Marco studied the two silent Emperors for a moment, unable to tell what was running through their minds.
"Kaido," he said casually, "we've been allies for quite some time now. Are you still not planning to tell us about Pluton?"
Kaido's hand paused midair, the sake gourd hovering just short of his lips. He slowly turned his head toward Marco, disbelief flickering across his face. Big Mom's pupils shrank sharply.
"Pluton?" she demanded. "Are you saying Pluton is in his possession?"
Kaido did not answer her immediately. Instead, he fixed Marco with a scrutinizing stare.
"How do you know about that?" he asked in a low voice. "Did Oden tell you?"
Marco smirked faintly.
"I know you respected Oden," he replied, tone deliberately teasing, "but no, it wasn't him. It was Roger."
Kaido's expression darkened instantly.
"Don't talk nonsense," he snapped. "This old man never admired that fool Oden."
Marco's smile widened slightly.
"Then why was your first instinct to ask if Oden told me?"
Kaido's face shifted between irritation and contemplation. He did not understand why Oden had been his immediate thought. Perhaps it was because of Yamato's constant obsession with Oden that the name had taken root in his mind.
With a cold snort, Kaido chose not to pursue that line any further.
Big Mom, however, pressed on relentlessly.
"So Pluton really is in your hands?"
"Mm," Kaido finally admitted with a short nod.
He then looked back at Marco.
"So Roger told Whitebeard about Pluton as well?"
Marco nodded calmly.
"Before Roger turned himself in to the Marines, he met with the old man once. He told him many things."
Kaido listened carefully, his expression steady.
"So that is how it was."
Big Mom's eyes burned with jealousy and frustration. Kaido was already terrifyingly strong, and now he possessed one of the Ancient Weapons as well.
"You bastard," she growled. "You actually hold Pluton. Something like that should be shared within the alliance."
Kaido ignored her complaint entirely and kept his gaze on Marco.
"If Roger told Whitebeard about Pluton, then he must have mentioned the other two Ancient Weapons as well. Uranus and Poseidon. Did he tell you their whereabouts?"
Big Mom also stared at Marco intently.
Marco's lips curved slightly upward.
"Mm. He told me everything."
Kaido leaned forward, unable to hide his interest.
"Where are they?"
Marco did not answer directly. Instead, he turned the question back.
"Kaido, where exactly is Pluton?"
Kaido frowned faintly at the counterquestion but did not avoid it.
"It is in Wano Country."
Marco continued calmly.
"At the bottom of the sea within Wano's borders, correct?"
Kaido's eyes narrowed.
"You know that as well?"
Big Mom looked back and forth between them in irritation.
"Underwater? Stop speaking in riddles and explain it clearly."
Kaido shot her an impatient glance. Since Marco had already revealed the location in part, there was little reason to conceal it further.
"Pluton is indeed in Wano," he said. "It has been submerged underwater for eight hundred years. Whether it can still function, I do not know."
His gaze sharpened as he looked at Marco.
"Do you know how to activate it?"
Marco spread his hands in a gesture of mild helplessness.
"How would I know? But it likely requires someone who can read the ancient texts."
Kaido's eyes contracted slightly before he let out a rough laugh.
"Worororo. It seems Whitebeard truly passed quite a legacy on to you. I once used a submarine to observe Pluton up close. Every inscription on that warship is written in ancient script."
Big Mom waved a dismissive hand.
"Whether it can be used or not, why not simply pull it out and examine it properly? Why leave it submerged?"
Kaido's expression hardened.
"You have not seen its size. That warship rivals Thriller Bark in scale. To bring Pluton to the surface, the protective walls surrounding Wano would have to be destroyed."
His voice grew more serious.
"Once those walls fall, Wano loses its natural defenses. And if I reveal Pluton prematurely without adequate preparation, the World Government will surround Wano immediately."
He then fixed Marco with a direct look.
"Enough about me. You said Roger told Whitebeard about all three Ancient Weapons. As his successor, do you also control one?"
Big Mom stared at Marco, incredulous.
Marco gave a small chuckle.
"As for Poseidon, yes. It is in my hands. But the situation is somewhat similar to yours."
Kaido frowned.
"Similar? It cannot be used?"
"That is part of it," Marco replied evenly. "Poseidon is extremely difficult to use. More importantly, it is difficult to control."
"Difficult to control?" Kaido repeated.
Marco nodded.
Poseidon's existence was tied to a power that could command the Sea Kings themselves. However, such power was unstable and not easily directed at will.
"For now," Marco continued, "it is wiser to keep it concealed."
Kaido leaned back slightly, absorbing the information.
"I see."
The atmosphere in the room shifted once more. Ancient Weapons, immortality, the World Government, and the One Piece, all were threads woven into a much larger tapestry.