Kaido's Past

"Kozuki Oden's strength has indeed surpassed yours."

Kaguya met Genji's gaze and spoke these words calmly and slowly.

"Hmph!" Genji snorted coldly, "If it weren't for those strange foreigners and that Red Nose bastard, my forces would have absolutely crushed them in that war in Yamatai, leaving them no chance to make a ripple!"

"But you lost, and it was a terrible loss," Kaguya said. "It was completely unexpected."

"Stop talking!" Genji slammed his fist on the table and roared.

Kaguya looked at Genji, stood up, and said, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." With that, she left the tent.

Genji coldly watched Kaguya's retreating figure, thinking to himself, "Damn it, don't think you're some kind of omnipotent savior just because you provided some cover for the army's retreat. Do you really think I can't see through your Izumo tricks? I've never placed any hope in you..."

He turned his gaze away and looked at a reply letter tucked inside the documents on the desk.

Finally, she couldn't help but murmur, "Kaido... I've been waiting for you all this time. You'll definitely come in person, won't you?"

"You mean Kaido...?" A look of surprise appeared in Buggy's eyes.

"That's right, Kaido." Kozuki Oden nodded and said, "The four emperors who ruled the New World ... well, to be precise, there are only three now, and Kaido is one of those three. You, who have been sailing the seas for many years, should know this better than I do."

"I know," Buggy replied, "But I'm more interested in what you're going to say next."

Kozuki Oden said, "Everyone knows that this monster appeared on the sea more than ten years ago, shocking the entire world with his absolutely terrifying strength, including Whitebeard. But no one knows what happened to Kaido between ten and twenty years ago..."

Buggy was intrigued. "This story must be very long."

"I'll try to keep it brief," Kozuki Oden said. "Twenty years ago, two scientists researching bioengineering came to Wano Country with their experimental subjects. These two were named Vinsmoke and Vegapunk. Ten years ago, they fled Wano Country. It was then that I obtained their experimental records and diaries from their hiding place, and that's how I learned many things."

For example, although I can't know the specific meaning of the data on Kaido's experimental record sheet, by comparing it with other recorded data, it's roughly clear that before the biological experiments, Kaido's physical strength had already reached the limits of human endurance.

Kozuki paused slightly, then continued, "Kaido, who had been dormant in the nutrient solution, was injected with the genes of a demon by these two scientists using some scientific method, with the intention of experimentation, and the experiment was successful."

"So the horn on his forehead wasn't just an ornament, but the same horn as that of the [demon], who was several times larger than an ordinary giant."

"Have you met Kaido?"

"In a sense, I have seen it."

Although Buggy's words sounded quite bizarre, Kozuki Oden didn't press further. Instead, he continued, "After the successful genetic modification experiment on Kaido, these two scientists began even more insane experiments. They injected the genes of the two 'Uranus' they had obtained into Kaido's genes, fusing them together."

"Wait!" Buggy exclaimed in surprise, "Two Uranus? How can there be two?"

"The five-clawed dragon and the two-winged sky dragon are collectively known as Uranus, but they never appear at the same time; when one appears, the other disappears." Kozuki Oden looked at Buggy. "You probably don't know this."

Buggy lowered his eyes, his face still showing surprise. "So, the lair of the Twin-Winged Sky Dragon I visited before was just one of the Uranus's hiding places... This really shattered my expectations."

"You've reached the Sky Dragon's lair. You're really lucky..."

Upon hearing Buggy's words, Kozuki Oden's eyes showed surprise. After calming himself down, he asked, "Do you know why those two scientists chose Wano Country to conduct their experiments?"

"Why?"

"Wano Country. Even the navy cannot enter Wano Country without permission. Obtaining the shogun's permission to enter is extremely difficult, because there is an old saying in Wano Country: 'Old rules cannot be broken.' You should understand what I mean."

Buggy said, "It's like putting a dirty pair of hands into a basin full of clean water."

"That's right... no matter whether you keep your hand in the basin or pull it out, the water will never return to its original state."

Kozuki Oden said, "That's why these two scientists have been conducting experiments in Wano Country. On the eve of their experiment to modify Kaido's body, they created a [dragon] with low intelligence that only knew how to destroy. However, in retrospect, their experiment must have failed, because it directly led to the disaster in Wano Country and their subsequent escape."

"Yet, it also left behind the legend of slaying the dragon..."

"Oh... I didn't expect this matter to have spread so widely outside."

"Perhaps I'm an isolated case."

Kozuki said, "After creating the failed [Dragon], these two began to focus their energy on completely modifying Kaido, attempting to create a terrifying creature that surpasses even the [Uranus] himself."

Buggy murmured, "Mew and Mewtwo...?"

Kozuki Oden asked, "What?"

"It's nothing. I was just wondering how they could possess the Uranus's genes. Could it be because they went to Uranus's lair and extracted them from shed hair...?"

"In short, because of the [dragons] that were the failed experiments, a full-scale search for the source began in Wano Country. As a result, the hiding place of these two scientists was discovered. It was then cleared out by Minamoto no Yoshitsune, the Genji who is now confronting me. It was he who awakened Kaido from his endless slumber. When I arrived, the laboratory was already empty."

Buggy said, "I'm a little curious about what happened to those two scientists."

"They escaped Wano Country, but the commotion they caused attracted the attention of the Marines stationed in the New World." Kozuki Oden didn't hide anything, but only gave a very simple overview. He continued, "Kaido once. Perhaps because he was a newcomer, his movements were quite clumsy at that time, but he had already demonstrated very strong fighting power. Even I was slightly inferior at that time and could only barely fight him to a draw."

"Did you have an unforgettable entanglement with him during that battle, so do you think Kaido will come to Wano Country to help the Genji?"

"It wasn't that battle," Kozuki paused for a moment, "It's my identity... I'm a member of the Stonemason clan, so I know, my intuition tells me that the rebellious genes within this man will bring him back one day... to find me."

"Why..."

"Because he always wanted to do something, something he wanted to accomplish his whole life..."

These are just my wild guesses; those who want to delve into the details shouldn't take them as serious.