ONE PIECE: KAIDO'S SON

"Give it back to you!"

Ragnar's eyes turned icy cold, his throat rolling ominously.

Then, with a sudden breath, he exhaled.

Boom—a golden inferno mixed with divine might erupted from his mouth, like the wrath of a celestial emperor.

In an instant, the blaze pierced the heavens.

Golden flames, bright as a second sun, coiled into the sky like a thousand serpentine dragons, casting a radiant glow over the otherwise dusky Ghost Island night.

"You... can use fire?"

King—Alber, the last of the Lunarian race—was momentarily stunned. Then, his lips curled arrogantly.

He was Lunarian.

The race hunted by the Celestial Dragons for over 800 years.

The race that commanded fire.

The flames that cloaked his body were a birthright, a divine shield, impervious even to the magma of Akainu or the azure hellfire of Kaido's dragon form.

Yet—

As the golden fire surged toward him, that confidence shattered.

A burning pain tore through his nerves. The pride in his heart turned to panic.

"Samadhi Fire!" Ragnar's voice was calm, but mocking.

"You thought fire was your domain alone?"

"—Damn it!"

King's expression twisted. He had no time to swing his sword toward Ragnar's exposed flank.

Instead, his massive black wings flared open, and he tore himself upward, streaking into the sky to escape the torrent.

But it was too late.

The golden flames had latched onto him.

They clung like cursed chains, resisting wind and motion. They devoured his armor, burned away his jet-black cape, and sank deep into his flesh.

Ssshh—

Blackened skin peeled. A sickening smell of charred flesh wafted into the air.

"This... can't be extinguished!?"

King's pupils shrank. His own internal flames—those born of Lunarian blood—were being overpowered.

Worse, they were being consumed.

He slashed at his own flesh in desperation, severing flaming strips of skin. Bloody chunks fell to the stone below with a sickening thud.

"Just one exchange... and that sadist got burned!?"

Queen's jaw nearly dropped.

He had always known King was a monster among monsters.

The Lunarian who dominated even among the All-Stars.

To see him lose in a flame duel?

Unthinkable.

"Don't let that fire touch you!!" King shouted, his face grim. The horror in his eyes was not just pain—it was the realization that, for the first time, his fire was no longer absolute.

"Haaaaa!!"

Roaring in fury, King soared higher, his wings snapping thunder into the air. He arched his body like a bow.

Then—snap!

His neck released, launching a devastating shockwave beam like a laser—ripping through the air, a concentrated torrent of kinetic might aimed straight at Ragnar's chest.

BOOM!

Ragnar was struck head-on.

"Did we get him!?"

Cheers erupted from some of the Beast Pirates. A glimmer of hope flickered among them.

They feared this stranger—this so-called "True Lord"—but the possibility of his fall made them forget that fear, if only for a second.

But—

"No…"

From above, King's heart sank.

Though his beam had connected, Ragnar's feet... had not moved.

Where he stood, the ground cracked deeply beneath him—his legs embedded like ancient roots into the stone of Onigashima itself.

The beam had pushed him back—no more than ten meters—leaving two deep gouges across the earth.

But when the energy faded... Ragnar stood tall.

His chest—untouched. Not even a scuff.

King roared, igniting the air around him as he exhaled an intense stream of flame. The scorching fire coalesced into a giant dragon, its jaws wide and fangs gleaming as it spiraled through the sky.

Then, gripping his Kurozumi-forged katana with both hands, King raised the blade overhead and slashed downward in a wide arc.

As the katana carved through the air, the Fire Dragon roared and dove from the heavens, its flames distorting the atmosphere as it hurtled toward Ragnar like a living comet.

"You already know flames are useless against me," Ragnar said coldly, unfazed. His eyes glowed faintly, and he inhaled with tremendous force.

The Fire Dragon, which should have melted steel and scorched earth, twisted violently in the air… before being sucked entirely into Ragnar's mouth.

A heartbeat passed.

Just as King's feint had vanished, a black flash dropped from the sky—a blade wreathed in Armament Haki, radiating deadly intent.

"Armament: Flame Dragon King!" King growled as he brought the blade down like a guillotine, the steel glowing faintly beneath the blackened aura of hardened Haki.

But this wasn't a mere reinforcement.

This was Advanced Armament Haki: Internal Destruction—the secret weapon of Wano's elite warriors and a skill known only to the strongest among the Beast Pirates.

The katana dug into Ragnar's right shoulder, and the Haki detached from the blade, drilling into Ragnar's body like a jagged spear.

"You really thought," Ragnar muttered calmly, casting a glance at the blade, "that mastering internal destruction would be enough to harm me?"

He tilted his head slightly, his voice still calm amid the intensity.

"…That this would work?"

Queen, Who's Who, and Fukurokuju—all watching from a distance—narrowed their eyes, peering toward the point of impact.

King's expression faltered. He looked down—

There was no blood.

Not even a scratch.

"No… way…" he whispered.