A week later, in the inner sea of Onigashima, Wano Country.
"Kaido, our weapons and Seastone were also stolen."
On this day, King, who stood 6.13 meters tall, approached Kaido. Kaido, having just beaten his daughter and now sitting on his exclusive throne, was drinking from a wine gourd.
"Oohhhhhhh... are those guys okay?"
Hearing King's words, Kaido didn't show the moodiness that outsiders expected. Instead, he let out his unique laugh and, after expressing concern for the men guarding the weapons and Seastone, asked, "Who's leading the team on the other side?"
"They're fine. The leader is Pirate Empress Boa Hancock," King replied deeply.
"It really is that woman."
The drunken Kaido grinned, his face flushed. "The greeting has already been made, and now it's time for our game."
"Boss Kaido, what's your purpose in doing this?" King's tone seemed puzzled. If one could see through his black helmet, they'd find his handsome face full of confusion. "Are we going to war with the 'Cross Family'? We're currently in a stage of rapid development, fighting with the 'Cross Family'. If we suddenly go to war now, won't the 'Whitebeard Pirates' and 'Big Mom Pirates' take advantage?"
"Worororo... War is certain, but whether it will be a full-scale war depends on whether that brat Kahn and his woman are strong enough."
Despite being clearly drunk, Kaido's performance was calm and scary. He showed a ferocious smile full of appreciation. "The rise of that kid Kahn is too amazing. He has only been in the New World for over three years, yet he's already occupied five islands directly or indirectly."
"Although he's a countryman from West Blue, he has a very thorough understanding of the situation in the New World. Every step he takes is calculated. First, he took 'Super Powerful' Omar's Morlaix Island by force, establishing himself as one of the great pirates of the New World."
"After seizing Morlaix, which has huge mineral resources, he mobilized hidden forces in West Blue, hired the citizens of Dressrosa to mine the minerals and manufacture weapons, then sold them in West Blue instead of nearby."
"What we didn't expect was that he had a maid who ate the Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit and was a candidate for the Empress of Amazon Lily."
"Using his record in Sabaody Archipelago, he kept a low profile for the past three years, managing to stay under the radar."
"After securing Amazon Lily and the Kuja Pirates, he now has strength, troops, and the most profitable outlet... If this kid is allowed to develop for a few more years, the New World will have a fourth sea overlord."
"At that time, this brat won't be easy to deal with."
After a slight pause, Kaido continued with a look of apprehension. "If it were 1500 years ago in the Sea Circle Calendar, Linlin would never have let this kid continue to grow, and Whitebeard wouldn't have missed the chance to take advantage of a former companion's misfortune."
"So, Linlin, who also has the natural destroyer physique, understands the strength and potential of such a physique but is already advanced in age. She won't sit back and watch someone else peak while she declines."
"But now, with my rise, Linlin and Whitebeard can only watch as Kahn grows stronger. These two cowards dare not act, leaving only us in the protected inland sea of Wano Country to take action."
"Of course..."
Kaido paused again, grinning. "With the abilities of Kahn and that empress, if we fight them, even if we win, we won't be able to kill them. The aftermath would bring trouble."
"As long as the 'Strongest Twinstars' remain, even if we wipe out Amazon Lily, they'll quickly return to their current position and might not even develop further and just focus on us. That's not a small loss."
"It's due to the abilities of these two and the threat from me and Whitebeard that Linlin hesitates to act. Similarly, without enough benefits, I don't want to waste resources helping those two deal with the younger generation and offend future monsters."
Hearing this, King asked, "So, Kaido, you're attacking the 'Cross Family' because the interests in Cross Kahn are so enticing you can't resist?"
"That's right, that kid has the talents and channels we need."
Kaido nodded, took another swig of wine, and said slowly, "Because we killed Kozuki Oden, Whitebeard won't, can't, and has no reason to bring his sons through the dangerous sea to avenge a former companion."
"But they can easily target us."
"Just like we 'warned' Umit, Whitebeard only needs to say one word, and those guys in Umit will stop cooperating with us."
"The high-quality weapons and Seastone we produce can't be transported outside the New World and can only be sold within it. The largest market has the World Government's plaque."
"Like other war-torn countries, most of them use cheap, cold weapons. Even if they buy weapons, they'll only buy powerful hot weapons."
"When there's only one major buyer and no competition, we sellers are very passive. We can only make a small profit and can't maximize our gains."
"While Kahn..."
Kaido said enviously, "He ruled West Blue and has the strength of a monster to enter the Grand Line."
"And when he entered the Grand Line, he broke the news to the newspaper, announcing his entry so that the places where the 'Cross Family' had planted their flags could take them down, creating the illusion that he abandoned West Blue and started from scratch in the Grand Line."
"After gaining a foothold in the New World, he killed the Celestial Dragons in Sabaody Archipelago. He demonstrated strategic deterrence by destroying islands, showing he wasn't afraid of Marine Admiral's strength. He also had a deputy who was a Logia Rumble Fruit user."
"He quickly became an existence second only to us."
"Finally, he used his drug business to 'clear up' with the helpless Five Elders and stopped hiding West Blue's power."
"If it weren't for Kahn no longer hiding, who would have thought that West Blue's biggest gangster was his first affiliated force?"
"With his worldwide reputation and the privilege of working with the World Government, West Blue is now the biggest channel for the Cross Family."
"Besides West Blue, Kahn even has someone in North Blue."
"The Joker, the intermediary in the dark world of North Blue, is a rare talent and the reason I couldn't resist taking action."
Speaking with burning eyes, Kaido said, "With the Joker's help, our weapons would no longer be limited to the New World, and the biggest buyer would no longer be the World Government."
King suddenly said, "So, our battle is to fight for the ownership of the Joker?"
"You could say that."
Kaido nodded, "The Joker is now tagged as Kahn's."
"To get his help, we need Kahn's permission."
"If we force the Joker to work for us or offer greater benefits to lure him, even if he agrees to betray Kahn, he might be dead in the sea within days."
"For Kahn, who has the biggest channel in West Blue, losing a North Blue talent is not a big loss."
"But if we cooperate with Kahn, we'll be at a disadvantage and need to give up some benefits. When Kahn grows to our level, he'll become a real threat."
"So, by going to war, we can maximize our interests, gain the initiative, and obtain greater benefits."
"I see."
Hearing the last sentence, King completely understood Kaido's thinking.
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