The man who appeared was tall, broad-shouldered, and carried an air of still, unshakable power.
Clad entirely in black, not a trace of skin was visible. A sleek helmet and visor masked his face, projecting a presence both deadly and cold.
A long sword hung at his waist. Behind his head and around his black wings, crimson flames flickered and danced.
This was none other than the All-Star of the Beasts Pirates: King the Wildfire — real name Alber.
Seeing the shadow on Kaido's face, Alber immediately understood: the recruitment hadn't gone well.
Kaido shook his head, his voice simmering with frustration.
"Those two have too much pride. They won't submit so easily."
Then he paused... and suddenly laughed.
"One's a machine of war who wiped out an entire nation's army. The other's a Marine monster who took down Byrnndi World and even gave Roger trouble..."
"If they surrendered to me that easily, it'd be no fun at all."
Alber caught the admiration gleaming in Kaido's eyes and frowned slightly.
"Kaido-san, if they refuse to submit... keeping them alive may not be wise."
He spoke carefully, but the warning was clear.
Though only seventeen or eighteen, Alber was cool-headed, methodical, and far more mature than his years suggested.
As Kaido's right-hand man, his job was to prevent his captain from doing anything irreparably stupid.
—Though, truth be told, Alber had followed Kaido precisely because of his reckless stupidity.
Getting caught by the Marines on purpose... planning the world's largest war... Some would call it a man's romance. Others would call it sheer lunacy.
"They're wild beasts. If anything goes wrong and they escape, they could expose our base."
"Alber, I'm lucky to have you as my right hand."
He used Alber's real name — a secret only the two of them shared.
"But I believe they'll come around."
Kaido's voice radiated confidence.
"Especially Rogers Darren — the so-called 'disgrace of the Marines'. A man like him was born to be a pirate."
"For him to wear the Marine's coat... what a waste."
"He'll realize soon enough — the open sea is where he truly belongs."
"As for Douglas Bullet... I saw it in his eyes — that hunger for strength, the raw ambition. He'll be easier to sway."
"I'll give him a few days to recover. Then I'll offer him a proper fight."
"And when that time comes... I'll show them both what it means to face the Strongest Creature Alive."
"I'll crush their spirits — with overwhelming power!!"
Kaido threw back his head and let loose a thunderous laugh, raising his kanabo high.
His laughter echoed across the sky, as if the earth itself trembled.
Alber stared in reverent silence... but his fists quietly clenched.
I hope you're right, Kaido-san...
In the prison below —
Sinister laughter echoed in the dimness as Queen twirled happily before his two new "toys."
The flickering firelight danced over his oversized body, showcasing shocking flexibility despite his bulk. The sight was so absurd that Darren and Bullet couldn't help twitching at the corners of their mouths.
They exchanged a glance.
Maybe it was the shared misfortune, but there was a strange sense of kinship forming between them.
"I saw that look!! Don't think the sunglasses make me blind!"
Queen abruptly stopped dancing and stormed toward the cell, cigar clenched in his teeth as he pressed his pudgy face grotesquely through the bars.
"Looking at the great scientist Queen-sama like that... you need a little punishment."
Grinning darkly, Queen unlocked the cell with a loud click.
"You may be helpless, but for testing purposes..."
He gingerly lifted two sets of shackles with his cybernetic arm and locked them onto Darren and Bullet.
They were too weak to resist. They could only watch as the cuffs snapped into place.
Darren's eyes widened, pupils contracting.
A wave of exhaustion hit him like a flood. He gripped the bars like a drowning man clutching driftwood.
Bullet collapsed completely, unable to move.
And pure-grade, at that.
"Muhahaha... Even in the Beasts Pirates, these are rare."
Queen puffed out his gut proudly.
"Now then, let's begin..."
With a hiss, Queen's cybernetic arm reshaped into a syringe. The thin needle gleamed menacingly.
Darren and Bullet both tensed. Their hearts dropped, cold sweat beading down their spines.
Helpless, bound, and stared down by a maniac wielding a needle, even their iron wills began to fray.
Their scalps tingled.
"Don't worry. I won't let you die so easily."
"Unlike those knockoff hacks from Germa 66, I'm the real deal — Queen, the world's top scientist!"
He pulled out a case of sealed test tubes, each glowing faintly.
"Behold! The Mummy Virus — my latest masterpiece!"
He held up a vial of glowing green fluid, raising it dramatically.
"I'll dial it down just enough to make it unbearable. You won't die — but you'll wish you could. Muhahaha!!"
Without waiting, Queen drew the virus into the syringe and lumbered over to Darren.
"You're less injured — let's start with you, Marine."
The shining needle rose — reflected in Darren's trembling eyes — and plunged toward his neck.