The port on Onigashima is unusually lively today.
When Jack's fleet docked, the Beasts Pirates ' henchmen on the pier craned their necks to look at the ships.
They had long heard that Jack's trip to Zou was to steal the Road Poneglyph.
Now, seeing the huge red rock, gleaming with an eerie light, being lifted down from the cargo hold by a dozen strong men, their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
"That's the Poneglyph? The legendary red stone?"
"Nonsense, otherwise why do you think Lord Jack personally went out of his way?"
"I heard this thing points to Laugh Tale —the end point of Pirate King!"
Jack jumped off the deck, two scimitars hanging at his waist. His face was expressionless, but anyone who knew him could tell that something was on his mind.
Inside the main hall, Kaido was lying on the throne, drinking.
Roy sat in the guest seat next to him, also holding a wine glass, and the two chatted casually.
Seeing Jack stride in, Kaido slammed his gourd onto the table.
"You're back? Where's Stone?"
"Outside."
Jack knelt on one knee, his voice deep and muffled.
"The complete Road Poneglyph has been obtained."
The Mink Tribe of Zou couldn't stop them.
Kaido laughed loudly, the sound so powerful it shook the beams of the main hall.
"Well done, Jack!"
Roy put down his glass, looked at the weariness faintly visible on Jack's rugged face, and asked:
How is the battle going?
Tell me the details.
Jack stood up, pulled a chair from the side, and sat down. His nearly seven-meter-tall frame creaked under his weight, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
"The two kings of the Mink Tribe, Inuarashi and Cat Viper, are more troublesome than expected."
The two worked together seamlessly, their teamwork was impeccable.
Inuarashi took the hit head-on, Cat Viper launched a sneak attack from the side, combining Electro attacks with physical attacks in a very tight rhythm.
He paused, then added:
"But their strength is just so-so."
They couldn't break through my Mammoth Form; all they did was tickle me after all that fighting."
Kaido snorted:
"Those two were retainers of Kozuki Oden back in the day, how weak could they be?"
However, he's certainly not enough compared to you.
"The game was going really well."
Jack frowned.
"Then a group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere— the Straw Hat Pirates."
Kaido put down his gourd, a hint of interest flashing in his eyes:
" Straw Hat Boy? You've run into him?"
"Yes. And all his crew."
Jack recounted the battle situation in detail.
Straw Hat Luffy immediately used a technique called Gear Fourth, which inflated his body like an inflated doll, covered his arms and legs with Armament Haki, and increased his attack power several times over compared to his normal state.
Later, it changed its form again, shrinking in size but increasing in speed, making the trajectory of its punches completely unpredictable.
"That Three-Sword Style swordsman is also quite good; his three swords work together flawlessly."
Black Leg Sanji's kicks are wrapped in flames and are quite powerful.
The other crew members each had their own methods—the cyborgs' cannon fire, the archaeologist's joint locks, and the skeleton swordsman's slashes; their combined attacks were quite effective.
Kaido listened with great interest, tapping his fingers on the armrest of his throne to keep time.
"And then? You beat them all to a pulp?"
"He was beaten down several times."
"But that Straw Hat Boy is like an unkillable cockroach; every time he falls down, he gets back up."
His crew was the same; they were clearly far inferior to me, but they just wouldn't back down.
Jack paused for a few seconds, as if organizing his thoughts:
"If you take them out one by one, none of them would be enough for me to beat up."
But when they work together, how should I put it, it's not just a combination of strengths, it's something else entirely.
It's as if everyone knows what their teammates are going to do next, who should attack, who should defend, and who should cover; there's never any need for communication.
Roy picked up his glass, took a sip, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Of course he knew what it was; it was the tacit understanding the Straw Hat Pirates had honed through countless battles, the trust that allowed them to completely entrust their backs to their comrades.
"That kid's willpower is truly extraordinary."
Jack added,
"If it were an ordinary person, after I beat them down three or four times in a row, they would have been unable to stand up by now."
But he always managed to get up, and his eyes grew fiercer with each passing day.
Kaido grinned. "Hehehe--Interesting! Roy, you weren't lying to me, this kid is definitely worth looking forward to!"
"Where would you rank his skill level?" Roy asked.
Jack thought for a moment:
"Much stronger than a regular Supernovas."
Kid and his gang probably wouldn't last three moves against me, but this Straw Hat Boy can fight me for several rounds without being at a disadvantage.
But that's all there is to it. If I really wanted to kill them, they would all die.
Kaido satisfaction and was about to tell Jack to step back when he noticed that Jack was still standing there, looking somewhat hesitant.
Is there anything else?
Jack swallowed hard.
"That..."
"Governor, Captain Roy —there's one more thing."
Jack's voice was a few decibels lower than before.
"I saw someone from Hachinosu in the Straw Hat Pirates."
Kaido frowned. "Who?"
Nicole Robin. The woman who can decipher the Poneglyph.
The air in the main hall suddenly became quiet.
Kaido put down his gourd of sake, his face as gloomy as the sky before a storm.
He turned to Roy, his voice clearly filled with anger:
Roy, how did your men end up on the Straw Hat Boy's ship?
What exactly happened?
Jack also looked at Roy: "I was stunned when I saw her on the battlefield."
At first, I thought she was a defector.
She stood there in the Straw Hat Pirates ' ranks, fighting alongside them.
Roy.
Kaido's voice was deep.
"What if she's a traitor~~"
"Don't worry about it."
Roy raised his hand to interrupt Kaido, his tone as calm as if he were remarking on the weather.
He picked up his glass and took another sip, his expression completely unchanged, as if what Jack had just said was nothing more than a trivial matter.
"I have my own plans for Robin's matter."
Her job is to stay with the Straw Hat Pirates; you don't need to worry about anything else.
Kaido stared into Roy's eyes for a long time.
There was no flicker, no guilty conscience, no concealment in those eyes.
That was the expression Roy always had after setting up his plans, as if to say, "Everything is going according to plan."
Kaido released the Hassaikai, leaned back on his throne, and let out a heavy snort:
"What are you up to now, kid?"
You'll find out then.
Roy said calmly,
" Robin is my backup plan for the Straw Hat Pirates. Now all we have to do is wait."
Luffy and his crew will definitely come to Wano Country.
"Then let him come."
Kaido grinned; most of his earlier anger had dissipated.
"I was just looking for an opponent to stretch my muscles with."
Roy looked at Kaido, his tone suddenly becoming serious:
"Don't forget our agreement—beat him up, beat him hard, push him to his limit."
But don't kill him.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."