Darkness, silence.
Kaido opened his eyes on a cold stone slab. His limbs felt a familiar heaviness: Seastone shackles.
"Tch, this again..." He tried moving his wrists, and the sturdy chains immediately clanked dully.
This scene was nothing new to him. Over the decades, the Marines had captured him seven times.
But every time, he had escaped thanks to his formidable physique and the help of the powerful fighters under his command.
This time, however, was different.
That golden figure flashed through Kaido's mind, along with that seemingly casual punch and the despair of being utterly helpless afterward...
"Damn it!" He struggled violently, making the chains rattle.
This had been no Marine encirclement, no battle of attrition against successive opponents, but a complete, indisputable defeat in a one-on-one fight!
Just then, faint footsteps sounded outside the cell.
"Who's there?" Kaido asked in a low voice.
A slender figure emerged from the shadows, with long white hair and distinctive red horns.
"Father." Her voice was quiet, and she held a key in her hand.
Kaido's pupils narrowed slightly. "What are you doing here?"
Yamato did not answer. Instead, she quickly unlocked Kaido's shackles. "Let's go, while the guards are changing shifts."
Kaido flexed his wrists and narrowed his eyes. "Why save me? Haven't you always wanted to kill me?"
"That's right. The only people allowed to kill you are me and Momonosuke!" Yamato declared in all seriousness.
Kaido was speechless for a moment, but then burst out laughing. "Worororo! No one in this world can truly kill me!"
He stood up, his towering body almost filling the entire cell. "Even if that brat captured me, he still—" "Still what?" A calm voice came from the doorway.
Kaido's laughter cut off abruptly.
Setsuna and Zephyr stood at the cell entrance, their faces