"Moses, are these four weapons all Great Grade Blades?"
After tiring herself out, Ulti retracted her extended arms and eyed the weapons before asking:
"Why did you place them here?"
Moses shook his head without explaining, instead changing the subject:
"See what items you need to take with you. Once Yamato arrives, we'll leave."
"Huh?" Ulti looked surprised. "Yamato's coming with us too? Isn't she Kaido's son?"
"Oh right! She has a terrible relationship with Kaido—that's why she was shackled in the first place."
A pleased expression crossed Ulti's face:
"It'll be nice to have her along."
At this point, Moses asked Bear Cub for paper and pen.
He began writing a farewell letter.
A few minutes later, he'd penned about a hundred words.
Then he placed the four weapons on the bed.
Ulti watched curiously as Moses left the letter behind. "Why write this?"
"To prove we didn't leave without saying goodbye. It's also about leaving some room for negotiation."
Moses smiled, imagining how furious Kaido would be when he discovered this later.
Of course, by then it would no longer be Moses' concern.
"By the way Ulti, has anyone come asking for your fingernails or anything like that recently?"
"No, why would they want that?"
"To make Vivre Cards. They're special white papers made by mixing a person's fingernails into the material—an extraordinary item representing the owner's life force."
"Neither water nor fire affects them. The card shrinks when the owner weakens and returns to normal size upon recovery. If it turns to ashes, the person has died. Moreover, Vivre Cards can guide others to the owner's exact location."
Ulti looked astonished. "Such things actually exist in this world?"
Then she patted her chest and laughed:
"I haven't cut my nails recently, and nobody's asked for them. No way anyone could get my nails to make a Vivre Card!"
Blinking, Ulti placed a hand over her heart and grinned. "Hey Moses, do you know how to make them? Why don't you make one for each of us? Then we'd never lose track of each other."
"I don't. Haven't had time to learn yet."
"Oh!" Ulti looked disappointed. "Do you know where we could learn?"
"Major organizations usually have this technology. I'll ask around when we get the chance."
The three chatted while waiting, packing their belongings in the meantime.
Soon after, Yamato appeared carrying a small bundle, looking equally furtive. Seeing Ulti and her brother already there along with the large backpack and weapons on the bed,
she blinked, then grinned mischievously. Turning to Moses, she asked curiously: "So Ulti and her brother are...?"
"What does it look like?" Ulti laughed exasperatedly. "What, you think you're the only one allowed to follow Moses? Stop playing dumb."
Yamato chuckled, scratching her cheek sheepishly. "Sorry I'm late. I went to the intelligence room to steal my Vivre Card first. Let's hurry—I knocked out several people there."
Ulti's face paled as she immediately looked to Moses. "What now?"
Moses smiled and said to Bear Cub: "Time to work."
To everyone's astonishment, Bear Cub proceeded to swallow all the luggage on the bed into his stomach.
Seeing this, Moses explained that Bear Cub was also a Devil Fruit user. Yamato and the other two sighed in relief, finally understanding why Moses' mode of transportation was so unique.
After listening to Moses' explanation, Bear Cub proceeded to swallow Ulti and Page One as well.
Yamato excitedly stretched out her hands toward Moses, who then used prepared iron pieces to unlock the shackles on her wrists.
"Ready?" Moses asked with a smile.
"Yeah, been ready for a while," Yamato nodded emphatically, looking at Bear Cub before her vision was blocked by its massive maw as she was swallowed whole.
Moses placed the two shackles, each still attached to a segment of chain, on the bed before leaving the bedroom and closing the door behind him.
Entering the living room, his gaze swept the surroundings before landing on a diary tucked in the corner of the table. After a moment's thought, he picked it up.
"Seems Yamato really doesn't care about this anymore," he mused inwardly with a touch of relief, feeling his earlier words hadn't been wasted.
Exiting the room, Moses and Bear Cub walked down the corridor, soon arriving at the first-floor hall where, surprisingly, everything appeared normal.
"Hey kid, when will Kaido's weapon be ready?" A familiar voice called from behind. Turning, Moses saw King approaching and responded with a dismissive shrug:
"Can't you see I'm heading to the forge now? What's with the rush? Turning that massive spiked club into a Great Grade Blade isn't simple. Keep nagging and you can forge it yourself."
Moses retorted as usual, showing no difference in demeanor before eyeing King curiously: "Anyway, why are you here? Patrol duty?"
King's voice carried resignation: "Looking for Yamato. She went berserk again—beat up intel room staff and wrecked the place."
