Chapter 149: I Want to Get Stronger, Kaido!
"You bastard, how dare you attack Boss Shane!"
The mammoth roared as it charged into the shipyard, heading straight for Kaido.
He had just come from the bank after delivering the treasure chests and had no idea who this horned man was, nor did he care!
All he knew was that this guy had suddenly fallen from the sky, full of aggression, and was clearly a threat to Boss Shane!
In that case, he, Jack, had to step up!
He had to stop this old geezer!
"Hmm?"
Kaido was taken aback for a moment, a look of surprise in his eyes as he watched the hot-headed young man charge at him.
"Where did this kid come from?"
He's got guts. And it seems he's a rare Ancient Zoan. So Shane has a user like this under him? Makes me a little jealous!
But…
A cold glint appeared in Kaido's eyes.
He can't even sense the Haki. And with that level of strength, he dares to attack me…
He really has no respect for the title of Emperor!!!
Slap!
He grinned and, not even bothering to draw his kanabo, he simply clenched his right hand into a fist and threw a punch!
—CRACKLE!
Thick, black lightning spread out, not Conqueror's Haki, but a highly compressed Armament Haki.
Jack's pupils suddenly constricted.
Who is this guy?! He's so strong!
He sensed the terrifying power in that punch, but in his mammoth form, his agility was greatly reduced. He had no way to dodge.
Then I won't dodge! I'll take it head-on!
Jack roared and, without flinching, he continued his charge!
However—
SWISH!
Just as Kaido's fist was about to hit Jack, a black shadow suddenly appeared between them, also throwing a punch!
BOOM—!!!
The two fists collided, and a terrifying shockwave instantly erupted!
The ground spiderwebbed with cracks, and a violent blast of air swept outward, shattering the four walls surrounding the shipyard and sending debris flying!
Jack was also sent tumbling by the aftershock, his massive body rolling several times on the ground before crashing into the shipyard's massive iron gate.
The thick steel door was instantly dented, nearly pierced by his tusks.
"Not bad, that strength,"
Kaido said, ignoring Jack and narrowing his eyes, his surprise and delight growing as he looked at the black-haired young man who had blocked his punch. "Your Haki is also very strong! Very strong! No wonder, no wonder… I heard that Hanafuda didn't even last that long against you. He was taken down in three or four hours?"
"To be precise, it was less than two hours,"
Shane said, glancing at Jack, who was not seriously injured and was now struggling to pull himself out of the steel door. "Are you here for revenge for him?"
Hanafuda's strength was only average among the Warlords. The only reason he had been able to fight for so long was because of the huge durability boost from his Tyrannosaurus Rex fruit.
"That guy is, at most, a small part of the reason!"
Kaido suddenly pulled the kanabo from his back. "Right now, I'm more interested in beating you to a pulp and seeing if I can convince you to join my crew and become a member of the Beast Pirates!"
So that's it?
Shane had expected this.
"It seems you and Hanafuda were old friends, but your relationship wasn't that strong," Shane grinned. "If it had been King who had died at my hands, it would have been a grudge to the death, wouldn't it?"
"Worororo… how could King possibly die at the hands of a brat like you?! Don't talk big!"
Kaido laughed wildly. "Instead of that, why don't you just surrender and become my 'All-Star'? If you do, I'll consider going easy on you, so you don't end up half-dead after I'm done with you!"
"Speaking of which, that old geezer Whitebeard has a bunch of commanders, and that hag Linlin has her Four Sweet Commanders. But I only have two All-Stars right now, and the little guys under me are useless in a real fight. I need a talent like you!"
"If you become an All-Star, your position in the Beast Pirates will be second only to mine! And Marine Headquarters, who wants you dead, won't dare to touch you anymore! How about it? Think about it!"
"Not interested,"
Shane said, shaking his head. "You're so sincere and willing to let bygones be bygones, I'm almost touched. But…"
"…compared to surrendering and becoming your subordinate…"
Shane sneered and clenched his fists, a thick layer of Armament Haki swirling around them like a tide. "—I'd rather just beat you to a pulp, Kaido!!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, his figure had already shot out like a bolt of lightning, his fists separated, each one charged with power, and he slammed them into Kaido's chest!
"Arrogant brat! You're looking for death!"
To refuse without even thinking about it?!
Kaido was instantly enraged. He gripped his kanabo, and with a flash of black and red lightning, he swung it down at Shane—
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
"Six Powers Secret Art: Ripple Overdrive!!!"
