While cursing loudly, Kaido was still angrily slapping his large hand.
The wind from his palm swept past the phantoms of the others, making them even more indistinct, and also causing Gawain's hair to sway in the wind.
In the next instant, Kaido, Observation Haki was exceptionally good, quickly looked in Gawain's direction.
Gawain rolled his eyes with a wry smile.
Kaido, all by himself, is surprisingly kind of silly and adorable...
One second, two seconds.
The two stared at each other for a while, and finally, Kaido couldn't help but ask.
"Very good, high... high... high...?!
Hey, that's weird, I can't remember your name?
In short, this is indeed something you created. Damn it, what kind of Devil Fruit is this that's related to the soul?
"Did you actually eat two Devil Fruits?!"
With that, Kaido picked up his spiked club and strode towards Gawain.
He now feels like he has unlimited energy, and his energy is back to its peak decades ago. He is full of vitality.
As for what he wants to do?
Although I don't understand why, since I have such good physical strength, I should definitely give Gawain a good beating!
Fuck it!
"Raimei Hakke!!!"
With a loud roar, Kaido's spiked club, accompanied by a hurricane, charged towards Gawain.
Unexpectedly, Gawain remained motionless, but Kaido's Raimei Hakke inexplicably sent him flying, tearing up the dome of the Xianyang Palace and disappearing to some unknown place.
The next moment, the shattered Xianyang Palace gradually recovered, and in less than two blinks of an eye, there was no trace of the damage left.
Kaido, however, frowned and stood still, silently looking at the spiked club in his hand.
At the head of the table, Gawain glanced at Kaido, who was deep in thought, and then smiled slightly.
Even before Kaido could recall his name, he already had a guess.
Now, he also understands a certain rule governing the existence of the Xianyang Palace.
Clearly, someone like Kaido could never harm him within this palace.
As for Kaido not being able to recall his own name...
Gawain sighed softly, shook his head, and said...
"It's really sad, Kaido. I thought our reunion would be more joyful."
But, sigh...
You won't even call me "Your Majesty."
After speaking, Gawain let out a long sigh, then sat down on his throne.
Just as Kaido was about to say something, Gawain waved his hand before he could, giving an order.
"Please sit down."
Thump!!!
Kaido abruptly sat back down on the tatami mat, looking at his crossed legs in surprise.
He always felt that his legs were more willing to listen to Gawain than he was.
At the same time, at the head of the table, Gawain casually flipped open the imperial edict that had always been placed in front of the throne.
It was less of an imperial edict and more of a bamboo slip—a bamboo slip that determined the fate of the entire Xianyang Palace.
As before, most of the information on the bamboo slips remained unchanged.
In terms of the map, several small dots have appeared on this bamboo slip, such as Wano Country, which has now been colored by Gawain.
However, the Wano Country on the map is painted in red and green, which may symbolize that there is still a certain degree of resistance hidden within that country.
Gawain was well aware of this, after all, families like Shimotsuki Yasuie, whose names included the character "moon," were the daimyo of various regions in Wano Country.
Those people are still alive, and they are Gawain's next targets.
In short, after returning to the Xianyang Palace, Gawain was certain that the existence of the map marked both his sphere of influence and his global reach.
It also indicates the region's level of loyalty to the Gawain people.
Having confirmed this, Gawain glanced past the map and looked at the portal section.
He had intended to glance at it and then move on, since the scroll from last time had already explained it.
This thing can't be opened until everything is unified!
Therefore, Gawain originally didn't care.
But to his surprise, after a quick glance at the door, he froze in place!
In his eyes, above the words "Cannot be opened" on the portal page, there were several large characters that had appeared!
"Unable to open"
"Can be explored"
At that moment, Gawain remained stunned for a long time.
His mind was filled with one word: Why?
There's only one answer, because there's only one change: Kaido!
But why, when Kaido arrived at the Xianyang Palace, did the so-called portal, though unable to be opened, still display an exploration option?
Is he going to explore on his own, with Kaido taking his place and overseeing Xianyang Palace?
Or should we send Kaido to explore?
Or perhaps I could explore with Kaido?
Where to explore?
What are the rules and requirements?
What can it do?
What can you gain?
Most importantly, will I lose anything?
For a moment, Gawain's mind was filled with so many thoughts that he could hardly count them all. However, in the end, he quickly suppressed his expectations and turned his attention to the matter at hand.
He coughed lightly, causing Kaido, who was sitting there in a daze, to look up.
Meeting Kaido's gaze, which was filled with countless emotions, Gawain spoke softly.