As King drew near, Moses scoffed: "Well, if Kaido won't remove her shackles, her anger's understandable. Enough chatter—I've got work to do."
King sighed and turned to report to Kaido, hoping to persuade him to free Yamato. After all, given Moses' close bond with her, keeping her restrained would surely upset him too. A solid argument—one he believed Kaido might accept.
The journey out of Oni Island proceeded smoothly.
Upon reaching the Kuri coastline, Moses exhaled in relief. King's sudden appearance had admittedly made him slightly nervous—guilt did that to a person.
But now?
The sky was limitless for soaring birds.
The ocean vast for leaping fish.
Moments later,
A white-headed eagle with a three-meter wingspan shot skyward before transforming into Moses' Panda Person form near Ushiwakamaru's group.
After confirming their readiness, Moses first swallowed their luggage, then each member one by one.
With Ushiwakamaru ingested last, Moses fused with him using the Daidarabotchi ability, his body expanding dramatically before shifting back into the eagle form and ascending.
Without an Eternal Pose, Moses simply followed their inbound trajectory, flying toward an exit point.
High above,
Under the silver moonlight, the perilous terrain and treacherous currents surrounding Wano's coastline came into stark view below.
Yamato and the others had their heads embedded in Moses' eagle-like abdomen, which allowed them to breathe since the stomach space was pitch black with thin air.
Near the bird's neck, Yamato's eyes sparkled with excitement as she spoke: "Moses, is it really dangerous outside Wano Country?"
"Mmm, a nation surrounded by natural barriers."
"So you're Yamato?"
At this moment, Kozuki Hiyori spoke up: "I'm Hiyori, Kozuki Oden's daughter. May I ask if my father's diary is in your possession?"
Yamato looked puzzled: "Hiyori? Right, Oden did have a daughter... but didn't she die in that great fire six years ago? You're alive? That's good then. The diary? Sure, I'll give it to you later. Hmm~ I seem to have forgotten where I put that thing. Wait, let me think..."
After pondering for a while, Yamato asked Moses, "I think the diary might be with you. Have you seen it, Moses?"
"Yes, I took it with me before leaving," Moses replied.
Kozuki Hiyori immediately pleaded softly: "Lord Moses, could you please give me my father's diary?"
"Fine, you'll have it later." Moses thought to himself that keeping it was pointless anyway. Since Yamato didn't want it anymore, he'd just planned to give it to her.
After saying this, Moses fell silent and focused on flying.
After a while, a voice came from "Moses," its tone cool and clear: "Yamato, right? I'm Ushiwakamaru of the Shimotsuki clan, son of Shimotsuki Ushimaru. Moses told me you spent time with three 'certain' samurai when you were young. Could you describe their appearances? One of them might be my late father, Shimotsuki Ushimaru."
"Really? Alright, those guys..." Yamato began recalling her experiences from that time, though strangely omitting the parts where she wanted to become Oden.
Moments later.
Yamato exclaimed excitedly: "So his name was Shimotsuki Ushimaru? Ushiwakamaru, don't worry, from now on you're my little brother, and I, Yamato, am your big sister!"
Ushiwakamaru's eye twitched, but he felt something odd in his heart: "Indeed, she's not unpleasant at all. Just as Moses said, she's quite easy to get along with."
After their conversation ended, silence fell among the group.
"If you're tired, close your eyes and rest. We still have a long way to fly," Moses said.
Time passed.
As the sun rose.
Moses looked down at the calm sea below. Through Observation Haki, he sensed numerous powerful presences in the waters beneath.
The Calm Belt.
Without further thought, he plunged in, wings beating steadily as he flew onward.
...
Oni Island.
King stood expressionless in the first-floor hall, while the gathered pirates didn't dare even breathe loudly.
"Still no sign of the Oni Princess?"
"N-no, we've searched everywhere. Oh, Lord King, the brothers in the intelligence room said the Oni Princess's Vivre Card seems to have been taken by her at that time," a pirate captain reported.
After hearing this, King frowned deeply, an uneasy feeling growing. His Observation Haki still couldn't detect Yamato's presence. He turned and walked toward the residential area on the second floor.
Yamato often visited Moses, and the two were very close. "I'll ask Moses," he thought.
Soon, King pushed open the door to Moses' room. Inside, he saw four weapons on the bed and a note.
After picking up the note, within five seconds, the orange-red flames behind his head roared violently to life.
"That bastard actually dared to run away. And Ulti and her brother even had the audacity to steal Devil Fruits? Those four have some serious nerve."
