One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

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Dressrosa, in a lavish room...

Doflamingo, the cunning ruler of Dressrosa and one of the Shichibukai, known as the Heavenly Yaksha and the "JOKER" of the underworld, was drenched in cold sweat. He had used devious methods to transform Dressrosa into a pirate kingdom under his control. Now, staring nervously at the transponder snail before him, he was listening to the furious rant of a drunken voice on the other end of the line.

Despite his notorious reputation, Doflamingo dared not show even a hint of anger. The voice belonged to none other than the most fearsome creature on the seas, one of the Four Emperors: Kaido of the Beasts.

Doflamingo knew all too well the sheer power of the monster he was dealing with. Though he himself was one of the Seven Shichibukai of the Sea, wielding both Conqueror's Haki and the awakened powers of the String-String Fruit, facing Kaido was another matter entirely. He knew that against the emperor's rage, he wouldn't even last a single blow. Their partnership was purely transactional, with Kaido using him to procure artificial Devil Fruits for his ever-growing army of Zoan users. If Doflamingo were to outlive his usefulness, Kaido would have no qualms about crushing him.

"JOKER! Are you listening to me?!"

Kaido's enraged voice snapped Doflamingo out of his anxious thoughts. 

"I… I was at the Shichibukai meeting, discussing the threat posed by Portgas D. Ace and his potential attack on you," Doflamingo began, struggling to maintain composure.

"Who cares about that?!" Kaido bellowed, cutting him off mid-sentence. The sound of Kaido gulping down more alcohol made Doflamingo clench his teeth. This drunkard! He's always drinking—there's no reasoning with him, he thought.

"What I'm talking about," Kaido growled, "is that the Marines claim this brat Ace has the power to hunt Devil Fruits. Paramecia, Logia, even Mythical Zoans—he can steal them all!? And they say he's got a Suzaku form comparable to my own Devil Fruit. Why the hell didn't you tell me about this, JOKER?!"

Doflamingo forced a smile, despite the gravity of the situation. "I only just learned about Ace's ability to hunt Devil Fruits through the Marines' recent report. Up until now, there was no information to suggest he had such powers."

Doflamingo had grown accustomed to Kaido's erratic mood swings, but this time, even he was shocked. He had heard rumors at the Shichibukai meeting about Ace's Conqueror's Haki and how it rivaled that of the Emperors. That alone was enough to send him into a frenzy of training upon returning to Dressrosa. The man was a walking force of nature. But this new information about Ace's ability to steal Devil Fruits—it was terrifying.

Doflamingo had since gathered more intelligence through his vast underground network. The details were staggering. Ace had destroyed Enies Lobby, a World Government stronghold that had stood for over 800 years. He had done it alone, taking down an entire Buster Call and killing Vice Admiral Onigumo in the process. Even Vice Admirals like Gion and Momonga were left near death after facing him.

But it didn't end there. Ace had even fought Admiral Aokiji before the Enies Lobby incident, seriously injuring him. The fact that Ace had gone on to obliterate Enies Lobby after that battle was proof that he was practically unaffected by the fight with the admiral.

These feats were enough to place Ace among the very top of the pirate world.

Even more alarming were the rumors that Ace had formed a small army of Devil Fruit users under his command, including some with immensely powerful abilities like the Sand-Sand Fruit and the Thunder Fruit. With his ability to hunt fruits, he could create a force far stronger than Kaido's artificial Zoan army. Each Logia fruit alone was worth more than the entire collection of artificial fruits Doflamingo had painstakingly amassed.

At least, Doflamingo sighs in relief that Ace has his sights set on Kaido. Otherwise, the Donquixote Family would be obliterated before they could even prepare for a fight. But now, with the World Government pitting Ace against Kaido, it seemed a clash between the two titans was inevitable. This was something the World Government clearly wanted— and something Doflamingo could benefit from as well.

As he mused over the situation, Kaido's voice bellowed through the transponder snail once more, interrupting his thoughts.

"Hey, JOKER! Go find that kid Ace and bring him to me!" Kaido demanded.

"???"

The confident smile that had crept onto Doflamingo's face suddenly vanished, replaced with a look of disbelief.

Doflamingo pointed at himself subconsciously, his expression a mix of disbelief and amusement.

Me?

You want me to defeat Portgas D. Ace? Capture him alive and bring him to Kaido?

Kaido, you've gotta be kidding me!

Doflamingo cursed inwardly. You must've had too much to drink, Kaido! If I had the strength to take down a nearly fully-formed Yonko-level pirate crew like the Entei Pirates and capture Ace alive, do you think I'd still be stuck making artificial Devil Fruits for you? Wouldn't it be easier to just kill you and take your place as a Yonko?!

