The Sun and Moon Pirates had departed.
They didn't linger in Wano for long.
Time was short.
They still had to visit the Beast Pirates before returning to the first half of the Grand Line. The ability to teleport using achievement points needed to be used wisely.
As they left—
Carrot, the little rabbit, was completely dazed.
She carried an enormous backpack.
The Mink Tribe, using her as a bridge, had stuffed it with everything good from both the Mink Tribe and Wano, eager to send as much as possible to the Sun and Moon Pirates.
"You guys are too kind..."
Carrot was moved.
She had actually worried that they wouldn't let her go, but instead, they had packed her an absurd amount of carrots.
Tears welled in her eyes as she suddenly felt reluctant to part from her fellow Minks.
But then she noticed—
No one was looking at her.
They all stood solemnly on both sides, heads bowed, devoutly seeing off the Sun and Moon Pirates.
"Carrot, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and keep pace with Lord Kuke!" Pedro urged, then added, "If you cause trouble in the Sun and Moon Pirates, don't even think about coming back! You'll never be one of us again!"
The sentimentality vanished instantly.
Carrot pouted.
Then, bouncing along, she followed Kuke.
Boarding the Radiant Eclipse.
The ship now had a fresh sight—something it had never seen before. A Mink Tribe rabbit, Carrot.
Kuke also brought three Devil Fruits from Wano.
One was the Mythical Zoan—Yamata no Orochi Model that had belonged to Orochi.
One was the Mythical Zoan—Great Monk Model from Onimaru.
And the last was the Paramecia—Mature-Mature Fruit from Shinobu.
Orochi was dead.
Onimaru and Shinobu were still alive, but they had no resentment toward Kuke for taking their abilities. In fact, they were overjoyed.
To them, Kuke was the great savior of Wano.
Even if they had to give up everything—even their lives—they would do so willingly.
Two Mythical Zoans—an excellent gain.
The Mature-Mature Fruit could accelerate the aging of plants... and even living beings.
The Sun and Moon Pirates now had an island serving as their base.
The Mature-Mature Fruit could be used for agriculture.
With both the Mature-Mature Fruit and Ain's Rejuvenation Fruit, every crew member could control their own age at will.
small or mature beauty—interchangeable at any time.
The scenery on the ship had only gotten better.
Under Hancock's control, the Radiant Eclipse sped toward the Beast Pirates.
"After the Beast Pirates, we can start heading for the first half of the Grand Line."
…
Beast Pirates' Territory
Kaido of the Beasts was bored.
Once the most reckless, most insane pirate on the seas, the man who could never sit still—had now spent the past ten years holed up in his lair.
He hadn't gone out looking for death.
He hadn't gone around forcing people to join his crew.
He had stopped expanding his territory.
Once a ruthless conqueror, he had now become a lazy shut-in.
Gulp, gulp.
Every day, Kaido spent most of his time drinking.
His once-mighty physique had grown round and plump.
His muscles had vanished.
"Boss Kaido, if you keep going like this, you're really going to waste away!" Queen grumbled, watching Kaido's growing belly.
The man's weight had even surpassed his own.
Where was the presence of the so-called "Strongest Creature"?
Kaido now looked like nothing more than a self-destructive drunkard.
"There's nothing I can do. Not when a legend like Kuke exists in this era." King, the Wildfire, understood Kaido's feelings.
With the Sun and Moon Pirates reigning supreme—
Dreams of becoming the Pirate King?
Dreams of ruling the world?
Dreams of destruction?
Impossible.
And after witnessing the strength of the World Government and the Marines firsthand—
It was clear.
Both sides had enough power to crush the Beast Pirates entirely.
With his ambitions crushed—
What else could he do but lie down and accept it?
Three years ago, Kaido had made his last effort—to seize the Mythical Zoan—Great Buddha Model.
But he had only received one answer—
The Sun and Moon Pirates still ruled the New World.
That was when Kaido truly gave up.
He stopped training.
He stopped managing his crew.
"Any movements from the Sun and Moon Pirates?"
Kaido, eyes hazy with drink, lazily muttered.
His bloated body nearly slipped off his chair.
"None."
Kaido sighed in disappointment and kept drinking.
These days, Kaido had only one remaining hope—
To see the Sun and Moon Pirates rise again, to see the era spiral into chaos.
Even if he couldn't be a part of it—
At least watching from the sidelines was better than this dull, lifeless age.
"When will this boring era finally end?" Kaido roared in frustration.
"Governor Kaido, in about ten days, the Marines are going to publicly execute Red-Haired Shanks. Akainu is also becoming the new Fleet Admiral. Things should start getting interesting," Queen tried to comfort him.
Kaido sneered.
"You think those Red-Haired remnants can stir anything up? Or those old relics from Roger's crew? What kind of waves do you think they'll make?"
"Boss! Boss! The Sun and Moon Pirates are here!"
Jack, the Drought, burst in excitedly.
"Sun and Moon? You mean that Sun and Moon?"
Kaido sobered up instantly.
"Boss, who else would dare pretend to be the Sun and Moon Pirates in our territory?" Jack was absolutely certain.
The Beast Pirates might be silent—
But they were still one of the emperors of the sea.
"It's over. It's over. We should run," Queen trembled, his entire body shaking.
"Run? Run where?"
Kaido, instead of panicking, looked delighted.
"Boss… d-do you think you can actually beat Kuke now?" Queen stammered, staring at Kaido in disbelief. Had this entire decade of sloth been a ruse? Had he been secretly preparing a trump card?
King's eyes also lit up.
Even if he understood Kaido's despair, in his heart, King still longed to see Kaido become the world's ruler.
"Confident? What a joke," Kaido scoffed at himself.
That would never happen.
"Running is useless. If Kuke is here, whatever he wants, we can't stop him. We can't resist. So instead of panicking, we might as well face it calmly."
Kaido had long since figured it out.
The most aggressive man on the seas—
Had now become the most composed.
"You're right."
Queen thought for a moment.
Too damn right.
They couldn't win, and running wouldn't help.
Queen slumped to the ground at Kaido's feet, completely dejected.
When the Radiant Eclipse floated down from the sky—
Entering directly into Onigashima's main hall—
The entire upper echelon of the Beast Pirates, including Kaido, were slumped lazily in the main courtyard, sprawled out like old men basking in the sun.
There was not a single ounce of fighting spirit among them.
"This is the so-called most ferocious pirate crew in the seas?"
Carrot blinked in disbelief.
Was this some kind of joke?
These guys looked like a bunch of retired old men.
Nami's world shattered once again.
When she first entered the New World, she had expected greatness from the Four Emperors.
Whitebeard, supposedly the "Strongest Man," had already given her the impression of being a soft-hearted old man.
And now, Kaido—who was supposed to be the fiercest of them all—looked no different from an elderly village chief from her hometown.
"Old man, are you dying or something?"
Yamato, blunt as ever, sneered at her father.