A gritted voice echoed from beneath the helmet.
The next moment, he grabbed four weapons with one hand and the note with the other, swiftly leaving the room.
Shortly after, King stood silently before Kaido, who radiated terrifying pressure, and spoke coldly:
"This is the situation now. That bastard Moses has abducted Yamato along with Ulti and her brother.
Lord Kaido, leave this to me. I'll take responsibility for bringing them back."
After reading the note, Kaido suddenly burst into wild laughter:
"Wororororo, bold, truly bold! That brat left a note, spouted some nonsense, and thinks he can offset three of my Devil Fruits, two future subordinates, and my precious daughter with just five Great Grade Blades?
Daring to do business right under my nose. Impressive."
Kaido stepped forward and gripped the spiked club King had placed on the ground. The exceptional feel of the weapon in his hand was undeniable—he had taken an instant liking to it.
Then, Kaido frowned slightly. He raised the club to eye level, noticing the unusual texture where he'd gripped it. That's when he saw the weapon's name:
"Hassaikai? That brat actually put some thought into this."
"Hmm? What's this?"
Kaido's eyes fell on the densely packed, sandblasted fine print beneath the weapon's name. After a moment of reading, his expression shifted dramatically.
"Latest novels first released at 69shu!"
"So this is the so-called 'easter egg' mentioned in that brat's note?"
A glint flashed in Kaido's eyes. As one of the strongest on the seas, anything related to training could be roughly judged for authenticity with just a glance.
Narrowing his eyes, Kaido began testing the technique on himself.
Noticing King's questioning look, Kaido said calmly:
"Leave this matter to me. I'll personally hunt them down. I refuse to believe they could escape my grasp in such a short time.
King, you're in charge of everything in the crew. Contact me via Den Den Mushi if anything comes up."
"Understood. May your martial fortunes prosper."
King had no choice but to agree. Their captain had always loved roaming the world freely.
Shouldering the spiked club, Kaido strode out of Oni Island's headquarters. His body suddenly transformed, morphing into a terrifying azure dragon wreathed in flame clouds as he soared into the sky.
One day later.
Kaido had scoured nearly every corner of the waters around Wano Country in the New World.
"Damn those brats! Where the hell did they run off to? Ungrateful whelps."
The dragon-form Kaido seethed with frustration, unaware that Bear Cub could fly or that Moses had headed for the Calm Belt.
His rage building, he gathered a brilliant glow in his mouth. "Boro Breath."
BOOM!
A massive pillar of fire erupted from his maw, shooting endlessly into the distance.
His breath came in heavy bursts, embers dancing at his lips as anger continued to build. Then, his Observation Haki detected a familiar presence. A vicious grin split his face:
"Just when I was itching for a fight."
A few minutes later, gazing at a dog-headed warship on the sea, "Boro Breath."
An intensely condensed pillar of fire descended from the sky.
The heavens above turned scorching red as a fiery column larger than the warship itself, carrying terrifying heat, crashed down toward the vessel.
"Ice Age."
A low shout echoed.
In the next instant, the temperature around them plummeted.
A hundred-meter-wide pillar of ice surged skyward with a chilling aura—Boom! A massive cloud of steam erupted into the sky.
Immediately after, the sea around the warship froze over, layer upon layer of thick ice forming.
At that moment, a black shadow streaked through the air, leaving a long ripple in its wake, tearing a hundred-meter-wide hole through the steam above.
In the span of a breath,
high in the sky, Kaido stared at Garp, who had suddenly appeared before him, his body crackling with black-and-red lightning, his face twisted in fury. Kaido's eyes flashed with surprise—Had this old bastard swallowed cannonballs or something? Why was he coming at him like this was a fight to the death?
This wasn't how the script was supposed to go.
The next second,
Garp's eyes gleamed with a dazzling crimson light, his lips curling into a savage grin as a low growl rumbled from his throat:
"Fist of the Seabed's Descent."
A fist wreathed in black-and-red flames smashed heavily into Kaido's face.
Boom!
A deafening roar resounded through the sky as the surrounding clouds and steam were shattered by the sheer force of Kaido's plummeting body.
Garp's eyes burned with ferocity. Inverting himself mid-air, he stomped down hard—Crack! Crack! Crack! Concentric ripples of air exploded outward with thunderous booms.
In the blink of an eye, he caught up to the falling Kaido.
His clenched right fist roared with dazzling arcs of lightning-like flames. The moment he closed the distance, he threw another punch: "Fist of the Galactic Impact."
