The moment Rōmu appeared—
the most excited person on the battlefield was none other than the Beasts Pirates' Governor-General: Kaido.
Back then, Kaido had been one of Rōmu's subordinates.
For all these years, Rōmu's death had weighed heavily on his heart.
In countless dreams, Kaido had seen that familiar figure again and again—
and each time he would wake filled with anger at his own weakness.
If he hadn't been so insignificant during the God Valley battle, perhaps Rōmu wouldn't have ended up in that situation.
Now—
seeing that familiar figure standing atop the enormous plant wall—
the hundred-meter-long azure dragon soaring among the clouds twisted violently in the sky.
The next moment—
the dragon suddenly transformed back into human form.
Instead of returning to his own pirate crew—
Kaido landed directly on the enormous vine-covered wall.
Then he ran straight toward Rōmu.
While running, he shouted loudly.
"Captain!!"
His deep, powerful voice echoed across the entire battlefield of Marineford.
Hearing that shout—
Rōmu raised an eyebrow slightly.
For a brief moment he thought to himself:
Why does this scene feel a little awkward…
But outwardly, Rōmu clearly had no intention of giving this muscular giant a big reunion hug.
He simply flipped his right hand.
A faint green glow appeared at his fingertips.
Suddenly—
in front of Kaido, a massive vine shot out from the plant wall like a gigantic spear.
Shimmering green energy flowed along its surface.
Seeing the giant vine suddenly appear—
Kaido showed no sign of panic.
Because he knew one thing very clearly:
Rōmu would never harm him.
And indeed—
the vine wrapped around Kaido's body.
Then, like it had a mind of its own—
it gently lifted him up and delivered him to Rōmu's side.
All of this—
was broadcast live to the entire world.
"Holy hell! That really is Rōmu!"
"Did you hear that just now?!"
"The Governor-General of the Beasts Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, the so-called strongest creature Kaido… just called Rōmu Captain!"
"Rōmu was Kaido's captain?!"
"How many things has the World Government been hiding from us?!"
The global audience was stunned.
The viewers who had doubted Rōmu's identity earlier—
now believed it completely.
After all, Admiral Akainu himself had confirmed it.
But what shocked them even more—
was Kaido's behavior.
The man known as the Strongest Creature in the World.
With a bounty of 4,611,100,000 Berries.
A Yonko commanding tens of thousands of subordinates.
Yet when he saw Rōmu—
he behaved like an excited young man.
And even addressed him as Captain.
It was completely unbelievable.
The elderly spectators who had lived through the God Valley era looked at the stunned younger generation with smug expressions.
Their eyes seemed to say:
Look at these clueless kids.
Still, they cleared their throats and began explaining.
"Back then, Rōmu was the youngest captain of the Rocks Pirates."
"And that so-called strongest creature Kaido…"
"Forty years ago, he was just Rōmu's little follower."
"At the time, he admired Rōmu's strength and personality so much that he followed him wholeheartedly."
"When news of Rōmu's death spread… Kaido was the one who cried the hardest."
As the old men continued their explanations, the crowd grew even more shocked.
No one doubted them now.
Everything they had said earlier—
had already proven true.
With every new detail revealed—
Rōmu's legend only grew greater.
"I can't believe Kaido was once Rōmu's subordinate!"
"The so-called strongest creature in the world was impressed by Rōmu when Rōmu was only in his twenties!"
"That's terrifying!"
"He became a captain of the Rocks Pirates at such a young age…"
"And fought nine top Marine powerhouses alone!"
"If that was forty years ago…"
"Then how strong must he be now…?"
Thinking about that—
everyone watching the broadcast gasped.
The deeper the buried history of God Valley was uncovered—
the more terrifying Rōmu seemed.
Forty years ago he had already survived fighting nine top fighters.
How powerful must he be now?
Could the Five Elders really defeat him?
For the first time—
that question began to form in people's minds.
The old men explaining the story were extremely satisfied with the crowd's reactions.
For a moment they felt as though they themselves were the heroes of the legendary battle.
They basked in the admiration of the listeners.
After all—
they had told these stories before.
But no one had ever believed them.
It turned out that timing and context mattered a lot when telling a story.
After the crowd quieted down again—
one of the elderly men cleared his throat.
Standing proudly on a raised platform, he announced:
"There's one more important piece of information!"
The noisy crowd instantly fell silent.
Everyone turned toward the old man with thinning hair.
The old man smiled slightly, enjoying the attention.
Then he shouted loudly:
"Kaido's Devil Fruit… was given to him by Rōmu!"
The crowd froze.
Then—
the entire place exploded into chaos.
"Kaido's Devil Fruit was given to him?!"
"That fruit must be worth tens of billions of Berries!"
"More than that! Kaido became a Yonko because of it!"
"That kind of treasure… Rōmu just gave it away?!"
"What kind of generosity is that…?"
The Fish-Fish Fruit, which allowed Kaido to transform into an azure dragon—
was already an ability that countless people coveted.
Yet Rōmu had simply given such a priceless power away.
At that moment—
people finally understood Kaido's earlier reaction.
After all—
how many leaders in this world would treat their subordinates like that?
Looking at the man standing calmly on the giant red flower—
many people felt a deep sense of respect rising in their hearts.
◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews (leave a review/comment!)
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon: patreon.com/KageNaruto