Scorching winds swept relentlessly across the charred and fractured land, the air thick with the stench of burning embers—so dense it choked the breath.

Kaidou's weak, rasping voice drifted on the wind, reaching Dragon and the others. All three froze where they stood, stunned.

King's eyes went blank. For a moment, he looked completely lost.

Kaidou-san... admitted defeat?

No...

"That's impossible!"

Bloodshot veins burst across King's eyes as he snarled, refusing to believe it.

"Kaidou-san, you're still standing, while Rogers Daren is completely unconscious!"

"You haven't lost!"

"So what if he had the upper hand for a moment?!"

"You're still conscious—then the fight isn't over!"

"Strike now! Finish Rogers Daren... and you'll be the final victor in this war!"

His voice broke into a near-scream. His blood-red eyes locked onto Kaidou with desperation, like a plea hidden behind the fury.

Kaidou was taken aback by the desperation in King's gaze. After a brief sigh, he gave a small, bitter laugh and shook his head.

"Whether someone's conscious or not doesn't mean a damn thing."

Queen's eyes widened.

"Wait... don't tell me Daren held back during that final strike—?"

Bang!

A kanabō slammed squarely into his face, driving Queen headfirst into the ground and blasting a deep crater beneath him.

Groaning and dazed, Queen climbed out, bloodied nose and a glowing red imprint across his cheek. He stared up at Kaidou, utterly baffled.

Seriously? Even if I was wrong, did you have to smack me like that?

Breathing hard, Kaidou growled,

"You idiot... don't insult our battle!"

Queen: "…"

Kaidou gave him a glare, rubbed his temple, then turned back to King. After a pause, he spoke, calm but resolute.

"It's over, Arber."

He raised a bloody hand with effort and gently patted King on the head—just like he had all those years ago, when he'd rescued a white-haired boy from the clutches of the World Government's laboratory.

In that hazy moment, Kaidou seemed to see that scared, withdrawn child again. And deep within his fierce, brutal gaze, a rare softness flickered.

"Losing is losing. There's nothing to argue."

"This final duel ends... with the defeat of 'Kaidou of the 'Beasts'."

King looked like he'd been struck by lightning. His face turned ghostly pale.

His eyes flooded with confusion.

To King, Kaidou was always the hero who'd saved him from that twisted lab of pain and cruelty.

A lab guarded by CP0, staffed with monstrous scientists and corrupt government researchers... a place that made the young Lunarian boy, Arber, tremble in fear.

But all of that—the guards, the scientists, the walls—had crumbled like paper in the presence of that godlike figure who descended from the sky.

Even now, that moment was etched deep in King's soul, unforgettable.

To him, Kaidou had always been invincible—the strongest.

So now, he couldn't accept what he was seeing.

"What's the matter, Arber? Are you disappointed in me?"

Kaidou gave a quiet chuckle and ruffled his hair.

"Do you remember the name I once told you?"

King's eyes trembled. Slowly, his pupils refocused. He looked at Kaidou in disbelief.

"You mean... Joy Boy?"

He finally came to, then turned sharply—his gaze locking onto the unconscious, black-haired young man on the ground.

He had once told Kaidou a story. A name passed down through the void century. A name that meant freedom. Liberation.

Joy Boy—the warrior of laughter and light.

Back then, Kaidou told him: if there was anyone in this world who could defeat him, it would be Joy Boy.

Could it be... that Rogers Daren was the very Joy Boy Kaidou spoke of?

King stood there, frozen.

Next to him, Queen was even more dumbfounded. His mouth twitched wildly, sweat running down his face in disbelief.

Kaidou had never told him much, but back when Queen was part of the outlaw science group MADS, he'd seen snippets of classified data from Vegapunk's files.

According to legend, Joy Boy was the "Sun God" who brought freedom to the world.

A mythical warrior of liberation. A symbol of laughter.

Queen had always scoffed at those stories—never believed in Joy Boy's existence, never cared.

But this?

This bastard Daren being Joy Boy?

Queen would be the first to object!

Who the hell was Joy Boy?

In vague scraps of forgotten history, he was a beacon of freedom and joy—a liberator who would lead the world into the light.

And Rogers Daren...?

Smoking, drinking, greedy, lustful, power-hungry, deceitful, manipulative, treacherous—he ticks every box of the infamous "worst scum."

If someone like that is supposed to be Joy Boy, then it'd be the biggest joke of this era.

At that moment, Queen even started to wonder if Kaidou-san had been hit so hard by Daren that he'd lost his mind—or if his injuries were just so bad he'd started spouting nonsense.

Still, with that fresh bump on his head throbbing from earlier, Queen wisely kept his thoughts to himself. He just curled his lip and stayed silent.

What he didn't expect...

When faced with King's stunned question, Kaidou paused—then let out a snort of laughter.

"Worororo!!"

It didn't stop. He laughed louder and louder, shaking with laughter, even tearing up at the corners of his eyes.

"Joy Boy? That brat Daren?"

"Him!?"

"Worororo!!"

King stared at Kaidou, stunned and speechless.

"Arber... he's not Joy Boy. But in some ways, he's even more terrifying than Joy Boy."

Kaidou's laughter slowly faded. He let out a long sigh.

He turned around, dragging his kanabō, and began walking toward the distance.

"Let's go, Arber."

King stared at Kaidou's broad back. Gritting his teeth, he finally couldn't help but ask,

"But Kaidou-san... I still don't understand. Why do you say he won?"

Kaidou came to a stop.

He stood atop the scorched, cracked battlefield, embers burning around him, his purple fur-lined cloak fluttering in the wind.

"His injuries weren't fully healed... That strange ability of his—he couldn't even bring it to its peak."

He looked up, raising his head toward the wide, open sky.

The golden sunlight pierced the heavens like a blade, casting its light across his rough, blood-smeared face.

"If he were at full strength... he might have killed me."

King stood frozen again.

Before he could say a word, Kaidou turned to glance back at him, a wild grin spreading across his face.

"But I promise you this..."

As the words left his mouth, a wisp of black flame flickered across his cheek and disappeared.

The faint wound it left behind closed instantly.

"—Next time, I won't lose."

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