"Big sis, aren't we going to wait for Ouxi?"
On the path leading south through the forest, Rha and Obei walked one behind the other.
"No need. She's been busy all morning—let her rest until noon.
I've already left her a message, so there's nothing to worry about."
Rha answered as serenely as ever, a gentle smile on her lips.
"O-oh, alright…"
Obei shivered a little, unnerved by that ever-present calmness in her sister's expression.
The ruins weren't far from camp, and before long they arrived.
"Here we are, big sis—the place Ouxi and I explored this morning," Obei said, pointing ahead at what looked like a pile of crumbled stones barely distinguishable from the surrounding landscape.
But when she turned back, she found that Rha had stopped walking. She stood motionless, gaze fixed on a particular spot in the sky.
"Hm? What's wrong, big sis? What are you looking at?"
"Nothing. Anyway, this is the ruin you mentioned? It looks incredibly old."
Rha withdrew her gaze and walked toward the ancient walls, gently brushing a hand over the weathered stone as she silently gauged its age.
"This carving… is that a cross?
Could these ruins be related to religion? Or maybe it's just a decorative pattern that happens to resemble one."
Her fingers traced over a bas-relief of a cross, the ends curling like waves. To see such a symbol in another world—so familiar, yet so out of place—was quite unexpected.
Following a moss-covered stone path, the two arrived at what seemed to be an old chapel—the best-preserved building among the ruins.
Crossing a cracked but still-standing door, they stepped into the nave. Before Rha could even take a good look around, she felt something strange beneath her feet.
"Hm? There's hollow space underneath."
She tapped her foot twice. The echo confirmed it—the church had a basement or chamber below.
Basements weren't uncommon in religious buildings, but one directly beneath the main altar? That was unusual.
Just as Rha was about to look for an entrance, her pupils suddenly contracted. A moment later, she dashed out of the building.
"W-what's wrong, big sis?"
Startled, Obei hurried after her—only to find Rha standing motionless in the open courtyard, staring up at the sky.
Obei followed her gaze—and froze.
"Holy crap! What is that?!"
From the distant clouds, a colossal shape—hundreds of meters long—plummeted down from the heavens, slamming into the island with a thunderous crash that sent a wave of dust and smoke billowing skyward.
"That's… a dragon?! It has to be!
Big sis—what world have we even ended up in?!"
Obei's normally composed face was completely undone by the sight.
Yesterday they were playing survivalists—today, a dragon literally fell from the sky. How was she supposed to process that?!
Rha didn't answer. Without hesitation, she turned and sprinted toward where the dragon had crashed.
It was only then that Obei realized—the impact site was near their camp.
"Oh no… Ouxi!"
Panicked, she followed right after Rha.
New World — Marine G-5 Branch
"Bad news! Kaido's escaped again!"
Sirens blared throughout the base. A flustered officer dodged panicking sailors and bolted straight into the commander's office.
"Huff—Vice Admiral Bartos! K-Kaido's broken out of the detention block! He's wreaking havoc outside!"
The man didn't even bother to knock—he burst in, gasping for breath.
"Oh~?
As expected of that monster from that pirate crew. Does he think our Marine base is his personal cafeteria now?
How troublesome~"
Vice Admiral Bartos, commander of G-5, casually folded his newspaper, took a drag from his cigar, and sighed.
His middle-aged face showed neither surprise nor panic—just lazy annoyance.
"Please, sir, you must give the order to fight back!" the officer urged desperately.
"Mm~ got it~ Tell the men to find somewhere safe to hide. Avoid casualties as best they can.
Kaido will leave once he's bored."
"Wha—hide?! Not recapture him?! If we let Kaido run wild like this, our reputation as the Marines—"
"Lieutenant Gunn, isn't it? I recall you were just transferred here from Headquarters last month?"
Bartos's calm interruption derailed the young man's protest.
"Yes, sir!"
"And what was the reason for your transfer?"
"None, sir! Commander Alberich said I was brave and upright, but inexperienced—so he sent me here to learn from the field!"
[Brave, upright, inexperienced… In other words: reckless, naive, and useless at politics.]
Bartos groaned inwardly. Alberich, you sly bastard, dumping your problem child on me…
"Lieutenant Gunn, you're new here, so you don't understand how things work.
Pirates in the New World aren't like the ones in Paradise or the Four Seas—they're monsters.
The G-5 branch doesn't capture them. We exist as a symbol.
You know what a scarecrow is, right? That's us—Marine Headquarters' scarecrow, planted in the New World."
He didn't bother sugarcoating it; subtlety would only go over Gunn's head.
"I don't understand, sir.
The Marines exists to capture pirates! There's one right outside—I can't just ignore that!"
[Ugh, what a pain.]
Bartos's eyebrow twitched. The textbook righteousness of a rookie—it was exhausting.
And judging by Gunn's age and rank, he was probably some noble's son too. Great—just great.
"Fine, fine. I'll go organize a capture team myself.
You stay here and report the situation to Headquarters."
"Also—New World's magnetic field interferes with Den-Den Mushi signals. If you can't get through, keep trying.
Make sure HQ gets the report. Understood?"
He handed Gunn a peculiar-looking Den-Den Mushi.
"That's a secure line. Don't use your personal one—others can be tapped."
With a friendly pat on the shoulder, Bartos strode out of the room.
"Yes, sir! I'll complete the mission!"
Gunn snapped a crisp salute.
