"Don't think you've already paid me back. I can hold this over you for the rest of your life!"
"..."
Kaido did not refute her, because his Devil Fruit really had been given to him by Big Mom.
Back when he had first joined the Rocks Pirates, he had realized that the entire crew was a loose collection of individuals. If Rocks had not been strong enough, they would have gone their separate ways long ago.
After that, because of Charlotte Linlin's invitation, he became her follower and little brother.
To put it more bluntly, their relationship had been almost like that of siblings.
That Devil Fruit—the Zoan-Type Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Model: Azure Dragon—had been Linlin's investment in him.
There were many, many other things as well. If each matter were counted one by one, it might truly be impossible to settle the account clearly.
If their ideals had not both been to pursue the great treasure Roger had left behind, perhaps they would never have parted ways and become rivals.
"Let's join forces, Kaido. The times are changing too quickly. During the Marineford War, Whitebeard showed no trace of old age at all.
"Even if you and I both understand that the World Government will definitely devote everything to exterminating him, that is bound to be an extremely difficult matter.
"The World's Strongest Man—even you have to admit that, don't you?
"Red-Hair has also rarely interfered with the structure of the world. He acted as guarantor and allowed Whitebeard and the World Government to reconcile. He must be itching to make a move as well.
"And then there's Ren, that brat who joined forces with the Revolutionary Army to attack your main base. That kid is the most dangerous rising star.
"He truly defeated me head-on. My Totto Land is gone too..."
"...Old hag, I wasn't lying."
"I wasn't either. If things don't match up, that only means his schemes are too deep, and he has only now exposed them!
"Think about it carefully. Don't you feel the timing of that guy's appearance during the Marineford War was very subtle?
"The Celestial Dragons arrived only a little later than him. Before that, he just happened to betray the Marines at the perfect moment, allowing the Whitebeard Pirates' offensive to become who knows how much easier.
"I think he definitely has some connection with Whitebeard. Maybe the two of them made some kind of deal. They may even have outright joined forces."
Charlotte Linlin's tone sank low, then immediately rose again with force.
"But so what! As long as we, brother and sister, join forces, whether it's Whitebeard, Red-Hair, or Ren, none of them will be able to casually drive us off the stage.
"Alone, no one can face two Emperors and still win.
"As long as we join forces, the initiative of the world will fall into our hands."
"Wororororo! Old hag, were you scared witless after losing and now want to come throw yourself under me?"
"Kaido, are you deaf? I said join forces, not submit."
"Hmph. A loser acting this arrogant is a rare sight."
"Kaido, do you remember when you used to—"
"Enough nonsense. After we join forces, what do you plan to do first?"
Kaido raised his voice several degrees, drowning out Charlotte Linlin as she tried to bring up old debts.
"Do you want me to help you take back your Totto Land? But from the sound of it, your subordinates are already all dead, aren't they?"
"We're not going back. We're going to your Wano."
Charlotte Linlin hesitated for a moment, but still made the choice she considered best.
"I need to recuperate. Then we'll gather our main forces and watch for the right timing.
"If Whitebeard doesn't appear near Totto Land, then we'll go kill that brat together.
"If he has already left Totto Land directly, then we'll watch the World Government's movements. If there's an opportunity, we still have to kill that brat first."
"...Then come."
Kaido narrowed his eyes. After thinking for a moment, he did not refuse.
He could roughly understand what Linlin was thinking.
Regarding the Marineford War, anyone with even a bit of insight could sense just how subtle a position Ren, who had betrayed the Marines, had occupied.
He did not betray them earlier or later. He betrayed them precisely when they were facing the Whitebeard Pirates, and when he left, he even destroyed the Marines' artillery.
Not only did he betray them, he dragged almost all of the Seven Warlords of the Sea into betraying them as well. Yet according to the intelligence they could gather, those Warlords had not had much actual contact with him.
And Ren's origins were right there. Just a few years ago, he truly had only been the owner of a general store.
If there were no other force involved, Kaido did not believe such a coincidental collective betrayal would happen.
There was also the Celestial Dragon hostage incident afterward. Ren just happened to arrive some time earlier, perfectly preventing Sengoku from executing Ace ahead of schedule.
Then, after the Celestial Dragons appeared, he just happened to retreat at the perfect moment, leaving the stage to Whitebeard.
There were not that many coincidences in this world!
So Linlin's worry was this: since that guy could appear here, was it possible that Whitebeard might also appear?
From Linlin's description, the other party seemed to be testing the level of his own strength.
If viewed from the perspective of a plan, it was hard to say whether Whitebeard might already be on his way.
Most importantly—Linlin had been frightened.
Although she had not lost her courage or spirit, Kaido could clearly sense Linlin's extreme wariness toward Ren. It could even be called... fear.
It was like the tiny emotion he and Linlin felt when facing Whitebeard, only much stronger than that.
'Was I the one who got played?'
Kaido hung up the Den Den Mushi, somewhat puzzled as he recalled the battle in Dressrosa.
He had clearly pressured Ren throughout the fight, forcing him to his limits and making him reveal that burst of spirit, as well as the attack that left a scar on him.
