There was not much to discuss when it came to the cooperation with Kurozumi Orochi.
In truth, given Kurozumi Orochi's current situation, he had no choice at all. Especially after Kurozumi Semimaru, whom he trusted greatly and could be called his lifeline thanks to the power of the Bari Bari no Mi, mysteriously disappeared from Wano Country, he desperately needed someone to balance Kaidou's influence in Wano Country.
Although Kurozumi Semimaru had only disappeared for now, anyone with eyes could tell that the Beasts Pirates were definitely behind it.
With Oden still dancing naked every day, those foolish samurai under Oden could never have silently dealt with Kurozumi Semimaru, who possessed the Bari Bari no Mi's ability. That left only one answer.
And when one considered that Kurozumi Semimaru disappeared right after Kurozumi Orochi had made all kinds of bold demands of Kaidou because of the battle between the Beasts Pirates and the Three-Masted Terror Pirates in Ringo, the motive became obvious.
Of course, the boss only needed to discuss the general direction. Once that was settled, the specifics would naturally be handled by his subordinates. After finishing the talks with Kurozumi Orochi, Yemu followed Kaidou to his stronghold: Onigashima.
Unlike the negotiations in the Flower Capital, where each side had only one representative, Kaidou brought his two All-Stars, King the Conflagration and Queen the Plague, into the council hall on Onigashima. Aside from them, for the sake of secrecy, no one else was allowed anywhere near the area.
After arriving, the four of them sat in four different positions, and only then did Kaidou reveal a cunning completely at odds with his earlier silence and hulking build.
"Wororororo. That idiot Orochi thinks he can use you to restrain me, but he has no idea you've already set your sights on his Devil Fruit..."
No ability user who had their Devil Fruit extracted had ever survived. Kaidou's meaning was obvious.
Sitting off to the side, Yemu made no attempt to hide it either.
"That's only because no one on your side can inherit the Mane Mane no Mi's ability and replace Orochi as the Shogun of Wano Country. Otherwise, why would we need to go through all this trouble...?"
At those words, Kaidou's expression darkened. They reminded him of a matter that had been giving him a headache lately.
Ever since Yemu had suggested this plan, the person Kaidou most wanted to inherit the Mane Mane no Mi's ability and become the Shogun of Wano Country was his own daughter, Yamato. But Yamato was only six years old. Having her perfectly disguise herself as Kurozumi Orochi would not be easy. On top of that, for some reason, Yamato had been growing more and more defiant toward Kaidou lately, forcing him to put the plan on hold for the time being and keep playing along with Orochi.
But Kaidou was not the type to admit defeat out loud. He snorted coldly and said, "Enough with the pointless talk. Get to the point. What exactly is this cooperation you mentioned? If it doesn't satisfy me, I'll pretend I never heard anything about you opening a Seastone factory in Wano Country."
"How boring. In that case, I won't waste any more time. I really am pressed for time right now, after all. The Marines are moving very quickly."
Only then did Yemu become serious, addressing the three highest-ranking members of the Beasts Pirates.
"This cooperation is simple. You should have heard about the Marines and the World Government's Shichibukai plan, right?"
The three exchanged glances, then Queen nodded and took the initiative to ask, "Captain Yemu, what do you mean?"
"It's simple. Since the Marines and the World Government have made their move, then as pirates, we naturally can't just sit around and wait. So I've decided to choose several emperors on these seas, people powerful enough to reign over the New World, and use them to hold back the Marines and the World Government."
"Emperors who reign over the New World..."
Kaidou's reaction was calm, but King and Queen's eyes already showed a hint of excitement.
In their eyes, that title of emperor naturally belonged to no one but Kaidou.
Just then, Yemu continued.
"But to be honest, judging by the strength and territory of the current overlords of the sea, only Whitebeard and Charlotte Linlin are truly worthy of the title of emperor who reigns over the New World. In terms of reputation, strength, and influence, both of them already deserve that title. But just the two of them won't be enough to stop the Marines and the World Government from entering the New World. So I plan to push two people forward myself. One is my younger brother, Enel. Once he deals with the Silver Axe Pirates, his reputation and strength will be enough, and after that, all he'll need is influence. As for the other one..."
"You mean me? Kid, who do you think you're looking down on?"
Kaidou flew into a rage instantly. The title of emperor who reigned over the New World certainly sounded good, but Yemu had said he planned to push two people forward himself, and one of them was Kaidou. That feeling of being controlled and looked down on was something a proud and arrogant man like Kaidou could not tolerate.
Yemu naturally understood that, so he explained.
"Don't misunderstand. An emperor who reigns over the New World isn't someone I can control. When I say I'm pushing you forward, I only mean that I've chosen to cooperate with you. To become an emperor, personal strength and reputation are important, of course, but influence is just as essential. And if you want to expand your influence, you can't do it without money. But to be honest, with the power you currently have, even controlling Wano Country is difficult for you, let alone becoming an emperor who dominates the sea."
Seeing that his boss, Kaidou, was about to erupt again, Queen immediately stepped in to calm him down.
"Don't get angry yet, Boss. Let's hear Captain Yemu's terms first..."
Only then did Kaidou suppress his temper.
"Speak."
"The cooperation is simple. I'll provide you with financial support. Beyond that, I can sell you all of my technological products at a very favorable price, including the pirate ships you want, ships with better performance than the Marines' warships. And my demands are simple as well. From the moment this cooperation is reached, the Beasts Pirates will accept employment from our Rainbow Kingdom and protect the vast sea area where my nation, the Rainbow Kingdom, is located, ensuring that no Marines or World Government personnel appear there. In addition, all of the Rainbow Kingdom's industries in the New World, including factories, merchant ships, and so on, must be protected by you as long as they fly the Rainbow Kingdom's flag."
To be honest, this cooperation was very simple, and to these pirates, it was also very familiar. It was just protection money in another form.
However, there were still some issues.
As a scientist and strategist, Queen asked, "Captain Yemu, I assume you don't intend to cooperate only with our Beasts Pirates, do you?"
"Of course not. Otherwise, why would I be choosing four emperors in this world who can reign over the New World?"
"I see. If Captain Yemu wants to cooperate with that many people, the money required must be considerable. I'm not doubting you, it's just..."
"I understand what you mean. But that isn't a problem."
At that point, Yemu thought for a moment, then spoke.
"Since we're going to cooperate, I should show a little sincerity. I wonder if you've heard of Shandora. I can tell you that my younger brother Enel and I were born there..."
As soon as he said this, before Kaidou or Queen could react, King, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly trembled. He stared at Yemu in disbelief and said, dumbfounded, "Captain Yemu, are you saying you come from the legendary ancient city of Shandora...?"