Chapter 281: A Conversation Between Whitebeard and Kaido
"The Dragon Flame Pirates truly deserve the title. They wiped out the BIG MOM Pirates in just one hour, once again demonstrating their strength to the entire sea."
"I told you—how could the Marines issue bounty orders recklessly?"
"None of the other pirate crews in the New World dare to speak up. Aside from the Beasts Pirates, even the Whitebeard Pirates have acknowledged the Dragon Flame Pirates' status."
"Indeed. With the Dragon Flame Pirates now crowned Emperor, even the Marines have raised their bounties. That's practically an official recognition of their position."
Across the seas, everyone was discussing the news of the Dragon Flame Pirates claiming the title of Emperor. Most had essentially accepted their new status.
Others simply watched with a spectator's mindset.
They were all waiting to see how Kaido of the Beasts would respond to the Dragon Flame Pirates.
After all, the Beasts Pirates had yet to claim the title themselves. For a newly emerged pirate crew to be crowned first—it was a blow to their pride.
…
In the New World, in Wano Country.
"Captain, a new pirate crew becoming Emperor before us? That's absolutely ridiculous!"
Jack the Drought roared angrily, his temper flaring.
Standing before them was a man of immense height and imposing build. His black hair draped over his shoulders. A pair of dragon-like horns curved from his head. Long whisker-like facial hair hung from his mouth, and dragon-scale tattoos marked his left arm.
His upper body was bare, revealing an X-shaped scar on his right abdomen. A purple garment hung at his waist, its hem adorned with two golden chains. He wore wide dark-green trousers, a rope belt tied around his waist, and a purple fur cloak draped over his shoulders.
He looked like a demon incarnate.
He was the captain of the Beasts Pirates—Kaido of the Beasts, known as the "Strongest Creature."
His face was dark with gloom.
Gururu—
At that moment, a Den Den Mushi began to ring.
Kaido picked up the tiny snail and answered.
"Gurararara… Kaido, you want to avenge BIG MOM?" The voice of Whitebeard came from the other end.
"You planning to help me?" Kaido's voice was hoarse.
The three of them had once been members of the Rocks Pirates. They were extraordinarily powerful, and there was a trace of camaraderie between them.
So such a conversation between the two was nothing unusual.
"Even if I helped you, we still wouldn't be a match for the Dragon Flame Pirates," Whitebeard said in a deep voice.
"You're called the strongest man, the first Pirate Emperor. And you're afraid of some upstart crew?" A glint flashed through Kaido's eyes.
"Gurararara… Those are just empty titles. When the Dragon Flame Pirates first entered the New World, we met them. They… already had the beginnings of our former captain's presence."
"Impossible!"
Kaido shouted in disbelief.
Back in the Rocks Pirates, he had only been a mere apprentice. He knew just how powerful their captain had been.
He also knew why their captain had been defeated. The fall of the Rocks Pirates hadn't been due to Garp and Roger alone—the World Government had intervened as well.
Without that, Garp and Roger alone would never have posed a real threat to their captain.
That was precisely why they feared the World Government so deeply. The Celestial Dragons resided atop the Red Line, yet even the Golden Lion didn't dare strike at them.
If the World Government had no real strength, then with the powers of the Float-Float Fruit, the Golden Lion could have simply carried countless islands above the Red Line and dropped them. That alone would have been enough to destroy it.
But he didn't dare.
And now, hearing that the Dragon Flame Pirates possessed even a trace of the former Rocks Pirates' aura—that was why Kaido reacted so strongly.