"Has that old man arrived yet?"
Kaido rested his chin on one hand as he leaned back against his throne, his eyes flashing with anticipation while listening to the latest intelligence report.
"Yes," Crayel nodded. "According to our sources, Whitebeard is about to enter the Nightfall Pirates' territory."
He paused before adding his own conclusion.
"There's no reason to continue the war. We've already taken enough territory."
"Worororororo!"
Kaido burst into laughter.
"Fine by me. But we aren't giving back a single island we've swallowed."
His grin widened.
"If Whitebeard wants them back, he can come and take them."
An overwhelming aura radiated from him.
Even against Whitebeard, Kaido showed no fear. Instead, he felt restless with excitement.
To become stronger, he had to fight powerful opponents.
He had to be injured.
He had to be gravely injured.
Only then could he continue breaking through his limits.
Whitebeard was undoubtedly one of the finest opponents in the world.
Haki often advanced the fastest in life-and-death battles. Fighting powerful enemies forced one to break through again and again.
Kaido's Haki had already reached its current peak. If he wanted to climb even higher, there was only one path left.
Challenge the strongest.
His physique was much the same.
Ordinary training no longer produced meaningful results. Only battles that pushed him to the brink of destruction could temper his body further, allowing him to grow stronger through repeated cycles of devastation and recovery.
The Beast Pirates' opportunistic expansion was nothing unusual in the pirate world.
But Whitebeard would never simply accept it.
Once the conflict between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Nightfall Pirates concluded, Whitebeard would inevitably come after the Beast Pirates as well.
Kaido had expected that from the very beginning.
Doing nothing would have been the act of a coward.
Just like Teach, Kaido had already made his preparations.
"Now..."
Kaido leaned back with an eager grin.
"Let's sit back and watch."
"I want to see what kind of strength that Teach brat really possesses."
As the head of one of the world's strongest powers, Kaido recognized what this battle represented.
In this era, Teach was the first person since Shiki the Golden Lion to openly challenge Whitebeard's authority.
Even Kaido and Charlotte Linlin had once chosen to avoid confronting Whitebeard directly.
That had changed only after years of development.
Now, Kaido no longer feared the Whitebeard Pirates.
If circumstances had not kept delaying him over the years, he would have challenged Whitebeard himself long ago, using Whitebeard's overwhelming attacks to further temper his own monstrous body.
Whether he admitted it or not, Kaido had already placed Teach on the same level as himself.
Among everyone in the New World, Teach was one of only a handful capable of threatening him.
Besides the other three Emperors, only three people qualified.
One was Teach.
Another was Kozuki Oden, who had once wounded him in battle.
The last...
Was Douglas Bullet. "The Demon Heir."
Over the years, Bullet had all but disappeared from the world's stage.
Yet everyone acknowledged both his terrifying strength and his frightening potential.
As the hidden pillar behind the New World's underworld giant, the Brotherhood, he also wielded tremendous influence.
After remaining dormant for so many years, Kaido had little doubt that Bullet had grown even stronger.
The Clank-Clank Fruit itself was already a top-tier Paramecia.
No one knew how far Bullet had developed it.
Kaido couldn't help looking forward to a chance to cross fists with him as well.
He wanted to personally witness just how powerful Bullet had become.
Bullet's imposing figure flashed briefly through Kaido's mind.
...
Deep within the New World stood an island known only as the God's Forbidden Land.
It possessed perhaps the harshest environment anywhere in the world.
Thunderstorms.
Volcanic eruptions.
Blizzards.
Scorching heat.
Because of an abnormally chaotic magnetic field, every form of extreme weather converged upon the island, shifting unpredictably from one catastrophe to another.
No ordinary creature could survive there.
Only the island's terrifying environment had given birth to equally terrifying beasts.
Over hundreds of years, the island had become infamous throughout the New World.
Yet one man had lived there alone for years.
Douglas Bullet.
His towering body radiated overwhelming ferocity.
Even the Brotherhood members standing before him barely dared to breathe.
Simply standing in Bullet's presence filled them with instinctive fear.
Bullet silently read the newspaper in his hand.
His eyes settled upon the heavily emphasized headlines.