"As you can see, Kaido, you are dead, but you are still alive."
This sentence is a bit of a mouthful, but you should be able to grasp its meaning.
Let's just consider all of this as my Devil Fruit ability; I certainly don't only possess the Rumble-Rumble Fruit.
And you, at this moment, might as well set aside your unimportant daydreams and devote your time to the more interesting unknowns.
So, what is your answer?
After speaking, Gawain looked up at Kaido. His eyes, which were filled with a light smile yet also with majesty and absolute authority, made Kaido take a deep breath.
Do you have any wine?
After swallowing the whole thing in one gulp, Kaido felt a complete emptiness in his heart and mind.
My life should have ended there; although I failed, it was over.
But as it turns out, the power of the Devil Fruit exceeded my imagination. I really don't know what kind of Devil Fruit it is, that it could pull my dead self into such an indestructible house!
Before Gawain arrived, Kaido had already spent a long time in this house. He tried countless ways, but ultimately he still couldn't leave.
Since we can't resist it, even if we can't enjoy it, we should try to relax.
Kaido was a mature man, so he asked for a drink, then placed his hands on his knees and grinned.
"The palaces here are exceptionally beautiful; surely they can't even afford wine?"
Or is it that you don't have that much control over this place?
Or perhaps you have such strong control over this place that I can't even call you by your full name, let alone disobey your orders.
But there's really nothing here, except this house that's trapping me!!!
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaido looked at Gawain with amusement, his eyes filled with probing and contemplation.
Facing Kaido's probing, Gawain shook his head and responded with a smile.
"Instead of guessing, it's better to feel. At a time like this, how can you drink?"
Feel your body!
"Ha, I've already experienced it. Except for not being able to beat you up, this place is simply paradise."
My body has now returned to its peak condition. If you don't believe me, look! Even the scars on my chest from Oden and Mihawk are gone!
As for my age, haha, I'm probably only around thirty-six years old now.
This age was the peak of my life. I've dreamt of those days countless times, and this is probably the period I dreamt of!
Most importantly, back then, when I was at my physical peak, my Haki and fighting skills were still far from adequate.
Now, with my life experience and youthful body, I could fight against two versions of myself from before I died, and it wouldn't take me more than two or three days to defeat them!
In short, if it weren't for the fact that I couldn't leave this room, this place would truly be my paradise!
Or perhaps, like the myths of some small place at sea, there is a place called Valhalla, capable of holding the souls of every warrior?
As soon as he finished speaking, Kaido patted his chest. No matter when or where, the youthful feeling conveyed by this gesture always made him excited.
Kaido 'Gawain demeanor, nodded in satisfaction.
Xianyang Palace is even more perfect than I imagined. Everyone who comes here can be restored to the peak of their life!
Imagine if Red-Haired Shanks hadn't lost an arm, if Whitebeard were still at his peak, if Garp hadn't aged, if Shiki...
Ah, the Shiki is already dead, and at that time, Gawain had not yet discovered the hidden function of the Xianyang Palace out of covetousness.
Undoubtedly, this palace not only allows Gawain to absorb the talents of his subordinates from all aspects, but it also collects the souls of his Gawain!
And Kaido...
This guy should be considered a bug in Gawain.
If Gawain n't executed him, who knows how long it would have taken him to learn about the Xianyang Palace's function regarding the dead!
"It's not the time to consider the function yet," Gawain nodded, meeting Kaido's curious gaze, and smiled mysteriously.
"Since you are satisfied with your current physical condition, that's wonderful."
This is a gift from me. I hope that while you are delighted, you will also feel a little more gratitude.
However, its functions go far beyond that. Since it can perform miracles like bringing you back to life and rejuvenating you, how could this place only have one palace?
Follow me!
As he spoke, Gawain's gaze shifted from the "Portal" section of the scroll to the "Monarch" section behind it.
In the section on monarchs, besides Gawain's own introduction and the corresponding status of his subordinates, there is also...
And then there's Kaido, a truly unique individual.
When Gawain looked at the introduction about Kaido, his retainer, in addition to the introduction of Kaido's identity, there was a special title after his status.
Terracotta warriors!
Thinking about it this way, Gawain felt it made much more sense.
Because the Xianyang Palace can indeed be associated with countless terracotta warriors!
At the same time, besides Kaido's identity as a puppet...
A series of functions also began with the terracotta warriors and spread out in a spider web pattern.
Among these functions, the most important is the architectural facilities that complement the terracotta warriors.
"Training Ground"!
Just as Gawain was gesturing for Kaido to get up, he had already made the decision to build a training ground on the bamboo slip.
