The steady sound of water dripping echoed in Daren's ears—that was the first thing he became aware of.
A strange stench filled his nostrils.
Damp and rotten, thick with blood and decay... yet somehow laced with the sharp scent of strong liquor.
With great effort, Daren pried his eyes open a sliver. The flickering firelight cast a dim, almost eerie glow across the space.
Agonizing pain shot through every inch of his body. When he tried to take a breath, he ended up choking, coughing up a large mouthful of blood and mud.
A low, hoarse voice echoed through the darkness. Daren shuddered as every muscle in his body instinctively tensed, but he was far too weak—he couldn't even lift a finger.
He forced himself to stay conscious, straining to open his eyes and focus through the blur.
Bloodstained, blackened walls. Rust-covered iron bars. Moss-covered, damp stone floors...
Outside the cell, a massive, imposing figure sat on the ground. Long, wild black hair draped over his shoulders. Sharp horns jutted from his head, and a beard like dragon whiskers framed his mouth.
He was bare-chested, with faint burn marks still visible on his left side—already scabbed over. A purple top was tied around his waist, golden chains hanging from its hem. He wore baggy, dark green pants, a shimenawa tied at the waist, and a purple cloak draped over his shoulders.
The fire on the wall cast enormous, shifting shadows of his figure across the ground and the walls, flickering and distorted—like a demon had descended into the world.
"Kaidou of the Beasts..."
Daren's gaze sharpened as he locked eyes on Kaidou's back.
"If you don't want to die, you'd better stay down..."
Kaidou's voice rumbled like distant thunder.
As he spoke, he extended a heavily muscled arm covered in dragon-scale tattoos and took a swig from a sake gourd marked with the character "天" (heaven). His eyes flicked subtly toward the scar on his left side.
"That lava bastard's something else."
Daren froze, and in that instant, everything clicked.
He'd been captured by Kaidou!
A splitting headache pulsed through his skull, making his memories feel hazy and jumbled.
He vaguely recalled Sakazuki leaping from the ground, his fist blasting apart a dragon's fiery breath—then Kaidou, in his human form, slamming him into the ground with a single blow.
After that, his body gave out. He lost consciousness—and when he woke up, he was here, in this dark prison.
No... In this timeline, Kozuki Oden hasn't even left to sea yet. Kaidou wouldn't have teamed up with Kurozumi Orochi to seize control of Wano.
That means... this place isn't Wano Country.
Daren gasped for air, forcing himself to stay calm as his mind raced.
He was still alive—meaning Kaidou didn't intend to kill him, at least not yet.
Whatever Kaidou's motive was, if Daren was still breathing, then escape was still on the table.
First things first, he needed to figure out Kaidou's strength—and the prison's defense.
With that in mind, Daren sneaked a glance at Kaidou. His eyes paused momentarily on the scar on Kaidou's left side, then quickly shifted away.
The Magu Magu no Mi... It really lives up to its reputation as the most powerful offensive Devil Fruit. Sakazuki's punch didn't just blow away the Bolo Breath—it even wounded Kaidou's supposedly invulnerable body. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel•fire.net
And judging by the power behind that final blow Kaidou landed on Sakazuki... Daren started piecing things together.
At around thirty years old, Kaidou had likely already reached admiral-level strength—probably even stronger than Sakazuki at this stage, given the age difference.
Still, Kaidou clearly wasn't on the level of legends like Roger or Garp.
Of course, "admiral-level" was just a rough estimate.
There were differences even within that tier.
For instance, in the original storyline, the newly appointed admiral Ryokugyu—brought in after the World Military Draft—was clearly a notch below Sakazuki, Kizaru, and Aokiji.
Having admiral-level strength was necessary to become an admiral... but it wasn't enough on its own.
As Sakazuki once said, rank doesn't mean much.
Some Marine Vice Admirals could chase the Pirate King across the entire sea.
And for true monsters, until they actually clashed in battle, no one could truly predict the outcome.
Maybe that's why Kaidou chose not to keep fighting Sakazuki.
No one knows how savage a cornered mad dog can get...
Even one that's already badly injured.
Just as Daren's thoughts spiraled, a painful groan rang out in the darkness.
Startled, Daren turned toward the sound.
The flickering fire cast light on the far corner of the cell. There, slumped against the wall, was a wretched, battered figure slowly coming to.
His body was covered in wounds, though none still bled. The jolting ride and road dust had dried them out. On the left side of his body, massive burn marks crisscrossed like a network of rivers—blackened, dried streaks of blood.
One of his arms was gone—only a gruesome stump remained.
He'd been captured by Kaidou too!
Daren's pupils narrowed sharply.
And then, a ridiculous thought popped into his head—one that made him want to laugh despite everything.
He and Douglas Bullet... were cellmates now?
"Where... is this place..."
Bullet rasped, his voice strained as he lifted his head and caught sight of Daren and Kaidou. He paused for a moment, then quickly realized the situation he was in.
"Both of you are awake. Good."
Kaidou grabbed the sake gourd and tilted his head back, downing the last of the liquor in a single gulp.
He slowly rose to his feet, reeking of alcohol, and began walking toward the cell.
Each thunderous step made the ground tremble beneath his massive frame.
Looking down at Daren and Bullet, Kaidou's dark, vertical pupils gleamed with untamed ambition. Then, he suddenly grinned wide.
"Worororo... Brats, become my subordinates!!"
"I can give you everything you've ever wanted!!"
"Power, wealth, status, strength—whatever you desire, I can make it yours!!"
He extended a massive, dragon-scale-tattooed hand toward them.
"This world is far too boring... I can see it in your eyes—you two aren't the type to play by the rules!!"
"Join me, and I'll lead you to tear this whole sea apart!! Wororororo!!"
Kaidou's booming laughter shook the entire shadowy prison. Dust rained down as the stone walls trembled, as if the whole world was quaking.
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