[No room for negotiation, huh…? I didn't think I'd run into trouble on just my second day in this world.]
Understanding the meaning behind the man's words, Ra felt her heart sink.
He clearly wasn't planning to let them walk away.
None of the three "choices" he gave were ones she was willing to take.
Join him?
Judging from his attitude, there was no way he was part of any legitimate organization.
And what would a man like him want with three obviously underage girls?
Aside from human trafficking, she couldn't think of another reason.
Refuse him outright?
To be honest, her instincts told her she wouldn't win.
Even though she carried the power of a divine phantom, Ra had been "born" only a day ago—she couldn't yet wield that power freely, and she still had to protect Aussie and Oubei.
[For now, I'll have to play along… and look for an opening later.]
"Big Sis Ra, what's that big guy saying?" Aussie tugged on her sleeve, pulling her out of her thoughts.
"He said either we join his group… or defeat him in battle."
"Don't agree, Big Sis!" Oubei cut in right away.
"That man's clearly bad news. If we go to his base, we'll never get the chance to fight back! If we combine our strength, we might still have a chance right now!"
"Yeah! Ra, we can't give the enemy the initiative!" Aussie chimed in, standing beside Oubei.
"Oi! What are you brats whispering about? Choose already—join me, or die here!" Kaido, who couldn't understand Chinese, was growing impatient.
"Big Sis Ra! Let's go all out!" Even without translation, Aussie and Oubei could sense his irritation.
Ra didn't reply right away. She just looked at the two of them closely.
Despite their childish faces, there was no hesitation in their eyes—only determination.
They had made up their minds.
But Ra knew better.
With their current strength, having them fight would only distract her and put them in danger.
The power radiating from that dragon-man was immense—enough that even in their strengthened forms, Aussie and Oubei might not survive a direct hit.
The silence lasted only a heartbeat before Ra's furrowed brows smoothed out.
Having reached a decision, she nodded to the two of them, then turned back to Kaido.
"My… sisters… you spare. I… fight you… alone."
The two girls didn't understand what she said, but still stepped up to her side.
"Fight me alone? Worororororo~ now that's interesting, little brat! So it was you I felt earlier!"
Kaido threw back his head and laughed, an overwhelming aura bursting from his body—so powerful it blasted the clouds apart above them.
Conqueror's Haki—the overwhelming presence that only true kings among men could possess—erupted from him like a storm.
To Ra, it was as if the man before her had transformed into a colossal dragon of pure malice, roaring to devour the world itself.
"Good! As you wish! Don't disappoint me, brat!"
"Wha—what's happening?! My head—it's spinning!"
The sudden shock of Kaido's Haki made Aussie and Oubei dizzy.
Their souls had only just been stabilized after their fusion; now, overwhelmed by his presence, they both swayed and collapsed unconscious.
But to Kaido, that only confirmed what he'd suspected.
[So these little brats really aren't ordinary…]
Even with him unleashing his Conqueror's Haki without restraint, those two hadn't right away fainted. That was beyond what he expected—normally, that level of pressure could knock out most Marine officers outright.
And for girls only eight or nine years old? Normally, just looking at him should've scared them to death.
His eyes shifted back to Ra.
Aside from her long golden hair whipping in the wind, she stood perfectly still—didn't even blink.
It was as if his Haki hadn't touched her at all.
That calm expression made his eyes burn brighter.
And when he glanced again at the two unconscious girls, his interest only deepened.
If not for the genuine sense of danger his instincts felt from this golden-haired girl, he'd already have scooped up all three of them without another word—no need for all this talk.
He didn't care whether a fruit was ripe or bitter—as long as it quenched his thirst. His crew was desperately short on capable hands right now.
Ra stepped forward slightly, blocking his gaze, and pointed behind her.
"South… of island. Fight… you and me."
She glanced back at the fainted Aussie and Oubei.
Kaido's Haki had at least saved her the trouble of knocking them out herself.
With a wave of her hand, a circular barrier of golden flame rose around the two girls, sealing them safely within.
She then gestured for Kaido to follow.
Kaido glanced once at the glowing barrier, but didn't ask anything—he simply followed the small figure toward the island's southern shore.
On the southern edge of the nameless island, the two of them faced each other—one towering, one small.
"What's your name, brat?" Kaido asked, not rushing to attack.
"Ra."
Her reply was calm, devoid of emotion—but the divine energy within her was already boiling, ready to explode at any moment.
[This brat's whole aura changed…] Kaido thought, narrowing his eyes.
"My name's Kaido! I'm the man who'll tear this world apart! I'll give you one last chance—join me!"
['Tear this world apart'…?]
The words made Ra pause in mild surprise.
[So my earlier guess was wrong. This guy doesn't seem like some petty criminal or slaver after all. And that name—Kaido…]
A person's aura didn't lie—and the oppressive will she'd felt from him couldn't possibly belong to some random lowlife.
[An ambitious man, then…]
"Very well," she said, smiling faintly. "If you can defeat me."
She returned his own words to him.
Now that she roughly understood his motives—that he wanted her strength rather than anything else—Ra abandoned the idea of dying with him, opting instead for a temporary alliance.
What she needed now was to demonstrate enough power to make herself, Aussie, and Oubei valuable in his eyes.
Of course, if the chance arose to kill him in battle, she wouldn't hesitate.
She knew he wasn't a good man—but Ra wasn't the type to cling to naïve notions of justice.
She wouldn't say something foolish like, "Even if my family dies, I'll never walk alongside evil."
For her, Aussie and Oubei came first—above all else.
She had no attachment to this world; after all, she'd only arrived yesterday.
Her divine nature made her distant, incapable of forming emotional bonds with strangers or lands.
In truth, if she hadn't sensed how hard it would be to defeat Kaido, she would've killed him the moment he threatened her sisters—without the slightest hesitation, just as she had slain those bird-like beasts earlier.
Indeed—
Once the sun gains emotions, even the sun becomes selfish.
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