"True Lord!"
"Kaido Sama!"
King looked at Kaido with a cold gaze on his right, then turned to Ragnar on his left, whose expression radiated murderous intent.
Facing the overwhelming killing intent and domineering pressure from the two Emperors, even someone as strong as King felt his breath catch. His limbs turned cold, and he felt like a lone boat drifting in a violent storm.
If either of these two decided so,
he and his crew would be wiped out in an instant.
Fortunately—
Just as King felt he could no longer withstand the suffocating pressure, a voice suddenly echoed faintly.
He instinctively turned his head toward the sound.
"Whoever dares to touch Yamato... I will kill their entire family!"
Ragnar's voice cut through the air like a blade, his gaze fixed in the direction of the Four Emperors and the Navy. His tone was ice-cold.
"…"
Feeling that deadly chill seep into his bones, King involuntarily shivered — as if he had been thrown into an ice cave.
"As for following Yamato... forget it."
"Since I've granted her freedom, then truly let her pursue her dream."
"Let her run free on the path she has chosen!"
Just as King was debating whether he should secretly assign someone to protect Yamato, Ragnar's words cut in — as if he had read his mind.
"I understand."
King nodded. He wasn't surprised.
Not after everything he'd seen of Ragnar.
Back when Ragnar had just taken over the Beasts Pirates, Queen had warned him:
"Ragnar's eyes can see right through people."
"King," Ragnar continued, "notify Queen — Whitebeard is returning."
"If he doesn't want to be the punching bag of the world's strongest man, he'd better hurry."
"Grab the Road Poneglyph in Whitebeard's possession and retreat to Onigashima immediately."
After putting aside his personal worries about Yamato, Ragnar remembered Queen and the others still deep in Whitebeard's territory — and acted quickly.
Clearly, this was the purpose behind attacking the Whitebeard Pirates' base.
There were four Road Poneglyphs.
One was already in his and Kaido's hands.
One belonged to Charlotte Linlin.
Another was at Zou.
And the last… was said to be on Fishman Island.
But in truth—
It was under Whitebeard's control.
After all, Fishman Island was Whitebeard's territory.
"True Lord."
"You and Kaido Sama are guarding Devil's Island. There's no point in me staying behind."
"Let me go retrieve Queen and the others!"
Eager to secure the Poneglyph, King volunteered without hesitation.
Whoosh—
Ragnar didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he transformed—
Into a phoenix.
Before King's eyes, a blaze of resurrecting blue flames surged up, and then—
Ssshhh—
The flames gently wrapped around King's wounds.
With the Pteranodon Fruit's natural regeneration and Ragnar's Phoenix flames, the wounds left by Yasopp, Whitebeard, and others visibly began to heal.
"All right."
Once King's injuries were stabilized, Ragnar reverted from his phoenix form.
"Master, I'll head out then."
King gave a firm nod.
He didn't say thank you —
But he silently engraved the moment in his heart.
"Old man, we should head back too."
"Except for Black Maria, the Calamities and the Flying Six are all out."
"There's no one decent left on Onigashima to hold the fort."
As King spread his wings and disappeared into the sky, Ragnar turned to Kaido, who had remained quiet since Yamato's departure.
"Yeah."
Kaido gave a distracted grunt, then summoned a cloud to carry him toward Onigashima.
Just as he was about to take off—
He noticed Ragnar still standing motionless beside him.
"Didn't you say we were heading back?"
He paused mid-air.
Then, as if sensing something—
The massive azure dragon suddenly froze.
Without turning back, Kaido averted his gaze with a proud scoff…
Yet in truth, his enormous pupils quietly shifted—
Staring behind them.
In the distance—
A figure raced through the sky.
Two horns rose from her head.
Sharp fangs lined her mouth.
A freezing aura surrounded her.
Like a divine beast, proud and elegant,
She ran through the sky as if it were land.
Wherever she stepped, a patch of ice would appear out of thin air—
forming a staircase for her to walk on.
Even in the open sky, with nothing beneath her,
she moved as if treading on solid ground.
Before long,
that wolf-like, dog-like silhouette caught up with Ragnar and Kaido,
and landed squarely in front of them.
"Hmph! Didn't you want to be Kozuki Oden?"
"Why did you come back?"
"Weren't you going out to sea?"
Kaido gave his 'filial' daughter a glance, then let out a cold snort,
turning his massive dragon head aside as if refusing to look at her again.
"What do you think I came back for?"
"To see you, bastard?"
True to her title as a rebellious daughter, Yamato didn't yield an inch.
She clapped back at Kaido the moment she opened her mouth.
"You—!"
Kaido was so infuriated he nearly reverted to his hybrid form,
lightning crackling around him as if ready to strike.
"Alright, old man."
"Why are you running your mouth like that?"
"If you don't know how to talk, don't try to mimic others."
Seeing Kaido clearly pleased inside,
yet acting like a haughty dragon on the outside,
Ragnar couldn't help but snap irritably.
"Hmph!"
With a true filial son giving him a way out,
Kaido didn't press further.
He wasn't about to chase off the daughter who had finally come back—
not over a moment's irritation.
So with a grunt, he accepted the out that Ragnar had offered…
and held his tongue.
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