Kuzan suddenly came over and said he wanted to join him. Even Uchiha Hikaru, who had seen his share of storms, could not help but be deeply shocked by such an unexpected turn of events.
What kind of joke was this? He had not just unleashed some overwhelming kingly aura, and he had yet to find someone with Conqueror's Haki to analyze and copy their Haki. Kuzan could not possibly have been drawn in by his personal charm, nor could he possibly have been lucky enough to attract a powerhouse like Kuzan to willingly seek refuge with him.
"What did you just say?" Hikaru steadied himself and slowly said, "The wind's a little strong. I didn't catch that."
"?" Kuzan and Baby5 instinctively turned to look around. Where was there any wind?
"I have nowhere else to go, and I'm being hunted by Blackbeard, one of the Four Emperors. So I want to join you and seek your protection!" Kuzan still wore that lazy expression. Even Baby5, standing to the side, felt irritated enough to want to punch him.
Hikaru looked at Kuzan, utterly unwilling to believe his nonsense.
With the strength of a former Navy admiral, wouldn't he be treated as an honored guest by any faction? Even if Kuzan did not want to join anyone, the Blackbeard Pirates would never dare provoke him lightly. Dealing with a powerhouse like Kuzan came at a terrible cost.
So Hikaru did not believe Kuzan's claim that he had reached the end of the road. Kuzan's arrival definitely stemmed from some other reason or purpose.
Wait...
A spark suddenly flashed through Hikaru's mind, and he pieced together several scattered details: he had captured Blackbeard's subordinates, Kuzan had changed the course of the original history and chosen to join him instead, and Blackbeard