Kaido Sets Out

"How is that possible!" Jerry didn't believe it. Neither did the others. They thought Teach was talking nonsense. He was a drunk, after all.

"Then you don't know," Teach said with a smile. "You know what our king can do, right?" Jerry nodded and was about to say something, but Teach launched into an explanation, looking utterly awestruck. "Our king's power is beast taming. He can tame any beast or animal, and he commands an entire army made up of ferocious beasts."

Then Teach leaned close to Jerry's ear. "The king controls Beast Island in the northern part of the kingdom. Even the Beast King of those monsters is like a dog in front of the king's power."

Teach looked barely able to contain his excitement. "I heard from a relative that the king's ability has made a major breakthrough."

"What kind of breakthrough?" Jerry asked. This was huge news.

"He can control Zoan Devil Fruit users," Teach whispered.

"What? How is that possible? He can even control Devil Fruit users?" Jerry's eyes widened. He seemed to realize what Teach was getting at. The other Beasts Pirates had lost all interest in drinking and listened in silence, their hearts churning like storm-tossed seas.

"So hurry up and leave the Beasts Pirates. I heard the king has his eye on Kaido of the Beasts. If he can just get Kaido to eat something created by the king's power, he'll be able to control him. Kaido will become the kingdom's strongest enforcer and guard its gates." Teach patted Jerry on the shoulder. "This is classified information, so don't tell anyone." With that, Teach stood and headed outside.

They were still trying to process the news Teach had given them. It was so shocking that, even after a long while, they still couldn't react.

When they finally came to their senses, they wanted to find Teach, but he had already left. They rushed outside, but couldn't find a trace of him.

How could they find Teach? In a small alley, his body changed, returning to his original appearance. He wouldn't use his real face for something like this, so he had used Life Return to adjust his facial muscles and height. He quietly watched to see what the Beasts Pirates would do next. This was a crucial part of his plan.

"Hey, what do we do now?" one pirate asked.

"Idiot. We tell the Governor right away, of course. The Governor's so powerful that there's no way he'd be controlled so easily. Didn't that guy just say that someone had to eat something created by the king's power to be controlled? Once the Governor knows, he won't eat it. He's not stupid," another pirate said. He was their leader, and a devoted admirer of Kaido.

"We've done a great service this time. The Governor will definitely reward us. It's so boring out here. I'm worried he'll forget about us."

"Right. Let's get back to our base first."

This was serious business. Of course they had to inform Kaido at once. How could they be in the mood to eat? They were all members of Kaido's crew. If Kaido were tamed, what would become of them?

"Buru, buru! Buru, buru!" On Beast Island in the New World, a towering giant nearly eight meters tall bellowed, "Thunder Bagua!" A pair of curved horns sprouted from his head. He had thick black hair and a bare chest, with a red dragon-scale tattoo covering his left arm and chest. His powerful muscles radiated an aura more ferocious than any beast's. Seen up close, he was like a demon god, his overwhelming strength impossible to ignore.

This was Kaido—Kaido of the Beasts, possessor of the Immortal Body and the future Four Emperor Kaido.

He gripped an enormous kanabo that crackled with thunder and flashed with lightning. His lightning was even more powerful than Teach's, and it was natural lightning. Opposite him stood a colossal beast nearly a hundred meters long, a legendary monster of immense size. It resembled a dragon from legend, with thick scales and razor-sharp claws. Its terrifying strength met Kaido's kanabo in midair.

For a moment, they were evenly matched. In terms of strength, the dragonlike monster even had the upper hand.

Bandages wrapped around Kaido's body. He had been injured earlier when he challenged Roger. Those men had fought dirty, ganging up on him until he passed out, then throwing him into the sea.

The battle continued. Facing such a colossal beast, Kaido looked tiny. Perhaps the fight wasn't satisfying enough for him. He put away his kanabo—where, no one could tell—and transformed into a blue dragon hundreds of meters long. A clash between a divine dragon and a great dragon, a sight fit for mythology, unfolded before their eyes.

In the Kate Kingdom, one pirate asked, "Why isn't Boss Kaido answering the Den Den Mushi? I heard he wasn't out."

"Don't you know Governor Kaido? He's probably fighting something somewhere again and can't get to us. But he should answer soon," another pirate said.

"Haha! Remember that newspaper? It said Boss Kaido challenged the entire Roger Pirates all by himself. He was so reckless he didn't bring a single subordinate, and they beat him to a pulp," a pirate laughed. "I heard it took two weeks to find Boss Kaido and haul him out of the sea."

Just then, "Buru!" The Den Den Mushi rang. "All right, Boss Kaido's answering us." The pirates were delighted.

The battle went on for a long time before finally ending. At last, Kaido defeated the giant beast, which collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

Kaido returned to his camp. "Where's the meat? Where's the booze? Get it ready, now!" "Yes, boss." As soon as they saw Kaido return, the pirates set about preparing food. This was a hidden island teeming with terrifying creatures, and Kaido had been fighting that monster there.

He drank deeply, liquor streaming from the corners of his mouth and down his neck. Grabbing a roasted leg in his massive hand, he brought it to his mouth and tore off a bite.

"Lord Kaido, we have important news about the Kate Kingdom. You were still fighting earlier, so we didn't inform you." A pirate came over with a Den Den Mushi in his hand.

"The Kate Kingdom? The pet kingdom? Its king can control beasts." Kaido paused, then remembered. He had some impression of the country, so he'd assigned a small number of men to keep an eye on it. Otherwise, he would have almost forgotten about it.

