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Hearing Ragnar's words, Ikki and Ace were both stunned.
Before they could retort, several Marine soldiers quickly surrounded them.
Just as Ace was about to resist, Ikki held him back again.
The reason for this was simple—Ace was a Private Marines. If they attacked, they had to ensure they could eliminate all the Marines present before making a move. Ikki wasn't sure if there were any Devil Fruit users on the Marine warship who could hinder their escape.
So, the best option was to wait until they were taken aboard the warship before taking action.
As Ikki and Ace followed the Marines onto the warship, the Commodore who had given the orders did not return with them. Instead, he remained on Ikki's luxury yacht with two of his men.
Seeing this, Ikki immediately understood why he had been designated as a wanted criminal. He had been robbed… and the ones robbing him were the Marines.
Now that he knew their true nature, Ikki had the urge to rid the Marines of this corruption.
Upon arriving at the Marine warship, Ikki and Ace were taken to a temporary prison below the cabin.
When one of the soldiers was about to place Ikki in a private cell, another soldier quickly stopped him.
"Hey… are you an idiot? Locking up these two soft-skinned kids here? If that monster eats them to recover his strength, do you think we'll survive?"
Hearing his superior's words, the recruit shuddered. He recalled what had happened during the monster's capture.
Originally, four Marine warships had been dispatched for the mission… but three of them had been destroyed. Every Marine aboard had perished.
Swallowing nervously, the recruit stammered, "S-Senior, my mistake… I wasn't thinking…"
Without further hesitation, the soldiers locked Ikki and Ace in the cell across from the supposed "monster."
Inside the cell, Ikki's gaze immediately fell on the man sitting on the floor, gripping his legs.
From his sheer height alone, the man had to be over two meters tall. His muscular upper body was bare, his muscles bulging with power. On his head, a pair of horns protruded—marking him as someone from a special race.
Just as the Marine soldiers were about to leave, Ikki suddenly stopped them.
"Hey, brother… what year is it in the Sea Calendar?"
The Marine soldier paused, momentarily stunned, before replying, "It's the year 1478 of the Sea Calendar!"
Ikki wasn't surprised to hear this. He and Ace had not returned to the year 1522.
After his previous battle with Garp, most of his stamina had been drained to heal his physical wounds. If escaping had caused them to time travel six years into the future… that was actually quite fortunate.
Ace naturally heard what the Marine soldier had said.
"Hey… Ikki, this isn't our era. Even if people find out we destroyed the Marine warship, it probably won't matter!"
"Yeah," Ikki nodded. "Then let's just destroy them all."
Just as Ikki finished speaking, a low yet childish voice came from the cell opposite them.
"Are you planning to escape? Take me with you."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the figure across from them finally stood up.
As Ikki had expected, the man was massive—about 2.5 meters tall. His physique was powerful, but his face was surprisingly youthful. There was still some baby fat on his cheeks, and his eyes were slightly red, with tear stains beneath them. It was clear he had been crying.
Ace glanced at him, a sense of familiarity nagging at him. Casually, he asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Babasaro Kaido."
The moment the name left his lips, both Ikki and Ace's eyes widened.
The surname "Babasaro" wasn't well known, but… the name "Kaido" echoed across the entire New World.
Kaido—the captain of the Beasts Pirates. The Strongest Creature. Kaido of the Beasts. One of the Four Emperors…
Ikki and Ace exchanged glances before Ikki asked, "Wait, Kaido… how old are you?"
"Thirteen."
Kaido answered without hesitation.
Perhaps growing impatient with the back-and-forth questioning, Kaido began recounting his story himself.
He was born in the Kingdom of Vodka.
Calling him a "young dragon-slaying boy" wouldn't be an exaggeration. Ever since he was a child, Kaido had fought against injustice and despised the class system. Why did humans need to be divided by status?
Because of this, the nobles loathed him, but the common people saw him as a hero.
By the time Kaido was eight, no one in the Kingdom of Vodka could control him. But thanks to his presence, no pirate dared to set foot on Vodka Kingdom's land.
However, everything changed recently. The king of Vodka, seeking to strengthen his nation and join the World Government to gain the right to participate in the Reverie, made a ruthless decision—he sold Kaido, already known as the strongest warrior, to the World Government for research.
Of course… capturing Kaido wasn't that simple.
In the end, the king came up with a plan—poison him.
But he had underestimated Kaido's monstrous physique. The poison only weakened him slightly. Even in a weakened state, he single-handedly fought off thousands of Marines and destroyed three warships before he was finally subdued and captured.
After hearing Kaido's story, Ikki couldn't help but sigh.
If Kaido had never been betrayed, he likely wouldn't have joined Rocks' crew. Instead, this so-called "Strongest Creature" might have become the guardian of the Vodka Kingdom…
In truth, there was another thought lingering in Ikki's mind.
The boy who slays dragons will eventually become a dragon himself.
Young Kaido burned with a sense of justice, despising the world's inequalities. But as he grew older, he became a dragon—turning that very injustice into his own power.
At that moment, Ace whispered in Ikki's ear, "Should we save him?"
"Obviously."
Ikki replied bluntly.
In fact, even if they didn't help, Kaido would likely escape on his own. The original history briefly mentioned this…
Ace had no objections.
He reached out a hand, which transformed into a soft, slimy form. Carefully, he inserted his finger into the cell's keyhole. Then, with a swift hardening of his ability, the lock clicked open.
After stepping out of their cell, Ace freed Kaido as well.
Thirteen-year-old Kaido stood in front of Ikki and Ace like a little giant.
Gurgle, gurgle…
Hearing the sound of Kaido's stomach growling, Ikki asked curiously, "How long have they starved you?"
"Seven days…" Kaido muttered, holding his stomach.
"That's brutal."
With a casual wave of his hand, Ikki summoned a pile of food—various delicacies he had previously obtained from a lottery.
Without a second thought, Kaido immediately sat down and began devouring the food, not even questioning where it had come from.
Originally, Kaido had planned to break out and raid the ship's kitchen. But now, it seemed there was no need. Once he finished eating… it would be time for a fight.