After some discussion, the Roger Pirates ultimately decided they still had to make a trip to Elbaf.
But before that, they needed to find a place to recover—those who were injured needed to heal, and supplies had to be restocked.
So Gaban pulled out a nearby Eternal Pose pointing to Landis Island.
Supposedly, it was a renowned hot spring island in the New World—the perfect spot for the Roger Pirates to unwind and recharge.
Within a few days, the seas were buzzing with the news of the Big Mom Pirates' downfall. The World Economy News papers published related reports across its front pages.
The entire sea seemed to celebrate, as if relieved that such a terrifying pirate had been removed from the New World.
Surprisingly, however, there wasn't much upheaval.
With the Roger Pirates disappearing once more, Shiki and Whitebeard ceasing hostilities, and both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin captured, the New World—once chaotic for years—fell into an unexpected calm.
But everyone knew…
This was just another brief lull before the storm.
Once some ambitious figure was ready, the tides would surge again.
...
In the gateway waters of the New World.
Nindell, the Scientific Research Island.
The King of Giants, Harald, arrived, bringing Charlotte Linlin with him.
Originally, the Marines had planned for Garp and Zephyr to head to Whole Cake Island. But events changed too quickly, and in the end, the two instead met up on this newly established research island, waiting for Harald to deliver Charlotte Linlin.
...
Inside the island's high-security prison—
Kaido looked at Charlotte Linlin in the opposite cell and suddenly burst into laughter.
"Worororororo! Linlin… who would've thought, after parting ways in the West Blue, we'd meet again here? Is this fate? I'm laughing so hard I might cry! Hahahahaha!"
Kaido laughed wildly without restraint.
Charlotte Linlin's expression was dark as she said coldly,
"Idiot. What's so funny about ending up like this?"
"Wororororo! Don't be so angry," Kaido said with a grin.
"By the way, how'd you get caught? I just had bad luck—ran into that bastard Garp."
It was clear that even after being imprisoned for so long, his mindset hadn't changed much.
But when Linlin heard that question, her anger flared up again.
"It's all Roger's fault—no, it's that bastard Shiki!" she cursed.
"If he hadn't told Roger that I had a Road Poneglyph, those bastards wouldn't have come to Whole Cake Island! And if they hadn't come, the World Government and that idiot Harald wouldn't have come after me either! I hadn't even done anything, and they all stormed my territory and beat me down like this—ending up locked in here with a fool like you!"
After hearing her story, Kaido laughed so hard he could barely breathe.
"Shiki really is a piece of work… but you couldn't do anything about him, could you?" Kaido said, grinning.
Seeing his gloating expression, Linlin's anger surged again, and she unleashed a stream of insults, cursing him out viciously.
But after venting, she fell silent.
The atmosphere in the prison became strangely tense.
After a long while, Kaido shifted his body slightly, the chains on him clanking loudly. He stepped closer to the bars, pressing his head against them, a wicked grin forming on his face.
"Hey, Linlin… you've felt it too, haven't you?"
"The New World is too turbulent. Whether it's Whitebeard, Shiki, Roger… or even the Marines…"
"We're still a step behind those bastards…"
"Brat, stop calling me 'Linlin, Linlin' all the time. Show some respect!" Charlotte Linlin's gaze darkened. "Don't forget who brought you into this life—and who gave you your power."
"I took it myself!" Kaido curled his lip, clearly annoyed.
But when he thought back to their days on the Rocks ship, Linlin really had looked after him. At the very least, he acknowledged that bond.
So Kaido took a deep breath and said,
"Big Sis… you're not going to lose your edge over a temporary defeat, are you? That's not like you."
Linlin fell silent for a moment before replying,
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Going solo won't work," Kaido said, his tone turning persuasive.
"Whitebeard, Shiki, Roger—they're too strong. We can't beat them alone. Sure, time is on our side… but I'm already getting impatient. The seas are this turbulent, the tides of the era never stop moving. I don't want to stay a nobody, playing the clown on this stage. So… let's join forces. If the two of us team up, whether it's Shiki, Whitebeard, or Roger—we might actually be able to stand against them!"
After splitting off in the West Blue, Kaido had wandered aimlessly for a long time. He talked about forming a pirate crew, but due to his lack of reputation and strength at the time, talented people all flocked to Whitebeard or Shiki instead. He could only pick up scraps.
The result? Repeated failures.
Either he got beaten down by Zephyr, or crushed by Garp—getting captured by the Marines every few days.
This time, Kaido had clearly learned his lesson.
Originally, he planned to escape prison, head deep into the New World, seize a suitable territory, and establish his own stronghold—just like Linlin had done on Whole Cake Island. He wanted to lie low and build up his power, no more reckless wandering.
But now?
Before he could even put that plan into action, Linlin herself had been captured and thrown into prison with him. The irony was almost ridiculous.
And after hearing what happened to her, Kaido immediately abandoned his original plan.
On these seas, it's not as simple as quietly growing stronger.
Look at Linlin—she was just staying in her territory, eating sweets and minding her own business. Yet trouble still came crashing down on her, and she ended up like this.
In the end, it all came down to one thing—
Not strong enough.
Weak enough to be underestimated. Treated like expendable collateral.
After all, when Roger went after Whitebeard, did the World Government dare to charge in and capture Whitebeard in the chaos?
Kaido's words clearly stirred something in Linlin.
Before this, she had believed her "build quietly" strategy was solid—and it had shown results. But after this crushing defeat, she realized a major flaw in the Big Mom Pirates:
They lacked top-tier power.
The Roger Pirates had three monsters—no, now it was four. That damned Celestial Dragon, Valthior, had strength far beyond what she expected.
In her eyes, his power was already on par with hers.
Maybe even stronger.
After all, even someone like Harald had suffered a heavy loss against him when caught off guard.
Aside from Roger, Shiki had Silver Axe and Bebel. Whitebeard had monsters like Polo Gram and Vista backing him up.
And her side?
Katakuri had immense potential—but he was still too young. Right now, he couldn't shoulder that level of responsibility. Even the aftershocks of battles between Roger and Harald were too much for him to handle.
Compared to that, Kaido—though also young—had both the strength and potential Linlin clearly recognized.
At the very least, in battles between top-tier monsters, Kaido was qualified to stand beside her and fight.
And just like he said—
Time was on their side.
Neither of them had fully tapped into their potential yet.
They were still growing.
They both had what it took to stand at the very top of the seas.
If she joined forces with Kaido, combined with her own plans and intellect, the Big Mom Pirates would become stronger than ever—filling in their last weakness.
"Heh… looks like all those beatings you took weren't for nothing," Linlin sneered at him.
"So you agree with me? Worororororo!" Kaido burst out laughing.
"Talking is pointless," Linlin replied calmly.
"When we actually escape from here, then we'll decide."
With that, she said no more, closed her eyes, and leaned against the wall, falling into silence.
Kaido grinned and didn't press further.
Before long, the prison fell quiet again.
But in truth, Kaido understood—
The fact that Linlin hadn't rejected him outright…
Already meant she had agreed.
Now, the only things left to figure out were—
How to escape this place…
And who would be the one in charge.
...
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