"The other two..."
Deuce rummaged through the wanted posters and tossed one over first. "Here, 'Cross-eyed Swordsman' Tashigi. You should recognize this girl, right?"
"Huh?"
Ace, who had been instinctively leaning back, froze in shock.
"This is Tashigi? That Supernova from the same generation as me? She looks exactly like that terrifyingly violent Kuina?"
Yikes, just looking at her was scary.
"Must be a case of mistaken identity. The Charlotte Pirate Crew made the same mistake as you."
Deuce shrugged. "According to newspaper reports, when the battle reached a stalemate, Streusen—the veteran chef of the Charlotte Pirates—rushed to join the fight."
"That old man was supposedly a legendary pirate back in the day. He tried to ambush Kuina from behind to take her out, but he ended up targeting the wrong person. Tashigi was severely injured and nearly died by his hand."
"So she basically became a punching bag substitute?"
Ace gave the wanted poster a sympathetic look. "Facing an opponent completely out of her league... That's some terrible luck. Huh? A bounty of 333 million Berry???"
His jaw dropped. No way.
As the strongest Supernova of their generation, his own bounty was only 300 million Berry. How had this girl surpassed him so quickly after joining the Curtain Closers?
"For someone who cares about their bounty, you could say this was a blessing in disguise."
Deuce spread his hands. "The spirit of a true Swordsman shone through her. Even though she knew she was no match, she still risked her life to hold off Streusen for a full half-hour. This bounty is well-deserved."
Then what about the bounty I deserve? I work hard too! Ace cracked open a can of cola, visibly annoyed.
Then he saw the second wanted poster Deuce handed him.
"Pfft—!"
Ace spat out his cola. "What the hell is this?!"
The image—no, it wasn't even a photo, but a hand-drawn portrait—depicted the Mosshead he'd fought before, fused together with some curly-browed guy into a two-headed monster sharing one body.
At the bottom of the poster, it read:
["Combination Monster" ZoroSan]
Curtain Closers Headquarters, Combatant
Bounty: 121,000,050 Berry, Dead or Alive!
"Pffft—HAHAHA! What are these two even doing?!"
Ace clutched his stomach, laughing so hard his earlier frustration vanished instantly. "And why is theirs a drawing?!"
"Apparently, after both of them were defeated in battle, they merged together to fight as one to take down their enemy."
Deuce pointed at the fine print in the corner of the report, grinning. "But the Marines didn't get a photo, and rumors spread that this was some permanent fusion caused by a Devil Fruit. So they just lumped them together on the same bounty poster."
"Getting slandered like that… and they still lost?"
Ace scratched his head, puzzled. "Wait, this new bounty is just their old ones added together. It didn't even increase!"
"Yeah, we didn't win. The massive gap in strength was obvious. Those guys Oven and Daifuku were no match for Supernovas who just entered the New World."
Deuce shook his head, glancing subtly at Ace. "So while it's good that Ace has confidence, he needs to properly gauge his own strength. Start with weaker opponents, then gradually challenge stronger ones. He shouldn't aim too high right from the start..."
"That makes sense."
Ace nodded thoughtfully, then clenched his fists together with a loud smack.
"In that case, we should change our course. Challenging Whitebeard is still too early—after all, that Old Man has a bounty over five billion Berry, just like Xiano. Let's start with someone weaker first!"
Ooooh, had he finally managed to persuade the Captain?
Deuce was so moved he nearly cried.
A week ago, Ace had stubbornly insisted on challenging Whitebeard, and no matter how hard the crew tried to dissuade him, they were all on the verge of breaking down.
"So, who do you want to challenge first?" Deuce wiped his eyes, full of anticipation.
"Hmm..." Ace stroked his chin, deep in thought. "Since we're taking it step by step, let's start with that guy! The one whose bounty hasn't increased in years—should be much easier!"
Who?
Deuce was baffled, but before he could react, Ace had already leaped onto the ship's bow.
"Alright, men! Hoist the sails! We're setting off!"
Ace adjusted his cowboy hat and laughed heartily, hands on his hips. "Full speed ahead! Next stop—Wano Country!!!"
——————
Oni Island, top floor of Skull Castle.
In the dead of night, Kaido sat alone on the edge of the balcony, clutching the latest newspaper in his hand, surrounded by over a dozen empty sake barrels.
"Urorororo..."
