Although Kaido did not know what specific ability that legendary Devil Fruit had, how bad could something crowned with the words "legendary" possibly be?
Kaido had a premonition that, at the very least, that fruit would be better than Whitebeard's, Ron's, and even Golden Lion's and Linlin's.
As long as he obtained it, he would certainly be like a tiger with wings. At that point, he could punch Rocks and kick Golden Lion.
Kaido hurried to Rocks and said with a serious face, "Rocks, gather the crew and set out. This is a legendary Devil Fruit. If we're late, something may change."
Rocks looked at him, then at the suited man standing nearby with his hands at his sides, and suddenly burst into laughter without warning.
"Wahahahaha. Calm down, Kaido."
"It's a legendary Devil Fruit! Rocks, how can anyone calm down over something like this?"
He had ultimate taijutsu. His Haki training was passable. Now, he only lacked a god-level Devil Fruit to complete all the pieces.
"This may be a trap set by the World Government," Rocks suddenly said, his voice sinking like cold water poured over Kaido's head.
"Kaido." Rocks looked at him, his tone carrying a rare patience. "Don't always think about fighting and killing. Sometimes you also need to use your brain. Since when did our intelligence network become this strong? If we were truly that capable, we should have found traces of the legendary Giant Tribe's Great Hammer Warband long ago."
He paused and raised one finger. "Second, if it really is a 'legendary' Devil Fruit, and the World Government values it so much, then they would definitely apply perfect anti-eavesdropping measures during communication. So why exactly were we able to intercept it?"
Rocks lowered his hand, the corner of his mouth curving meaningfully. "Heh-heh-heh. There is only one truth: they want certain people to go there. It may be us, it may be Roger's group, or it may be someone else."
Every word Rocks said made sense, but Kaido was currently impervious to reason. He stared at Rocks, his tone carrying unwillingness. "What if? What if it's real? If we don't go, won't we lose out badly?"
Rocks' brows moved. Then he raised his foot and kicked Kaido flying, saying irritably afterward, "You idiot! I said all that, and you didn't listen to a single word! Even if it's real, do you think it'll be your turn? Can you beat Shiki to it? Can you beat Linlin and the others?"
Kaido climbed up from the ground, patted the dust off his body, and opened his mouth, wanting to argue. But the words reached his mouth and stopped.
Rocks was right.
If the entire Rocks Pirates went out, he truly could not beat Shiki and Linlin to it.
But what if...
What if he went alone?
What if he took advantage of everyone not reacting yet and seized that fruit first?
Uh... Although the risk was great, the reward was also great.
To gamble, or not to gamble?
If he gambled, everything had a chance.
But if he did not gamble, who knew when he would get a legendary Devil Fruit?
Whoosh.
At that moment, a figure descended from the sky and landed not far from Rocks.
Ron first scanned the battlefield around him, then asked, "What's going on? What happened?"
"What else could happen?" Rocks chuckled. "This brat Kaido got itchy, so I beat him up. As for you, Ron, that expression of yours looks like you were expecting something."
"Me? Heh..." Ron shook his head and spread his hands. "What could I be expecting? I was just curious and came to look."
His gaze fell on Kaido, and he secretly grumbled: no, Kaido, are you a pervert? Your skin itches, so you come over to let Rocks beat you?
"We're going to drink. Coming, Ron?" Rocks invited him.
Ron shook his head. He and Whitebeard had also put their drinks on a tab at that tavern, and it was the kind of tab that included both eating and taking things away.
"Is that so? What a shame." Rocks did not force him. He turned to Kaido. "Let's go, Kaido."
"I'm not going, Rocks," Kaido suddenly changed his mind. "I'm going back to sleep."
"Is that so? Suit yourself." Rocks waved his hand and said nothing more, leaving at an unhurried pace.
Only after Rocks had gone far did Kaido turn and walk up to Ron.
"Ron... lend me some power."
Ron looked at him suspiciously. "For what? Are you going to pick a fight again? You brat... don't tell me you have some kind of cleanliness obsession? If you don't get beaten once a day, your heart feels uncomfortable?"