But Ren at that time should not have been capable of defeating the current Linlin.
Was his acting so superb that he could deceive gods and ghosts, or was he... an even more monstrous genius than Linlin, yet also one who worked even harder?
The former was somewhat inconceivable, but the latter... was even more inconceivable!
For a moment, even Kaido himself did not know which direction to judge from.
But no matter what, the matter of the alliance had already been settled.
"Men! Get ready! Big Mom is coming to Onigashima soon!"
The giant dragon's roar echoed through the skies above Onigashima, and the Beasts Pirates instantly fell into chaos.
The news that Big Mom was about to arrive spread across all of Onigashima as if it had grown wings.
The members of the Beasts Pirates all sank into confusion, until the All-Stars came forward and released the news, stating that they might form an alliance with Big Mom.
Only then did the Beasts members fall into shock, followed by wild joy and fanaticism.
That was a Yonko!
One of the pillars supporting a corner of the New World, an existence who propped up this pirate world together with the other Emperors.
And now, she was actually coming to Wano of her own accord. These pirates understood all too well what that implied.
Didn't it simply mean she was taking the lower stance by coming here personally?
"We're invincible!"
The Beasts Pirates laughed and began holding a private feast.
"If Lord Kaido and Big Mom join forces, the New World will definitely belong to us Beasts!"
Without a doubt, in the eyes of the Beasts Pirates, this news meant that the future trend of the world was on their side.
The good brought by this huge news even dispelled the negative impact from their main base being raided earlier.
That was right.
The raid on their Wano main base had brought massive negative consequences to the Beasts Pirates.
As a Yonko power, they had been schemed against by a newly rising star, and the scheme had even succeeded, causing them to suffer extremely heavy losses.
Udon's prison system had nearly collapsed, and the production of ore had once come to a halt.
If not for Kurozumi Orochi's death leading a group of Wano natives to attempt to reclaim control of the country, gathering people together to oppose the Beasts Pirates, then Mr. Kaido would not have been able to replenish such a massive manpower gap all at once.
It could only be said that they had to thank those former Wano people whose rebellious hearts refused to die.
Thanks to those people as well, after properly killing the chicken to warn the monkeys, the Beasts Pirates had been able to prepare fairly smoothly to rule their foundation of Wano.
Of course, this situation was equivalent to the forced fusion of two powers—or rather, the devouring of a smaller power by a larger one.
Those newly joined members were not exactly satisfied with the outcome of pirate rule.
They would always bring up the matter of the recent attack.
Just like...
"Lord Kaido is a Yonko of the New World. Joining us is absolutely the best decision you could make!"
"If he's so strong, why was he still raided by some guy who rose up from the outside seas?"
"Lord Kaido wasn't home at the time. He had gone out to fight for territory and expand the Beasts Pirates' strength."
"If he's so strong, why was he still raided by some guy who rose up from the outside seas?"
"Lord Kaido has won countless victories. That was just an accident. If he had been on Onigashima, that sort of thing would never have happened."
"If he's so strong, why was he still—"
"Enough!"
At the time, Jack's face had darkened as he glared at Kyoshiro, who stood before him with a stubborn expression.
"Are you annoying on purpose? Why do you keep clinging to that one point?"
"If you were truly strong enough, you wouldn't have let the murderer who killed Shogun Kurozumi Orochi escape."
Kyoshiro's expression was one of anger and suppression.
"...Lord Kaido has already punished those people."
Jack's face was dark, but he did not actually beat this powerful swordsman, who was fiercely loyal to Kurozumi Orochi, to death.
Although the other party was loyal to someone besides Lord Kaido, Kurozumi Orochi was already dead—or rather, he had been taken away.
Even Lord Kaido had no way to rescue him from Ren's hands, so he had simply taken advantage of the situation and declared him dead.
It was also from that point onward that they were able to smoothly annex Wano's forces.
Kyoshiro had been violently beaten by Lord Kaido during that process and then invited to join.
However, the other party's reason was to take responsibility for the people behind him, not to serve Lord Kaido.
This made Jack, who revered Lord Kaido, somewhat dissatisfied. That was why such a conversation had taken place.
From how things looked now, Kyoshiro clearly held a great deal of resentment toward them.
In truth, there were quite a few people like him.
However, very few people could question them like Kyoshiro and still not be dealt with, because they did not possess strength on Kyoshiro's level.
The resentment of small fry and the resentment of the strong did not carry the same weight.
To Jack, a powerful swordsman whose master was already dead clearly had value in being absorbed.
So such things continued to happen.
Just like at this very moment.
"Kyoshiro, do you understand the weight of this matter? That is Big Mom!"
Jack laughed loudly as he slapped Kyoshiro's shoulder.
"By now, you should understand just how vast the world is, right?
"The Four Blues, the Grand Line, the Red Line, Fish-Man Island... and a place like the New World carries enormous weight in that vast world.
"And the Yonko are the pillars of the New World. It is precisely because of the Yonko that this world belonging to pirates exists.
"Forget Kurozumi Orochi. Wano's future is already decided. With your strength, you should be striving for more in a broader world!"
(End of Chapter)