The Selfish Sun

There was no room for negotiation? I never expected to run into something like this on my second day in this world. This was troublesome.

Understanding the meaning behind his words, Ra found herself in a difficult position.

He clearly had no intention of letting this go. No matter which of the three choices she picked, Ra did not want any of them.

Join him?

Judging by the way he looked, this was probably no legitimate organization. And what use could he have for three obviously underage children like them?

Other than human trafficking, she could think of no other reason.

Refuse him?

To be honest, her instincts told Ra that she would have a hard time defeating him.

No matter how powerful the Phantom Gods were, Ra had only been born a day ago and could not fully wield their power. On top of that, she had to worry about Oshi and Obe's safety...

For now, I can only play along and figure things out later...

"Sister Ra, what did that big guy say?" Oshi quietly tugged at Ra's sleeve, interrupting her thoughts.

"He said we either join his organization or defeat him here."

"We can't agree to that, Sister!" Obe hurriedly objected upon hearing this.

"This guy is obviously no good person. Once we get to his territory, it'll be much harder to resist! If the three of us join forces now, we might not be unable to win!"

"Yeah! Sister Ra, we can't hand the initiative over to the enemy!" Oshi stood with Obe as well.

"Hey! What are you three whispering about? Choose now! Join me, or die here!" Kaido, who could not understand Chinese, impatiently urged them from the side.

"Sister Ra, let's give it everything we've got!" Even without Ra translating, Oshi and Obe sensed his impatience.

Ra did not respond. She merely studied Oshi and Obe's faces carefully.

Their two childish little faces were filled with determination and resolve. There was no doubt that they had already made their choice.

But Ra also knew that with the power Oshi and Obe could currently wield, joining the battle would not increase their chances of victory. Instead, they might distract her.

Against the strength of that dragon man, even though Oshi and Obe's bodies were already far stronger than anything they could have imagined before, they could still very likely be seriously injured or killed by his attacks.

The silence lasted only a moment. Ra's tightly furrowed brow relaxed as she made a decision. After nodding to Oshi and Obe, she turned to Kaido and said:

"My sisters, let them go. I will fight you, alone."

Though the two little girls did not understand what Ra had said, they still stepped forward and stood at her side.

"You'll fight me alone?! Worororororo! What an interesting little brat. So you were the one with the aura I sensed back then!"

Kaido actually burst into laughter. An overwhelming aura surged from his body, and the tangible pressure even scattered the clouds overhead.

Conqueror's Haki—the most tyrannical aura, born only from the qualities of a king standing above countless mortals—erupted from Kaido at that very moment!

In Ra's eyes, he seemed to transform into an evil dragon that devoured worlds, roaring savagely at them!

"Good! Then I'll grant your wish! Just don't disappoint me, brat!"

"W-What is this?! This is... my head, my head's spinning."

The sudden impact of Conqueror's Haki immediately left Oshi and Obe unable to stand steadily. Their souls, having only recently been separated, were still unstable. After swaying for a while, they finally could not hold on and fainted.

But Kaido saw this scene differently.

These little brats really are extraordinary!

Even with him releasing his Conqueror's Haki without holding anything back, those two little brats who could barely speak properly had not passed out immediately. This completely exceeded his expectations.

Normally, Kaido's Haki could directly knock out even some low-ranking Marine officers. As for eight- or nine-year-old girls like Oshi and Obe, he could probably scare them to death with a single glare.

Kaido shifted his gaze to Ra, who stood before the two of them. Aside from her dazzling golden hair being blown loose, nothing else had changed. She had not even blinked, as though his Haki had not affected her at all.

Seeing her calm expression, the gleam in Kaido's eyes grew fiercer, and his gaze at the other two girls lying unconscious on the ground became even more eager.

If his body had not instinctively sensed a genuine threat from the blond little brat before him, he would have already scooped up all three of them and taken them away. He would not have wasted words threatening them.

Who cared whether a forcibly picked melon was sweet or not? As long as it quenched thirst, that was enough. His Pirate Crew was desperately short on people right now.

Taking a small step forward to block Kaido's gaze, Ra pointed behind herself and said, "South side of the island. Fight, you and me."

After saying that, she glanced at Oshi and Obe, who had collapsed on the ground. Kaido's Haki attack had saved her the effort of knocking the two of them out herself.

With a wave of her hand, Ra formed a circular barrier of flames around them, sealing them off from everything outside. She then gestured for Kaido to follow her.

Kaido glanced at the golden barrier without asking any questions, then directly followed behind Ra's small figure.

On the southern side of the nameless island, one large and one small figure stood facing each other.

"Brat, what's your name?" Kaido did not rush to attack, instead asking for her name first.

"Ra."

Ra replied calmly, her voice devoid of any fluctuation. Yet the divine power within her had long since begun to boil, poised to strike. She was ready to act at any moment.

Her entire aura has changed, this little brat! Kaido keenly sensed the change in Ra, and his heart tightened.

"My name is Kaido! I'm the man who'll overturn this world! I'll give you one more chance—join me!"

Hm? Overturn the world...

The information revealed in Kaido's words caught Ra somewhat by surprise.

It seems my previous guess was wrong. Although this person doesn't look like a good man, he's probably not some petty scoundrel who kidnaps children and traffics people either. And the name Kaido...

Auras did not lie, and lies could not deceive the current Ra either. The Haki Kaido had unleashed earlier was not something a petty thief who abducted children could possess.

An ambitious man...

"I can, if you can defeat me."

Having gained a measure of confidence and relaxed somewhat, Ra smiled again and threw Kaido's earlier words back at him.

After roughly determining that he had likely taken an interest in her strength rather than anything else, Ra gave up on the idea of perishing with him and instead chose to join him for the time being.

What she needed to do now was demonstrate her strength and raise the importance of her group in his eyes. Of course, if an opportunity arose during the battle to kill him, she would not hesitate.

Although she knew he was no good person, Ra had no obsession with righteousness. She would not insist on refusing to associate with evil people even if her loved ones all died.

For now, Oshi and Obe came first.

As an outsider who had only been here for a single day, Ra could not develop any sense of belonging toward the world beneath her feet. The indifference brought by her divinity also made it difficult for her to feel attached to an unfamiliar world.

In fact, if she had not sensed that Kaido was difficult to defeat, Ra would have killed him without the slightest hesitation the moment he threatened Oshi and Obe, just as she had killed those two chicken-like creatures without showing even a trace of mercy.

Sure enough, once it had emotions, even the sun could become selfish...