[Den-Den Mushi affected by magnetic fields? That wasn't in training…]
He shrugged it off and started dialing.
"Moshi moshi, this is G-5 branch. Moshi moshi…"
In the next room, Bartos leaned back in his chair, lit another cigarette, and sighed.
"Troublesome little brats, one after another…
And Kaido again? If he wanted food, couldn't he just raid a supply ship? Why the base, damn it?
And now HQ will demand we 'take action'—ugh, what a pain~"
Outside the base, Kaido had already finished his rampage and—still dead drunk—collapsed on the ground, snoring thunderously.
Not a single Marine dared to approach.
"Hey, I think he's asleep. Should we, uh, try capturing him now?"
"And have him wake up, break out again, and wreck the rest of the base? Besides, the prison's gone."
The older Marine took a drag from his cigarette and leaned against the wall.
"Then… just wait till he leaves?"
"Yeah. Same as last time. Keep watch and pray he stays asleep.
…Tch, only two smokes left. Here, take one."
He tossed the crumpled pack to the rookie.
"Guess we're pulling another all-nighter cleaning this place up."
"Yeah… sigh."
Time passed. Kaido snored on, motionless. The Marines' nerves gradually unwound—until a fast-moving shadow appeared in the distance.
"What's that? A bird?"
"No—wait, that's a pteranodon! A black one! Zoan-type user? Maybe one of Kaido's men?"
"Sergeant, orders?"
"I—I don't…"
Before he could decide, the creature landed, transforming mid-step into a tall man in black leather and a fully enclosed mask. Black wings burned faintly with fire behind him. In his hand— a Vivre Card.
"Urgh—hm? Ohh, it's you, King… hic. What brings you here?"
"Lord Kaido, we've located the target. I couldn't reach you by Den-Den Mushi, so I came in person."
The masked youth—King (Jhin)—spoke calmly, his tone surprisingly young.
"Mm. Got it."
Kaido rubbed his head, found a half-empty Den-Den Mushi in his coat, then grinned.
"Hic~ In that case, let's go, King."
In a burst of power, he transformed into a massive azure dragon, hundreds of meters long. Wind and sand swirled as he soared skyward.
"Gone, finally…"
The hiding Marines exhaled in relief.
Bartos emerged soon after, surveying the wrecked base with a twitching brow.
"Tch… this is why I hate Zoan-types. Every time they transform, it's a construction nightmare.
Wonder if HQ will even approve the repair funds this time… what a hassle."
He pulled a fine cigar from his coat, lit it, and muttered,
"Haaah… wait. Didn't I forget something?"
In the office behind him:
"Moshi moshi, this is G-5 branch! Moshi moshi… hello?!"
"Uorororororo~ So you're saying that guy's in the South Blue?"
Kaido's booming laugh echoed across the sky as King relayed the intel.
"Yes. According to underground channels, he's been drifting around the South Blue for three years.
Recently, he's been staying on an island near the Calm Belt."
"Then I'll go myself.
With Shiki stirring up trouble lately, we could use more muscle on our side."
"Understood. Then I'll return to watch our territory. Some unfamiliar pirate ships have been sighted nearby.
Also… I'd rather not see that man right now. Here—this Eternal Pose points to the island."
King handed him a special compass.
"Mm. If you're not coming, that's fine.
If you see any strange ships, sink them. Nobody trespasses on my seas."
With that, Kaido gathered his flame clouds and flew straight toward the Calm Belt.
"Safe travels, Lord Kaido," King murmured, watching his massive form vanish into the distance before turning back toward his own domain.
Kaido's speed was astonishing. Within hours, he reached the edge of the Calm Belt.
The sea breeze cleared the last traces of alcohol from his head.
Flying was boring work. With nothing else to do, drowsiness began to creep in—until he spotted a familiar ship in the distance.
A Marine battleship with a dog's head on the prow.
Kaido grinned. He knew that ship's owner—the Marine hero who had fought at God Valley.
[Oh? Garp, huh. Perfect—something to do.]
He inhaled deeply, then unleashed a massive Boro Breath across the sea before soaring into the clouds.
"Kaido, you bastard!"
Garp roared, punching through the dragon's blast with sheer force.
"Garp! Your Marines's booze tastes like piss! Next time, tell them to stock better stuff! Uorororororo~!"
Dodging several of Garp's cannonball throws, Kaido launched another dragon's breath, then vanished into the sky.
He wasn't here to fight—he had an island to reach.
"Tch. These remnants of the Rocks Pirates… every one of them's a damn headache.
His death didn't calm the seas—it just made the storm worse."
Garp glared up at the fading clouds, irritation simmering.
"All ships—head for G-5 branch!"
"Uororororo~"
Kaido, high above the clouds, was in excellent spirits. The moon and stars gleamed bright and clear above the open sea.
"Beautiful night.
Just wait, Marines… World Government… all you pompous bastards at the top.
I'll become the strongest in the world—and turn this rotten world upside down!"
By the next morning, Kaido had reached deep into the Calm Belt.
He was about to find an island to rest and drink when his instincts suddenly screamed danger.
Spreading his Observation Haki, he scanned the waters below—but found nothing.
Still, he trusted his gut. His gaze locked on a direction far ahead.
Without hesitation, Kaido steered his flame clouds toward it.
Author's Note:
Kaido's height: 7.1m
King (Jhin) is around 15 years old at that moment, estimated height 3–4m based on the anime.
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