_________ POV Narration_________
Francisco scoffed a bit when sensing Kaido's reaction to his appearance.
'I expected him to be startled or surprised by my appearance, but I didn't think he'd still be afraid of me... I guess Rocks really did do a number on him.'
Francisco's relationship with Kaido specifically was a complicated one.
Kaido as a young man was extremely ambitious and competitive, he always tried to fight stronger opponents, striving to become the strongest creature alive.
His devil fruit gave him an enormous advantage over others, but that didn't do much against true monsters... And Kaido had that lesson beaten into him to the point of nearing death's doorstep.
Xebec was the one that Kaido had tried to face, and he was only saved because Francisco himself stepped in.
Francisco, as the strongest swordsman in the world at that time, was the only one that could truly single-handedly stop Xebec from doing something.
And that was also how Kaido had been accepted into the Rocks pirates, with Francisco basically vouching for him and him getting to keep his life by swearing loyalty with the strong.
In Francisco's point of view, that only happened because Kaido was weak, he was weak and confident.
Kaido had walked up to Xebec and tried to face him, the strongest pirate at that time, disregarding the fact that he was still wet behind the ears.
Francisco had tried to befriend him after that, as he had done with every other pirate in the Rocks crew.
But Kaido was never receptive to his kindness, he actually saw that as a weakness, and tried to challenge Francisco himself to a fight.
Francisco obviously didn't entertain such things among crewmates. But Kaido was adamant about it. He had managed to eventually get Francisco drunk enough to agree to it though...
Well... Let's just say that that arrogance led Kaido to the most embarrassing moment of his life. Being beaten unconscious by a drunk, pen-wielding Francisco in front of Charlotte Linlin, who he had somewhat fancied at that time.
Such were the times back then. Many joyful memories were made amongst the Rocks pirates.
At least for most of them, Kaido saw Francisco's interactions with a different gaze. He felt that his friendly demeanour was merely a way of showing off, of keeping him in line.
He played along though, not wanting to actually fight Francisco again at that time.
Also, ironically, Rocks himself was not part of most of the happy memories the crew had formed, as he was 10 times as cruel and barbaric than Kaido, and somehow a lot less caring about his subordinates as well.
Rocks only respected strength, and by extension only truly respected Francisco and somewhat respected Whitebeard.
Whitebeard was the third strongest person in that crew, as he was in his prime back then, or was at least nearing it.
Kaido himself finally managed to compose himself after keeping his distance for a bit.
He was even about to swallow his fears and attempt a clash of conquerors against the old monster in front of him, but Francisco retracted his aura after noticing that Kaido had calmed down.
"Glad to see you've regained your bearings... Now, the hell are you doing here?" Francisco's tone was devoid of any fear or trepidation.
The Dragon Emperor could only stare at his eyeless face for a few seconds, as he finally noticed the state of his body.
'I guess he was held captive for a long time... Must've recently been released.'
The Dragon Emperor completely regained his calm after that.
'Francisco was dangerous in his prime, but as he is now? It's hard to tell if he can even scratch my skin.'
So, Kaido huffed confidently.
"I must admit... I was not expecting to meet someone like you here. But you are nothing but a relic right now! You're no danger to me!"
A sadistic smile spread on Kaido's face as his confidence truly started soaring.
"Said the dragon as he cowered away from the old cripple..." Francisco's mocking voice did manage to somewhat hurt his pride though.
Even then, Kaido didn't attack, he only looked at Francisco warily.
Memories of the enigmatic swordman's fighting style flashed in his mind as he tried to determine the best approach to that situation.
The very next thing he did was to turn into his hybrid form.
'I'm too big a target, I'm not sure if he can cut me even, but I shouldn't take chances with people like him.'
Returning to his usual body size of around 7 meters tall, his skin grew scales, his muscles became bulkier, his head grew a few more horns, longer, stronger, and fangs grew inside his mouth, sharp enough to bite through most metals with ease.
A large tail also grew from his lower back, covered in azure blue scales.
Kaido took out and brandished the large mace that was strapped to his back as he kept himself flying using his devil fruit abilities.
The 'flame clouds' he controlled as a dragon were what truly kept him flying, it was something that he had perfect mastery over at that point.
