After listening to Kurosaki Rei's vision for the future, Kaido felt a surge of heroic ambition rise in his chest.
He was only forty-seven years old—right in his prime. Everything was still possible.
If he could get his hands on vast amounts of money, there would be countless ways to further expand the strength of his pirate crew. What's more, Kurosaki Rei had already pointed out clear paths for him in that regard.
"Kurosaki Rei, you're truly my lucky general, hahahaha!"
Kaido made no attempt to hide his appreciation. He bent down and slapped Kurosaki Rei hard on the shoulder with his massive hand.
Kurosaki Rei immediately circulated Ryuo, barely avoiding having his bones shaken loose.
"Mr. Kaido, don't get too excited just yet. One bite at a time—Wano won't grow strong in a single day. Don't go getting drunk and issuing an order to charge straight into Mariejois."
"How could that happen? My alcohol tolerance is incredible—I never get drunk,"
Kaido laughed loudly.
Just as the two were enjoying the moment, a female centaur galloped toward them at high speed—it was Speed, one of the Beasts Pirates' Headliners.
"Mr. Kaido, something's happened!"
Speed was clearly in a hurry, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Mr. Rei, please return to Onigashima with Mr. Kaido at once."
Kurosaki Rei was puzzled. In the New World, was there really anything that could require Kaido's immediate attention?
"What's going on? Slow down and explain,"
Kurosaki Rei asked. Kaido also put away his smile.
Since Wano was their territory, emergencies were rare. That was why Kaido hadn't even brought a Den Den Mushi when he went out to give the speech. Afterward, the two of them had wandered off to drink and chat, which was why Speed hadn't been able to find them right away.
"It's new information about a Road Poneglyph,"
Speed explained,
"and… All-Star King is a bit emotionally agitated."
Kurosaki Rei and Kaido exchanged glances, each thinking different thoughts.
Kaido was naturally interested in Poneglyphs, but he didn't quite understand why King would be so stirred up. After all, his old brother was famous within the crew for being exceptionally level-headed.
Kurosaki Rei, on the other hand, felt that something was off—this didn't feel like a plot point from the original story.
He'd been in this world for just over three months now. Judging from the initial timeline, there probably weren't many explorers still remaining here.
But looked at another way, any explorers who were still around should be elites.
Only those who'd completed certain hidden tasks could extend their stay.
If this incident had been caused by an explorer, then the person involved was definitely no ordinary character. After all, this was the New World—even Kurosaki Rei didn't dare claim he could roam freely here alone, stirring up chaos.
Kaido transformed into a dragon, carrying Kurosaki Rei as they flew straight back to Onigashima. Before long, they arrived at the conference hall.
The All-Stars and core officers were mostly already present. Clearly, everyone took this matter very seriously.
"King, what happened?"
Kaido asked his old brother the moment he entered. When he noticed the injuries on King's body, his brows furrowed deeply—anyone could feel the anger radiating from him.
"My injuries are nothing serious,"
King tugged at his collar, signaling there was no need to worry.
"I just ran into a troublesome opponent."
Kurosaki Rei was also shocked to see King injured.
He knew very well that at this point in time, the Beasts Pirates were essentially at the peak of their combat power.
There was no need to talk about Kaido—at forty-seven, he was at the absolute apex of a man's strength. Even if he were to fight Whitebeard one-on-one, it wasn't certain he'd lose.
King was thirty-five, likewise at his peak. Even if he improved a bit over the next twelve years, the growth would be limited. His strength as a Yonko's right-hand man was beyond doubt.
A powerhouse like King could practically walk sideways in the New World as long as he didn't run into another Yonko.
Who could have injured him?
When Kurosaki Rei first heard the news, he suspected explorer interference. But now he wasn't so sure. Given King's durability, even if he stood still, an average explorer wouldn't be able to break his defenses.
"Who injured you?"
Kaido's expression darkened.
He didn't acknowledge many people as true companions, but King was definitely one of them. Whoever dared lay a hand on his brother would pay dearly.
"A blind swordsman,"
King replied, his tone serious.
"I'd never heard of him before, but he's incredibly strong. I'd say he's not much weaker than the current Marine Admirals."
He wasn't boasting. To injure and force him back required at least Admiral-level strength.
Among the New World's 'Yonko commanders,' he'd crossed blades with nearly all of them.
Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates—one year older than him. In actual combat, King held the advantage.
Marco of the Whitebeard Pirates—two years younger. The Phoenix fruit was indeed formidable, but King had his Lunarian racial traits as well. In a real fight, he still came out on top.
Among Yonko commanders, King considered himself the strongest. In the New World, as long as he didn't face a Yonko, he was effectively invincible.
Yet on this voyage, he'd not only received shocking information—he'd encountered someone capable of injuring him.
"A blind swordsman?"
Kurosaki Rei asked.
"Was he middle-aged or older? Dressed like a samurai from Wano?"
King froze for a moment.
"Mr. Rei… how did you know?"
Kurosaki Rei inwardly thought it was almost certainly who he suspected.
"Does he possess the Gravity-Gravity Fruit?"
"Do you know him?"
King asked, surprised.
Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"I've heard some rumors about him during my travels. A chivalrous swordsman named Issho—a powerful great swordsman."
Kurosaki Rei hadn't expected Issho—later known as Admiral Fujitora—to appear in the New World.
