The only thing is that Kaido completely doesn’t care about such matters. Experiencing something didn’t mean he understood it. For him, the things Queen worried about weren’t worth agonizing over and didn’t concern him at all.
Assassination? If they truly had strong enough assassins, Kaido wouldn’t mind experiencing that himself.
They’re just some Cipher Pol agents. As one of the first to earn the title of Emperor of the Sea, Kaido’s strength was honed over time, meticulously sharpened through countless battles. Even if Morgans exaggerated it, Kaido still possessed monstrous strength.
Mere Cipher Pol agencies were nothing in his eyes.
As for his reputation…
He was a pirate. No pirate, no matter who they were, would ever have a positive image among the World Government. In any case, most pirates didn’t care about such things.
The World Government regularly promoted the terror and brutality of pirates. No matter what a pirate had actually done or what major incidents occurred nearby, they would inevitably be linked to them.
Whether it was Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, or Whitebeard, none were exceptions. Especially when problems arose in a kingdom or on an island, the pirates in the vicinity were the most convenient scapegoats. And when something went wrong with one of the government’s research facilities, it was even easier to shift the blame.
But just because Kaido didn’t care didn’t mean he wouldn’t act.
“Hey, you brat! What are you staring at? Get me a sea chart, now!”
A wine jar shattered near a low-ranking pirate, the shards of porcelain causing him to jump in surprise. He quickly scrambled to follow Kaido’s order. Although the Grand Line’s magnetic fields were unpredictable, and navigation relied on the Log Pose, some areas still needed sea charts.
With a fixed sea chart, they could at least know the location of the next island and whose territory they were entering.
Kaido’s sudden outburst didn’t surprise his subordinates. Just a moment ago, he’d been laughing and chatting, but now, it’s the end of year 1517 and with only a few hours left before year 1518, such occasions always call for strong liquor.
For the drunk Kaido, not flipping the table is already an act of remarkable restraint.
“What do you need the sea chart for?”
Looking at Kaido who was suddenly looking for a sea chart, Arceus had a strange feeling.
“Worororo! Of course, it’s to do those guys a favor. They’ve made headlines, haven’t they? If I don’t blow up an island, wouldn’t they then be spreading rumors? I’m only helping them out!”
Even in his slightly drunken state, Kaido’s thoughts were remarkably clear. Rumors didn’t bother him—people could say whatever they wanted.
However, the order of this world was built on individual strength. When Kaido was in a good mood, he could disregard such things. But when his mood soured, retaliation naturally followed.
“Don’t worry. I’ll pick an appropriate island to blow up. You can go celebrate with them; I’m going to find someone to spar with.”
Kaido cracked his neck and stood up again. At the same time, both Yamato and Queen felt a cold chill run down their spines, as if they’d been targeted by something unspeakably vile.
Their eyes met. Having both suffered extensively under Kaido’s tyranny, they immediately understood the source of that unsettling feeling.
By usual logic, Kaido wouldn’t target two people at the same time, especially during a celebratory banquet; at most, only one person would be unfortunate. However, before Queen could act, he found that his feet were already frozen, while Yamato had retreated to a corner and was waving at him apologetically.
The noisy venue muffled Yamato’s voice, but Queen could still make out the meaning from Yamato’s lip movements:
【Sorry, Uncle Queen. Someone has to be unlucky, so you deal with Father.】
It didn’t take Queen long to break free from the restraints, but those few seconds were enough for Kaido’s gaze to meet his.
“Queen, it is getting boring. Let’s have a little entertainment. Alright, everyone! This year’s special event—while Queen and I spar, anyone who manages to touch me will get a reward!”
Fueled by alcohol, the pirates were easily enticed. Only Yamato, having narrowly avoided the disaster, let out a long sigh of relief.
“Sure enough, when being chased by a bear, you don’t need to outrun the bear. You just need to run faster than the others.”
“Yamato.”
“Dad?! When did you get here?”
“Not long ago. You know, Yamato, if you used even half the cunning you reserve for dealing with your father on other matters, no one would have to worry about you.”
“Huh?”
…
Despite the brief interlude, Onigashima still had the atmosphere of celebrating New Year. In contrast, others weren’t having such a good time—like Caesar Clown, the true culprit behind the Punk Hazard incident.
Out at sea, aboard a prison ship, Caesar sat miserably in his cell, complaining bitterly to the soldiers guarding him.
“It’s all my fault. If it weren’t for my carelessness, the experiment wouldn’t have failed. It’s all my fault…
Otherwise, they’d all be fine now…”
“Alright, enough with the nonsense. If you really think you’re at fault, then reflect on it properly. You’re a talented scientist, and higher-ups will likely forgive you. Besides, it’s not entirely your fault—this all happened because of the pirate attack.”
“Yeah, it’s not all on you.”
The soldiers aboard the prison ship weren’t fully aware of what had happened. To cover up the scandal, the World Government had internally reported that the incident wasn’t due to Caesar deliberately detonating Shinokuni, but rather caused by the pirate attack.
Their surveillance of Caesar wasn’t particularly strict, as he had always concealed his true nature. To the soldiers and research staff at Punk Hazard, Caesar came across as a caring superior who looked out for his subordinates.
Even if he occasionally lost his temper, he would always apologize afterward. This prison ship, which frequently transferred prisoners to Punk Hazard for experiments, was staffed by soldiers who had also been swayed by Caesar’s carefully crafted facade, leading them to believe he was somewhat innocent.
Listening to the soldiers, Caesar immediately understood that the World Government had once again buried the truth, which made him feel that this was an opportunity.
“Um… these handcuffs are really uncomfortable. Could you switch them out for ones with slightly longer chains? Please…”
Moved by his sincere plea, the guards actually softened and brought him a new set of chains as he had requested. However, during the process of replacing the chains, they made a procedural error.
Normally, the protocol required securing the new chains before removing the old ones.
But the guards, convinced by Caesar’s image as a kind-hearted scientist who was now genuinely remorseful, neglected to follow procedure.
The moment the Seastone handcuffs were loosened, Caesar’s expression changed drastically. The gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by a cruel grin.
“Land of Nothing!”
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