[Ding! New location found. Do you want to sign-in?]
Just as Elior was about to leave Kuri, the system notification rang out. Without hesitation, he responded, "Sign in."
[Check-in complete. Reward: Advanced Armament Haki (Ryuo)]
"Ryuo?"
Although Elior already possessed high-level Armament Haki, his current mastery seemed inferior to this newly obtained Ryuo — a refined form of Armament Haki that flows through the body or weapon without needing direct contact.
"If I combine Ryuo with swordsmanship, I might be able to break even Kaido's defenses. Wasn't that how Oden injured him?"
Elior pondered for a moment.
Two hours later, just as his ship was preparing to set sail, the skies above Wano suddenly darkened. Thunder cracked as wind and storm churned.
Kaido had arrived. Transformed into his azure dragon form, he loomed above the ship, steam venting from his nostrils in barely contained rage.
"Elior! What is the meaning of this?!"
From his aerial vantage, Kaido had already seen Yamato aboard Elior's ship—unshackled.
"Kaido, what do you mean?"
Before Elior could speak, Yamato stepped forward defiantly.
"I'm going to sea, Kaido! You've held me back long enough. This time, I'm leaving — no matter what!"
"You...!"
Kaido was seething. Yet faced with his daughter, his imposing demeanor faltered. For all his brutal strength, Kaido had no idea how to handle his rebellious child.
"Elior! What did you do to her?!"
Kaido glared down at Elior, his dragon eyes glowing.
At that moment, the rest of Elior's crew, including Crocodile, could feel the overwhelming pressure. Taking Yamato was never going to be simple. Not after stealing the Road Poneglyph. And now this—Kaido's daughter.
"Kaido, how can you stop a woman from chasing her dream to sail the seas?"
Elior's words echoed what Dragon once told Smoker. Only now, the roles were reversed.
"Elior, that's my daughter!"
Kaido's voice dropped to a dangerous growl. He wasn't like Big Mom, who used her children as political pawns. He genuinely saw Yamato as family. What infuriated him wasn't that she idolized Oden — a man Kaido secretly respected —but that she rejected him as a father.
Now she wanted to follow Elior?
"Kaido, I'll take her on my ship for one year. After that, I'll bring her back. Let her see the world."
"One year?"
Kaido frowned.
"That's right. I'll return in a year" Yamato echoed.
Kaido stared hard at Yamato. Then at Elior.
A long pause.
"One year. Are you sure?"
"What do you think? You really think I'd sell your daughter?"
Kaido growled, "If she loses even a single hair — I'll drag you to the bottom of the sea myself. And one more thing—don't you dare lay a finger on her!"
Elior just smiled in response.
With a final glare, Kaido turned and flew away.
Yamato watched him go with cold eyes. To her, Kaido was nothing more than a tyrant. Kaido knew it well.
He sighed. There was nothing more he could do.
Finally, Crocodile and the others let out a collective breath. Kaido in his dragon form was a terror beyond reason.
But there was one thing on everyone's mind:
Did Elior really mean just one year?
Of course not. The promise was just bait.
Kaido had been tricked—again.
Half an hour later, Elior's crew set sail once more, heading back to Paradise.
An hour into their journey, they'd already left the Wano region far behind.
At the same time, a call reached the office of the Fleet Admiral at the former G-1 base—now the New Marine Headquarters in the New World.
"Reporting to Fleet Admiral Sakazuki! The Yonko Elior has departed from Wano"
Hearing this, Akainu's already stern face grew even darker.
"No conflict? Between those two pirates?"
He referred, of course, to Kaido and Elior.
"No. We were unable to enter the inland sea ourselves, but based on observation, there were no signs of battle. If a fight had broken out between two Yonko crews, there would be destruction everywhere."
The officer reporting was a rear admiral.
Akainu was deeply unsettled. When two Yonko cross paths, conflict is inevitable. And Elior had stayed in Kaido's territory for days.
What were they doing? Having tea?
"Could it be... cooperation?"
The chilling theory came from Tsuru.
Even as she voiced it, a panicked voice interrupted from the Den Den Mushi.
"H-Hello?! Is anyone there?! Respond!"
But as Akainu shouted back, the sound of bodies collapsing echoed from the other end.
"What happened?! Respond!"
No reply.
Then—a slow, steady series of footsteps.
The Den Den Mushi's face twisted into a sinister grin.
Everyone in the office turned pale.
Akainu growled, "Who is this? What did you do to those Marines?!"
A calm, amused voice answered:
"Relax. They were only knocked out by my Conqueror's Haki. They'll live." Googlᴇ search novelꜰire.net
Then came laughter.