Oni Island, Grand Banquet Hall.
Unbeknownst to all, a year had quietly passed. The Fire Festival was about to commence once more, and Oni Island buzzed with excitement.
All of the Beasts' executives had returned to Oni Island—except for a certain pair of siblings left behind in Elbaf by Gurd, currently surviving in the wilderness.
"Lord Gurd has arrived!"
The executives turned their heads in unison toward the entrance.
Gurd strode into the hall, meeting the fervent gazes of the executives with a smirk as he made his way to the center.
Behind him stood four giants!
Kaido's eyes lit up like lightbulbs at the sight of the giants. Such an enormous surprise had clearly exceeded his expectations.
"Gurd, who are they?"
"My subordinates."
Gurd stepped aside, gesturing with a tilt of his head.
Hajrudin stepped forward, his eyes blazing. "I am Hajrudin, captain of the New Giant Warrior Pirates. We have shared the Acceptance wine with Lord Gurd and now pledge our service to the Beasts!"
"Wororororo!!!"
Kaido abruptly rose to his feet, roaring with laughter.
"Good! Good! Excellent!"
Every faction coveted the power of the giants, and he was no exception. With the giants' strength, the Beasts would become the strongest crew among the Four Emperors!
Gurd truly was his fine son-in-law!
"Men, let the banquet begin!"
"Ooooh!!!"
Countless delicacies and fine wines were brought to the tables.
Hajrudin sat beside Gurd, his heart burning with excitement as he observed the overwhelmingly fierce executives. This was the environment he had longed for.
Before this, the New Giant Warrior Pirates had wandered battlefields across nations, serving as mercenaries for money and strength.
Yet, the results had been minimal.
Ordinary human battlefields felt like child's play compared to the world of pirates, offering him no sense of pressure whatsoever.
But the wars of Elbaf and Gurd's overwhelming power had made him realize that true strength came from standing alongside the strong and challenging them relentlessly!
Here, among the Beasts, he would undoubtedly grow stronger!
"Wororororo!"
Kaido downed a massive gulp of wine, his gaze shifting to Gurd. "Gurd, I heard you fought Aokiji at Punk Hazard!"
"That's right."
Gurd nodded with a smile.
The banquet hall fell silent in an instant. Every executive stared at Gurd, swallowing nervously. Even the three All-Stars set down their cups, their expressions grave.
What they most wanted to know was what had truly happened at Punk Hazard. After that incident, Gurd's bounty had skyrocketed to 1.99 billion Berries !
Such an astronomical bounty placed him second only to Kaido within the crew, proving that the events couldn't possibly be as simple as the newspapers claimed.
"Honestly, it wasn't anything major."
Gurd spoke nonchalantly. "I just broke Admiral Aokiji's leg and then took a nap under the Buster Call's bombardment for a day and a night."
"..."
A brief silence followed.
"Eh?!!!"
The entire island seemed to jump in shock!
"B-broke Admiral Aokiji's leg?!"
"S-slept through a Buster Call?!"
The executives stood frozen, mouths agape.
Either of those feats alone would be enough to send shockwaves through the world—completely different from what the newspapers had reported!
They had assumed Gurd had merely clashed with the Admiral. At most, they dared to imagine he might have repelled one.
And he called that "nothing major"?
Who's Who, Sasaki, Black Maria.
The Flying Six were all utterly shocked, especially Who's Who, who had once been part of CP9 and knew all too well the terror of an Admiral and a Buster Call.
Just how strong has this guy become now?!
Kaido silently pulled out his spiked club and gave himself a solid whack on the head.
"BAM!!!"
Blood gushed out.
Not drunk!
Completely sober!
Kaido stared at Gurd, his face covered in blood.
Had this kid really caught up to them?
Impossible!
It hadn't even been that long—less than two years since Gurd became an executive.
No way, absolutely no way!
Gurd smiled faintly.
"Big Brother Kaido, are you alright?"
"I'm fine!"
Kaido felt a chill run down his spine. There was something off about the way Gurd was looking at him—like he was thinking, "Old man, it's time to step aside."
No, no, Gurd's a good kid!
Kaido shook his head vigorously and looked at Gurd again.
Hiss—!
This kid was radiating malice!
Maybe he should just hurry up and marry Yamato to this brat!
Gurd turned his gaze to Who's Who and the others.
"Who's Who, how's the progress on the Dark King's project?"
"Already fully completed!"
Who's Who's voice was noticeably softer.
He couldn't afford to mess with Gurd before, and now even less so.
"Good."
Gurd gave a slight nod.
The Dark King's bases were conveniently spread across the New World—they deserved special attention. The projects on other islands weren't as important.
If ranked, the Fortuna Community on Hachinosu Island was top priority, the Dark King's bases were second-tier, and the rest were the lowest third-tier.
Most islands had little investment value, offering minimal profit or even potential losses, so there was no need to invest too much.
"Big Brother Kaido."
Gurd looked at Kaido. "After the Fire Festival ends, I plan to move against the Red Hair Pirates' territory. What do you think?"
"Red Hair..."
Kaido's expression darkened instantly.
That Red Hair brat wasn't easy to deal with!
The last time he fought the Red Hair Pirates alone, he took plenty of cuts. Red Hair's Haki was almost on par with Roger's, and their fighting styles were eerily similar.
"Got any ideas?"
"I released a troublesome guy. He'll wreak havoc on Red Hair's turf, and we'll just follow behind to reap the rewards."
Gurd's eyes burned with intensity as he said solemnly, "To be safe, we need to prepare for an all-out war with Red Hair!"
"Wororororo!"
Kaido grinned.
He loved Gurd's fearless, aggressive attitude—it reminded him of his younger self!
"Do as you see fit. I've got your back!"
"Understood, Big Brother Kaido!"
Gurd nodded.
Time was limited. In just one year, the Worst Generation would set sail, and the world's balance would shift dramatically.
He needed to secure the New World first before extending his reach into other seas. Then, he'd have to deal with the Marines and the World Government.
The Five Elders, the God's Knights...
The World Government's waters ran deep.
"Wororororo!"
"Why haven't I seen Ulti and Page One?"
"They're training hard and won't be back for a while!"
"I see."
After drinking a while longer, Kaido's drunkenness began to set in. He raised a hand, and the banquet hall fell silent.
The executives exchanged puzzled glances. They'd already discussed business—what else could Kaido want? Was there another war plan?
Kaido stood up and looked at Gurd. "Gurd, let's have your wedding with Yamato during this Fire Festival!"
"Wha—?!"
Gurd's mouth hung open.
What was this? How did the conversation suddenly turn to marriage? A true man's ambitions lay in conquering the world—who had time to waste on romantic affairs?
Not that marriage would be troublesome, but this was way too sudden.
"Big Brother Kaido, you—?"
"I want grandchildren!"
Kaido lied without batting an eye.
Gurd fell silent.
You damn old bastard, who do you think you're fooling?!
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