After giving orders to the Six Flying Fighters, Kaido turned his attention to the Three Disasters.
"While I'm away, King, you'll handle command," Kaido said.
"Queen, gather all the materials Yoruha needs as quickly as possible!"
"I can't wait to see that incredible door! Ah-ro-ro-ro-ro!"
With that, Kaido, still riding his celebratory high, transformed into his massive azure dragon form and flew off into the mountains, disappearing into the distance.
Queen, understanding the importance of his task, wasted no time. As soon as the banquet ended, he contacted Doflamingo.
In Dressrosa's grand and opulent palace, the very image of luxury, Doflamingo lounged on the royal throne. He sipped a glass of the finest red wine Dressrosa had to offer, his legs crossed casually.
The man, with his golden hair, flamboyant pink feather coat, and wine-red sunglasses, exuded arrogance. He was none other than Joker, the King of the Underground and a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Suddenly, the transponder snail on the marble desk began ringing.
Buru-buru-buru-buru...
Doflamingo glanced at the caller ID and raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"Queen?" he mused. "Isn't Jack usually the one who contacts me for the Beasts Pirates? Why is it Queen this time?"
"Could it be something went wrong with the artificial Devil Fruits I sold them last time?"
Picking up the receiver, Doflamingo greeted him with a signature chuckle.
"Fufufufufu! Queen! Long time no see!"
"How was the last shipment? No issues, I hope?"
Queen, however, dismissed the question with a puff of his cigar.
"I wouldn't know about that stuff. Ask Jack if you care," Queen said nonchalantly. "I'm here for a different deal."
Doflamingo's curiosity was piqued.
"Oh? Not about the last shipment, huh? Then what kind of business brings you directly to me?"
In the Beasts Pirates hierarchy, Queen held a much higher position than Jack. If Queen himself was involved, it had to be a significant deal—potentially more important than even the artificial Devil Fruits.
Doflamingo's business instincts kicked in, and a sly grin spread across his face.
"Well, let's hear it. Rest assured, there's nothing in the Underworld that I, Doflamingo, can't acquire."
Queen rattled off a list of materials.
As someone well-versed in underground dealings and with a basic understanding of science, thanks to his collaborations with Caesar Clown, Doflamingo's expression shifted subtly.
At first, he had been relaxed, but as Queen listed the items, Doflamingo's demeanor became serious.
These were rare materials—difficult to obtain and incredibly costly. What was Queen planning to do with them?
Noticing Doflamingo's brief hesitation, Queen frowned.
"Don't tell me you can't get these, Joker?"
Doflamingo chuckled bitterly.
"No, no, I can get them. But let me warn you, Queen... if you're planning to create something with these, it's nearly impossible."
"And another thing..."
"These materials are far more expensive than the ones for artificial Devil Fruits. Once sold, there are no refunds. I hope you understand that," Doflamingo said pointedly.
Queen exhaled a plume of smoke, finally relaxing.
"That's none of your concern, Joker."
"Just have the goods ready today. I've already sent the Gifters' Flying Squad to pick them up. Hand the shipment over to them."
"No problem, right?"
Doflamingo's eyes glimmered with intrigue but quickly returned to his usual nonchalant facade.
"You know me, Queen. I always deliver. Fufufufufu! Here's to a successful deal!"
With that, the call ended.
But once the line went dead, Doflamingo's signature laugh abruptly stopped.
"They want it today and even sent the Flying Squad? This shipment must be more critical to the Beasts Pirates than my SMILE factory or artificial Devil Fruits..."
"What on earth are the Beasts Pirates planning?" Doflamingo muttered, his sunglasses reflecting the room's dim light.
Feeling uneasy, Doflamingo summoned the officers of the Donquixote Family for an urgent meeting.
"Keep a close watch on the Beasts Pirates. Use your informants to find out if there's anything unusual happening on their end," Doflamingo instructed, his tone unusually serious.
"I have a feeling something big is brewing over there..."
Seeing their young master so concerned, Trebol and the other family members didn't dare take the order lightly.
