CHAPTER 26

Kaido's eyes glinted with a strange light.

King was taken aback. "That guy…"

Queen's mouth dropped open as he shouted, "He's definitely a modified human, just like me!"

The other members of the Flying Six were utterly shocked.

Who's-Who's expression changed, and he gasped. "That state... that aura... there's no doubt about it, he's using Life Return!"

Life Return?

Queen chimed in, "Isn't that for modified humans? I thought Life Return was a technique the World Government and Navy used. Who's-Who, you used to be with CP9, right?"

"Exactly," Who's-Who nodded. "The Navy's Six Powers and Life Return are standard combat techniques for government secret Flying Six. But this guy's Life Return isn't the usual kind."

A former CP9 prodigy, Who's-Who had been imprisoned after a mission involving the Gum-Gum Fruit was intercepted by Red-Haired Shanks. He joined the Beast Pirates after escaping. His skill in the Navy's Six Powers and Life Return allowed him to recognize that Alastor's technique was different.

But that wasn't too surprising; Life Return varied by individual—some could control their hair, while others used it to accelerate healing. Everyone had their own unique application.

"I picked up some of those government tricks myself. This kid's becoming more and more interesting!" Queen laughed.

Kaido joined in, drinking from his jug while watching Alastor.

"Boy, what other surprises can you bring me?"

More surprises indeed.

After grabbing Page One's wrist, Alastor threw him over his shoulder.

Zheng!

With a sharp sound, his sword, the Sandai Kitetsu, left its sheath.

Shave!

Giving Page One little time to react, Alastor teleported to his side, swinging the sword.

"Ghost sword style: Flying Moon Slash!"

A crescent-shaped black wave sliced through the air, striking Page One before he could respond. His hardened dinosaur skin split open with a deep gash, and blood poured from the wound.

The scene felt familiar, as though it had just happened, but with the roles reversed.

"Damn it!"

Page One felt the searing pain of his wound and seethed with rage.

As an ancient Zoan-type user, such an attack wouldn't bring him down entirely. Alastor knew this well, so he showed no mercy.

He used Moonwalk to rise into the air, his blade enveloped in dark mist, faint echoes of beastly roars surrounding it.

Alastor's voice boomed toward Page One: "Ghost Sword style: Demon Dragon!"

Roar!

A black dragon formed from ghostly energy erupted from Alastor's blade, shocking the audience. With unstoppable force, it charged at the terrified Page One.

"Is that black mist... Haki?" Who's-Who asked from the stands, his initial disdain for Alastor replaced with caution.

Alastor's skill with Life Return and the Navy's Six Powers, along with his strange sword techniques, had surprised him. He wasn't sure he could win against him now.

"Ha ha ha!" came a booming laugh; Kaido himself responded to Who's-Who.

"That's no Haki. It's something called Ghost aura. See the sword he wields? It's a cursed blade that brings misfortune."

Queen, wide-eyed, stuck out his tongue, exclaiming, "A cursed sword? What a gutsy kid, using a blade like that!"

Kaido laughed louder. "Interesting, isn't it? Doom? True strength doesn't care about such things."

Kaido's words surprised King and the others in the stands. A true warrior didn't fear misfortune—was Kaido implying that Alastor had the potential to become such a warrior? Coming from Kaido, it was high praise, signaling his recognition of Alastor's strength.

When they looked at Alastor again, it was with more respect.

In their watchful eyes, Alastor's dragon attack collided with Page One. Even with his ancient Zoan defense and resilience, Page One couldn't withstand such a powerful energy strike.

The dragon engulfed him, and though Page One tried to resist, he quickly reached his limit, coughed up blood, and lost consciousness.

As the dust settled, a large crater lay in the ground where Page One's motionless body rested.

"Pay Pay!"

With a cry, Ulti ran to Page One's side. She checked his pulse and sighed in relief.

"He's alive, just unconscious."

Then, with a ferocious glare at Alastor, she shouted, "You bastard, how dare you hurt my dear brother!"

She looked ready to avenge Page One. As a Zoan-type user of the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model Pachycephalosaurus, her strength and defense were formidable, particularly her extraordinarily hard skull.

In the original tale, Ulti had taken a powerful combined Homies attack from a Yonko and still didn't fall immediately. In terms of battle feats, she was one of the best in the Flying Six. She even dared to challenge Kaido himself on occasion.

