Kaido fixed his gaze on King, his eyes narrowing slightly.
The Golden Lion, Shiki?
That old fogey hadn't been heard from since his escape from Impel Down. His sudden appearance today was most likely due to the movements of Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army. What exactly did he want?
Kaido stood up, casting a sidelong glance at Doflamingo. He had a faint feeling that Shiki and Doflamingo shared the same objective: an alliance.
Kaido and King departed to meet Shiki. Given Shiki's former status and strength, he was a man worth meeting in person.
After Kaido left the banquet hall, Doflamingo continued to pour himself drinks in silence. He didn't bother acknowledging Kurozumi Orochi. Although the man was the Shogun of Wano and the nominal supreme leader of the country, he was in reality nothing more than a puppet propped up by Kaido. Lacking sufficient strength of his own, his life and death were entirely in Kaido's hands.
"Purupurupuru... Purupurupuru..."
Before long, the Den Den Mushi tucked inside Doflamingo's coat began to ring. He pulled it out and answered, only to hear the panicked voice of a family member on the other end.
"Young Master! The Pirate Empress and Luo Chen of the Jinghai Army have appeared in Dressrosa... The country has already been occupied by them!"
Doflamingo reeled upon hearing this, feeling as though he had been struck by lightning. He lunged to his feet, gripping the Den Den Mushi tightly, his voice low and raspy. "What did you say?! Say it again!"
The subordinate on the other end seemed terrified. After a two-second silence, they repeated the report with a trembling voice. Doflamingo had to believe it; he didn't think anyone would dare lie to him twice about something this massive.
"Why would Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army go to Dressrosa?!" Doflamingo questioned coldly, the veins on his forehead bulging.
He had only been away from his kingdom for a day, and his home had been seized. With his current strength, he knew it would be impossible to take it back from Luo Chen's hands.
The family member couldn't be certain but shared their speculation. "We saw Princess Mansherry of the Tontatta Tribe with Luo Chen; she likely instigated this. Shortly after you left, Young Master, Violet also defected. She was rescued by Luo Chen and led the Kingdom of Dressrosa to join the Jinghai Army. Sugar was neutralized by some mysterious method, and all the toys have returned to their normal forms. When the citizens learned the truth about the toys, they began cursing us..."
"Bang—!"
Doflamingo kicked the low table in front of him, sending it flying. Across from him, Kurozumi Orochi jumped in fright and glared back with indignation.
Doflamingo's face was a mask of intense murderous intent and rage. He crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand into pieces. He took several deep breaths of the cold air before he could manage to calm himself down.
"Luo Chen... damn you!"
"I won't admit defeat until you have wiped out Imu and Kaido," Doflamingo whispered to himself. "This isn't over yet."
He was now a man without a home or a crew. According to his subordinate's report, Diamante and the other officers were either missing or had been blasted deep underground by a blind man. Others, like Sugar and Baby 5, had fallen under Luo Chen's control. He certainly couldn't return to Dressrosa now. He could only wait for the day Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army fell to reclaim his lost territory.
In the center of the banquet hall, Komurasaki watched this scene unfold. While she maintained the gentle smile of a geisha on the surface, her mind was racing.
Is there a way to send someone out to sea to contact Luo Chen or the Jinghai Army? Doflamingo, Kaido, and Kurozumi Orochi are villains who work hand in hand. As their enemy, the Jinghai Army led by Luo Chen must be the good guys, right? If only they could liberate Wano.
Komurasaki had gathered a lot of information from the conversation. First, Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army were incredibly powerful. Second, Doflamingo and Kaido were planning to force everyone in Wano to produce SMILEs. The people of Wano, who were already suffering, would face even harsher lives. Many more would die under Kaido's enslavement and forced labor. She had to find a way to save her people quickly.
---
In the skies above the waters outside Wano.
Kaido, transformed into a massive blue dragon and accompanied by King, flew out rapidly. A massive ship, as large as an island, was floating in the air—the flagship of the Golden Lion.
Standing at the prow was a golden-haired old man. Both his legs below the knees had been replaced with long blades, and he puffed on a cigar. Behind Shiki stood two core crew members and Karina. She looked at the giant blue dragon flying toward them with a shocked expression.
This is Kaido of the Beasts?
The massive dragon body was partially hidden within the storm clouds of the high sky. The enormous, hideous dragon head emerged from the clouds, its voice vibrating through the sea and sky.
"Shiki, what business do you have with me?"
"All these years later, and you're still as rude as ever, kid," Shiki grinned, holding his cigar between his fingers. He got straight to the point. "I heard you and Linlin are both in Wano. Knowing your personalities, it's impossible for either of you to submit to Luo Chen and the Jinghai Army. I'm here to help."
Kaido suddenly burst into laughter. "Wororororo! Shiki, look at the state of you. Do you really think you can help? Can you even beat a Marine Vice Admiral?"
He could sense that Shiki's presence was far weaker than it once was. He would likely struggle against even the elite Vice Admirals of the Navy.
Shiki's expression soured. He snorted coldly. "Don't you have many Zoan fruit users under your command? I have a special drug in my possession that can drive animals into a frenzy, multiplying their strength several times over."
Shiki stopped there. He believed Kaido would understand. Although the drug known as "IQ" currently only worked on ordinary animals and hadn't been tested on Zoan users yet, research could make it possible. This was the only bargaining chip Shiki had left. Otherwise, with his current strength, he truly would only be fit to serve as Kaido's subordinate.
Kaido's dragon eyes narrowed as he scanned the deck of the giant floating ship. The deck was like an island with flowers, forests, and springs. Every now and then, he could see the shadows of strange creatures flashing by. Their auras were indeed much stronger than ordinary animals.
His mind whirred as he weighed Shiki's plan. Shiki's ability to develop such a drug proved he had a scientist by his side. Doflamingo also had a scientist named Caesar Clown, a former colleague of Vegapunk. If they pooled the resources of the Beasts Pirates, Big Mom's crew, and the resources of Wano, the probability of success was high.
Kaido made his decision. With a flick of his dragon tail, he flew back toward the interior of Wano.
"Follow me."
Shiki smiled and maneuvered the ship to fly after him.
"Indigo! You must research an IQ drug that works on Zoan users for me as soon as possible!" Shiki looked back at a man in a white coat and a blue hood.
Dr. Indigo was the scientist of the Flying Pirates. It was with his help that Shiki had developed the IQ drugs to enhance biological potential.
"Rest assured, Captain," Indigo said with absolute confidence. Since Shiki had mentioned this to him, he had been calculating the possibility. His theoretical deductions suggested it was feasible; the only thing missing was Zoan ability users to act as test subjects.
Seeing Shiki successfully form an alliance with Kaido, Karina's smile became a bit forced. If Luffy and the others arrived now, it would be a disaster.
Golden Lion Shiki. Kaido of the Beasts. Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin.
Against these monsters, Luffy and the others stood no chance. They would be killed... Karina felt a wave of deep worry in her heart.
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