Battle, grow stronger, find stronger opponents, and become even stronger. Kaidou has constantly repeated this cycle.
Ever since he was a soldier of a kingdom, he has been fighting endlessly.
From his first wanted poster, to becoming an intern on Rocks' ship, and now as a Sea Emperor, Kaidou's ambitions have never stopped.
The war at the top showed him more powerful weapons, and naturally, more future targets.
In order for Yamato to willingly be his sparring partner, he prepared this open scheme. Although Yamato saw through it, there was no way out, nor did he consider Kaidou's future plans.
"Uncle Queen, why are you crying?"
Yamato gave up arguing with Kaidou as it was pointless. If she voluntarily got into this trap, Arceus wouldn't choose to help her. Instead, the tearful Queen drew Yamato's attention.
"I'm moved. Those bastards at the World Government actually acted like humans for once, the bounty only increased by five hundred million."
This amount was within Queen's acceptable range, and the Resurrection Grass that could rejuvenate Whitebeard, and stop unknown attacks, wasn't attributed to him.
Reporting about the attack was vague, and the issue of the Resurrection Grass became the responsibility of the Hundred Beasts Fruit Medical Department. The smoke screen worked back then.
The nonexistent genius medical team successfully shared Queen's burden.
Because of the constant persecution, albeit slightly less severe this time, Queen felt quite comfortable.
"You're really easy to satisfy, this is enough to make you happy?"
"What are you saying, you torture freak? Oh, I get it, you're jealous my bounty is higher than yours, right?"
"Heh, Queen, you better know where your bounty came from. If you're truly dissatisfied, I don't mind having a fight with you."
Watching the boastful Queen, King decisively drew Enma, using his force to shut Queen up.
...
His subordinates' squabbling didn't disturb Kaidou's mood, and as Origin reached the designated position, it began to dive. They were heading to Fishman Island.
Due to his ability to fly and carry ships, Kaidou and Arceus usually didn't head to Fishman Island, but this time was different.
Whitebeard's death was merely the beginning; many territory-related chain reactions were on the horizon.
Previously hesitating due to Neptune's indecision, Fishman Island always hung Whitebeard's flag, but now the era has changed.
With Whitebeard dead, his deterrence rapidly declined.
The dead Whitebeard no longer had the reputation to protect islands through his flag, so changing flags became the only choice for Fishman Island.
There's good news for Fishman Island—the Hundred Beasts' pirate flag was ready, and through Tiger's connections and previous business interactions, Neptune prepared to switch flags.
This time, he sent an invitation to Kaidou as a King, intending to have him participate in Fishman Island's banquet to get acquainted since Neptune's relationship with Whitebeard is better than with Kaidou.
When the war at the top occurred, through messages from Hundred Beasts Mining, Neptune understood the war sufficiently.
Although Whitebeard died by Kaidou's hand, it can be said Whitebeard had no regrets, and as a King, he couldn't let personal feelings influence state affairs. Fully adopting the Hundred Beasts' flag was the most beneficial choice for Fishman Island.
Powered by Arceus, the sea parted to both sides, forming a unique water stairway on the surface, allowing the Hundred Beasts' pirates to reach Fishman Island smoothly.
Coating was too time-consuming; Arceus and Kaidou didn't have three days to waste here, so Arceus used his power directly.
Meanwhile, at Shampodi Islands, some awaited coating, like remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
They gathered near the Shampodi Islands, preparing to return to the New World.
They needed coating since their ships were not submarines; even Shanks wasn't an exception. Coating, a disposable thing, is sometimes inconvenient.
However, looking at the new wanted posters, Shanks' expression was rather complicated.
He understood why the Hundred Beasts' bounty rose, Kaidou and his team turned the war at the top upside down, not increasing the bounty would be odd.
It was similar for remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates; although Whitebeard died, these remnants still held some power, so rising bounties were inevitable.
But Red Hair didn't understand why his own bounty had increased.
Red Hair Pirates Captain - Red Hair Shanks - 4,348,900,000 Berries.
"Strange, I didn't do anything..."
In some sense, Red Hair indeed didn't do much, but his timing was impeccable.
Appearing before Whitebeard and Kaidou's showdown, as if agreed upon.
Moreover, the Hundred Beasts heeded his proposal to cease the war—it was rumored Red Hair Shanks played both sides, but no one knew what he actually did. There were even rumors of a Three Emperors Alliance.
The World Government now suspects that Red Hair and Kaidou might have an agreement, aiming for Whitebeard's exit, leading to Shanks' bounty increase.
Now, with Whitebeard's death, there is no qualification to fill this void, even the World Government's Five Elders started doubting Shanks' intentions; reverting from the Four Emperors Era to the Three Emperors Era isn't the order the World Government needs.
...
"Shanks, long time no see, you've become a Sea Emperor too."
While Red Hair was mulling over everything, Rayleigh appeared behind him.
"Mr. Rayleigh? You still live here?"
"Yes, accustomed to living here, plus seeing these juniors wouldn't be possible otherwise; do you have plans for them?"
"Not really, Mr. Rayleigh."
"Luffy, that kid, approached me earlier, hoping I could train him. I agreed."
Rayleigh mentioned when Luffy and his crew first arrived at Shampodi Islands, Luffy witnessed cruelty during the war, and realized his lack of strength.
Not to mention Haki, even his physique and skills lagged far behind the pirates of the New World, rendering him incapable of protecting his companions, so he wanted to stay and train.
Borrowing the connection through that Straw Hat, Rayleigh agreed to this, starting his teaching role as a world-renowned mentor.
"I see. What about Ace?"
"Still hasn't come to terms with it, Whitebeard's death hit him hard."
These days Ace was dazed; Whitebeard's death struck him significantly, especially what Marco said while beating him, etched into his body....