Boom!

With a loud thud, Jack the Drought jumped down from the stands, looking at Ulti coldly.

"Girl, Alastor is my subordinate. If you plan to attack him, be ready to be trampled by me!"

"What did you say, you simple-minded musclehead?" Ulti shot back without hesitation.

Jack, enraged, pulled out his blade hidden within his tusks.

The other members of the Flying Six, eager to see a fight, laughed and cheered.

"Is Ulti going to challenge Jack? Perfect chance to knock down all the All-Stars!"

Nearby, Queen yelled, "Ahh! You troublemakers are always looking for chaos!"

Seeing the escalating tension, Kaido, the boss, decided to step in.

"Enough! Stop this nonsense!"

With a thunderous roar, the entire island shook.

Kaido turned his gaze on Ulti. "Girl, I authorized this challenge. Page One lost fair and square. You have no reason to interfere."

Ulti had an unconvinced look on her face, but she wasn't foolish. Kaido was genuinely angry. If she defied him again, she might find herself facing his thunderous wrath.

Across from her, Jack obediently put away his weapon.

In a sudden shift of mood, Kaido burst into laughter, looked skyward, and took a hearty swig from his bowl, glancing around at his Three Calamities, the Flying Six, and Alastor .

"You're all valuable subordinates that I treasure. Any accident would be a loss to my Beasts Pirates!"

"If you're unsatisfied with your position, then train harder, strengthen yourselves, and join me in launching the ultimate war to shatter this world dominated by the Celestial Dragons!"

Rumble!

A thunderous dragon's roar echoed.

The weather shifted, the sky darkened, and a massive azure dragon soared into the sky, coiling above Onigashima.

Its immense presence radiated power, sweeping in all directions, felt throughout the entire Wano Country.

Some of the more fearful citizens dropped to their knees, trembling.

This was the might of the world's strongest creature—dominating sea, land, and sky!

King, visibly moved, gazed up in awe at Kaido's dragon form.

In his heart, Kaido was the one destined to change the world, the true Joy Boy.

As a native of the Red Line and one of the last Lunarians, King had been captured by the World Government for experimentation as a child, only to be freed by Kaido. His admiration for Kaido's strength ran deep, and he believed Kaido to be Joy Boy.

But Kaido, with a dismissive air, turned to King.

"The world I desire may not be what you imagine!"

"The only one who can defeat me... is Joy Boy!"

King was unwavering. "No one can defeat Lord Kaido!"

And so, King continued to serve Kaido with undying loyalty.

Meanwhile, Alastor looked up at Kaido's dragon form, but unlike others who felt fear or admiration, his gaze held only one thing: ambition—the ambition to become the strongest.

Alastor clenched his fists, vowing silently, One day, when my defense surpasses Kaido's, the title of the strongest creature will be mine.

If Kaido had known what Alastor was thinking at that moment, he might have either laughed at his ambition or been pleased that someone dared to challenge his title.

After Kaido finished his display, he returned to human form and officially appointed Alastor as the new member of the Flying Six.

With Alastor's inclusion, the Flying Six was finally complete.

Now part of the Beast Pirates' core, Alastor was also appointed as the deputy manager of the Kuri region.

Jack, the chief manager of Kuri, rarely handled day-to-day matters and often stayed on Onigashima, effectively leaving the region under Alastor's control.

In addition, Alastor's authority extended beyond Kuri—he now had some sway over the Beasts stationed across Wano.

This was the benefit of joining the Flying Six, and it would make things much easier for Alastor in the future.

As one of the Four Yonkos' crews, the Beasts Pirates were closely watched worldwide. Although Wano was largely isolated, word of internal changes within the Beasts Pirates spread beyond its borders within days.

For the first time, the strong throughout the sea began hearing the name "Alastor ."

"So, he's the new member of the Beasts Pirates' Flying Six? Interesting."

"He looks young. I wonder how powerful he is?"

"Hah, that's something for the Navy to worry about."

And the Navy was indeed concerned.

When the intelligence department sent Alastor 's photo to Fleet Admiral Sengoku's desk, he immediately recognized that this newcomer was likely the same individual responsible for killing the G-5 branch officer, Guleta!