Despite the torrent of curses running through his mind, Doflamingo maintained his outward smile.

"According to the Marines, Ace's Conqueror's Haki rivals even that of Red-Haired Shanks. I… I haven't mastered Conqueror's Haki Entanglement yet. I'm afraid I'm no match for Ace," Doflamingo admitted, forcing a grin while stifling the urge to swear.

"Hmph, what a useless weakling. Your Haki is pathetic." Kaido took another swig of alcohol, his mocking words making the veins on Doflamingo's forehead pulse in anger.

This bastard! Does he think mastering Conqueror's Haki-Entanglement is something anyone can do overnight? he fumed internally. Only monsters like him could say something like that!

As Doflamingo gritted his teeth, he couldn't help but curse his luck again. How did Ace manage to grow this strong in just a year? The Marines are saying Ace Conqueror's Haki is already on par with the Yonko. Combined with his achievements, it's obvious that he's fully mastered Conqueror's Haki Entanglement! A newcomer who's only been at sea for a year…

He's even more of a monster than Kaido!

Doflamingo's mind raced, thinking of how Bellamy had stupidly provoked such a powerful enemy. I should have dismembered his body!

After calming down, he continued, keeping his voice steady, "There's something else I need to report. One of my subordinates offended Ace. Judging by Ace's behavior, it's clear I've become a target of his wrath. Worse, Dressrosa is right on his route. If he comes here, my Donquixote Family won't stand a chance against the Entei Pirates. And with the SMILE factory here, if it gets destroyed, things will be… troublesome."

Doflamingo's voice grew serious, but the sound of Kaido drinking in the background made his eye twitch. Does this guy ever stop?!

"So, what? You want to use the SMILE factory as leverage to get me to protect you?" Kaido mocked, laughing. "You're pathetic, no wonder your Haki's so weak!"

Kaido's words made Doflamingo's skin crawl, and sweat beaded on his forehead. Kaido's erratic mood swings weren't new to him, but each time he felt like walking a razor's edge.

Then Kaido's mood shifted again, his roar shaking Doflamingo to his core.

"Stop playing games with me, JOKER! One wrong move and I'll kill you myself!"

The threat made Doflamingo's throat dry, unable to muster a response. But before he could think of anything, Kaido's mood changed again.

"Still, I'd like to see this Devil Fruit hunting ability for myself," Kaido chuckled darkly. "Hah! I'll give it a try."

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New World - Onigashima!

This was the headquarters of the Beasts Pirates, the domain of the Four Emperors, and the lair of Kaido.

The massive man drained the last of his wine and spat in contempt before the bottle shattered to the ground. Above, dark clouds swirled violently, lightning splitting the skies. In the midst of this storm, Kaido's enormous form began to glow with a strange, ethereal light. 

Then, his body expanded rapidly, taking on the shape of a massive creature that blocked out the sky. Supported by flame-filled clouds, Kaido's form grew larger and larger.

Before the awestruck soldiers of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido had transformed into his Azure Dragon form—a creature whose antlers were like a deer's, its head like a camel's, its eyes like a rabbit's, with scales like a fish, and claws like an eagle.

Kaido, in his Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Azure Dragon Form, the world's most powerful creature, unleashed a devastating roar that sent razor-sharp wind blades tearing through the skies, leaving his soldiers trembling in fear.

"Hey! KING!"

In response, a winged figure appeared in the sky, flames crackling around him. This was King, Kaido's right-hand man and one of the Three Disasters of the Beasts Pirates.

King, a user of the Ancient Zoan: Pteranodon Fruit, flew closer, awaiting Kaido's orders.

"I'm heading out to capture that brat Ace. You take care of Onigashima in my absence!" Kaido boomed.

King's voice was calm as he replied, "Governor, the Entei Pirates are practically a full-fledged Yonko-level crew. Are you planning to declare war on them?"

Kaido sneered, "I don't need to bother with that! I'll take care of it myself. What 'Flame Emperor'? I'm Kaido The Beasts!"

Laughing madly, Kaido lifted off, his massive form rising into the sky, supported by clouds of flame.

"JOKER! Send me Ace's location!" Kaido's voice roared through the transponder snail as he soared away.

Doflamingo, smirking, nodded and immediately began gathering intelligence on Ace's whereabouts.

As Kaido disappeared into the sky, King calmly resumed his duties. He was used to this. His Governor had ventured off on his own countless times before, always relying on his near-immortality to return, even after being beaten down by the Marines or other forces. 

No one had ever managed to kill Kaido.

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Now, two of the Four Emperors of the New World—Red-Haired Shanks and Kaido of the Beasts—were heading toward the first half of the Grand Line. 

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