Just as Gawain and Kaido stood up, the gates of the Xianyang Palace suddenly burst open!
Outside the door, more than a hundred figures slowly walked in, some carrying weapons and others carrying food and drink. They quickly came between Gawain and Kaido and placed various items in front of Gawain two of them.
As for the figures carrying weapons, they stood in rows throughout the palace, motionless like guards.
Looking at those figures, Gawain's heart tightened slightly.
He recognized many of the people there; they were all his men from the Dark Bird Ship!
These people all have one thing in common: they are all dead!
Unlike Kaido body was clear and healthy in the Xianyang Palace.
Aside from being able to move, the figures of those servants and guards looked just like the phantoms of Rayleigh and the others—ethereal and seemingly about to be blown away by a gentle breeze.
Gawain glanced at the phantoms, then looked down at the bamboo slips.
The bamboo slips describe these movable phantoms as "souls".
This must be the meaning behind their common saying, "May the soul return."
With a soft sigh, Gawain picked up the bamboo slip, which instantly transformed into a ruyi (Gawain symbolizing good fortune) and hung in his palm for him to play with.
Holding the Ruyi scepter, Gawain looked at the finally opened gates of the Xianyang Palace.
Outside that gate, countless souls lined up outside the palace gate, and their figures stretched all the way to an open space in the distance!
The moment Kaido saw the open space, he slapped his head hard.
"What the hell is this ability? Is it the legendary Revive-Revive Fruit), or is there a hierarchy of Revive-Revive Fruit, and yours is a higher-level Devil Fruit, like the Hell Fruit?"
Don't try to fool me. I saw it all too clearly. Quite a few of those standing outside died in Wano Country. Nobody knows their presence better than me.
They seem quite different from me; I am clearly more complete than they are!
Most importantly, they just stood there, while I, the old man..."
At this point, Kaido turned around and gave Gawain a deep look.
"And just now, a lot of information suddenly appeared in my mind."
The information told me that the place where those soldiers are standing guard outside your door is called the drill ground!
"This place is just for old warriors like me to play games, hahahahaha!!!"
Amidst the laughter, Kaido was already impatient. Although he didn't understand the cause and effect, only a fool would consider cause and effect.
He leaped up, grabbed his spiked club, and headed towards the training ground.
With ease, his tall figure left Xianyang Palace and followed the path of the guards to the outside of the training ground.
Seeing Kaido walking away happily, Gawain felt relieved and stepped out of the Xianyang Palace.
The sunlight outside felt incredibly real. Gawain looked up at the sky, which was still dazzling despite the absence of sun, and then transformed into Inazuma, instantly arriving at the training ground.
Just as Gawain landed, Kaido's voice drifted over.
"Hmph, my mind has gained a lot more information, and I now know what the training ground is used for."
This place is not only where I can hone my martial arts skills, but it is also where the so-called Imperial Tutor teaches His Majesty!
As a monarch, one cannot only study academic subjects, but also hone one's military strategy and combat skills.
The drill ground is where Your Majesty stands, with soldiers like me following you... What does the Terracotta Army mean?
In short, someone like me, who died but came back to life, and lived life to the fullest, is called a Terracotta Warrior!
I can teach you West City I'm good at on the training ground!
Besides that, well, it's very strange.
What does this so-called asylum mean?
I feel that I can use the consequences of my current weakness to protect Your Majesty as you travel somewhere.
And, haha, it's quite interesting.
After you arrive at your destination, it seems that Your Majesty will be unable to use your own power, as your body must be preserved in the Xianyang Palace to ensure the safety of the royal lineage.
Therefore, this so-called protection is equivalent to you and I being accomplices.
Stuff my power and soul into your terracotta warrior. My power will help you walk behind the gate to fight your enemies, while my soul will bear the cost of passing through the gate for you.
Haha!
Regardless of where that door leads, does Your Majesty intend to fight in my style? Haha!
Etc!!!"
Suddenly, Kaido seemed to see something again, and he continued in surprise.
"Not only that, you actually... you also possess the talents of all of us terracotta warriors."
Whether it's me, who has already become a terracotta warrior, or others who are preparing to become terracotta warriors.
This is because you must adapt to the capabilities of us terracotta warriors, so that you can explore outdoors.
Only when the gates are completely opened will we, the terracotta warriors, have the opportunity to continue the fight with our own bodies and minds!
But all I want to know is, haha!
Why the hell is it all for you!
Your Majesty!
Damn it, that's all I can call you!
You... well... you really are...
You're really quite insidious!
You, Your Majesty!!!