"What are you thinking?" Kaido glared at him. "I left something with someone. I'm going to retrieve it."
"Then let's go." Ron did not overthink it. "I'm free anyway. If you can't handle it, I can help at any time."
"No need." Kaido's voice suddenly lowered. "Some things need to be done by myself."
Ron froze slightly and looked at his face for two seconds.
By yourself?
You're relying on yourself while asking me to lend power?
Still... Ron did not ask further.
This guy rarely showed such a serious expression, and Ron did not want to pour cold water on him.
"Suit yourself."
With that, he separated a portion of his Nine-Tails chakra and transmitted it into Kaido's body through his arm.
Kaido felt the warm power flowing into him and clenched his fist. Then he met Ron's gaze and slowly said, "Ron, wait for me to come back. When I do, I'll show you something big."
Ron watched Kaido leave and did not think too much of it. After shaking his head slightly, he turned and walked in another direction.
Time passed in the blink of an eye.
Early the next morning, when dawn had just climbed over the jagged cliffs of Hachinosu, the hall of the Saber of Xebec was already full of people.
A half-old sea chart lay spread across the wooden table, its edges curled from being flipped through.
Rocks stood before the map with both hands braced on the table, sweeping his gaze across everyone present. "We set sail at noon today for the land of giants, Elbaf."
After speaking, he paused. His gaze swept through the crowd, and his brows furrowed slightly. "Where's that idiot Kaido? Is he still not awake?"
"Kaido went out to handle something," Ron said from where he leaned against the wall, holding a cup of freshly brewed tea. "No idea when he'll be back."
"Went out to handle something?" Rocks froze slightly, then cursed, "Where would he go to handle something? What business does that brat have?"
As his words fell, he suddenly seemed to think of something, and his expression changed drastically.
"Wait... handle something? That bastard... don't tell me he went to Saint Sebastian?"
"Saint Sebastian?" Ron looked at Rocks in confusion. "Why would he go there?"
"Yesterday, we received intelligence that the World Government found a 'legendary Devil Fruit' on Saint Sebastian. But there were too many holes in how the information was obtained. I suspected it was a trap set by the World Government, so I dismissed the idea of going."
"But that brat Kaido, the instant he heard 'legendary Devil Fruit,' filled his head with thoughts about how to get his hands on it. Most likely, he ran off alone to seize that Devil Fruit, whether it exists or not."
Amazing.
Ron admired Kaido's courage. He had taken a piece of information that might be true or false, borrowed a little power from Ron, and then ran off happily by himself.
Linlin sat in a wide wooden chair, one hand supporting her chin while the other lightly patted her face. She sighed. "That guy Kaido... really is an idiot. Even if he wanted to go, he should have discussed it with us first. At the very least, he should have investigated clearly and prepared before acting."
"Hey, Rocks." Golden Lion also spoke, his voice carrying a trace of eagerness. "How certain is the information?"
Never mind Kaido. Even he was tempted.
Although a Devil Fruit was already useless to him, this was a "legendary" fruit. Just that title alone made it priceless.
If he obtained it, it would become immeasurable capital for building his own power in the future.
"Shiki," Silver Axe crossed his arms. "Didn't Rocks say it was very likely a trap? If you want to go, think of a way yourself. I'm not going with you to die."
"Jihahaha." Golden Lion turned toward Silver Axe and mocked him sharply. "Silver Axe, you idiot. If you don't want to go, stay here obediently. I'm not forcing you."
"You bastard, what did you say?"
"Enough, enough." Linlin knocked on the table impatiently. "Can you two idiots stop yelling all day? You're so noisy!"
"Mind your own business," Silver Axe and Golden Lion turned and snapped at Linlin almost simultaneously.
The two of them had rarely agreed on anything.
Linlin's brows shot up, and she was about to curse back.
"Enough." Rocks' voice came from in front of the sea chart. "All of you, be quiet."
The ship hall fell silent instantly.
Everyone's gaze landed on him.
Rocks slowly straightened, lifting both hands from the table as his gaze swept across every face.