BOOM!!!
A ripple of shockwaves spread out, clashing with the black and red lightning, twisting and grinding against each other, and finally, sweeping out in all directions!
This time, it wasn't just Dock One.
The entire ground of Water 7 began to tremble violently, as if in an earthquake…
The intricate network of canals that crisscrossed the city was thrown into a frenzy, the waves churning and surging!
Shane's right fist slammed into Kaido's chest, making the muscles on his torso ripple like a stone dropped in a lake.
But his left arm was blocked by the kanabo. After a brief stalemate, he couldn't withstand the terrifying force and was sent flying!
THUMP!
As luck would have it, Shane's trajectory was exactly the same as the one Jack had taken earlier.
Jack, who had just managed to pull his tusks out of the giant iron gate, screamed in agony as he was once again perfectly embedded in it.
And Shane, with Jack as a cushion, managed to stop himself in time.
He braced himself on the tusk with one hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the other. He staggered to his feet, rolled his neck, and rubbed his forehead. His slightly dazed eyes quickly cleared.
"Is that it?"
Shane couldn't help but laugh out loud, looking up at Kaido.
Facing the same blow, his performance was far better than Nika's in the Wano arc, but that was to be expected.
After all he had been through, even a powerhouse like one of the Four Emperors couldn't take him out in a single blow!
"Worororo!!! Hic~!"
Kaido, still drunk, also laughed heartily. He placed his left hand on his chest, where his skin was caved in, but there was no blood.
"My heart hurts a little, brat! So you've already mastered the internal destruction technique? It seems this fight is going to be even more enjoyable than I expected!"
He gripped his kanabo again, slinging it over his shoulder, his eyes burning with fighting spirit. He grinned. "You've recovered, haven't you, brat? Get ready for my second blow!"
—But Shane held up his right hand, signaling for a pause.
"I'm not fighting."
"Hmm?"
Kaido frowned. "Scared?"
"How could I be?! Hahaha!"
Shane laughed.
Stop now?
We're just getting started!
That Thunder Bagua, like Garp's "Galaxy Impact," had given him a subtle glimpse into the secret of Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
I have to keep going! I can't stop!
I've only just gotten a feel for it! I'm hoping to learn more!
Taking a blow like that is no fun.
But…
Kaido, I want to get stronger!!!
…
"Then what do you mean?" Kaido asked, annoyed.
"Let's find another place, Kaido,"
Shane said with a grin.
He was now standing between the two massive iron gates. Looking down, he could see most of the city of Water 7.
The nearby streets and canals were already showing signs of collapse, and the citizens were frantically fleeing.
Just the aftershock from one clash had been so powerful.
If they continued to fight here, it wouldn't just be Dock One that would be reduced to rubble, but the entire city.
Kaido noticed Shane's gaze and, following it, he immediately guessed his thoughts.
"Why are you worrying about a bunch of nobodies, brat?"
Kaido snorted, annoyed. "Who cares about ants? When powerhouses fight, the weak will naturally suffer. Isn't that just how it is?"
"You may not care, but it's holding me back,"
Shane said, pointing to himself. "I can't go all out, and the fight won't be as enjoyable. And in that situation, even if you beat me in a few blows, it would be boring, right?"
"Nonsense!"
Kaido sneered and slammed his kanabo on the ground, making the entire island tremble.
"Worororo… but since I've finally found you, and I'm in a good mood today, I'll do as you wish and find another place to fight!"
He took another swig from his liquor gourd, his gaze sharp and menacing. "So, where do you want to go, brat? Don't waste too much time. I don't want to go too far!"
"Don't worry, it's close."
Shane pointed down at the outskirts of Water 7. "See that station? Following the tracks, the sea train can reach Enies Lobby in a few hours. With your flight ability, you'll be even faster. Fighting on World Government territory, isn't that more interesting than demolishing civilian houses?"
"Enies Lobby?"
Kaido looked over with interest. In the moonlight, the silhouette of the sea tracks, stretching to the horizon, was clearly visible.
"Worororo!!"
Kaido laughed wildly. "You've got a good eye, brat!"
"That's more like it! The World Government is dreaming of using me to eliminate you, and I'm not going to let them have their way!"
"What do you mean by that?" Shane raised an eyebrow, a suspicion forming in his mind.
"What do you think?! You idiot brat!"
Kaido snorted. "Paradise is not like the New World! It's under the complete control of the Marines! Do you really think that under normal circumstances, they would just let an Emperor of the Sea run around in the first half of the Grand Line? They would have been scared out of their wits and sent an Admiral to intercept me long ago!"
