"Kaido-sensei," Ian said, "can we look for outside help?"
In pirate wars, fairness is never a consideration.
Kaido raised an eyebrow slightly, intrigued. "Who are you suggesting, kid?"
"For example," Ian replied, "you have a pretty good relationship with Big Mom, right?"
Kaido's reaction was somewhat peculiar.
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You mean Linlin?"
"No matter how strong the Whitebeard Pirates are…"
Ian said, "There's absolutely no way they can compete with the alliance between us and the BIG MOM Pirates."
The Beast Pirates and the BIG MOM Pirates had a basis for cooperation.
Charlotte Linlin and Kaido originally teamed up in the story to fight for supremacy over the world, but unfortunately, they were shattered by Luffy.
"Interesting. Is that what you think?"
Kaido gave a strange smile, pulling out a transponder snail. "Alright, then I'll give you a chance."
"You can persuade her yourself."
I'm supposed to convince Charlotte Linlin?
Ian raised an eyebrow, feeling a bit nosy. After so many years without meeting, does Kaido still have Charlotte Linlin's number? Is there really nothing between them?
Soon, the call connected, and the familiar, distinctive laughter echoed through the receiver.
"Mama, Mama! Kaido, you finally figured it out? As long as you team up with me, even Whitebeard will sink to the bottom of the sea!"
Has Kaido already contacted Charlotte Linlin?
And from what Charlotte Linlin just said, it seems Kaido refused her cooperation?
"I don't want to waste my breath with you, Linlin. The guy you wanted is back. You can talk to him yourself."
Kaido dropped that line and tossed the transponder snail to Ian.
What does he mean by 'the guy you wanted'?
Ian caught the transponder snail and swallowed hard.
The condition for Charlotte Linlin to cooperate with the Beast Pirates wouldn't be to make me Kaido's brother-in-law, would it?
That's a messed-up family tree.
Ian hesitated, contemplating whether to hang up the call.
Kaido-sensei, I was shallow; I can apologize.
"Oh? Is that Ian on the other end?"
The transponder snail had a peculiar trait where its appearance would change to reflect the caller on the other side. So, the snail in Ian's hand now sported a captain's horned hat and a pink dress, with a comically large nose.
It was easy to imagine that Charlotte Linlin's transponder snail on the other end was now wearing a white shirt and had sprouted black hair, so she could definitely tell that the person on the other side had changed.
"Hello, Auntie Linlin."
Ian emphasized the imbalance in their seniority.
"Auntie? Mama, Mama! You sure know how to flatter!"
Charlotte Linlin burst into laughter. Given her age, she could easily be Ian's grandmother; after all, she had her first son at eighteen, and her eldest, Perospero, was already thirty-five.
"Want to come over to my place?"
"No, Auntie, we're not dating!"
Ian instinctively wanted to blurt this out.
Before he could speak, Charlotte Linlin continued, "I have several daughters who are around your age, and they're all quite beautiful. Why not be my son-in-law?"
"If that's the case, we'd be family, and I could help you deal with the Whitebeard Pirates."
Kaido snorted softly.
Linlin's help was never free.
Ian paused for a moment.
Was she suggesting he become her son-in-law?
Hiss—although Charlotte Linlin's children came in all shapes and sizes, she did have some pretty daughters.
If he remembered correctly, there was one named Charlotte Galette who was only a few years older than him and quite attractive.
Well, that didn't sound entirely—
Ian declared firmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Auntie Linlin, but I have no intention of leaving the Beast Pirates."
If he agreed, he would definitely get beaten to a pulp by Kaido.
Besides, didn't Kaido have a daughter too? Although she was a bit of a fool.
"You brat, are you refusing my offer?"
Charlotte Linlin's voice, which had been somewhat gentle, suddenly turned ominous.
"We can change our approach to cooperation,"
Ian said. "As long as our two crew join forces, no one in the New World can stop us. We can turn the entire New World into our inner sea."
"Don't try to pull that empty-handed trick on me!"
Charlotte Linlin scoffed. "Without sufficient rewards, why should I share the risks with you? My territory is so far from Whitebeard's. Even if we defeat the Whitebeard Pirates, what do I gain from it?"
Ian clicked his tongue.
This is what being a pirate is all about.
Although Charlotte Linlin and Kaido do share a strong bond, everything still revolves around interests.
Claiming dominance over the New World is indeed a joke. If they were serious about it, it wouldn't be long before the Gorosei would send the Marines Admirals and CP0 to invade Wano Country.
Charlotte Linlin shifted her tone, "isn't the trade of Sea Prism Stones booming lately? You guys are the largest producers of Sea Prism Stones in Wano. How about letting me have a share of that business?"
Before Ian could even respond, Kaido had already snorted coldly. "Wano is my territory!"
That's right; Kaido would never share Wano with anyone.
The King of Hell is right here.
"Then there's nothing more to discuss. Kaido, good luck to you."
With that, the call ended.
Ian scratched his head, feeling the awkwardness of their plastic sibling relationship.
It's really frustrating.
Looks like they can only have a fair fight with Whitebeard after all.
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