"I see you want to fight me... Are you truly confident enough to take me on?" Francisco's voice sounded out again, making Kaido scowl.
"Bah! You talk big game, but can you even back it up as you are now?!" Kaido decided to bite back, refusing to let the old man walk all over him as he had done back in the day.
"Hmm... I'm quite curious about how much you've improved. 'Strongest Creature' is what they call you, but I don't really see it now..."
Francisco took out his blunt cutlass, the blade instantly turned black, then red as lightning rolled off of it, forming arcs on the surrounding clouds.
The old swordsman felt the mechanical glove assist his grip as he sighed a bit.
'I don't think this glove will hold out against Kaido... At least not for long.' Francisco covered his entire arm in haki, including the glove, hoping to extend its lifespan.
Kaido rushed in immediately, his speed much greater than in his dragon form as his spiked metallic club rushed towards Francisco, purple lightning coiling around it.
'... A clash of conquerors, but also a contest of strength. While I'm confident I'll win the former, the latter one I will certainly lose in... Let's see how it plays out, shall we?'
Francisco swung his blade in an upward slash. His blunt cutlass met the gigantic spiked club head-on without any hesitation.
The ensuing clash was something to behold indeed.
Red and Purple lightning seemed to clash in the sky, as the world crawled to a halt completely.
One part of the world almost appeared dyed in Red, while the other was a shade of purple.
The skies churned and the wind danced violently at their display, accompanying them in the battle as their wills raged on.
Their weapons weren't even close to touching, but their willpower was enough to strike both fear and awe into the people below.
Wyper could only sweat through his bandages as he looked up at the sky, awe coursing through his body as his eyes bore witness to something he hadn't even thought possible before.
He still remembered Francisco's words to him after his display against the Beast Pirates.
'You, my child, are an unpolished diamond. And cracks have started to form in the rocks that covered you. From now on, you are my utmost priority. With my help, there will be few in the world able to oppose you...'
Wyper was obviously sceptical at first. But the reality in front of his eyes seemed to validate that statement greatly, as he watched his teacher take on someone called the 'Strongest Creature' head-on.
Momonga was also present in the crowd below, finally able to move properly as his injuries had just somewhat healed.
Yet, he could do nothing but watch, as he knew he wouldn't have been able to help in a fight against an Emperor.
'Worst case scenario, I try to stall him a bit... But I can't block more than one attack from him. Even taht one attack is likely going to be at a great cost too...'
In the end, Momonga could only curse his lacking strength as he watched the clash rage on.
After 20 seconds, Francisco was actually impressed.
'I guess he's not the same brat anymore... But he's still got a lot to learn!'
Francisco's aura then flared up to completely overpower his, as the Dragon Emperor was pushed back a bit by it, some scratches appearing on his skin as Francisco jumped backwards and slashed his blade towards his opponent.
The old man's arm turned into a blur, as he avoided Kaido's club with precise movements.
Kaido's future sight was completely nullified by Francisco's own, as the two of them started a bloody dance.
Francisco's skilful blade left small scratches all over Kaido's muscle-bound body. But the old man eventually slipped up, showing his rustiness and age as one of the Spikes on Kaido's club snagged his shoulder.
Francisco's haki was strong, but his body's resilience betrayed him as that slip-up cost him a bloody gash.
Thankfully, it wasn't on his dominant arm, so he didn't mind. Still, the old man jumped back a bit, catching his breath in a silent manner, refusing to show his weakness to Kaido.
"Heh... To think you'd hold on so well against me even in your state. I guess it just speaks volumes of how much of a monster you used to be..."
Kaido knew better than most, just how strong Francisco used to be, leagues above the current 'World's Strongest Swordsman'.
It was a little-known fact. But Kaido knew... The only reason Whitebeard and Reyligh were able to survive against him was that Francisco himself was unwilling to hurt Whitebeard at first.
That was something the Dragon Emperor had heard straight from the mouth of Edward Newgate himself. So there was no denying it.
That was likely the case with Big Mom as well, as she wasn't anywhere near strong enough to fight against Francisco.
She was only of help to Whitebeard as she became another fighter that the old swordsman didn't want to harm seriously.
By the time Francisco had started fighting seriously, he was already seriously injured. So the fight was decided at that moment.
