The savage, beast-like aura rolling off Kaido made both CP0 agents' hearts jolt. For an instant, they felt like prey under the gaze of a man-eating tiger, every hair on their bodies standing on end.
One of the CP0 agents made his decision in a heartbeat.
"You take Shakky and go. I'll hold this guy off."
As operatives raised by the World Government since childhood, they had always been taught one thing above all:
The mission comes first.
Even if they had to throw away their own lives, they would not hesitate.
They were death warriors who existed solely for the World Government.
The other CP0 agent did not waste time arguing. He moved immediately, carrying the unconscious Shakky and searching for another gap to break through.
The one who stayed behind stepped up to block Kaido's path, launching the first strike without hesitation.
He moved as fast as lightning. His leg swept up, kicking out a compressed blade of vacuum.
"Rankyaku – Swallow Cut!"
The blue slash screamed through the air, sharp and swift, like a swallow diving at full speed.
"Cheap parlor trick."
Kaido raised his spiked kanabo to block. With a metallic clang, the flying slash shattered on impact.
And at the instant it shattered…
The CP0 agent before him vanished.
Kaido reacted immediately. That Rankyaku had been nothing but a feint.
"Where is he?!"
His senses went on high alert. His Observation Haki was still not refined enough to lock on precisely, but he could at least tell that CP0 had not gone far.
A second later…
The agent reappeared behind Kaido's left leg. At a height of barely two meters, he only reached Kaido's thigh. His foot, already hardened in jet-black Armament Haki, whipped out in a vicious kick at the back of Kaido's left knee.
That kick could shatter metal and stone. If it landed cleanly, it was enough to cripple Kaido's entire leg.
"Rankyaku – Bone Breaker!"
Sparks flew.
Blood spattered.
The CP0 agent's expression changed drastically, shock flooding his eyes.
"What ridiculous defense… That kick would be enough to snap even a giant's bones, and all I managed was to open a cut a few centimeters deep?!"
"This guy is a complete monster!"
Kaido also reacted in that instant. His demon-like face twisted into a ferocious grin.
"Wororororo…"
"That was enough to scare you?"
"After training under Big Brother Ares for so long, you think trash like you who skulk in the shadows could smash this body of mine?!"
He remembered Ares' teaching very clearly.
If you want a strong body, you need a solid foundation. Just like building a house, you stack it brick by brick, shore it up with steel beam by steel beam, until the base is unshakable.
Kaido swung his massive kanabo.
The club came down with a force like mountains crashing and seas roaring, bringing a storm of wind with it.
Anyone with half a brain could see it if that blow landed, the only fate waiting was to be smashed into paste.
The CP0 agent threw himself backward.
Boom.
Boom.
…
Each swing made the ground tremble. Craters opened one after another, cracks spiderwebbing out from every impact.
The pirates watching from a distance felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Golden Lion Shiki burst into wild laughter at the sight.
"Gehahahaha! Now that is a truly ferocious beast of a man."
"I'm honestly jealous of that brat Ares, having such a monstrous powerhouse under him."
Back then, he and Newgate had both tried to recruit Kaido, only to have Linlin snatch him first.
Later, the two had even clashed over Ares, competing to win him over.
It all felt like yesterday.
"Golden Lion, you've left yourself wide open!"
A scar-faced prisoner, eyes full of malice, seized this rare chance and lunged in from behind with a vicious sneak attack. His gleaming blade crackled with Haki.
Shiki only sneered.
"With your level of trash, you think you can take my head? Keep dreaming."
He activated the Float-Float Fruit.
His body drifted sideways like a ghost, slipping past the attack with ease. In the same motion, his blade swept back in a casual arc.
Blood flashed.
Another life ended.
The sight froze the other prisoners in their tracks, those who had been besieging Shiki a moment before now rooted to the spot.
…
The scene shifts.
Inside Skull Castle.
In Rocks' private chamber, the roar of battle outside could not shake the composure of Beehive Island's master in the slightest.
"Zehahahaha…"
"To think those CP0 rats actually handed me information about that Devil Fruit… What a massive surprise."
Rocks threw his head back and laughed, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.
After years of clashing with the World Government, he knew a lot of their secrets.
He knew they had spent years, even decades, scouring the world for one particular Devil Fruit.
For a Devil Fruit to make even the World Government put in that level of effort…
Of course Rocks had investigated it in secret as well. Though he did not yet know all the details, he had already guessed that the power of that fruit was enough to terrify the World Government itself.
Ever since he learned of its existence, Rocks had made up his mind.
"No matter the cost… I must find that Devil Fruit."
Suddenly
The laughter stopped.
Like an actor switching masks, the smile vanished completely from Rocks' face. His expression sank into something deep and shadowy.
He muttered under his breath:
"Could this be a trap?"
"If it's a trap, what will the World Government do next? After all these years, they just happen to 'let slip' the exact location of that Devil Fruit? Are they really willing to give it up that easily?"
He paced back and forth in the room, face dark and unreadable.
For once, even he could not make up his mind right away.
…
Elsewhere on the island.
Squads of pirates were sweeping through every alley and corner in a carpet search.
In a secluded laboratory
Miss Bakkin stared at the latest experiment result and exploded, her bright red lips opening in a shrill, fishwife-like scream.
"Damn it, another failure?!"
"We've run this experiment hundreds of times, and every single one has failed!"
Living like this was driving her mad.
"I've been stuck in this stupid love triangle with Shiki and Newgate for so long. It took so much effort to get some of Newgate's genes, and I thought I could combine them with Shiki's and create an embryo with talent beyond both of them."
"So why does it fail every single time?! Is it really impossible?!"
Bakkin's body swayed, her strength suddenly draining away. She had to grab the edge of the lab table to keep from collapsing.
After all, an ordinary woman could barely survive "enjoyment" with Shiki and Newgate. It was enough to kill someone.
In the end…
She slid down and sat on the floor, staring blankly ahead for a long time.
Miss Bakkin had clawed her way through the pirate world for years. She knew very well that only power that belonged to her and her alone could bring her endless wealth and the strength to guard that wealth.
Only power brought authority.
With strength, you could have everything. Without it, everything you had was just a castle in the air, ready to collapse at any moment.
In the pirate world, being rich was a curse. Robbery and murder were everyday occurrences.
"So… what am I supposed to do now?!"
Bakkin's eyes were empty, her voice full of helplessness and quiet despair.
"Ten years from now, if I'm no longer pretty, if Shiki and Newgate stop protecting me, I'll just become some other pirate's plaything…"
She understood all too well:
Becoming a toy to be used and discarded at will would be worse than hell.
"No."
"This is my only chance!"
She forced herself to pull it together.
"Right now, the Rocks Pirates are searching house by house outside. This lab will be exposed sooner or later…"
"If they find out I've been using Newgate's and Shiki's genes for experiments, they'll never let me live."
"I have to get out of here with their genetic samples."
"I need to find a real scientist someone truly skilled in genetic cultivation and engineering!"
The thought made her eyes shine again.
Moving quickly, Bakkin began packing up her things with practiced speed, preparing to run.
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