A faint smile slowly spread across his face.
"Not bad."
"He really has grown this far."
Memories surfaced.
He recalled his battle with Teach years ago.
Back then, Teach had been nowhere near his own level.
But even then...
Bullet had already believed Teach would eventually reach the summit.
He had never doubted his own judgment.
"Bu... Bullet-sama..."
One Brotherhood member nervously stepped forward.
"Lord Hot sent us to escort you back. The banquet is already prepared."
His voice trembled despite his efforts to stay calm.
Bullet's oppressive presence was simply overwhelming.
"Let's go."
Without another word, Bullet strode toward the massive steel warship waiting at the shore beneath the Brotherhood's flag.
"Y... Yes!"
The man hurried after him.
His pounding heartbeat came not only from Bullet's terrifying aura.
The island itself inspired equal fear.
Within the surrounding darkness, countless cold, predatory eyes silently observed him.
Those belonged to the island's monstrous beasts.
None dared approach.
Over the years, Bullet had beaten every one of them into submission with nothing but his fists.
They no longer possessed the courage to challenge him.
...
Not long afterward, Bullet arrived at the Brotherhood's headquarters.
Fist Island.
At the harbor, Brotherhood leader Hans Hot personally led his senior members in welcoming him.
The Brotherhood's influence had continued expanding over the years.
Many members were seeing Douglas Bullet for the very first time.
News of Bullet's appearance on Fist Island quickly spread across the underworld before reaching numerous outside forces.
Inside the Brotherhood headquarters, only Bullet and Hot remained in the main hall.
"Are you ready?"
Bullet asked directly.
"I'm ready."
Hot nodded.
"I've had people watching them for a long time."
"As long as an opportunity appears, we'll know exactly where they are."
Bullet nodded slightly.
He understood immediately.
Hot had been preparing for this plan for years.
"Good."
"Then we wait."
"When this war ends..."
"I'll visit every one of them."
His eyes burned with excitement.
"Roger..."
"Wait for me."
"I'll surpass you."
Years of preparation.
Years of relentless training.
With the Brotherhood providing an endless supply of food and resources, Bullet believed he had become stronger than ever before.
He had broken through his previous limits.
More importantly...
He had completely mastered the awakening of the Clank-Clank Fruit.
After remaining hidden for so many years...
It was finally time to move.
Hot naturally understood Bullet's obsession.
His goal had never changed.
He wanted to surpass the Pirate King.
Roger was already dead.
So Bullet intended to defeat every living monster comparable to Roger.
He wanted to accomplish what Roger himself never had.
Only then would he truly surpass the Pirate King.
Everything Bullet had done revolved around that single objective.
In truth, Hot did not agree with his thinking.
In today's world, overwhelming personal strength alone accomplished very little.
Even if Bullet defeated those legendary monsters, what would it truly achieve?
Every one of them stood atop colossal organizations.
None of those forces would simply stand aside and allow Bullet to challenge their leaders.
Still...
From Bullet's perspective, strength itself was the goal.
If he wished to surpass Roger, then defeating those whom Roger had never defeated was a perfectly logical path.
It was a belief.
A deeply rooted conviction.
Hot never intended to argue with it.
His responsibility was simply to locate Bullet's targets.
With Bullet's strength, even if something went wrong, there was little the Brotherhood itself could do anyway.
Any force capable of defeating or capturing Douglas Bullet could just as easily wipe the Brotherhood off the map.
Although the Brotherhood had become one of the New World's great underworld powers, everyone understood who truly ruled the seas.
Pirates.
Every underworld giant ultimately depended upon maintaining good relationships with the world's strongest pirate crews.
Fortunately, the Brotherhood itself had already reached maturity.
Even if Bullet were someday captured, the organization would survive.
At worst, they would surrender part of their interests and seek protection under another powerful faction.
Even now, while they could not provoke powers like the Beast Pirates, the Brotherhood remained one of the New World's true underworld giants.
The title of Dark King was no empty boast.
Using the Brotherhood's resources, Hot himself had long since consumed a Devil Fruit suited to his abilities.
As for Bullet...
His targets were the greatest monsters alive.
Vice Admiral Garp.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Chief Instructor Zephyr.