"Understood, Young Master! We'll make the arrangements right away!"
New World, Whole Cake Island
Inside the extravagant palace of Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors, the eight-meter-tall, oversized figure of Charlotte Linlin loomed large. She wore a voluminous pink dress and garish makeup as she devoured an enormous cake. Her other hand clutched a photograph delivered by Morgans, the president of the World Economic News.
The photo, taken in Wano, depicted a flash of lightning within a massive darkness, and the mechanical tail of a dragon could be seen in the shot.
Big Mom's pupils narrowed as she stared at the image.
"Could it be Kaido?"
"Damn that Kaido! Has he gotten stronger?"
"This form... I've never seen it before!"
Her heavily painted eyes gleamed with jealousy. They had agreed to work together to seize the legendary One Piece, the greatest treasure of all. Yet here Kaido was, seemingly growing stronger in secret. Was he planning to claim the treasure for himself?
Big Mom, who shared a unique bond with Kaido, didn't bother with the subtlety of investigating him like Doflamingo might. She picked up her transponder snail without hesitation.
"That bastard still owes me a favor! He wouldn't dare hide the reason for his power-up from me!"
Buru-buru-buru-buru...
The line finally connected, but the voice on the other end wasn't Kaido's—it was King's.
"Apologies, Big Mom. Kaido-sama is in seclusion for three days. If you have matters to discuss, you'll need to wait until he emerges," King said in an even, unyielding tone.
"What?"
Big Mom squinted her eyes suspiciously.
"Seclusion? Kaido? That drunkard? He's gone into seclusion? He'd go insane!"
"King, be honest with me. Is Kaido hiding some secret from me?"
She yelled loudly, her cheeks wobbling as she continued chewing on her creamy cake.
"This is an internal matter of the Beasts Pirates and is not something I can share, Big Mom," King replied firmly.
"If there's nothing else, goodbye."
Even in the face of Big Mom's roar, King remained calm and composed.
"Bastard! Is that how you speak to a Yonko?"
Big Mom's fiery temper flared up, but remembering that King was a valuable figure—perhaps even a future recruit for her Totto Land—she suppressed her anger.
With a grumble, she hung up the transponder snail.
But the cake in her mouth seemed to lose its appeal.
"That Kaido bastard... what is he up to?"
"I can't let this slide. I'll get to the bottom of it!"
"Three days from now, I'll contact Kaido again. Let's see how he explains himself!"
She cackled loudly, her mood improving as she remembered the favor Kaido owed her.
"Mamamama! Kaido, you can't dodge me forever!"
Her shrill laughter echoed through the palace halls.
New World, Marine Headquarters
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku gripped a newspaper tightly, his hands trembling with frustration.
The headline read: Supernova Ace Joins Whitebeard Pirates!
"Karp!! Your beloved grandson has become the Second Division Commander of the strongest pirate crew!"
Sengoku roared in exasperation.
But as he looked around, he realized Karp—who had been lounging in his office earlier, munching on rice crackers with his feet on the desk—had disappeared.
Sengoku sighed in defeat, letting out a bitter laugh.
He knew that Karp had always wanted his family to become Marines. But starting with Dragon, their family seemed destined to walk an entirely different path.
Karp had done his best.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.
"That idiot Karp actually came back? Come in!"
Sengoku called out irritably, ready to give Karp a piece of his mind. But it wasn't Karp. Instead, it was an intelligence officer.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we have news. The Beasts Pirates have added a fourth Calamity—Ten-Sai. He's a scientist."
"However, our informants within the Beasts Pirates are only low-level crew members, so we haven't seen Ten-Sai's face."
"A scientist?"
Sengoku squinted his eyes, his interest piqued.
A scientist had risen to become one of Kaido's Calamities?
Something about this didn't sit right.
As Fleet Admiral, Sengoku's instincts told him that there was more to this Ten-Sai than met the eye.
"Relay orders to our operatives within the Beasts Pirates. Use every means necessary to gather information about this Ten-Sai scientist!"