As far as he knew, Issho was born on the Grand Line and rose to prominence after the Summit War through the World Military Draft, being promoted directly to Admiral.
The original story never explained what Issho was doing ten years earlier. A man of his strength traveling the seas as a wandering swordsman wasn't impossible.
"That man is very strong,"
King said grimly.
"If not for him getting in my way, I would've already obtained the Poneglyph."
"Mr. Kaido," he continued,
"this voyage brought me several pieces of extremely important information."
Kaido observed him carefully. Seeing that King looked mostly fine despite being wrapped in heavy bandages, he finally relaxed and gestured for him to continue.
The other officers remained silent, listening attentively.
From King's account, Kurosaki Rei finally understood what had happened in the New World.
Someone—no one knew who—had spread news that a Poneglyph existed on a certain Sky Island, stirring up massive waves.
Most pirates in the New World had gone to sea for the sake of the One Piece. And to reach the final island, all Road Poneglyphs had to be gathered.
Yet Poneglyphs were either controlled by powerful forces or hidden in ancient ruins, making them nearly impossible to find. To date, aside from Gol D. Roger, no one had ever collected them all.
Red-Haired Shanks, one of the current Yonko, once had the chance to reach the final island. But because his close friend Buggy fell ill, he stayed behind to take care of him. His attitude toward the One Piece was always ambiguous.
Whitebeard, the oldest Yonko, had no interest in the One Piece at all. He cared only about his "family" and loved gathering sons on the seas.
That meant the Yonko truly interested in the One Piece were only two: Big Mom and Kaido.
It was easy to predict that once the location of a Poneglyph leaked, it wouldn't just attract ordinary New World pirates. The Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates would never sit by—they would definitely compete for it.
That said, the intensity of the competition might be subtle.
Big Mom preferred managing her Totto Land. Kaido was currently focused on building up Wano for war preparations. Becoming Pirate King was a means to their ambitions, not an absolute necessity.
So both Kaido and Big Mom would likely want the information contained in the Poneglyph, but might not personally make a move.
After all, in the New World, Yonko commanders could handle 99% of matters. King acting on his own without informing Kaido to seize a Poneglyph made perfect sense.
Unfortunately, his luck was terrible—he ran into Issho.
As for who spread the Poneglyph rumor, Kurosaki Rei didn't need to think about it. It had to be the work of an explorer.
He'd underestimated the others. He wasn't the only one leveraging the world's forces.
Explorers had indeed reached the New World—and not just him.
What benefit did spreading such a rumor bring to an explorer?
After thinking it through, Kurosaki Rei understood. Normally, there wasn't much direct benefit—but for certain explorers, it was different.
If someone had absolute confidence in their own strength, then deliberately creating a vortex that drew in New World pirates was the same as creating a hunting ground.
This world had side quests involving Devil Fruits. There were plenty of ability users in the New World. Gather them together, and you could pick and choose—surely you'd find some good fruits.
In chaotic battles, an explorer who planned ahead could easily steal kills.
Taking Kurosaki Rei himself as an example: in a fair fight, he couldn't defeat a Flying Six member. But if someone of that level was exhausted and injured in a melee, Kurosaki Rei could simply fire a Ryuo-infused arrow from afar with the Barbarian King Bow and safely claim the kill.
High risk, high reward.
Whoever orchestrated this chaos was extremely bold.
Kurosaki Rei didn't know whether Issho had wandered here by coincidence or been guided by explorers, but King running into Issho was undeniably unlucky.
According to King, after hearing the news, he'd headed for the Summit of the West Sky, planning to reach the Sky Island terminal—Biron Terminal.
This was the standard route to Sky Islands. Using the Knock Up Stream was far riskier.
King himself was a Lunarian and also possessed the Ancient Zoan Pteranodon Fruit. Falling to his death was impossible for him, making him the perfect candidate to retrieve the Poneglyph.
In fact, the Beasts Pirates were very familiar with Biron Terminal. Kaido had even gone there before to play "bungee jumping" when drunk—though they'd never actually traveled onward to other Sky Islands.
When King arrived near the Summit of the West Sky, he encountered the blind swordsman Issho. For some reason, Issho seemed particularly hostile toward the Beasts Pirates. After only a brief exchange, they clashed.
The result was that both Issho and King were injured and retreated—but from King's description, Issho clearly had the upper hand.
What truly agitated King wasn't the fact that he'd encountered someone capable of injuring him, nor even the Poneglyph intelligence.
It was another piece of news he'd learned near the Summit of the West Sky—
That a Lunarian had been sighted on a certain Sky Island.
Someone of his own race.
King had believed himself to be the last Lunarian in the world. Hearing this, he was overwhelmed with emotion and desperately wanted to go verify whether the rumor was true.
But Issho had insisted on blocking his path, declaring that he wouldn't allow a pirate like him to bring disaster to the Sky Islands.
That infuriated King.
"Poneglyph… blind swordsman… Lunarian…"
Kaido muttered these keywords to himself.
"Looks like it's time to go out and stretch my legs."
Kurosaki Rei knew it—once all the elements came together, and especially with King having been "bullied," Kaido wouldn't sit still. He was definitely going to make a personal move.
After a moment's thought, Kurosaki Rei spoke up:
"Mr. Kaido, take me with you this time."
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