One Piece: My Evolving Aircraft

Next Bonus, 100!!

<><><><><><>

An explosion ripped through the sky, a brilliant flash of light that was visible for miles, the sound like a clap of thunder that rolled across the sea for a hundred leagues.

Though it was night, the pirates and Marines in the surrounding waters all saw it: two figures, locked in a vicious struggle in the sky.

"It's Kaido!"

"And King Jin!"

"They're fighting in the sky??"

"How are they doing that?"

"They're too strong!"

Everyone was dumbfounded. How could humans fight so fiercely in the air?

"Are they gods?"

Sure, the Six Powers' Moonwalk and Shave could allow a user to fight briefly in the air, but there were limits to the height and the intensity of the battle.

But Jin and Kaido... they were fighting at an altitude of thousands of meters, near the clouds, and every clash was a blinding flash of light.

"What a monster," Doflamingo muttered, catching a glimpse of the battle in the distance. He had already commandeered a fleeing pirate ship and was heading back home at full speed. He stood on the deck, his head tilted back, his feelings a complex mixture of envy, jealousy, and pure hatred.

Damn it! Why wasn't it me who got the Azure Dragon fruit, or the Rumble-Rumble Fruit? Compared to those... the String-String Fruit is garbage. If I had just one of those fruits, I wouldn't be running away like a beaten dog.

—————————

On the sea below, Gion was engaging Diamante, who was in charge of the diversionary force. She had expertly singled him out from the scattered fleet.

Although Diamante was one of Doflamingo's top officers, a user of the Paramecia Hira Hira no Mi and a skilled swordsman, he was no match for Gion. She severed his arm and then knocked him unconscious with a single kick.

Her blade, unstained by blood, sheathed, she looked up at the sky in the distance. The roar of the battle was unending.

The storm clouds were gathering, and in the flashes of lightning, the silhouettes of the two combatants were projected onto the sea below, like gods and demons locked in a death match.

The sky was filled with flashes of lightning, raging flames, and the roar of a dragon.

"They're too strong," she breathed, a shiver running down her spine. It was a battle of the absolute strongest. The shockwaves alone were enough to throw the surrounding seas into turmoil.

"Report!"

"Commander Gion! The ships of the Beasts Pirates have appeared in the bay outside the base! It's the combat units, led by King and Jack!"

Gion raised an eyebrow.

The poison had failed. So now they were trying a direct assault.

"Return to base, immediately!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

Gion and her men raced back to G-5.

On the island, the garrison was firing the shore cannons.

Reiju and Jinbe were also at the port with their men, holding back the Beasts Pirates.

A fierce battle erupted.

The G-1 and G-14 bases, having been alerted in advance, were sending reinforcements, elite units led by Vice Admirals Momonga and Doberman. The three bases were located in a triangle, not far from each other, in the waters near Mary Geoise.

As an Admiral candidate, Gion was the highest-ranking officer in the area, and she had taken command.

Upon discovering the pirate attack, she had immediately called for backup. The timely arrival of the reinforcements from G-1 and G-14 had stabilized the front line.

The combat power of the Beasts Pirates was varied, but anyone who was part of a Yonko's crew, anyone who had been brought on an expedition like this, was a force to be reckoned with.

And the All-Stars, King and Jack, were on another level entirely. They were each a one-man army, their weapons cutting a swath of destruction through the Marine ranks.

Momonga, Doberman, Reiju, and Jinbe, working together, were barely able to hold them back.

To make matters worse, the Beasts Pirates had brought Queen's biological weapons, and they were now launching poison gas shells into the crowds.

Fortunately, the Marines and Reiju had been prepared for this.

They donned their gas masks and administered the antidote, minimizing the casualties.

Gion returned to the fray.

She engaged King one-on-one, leaving Momonga, Doberman, and Reiju to deal with Jack, while Jinbe engaged the other Headliners.

Although the production of SMILE fruits had only just begun, the hierarchy of the Beasts Pirates—the All-Stars, the Headliners—was already well-established. They were equivalent to the Sweet Commanders and the other high-ranking officers of a Yonko's crew.

The later "Flying Six" were, in fact, still Headliners, just the six strongest and most promising among them.

Of course, this was just an expeditionary force. Queen and most of the other Headliners had remained in Wano.

Although Kaido had occupied Wano for years, there was still a resistance. And he had to worry about both internal and external threats. He couldn't risk leaving his home base undefended.

—————————

In the clouds.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The explosions were unending. Jin and Kaido flew higher and higher, clashing again and again in the sky.

Neither was holding back. They were using every technique at their disposal, a true battle to the death. Anyone who witnessed it would have been stunned.

The battle was incredibly intense, almost bestial.

"Conquest of the Three Worlds: Ragnarok!"

Kaido swung his massive club, his movements wide and powerful, Conqueror's Haki coiling around it as he brought it crashing down.

The immense Haki was like a tidal wave.

Jin's eyes were sharp. He was like a god of war, his fighting spirit soaring. He threw a punch, and it drew upon the endless lightning in the sky.

CRACK! BOOM!

The lightning coalesced into a thunderous fist, larger than an island.

The sky shook, and the light was terrifying.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The resulting explosion was deafening, a terrifying, boundless blast of energy.

A massive hole was torn in the dark clouds, and the hidden moonlight spilled out, illuminating the sea below.

There was an island beneath them, but it was no longer G-5. In their aerial battle, they had traveled far, to some unknown location.

The residents of the island were jolted from their sleep by the explosion that ripped through the sky, their hearts filled with a sense of dread.

They ran out into the streets, looking at each other in confusion.

"What was that? A thunderstorm?"

"Hey! Look! Up in the sky!"

"It looks like... a man and a dragon... are fighting!"

"What??"

Everyone looked up. There were two small dots in the sky. Only those with the best eyesight could make out their general shape.

"Am I seeing things? Am I still asleep?"

"A battle in the sky... is it a battle of gods?"

"Who else but a god could do that?"

The residents murmured among themselves.

Fortunately, the two combatants were moving away. But some of the more daring, the more curious, ran to the port, wanting to see what was happening.

The battle raged from night until dawn, and it was still going on...

They passed over several islands.

Countless people were stunned by the sight, crying out in awe. The more superstitious fell to their knees in prayer, believing they were witnessing a battle of gods.

THUD!

On a protruding coral reef, the two figures fell from the sky.

They traded blows, the sound of their fists and feet against the iron club like a clap of thunder.

They landed on the reef.

Jin and Kaido each took a step back, catching their breath.

A whole night of high-intensity battle. Their stamina, their Haki, their energy—all of it was severely depleted.

Jin's shirt had been torn to shreds in the fighting, revealing his powerful physique, which was covered in bruises and cuts.

Kaido was in a similar state, his skin scorched in several places, a piercing wound still visible on his chest.

But even so, as their gazes met, a powerful, surging, invisible aura erupted from both of them, and the calm sea began to churn.

The waves surged. And then, Jin and Kaido charged at each other again, their fists colliding with a terrifying force that sent a shockwave blasting outward, shattering the reef and sending it sinking into the sea.

And then, they shot back up into the sky.

<><><><><><>

~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon

https://p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)