Even then, Whitebeard, Reyligh and Big Mom were all left with deep scars from their fight.
The moment the old swordsman started taking things seriously, his blade started to shred apart his enemies.
But, well, the outcome remained the same.
'His softness was always his greatest weakness... He may play tough, but he's nothing more than a sentimental fool...'
That was why Kaido despised Francisco...
Even while in such a sorry state, the old monster was still able to leave marks on his body. It annoyed Kaido greatly that one could be so strong, yet so weak at the same time.
"Hmph... It's time I put an end to this. You should've died long ago, but I won't complain if I get to be the one to take your life!" Kaido immediately rushed towards the still recovering Francisco, his club raised up as the old swordsman prepared to block.
'I can't dodge this in time... Let's just hope my glove will hold up!' Francisco was fully prepared to meet that club head on. His stamina was lacking, but he was at least confident he'd be able to momentarily halt the club and roll out of the way.
But fate had other plans.
"FORGOT ABOUT ME?!" An angry and extremely loud voice was heard from the side, as Kaido received a shining black fist to the face.
The Dragon, so confident in his defences couldn't help but feel his cheek cave in as that fist made contact with his face. He felt his teeth cracking, his fangs breaking off completely as the punch knocked his jaw loose and sent him flying away from the Sky Islands.
Kaido recovered in time, looking with anger as he snapped his jaw back into place, ignoring his cracked teeth.
'Garp The Fist... A man that can definitely injure me, and that I need to be extremely careful when fighting.'
Then, Kaido was hit with a realization.
'I'm not fighting just one old monster... I was too laser-focused on settling my grudge with Francisco...'
Kaido looked at the old men in front of him. Both of them standing on clouds, Garp staring at him with annoyance, and Francisco keeping a poker face.
Garp had received his Blast Breath, yet he looked more like he had come out of a hot shower, with only his shirt being burnt off.
'Can I really win against both of them?'
__________________________________________________________________
Sorry about yesterday, felt like streaming for a bit cuz I didn't particularly have much inspiration, ended up without much time to write(not that I would've felt like writing anyway)
Welp, hope this chapter didn't disappoint ;)
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
_________ POV Narration_________
Francisco scoffed a bit when sensing Kaido's reaction to his appearance.
'I expected him to be startled or surprised by my appearance, but I didn't think he'd still be afraid of me... I guess Rocks really did do a number on him.'
Francisco's relationship with Kaido specifically was a complicated one.
Kaido as a young man was extremely ambitious and competitive, he always tried to fight stronger opponents, striving to become the strongest creature alive.
His devil fruit gave him an enormous advantage over others, but that didn't do much against true monsters... And Kaido had that lesson beaten into him to the point of nearing death's doorstep.
Xebec was the one that Kaido had tried to face, and he was only saved because Francisco himself stepped in.
Francisco, as the strongest swordsman in the world at that time, was the only one that could truly single-handedly stop Xebec from doing something.
And that was also how Kaido had been accepted into the Rocks pirates, with Francisco basically vouching for him and him getting to keep his life by swearing loyalty with the strong.
In Francisco's point of view, that only happened because Kaido was weak, he was weak and confident.
Kaido had walked up to Xebec and tried to face him, the strongest pirate at that time, disregarding the fact that he was still wet behind the ears.
Francisco had tried to befriend him after that, as he had done with every other pirate in the Rocks crew.
But Kaido was never receptive to his kindness, he actually saw that as a weakness, and tried to challenge Francisco himself to a fight.
Francisco obviously didn't entertain such things among crewmates. But Kaido was adamant about it. He had managed to eventually get Francisco drunk enough to agree to it though...
Well... Let's just say that that arrogance led Kaido to the most embarrassing moment of his life. Being beaten unconscious by a drunk, pen-wielding Francisco in front of Charlotte Linlin, who he had somewhat fancied at that time.
Such were the times back then. Many joyful memories were made amongst the Rocks pirates.
At least for most of them, Kaido saw Francisco's interactions with a different gaze. He felt that his friendly demeanour was merely a way of showing off, of keeping him in line.
He played along though, not wanting to actually fight Francisco again at that time.
Also, ironically, Rocks himself was not part of most of the happy memories the crew had formed, as he was 10 times as cruel and barbaric than Kaido, and somehow a lot less caring about his subordinates as well.
