Inside the royal palace,
Just like last time, Kaito suddenly appeared in the grand hall.
"Kaito-sama!"
Vivi's eyes widened the moment she saw him. Overcome with emotion, she nearly ran toward him—only for Cobra to grab her arm tightly.
"Vivi! Don't be rude!" he scolded.
Then, without hesitation, Cobra pulled Vivi down with him, kneeling before Kaito in reverence.
Before a true king like Kaito, men like Cobra—so-called kings—were no different from ordinary people. Before such power, kneeling was only natural.
Vivi struggled against her father's hold, unwilling to bow. It wasn't that she didn't respect Kaito—she just knew that once she knelt, a vast, unbridgeable distance would form between them.
Fortunately, Kaito had no intention of letting the two of them actually kneel. He'd never liked people bowing and scraping before him anyway.
With a casual wave of his hand, an invisible force lifted them both off the ground.
"Enough," Kaito said lightly, motioning for them to rise. "From now on, there's no need to kneel when you see me."
Before Cobra could respond, Vivi immediately brightened up and called out,
"Kaito-sama is the best!"
Breaking free of Cobra's grip, she ran straight toward Kaito and looped her arm around his, leaning against him with a soft smile.
Cobra's eyelid twitched uncontrollably at the sight. Even as a gentle and tolerant king, the concept of rank and propriety was deeply ingrained in him. Vivi's boldness terrified him—what if she offended Kaito?
But of course, Kaito didn't mind at all. Who in their right mind would reject the affection of a lovely young girl?
He brushed a strand of her blue hair behind her ear and smiled.
"You've gotten even prettier. I'm looking forward to the day you become queen."
Vivi rubbed her head gently against his arm and muttered under her breath,
"I don't want to be queen..."
"Hmm? Your father only has one child. If you don't become queen, who will?"
"Then he can just have another one! I want to—"
Her face flushed crimson mid-sentence, and she clamped her lips shut.
Kaito tilted his head curiously.
"You want to what?"
"I'm not telling you! But whatever it is, I'm going to work hard for it!"
"Alright then," Kaito chuckled. "I'll look forward to seeing it."
"Mm!"
Vivi clenched her fists with determination, eyes full of resolve.
Cobra, meanwhile, seemed to have guessed her thoughts. The corner of his mouth twitched as he sighed inwardly,
"That's... quite the ambitious goal, Vivi..."
After chatting with Vivi for a while longer, Kaito finally remembered that there was still a king—and a father—standing a few feet away, watching the two of them interact helplessly.
Turning to Cobra, Kaito asked,
"So, do you know why the Rocks Pirates came here this time?"
At the mention of business, Cobra's expression immediately turned grave. He nodded and replied solemnly,
"Kaito-sama, their men came earlier, claiming they wanted to see the Poneglyph. I told them it was gone. This time... they must've come to seize it by force."
"I see. So Rocks has his eyes on Pluton, huh..."
"Pluton!? Kaito-sama, you mean that ancient weapon?"
"Yeah. That guy's greed never dies. Does he really think he can conquer the world with an outdated weapon? Heh."
Kaito smirked in disdain. Pluton, Uranus—none of it mattered. Even the so-called Heavenly King that Im used to wield... all had been destroyed by his own hands.
Besides, he already knew where Pluton was most likely hidden—Wano Country.
And as luck would have it, Rocks was heading there now... to meet Kaido.
Of course, Rocks didn't actually know where Pluton was. If he did, he wouldn't have bothered sending Aramaki to Alabasta for the Poneglyph in the first place.
No, Rocks' real goal in meeting Kaido was obvious—to recruit his former subordinate. Once upon a time, Rocks had an entire ship full of SSR-level monsters... until Kaito wiped them all out in one blow.
Now, Kaido was pretty much the only one left standing.
But knowing Kaido's temperament, there was no way he'd listen to his old captain.
If their talk broke down, Kaido would probably treat Rocks to a Thunder Bagua.
...
On Onigashima...
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
BOOM!
Rocks—wearing the guise of Blackbeard—blocked Kaido's spiked club with one arm, his expression cold.
"Kaido, what's the meaning of this? Is this how you welcome your former captain?"
Kaido grinned, baring his sharp teeth.
"My captain? You mean Rocks? Doesn't sound right—he sure didn't look like you!"
As he spoke, the muscles in his arms bulged, and red-black lightning crackled around his kanabō. The ground trembled, and Rocks' feet sank deep into the earth.
Rocks' patience finally snapped. With a shout, he unleashed a surge of strength that sent Kaido flying backward.
Landing on the ground again, Kaido narrowed his eyes, transforming into his half-dragon form. His expression hardened.
"I don't care if you're Rocks or Teach—if you think I'm joining you on some stupid crusade, forget it!"
Rocks raised an eyebrow, pressing one hand to the ground.
"Stupid crusade? Sounds like you've forgotten what you once were."
The moment he spoke, the entire island floor turned into a swamp. Kaido's body began sinking rapidly.
He frowned, releasing an overwhelming burst of Haki, trying to blow the muck away.
But the mire was too deep, and even his raw power wasn't enough. With a roar, Kaido fully transformed—his massive azure dragon form shooting into the sky.
Seeing that, Rocks stopped channeling his ability. After all, Onigashima wasn't just home to the Beasts Pirates—his own men were here too, and they hadn't been easy to gather.
Times had changed. Pirates weren't as common anymore, and loyal followers were hard to find. He couldn't afford to waste them.
Looking up at Kaido coiled high above the clouds, Rocks grinned.
"Kaido, do you really think flying up there means I can't reach you?"
Then, to Kaido's shock, blue flames erupted around Rocks' body, and he transformed into a massive azure bird, soaring straight toward the dragon above.
Kaido's expression twisted in disbelief.
"That's... the power of the Phoenix Fruit!? Did you kill Marco!?"
"Kehehe... I didn't kill him. He's just... inside me."
"I see... so this is the power of your Munch-Munch Fruit, huh?"
"Exactly. Marco was an idiot—Whitebeard's long dead, yet he still clings to that ghost. I had no choice but to invite him into my stomach for some quiet reflection."
A cruel gleam flickered in Rocks' avian eyes. He fixed Kaido with a sharp gaze.
"You're the same. Since you're too stubborn to show respect, that Azure Dragon Fruit is wasted on you. I'll be taking it back myself!"
"Disgusting bastard! Get the hell off my island!!!"