Chapter-3

Kaido let out a laugh as he watched Ryuuen tumble into the pit. His son landed with a sickening thud amidst the corpses of the samurai Kaido had disposed of.

Ryuuen stood in the centre of the pit, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen enemies. The corpses were tangled and mangled, evidence of the brutal fight that had taken place.

Ryuuen struggled to get up, surrounded by rotting bodies and tangled limbs. He looked up at his father with a mixture of terror, confusion and betrayal in his eyes.

"Fight them," Kaido growled. "Prove your worth, or die like the weakling you are." Kaido's words were harsh but Ryuuen knew there was a twisted logic to them. His father believed that only through adversity could one become strong.

"Dad! You sure about this." Ryuuen said, his sharp eyes showing his awareness of the perilous situation. While Ryuuen had faced danger before, this pit of corpses was something else entirely.

"Do not complain. This is to make you strong, boy! Fight them or join them. It makes no difference to me!" Kaido bellowed. His eyes shone with merciless glee at the chaos he had created. Kaido lived for testing Ryuuen's limits and pushing him to new heights of power and endurance.

"I never did, It's not my way to complain." Ryuuen replied, "Complaining won't solve anything, I have seen enough to know this." Ryuuen knew that arguing would be futile. He had to play along with his father's brutal 'training'.

Ryuuen turned around slowly, looking for any samurai that may still be alive, It was as if no sign of living samurai was there. Some corpses stirred at the noise, grinding bones and sinew moving once more. Ryuuen grimaced, wondering if he would have to fight his way out of this pit of the damned.

Ryuuen punched the first samurai and lunged at him, dropping rotten flesh and bone. His terrified screams echoed through the pit, mixing with the groans of the undead.

Ryuuen grabbed a sword and swung his sword furiously as rotten limbs reached for him, skeletal hands grasping and clawing. Rotten flesh hung off swords and bones as samurai swung at him, their edges dulled but hunger in their empty eyes.

He managed to slice off an arm coming for his neck but stumbled, tripping on entangled legs. A sword stabbed into his side, piercing his armour. Ryuuen cried out, stumbling back as the samurai yanked its blade out, taking bits of flesh and skin with it.

Ryuuen parried the next blow, locking swords with a samurai. Its flesh was peeling away, leaving bone. He shuddered in disgust, pushing the samurai back.

There were too many of them. They swarmed him from all sides, swords flashing in the dim light. Ryuuen fought desperately, his thoughts racing,

"Dammit, how did it come to this?" blood loss made him slower and weaker.

A blade caught his cheek, shaving off scales and flesh. His vision blurred, filled with the monsters surrounding him.

Ryuuen felt blows landing all over, slicing, stabbing, and rupturing scales and skin. His ribs were cracked, organs damaged.

'You wanted this old man.'

Ryuuen hacked furiously at the samurai, refusing to give them the satisfaction of an easy kill. His sword arm slowed, becoming too heavy to lift. Still, he would not yield. He thought grimly, "I won't die like this."

As blades pierced Ryuuen from all sides, time seemed to slow. His vision tunnelled, focusing on the sword descending towards his neck, ready to slice him in two.

'This is bad!' Ryuuen's eyes widened.

Ryuuen braced for the killing blow, his mind racing.

Instantly, the sky darkened. In a fraction of a second, a flash of lightning struck without warning.

The massive bolt struck the blade of the samurai, shattering it into pieces. The samurai jerked away, dismayed shrieks mingling with the cries of the others.

More lightning fell, searing the air and blasting swords from gnarled hands. Samurai scattered, the hive mind of their rotting minds overruled by instinctive fear.

Ryuuen collapsed to the ground, stunned. "Still Alive!" His wounds were severe, but not immediately fatal.

A shadow fell across the pit. A storm blew heavily, with heavy rain. A Red coloured thunder-shaped fruit landed on his body, with a bolt of heavy lightning making it visible.

Ryuuen stared at the devil fruit, then gleaned towards Kaido standing over the pit.

"Hehehehe..... Hehehe!" He swallowed the devil fruit whole.

The devil fruit's powers flooded into him, healing his wounds and instilling a fierce new strength and purpose.

Ryuuen floated up into the air, senses expanding with his newfound power. He saw everything at once - the sky, the earth, and kaido staring up at him with amusement.

His eyes glowed with lightning, and lightning answered his call. Ryuuen unleashed a massive bolt, hurling it into the pit. The samurai turned as one, staring up at the searing light descending upon them. Their screams rose, joining the thunder's roar.

Ryuuen laughed, the sound ringing with crackling energy. "You are all just insects."

The bolt burned them alive, incinerating flesh and bone. The pit was obliterated, leaving only ash.

"Worororo... Wororororo!" Kaido laughed, as the screams of samurai entered his ears. Ryuuen dropped, landing before Kaido.

He gazed up at his father, who laughed in the ashes of the hell he had created.

"As you wished father, Parents do think good of their Child" Ryuuen stated, voice soft but carrying the edge of breaking mountains.

Kaido met his son's glowing eyes and saw their power and judgment in equal measure.

Ryuuen knelt before him, submitting. There would be no escape from this.

Kaido patted Ryuuen's head, scales rough. "Rise, my son. There is much work yet to be done."

Ryuuen looked up, eyes gleaming. "Yes, Father. I am ready."

'The world would know terror at the coming of Kaido's wrath. No force can stand against him.' Ryuuen thought, as he looked up to the devilish smile across Kaido's face.

Ryuuen gazed out at the charred remains of the pit. "And so it begins."

Kaido's gaze followed his, taking in the devastation. "The world will burn, and from the ashes, a new order shall rise. One forged in fire and blood, as it was meant to be."

Ryuuen smiled, baring sharp teeth. "I look forward to it, Father."

Kaido laughed, the sound shaking the earth. "As do I, my son. As do I!"