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Arthur had one simple, unbreakable rule: anyone who could bypass his defenses was a threat that had to be eliminated.
He didn't know if Dragon understood the sheer strategic value of Kuma's ability, and he didn't care. The man was a walking skeleton key, a living, breathing security breach.
He had to die.
At Arthur's command, Redfield's lips curled into a wicked, feral smile. He sized up Kuma's freakishly large, bear-like frame, and a faint, blood-red aura began to steam off his body.
"Kuma, you handle Vegapunk. Get him on the ship. Now." Dragon stepped in front of his commander, shielding him from Redfield's killing intent. He met the legend's gaze with a cold, appraising stare. "Legends should know when to stay in the past. The era is changing, old man. Wouldn't it be better to just… retire?"
Redfield's polite, aristocratic mask cracked, replaced by a cold, predatory fury. His fangs extended, and his blood-red aura intensified. "Heh… let's see if Garp's son has any of Garp's bite."
"As you wish," Dragon said, his voice flat.
"AOOO—"
A sound like no other—a primal, world-shattering roar—tore through the sky. The wind howled, ripping Dragon's green cloak to shreds. A hand, now covered in dark, reptilian scales, shot out. It hardened instantly with black Armament Haki, five claws extended, and slashed down at Redfield.
The very air screamed as it was torn apart.
'A Mythical Zoan?' Redfield thought, his shock instantly replaced by a surge of pure, bloodthirsty excitement.
Mythical versus Mythical. This wasn't about which fruit was better. This was a contest of raw skill and Haki.
Redfield knew Dragon had been Vegapunk's bodyguard. He also knew Vegapunk had been obsessed with a Mythical Zoan—a dragon model—for his Lineage Factor research. He'd even created an artificial version, a failed prototype that was abandoned on Punk Hazard.
The real fruit had vanished... until now.
It was clear Dragon had found it.
No one knew the revolutionary's true power. He was a man of shadows. But the clues had always been there—his name, his ship, his "Dragon Claw" martial arts. It was all real.
"Dragon's Talon!" Dragon roared.
The scaled claw descended, met by a vortex of blood-red bats.
"BOOM!!"
The two forces collided, and the battle for Vegapunk exploded.
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The hotter Arthur's rage burned, the colder his mind became.
He had to hand it to Dragon—the plan was brilliant.
Use Kaido as a battering ram to pin him down.
Use himself to intercept Redfield.
Send in the extraction team—Kuma, Ivankov, and Inazuma—to snatch Vegapunk.
And the worst part? It was a no-lose scenario for the Revolutionaries.
If they got Vegapunk, they won. If they failed, they'd just slip away, and Arthur had no way to retaliate. He didn't know where their base was. He didn't know their strength, their numbers, anything.
They were ghosts, rats in the walls. Dragon held all the cards.
This was a world ruled by power, and Arthur had always operated on the principle that his fist could smash any problem. He hated schemes. But he was being forced to admit that power combined with a brilliant, ruthless scheme was a different beast entirely.
Dragon had chosen the perfect moment. He'd attacked when Raijin Island was at its most vulnerable, with only four key players present. Arthur was now on the defensive, forced to react to his moves.
It was a perfect trap.
Strength was only absolute if you were a lone wolf. The moment you had people to protect—a weakness—you could be leveraged. Jessica, Vegapunk… they were his liabilities.
It was the same damned tactic he'd used at Marineford, now turned back on him.
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BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
Arthur took the full force of Kaido's mountain-smashing punch. The impact sent his lightning-wreathed hair into a frenzy.
He roared, his voice laced with thunder: "KAIDO, YOU IDIOT! CAN'T YOU SEE YOU'RE BEING USED??"
He didn't want this fight. Not here. Not now.
He couldn't risk leveling his own headquarters, and every second he wasted tangling with this moron was a second Dragon's team was getting closer to Vegapunk.
"USED??" Kaido bellowed, his rage escalating. "DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH, THUNDER EMPEROR! I'LL KILL YOU FIRST, AND THEN I'LL GO KILL THE BASTARD WHO DARED TO USE ME!"
His next punch was already on its way.
'Unbelievably and fundamentally stupid...'
Arthur thought while dodging. It was impossible to reason with a man who was nothing but muscle and rage.
It was just like trying to talk to Doflamingo—a total waste of breath. At least Doflamingo could process information. Kaido was a brick wall.
'After I get my people back,' Arthur vowed, his eyes narrowing, 'I'll come back and show you a new kind of pain. Something far beyond what you've ever felt.'
His new mastery over the electrical charges was simmering just beneath his skin, a power far exceeding his old limits.
It still wasn't enough to kill Kaido. But it was more than enough to make him suffer.
Priorities...
He dissolved into pure lightning, vanishing from before Kaido's eyes. Ignoring the Beast's roar of fury, ignoring the monstrous clash between Redfield and Dragon below, he shot into the sky, becoming a bolt of pure vengeance aimed straight at the Revolutionary ship.
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