A low chuckle broke the silence as Kaido tilted his head back, downing the last of his drink. When he set the barrel down, his drunken face was already streaked with tears.
"Why... just why, you damn fool!"
Kaido pounded his chest and wailed at the sea. "That brat was strong! Losing is one thing, but how could you not even save your own life?! Pathetic! So damn weak! You stupid old hag!"
"Hey, I can hear you, you know! Who are you calling weak? Who's the old hag here, you bastard Kaido?!"
An angry shout suddenly came from beside him.
"Who's there?! I said no one was allowed to disturb me up here!"
Kaido roared in fury, hastily wiping his tears before whipping his head around.
The moment he saw the scene before him, his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Under the moonlight.
A pink-haired woman in a cowboy hat lounged lazily against the balcony railing—slender, graceful, and breathtakingly beautiful, holding a half-eaten cake in her hand.
"Lin... Linlin?!"
Kaido stammered, barely able to form words. "But you were—how... how are you—?"
"Mamamamama! What, surprised to see an old friend back from the dead? Don't forget, I'm the Soul-Soul Fruit user who's mastered the secrets of the soul!"
The pink-haired woman—a younger version of Charlotte Linlin—laughed as she stuffed the last bite of cake into her mouth, casually wiping cream from her lips before hopping off the railing and striding forward.
"That doesn't matter, though."
She looked down at Kaido with a grin and said:
"More importantly, hey, Kaido, I never thought I'd see you so down and out—hiding here all alone, crying in secret? For who? Me?"
"Don't flatter yourself!"
Kaido turned his face away with a cold snort. "I'm just pissed off, that's all. A Four Emperor, taken down so easily by some bratty upstart... Hmph, what a joke..."
Before he could finish, a slender, pale hand pinched his cheek hard.
"Ow ow ow! Take it easy, Linlin!"
"Such a liar."
Charlotte Linlin shook her head in exasperation. "I'll accept your concern for now, but there's no need to dwell on it. As Pirates, getting taken down is just part of the deal, isn't it?"
Part of the deal?
Kaido looked up, baffled. Since when?
"Been a Four Emperor for so long you forgot where you came from?"
Linlin pointed into the distance. "Tell me, what's that?"
Kaido stared out at the balcony, confused, but answered with a frown, "The sea?"
"Exactly! The sea!"
Linlin grinned wide. "The sea we've always fought to claim! The sea that embraces all dreams, all victories and defeats, all ambitions!"
"To conquer it, no price is too high—and that's exactly what makes it so intoxicating, so irresistible!"
"Back then, we climbed to the top by trampling over countless dreams. Now, times have changed, and someone's using us as stepping stones for their own ambitions. Isn't that just how it should be?"
"Linlin..."
Kaido stared at her, momentarily dazed by her fiery spirit.
In the end, he lowered his head in silence.
"Hmm? Still not getting it? Hey, Kaido, since when did you become such a whiner?"
Linlin shoved his shoulder with enough force to make his massive frame sway.
"So what if we die? You think one defeat means I'll vanish forever? Don't be naive! As long as this sea keeps churning, as long as the next generation keeps writing their stories, our Legendary tales will never end!"
"What, you think I'd be bitter? That I'd hold a grudge?"
Linlin bared her teeth in a wild laugh.
"Mamamama! Don't make me laugh! For a Pirate, getting taken down at your peak by a worthy opponent—that's the perfect finale!"
She spread her arms as if embracing the night sky itself. "Compared to some pathetic end—rotting away in bed or drowning in the sea—this kind of ending is the only one worthy of the name 'BIGMOM,' don't you think?"
"So quit moping over me and get fired up, Kaido! The sea has finally birthed monsters strong enough to threaten us—to kill us! How long has it been since you last felt that thrill?"
The night wind caught the ribbons of her cowboy hat, brushing past Kaido's face. The alcohol haze in his mind cleared instantly as he stared at her slender, resolute back.
"Linlin." Kaido closed his eyes, then opened them again, speaking earnestly. "Thank you."
"Oh?"
Linlin turned her head, smiling.
"Got through to you, huh? Good. Then give it everything you've got, you idiot. Fight while you're still at your peak—while your fists can still swing..."
"Either end that brat with your own hands and show him this is still your era! Or... join me in becoming a stepping stone beneath his throne in a blaze of glory! Either way, we'll have lived without regrets!"
Her figure gradually blurred and faded, her voice and smile drifting further away.
