On Onigashima—
Kaido, having returned to his normal form, lay quietly on the ground, staring up at the dull, gray sky. No one knew what he was thinking.
Kaito had already deactivated all his active abilities. He slowly walked over to where Kaido lay defeated before him and asked calmly,
"Anything else you want to say?"
Kaido struggled to lift his head, glanced at Kaito, and countered with a question of his own.
"Do you know Joy Boy?"
"...I know a bit."
Hearing that, a strange flush suddenly appeared on Kaido's face. He asked excitedly,
"Are you Joy Boy?!"
In Kaido's mind, Joy Boy symbolized the pinnacle of strength. And now he, who had been known as the strongest creature across land, sea, and air, had been defeated by this young-looking Marine. This man couldn't be ordinary—he had to be Joy Boy!
But to Kaido's disappointment, Kaito shook his head.
"No. But I do believe he might really exist... just not for a few more years."
"...Heh, is that so? Then I guess I won't be around to see it."
Kaido closed his eyes. Defeat was defeat. He'd rather die with dignity than cling to life and disgrace the name of a Yonko.
Kaito looked down at the completely unresisting Kaido and sighed softly.
To be honest, back on Earth, Kaido had always been the Yonko he admired the most.
If Kaido had actually killed Momonosuke back then, Kaito probably would've ended up becoming a die-hard fan of his.
He gave a faint shake of his head. Destruction Haki surged around his hand. He raised his fist, ready to end it quickly.
But just then, a dark shadow flashed by.
It was King—finally regaining consciousness.
The moment he appeared, he dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead hard against the ground, shouting,
"Do whatever you want to me! Just please spare the captain's life!"
Kaido opened his eyes upon hearing King's voice. His expression was conflicted, but he still scolded sharply,
"King! Get the hell out of here! I don't need you begging for me!"
But King remained kneeling, unmoving. His loyalty to Kaido was absolute, and right now, all he wanted was for Kaido to survive.
Kaito watched King silently. But then, in his mind, Yamato's voice echoed from within the Door-Door Space:
"Can you... spare my father's life? I..."
He didn't let her finish.
Kaito directly muted the Door-Door Space.
Inside that space, Yamato sat watching Kaito and the others outside with a face full of despair. Kalifa gently patted her back and said softly,
"You can't change the boss's decision. Didn't you hate Kaido? Why the change of heart now?"
Yamato turned around, her face soaked with tears. She choked out,
"But... he's still my father."
...
Outside—
Kaito, though ignoring Yamato, didn't follow through with the kill. He stood still, fist raised, deep in thought.
He really didn't feel like killing Kaido anymore.
First of all, he had a decent impression of Kaido.
Second, he wasn't interested in Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit.
Third, killing Kaido didn't really benefit him in any meaningful way.
He was supposedly only here to "gather intel" about the Op-Op Fruit. If he killed Kaido now, the Five Elders would definitely treat it as a delightful surprise—which wasn't something he cared to give them.
And most importantly, Kaido had indirectly helped him grasp Conqueror's Haki infusion, which allowed him to awaken Destruction Haki—an overwhelming power. Sparing his life could be seen as paying the "tuition fee."
Having made his decision, Kaito lowered his fist and floated into the air without another glance at the defeated Kaido.
King saw this and began slamming his head against the ground again, shouting,
"Thank you! Thank you so much!!"
Kaido was stunned. He hadn't expected Kaito to actually spare him. Sure, it was good to live... but being spared by an enemy without knowing why left a sour taste.
He shouted up at the floating Kaito,
"My life's already yours—why don't you just take it!?"
Kaito gave a faint smile.
"I can take it whenever I want. Think of this as your reward for helping me master Conqueror's Haki infusion."
"...Nani?!"
"Oh, and by the way—I already killed Kurozumi Orochi. For now, you're in charge of Wano. Treat the people well."
With that, Kaito's body turned into a bolt of violet lightning and vanished from Kaido's sight.
Kaido and King exchanged glances in silence.
After a while, King slowly got up and walked over to help Kaido.
Kaido smacked his hand away.
"I can stand on my own!"
"Yes, Captain."
Kaido stood up on his own, staring silently into the sky.
King asked again,
"Captain, about Wano..."
"I don't have time to manage some damn country. Find someone else to handle it. Just remember what that guy said—treat the people better. I don't want to owe him a favor."
"Understood! Also... Yamato left with that man. What should we do?"
"Leave her be! That Marine's stronger than me. If she's with him, then that brat's got good fortune."
"Yes, sir!"
"...Can you say anything other than 'yes, sir'!? And don't pull that pleading crap again! I don't need you begging for me!"
"Yes, sir!"
"..."
...
High above a certain sea—
A crack of thunder echoed as Kaito's figure appeared among the clouds, his brows tightly furrowed.
He'd just received a signal through Flying Thunder God—it was from Makino's marker.
Something had happened in Foosha Village?
That place had always been peaceful. What could've gone wrong?
Kaito fell silent. Regardless, he had to check it out. Especially since events were already veering wildly off course from the original storyline.
...
East Blue — In the forest outside Foosha Village—
Makino stood with wide eyes, one hand clutching little Ace, the other gripping the Flying Thunder God kunai Kaito had given her.
She glared angrily at Shanks, who wore an awkward smile.
Shanks placed a hand on Luffy's head and tried to explain,
"Makino, I just came to check on Luffy. No need to get so worked up, right?"
"Hmph! I don't care! I know you didn't come back for anything good! I already called someone. He's very strong. You should run while you still can! Luffy, come here!"
But Luffy refused, muttering,
"Shanks taught me so many fighting techniques... I still want to learn more!"
Ace chimed in from beside Makino,
"Luffy, just come over here. Aren't you scared Kaito will come punish you?"
"Kaito? Who's that?"
"...The guy you call 'Circle Eyes.'"
"Ah! Him?!"
The image of Kaito's Rinnegan eyes flashed through Luffy's mind. He instinctively shivered, but didn't want to look weak in front of Shanks. Puffing out his chest, he declared,
"Hmph! I'm not afraid of him! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than an invisible force blasted out.
Luffy was sent flying straight into the trunk of a giant tree with a loud crack.
Shanks turned in shock, a lengthened arm still in his grip—Luffy's arm.
Standing beside Makino now, Kaito had appeared out of thin air.
He didn't even glance at Shanks. His gaze was locked on the unconscious Luffy, and his voice turned low and dangerous.
"Trying to get me to cure your Pirate King obsession again, huh?"
Luffy didn't answer.
His eyes had already turned into spirals.
Completely knocked out cold.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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