Akainu's Challenge

The speaker was tall and thin, like a bamboo pole, utterly out of place among the burly, towering pirates.

Yet no one in the entire cave dared underestimate him.

His name was Yano, a Zoan-type Mantis-Mantis Fruit user with a bounty of 775 million Beli.

Having joined earlier than Dugalileo and holding a higher position, he was the undisputed number two of the Beasts Pirates.

"You want to go?"

Kaido finally set down his sake gourd, raised his head to glance at him, and fell into thought.

"That could work, but we still don't know who exactly is responsible for the escort..."

Before he could finish, hurried footsteps suddenly rang out from outside the cave. A tall pirate stumbled inside, shouting in panic:

"Something terrible has happened, Lord Kaido! Something terrible!"

"Something happened in Wano Country! Kurozumi Orochi tore up the agreement without authorization, enraging Kozuki Oden! He's gathering his forces and has declared that he's going to wage war against you!"

The entire cave fell silent.

Kaido, who had been about to rage at his subordinate's intrusion, was also taken aback. Then wariness flashed in his eyes, and his brow furrowed deeply.

"Kozuki Oden..."

That bastard Kurozumi Orochi hadn't even thought to discuss it with him beforehand? What a mess.

Kaido rose from his beast-hide chair and strode to the cave entrance. Looking at the howling blizzard outside, he spoke in a grim voice after a long while:

"Put Dugalileo's matter aside for now. Pass down my order: mobilize all forces and return to Wano Country. Prepare for a major battle!"

Were they abandoning Captain Dugalileo?

Quite a few pirate officers directly under Drought's command exchanged looks, their expressions turning ugly.

But they also knew that the circumstances had changed. They could tell what mattered more, so they could