Charlotte Linlin had no idea that Kaido was plotting to "conquer" her.
After some more small talk, Charlotte Linlin spoke, "I can't deal with the monster Whitebeard on my own. But with you, it should be no problem. Besides him, there's also the Marines."
Kaido nodded but remained silent.
Charlotte Linlin continued, "However, we don't have to worry about the Marines for now. I've made this alliance so public that the whole world knows about it. The Marines should understand that our primary target isn't them, but Whitebeard. Knowing how despicable they are, they'll probably wait until we're in a heated battle with Whitebeard before they make a move. But we can be careful and not let them seize an opportunity. If they really dare to show up, we'll deal with them first."
Kaido still didn't speak, but a nod indicated his agreement with Charlotte Linlin's assessment.
Charlotte Linlin glanced at Kaido, then said with a meaningful look, "Since you have no objections on that, let's talk about the alliance itself…"
Kaido was silent for a moment before replying, "My crew is short on big hitters, but our troops are strong. Plus, I can provide excellent weapons to solve any problems your Big Mom Pirates have in that regard…"
"I've already considered all that, Kaido. What I want to know is, since we're forming an alliance, there has to be a leader, right?" Charlotte Linlin asked with a sinister smile.
Kaido looked at her and said, "How about we fight? Let's see who's stronger, and whoever wins becomes the boss!"
Even though Kaido had mentally accepted reality and was willing to hold back his pride to let Charlotte Linlin be the leader for the sake of his future, at this critical moment, he still had to contend for it. If for no other reason than to show his attitude. He couldn't let Charlotte Linlin get what she wanted too easily.
A smirk appeared on Charlotte Linlin's face. "Why fight when we're about to form an alliance? It'll just give others a good laugh. Kaido, let me be blunt: what does your Beasts Pirates crew have that can even compare to my Big Mom Pirates? When it comes to the number of capable officers, you only have King and Queen who are worth mentioning. But I have countless strong fighters. In terms of territory, you're only in Wano Country, while my Totto Land Kingdom stretches across a quarter of the New World. As for population, how many people are in Wano? My Totto Land has a population of tens of millions, and my military strength is more than enough. Not to mention wealth, which I have in abundance. From every angle, Kaido, you can't compare to me. If you want to be the boss, will my people ever accept that?"
Charlotte Linlin's words were extremely rude, yet she said them anyway. She knew that being polite to Kaido was useless. You had to crush him to keep him in line.
"What a load of rubbish!" Kaido bellowed. Then he stated, "Back on the Rocks' ship, everything was based on strength. We pirates decide who's the boss or who's the captain based on that, don't we? If the weak have too much, it's nothing more than pity from the strong, Linlin!"
"Are you saying you can take all of my stuff?" Charlotte Linlin sneered.
As she spoke, her aura exploded, pushing the table in front of her away. Kaido glared at Charlotte Linlin, and an equally powerful aura burst forth from him. The two forces surged through the castle, making it seem like a fight could break out at any moment.
"Don't forget, you owe me a huge favor…" Charlotte Linlin said in a low voice.
At the mention of this, Kaido's expression changed slightly, and his aura weakened. Still, he retorted, "That was so many years ago. Are you still bringing it up?"
"That's a debt you can never forget. Who gave you your Devil Fruit ability? It was me! Who took the best care of you on the Rocks' ship? It was me! And now that you've gotten stronger, you're all grown up and ready to turn on your big sister?" Charlotte Linlin raged.
Katakuri, watching from a distance, looked a little surprised, not to mention Jack.
Charlotte Linlin's words seemed to reveal a hidden secret.
Back on the Rocks' ship, was Kaido Charlotte Linlin's junior?
Despite his surprise, Katakuri found it plausible after thinking it over, especially since Kaido didn't deny it.
He also remembered his mama saying that the Zoan-type, Mythical Zoan, Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon was a gift she gave to Kaido after the Rocks Pirates disbanded.
In other words, during the time the Rocks Pirates were active, Kaido couldn't transform.
That would mean his strength must have been greatly compromised.
So, it wasn't impossible that Kaido's status on the ship was lower than his mother's.
Kaido's expression was unpredictable as he stared intently at Charlotte Linlin. She stared back, their eyes locked as if a fight were about to begin at any second.
After a long time, Kaido finally let his tense aura go and scoffed, "It's not because I'm afraid of you. I'm just paying back the debt from all those years ago!"
Charlotte Linlin also relaxed her aura and laughed. "Let's just get along, like we used to…"
"Hmph!" Kaido grunted again.
But this was his way of expressing that he agreed: Charlotte Linlin would be the leader of the alliance.
Charlotte Linlin was satisfied and couldn't help but laugh.
