A few days ago, countless journalists hailed Maude as the "Ender of the Old Era," using this title to craft story after story, praising him in every conceivable way.
Now, with the Marines issuing a new bounty poster, those same journalists have turned their pens once again, showering Maude with fresh waves of adulation.
"Shaking the foundations of the Four Emperors."
"A new emperor rises."
"The ruler of a new era."
Article after article, written without hesitation.
To the uninformed, it might seem as if Maude had bribed every journalist in the industry.
"A new emperor?"
Kaido coldly stared at the bounty poster and newspaper, which quickly turned to ashes in his grasp. As he muttered to himself, an overwhelming and tangible aura of menace rippled outward, cracking the floorboards and wooden furnishings around him.
His expression and demeanor at this moment closely resembled Charlotte Linlin's reaction upon hearing Maude's words firsthand just days ago.
"To the pinnacle—"
In Kaido's eyes, such words were nothing more than the reckless boasts of an arrogant upstart, no different from the exaggerated headlines now flooding the news.
It was infuriating.
So infuriating that he felt the urge to take up his old ways—embarking on an expedition to crush any living thing that dared challenge him.
Kaido seethed with rage.
For years, he had set aside his old habits, choosing instead to focus on strengthening his forces, abstaining from reckless conquests.
His first large-scale expedition in years—his march toward Marineford—had been thwarted by the Red-Haired Pirates.
But that was only the beginning.
The real source of Kaido's simmering fury was Maude's continued rise to prominence—first stealing the spotlight during the Summit War and then being publicly exalted to the highest level by the media.
The loss of the Ancient Zoan Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Triceratops, the death of Scratchmen Apoo, and the death of his key business partner, Donquixote Doflamingo.
Each of these setbacks could be traced back to Maude.
Kaido exhaled heavily, the breath escaping his lips like the hissing steam of a locomotive.
Reaching for a sake bottle, he found that he had already smashed them all in his fit of rage.
His fist clenched tightly, his face dark with fury, sending an unspoken warning to anyone nearby.
Just then, King and Queen entered the chamber in response to his summons.
"Kaido-sama."
"Kaido-san."
King and Queen stood before their captain.
"You're here."
Kaido's expression eased slightly as he sat cross-legged on his massive bed, looking down at his two top officers.
"There are two tasks I need you to handle."
"What tasks?" King instinctively asked.
Queen narrowed his eyes and, without waiting for Kaido's response, interjected, "Lemme guess—is it to take out Bacardi Maude?"
King shot Queen a cold glare for interrupting.
Were it not for Kaido's presence, he might have transformed on the spot and given Queen a solid beating.
Yet, despite his seething anger, Kaido showed no reaction to Queen's lack of decorum.
After all, the man hailed as the strongest creature on land, sea, and air was notoriously mercurial, prone to violent outbursts over the smallest of provocations—often maiming or outright killing his own subordinates on a whim.
Such incidents were commonplace, serving as a testament to his brutality.
However, when it came to the Calamities and the Tobi Roppo, Kaido was far more lenient.
Even if a member of the Tobi Roppo were to openly criticize him, he would often laugh it off.
Why?
Because power was everything.
The strength of the Calamities and the Tobi Roppo was what granted them this privilege.
Without strength, they would have no place in Kaido's ranks.
This doctrine of survival of the fittest was the very foundation of the Beasts Pirates.
Kaido, as their leader, had enforced this ideology to the extreme.
Aside from the relatively serious King, the rest of the Calamities and Tobi Roppo thrived under Kaido's leadership, developing a deep respect for him over time.
Kaido paid no mind to Queen's lack of manners. Resting his cheek against his hand, his eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
"That kid's been at sea for only a few years. I don't even consider him a threat. What I want you to do is far more important."
In Kaido's mind, Maude's victory over Doflamingo was nothing more than proof of the latter's weakness.
So weak that any of his Tobi Roppo could have taken Doflamingo down—let alone the Calamities.
As for Whitebeard, he had lost to time and illness.
While Kaido certainly wanted to eliminate Maude, it was not a pressing concern.
There were more urgent matters at hand.
"Huh?"
Upon hearing Kaido's words, King and Queen's expressions shifted slightly.
They had expected Kaido to demand Maude's immediate execution, no matter the cost.
Yet there was something even more critical?
Kaido's gaze turned sharp as he looked at them.
"With Joker dead, the supply of 'SMILE' will inevitably be affected. I don't care how you do it—minimize the damage."
"As long as SMILE production continues, I don't care who becomes the next 'Joker.'"
"The other task is intelligence gathering. Establish a vast information network and ensure we receive the earliest possible updates on the whereabouts of the Gura Gura no Mi and the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. We must acquire those fruits."
To Kaido, securing the supply of artificial Zoan users and obtaining Whitebeard and Shiki's Devil Fruits were far more crucial than eliminating Maude.
The ability to mass-produce Zoan-type Devil Fruit users through SMILE was an essential step toward realizing his ultimate dream.
Meanwhile, the Gura Gura no Mi and Fuwa Fuwa no Mi were legendary abilities that had shaped the previous era.
While Kaido personally preferred Zoan abilities, he could not allow these two Paramecia powers to fall into someone else's hands.
Especially the Gura Gura no Mi.
"Failure is not an option for these tasks. You have my full authorization to mobilize anyone under my command, including the Tobi Roppo."
"Understood!"
King and Queen nodded gravely.
Among the Tobi Roppo, excluding Black Maria, the others all sought to replace the Calamities.
They believed they had the strength to challenge for the position of All-Stars—they simply lacked the opportunity to do so.
As a result, tension between them and the Calamities was always high.
And to be fair, the awakened Zoan users among the Tobi Roppo had the qualifications to be ambitious.
King and Queen were well aware of this.
Kaido's decision to grant them full command over the crew demonstrated just how seriously he took these matters.
"The SMILE trade…"
"The Gura Gura no Mi…"
With Kaido's orders in place, it was inevitable that much of the Beasts Pirates' efforts would now be devoted to securing the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
They didn't care about Whitebeard's former territories.
In fact—
With the conclusion of the Summit War, undercurrents had already begun to stir.
Countless factions coveted the Gura Gura no Mi.
The battle for the legendary power… had only just begun.
—————————
Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/EmperorGarus [remove the parentheses ( )]
NOTE: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon!