Kaido stood tall and straight. Just standing there, he looked like an ancient demon god. His presence alone could seize a person's senses and drain their courage.
Hawk-Eye smiled. "I know you want to go to Pleasure Valley. Sorry, but Ye Chen and I have a connection, so I'm stopping you here."
"What? You mean to stand against me? Hawk-Eye, don't you think you're overestimating yourself?"
Hawk-Eye was powerful. He had once fought Red-Haired to a draw. But Kaido still didn't take him seriously. He had challenged Whitebeard plenty of times when the man was alive.
"Go back quietly, and I won't bother fighting you." Hawk-Eye glanced at Kaido, his expression calm.
Kaido's second-in-command, King, leaned toward his ear. "Captain, Hawk-Eye is far too full of himself. Let me teach him a lesson."
King was one of the All-Stars and an Ancient Zoan Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit user. He had a tiger's head on a powerfully built human body, and every movement radiated savage ferocity. He was far stronger than Jack the Drought.
Hawk-Eye shook his head. "We're at sea, and you're a Devil Fruit user. You wouldn't stand a chance against me here. But I won't take advantage of that. There's a small island nearby. We can settle this there."
With that, the Coffin Boat shot northeast, skimming over the waves like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Hawk-Eye didn't worry that Kaido would slip away. He seemed certain they would follow him to the island and fight.
Sure enough, Kaido nodded. "Turn around. Follow Hawk-Eye!"
As one of the Four Emperors of the New World, Kaido would never sneak away. If word got out, it would damage his reputation.
Seeing Kizaru again made Aokiji's heart sink. He was deeply unhappy that Kizaru had joined the Blackbeard Pirates, but