It was an invisible confrontation with no clear winner or loser. While Kaido didn't get the leadership position, he hadn't had much hope to begin with. Plus, he used the opportunity to pay off his "debt" from back then, clearing his name. It was like getting something for nothing.
It was clear that underneath his brute exterior, Kaido was very cunning.
As for Charlotte Linlin, she knew in her heart that her old favor was worthless. What use was a debt of gratitude with a pirate like Kaido?
If she didn't demand payment now, he probably would never pay her back. So it was better to use it. It worked, and as long as she achieved her goal, she wasn't at a loss.
Afterward, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin quickly reached an agreement. They formed a pirate alliance, and during its duration, Charlotte Linlin would be in charge.
Following this, Totto Land, Whole Cake Island, held a three-day feast, and the news of the official alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates spread across the world via newspapers.
Many pirates in the New World were shaken by the news.
They had heard whispers before, but they never expected it to be finalized so quickly.
With the alliance of the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates, the pirate factions in the New World were now divided into two major regions.
On one side was the Whitebeard Pirates, and on the other was the alliance of Charlotte Linlin and Kaido.
At least from the current situation, if you wanted to survive in the New World, you couldn't avoid these two major powers and had to choose a side.
And once both sides were ready, there was no doubt that a war would break out between them!
With the news of the Kaido and Charlotte Linlin alliance spreading, many smart people realized that the long-overdue war for pirate supremacy—which had been postponed since Shiki's defeat—was about to begin!
Would the Whitebeard Pirates, renowned as the world's strongest, win, or would the alliance of Big Mom and the Beasts Pirates, a union of two monsters, win?
In recent years, there had been continuous wars between the Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, but in most cases, the Whitebeard Pirates were victorious.
Charlotte Linlin was often on the losing side.
But it was undeniable that even so, the Whitebeard Pirates were unable to destroy the Big Mom Pirates. The Totto Land Kingdom continued to thrive.
Therefore, most people believed that while the Whitebeard Pirates were stronger, Charlotte Linlin was not weak either.
Now, Charlotte Linlin had found an ally in Kaido, and two Yonko crews were joining forces to take on the Whitebeard Pirates.
It was now impossible to predict who would win, and because of this, many people weren't willing to bet.
In short, with this alliance, the entire world's power balance had shifted.
Even the Gorosei, who were working on a construction project in Mariejois, felt uneasy. The alliance between Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had a disturbing resemblance to the formation of the Rocks Pirates.
At that moment, in the Gorosei's office, they were discussing these matters with Fleet Admiral Kong.
"Didn't Diarmuid and Sakazuki go to the New World? Were they unable to stop this meeting?" the man with the large beard asked Kong.
Kong shook his head, then said, "Actually, they were going after the Straw Hat Pirates. We suspect that the Straw Hat Pirates could evolve into another Roger Pirates. As for this alliance, the Marines' plan is to wait for them to tear each other apart…"
The Gorosei weren't in a hurry; they were just a little unsettled. After hearing the Fleet Admiral's calm reply, they felt somewhat reassured. The man with the large beard then asked, "And after that?"
"After that, the Marines will keep them locked in the New World. According to the analysis from our Intelligence Division, even if the Kaido-Charlotte Linlin alliance and the Whitebeard Pirates have a major battle, the possibility of one side destroying the other in a short period is extremely low. Our projection is that this conflict will likely turn into a long, stable struggle after one intense battle, possibly lasting five years, or even ten…" Kong said in a deep voice.
The Gorosei nodded again, feeling much more at ease. It made sense; the situation was an even match, so how could a winner be decided so easily?
"Since you Marines have a plan, we won't interfere. We'll leave it to you, after all, you're the experts." The blond-haired Gorosei said with a laugh.
It was clear that the World Government and the Gorosei's attitude toward the Marines was much friendlier than before.
Kong also smiled, saying, "Yes, please rest assured, my Lords."
Kong's words were spoken with confidence, because he knew that the Marines now had the power to prevent things from spiraling out of control. No matter what chaos the pirates caused, as long as the Marines were determined to handle it, they could keep a lid on it and prevent the situation from getting out of hand.
That's why he was so steady!
"Then let's talk about Diarmuid and his team. What's the deal with Shanks the Straw Hat? What about the Straw Hat Pirates? Why do you think they have the potential to become the next Roger Pirates? Is that why you want to eliminate them in advance?" the bald Gorosei asked.
Kong nodded seriously, then said, "Shanks the Straw Hat was a former member of the Roger Pirates. With most of the other Roger Pirates members in hiding, he never gave up on being a pirate. We noticed his true threat recently in the New World…"
Just as Kong was explaining these things to the Gorosei, Diarmuid's fleet of armed merchant ships, flying the flag of the Amway Company, was getting closer to its destination in the New World!