“What did you say?”
“I said, that brat Luffy is someone I know. The one wearing the straw hat. Don’t you think that straw hat looks familiar?”
“Straw hat… So that’s it. Roger’s hat that he got from you, huh? That brat is pretty interesting. What do you want?”
“A kid like him shouldn’t be enough to catch your eye, right? He and I can be considered acquaintances too. How about handing him over to me?”
Shanks’s goal was very clear: to fish the person out from Kaido. At first, he thought this matter would not be complicated, but reality turned out to be beyond his expectations.
“Worororo, I refuse. I’m very interested in that brat right now. I even want to make him one of my officers.”
“That kid is very stubborn. Once he’s decided on something, it won’t change that easily.”
“That’s exactly why I find him interesting. If he delivered himself to my door willingly, I wouldn’t be interested.”
Kaido’s answer blocked what Red Hair was going to say next, but it was not exactly bad news either. After all, Kaido could not recruit a dead man.
“Then when you lose interest in him, please hand him over to me.”
“If that day really comes, it’s not impossible. But… you have to fight me. That move, Kamusari, is Roger’s technique, right? I want to see how close a serious you is to Roger back then.”
Back and forth, not only did Shanks fail to fish the person out, he seemed to have gotten himself dragged in as well. Still, he did gain some information.
“I remember Luffy has some conflict with Big Mom.”
“That? I’ve already repaid that old hag’s favor. If she wants to take away someone I’m interested in, it won’t be that easy.
“Oh right, that brat is still in prison now. Come and fight me first, and I’ll improve his living conditions. How about it? Before the great war, a little warm-up isn’t bad.”
“You should go find your own daughter instead. Letting him suffer a little is a good thing too.”
Hearing Kaido’s request, Red Hair directly refused. Originally, he lacked some understanding of Kaido and only felt that Kaido was troublesome.
Now that he understood, Red Hair realized that Kaido was not just trouble, but huge trouble. It was never a good thing to get entangled with Kaido. Being pestered by Hawk Eyes before had already been annoying enough; Shanks did not want one more.
Besides, in Shanks’s eyes, Luffy’s journey had indeed gone too smoothly. Although what his biological father and grandfather could do was limited, Kuma and Hercules had protected them at crucial moments. Letting him suffer a little and realize the cruelty of the world was also a good thing.
“Boss! We found traces of Bartolomeo! He’s on an island not far from here!”
Shanks, who had just hung up the phone, turned around and received a report from his subordinate. Bartolomeo, the pirate who had burned his flag, had finally shown himself.
“Boss, are we heading over now?”
“Of course. Even if he has a connection to Luffy, this isn’t something that can be brushed over casually. Since Kaido is putting on some entertainment, we might as well go do something too.”
The Red Force shifted its course to the right, intending to deal with the loss of face from before. No matter which pirate crew it was, none would allow a pirate who had burned their flag to keep sailing around without restraint.
However, Red Hair did not know that a casual remark he had made earlier had already been remembered by someone.
On Onigashima, Yamato, who had been eavesdropping on Kaido’s communication, had caught that key piece of information.
Under normal circumstances, Yamato did not hold grudges. Even if she had argued fiercely with someone the previous day, she could still put her arm around their shoulders the next day and take the initiative to mend the relationship, provided they did not touch her bottom line.
And one of her bottom lines was trying to get Kaido to screw her over. Queen had ended up on Yamato’s blacklist because of that matter. Although Red Hair had only said it casually, it didn’t stop Yamato from remembering it, which can be considered a complication of Kaido claustrophobia.
She could take the initiative to attack Kaido, and Kaido could take the initiative to ambush her, but other people were not allowed to instigate things between them.
“Yamato, come in. Stop listening from outside the wall.”
Yamato had just written the matter down in her memo when Kaido’s voice rang out. Yamato had not been sneaking just now; she had been openly eavesdropping. Kaido similarly had not stopped her. This father and daughter were just that strange.
Yamato did not run away, but she did walk in carrying her kanabo.
“Hmm? Do you like fighting that much? You even brought your weapon.”
“What right do you have to say other people like fighting, you b*stard father? Do you even hear what you’re saying?! Huh?!”
Even now, Kaido still had the fullest experience in how to make Yamato snap. Just one sentence was enough to make Yamato’s blood pressure start rising.
“Worororo, you’re still too green, girl. You have to learn how to face all kinds of situations. You can’t even withstand this little bit of verbal attack?”
“I just can’t stand you!”
“Stop throwing that childish tantrum. I have something serious to talk to you about.”
Kaido looked extremely serious, so serious that Yamato felt as if she were in a meeting with Arceus. A sense of discomfort immediately surged through her entire body.
“What scheme are you up to now?! Say what you have to say directly. Don’t do this weird stuff!”
“Fine. It’s the same if you stay there. You should have noticed too, right? Recently, there have been far fewer people on Onigashima, and quite a few warships have already been deployed.”
Seeing that Yamato was still highly wary of him, Kaido did not say anything more. He simply pointed at the sea chart behind him and began explaining the situation.
“Tesoro sent over intelligence not long ago. There are traces of World Government personnel activity on the Gran Tesoro. Olga and Scotch also sent back information about Marine fleet movements.
“Together with what Red Hair and Big Mom’s side found, this is probably going to be an extremely fierce war.”
“So you can’t hold yourself back anymore and are planning to go out and find someone to fight?”
Hearing this, a sense of joy finally surfaced in Yamato’s heart. Kaido not being home was always a good thing for her.
“How could that be? The Governor-General can’t personally move out over a small matter like this. Appropriate restraint is still necessary. But it’s impossible for you to stay out of this war.
“I need a stable rear. When the time comes, that task will be yours.”
Kaido was bound to fight his way out sooner or later. Naturally, Arceus would handle powers beyond the norm, but Kaido did not want Arceus to enter the fray so quickly. That would rob him of the fun of war.
Yamato was the candidate he had always been nurturing to guard the rear.
If there was no Arceus, then having Yamato control Wano Country while he fought freely outside, with Yamato stabilizing the rear for him, would be the situation Kaido most wanted to see.
The current situation was not bad either. With someone providing a safety net, he could instead make even more daring moves, without worrying that one failure would cause him to lose the whole game.
However, before the enemy resorted to the deus ex machina, Kaido would not easily let Arceus make a move. This was also something he had insisted on for decades.
“So that’s how it is…”
Yamato had just moved closer to the map, intending to give Kaido a response, but at that moment, Kaido used his hand as kanabo and threw a punch aimed at Yamato’s head. This sneak attack, however, did not succeed.
“I knew you weren’t up to anything good!”
“Worororo, this was a surprise inspection. Remember to stay alert at all times. War is something that can cost lives. Don’t die in this great war, my idiot daughter.”
Notice: 50% Discount for T5-T7 tier. Available till 1/10. Code: 5DB4A
You can read ahead upto 75 chapters on my patreon and I’ve also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon.
Become a Patron!