"Hello! What's this important matter?" Back in the Kate Kingdom, the Den Den Mushi rang. It could mimic a person's voice and expression in real time, which made it a truly remarkable creature. Kaido's voice came from inside it.

"It finally went through! Lord Kaido finally answered the Den Den Mushi!" The pirates shouted excitedly when they heard it ring. They had no idea how long they'd been waiting. As soon as they'd received the news that morning, they had returned to their little base and reported it. Then they'd sat there waiting for Lord Kaido to answer. To make sure they didn't miss the call, they hadn't eaten a thing, and now the sky was beginning to darken.

Back at the inn, Teach, who had been keeping an eye on them the whole time, let out a breath. He had been watching the place with Observation Haki. He hadn't expected Kaido to take so long to get the message. He couldn't help thinking, Kaido's so unreliable.

Hearing several excited cheers from the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Kaido's expression stiffened. He felt a little awkward, and turned to ask, "When did this call come in?"

"Uh, Lord Kaido, it came in this morning while you were still fighting," the pirate replied, barely able to keep from laughing.

"All right, quiet down. I'm going to report the important news." The pirate leading the group wiped away his excited tears and spoke gravely, calming the others.

"Lord Kaido, based on our observations, the king of the Kate Kingdom is extremely dangerous, especially to the Beasts Pirates. The king of Kate has used his power to take control of an entire Beast Island, and he commands a powerful army of ferocious beasts." He shared the information he had gathered, combining what he had learned over the years with what Teach had told them.

"We also have an unconfirmed piece of information, but it's even more important. The Kate Kingdom's king, Brady, may have made a major breakthrough in his ability and can control Zoan Devil Fruit users. According to information from inside the palace, the Kate Kingdom seems to have set its sights on you, Lord Kaido." He didn't state it as a certainty, calling it unconfirmed, but it seemed highly likely.

"Hm?" Kaido's eyes flew open. He crushed the wine cup in his hand. The pirate was right: this was a serious threat to the Beasts Pirates. Almost all the crew's Devil Fruit users had Zoan powers, and Kaido himself was one of them. His goal was to build an army made up entirely of Zoan Devil Fruit users. They were natural enemies, and the king of the Kate Kingdom stood in Kaido's way.

That was what Teach had intended. He wanted to bring about this natural enmity. Only one side could survive; one had to be destroyed. And the one that had to go was the royal family of the Kate Kingdom.

"Any more news?" Kaido calmed down and continued questioning them.

The pirate paused. There had been something important, but he'd forgotten what it was. "Hey, the ability-created thing," one of the pirates beside him prompted.

"Right, the ability-created thing. It seems that taming a beast produces one. If you eat it, you come under the Kate king's control," he said earnestly.

"Fine. I understand. I'll head over soon." Kaido nodded, then hung up the Den Den Mushi. "Boss Kaido, are we setting out for the Kate Kingdom?" one pirate asked. He was a Zoan Devil Fruit user. He hadn't known such a terrifying power existed, and felt a little uneasy. Someone like that had to be dealt with.

"No. I'll go alone. You guard our territory." Kaido wasn't foolish. After learning about the Kate Kingdom, he knew his men wouldn't be able to stop an entire army of ferocious beasts. He was powerful, but his subordinates weren't. He had recruited many pirates through sheer strength, but none of them were strong enough to stand on their own. Some were still growing. He didn't want to end up alone by wasting the men he had worked so hard to recruit.

At the same time, he felt an urgent need to find powerful subordinates.

In the Kate Kingdom, the Beasts Pirates were thrilled. "Did you hear? Lord Kaido's coming! This is wonderful!" Many of them hadn't seen Kaido in a long time.

At the inn, Teach smiled and continued training. His plan had succeeded.

Back in the palace, King Brady frowned. He felt a shadow fall over him and sensed that something was wrong.

After eating and drinking his fill, Kaido wiped his mouth. A gourd marked with the character for "Heaven" hung at his waist. "Tell me where the Kate Kingdom is."

"Of course." A pirate beside him had already prepared a chart. He pointed out their current location, then Pet Island, and worked out the route. "Boss Kaido, just fly in this direction."

Kaido had been an apprentice pirate in the past, so he knew how to read a chart. He wasn't directionally challenged.

He snatched the chart, and his body began to change. He turned blue, and blue scales sprouted over his body. He was transforming into his beast form. Before long, he had become a divine dragon hundreds of meters long. He flew into the sky, checked the chart, and headed toward Pet Island.

He flew fast, his massive body disappearing into the clouds. Terrifying power brewed within the thick clouds. The moment he emerged, powerful lightning exploded, yet the lightning within the clouds couldn't harm him at all.

Mobius sighed helplessly and glanced over at Teach, who was training, but Teach paid no attention to him and simply ignored him.

With no choice, Mobius sighed and continued carrying out the task Teach had given him. Neferpitou sat in front of him, looking eager, her eyes shining.

That's right, Mobius was teaching Pito to speak. Pito couldn't talk, but Mobius had some experience. He had taught little ones to speak and read before. When he saw Teach getting stressed about teaching Pito, he casually offered to help—and Teach immediately roped him into it. The task had been handed to him.

He regretted opening his mouth. Wouldn't it have been better to just train quietly? Still, Pito learned quickly and had a great memory. In a short time, she had already learned some simple phrases. As Teach put it, she could understand human speech, so learning to speak wouldn't be difficult.

But Teach had his own part to play, too. He spent some time teaching Pito to walk and stand. Changing that habit would take time, but fortunately, Pito was still young and adaptable. She learned everything Teach and the others taught her quickly, and could endure even the pain.