"Kaito-san!"
Makino and Ace both lit up with joy as they saw Kaito suddenly appear beside them.
Especially Makino—she hadn't expected that after using the Flying Thunder God kunai not long ago, Kaito would actually show up here. It was perfect timing.
Earlier that day, Makino had been tending the bar as usual, when Ace rushed in, breathless, telling her that that pirate Shanks had come looking for Luffy again and asking what they should do.
Of course, Makino didn't want Luffy to have anything more to do with Shanks. But she also knew Shanks wasn't some no-name pirate—he was strong, and she and Ace had no chance of stopping him on their own.
Makino was a calm and thoughtful girl, though. She immediately remembered what Kaito had told her before leaving.
So, she took out the Flying Thunder God kunai, called Kaito's name, and rushed into the forest with Ace.
As for Ace—
He'd been training with Luffy in the forest when Shanks suddenly appeared and started brainwashing Luffy again.
Ace had no interest in talking to Shanks. He left straightaway to find Makino. These days, he really couldn't stand pirates.
Ever since Kaito had last left, Ace had been paying attention to news from the seas, reading the latest papers every day.
Though some news reports exaggerated or were heavily biased against pirates, most of the crimes listed were very real.
Reading about the heinous acts pirates committed, one after another, tore at Ace's conscience.
Because Kaito had told him before: this whole "golden age" of piracy was largely the result of his father—Roger.
That made Ace feel increasingly burdened by the "sinful blood" flowing in his veins.
He no longer wanted to be a pirate. What he wanted now was to hunt down the scum of the seas and atone, even if only a little.
He even wanted to join the Marines—but that idea had once been shot down by Kaito.
Still, Ace had read a lot about Kaito in the papers lately. And the more he learned, the more he admired him who wasn't much older than him.
Especially after Kaito killed the legendary pirate Golden Lion.
Ace's respect for Kaito reached its peak.
That was the Golden Lion! A man once ranked alongside his own father, Roger! And Kaito had taken him down—how powerful was he now?
If Kaito hadn't previously advised Ace to consider the Revolutionary Army instead of the Marines, he might've already enlisted just to follow in his footsteps.
Now, seeing Kaito appear out of nowhere, Ace was thrilled. He was even planning to use this opportunity to bring up his desire to join the Marines again.
...
Kaito, unaware that he'd just gained a little fanboy, was entirely focused on something else—specifically, Shanks' arm.
Staring at Shanks' perfectly intact left arm, Kaito couldn't hold back. He blurted out without thinking:
"Why the hell do you have two arms?"
The moment the words left his mouth, Shanks froze. So did Makino and Ace behind Kaito. They all looked stunned—what kind of question was that?
Normal people do have two arms, don't they?
Shanks frowned. He even felt a bit insulted. What was Kaito trying to say? Was there something wrong with him having two arms?
Makino hesitantly stepped up to Kaito, studying him carefully from head to toe.
But Kaito had just finished fighting Kaido and hadn't changed his clothes yet.
As her gaze swept over his upper body, Makino's cheeks flushed red.
Still, recalling the strange question he'd just asked, she forced herself to look up at his face and said softly:
"Kaito-san, what's wrong? Shanks has always had two arms…"
Kaito didn't answer immediately. He suddenly remembered the Sea King he'd encountered on his last fishing trip near Cocoyasi Village.
Recalling the creature's features, he instantly realized what had happened.
No doubt about it—this mess was his fault again.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Kaito turned toward Makino—only to find her face beet red.
Makino quickly turned away and pointed at his bare upper body. That's when Kaito realized: he still hadn't put on a shirt.
Quickly, he opened a Door-Door space to fetch some fresh clothes.
But the moment the space opened—
Yamato leapt out, with a very exasperated Kalifa following right behind.
Yamato threw herself into Kaito's arms, shouting excitedly:
"Thank you for sparing my father's life!"
Kaito, clearly unimpressed, pushed her away and muttered irritably:
"I only let Kaido live because I felt like it. You don't need to thank me."
Shanks' expression changed dramatically. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard.
From that one exchange between Kaito and Yamato, he learned two shocking things:
First, that girl's father… was Kaido.
Second—and even more absurd—Kaido lost, and Kaito spared him?
He tried to convince himself that maybe this Kaido wasn't that Kaido. Maybe just a pirate with the same name.
But as he looked at the distinctive horns on Yamato's head… and remembered who was speaking…
Even if he wanted to deny it, in his heart, he was already 90% convinced.
Shanks knew Kaito—and not just from the papers. He also had intel from the Gorosei.
He had secret dealings with the World Government that few others knew about.
The more he learned about Kaito, the more unnerved he became. Whether it was his mysterious background or terrifying strength, everything about Kaito was deeply unsettling.
With strength like his, Kaito wouldn't even bother mentioning most pirates by name.
The fact that he even talked about Kaido meant he saw him as a worthy opponent—one of the Four Emperors, just like Shanks himself.
Now realizing Kaido had lost to Kaito, Shanks felt a heavy sense of dread.
To avoid attracting attention from other powers, he'd come here alone—without bringing any of his crew.
And now, facing the man who could defeat Kaido…
Even Shanks felt completely outmatched. All he could do was stay alert and see how things played out.
His hand instinctively rested on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and his gaze turned serious as he watched Kaito, ready for a fight if it came.
Back on Kaito's side—
Yamato stood silently in front of him, pouting like a child and staring at him pitifully.
Kaito sighed and rubbed his forehead in frustration.
"Alright, alright. You played a small part. Don't look at me like that."
The moment he said that, Yamato performed a flawless face-change act straight out of Sichuan opera—her expression brightened into a dazzling smile.
"Master's the best!"
"Master? Who's your master?"
"You, Kaito-sensei!"
"Get lost."
"…?"
Kaito couldn't be bothered to argue anymore.
Shanks was still standing over there, watching silently—Kaito wasn't sure why the guy hadn't said a word and just kept observing Yamato's performance.
Kalifa, holding Kaito's "Justice" coat, stepped forward the moment Yamato quieted down.
She came up to Kaito and tried to drape it over him, but since she wasn't tall enough, Kaito had to lean down slightly to help her out.
Once she finished, he straightened up.
Ace's eyes lit up the moment he saw it. A look of pure admiration crossed his face.
Perfect. Another reason to join the Marines.
Everyone had something on their mind.
Only Luffy, slumped against a tree, looked completely blank.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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