Three days had passed.
The main forces of the Beast Pirates were now just dozens of miles away from Wano Country.
The elite soldiers had already armed themselves, rested for three days, and were fully prepared for battle.
"Buruburu—"
The Den Den Mushi by Kaido's side rang once again.
"This annoying old hag," Kaido muttered, glancing at the Den Den Mushi. This time, he picked it up: "Old lady, what do you want?"
"Mamama...," the unique laughter of Big Mom echoed from the other side of the line. "Mamama... Brother Kaido, I'm very upset. Why have you not answered my calls for so long?"
Three days and dozens of calls.
If it were anyone else.
Big Mom would have killed them by now.
"Isn't it just to laugh at me?" Kaido grumbled. "Well, I'm almost back to Wano now, no need for your mockery."
"Oh, you're heading back?" Big Mom's eyes widened.
That meant the great battle was about to begin.
"Mamama... Brother Kaido, are you sure you can win? Do you need me to..." Big Mom teased.
"Shut up, Linlin! If you dare interfere, I will kill you," Kaido's killing intent was clear.
Not that it fazed Big Mom—she didn't take it seriously.
"I'm definitely going to win. The Sun and Moon Pirates only have a dozen or so people. If I can't beat them, then what's the point of building the Beast Pirates all these years?" Kaido scoffed.
He couldn't see any way for them to lose.
The Beast Pirates had twenty thousand members.
And if you included the forces of the Wano shogun?
Even if they faced the Whitebeard Pirates, Kaido had the confidence to go toe to toe.
Just a dozen members of the Sun and Moon Pirates.
Even if Gion and the others were formidable, sheer numbers would overwhelm them.
As for Kuke...
"Kuke is strong, but I'm definitely the one who'll win in the end. Sooner or later, I'll beat him." Kaido spoke with unshakable confidence.
Although Kaido had lost many battles.
Most of those were self-imposed challenges.
In a one-on-one scenario, the only one he wasn't sure he could defeat was Whitebeard.
Kaido thumped his chest.
It echoed with a deep "thud."
That was his confidence.
Kaido laughed wildly, "I am the strongest in single combat!"
Even if Kuke's attack power was comparable, Kaido didn't believe that Kuke's defense, vitality, or stamina could match his own.
With his natural physique and the power of the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon form...
To defeat Kuke, for Kaido, it was just a matter of time.
"Big Mom believes you will win." Inside, Big Mom also believed Kaido would come out on top. "If you win and capture Kuke, give him to me."
That was the real reason for Big Mom's call.
She feared that if Kuke didn't show up at her tea party, he'd be defeated and captured by Kaido.
If that happened, everything she wanted from the Sun and Moon Pirates would fall into Kaido's hands.
"You're dreaming."
"Don't forget, you still owe me a favor. You have to agree to this, whether you want to or not," Big Mom tried to coerce Kaido, reminding him of the debt he owed her.
Kaido's face turned an ashen shade.
Humiliated, but he had to accept it.
"We'll talk about it later."
Big Mom warned, "If you don't give him to me, I'll come for you."
Kaido hung up abruptly.
He looked up, barely able to make out the distant silhouette of an island.
Wano Country was close.
...
Inside Onigashima.
"Boss Kaido is back?" Jack, who had been slumping in despair, suddenly perked up, tears welling in his eyes.
Finally, they were back.
"They're back; they've just appeared on the horizon and will be here soon."
"Great!"
Jack couldn't hold back his laughter, "Notify everyone to gather immediately! Our leader is back; it's time to turn the tables!"
"Yes!"
The Beast Pirates, who had endured humiliation for over half a month, roared with excitement.
Onboard the Radiant Eclipse.
"So, they're finally back."
Kuke lay back in his rocking chair.
Viola had already spotted the main Beast Pirate fleet a few hours earlier.
Kuke looked at the rest of the women.
Most of them continued with what they were doing—chatting, training, and Makino was still preparing tea snacks.
Only Yamato and Ulti were different.
They had both lived within the Beast Pirates.
Their fear of Kaido was ingrained in their bones.
"Captain, maybe we should leave?" Ulti's voice trembled.
She had the appearance of a mature woman.
But her mind was still that of a ten-year-old.
Her eyes were filled with fear.
She had never witnessed the strength of the Sun and Moon Pirates, but she knew the Beast Pirates well—especially Kaido. The destructive power he unleashed when drunk was enough to bring despair.
"What are you afraid of?" Yamato thumped her chest.
"Captain, I'll help you when the time comes."
Gion, Stussy, and the others looked at Yamato and Ulti, unable to hold back their smiles.
...
At the port.
Jack and the remaining thousands of pirates eagerly looked out to sea.
"They're back."
The returning main fleet appeared in their line of sight.
The deafening cheer of joy echoed across Onigashima, reaching even the distant Wano.
"I'm back!"
Kaido's typhoon-inducing roar reverberated across the entire island.
It announced the return of the true ruler of Wano.
"Kaido is back?"
In a hidden place.
Denjiro and Hiyori Kozuki, who had only recently reunited, huddled together.
Hearing Kaido's dominating voice, Hiyori shrank back, her face pale with fear—no other emotion showed.
Even her hatred had been swallowed by her fear.
She remembered seeing Kaido's terrifying power in her childhood, leaving a deep scar in her heart.
Denjiro was grim and uneasy.
As one of the Nine Red Scabbards, he had once faced off against Kaido.
He knew all too well the near-invincible strength Kaido possessed.
Especially now, after all these years.
It was clear that Kaido had grown even stronger.
"Denjiro, do you think they can win?" Hiyori asked, picturing Kuke and his crew.
She had followed them secretly for a few days before.
In her mind, they seemed much kinder than Kaido—not like pirates at all.
They even paid for the things they bought.
They didn't rob the people of Wano.
"I don't know. But the Sun and Moon Pirates are also a Yonko crew—they shouldn't be weak." Denjiro couldn't give a straight answer.
Wano knew too little about the outside world.
"But they only have so few people. How can they fight?" Hiyori was worried.
She unconditionally supported anyone who opposed Kaido.
Denjiro fell silent.
Painful memories resurfaced.
He remembered when, under Lord Oden's leadership, they had faced the entire Beast Pirates with just a dozen men.
It had ended in crushing defeat.
An undeniable defeat.
Even though Kaido had used trickery, the defeated Red Scabbards all knew in their hearts that, even without tricks, they couldn't have won—at best, they might have made Kaido pay a high price.
Seeing Denjiro silent, Hiyori became even more anxious.
Did they have no hope at all?
"Denjiro, let's go see what's happening."
"Princess, it's too dangerous. We can't."
"We'll just watch without revealing ourselves."
Denjiro pondered for a moment.
"Alright. If they are strong, maybe there's a chance for cooperation," Denjiro thought. Rather than pinning all hopes on a prophecy for twelve years in the future, it was better to try other ways.
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DONT FORGET POWER STONE
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.
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