Stussy smiled as she spoke,
"Kaido, you misunderstand me. You know I have no ambitions for the world. An alliance with me will only benefit you."
Kaido fell silent, deep in thought. Honestly, he was intrigued. At first, he had considered forming an alliance with Big Mom, though he never voiced it. With Big Mom gone, Kaido had no other viable partners.
Though the Yonko are often seen as rivals, there is no eternal enmity in this world. Every move they make is driven by self-interest.
Moreover, despite Stussy's status as a Yonko, she had not acted like a pirate in recent years. She was more like an underground emperor, never involving herself in pirate conflicts. Even the territory she had established now existed primarily for pirate entertainment.
Yet there was one thing Kaido lacked, which Stussy could provide: intelligence.
News from the world's recruitment networks had reached him. Kaido now knew his spy had failed. He did not yet know if the spy had been discovered, but his plan to infiltrate the Marines was already compromised.
For a Yonko like Kaido, the only way to gather intelligence now was through newspapers. For someone of his stature, this was devastating.
"Have you made up your mind?" Stussy asked.
Finally, Kaido nodded. Stussy's face brightened with a smile.
"As a Yonko, you will not go back on your word, right?"
Kaido snorted. "I would never stoop to such things."
"Hehe, then it's settled. From today, the Stussy Pirates and the Beasts Pirates are allies!"
With that, Stussy raised her wine cup. Kaido followed suit, drawing his sake gourd from his waist. They clinked their cups and drank.
"Stussy, now you can tell me where Tasolo is, right?"
"Of course. He is in the Grant Kingdom in the North Sea."
Kaido's eyes glinted sharply.
"Grant Kingdom… I see."
He then looked at Stussy. "Today, I may owe you, Stussy. Once I capture Tasolo, I will make amends."
Stussy did not stop him.
"You do not need to apologize. We are the most steadfast allies."
Kaido grinned, a terrifying smile spreading across his face.
"Ohhohoho! I like the sound of that!"
With that, he left Stussy's castle.
As he boarded his pirate ship, his crew rushed to him.
"Governor, are we going to fight?"
Kaido snorted. "Fight? Fight? You only ever think about fighting!"
"From now on, we are allies with Stussy. Understood?"
The crew paused for a moment, then quickly caught on.
"Yes, Governor!"
"Good. Set sail immediately. Send a team to the Grant Kingdom in the North Sea. Tasolo is there now."
"Governor, are you not going yourself?"
Kaido smirked. "Do I really need to go for just one Tasolo?"
"Understood, Governor!" the crew replied, bowing their heads.
"Let Runt lead the mission. She hasn't had much action since becoming a Disaster."
"Yes, understood, Governor!" Runt acknowledged.
Kaido nodded slightly. "The rest of you, return with me."
"Yes, Governor!"
From the upper floor, Stussy watched Kaido's fleet sail away. She let out a small sigh of relief. "Thankfully, the worst-case scenario didn't happen."
She took the Den Den Mushi from Bloody Moon.
"Hello, this is Xu."
In his office, Xu picked up the device.
"Admiral Xu, Kaido has left my territory."
Xu's brow lifted. "Anything unusual happen?"
Stussy's lips curved into a smile.
"Admiral Xu, I have formed an alliance with Kaido."
Xu paused for a moment, then a faint glint of joy appeared in his eyes.
"Stussy, well done."
"Hehe, thank you, Admiral Xu."
"Just be cautious of Kaido. His ambition is immense."
Stussy nodded seriously. "I will, Admiral Xu."
"Good. That will be all for now."
Xu hung up and immediately called Kizaru.
"Hello, this is Kizaru."
"Kizaru, Kaido has left Stussy's territory."
Kizaru's expression shifted. "Ah… Admiral Xu, what should I do now?"
Xu thought for a moment. He had initially intended to have Kizaru probe Kaido's artificial Devil Fruit units, but then realized this matter was better handled by Doflamingo.
"Stand down. Return directly to Vegapunk."
A small smile appeared on Kizaru's face. After all, why fight when he could take a break?
"Understood, Admiral Xu."
He hung up and stretched comfortably aboard Sentomaru's ship.
"Old man, what did Admiral Xu say?"
Kizaru chuckled. "The mission's canceled. We can withdraw."
Sentomaru froze. "Huh? Why canceled?"
Kizaru shrugged. "Not sure yet. Admiral Xu will send information later."
Seeing Sentomaru lost in thought, Kizaru urged, "Come on, let's leave quickly. Kaido's fleet will be here soon."
Sentomaru nodded and ordered the ship to sail away.
Meanwhile, Xu leaned back in his chair, fingers tapping the armrest as he contemplated.
Kaido would remain inactive for now. With the year-long non-aggression pact Xu had with Im in place, there was no need for him to act personally.
Yet Xu still needed to find a way to control Tasolo.
He wondered how Ichi and the others were training.
At that thought, he summoned Nogiko.
"What is your order, Admiral Xu?"
"Go fetch the three members of the Zero Division."
"Understood, Admiral Xu."
Shortly after, a knock sounded at the office door, and three figures entered.
"Admiral Xu!"
Xu nodded in satisfaction. "How is the training of your soldiers going?"
Kira scratched his head. "Not quite there yet."
Shiji and Ichi nodded slightly. "Our troops are almost ready."
Hearing this, Xu's lips curved into a small, satisfied smile.
"Very good…"