The more the Beast Pirates commanders talked, the more excited they became.
The scene of them consuming the power of the Azure Dragon became clearer and more vivid in their minds, a tangible future of absolute domination.
Listening to their fawning, ambitious flattery, Kaido was naturally pleased—but he also knew they were right.
His power was the greatest.
He let out a deep, rumbling laugh, the sound of grinding stone and thunder that was unique to him.
"Wororororo! You lot, if you can really buy it, then you have my blessing! Take my blood and go!"
Hearing this, the group could no longer contain their ecstasy.
"Hahaha! Kaido-sama, rest assured! We won't fail you in this!"
"Oh yeah! I, Queen the Plague, am finally going to become a dragon too! Wororororo!"
Just as everyone was immersed in the jubilant, triumphant atmosphere, a Gifter, one of the lower-ranking soldiers, burst into the hall.
He was panting heavily, his face a mask of pure terror and unease, as if he had just witnessed something utterly horrifying from the depths of hell.
"REPORT! KAIDO-SAMA! KAIDO-SAMA! SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAS HAPPENED!"
"Hmm?" The sudden, panicked voice instantly silenced the previously lively scene.
All eyes, filled with annoyance, turned to the unexpected newcomer.
Queen frowned, glaring at the man who had ruined the mood with clear, undisguised impatience.
"What's all this frantic shouting about?" he boomed, his voice laced with irritation.
"Spit it out! It's not like the sky is falling!"
Meanwhile, Kaido who's seated on his high throne, slowly turned his gaze toward the Gifter.
Though he appeared calm on the surface, his hand tightened its grip on his massive gourd of liquor, and he began gulping down the strong alcohol as if to numb a phantom pain.
The scar left by Whitebeard's slash at Marineford had long since healed, but the deep, burning humiliation was now seared into his heart like a brand—a reminder that only blood could wash away such a disgrace.
Under Queen's stern, impatient questioning, the Gifter dared not hesitate any longer. He hastily pointed toward the island's outskirts, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
"BIG MOM IS COMING! Her pirate ship has already entered our detection range! At this speed, she'll reach Wano Country very soon!"
The moment these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the room tensed instantly, the joyous excitement from moments before evaporating like mist.
Hearing this, Kaido paused mid-swig.
He drained the liquor from his gourd in one final, long gulp and snorted coldly, a plume of smoke escaping his nostrils.
"What's that crazy old hag doing here?"
Jack the Drought looked at his captain as his expression turn grim.
"Kaido-sama, should we intercept them? Or do we let them in?"
"Hmph!" King's eyes, visible behind his leather mask, turned even colder.
The flames on his back flickered, as if ready to erupt at any moment.
"I'll drive them away myself. This is Wano Country, not Totto Land," he declared, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
Queen, however, scoffed dismissively, stepping forward with a swagger.
"Let me handle it. That old hag isn't easy to deal with, but she's no match for my genius!" His tone brimmed with a theatrical confidence.
"Are you sure you can manage, you fat oaf?" King shot him a razor-sharp glare, his voice dripping with skepticism.
"Of course I can!" Queen retorted without backing down, his eyes flashing with defiance.
"Unlike some people, I don't hide my face behind a mask!"
"Hmph!" King said nothing more, simply turning and striding away as if Queen no longer existed, a gesture of pure, infuriating disregard.
Queen's face turned livid with anger, and he looked like he was about to erupt on the spot, but a low growl from the throne stopped him.
After a moment of heavy, thoughtful silence, Kaido spoke, his voice a deep rumble.
"Let the old hag in. Given the current situation… I want to see what she's up to."
Everyone present froze momentarily before nodding silently.
Since Kaido had made his decision, their only duty was to follow orders.
.....
After some time, a familiar, grating, singsong laughter suddenly echoed from outside, a sound thunderous enough to make the entire skull-dome tremble slightly.
"MAMAMAMAMA! Kaido! You've blocked me from entering Wano Country time and time again! Have you forgotten the massive debt you still owe me?!" Her voice seethed with the fury of a long-held grudge.
With her final words, a deafening BANG! resounded.
The massive, reinforced doors to the great hall were shattered into pieces by the sheer, concussive force of Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki, splinters the size of spears flying everywhere.
"LINLIN!" Kaido roared, rising to his feet as well, unleashing his own torrential wave of Conqueror's Haki to counter hers.
His eyes gleamed with a cold, murderous light and an invisible force swirled around him, blocking the flying debris effortlessly.
Inside the room, the Flying Six and the other top executives paled, breaking into a cold sweat within seconds.
They were caught between the clash of two of the Yonko and it felt as though two living mountains were pressing down on them from all sides.
The weight was suffocating; even lifting their heads seemed an impossible luxury.
'Too strong! Is this the power of two Emperors colliding?!'
The air grew thick with an oppressive, stifling pressure.
Suddenly, just as quickly as it had appeared, Big Mom's suffocating Haki vanished without a trace, replaced by an eerie calm.
Kaido snorted disdainfully and withdrew his own.
He frowned, glaring at the massive body of Charlotte Linlin as she strode into his hall.
"You crazy hag," he growled, his voice dripping with anger.
"What the hell do you want now?!"
He knew all too well that once this madwoman set her mind on something, changing it was nearly impossible.
Mentally, he had already braced for the worst.
Yet, Big Mom didn't retreat an inch in the face of Kaido's fury. Instead, she grinned, a wide, unsettling smile on her face.
"MAMAMAMAMA, Kaido, my boy," she said, her tone bordering on a command, "it's time to repay your debt. Give me ten pounds of your blood, and I'll be on my way."
After speaking, she stared straight into his eyes, her own gaze silently conveying a simple message:
'If you dare refuse, what awaits you will be endless trouble… or an all-out war, right here, right now.'
"WHAT?!!"
Upon hearing Big Mom demand his captain's blood, Queen was the first to explode.
The frustration he had bottled up earlier with King now found an outlet, erupting in full force.
His face instantly flushed crimson, his eyes blazing with fury.
"YOU CRAZY OLD HAG!" he screeched, his voice nearly deafening.
"HOW DARE YOU ASK FOR KAIDO-SAMA BLOOD?! AND TEN POUNDS AT THAT?! WHY DON'T YOU JUST TRY TO ROB US INSTEAD?!" He acted as if it were his own blood being demanded, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Jack also glared at Big Mom with clear dissatisfaction, his eyes filled with a cold disdain.
"Big Mom," he rumbled, "demanding a man's blood right off the bat like that… you're going too far."
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Man Kaido's become a hot commodity these days...