After assigning the other three Admirals, Sengoku's gaze finally fell on the man beside him—Kaito.
Everyone else followed suit and looked at Kaito as well. Everyone knew that in this war, Kaito was the true trump card.
Sure, the three Admirals could exchange blows with the Four Emperors, but actually defeating them? That was nearly impossible without help from Garp and Sengoku.
Besides, the Four Emperors didn't fight alone. Their officers were powerful in their own right. In contrast, the Navy's Vice Admirals seemed a bit lacking.
That's why Kaito, whose power far surpassed that of the three Admirals, was the decisive force in this battle.
Before Sengoku could even speak, Kaito opened his mouth.
"Kuzan just needs to control the battlefield. As for Whitebeard and Red-Hair—leave them both to me."
As soon as he said that, with his Rinnegan shimmering with a faint violet light, no one thought Kaito was being arrogant. They knew his strength backed up every word.
Even Akainu had no objection—Kaito's record was plain to see, and besides, Red-Hair had already lost to him once.
Now it was time to see who was truly the strongest: the "Strongest Man in the World," or the "Navy's Strongest Admiral."
Kaito's gaze drifted across the three Admirals. He wanted to see who among them was planning to play the role of a bystander in this summit war.
He paid special attention to Kizaru, only to find that this usually clock-in-and-clock-out Admiral had a face full of anticipation.
Without his precious nephew around, it seemed Kizaru's long-dormant sense of Justice had been reignited.
Now that all four of the Navy's top combatants had stated their positions, Sengoku let a rare smile of satisfaction appear on his face. Then he began assigning the remaining Four Emperor officers to others.
These officers would be handled by the Shichibukai and Issho's group. In Kaito's opinion, Issho alone was more than enough to deal with an entire Yonko crew's officer cadre. Add Yamato and the others, and it shouldn't be too difficult to take them down.
Not to mention Garp was also present. Sengoku had assigned him a kind of "roaming" role—his job was to assist wherever needed.
After explaining everything, Sengoku slapped the table and fixed his gaze on the room full of officers. In a deep voice, he declared:
"This war is destined to go down in history. I firmly believe the Navy will emerge victorious. Justice will prevail!"
At those final four words, every Navy officer's body jolted. They were reminded of the dreams they once held when they joined the Navy in their youth. One by one, they rose from their seats and gave Sengoku a crisp salute.
"Justice will prevail!"
Akainu was the loudest, even taking off his cap and slamming it on the table, leaving Kizaru staring blankly in surprise.
Luckily, Akainu didn't get so emotional that he turned into magma this time. He was wearing a new Navy coat today—the last one had been burned to shreds during Issho's evaluation.
Aokiji, however, kept his gaze fixed on Kaito. He still hadn't forgotten what Kaito had said back in Alabasta. Just thinking about it sent chills down his spine.
After the meeting ended, Aokiji sought Kaito out privately. Lowering his voice, he asked,
"If the Four Emperors are truly defeated this time... what will you do next?"
Kaito understood what he was getting at—whether, after eliminating the Four Emperors, he would move against the World Government.
But now wasn't the time to say such things. It depended on whether Imu could hold back. If he didn't make a move, Kaito naturally wouldn't turn on the World Government just yet.
As far as Kaito was concerned, the longer he could continue developing in peace, the better.
So he didn't answer directly. Instead, he smiled and said,
"What will I do? Of course I'll keep being a Marine. You're too uptight."
He patted Aokiji on the shoulder and turned to leave, leaving the latter completely dumbfounded.
...
On Onigashima—
Kaido's territory had a heavyweight visitor today.
She was tall and plump, wearing a pink dress adorned with red polka dots.
One of the Four Emperors—Charlotte Linlin, also known as Big Mom.
She had come to Onigashima to discuss a potential alliance with Kaido against the Navy. And she had brought most of her children with her.
Katakuri, her strongest child, hadn't come along. He had to stay behind and guard Whole Cake Island in case of an ambush.
Relationships among the Four Emperors were complicated. Thanks to Roger, Whitebeard and Red-Hair were closer.
But Big Mom and Kaido were tied together purely by history—both had once sailed under Rocks. In fact, Kaido's Devil Fruit had been a gift from Big Mom. Whether he paid a price for it, though, remained a mystery.
Back when Red-Hair and Whitebeard formed their alliance, Big Mom had contacted Kaido via Den Den Mushi.
What she got in return was—
"Let them do whatever they want. I'll guard my own turf. That freak from the Navy is out there—you'd better lie low too!"
Then Kaido smashed the Den Den Mushi, leaving Big Mom so furious she scarfed down several cakes on the spot.
But this time was different.
The Navy had brought the war to their doorstep. If they didn't prepare, total annihilation was a real possibility.
Kaido had silently approved of Big Mom's visit—he didn't even have King kick her off the island like before.
Honestly, Big Mom's crew had been pretty unlucky in the anime. First time, King kicked them down the waterfall. Second time, Marco did the same. Their credibility was in tatters.
This time, King stood obediently at the gate. When he saw Big Mom, he even nodded and stepped aside, gesturing for her and her children to enter.
Big Mom shot him a sideways glance, snorted coldly, and walked past without a word.
Among the Four Emperors, Kaido's place was the most spartan—basically just a giant cave.
Big Mom walked to the end and found Kaido drinking. Jack and Queen flanked him, with other members of the Beasts Pirates nearby.
Black Maria looked especially annoyed when she saw Big Mom. She had always harbored feelings for Kaido and wasn't thrilled about his "special history" with Big Mom. Still, she didn't dare show it openly. She gave a faint snort and lowered her head.
Kaido glanced at Big Mom and casually tossed a jug of liquor her way.
"You're here to talk about an alliance, right?"
Big Mom seemed much more normal today—none of the manic energy she displayed in the anime.
She caught the jug, plopped down casually across from Kaido, and took a massive swig.
Then, she looked at him and said,
"Whitebeard and Red-Hair have already joined forces. Why can't we do the same?"
Kaido wiped the liquor from the corner of his mouth, locked eyes with her, and replied in a deep voice,
"I'll tell you right now—forming an alliance is meaningless. With that monster still out there, we have no chance of winning!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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