At that moment, Queen was terrified.
Elior, who had once defeated their captain Kaido in Paradise and was now his equal in power and status, had appeared at the base of the cliff waterfall. And judging by the three giant carps pulling his ship, it was clear Elior knew the secret to entering Wano Country — the very method used by the Beasts Pirates themselves.
That method, using the giant carps to scale the waterfall and enter the inland sea, was considered a closely guarded secret of the world.
But what was truly frightening was that Elior knew it.
Everyone in the surveillance room with Queen was shaken.
Without wasting time, Queen ordered one of his subordinates to notify Kaido and the others immediately.
Soon, Jack, Queen, and other high-ranking officers had gathered. After all, this was no ordinary intruder. This time, their territory was being entered by one Yonko — Elior himself.
King stood silently, watching as Elior's ship, pulled by three massive carps, rapidly ascended the waterfall. His forehead was slick with sweat—and the others didn't look much better.
"Heh… What now?"
"Who's going to stop him?"
Queen turned to King and Jack. They were the Beasts Pirates' strongest fighters.
"Let him come up."
Suddenly, Kaido entered the control room, reeking of alcohol. He had been drinking just moments earlier—but the news of Elior's arrival had instantly sobered him.
"But, Kaido-sama…"
Jack barely spoke before being cut off.
"There's only a handful of them. They're obviously not here to start a war."
Kaido's expression remained unreadable. "Let them come. We'll wait for them on Onigashima. Let's see what this brat wants."
Everyone was stunned. They hadn't expected Kaido to permit Elior's group to enter.
But looking out again — they were right. Elior's ship carried only a small group. This didn't look like a military invasion.
Still, none of them dared to let their guard down. No one knew what Elior was planning.
Before long, Elior's ship crossed the waterfall and entered the inland sea. And as they arrived, Kaido, already in his full dragon form, circled the skies above, gazing down with piercing eyes.
"Brat. What do you want?"
Kaido's voice thundered from the sky.
The pressure from his presence alone weighed heavily on Crocodile and the others.
Only Elior remained unfazed.
"Kaido… I'll see you on Onigashima."
Elior didn't waste words. Kaido, unable to guess his true intentions, snorted and soared back toward the island.
By the time Elior's ship docked, Kaido and his officers were already waiting.
Tension filled the air. Among the Beasts Pirates, everyone besides Kaido could feel it in their bones.
In the New World, Yonko don't casually meet. When they do, it usually leads to bloodshed. And now, Elior had come in person to Onigashima. What did he want?
This young man — handsome and clearly younger than anyone present — was feared by all.
He had killed Aokiji, severely injured Akainu, and ended Whitebeard's life.
Even Kaido couldn't take him lightly. Neither could King, Queen, or any of the others.
"You look awful, Kaido. Did you lose all your money gambling?"
Elior smirked as he addressed him. Reiju couldn't help but giggle. But when the others turned to look at her, she froze—until Elior reached out and gently took her hand.
He didn't say anything, but the message was clear.
Reiju felt deeply moved by the gesture.
"You showing up puts me in a bad mood."
Kaido grumbled, but then shouted, "Bring out the best wine and food! I want to entertain this man properly!"
Everyone froze in disbelief.
Even Crocodile and the others were caught off guard.
"Didn't you hear me?"
Kaido's voice was sharp as he looked down at Queen and the others. They snapped to attention, immediately running off to alert the chefs.
Kaido's orders were absolute.
Half an hour later, two enormous banquet tables were prepared—stacked high with delicacies and barrels of rare wine.
But at the main table, only three seats were prepared.
Elior, Reiju, and Kaido.
That was the rule. Only two Yonko could sit at that table. No one else was qualified.
Crocodile, Cavendish, and the others were seated at a second, massive table, along with King, Queen, Jack, and others.
But no one dared make a move. Everyone watched Kaido and Elior carefully.
If Kaido didn't eat, no one else would either.
Reiju was only allowed at the main table because Elior had personally brought her to serve him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have dared sit across from Kaido himself.
"What's your purpose in coming here? Don't tell me you're on vacation. There's nothing worth sightseeing around here — not Onigashima, not even Wano."
Kaido gulped down a large jug of sake.
"I currently have two Road Poneglyphs in my possession."
"What?! Two?!"
Kaido's expression twisted in shock. He nearly spat out his drink.
The rest of the Beasts Pirates were equally stunned.
"You're saying you've really got two of them?"
Kaido slammed the jug onto the table, staring Elior down. In truth, Kaido didn't even have one. The only Road Poneglyph he had access to was the one in Wano, and even then, he'd never managed to secure it. The political mess in Wano had held him back.
Though Kaido was the shadow ruler of Wano, he didn't have full control. If he did, he would've turned Wano into a new Onigashima long ago.
The power of the samurai and the influence of Kurozumi Orochi had always been thorns in his side.
"I've got two already" Elior said bluntly. "I'm here for the third."
"You're kidding, brat. That Poneglyph belongs to me."
Kaido's tone turned threatening as he leaned forward. Reiju instinctively shifted closer to Elior.
"Even if you had it, you couldn't do anything with it," Elior said coolly. "You can't read the Poneglyph. But I can—thanks to the Voice of All Things."
"You mean… your Observation Haki has reached that level?!"
Kaido was visibly stunned.
Elior nodded. "I can hear the voices of all things—and interpret the Poneglyphs. You can't. But tell me, Kaido… You've always wanted total control of Wano, haven't you? Your base is this tiny island. Haven't you ever considered claiming a larger territory?"
Onigashima, after all, was minuscule.
"What are you getting at?"
Kaido squinted at him.
He'd long wanted to take full control of Wano and convert it into a new Onigashima. But as it stood, he only controlled the Udon region—thanks to a power-sharing deal with Orochi.
Years ago, Kaido had allied with Orochi to kill Kozuki Oden and wipe out the Kozuki Clan.
Their deal: Kaido would gain control of Udon, while Orochi ruled the rest of Wano.
Orochi had once been nearly Kaido's equal in influence — wielding a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, after all.
Now, Kaido was considering eliminating him. He'd even thought of installing his daughter Yamato as the new ruler of Wano.
But that idea had its own issues. Yamato idolized Oden and openly rebelled against her father's wishes.
Kaido winced just thinking about her.
He looked across at Elior, waiting to hear what this unexpected guest truly wanted.
"I'll take care of Orochi for you" Elior said. "You deal with the remaining resistance. In return, I take the Road Poneglyph."