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Night, bonfire.
Wald awoke from his slumber, and the moment he opened his eyes, he saw Kaido sitting casually on the ground, devouring meat and wine.
"Awake?"
Kaido's voice came, and behind him were piled several chests of treasure, estimated to be worth billions of Berries.
"Kaido...!"
Wald gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead, and as soon as he stood up, he wanted to attack again.
Just then, a glistening, roasted wolf leg was offered to him.
Wald was stunned and instinctively took the wolf leg.
Then he was overcome with anger and embarrassment.
Kaido laughed heartily: "Stop, Wald, you should understand the gap between us."
Wald's eyes were wide with fury: "I can't beat you, but don't even think about making me submit to you!"
"You're quite stubborn, but if strength and ambition don't match, it will only bring disaster to your companions, won't it?"
Kaido's eyes seemed to be smiling: "Just like when you met me."
Wald's face turned grim, then he suddenly remembered something: "What did you do to my companions?!"
Kaido waved his hand and took a big bite of meat: "Don't look, they're just outside and should wake up soon. We haven't tied you up, which is my greatest sincerity."
Wald's expression softened slightly, and he then seriously observed Kaido.
He was tall and muscular, with sharp eyes, a demonic face, and explosive strength in the muscles beneath his shirt.
He looked to be only in his early twenties, yet his strength was already far superior to Wald's.
No wonder he was heavily wanted by the World Government even without establishing a pirate crew.
Wald sat down, tore off a large piece of meat to chew, and looked at Kaido resentfully: "I won't thank you for not harming them. My crew members are all like me, sailing this vast sea in pursuit of freedom."
"Freedom?"
Kaido's eyes reflected the firelight, and his expression was serious: "This is probably the dream everyone is pursuing, isn't it?"
"I was born in the Vodka Kingdom. At the age of ten, I became the strongest warrior in the kingdom. To avoid the Heavenly Tribute, the King sold me to the World Government!"
"The moment countless ropes bound me, I knew I was not free."
"So, on the way to the Holy Land, I escaped. Everywhere I saw hunger, disaster, tyranny, war; everyone was living under the World Government's oppressive rule."
"Later, I received an invitation and joined the Rocks Pirates."
"My ideal is also freedom, but my freedom must be fought for with my own fists. If the current order and balance are not destroyed, the so-called freedom cannot be achieved!"
Kaido spoke of his ideals to Wald, reaching his hand towards the sky. The moon seemed to be cupped in his palm, and dangerous light flickered in his eyes: "Even if it means starting a war, we must pull the high and mighty World Nobles down from their thrones!"
"But I know that one person's strength is ultimately limited, so, come and help me, Wald!"
Seeing Kaido's burning gaze, Wald paused for a moment, then shook his head and laughed: "What a foolish ideal, to contend with the World Government..."
Wald recalled his journey during this time; what he had seen was not much different from what Kaido had said.
He didn't have grand ideals, but hearing Kaido's explanation of "freedom," he realized how distant so-called freedom truly was.
And... even someone as strong as Kaido still needed the strength of people like him!?
Wald said proudly: "But since you need it, then let me help you! First, let's be clear, the Captain's position is mine!"
"Of course, no problem! As a high-ranking officer of the future world's number one pirate crew, it's normal to have your own pirate crew! Hahaha!"
Wald and Kaido came out arm in arm, smiling broadly, like old friends of many years.
Binjack and the others were surprised, but after Wald's explanation, they understood the reason.
The few of them were all straightforward people and unconditionally accepted Wald's decision.
Wald directed Sebastian and the others to move the treasures onto the ship. Kaido came over with two Devil Fruits and said: "These are two Devil Fruits I obtained, Wald, you can distribute them."
Even treasures like Devil Fruits are given away so casually?
Even the weakest Devil Fruit could sell for over 100 million Berries in the Underworld.
While Wald was somewhat surprised, he felt more of Kaido's sincerity and recognition.
"Bastard! Even so, I won't be moved!"
Wald said stubbornly, though his eyes welled up with tears.
People in the world of pirates do not have absolute good and evil; instead, most are straightforward and simple-minded. Once they decide on something, they will pursue it steadfastly.
After some internal struggle, Wald had Gairam eat one of them.
Sebastian is a Fishman, and situations of falling into the sea needed to be considered.
Binjack was frail, and Nachen herself was unwilling to consume it.
Gairam and Wald each ate a Devil Fruit. After a moment of nausea, they felt a continuous surge of power from within, and Wald's eyes lit up.
"Bypassing Fruit!"
Wald said triumphantly: "What a miraculous power. The moment I ate it, it felt as if I had become a 'demon.' The name of the fruit and how to use its ability were carved into my mind."
He picked up a stone as large as himself and threw it forcefully: "Bypass, ten times the size!"
Boom!
The strange power immediately transformed the stone into the size of a castle, crashing down heavily onto the ground and kicking up a large cloud of dust.
"Strength, speed, all inorganic matter I've touched can be changed!"
Wald's eyes glowed; this Devil Fruit seemed tailor-made for him, capable of greatly increasing his strength in a short period.
Even if everyone in the world wants to obtain Devil Fruits, who wouldn't want to possess such easily acquired power?
"This might not even be the limit of the Bypassing Fruit!"
Wald clenched his fists, making a crunching sound. He looked at Kaido, eager for a fight: "Hey, Kaido, I'm very strong now. If I defeat you, I'll be the Captain, okay?"
Kaido didn't mind, laughing heartily: "It seems this Devil Fruit suits you well. If you want to fight, I'm ready anytime."
Recalling Kaido's confidence when releasing his Conqueror's Haki, Wald suppressed the impulse in his heart.
The sudden significant increase in power had made him a bit carried away.
They looked at Gairam, who was grinning as he swung his large hammer and smashed it into the ground.
Crack.
The ground within a twenty-meter radius was uniformly cut into countless cubes. With Gairam's hammering and command, these cubes could move and collide freely.
"Cube-Cube Fruit, I ate the Cube Fruit."
Gairam stroked the hammer handle: "I can transform any object into a cube."
As if to prove his point, Gairam struck a whimpering wild wolf lying on the ground with his hammer.
With a soft thud, the wild wolf became a cube with a wild wolf sticker on it.
The wild wolf on the cube could still stick out its tongue and roll its eyes, which was quite magical.
Kaido was quite surprised: "This ability... seems to have a lot of room for functional growth."