"Yes, I am threatening you!" Adrian sneered, his gaze sharp. "The problem is, Kaido, you have no choice. The initiative is in my hands."
A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Kaido, filling the air with the promise of a fight. In an instant, Bullet, Redfield, and Death Song positioned themselves in front of Adrian, ready to defend their King.
"It's alright. That guy's just bluffing. He's not that stupid," Adrian said calmly, waving a dismissive hand. He deliberately emphasized the word "stupid," confident that Kaido, with his notorious treachery and cunning, would make the "right" choice.
And he was right. The murderous rage on Kaido's face vanished, replaced by a flicker of interest. His swift change in mood was chilling.
"Heh, you're a cheeky kid," Kaido said, picking his nose with a displeased look. "But you killed so many of my men. How are you going to pay for that?"
"Do you want to keep that useless trash for the New Year?" Adrian smiled wickedly, pointing to Jack, who was tied up behind them. "Should I help you get rid of this garbage, too?"
"Boss Kaido, save me! These beasts have cut off all my ivory..." Jack cried out, tears streaming down his face.
Boom! Shiryu struck him hard on the head with his scabbard. "Be quiet! If you make another sound, I'll chop off your other horn!"
Jack fell silent, two lines of humiliated tears rolling down his cheeks. These people are absolutely inhuman, he thought to himself. Compared to them, we pirates are nothing. I'd rather die than be beaten to a pulp by them again.
"Damn it, you've made me lose face," Kaido roared inwardly. He had never been so humiliated. Not only had his men been killed, but now he was being threatened. If word of this got out, it would be a huge stain on his reputation. He, Kaido, was the one who was supposed to be in control. Now, the tables had turned.
Adrian was right. Kaido had no leverage. Both the Artificial Devil Fruit SMILE and his loyal subordinate, Jack, were things he couldn't afford to lose.
"Release Jack immediately! What are your conditions? Tell me!" Kaido finally roared in frustration.
"There's no rush," a sly look flashed in Adrian's dark eyes. "After I catch Momosuke, it won't be too late for us to talk."
"What?!" Kaido's eyes widened in astonishment. "You know the whereabouts of Kozuki Oden's son?" he asked, his voice a low growl. "Tell me where he is!"
Kaido's anxiety made Adrian want to laugh. Though Momosuke himself was no threat, his identity as the heir of the Kozuki clan was enough to destabilize Kaido's ally, Kurozumi Orochi, and his rule over Wanokuni. Wanokuni was a treasure he had spent 20 years building, and Kaido would not tolerate any threat to its stability.
"Do you think I'll tell you?" Adrian asked with a sneer. He didn't actually know Momosuke's exact location, but he knew from the plot of the original that the boy would soon drift to Dressrosa with Kin'emon and Kanjuro. All Adrian had to do was wait. He had no love or sympathy for Momosuke. Like Luffy, the boy was a "Second Generation" with a powerful background, and there were many who would willingly die for him. Keeping him alive would be detrimental to his plan to seize Wanokuni. It was better to use Kaido to get rid of this problem in advance, and the most important thing was to use him to trick Kaido.
Kaido's face shifted through several expressions before he calmed down and nodded. "Okay. As long as you can catch him... I'll agree to your terms, as long as they aren't too excessive."
Adrian nodded in satisfaction and had someone push Jack forward.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Kizaru was visibly panicked as Akainu reappeared. "Sakazuki, something's not right. That kid seems to be plotting something with Kaido... What if we make a strategic retreat?" The current situation was already unfavorable for the World Government, and if the two of them allied, even the three Marine Admirals might not escape unharmed.
Akainu said nothing, his predatory eyes fixed on Kaido as if he were contemplating a new idea.
Roar!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed from the depths of the sea. Akainu and the others froze, a wave of fatal crisis surging through their hearts. The common soldiers looked around blankly, unaware of what was happening.
"Adrian, you're a fucked..." Kaido also sensed the danger. When he saw the look of pleasure on Adrian's face, he understood. No one from the World Government would be escaping today. The sense of imminent death instantly transported him back to his youth.
His pupils constricted. Kaido transformed into a magnificent blue dragon, grabbing the dazed Jack and flying straight into the sky.
Boom!
A gigantic fish tail, many times larger than a mountain, shot out from the bottom of the sea. Like a massive black curtain, it covered the sky and slammed on Kaido from the bottom. There was no hesitation. Even in his dragon form, with a body several hundred meters long, Kaido was as small as an ant before the tail. He and Jack vanished instantly.
Kaido: I'll be back...
Boom!
The colossal fish tail smashed into the ocean, causing a massive swell. Nearly a hundred warships were tossed around like dead branches. The thick ice surface cracked, and countless soldiers were thrown into the churning water.
Hiss!
Everyone was stunned. Kaido, in his dragon form, had been swatted away? Was that a Sea King? No, it had to be something even more immense—a Sea "Emperor."
Even the old trickster Kizaru exclaimed in disbelief, "What the hell happened? How could a Sea King of this size suddenly appear?!"
Akainu's eyes darted to Adrian, and the chilling smile on the boy's face sent a shiver down his spine. He knew it. Adrian was behind this.
Before Akainu could process what was happening, the sea began to boil again.
Bang!
A giant Sea King, the size of an island, rose from the depths. The World Government fleet was instantly scattered. Many ships were simply lifted onto the heads of these behemoths. Even the largest warship was no bigger than the eye of one of these oceanic overlords.
A dead silence fell over the entire sea. Even the three Marine Admirals held their breath, because in front of these giants, they were no more than ants.