Rocks only respected strength, and by extension only truly respected Francisco and somewhat respected Whitebeard.
Whitebeard was the third strongest person in that crew, as he was in his prime back then, or was at least nearing it.
Kaido himself finally managed to compose himself after keeping his distance for a bit.
He was even about to swallow his fears and attempt a clash of conquerors against the old monster in front of him, but Francisco retracted his aura after noticing that Kaido had calmed down.
"Glad to see you've regained your bearings... Now, the hell are you doing here?" Francisco's tone was devoid of any fear or trepidation.
The Dragon Emperor could only stare at his eyeless face for a few seconds, as he finally noticed the state of his body.
'I guess he was held captive for a long time... Must've recently been released.'
The Dragon Emperor completely regained his calm after that.
'Francisco was dangerous in his prime, but as he is now? It's hard to tell if he can even scratch my skin.'
So, Kaido huffed confidently.
"I must admit... I was not expecting to meet someone like you here. But you are nothing but a relic right now! You're no danger to me!"
A sadistic smile spread on Kaido's face as his confidence truly started soaring.
"Said the dragon as he cowered away from the old cripple..." Francisco's mocking voice did manage to somewhat hurt his pride though.
Even then, Kaido didn't attack, he only looked at Francisco warily.
Memories of the enigmatic swordman's fighting style flashed in his mind as he tried to determine the best approach to that situation.
The very next thing he did was to turn into his hybrid form.
'I'm too big a target, I'm not sure if he can cut me even, but I shouldn't take chances with people like him.'
Returning to his usual body size of around 7 meters tall, his skin grew scales, his muscles became bulkier, his head grew a few more horns, longer, stronger, and fangs grew inside his mouth, sharp enough to bite through most metals with ease.
A large tail also grew from his lower back, covered in azure blue scales.
Kaido took out and brandished the large mace that was strapped to his back as he kept himself flying using his devil fruit abilities.
The 'flame clouds' he controlled as a dragon were what truly kept him flying, it was something that he had perfect mastery over at that point.
"I see you want to fight me... Are you truly confident enough to take me on?" Francisco's voice sounded out again, making Kaido scowl.
"Bah! You talk big game, but can you even back it up as you are now?!" Kaido decided to bite back, refusing to let the old man walk all over him as he had done back in the day.
"Hmm... I'm quite curious about how much you've improved. 'Strongest Creature' is what they call you, but I don't really see it now..."
Francisco took out his blunt cutlass, the blade instantly turned black, then red as lightning rolled off of it, forming arcs on the surrounding clouds.
The old swordsman felt the mechanical glove assist his grip as he sighed a bit.
'I don't think this glove will hold out against Kaido... At least not for long.' Francisco covered his entire arm in haki, including the glove, hoping to extend its lifespan.
Kaido rushed in immediately, his speed much greater than in his dragon form as his spiked metallic club rushed towards Francisco, purple lightning coiling around it.
'... A clash of conquerors, but also a contest of strength. While I'm confident I'll win the former, the latter one I will certainly lose in... Let's see how it plays out, shall we?'
Francisco swung his blade in an upward slash. His blunt cutlass met the gigantic spiked club head-on without any hesitation.
The ensuing clash was something to behold indeed.
Red and Purple lightning seemed to clash in the sky, as the world crawled to a halt completely.
One part of the world almost appeared dyed in Red, while the other was a shade of purple.
The skies churned and the wind danced violently at their display, accompanying them in the battle as their wills raged on.
Their weapons weren't even close to touching, but their willpower was enough to strike both fear and awe into the people below.
Wyper could only sweat through his bandages as he looked up at the sky, awe coursing through his body as his eyes bore witness to something he hadn't even thought possible before.
He still remembered Francisco's words to him after his display against the Beast Pirates.
'You, my child, are an unpolished diamond. And cracks have started to form in the rocks that covered you. From now on, you are my utmost priority. With my help, there will be few in the world able to oppose you...'
Wyper was obviously sceptical at first. But the reality in front of his eyes seemed to validate that statement greatly, as he watched his teacher take on someone called the 'Strongest Creature' head-on.
Momonga was also present in the crowd below, finally able to move properly as his injuries had just somewhat healed.