By then, Kaido, shrouded in black flaming clouds, had already transformed into his hybrid dragon form. A trickle of blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he swung his Spiked Club, crackling with black-and-red lightning, in a devastating strike:
"Ragnaraku: Thunder Bagua."
Boom!
Their fists and weapons never made direct contact. Instead, a blazing sphere of crimson flames erupted at the point of their clash.
Haki Infusion.
Rumble—!
Terrifying shockwaves burst forth between them,
thick arcs of black-and-red lightning tearing through the surrounding space, making it seem as though the very air was riddled with cracks.
The two remained locked in stalemate for several seconds.
Then, Kaido was sent hurtling downward by another punch.
Below,
on the frozen deck of the warship,
Kuzan watched Kaido's falling figure before suddenly launching himself skyward, his arms wreathed in dense mist of cold.
Using Moon Walk, he closed the distance in an instant, appearing beside Kaido and throwing a punch:
"Ice Glove."
Clang!
Kaido, foreseeing the attack, twisted mid-air and swung his club to meet Kuzan's fist. The sheer force sent both of them flying backward at breakneck speed.
"That brat Aokiji... has he stepped into that realm too?" Kaido thought, surprise flashing in his eyes. But there was no time to dwell on it. These two were on the same ship, arriving together—and that bastard Garp had come at him with lethal intent from the start, as if this was a fight to the death. Kaido couldn't help but suspect that these two bastards had come specifically for him.
Landing on the ice,
the three now stood in a triangular formation.
But Garp and Kuzan's killing intent remained firmly locked onto Kaido.
Kaido, puzzled, finally spoke:
"All I did was say hello. Was that really necessary? Are you really trying to settle things with me here and now?"
Though Kaido wasn't afraid of death, he didn't want to die either. He was certain these two wouldn't fight him to the bitter end, because even if they could team up to kill him, he believed that at worst, he could cripple one of them severely if he went all out.
The endurance and recovery power of a Mythical Zoan wasn't just empty boasting.
Kaido had full confidence in himself.
At this moment, Garp's face darkened as he glared at Kaido, gnashing his teeth.
"Half a month ago, you took my grandson. His name is Moses. Return him to me unharmed, and we'll let this matter go today. Otherwise, I'll fight you to the death right here."
Hearing this, Kaido's already bluish-black face turned even darker.
He gritted his teeth and said,
"That damn brat Moses is your grandson?"
"Hmph!"
Garp responded with a heavy nasal tone, glaring at him with hostility.
Kaido immediately flew into a rage.
"That little bastard ran away! He escaped the day before yesterday, stole three of my Devil Fruits, and even ran off with my precious daughter Yamato!"
"I'm fucking looking for him too!"
Garp's face stiffened as he eyed Kaido suspiciously. "You have a daughter? My grandson Moses is a good boy—there's no way he'd steal anything! Are you trying to deceive me, old man?"
With that, Garp clenched his fists and charged forward.
Not far away, Kuzan's expression turned peculiar. "Actually... that little brat Moses might've really done it."
Nevertheless, he also rushed into the fray.
The reason he had come this time was that Garp had dragged him along to maintain order.
Of course, opportunities to fight a powerhouse like Kaido were rare, and he wanted to test his current limits.
The thunderous clashes erupted once more, though the intensity of the battle had diminished somewhat.
...
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
Around ten in the morning, under the radiant sun, Moses and the others sat on a circular ice sheet twenty meters in diameter. Yamato continuously reinforced the ice with her abilities.
In the distance, a dark speck appeared on the horizon.
Ushiwakamaru, sitting nearby, exclaimed excitedly, "Moses, look! Isn't that an island?"
"Hmm, yeah. It is an island," Moses replied before calling out to Kawamatsu, who was pushing the ice from the water at the rear. "Speed it up, Kawamatsu!"
Pushing against the ice with his hands and kicking vigorously with his legs submerged in the sea, Kawamatsu shot Moses a helpless look. "Isn't it your turn? I've been pushing for hours."
"More capable, more responsibility—you're a fish-man after all, Kawamatsu! Keep it up!" Moses flashed a bright grin and gave him a thumbs-up.
Immediately, Yamato and the others followed suit, all raising their thumbs in encouragement. Even Hiyori joined in, leaving Kawamatsu with no choice but to redouble his efforts.
A day after escaping the Calm Belt, Yamato had created this ice platform, with Moses and Kawamatsu taking turns pushing from behind.
After two days, they had finally spotted land.
Soon, the island came into full view.
Gazing at the golden sand gleaming under the sunlight, the group couldn't help but smile.