"But this time? I've been in Paradise for days, and no one has bothered me! No surveillance, no pursuit, no troop movements… nothing! It's never been this smooth! Isn't it obvious that the World Government wants to use me to kill you?!"
No.
Kaido took another swig of liquor and shook his head.
Smooth?
Hmph, not really.
It's just that the Marines finally had the good sense not to get in his way.
He had had to work for it this time.
The sea is vast and boundless. Even for him, who could transform into an azure dragon and fly, finding a person he had never met, whose aura he was not familiar with, was like finding a needle in a haystack.
He had had to fly to all the islands around Alabasta, one by one, using a process of elimination.
With every island he flew over, he would stop for a moment and sense for any powerful auras.
If there was one, he would go down and take a look.
If not? Then he would keep flying!
In any case, it had been a long and arduous journey!
And Kaido didn't understand why there were so many people in the first half of the Grand Line who shouldn't have been there, wasting his time.
First, he had run into a dead okama who was swinging around on strings between the clouds. He was one of the new Warlords from a few years ago. What was his name? It was too long to remember.
In any case, he was in his way, so he had swatted him with his tail, and he had become a shooting star.
And there was an idiot on a sky island who, the moment he saw him, had proclaimed himself a god and told him to kneel.
He was crazy and annoying, so he had hit him with a Thunder Bagua and turned him into a pig-head, then kicked him into the Blue Sea.
And finally, just the day before yesterday, he had sensed a sharp aura, like a drawn sword. This had to be it, right? Kaido had landed with great excitement.
—And it was Hawkeye Mihawk.
He had known him for a long time, but they weren't close, and he wasn't familiar with his aura. He didn't know why he was drinking his sorrows away, so Kaido had just left without saying hello.
And finally, tonight, he had found Shane…
It hadn't been easy!
"Is that so…"
Shane looked at Kaido, a little surprised.
This old geezer, he looked rough and豪爽, like a hot-headed fool, just like Jack, but it was all an act.
Under his deceptively brutish exterior was a cunning and strategic mind.
"Worororo!"
Kaido laughed wildly and chugged his liquor. "Those fools, they really think I'd be their dog? This time, it's their turn to reap what they've sown!"
"It seems we're on the same page,"
Shane grinned. "Then let's not waste any more time. Let's go!"
He turned and looked at Jack, who was still struggling to get out of the iron gate, panting. "You go and meet up with the others. Tell them I've gone to Enies Lobby. Kuina can take care of the rest here."
He was referring to the inspection and upgrade of The Curtain Call and the two captured CP9 agents.
"But boss…" Jack said, turning back to his human form and looking at Kaido, his face full of worry.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing,"
Shane said, patting his shoulder. He discreetly picked up the tusk that had been knocked off at some point. "Go on, listen to me. You can't interfere in a battle of this level just yet."
With that, he leaped into the air, and with a Moonwalk, he shot toward the sea like an afterimage.
Then, at regular intervals, he would use the tracks as a landing point and head for Enies Lobby.
"Hey, brat, not bad speed!"
Kaido laughed, and his body suddenly swelled and transformed. In the blink of an eye, he had become a massive, azure dragon. With a flick of his tail, he chased after him.
…
Enies Lobby.
Although it was night in the surrounding seas, the island itself was bathed in light, as bright as day.
To be precise, it was daylight here 24/7. It was a true "city that never sleeps."
This was one of the three great institutions of the World Government and the base of the secret intelligence agency, CP9.
Not long ago, it had been ravaged by the Blue and Red Ogres and had suffered heavy damage. The World Government had sent in a large number of troops and had spent nearly a month to finally restore it.
At this moment, in a meeting room inside the Tower of Justice, the Director of CP9, Spandam, was holding a cup of coffee, his face a mask of displeasure as he looked at the three subordinates who had just returned. "You're telling me… those two Devil Fruits were both stolen in Pucci, the City of Spring, by that clown, Buggy?"
"Yes, Director…"
Jabra turned and shot a hateful glare at Fukurou, who lowered his head in shame.
"Director, please do not be angry,"
Kumadori said, pulling out his short sword with a look of grief. "Do not blame my comrades. It is all my fault. I will atone for this with seppuku! Yo-yoi!"
"Iron Body!"
With a clang, the tip of the blade was deflected, and Kumadori was unharmed.
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