Yet, he could do nothing but watch, as he knew he wouldn't have been able to help in a fight against an Emperor.
'Worst case scenario, I try to stall him a bit... But I can't block more than one attack from him. Even taht one attack is likely going to be at a great cost too...'
In the end, Momonga could only curse his lacking strength as he watched the clash rage on.
After 20 seconds, Francisco was actually impressed.
'I guess he's not the same brat anymore... But he's still got a lot to learn!'
Francisco's aura then flared up to completely overpower his, as the Dragon Emperor was pushed back a bit by it, some scratches appearing on his skin as Francisco jumped backwards and slashed his blade towards his opponent.
The old man's arm turned into a blur, as he avoided Kaido's club with precise movements.
Kaido's future sight was completely nullified by Francisco's own, as the two of them started a bloody dance.
Francisco's skilful blade left small scratches all over Kaido's muscle-bound body. But the old man eventually slipped up, showing his rustiness and age as one of the Spikes on Kaido's club snagged his shoulder.
Francisco's haki was strong, but his body's resilience betrayed him as that slip-up cost him a bloody gash.
Thankfully, it wasn't on his dominant arm, so he didn't mind. Still, the old man jumped back a bit, catching his breath in a silent manner, refusing to show his weakness to Kaido.
"Heh... To think you'd hold on so well against me even in your state. I guess it just speaks volumes of how much of a monster you used to be..."
Kaido knew better than most, just how strong Francisco used to be, leagues above the current 'World's Strongest Swordsman'.
It was a little-known fact. But Kaido knew... The only reason Whitebeard and Reyligh were able to survive against him was that Francisco himself was unwilling to hurt Whitebeard at first.
That was something the Dragon Emperor had heard straight from the mouth of Edward Newgate himself. So there was no denying it.
That was likely the case with Big Mom as well, as she wasn't anywhere near strong enough to fight against Francisco.
She was only of help to Whitebeard as she became another fighter that the old swordsman didn't want to harm seriously.
By the time Francisco had started fighting seriously, he was already seriously injured. So the fight was decided at that moment.
Even then, Whitebeard, Reyligh and Big Mom were all left with deep scars from their fight.
The moment the old swordsman started taking things seriously, his blade started to shred apart his enemies.
But, well, the outcome remained the same.
'His softness was always his greatest weakness... He may play tough, but he's nothing more than a sentimental fool...'
That was why Kaido despised Francisco...
Even while in such a sorry state, the old monster was still able to leave marks on his body. It annoyed Kaido greatly that one could be so strong, yet so weak at the same time.
"Hmph... It's time I put an end to this. You should've died long ago, but I won't complain if I get to be the one to take your life!" Kaido immediately rushed towards the still recovering Francisco, his club raised up as the old swordsman prepared to block.
'I can't dodge this in time... Let's just hope my glove will hold up!' Francisco was fully prepared to meet that club head on. His stamina was lacking, but he was at least confident he'd be able to momentarily halt the club and roll out of the way.
But fate had other plans.
"FORGOT ABOUT ME?!" An angry and extremely loud voice was heard from the side, as Kaido received a shining black fist to the face.
The Dragon, so confident in his defences couldn't help but feel his cheek cave in as that fist made contact with his face. He felt his teeth cracking, his fangs breaking off completely as the punch knocked his jaw loose and sent him flying away from the Sky Islands.
Kaido recovered in time, looking with anger as he snapped his jaw back into place, ignoring his cracked teeth.
'Garp The Fist... A man that can definitely injure me, and that I need to be extremely careful when fighting.'
Then, Kaido was hit with a realization.
'I'm not fighting just one old monster... I was too laser-focused on settling my grudge with Francisco...'
Kaido looked at the old men in front of him. Both of them standing on clouds, Garp staring at him with annoyance, and Francisco keeping a poker face.
Garp had received his Blast Breath, yet he looked more like he had come out of a hot shower, with only his shirt being burnt off.
'Can I really win against both of them?'
__________________________________________________________________
Sorry about yesterday, felt like streaming for a bit cuz I didn't particularly have much inspiration, ended up without much time to write(not that I would've felt like writing anyway)
Welp, hope this chapter didn't disappoint ;)
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
