"What's wrong, Kaido? Don't tell me you've forgotten me after just ten years?"Kaoru Tsubasa chuckled softly, his tone teasing.
"No… no, how could I possibly forget you, Brother Tsubasa?"Kaido quickly shook his head, his voice carrying a mix of excitement and respect.
"Brother Tsubasa, are you and Kaido the Beast… old acquaintances?"Buggy, who stood nearby, couldn't hold back his curiosity as he watched the two talk like old friends.
"Well then," Kaido turned to him, studying Buggy from head to toe, "are you Brother Tsubasa's new underling?"
He jabbed a massive finger at Buggy's chest, then flexed his own arm. "You don't look like you've got much muscle. See? Unlike me—pure power!"
Ever since Kaido had met Kaoru Tsubasa again, he had let go of much of his usual arrogance.He had built the Beasts Pirates because of something Kaoru once told him long ago:
"When your pirate crew makes its name known across the seas, we'll meet again."
And now, after so many years, they had reunited. To Kaido, that old promise had finally been fulfilled. Expanding his pirate empire no longer mattered.
He's really like a big kid, Kaoru thought with a faint smile as Kaido flexed like a show-off.
"Hey! Who are you calling a red-nosed weakling, you overgrown lizard?!"
Buggy suddenly exploded with fury, activating his Grace of the Sun ability. In an instant, his body expanded, towering a full head above Kaido.
"Who's the weak one now, huh?! Look at these muscles!" Buggy shouted, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Whoa! That's incredible!" Kaido's eyes gleamed like a child's as he stared up at Buggy's enlarged form. "Amazing! You can actually grow that big?!"
Watching the two of them compete, Kaoru couldn't help but think of Luffy and his own reckless antics.
"Alright, enough fooling around, you two," Kaoru said calmly.
The moment his voice fell, both Kaido and Buggy froze in place.
Buggy immediately released the Grace of the Sun's power, shrinking back down and darting behind Kaido to hide.
"What's wrong, little brother?" Kaido asked, glancing at Buggy in confusion.
During their brief time together, the two had bonded over their mutual mischief—and decided to become sworn brothers.
"Don't call me that! I'm the older brother here!" Buggy protested.
"Worororororo! If that's true, why are you hiding behind me?" Kaido laughed.
"T-That's because you don't know how terrifying Brother Tsubasa is during training!" Buggy whispered, trembling.
"Eh?" Kaido blinked, and then his smile faded. He suddenly remembered the hellish training he'd endured under Kaoru Tsubasa back in the Rocks Pirates days.
A shiver ran down his spine."Y-You might be right…" Kaido muttered, retreating to a corner as cold sweat dripped down his neck.
"Am I really that scary?" Kaoru sighed, rubbing his smooth, bald head.
Well, maybe the shiny dome didn't help his case.
Kaido glanced at the glare from Kaoru's head but, out of deep respect, suppressed his laughter.
"Alright, enough nonsense." Kaoru waved his hand dismissively. "Kaido, I came here for something important. I need you to teach Buggy Armament and Observation Haki."
"No problem! Leave it to me." Kaido stood tall and thumped his chest proudly. "I'll make sure my younger brother becomes a true warrior!"
"Wait—what?!" Buggy shouted, looking horrified. "Why should he be the one to train me?!"
Kaoru raised his fist slowly, his knuckles cracking. "What was that, Buggy?"
"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Buggy stammered, waving his hands in surrender.
"Good. Now go. Kaido, you know what to do."
"Worororo! Let's go train, little brother!" Kaido laughed, grabbing Buggy by the arm as the terrified clown dragged his feet toward the training grounds.
Kaoru watched them leave and sighed. "Honestly… I do this for his own good. Does he really have to be that scared of me?"
From that day onward, Buggy stayed on Onigashima, training under Kaido's brutal Haki regime.
The next morning, Kaoru was strolling across the island when something unusual caught his eye—a large, reinforced cage guarded by a few trembling Beast Pirates.
He frowned. "Who's imprisoned here?"
Of course, Kaoru already had a hunch, but he decided to ask anyway.
"T-That… that's Lord Kaido's son," one of the guards stammered. He recognized Kaoru from the previous day—he'd seen him chatting and laughing with Kaido as equals. Once, he'd even witnessed Kaoru hit Kaido without retaliation.
So when Kaoru looked at him, he nearly dropped his weapon.
"Is that so?" Kaoru said coldly. "Then you won't need to guard this place anymore."
Before the guard could respond, Kaoru drew his sword and slashed once—destroying the entire cage in an instant.
"Boom!"
At that moment, Kaido—elsewhere on the island—felt the surge of power.
"Don't tell me that idiot Yamato broke the cage again," he grumbled and began walking toward the source of the disturbance.
Back at the cage, Kaoru stepped forward through the dust and smoke. Inside sat a young girl with long white hair, her small wrists shackled in steel cuffs.
"Kaido, you bastard," Kaoru muttered under his breath. "How could you lock up such a cute little girl?"
He broke her restraints effortlessly.
"Eh?"
Yamato blinked awake, her eyes wide as she saw a man wearing a pristine white mask kneeling before her.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"No time for that," Kaoru said gently. "You need to run, or your father will crush you."
Hearing those words, Yamato's eyes widened in surprise. Even though she didn't know who this man was, he wasn't threatening her. In fact, his voice sounded… kind.
"What a good child," Kaoru murmured with a smile, placing a hand on her head and ruffling her hair gently.
"U-Um…" Yamato's face turned red. No one had ever shown her warmth before. Her father's idea of parenting was beatings and starvation.
For the first time, someone had touched her gently.
Suddenly, a cloud of smoke erupted outside the cell.
"Oh no!" Yamato cried. "Run! That's Father!"
Kaoru remained calm. "It's fine."
He lifted the little girl into his arms effortlessly. "You're really adorable, Yamato. I can't believe Kaido had the heart to lock you up like this."
A booming voice echoed through the smoke.
"Yamato! You escaped again!"
Kaido's tone was irritated, though he couldn't see through the haze. He assumed his daughter had smashed her way out as usual.
"Kaido!" Kaoru's voice cut through the smoke, sharp and furious. "Get over here!"
"Huh? That's not Yamato's voice…" Kaido paused mid-step. The tone—it was unmistakable.
That's… Brother Tsubasa?!
Kaido stepped through the smoke, and the moment he saw Kaoru holding Yamato, his expression froze. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
"Swish!"
In an instant, Kaoru vanished from where he stood and reappeared before Kaido, slamming his fist down on the Yonko's head.
"Boom!""Boom!""Boom!"
Three consecutive strikes echoed across the hall.
Within seconds, several large bumps swelled on Kaido's skull.
"Bling… bling…"
Yamato, still in Kaoru's arms, stared at the sparkling lumps on her father's head, her eyes wide with wonder and stars shimmering in them.