Chapter 28 - Kaido: I Choose Bai Ye, He's My Heartthrob! (Please keep reading!)
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit—no wonder you haven't come to train with me these past few days!"
Rocks, on his throne, grinned exaggeratedly. While he never believed Bai Ye would give up, he was genuinely curious about what Bai Ye had been doing all this time.
After all, abandoning one's training to leave implies the existence of something that could significantly enhance one's strength in a short period.
Otherwise, Rocks couldn't fathom why Bai Ye would do such a thing.
Now, seeing the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Rocks understood his actions. However, if Bai Ye knew the location of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, why didn't he go before?
This clearly wasn't a Fruit found by luck or newly discovered; if it were, Bai Ye's luck would be defying the heavens.
"You damn well ate a Devil Fruit?! You didn't say a word when you came back!"
John roared at Bai Ye. This scoundrel didn't say anything when he returned!
"It's not like you asked, is it? If I came back and told you, 'John, I ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit,' wouldn't that just be pure showing off?"
Bai Ye waved his hand, completely unconcerned by John's murderous gaze.
It was just that John hadn't asked him before, so he couldn't just shamelessly go up to John and boast about eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, could he?
"You're right, I suppose."
John scratched his head, suddenly feeling like his words might have been a bit too aggressive.
He instinctively wanted to apologize to Bai Ye, admitting he had misunderstood him; it was his own fault for not asking, not Bai Ye's problem.
"What the hell?! Did he really get tricked that easily? Where's your brain?"
Golden Lion glanced at John, his eyes filled with a hint of pity and an expression of looking at an idiot.
It seemed that among all the captains of the Rocks Pirates, John was the least intelligent. No wonder Bai Ye liked to hang out with this guy; he got conned so easily.
"Forget it, it's none of my business."
Golden Lion thought it had nothing to do with him. However, seeing Bai Ye annoyed made him happy, and he felt an urge to remind John.
But in the end, he gave up. He was Golden Lion, after all; how could he do such a petty thing? That's what Bai Ye would do!
Despicable, shameless, without limits, a show-off—this scoundrel possessed all the flaws! Besides being a bit handsome, he was useless!
Hmm.
This was Golden Lion's assessment of Bai Ye.
However, Golden Lion now had an additional label for Bai Ye in his mind: unlimited potential.
Not only was Bai Ye's own potential strong enough, but the Devil Fruit Bai Ye had eaten was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. It was that simple. As long as one wasn't an idiot, this was absolutely someone who could become a great pirate in the future!
"It looks like this battle will end very soon. You guys, don't join the fun. That kid named Kaido, pick an opponent!"
Rocks glanced at Bai Ye's arena; everyone there had already been dealt with.
It seemed that although Bai Ye had only recently eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he had developed it quite well.
He knew very well that no matter how many people came up, they couldn't cause much impact on Bai Ye. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit wasn't afraid of crowds; in fact, the more people, the easier it was to deal with them.
Moreover, in this match, he wanted to see not only the strength of the captains but also Kaido's potential—whether this Oni youth was truly worth so much investment.
After Rocks finished speaking, everyone present turned their gaze to a tall young man with two pointed horns on his head, standing below the stage.
At this time, Kaido wasn't much different from his adult self. Bai Ye also scrutinized him with interest, thinking that the scar Oden left on him hadn't appeared yet. Should he leave one on him?
Bai Ye thought for a moment, then immediately abandoned the idea. It was mainly a bit boring; Kaido, without the Blue Dragon Fruit, wasn't worth him deliberately leaving a scar on him.
Only after eating the Blue Dragon Fruit could Kaido become a part of Bai Ye's 'play.'
Kaido, whose name was called below the stage, began to think seriously. The other pirates no longer had the qualifications to challenge.
Whitebeard had brought him here, and he had seen him at that time, so he wouldn't choose Whitebeard.
He had also heard of Golden Lion and Charlotte Linlin. People like John, Wang Zhi, and Silver Axe were also strong. Originally, the weakest should have been Bai Ye.
Kaido's initial choice for an opponent was also Bai Ye.
But now that Bai Ye had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his strength should have increased significantly. However, after glancing at Wang Zhi, John, and Silver Axe, Kaido still chose Bai Ye.
Because he was confident that his physique could defend against the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's abilities. If Bai Ye had eaten it a long time ago, he wouldn't have chosen Bai Ye, but Bai Ye had clearly just eaten it. After joining the Rocks Pirates, Kaido also gained some understanding of the Rocks Pirates' internal workings.
Those few had very strong Armament Haki, making it easy to break through his defense. But Bai Ye's Armament Haki likely wouldn't be too strong, and after eating the Fruit, he had probably spent this time cultivating his Fruit ability. So, as long as he could withstand Bai Ye's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Bai Ye couldn't defeat him.
Having figured this out, Kaido raised his head, then pointed at Bai Ye and said, "I choose Bai Ye!"
"Why do I feel like a 'heartthrob girl' being chosen? Is this 'If You Are The One' or something?"
Bai Ye, standing on the stage, felt a strange sensation. He hadn't thought much about it before, but in this selection phase, he felt like a female guest being chosen.
However, he wasn't very surprised by Kaido choosing him.
In the original work, Kaido seemed burly and simple-minded, but this guy was actually very cunning and skilled at various schemes and tricks, though he still had some sense of honor.
After joining the Rocks Pirates, this guy certainly wouldn't want to just be a subordinate. Naturally, with an opportunity to become a captain, he wouldn't be foolish enough to choose the other few who seemed more powerful.
"Good, then this will be the final match. Kaido, you fight Bai Ye. If you win, today you will be the captain of the Fourth Division!!!"
Rocks stood up and then announced the final battle.
"Bai Ye, don't disappoint me. If you lose after just eating the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it would be even more embarrassing than not having eaten it at all!"
Rocks looked at Bai Ye with amusement, teasing him. If Bai Ye still had his previous strength, losing wouldn't be embarrassing, but now that he had eaten the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, losing would be incredibly humiliating.