roared, muscles surging as he poured every last drop of Conqueror's Haki into a single point.
A black-red beam burst forth like a laser, carving a deep trench through the island as it shot toward Shane.
The kanabo shattered completely.
Fragments scattered across the battlefield.
Kaido didn't look away.
This was everything he had. A lifetime of power condensed into one strike.
A move he named simply—
"Draconic Wave."
"Come on, Shane!" he roared. "Take it!"
This was his last wave.
Shane stood calmly, hair whipping in the wind.
"To wield Conqueror's Haki like this… impressive."
A translucent black-red barrier formed around him, like an eggshell.
Boom!!!
The beam struck.
The explosion tore across half the island.
Then the dust settled.
Shane stood untouched.
Not even his clothes had shifted.
The barrier remained flawless.
"…"
Kaido stared, speechless.
"A Conqueror's Haki barrier…" he muttered. "Rocks used something like this. But even he would've cracked under that attack…"
He bared his teeth.
"Tell me, Shane… have you surpassed him?"
Shane walked forward.
"A few months ago, I might not have been able to answer that."
He met Kaido's gaze.
"But now I can. Even at his peak, Rocks wouldn't fare any better than you."
No exceptions.
After awakening his Saiyan bloodline, his power had surpassed that level completely.
He was, without question, the strongest in history.
Kaido's pupils shrank.
"You're not even twenty yet, are you?" he laughed weakly. "Ridiculous… strength, talent…"
He staggered back, still smiling.
"Dying to you… isn't a bad end. Just a shame I couldn't push you further."
His body trembled.
His arms gave out.
Blood sprayed as he collapsed to his knees.
Still, he refused to bow his head.
"Oh? Done already?"
A savage voice rang out.
Douglas Bullet stepped forward from the ruins, his arm fully restored.
"Looks like it's over. You dropped faster than I expected, Kaido. But that works for me."
The ground began to quake.
Rubble, stone, and debris surged toward him.
In moments, they formed a colossal giant hundreds of meters tall, covering half the island.
It towered into the clouds, blotting out the moon.
"This is my true form!"
Bullet's laughter echoed from within.
"The entire island is my weapon!"
The giant continued to grow, surpassing a thousand meters. Every piece of stone was coated in Armament Haki, gleaming with deadly black sheen.
Compared to this, Vergo's Haki was nothing.
"Hey, Kaido," Bullet sneered. "If you can still move, crawl aside and watch how I kill him."
Kaido looked up, grinning faintly.
"Still as arrogant as ever…"
Then he turned to Shane.
His voice was hoarse, but he forced a smile.
"Shane… you were holding back, weren't you? Do me one favor."
His eyes burned with one last wish.
"Before I fall… show me your true strength."
That was all he wanted.
Shane looked at him in silence for a moment.
Then he nodded.
He stepped past Kaido and walked to the shore, looking up at the colossal figure blotting out the sky.
"Oh? Coming to me yourself?"
Bullet's laughter boomed.
"What's wrong? Scared now that you've seen real power? You can still surrender, kid!"
Shane said nothing.
He simply stood there, calm as ever.