The Emperors of the New World.
Especially Shiki and Edward Newgate, Roger's lifelong rivals.
Now...
The Dark Emperor might join that list as well.
Still, Garp, Shiki, and Whitebeard remained Bullet's primary objectives.
Hot understood him better than anyone.
Bullet's obsession had become his very faith.
To surpass Roger...
He would accomplish everything Roger had left unfinished.
Everyone possessed something they pursued with absolute conviction.
Hot himself had once been the same.
He had stubbornly insisted on building his own organization despite repeated failures and suppression.
Because of that, he understood Bullet.
Whatever happened...
Remaining Bullet's ally would never be the wrong decision.
Even Hot himself no longer knew exactly how powerful Bullet had become.
Yet Bullet still possessed absolute confidence despite knowing the world would witness his actions.
That confidence alone suggested he already considered himself equal to the world's greatest monsters.
Thinking about it...
Even Hot felt excitement building within him.
He, too, would play a part in what came next.
"The Marines are our first target."
"We already have a plan."
Hot spread out a map.
"The Marines maintain a logistics base in Paradise."
"There are approximately ten thousand Marines stationed there."
"We'll launch a surprise attack, capture all of them, then use their lives to force either Garp or Sengoku to come to the New World and fight you."
He looked toward Bullet.
"This is the best way we can create a relatively fair battlefield."
"Hmph."
Bullet folded his arms.
"If both of them come, even better."
He clearly wasn't intimidated by the Marines.
Still...
He understood Hot's intentions.
As long as those ten thousand Marines remained hostages, Marine Headquarters would hesitate before sending overwhelming reinforcements.
Otherwise, Bullet could massacre every hostage at any moment.
By forcing the battlefield into the New World, Bullet would also avoid fighting within Paradise, where the Marines held a much greater advantage.
Hot frowned.
"Even if the Marines agree to our demands..."
"Can we really release those ten thousand soldiers afterward?"
"If we actually let them go, Headquarters won't have any reason to hold back. They'll definitely prepare reinforcements in advance."
Bullet glanced at him.
"You already have an idea."
Hot smiled.
"We can't control what the Marines do."
"But we can prepare for it."
"What if..."
"We bury explosives beneath the battlefield we've chosen?"
"Explosives?"
Bullet's eyes immediately lit up.
"Hahaha!"
"Excellent idea!"
"How much do you need?" Hot asked.
"The more the better."
"Just bring me the raw materials."
"I'll make everything myself."
Thanks to the Clank-Clank Fruit, as long as he possessed sufficient materials, Bullet could manufacture anything he fully understood.
"Then..."
"Let's prepare a surprise for the Marines."
Since he intended to challenge the world's strongest, Bullet naturally planned to make full preparations.
He understood the Marines well enough to know they probably wouldn't cooperate honestly.
Hot's proposal gave him another contingency.
Even if the Marines broke their word...
He would already have an answer waiting.
"There is one more issue."
Hot looked thoughtful.
"Can we really capture ten thousand Marines and transport them all the way to the New World?"
Even understanding Bullet's abilities, Hot found that difficult to imagine.
Bullet smiled.
"Don't worry."
"That's easy."
"I can simply build enormous submarines."
"There'll be more than enough room."
He clenched his fist confidently.
"Good."
Hot nodded.
"I'll begin preparations immediately."
"I've already selected the battlefield."
"It's an uninhabited island with plenty of open space."
"It should be perfect for your fight."
He had considered that carefully.
A battle between monsters like Bullet and Garp could easily devastate an entire island.
The larger the battlefield, the more freedom Bullet would have to unleash the Clank-Clank Fruit without restraint.
Hot had witnessed Bullet's abilities before.
Because of that, he possessed tremendous confidence in Bullet's strength.
His only concern was stamina.
Even monsters had limits.
Many powerful figures throughout history had ultimately fallen because they exhausted themselves.
The Marines, meanwhile, could always send more troops.
Producing enough explosives would require enormous quantities of raw materials.
Although the Brotherhood had become one of the underworld's largest arms dealers, they still had to gather those materials carefully and discreetly to avoid attracting the attention of rival powers.