"Regarding this legendary Devil Fruit, I later learned some additional details. It is most likely a trap, but we cannot rule out the possibility that they truly found a legendary Devil Fruit."
"Since some people are also interested in this 'legendary' Devil Fruit, let's vote. Do we continue our course toward Elbaf, or change direction toward Saint Sebastian? Minority obeys majority. Fair and reasonable."
"No problem," Silver Axe was the first to speak.
"No problem from me either," Linlin added.
Golden Lion clicked his tongue. He did not refute it, but he did not nod either. He merely leaned against the wall with folded arms, his gaze shifting darkly.
Almost everyone agreed to Rocks' decision.
The vote officially began.
Some raised their hands, some called out, and some simply gave an "mm" to express their attitude.
A moment later, the result came out.
The route would remain unchanged. They would still head for Elbaf.
However, Rocks postponed the departure time by four days. On the surface, he said it was to wait four days for Kaido. But privately, everyone understood the meaning: if you wanted to go to Saint Sebastian, then go, as long as you returned within four days.
"Please be careful, Ron-sama."
On the deck, Annika clasped both hands in front of her and quietly reminded him.
The sea wind brushed through her pink hair, and her eyes were full of undisguised worry.
She knew she could not help, so all she could do was say these words with enough seriousness.
"Don't worry about me." Ron turned back and looked at her. "As for you, don't force yourself if something happens. On this ship, Newgate and Rocks are both trustworthy. As for Gloriosa, I don't know her well. Judge for yourself."
This time, Ron was not going to Saint Sebastian for that so-called legendary Devil Fruit. He was going for Kaido.
Back then, when facing Roger and Rayleigh, Whitebeard and Kaido had stood on his side without hesitation.
He had always remembered that favor.
He was not the kind of person who put gratitude on his lips, but he would repay it through action.
"Okay." Annika nodded lightly and said nothing more.
"I'm off."
Ron waved his hand and turned toward the ship rail. Nine-Tails Mode activated instantly, golden chakra covering his body. He leapt, landed on the sea surface, and his feet stepped on the water, stirring up shallow ripples.
Just as he was about to take out the pointer, a voice drifted over from another direction.
"Honestly, Ron, you sure are slow."
Whitebeard sat on a speedboat, one arm resting on the side and the other holding Murakumogiri. His face carried a somewhat impatient complaint.
"Newgate?" Ron's steps suddenly paused, surprise written across his face. "Why are you..."
Apart from Annika, he had not told anyone his thoughts, nor had he considered inviting Whitebeard along.
"No choice." Whitebeard shrugged, his tone carrying a hint of helpless indulgence. "Who told us there was an idiot brat on our ship?"
Ron froze, then understood something and laughed softly. He leapt onto the speedboat and canceled Nine-Tails Mode.
At that moment, Ron remembered a certain scene from the original story.
During the Summit War, there had been rumors that Kaido wanted to take the chance to attack the Whitebeard Pirates.
But now Ron suddenly felt that perhaps... Kaido had not been trying to attack at all. Perhaps he had been trying to help Whitebeard, only to be stopped by a fake Red Hair.
"Wahahahaha!"
Suddenly, a figure drew a brilliant arc through the air like a falling meteor and landed precisely on the speedboat.
With a boom, the boat sank violently, sending up a large splash.
"Set off!"
Rocks stood at the front of the speedboat, hands on his hips, and shouted.
Whitebeard and Ron looked at that familiar back with identical expressions of astonishment.
"Rocks..." Whitebeard's brows furrowed. "Why are you here too? We're going to Saint Sebastian."
Rocks turned his head slightly. His gaze fell on Whitebeard, and the corner of his mouth curled into a cold smile. "Exactly. We're going to Saint Sebastian. That guy Kaido dared to act on his own. I'm going there to beat him up."
"..."
"Suit yourself."
Whitebeard was silent for a while before finally replying like that.
Then the speedboat started. The engine let out a low roar, and white waves churned at the stern.
The speedboat cut across the sea and sped toward Saint Sebastian.
The three figures' backs were stretched long by the sunlight. The small boat split the ocean like an arrow shooting toward the distance.