Kaido instinctively reached out, trying to grasp Linlin's wrist, but caught only empty air.
Just a handful of moonlight.
Faintly, snippets of conversation seemed to emerge from the night.
"Eww~ What an ugly brat! Newgate! What the hell are you bringing onto the ship?"
"Huh? Just call me Linlin? How rude, you little brat! You should be calling me Big Sis!"
"God Valley... Besides that Shaki, there are many top-tier Devil Fruits as prizes?"
"Hey! Linlin, you promised that fruit to me, didn't forget, right?"
"Relax, relax, here you go, no one's fighting you for it, you ignorant little brat..."
"Obviously, with Rocks dead, we'll all go our separate ways. So... brat, from now on, we each follow our own destiny?"
Kaido froze mid-motion. After a long pause, he finally raised his head and looked around at the empty terrace.
The past was gone, leaving only the distant sound of waves crashing against Oni Island's reefs.
"Gone now?"
He suddenly burst into laughter, casually tearing open his front collar to reveal his scar-covered chest. Grabbing a jar of wine, he smashed the seal and continued drinking deeply.
Finally gone!
Really...
So damn sentimental! Leaving is leaving, why bother looking back at me one last time!
I'm not a child anymore!
Still, there's one thing I should say...
Thank you... for everything, you damn old hag!
Wine trickled down his neck, soaking even his pants, but Kaido kept gulping it down without care.
Smash!
Finally finishing, he stood up abruptly and hurled the empty jar to the ground. Amid the flying shards, he roared deafeningly at the sky:
"WORORORORO—!!!"
The laughter rolled out across the land, no longer carrying any trace of despondency, but brimming with long-absent fighting spirit.
Striding to the castle's edge, he looked down at the brightly lit Oni Island below, his voice thundering through the night:
"Listen up, you brats!"
"From today onward, the Beasts Pirates enter full wartime preparation! All newly recruited officers intensify your training! All factories work day and night!"
"In three months, I want to see the most elite forces and finest weapons!"
Kaido turned around, the moonlight stretching his shadow long behind him. Picking up his spiked club from the ground, he rested it on his shoulder, black-red lightning crackling along its length.
"The tide of the new era has arrived!"
"Either ride the waves or be smashed to pieces! This is our fate as pirates!"
"WORORORO! Let that brat wait! Last time was just a warm-up! Next time we meet, it'll be a true life-or-death battle!"
"OOOOOH—!!!"
"Lord Kaido!!"
The entire Oni Island erupted instantly, countless pirates raising their weapons, laughing wildly and shouting in response to their captain's call.
In an unnoticed corner, a young girl in white kimono stood silently, complex emotions flashing in her eyes. The pair of purple shimenawa she always wore had, at some point, been removed.
The shouts from below grew louder and more fervent.
On the balcony, Kaido stared at the distant horizon, his expression twisted with ferocity.
Linlin was right!
Rather than wallowing in melancholy here, he should stake everything on a fierce battle! Win or lose, live or die, he would face it without shame under this vast sea that carried countless dreams!
This was the Beast Kaido, wasn't it?
"Come soon, you brat Xiano..."
He muttered coldly to himself, his voice fading into the night:
"Only by getting past me will you have the right to dominate this new era of the sea. But don't go getting yourself killed by someone else... before you even make it to me!"
——————
"If there's a next time, we'll have to kill him."
In the New World, on the deck of the New Red Force, Red Hair set down the newspaper with an impassive expression, uttering words that sent a chill through those around him:
"That guy may stand on our side, but for the sake of the world's true rebirth, to ensure all precious forces of resistance don't repeat their mistakes and waste their lives in vain... even if it comes to this, I won't hesitate!"
The crew exchanged uneasy glances.
"Captain..."
Ben Beckman clenched his cigarette between his teeth, his brow furrowed, his tone laced with disbelief. "You... you're not joking, are you? You're serious?"
"Come on, Captain!"
"Think it over again! I've always liked Xiano, you know!"
Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and the others chimed in one after another.
"Uncontrollable, reckless strength will only hinder the dawn of the new era."
"Until now, I've hesitated, struggled, unable to bring myself to turn against him. But... the balance we've worked so hard to maintain must not be shattered prematurely."
Shanks took a deep breath, his gaze gradually hardening. "So, no more discussion. I've never been more serious, Beckman... everyone."
(End of Chapter)