Totto Land(Big Mom's territory), Whole Cake Island.
"Damn you, Shiki! You useless bastard! The Float-Float Fruit actually has such a fucking use!"
In the dimly lit room, Charlotte Linlin opened her bloodshot scarlet eyes. Saliva like sulfuric acid dripped from her mouth, sizzling as it hit the floor.
Her ridicule and contempt for the deceased—her former companion—showed just how furious Big Mom was.
A week ago, learning of the Float-Float Fruit's new user, she had reminisced about the past. Now, she wished she could find Shiki's grave, dig up his corpse, and whip it.
Why did he have to die? Why not hide in some corner of the world and stay alive?
Even in death, he refused to let the world rest. And now, the new Float-Float Fruit user was far more formidable than he had been.
Thinking of that super-tsunami—so vast in scale that not even Whitebeard, the strongest among them, could create its equal—and imagining it striking Totto Land, Charlotte Linlin couldn't help but feel her scalp tingle. Even using all her strength, she couldn't completely control such a tsunami.
Of the Three Emperors—no, to be precise, the Four Emperors—only Whitebeard and Kaido had the ability to resist or evade that super-tsunami. She was the exception. This meant that until she found a counter, unless she had a life-or-death grudge against El, she couldn't afford to act tough in front of him.
The thought of a dwarf sitting above her head, making her the weakest of the Four Emperors, filled Charlotte Linlin with rage.
Onigashima.
"What?! That kid actually wants to invest in us? Why?!"
"There's endless iron in outer space? Really?"
"Forget it. Whether it's true or not, I'll find out when I go take a look."
"If there's endless iron in outer space and he can bring it down, why can't I?"
"Although I'm thankful he reminded me of this, don't think he can take a share of the pie from my hands!"
"What?! How dare he threaten me?!"
Inside the Skull Dome, Kaido's voice shifted from anger to doubt, from doubt to surprise, and then from surprise back to anger.
Fortunately, El wasn't present—otherwise he'd have applauded. Kaido's rapid changes of expression were a perfect display of face-changing technique. Truly worthy of him!
"Never mind."
After howling in anger for a moment, Kaido suddenly said, "I agree to that kid's request to invest. But he needs to come to Onigashima and share a drink with me."
"Joker, tell him what I said. Ask him if he has the guts to come here."
After speaking, Kaido hung up the Den Den Mushi directly.
In truth, if not for Kaido suddenly recalling that Shiki's Devil Fruit ability was permanent and couldn't be removed unless the user was knocked out…
Kaido's reaction would have been to curse and demand El come to him. But remembering the Float-Float Fruit ability—undetectable even by the most advanced Observation Haki—Kaido's excitement upon learning of endless iron in outer space suddenly turned to caution.
As a former companion of Shiki, Kaido knew the Float-Float Fruit's ability all too well.
If he made weapons from iron marked by the Float-Float Fruit ability, that kid could, with a single thought, steal them or liquefy all the weapons Kaido had spent vast resources to produce, reverting them to raw material.
Even with endless iron in space, Kaido wouldn't dare bring it down to forge weapons, because he couldn't be sure which meteorites were already under El's control.
Therefore, to obtain that endless iron, Kaido had to let El become a shareholder. Only by making El a partner could he feel secure. That was why he agreed so readily—and even requested a meeting.
Who would have thought that Kaido, whose rough appearance gave the world the impression of a reckless brute, was actually quite intelligent? Looking back at his rise, one could see his shrewdness.
Challenging major powers alone, then using his defeats to boost the Beast Pirates' prestige, leaving the world with an image of an unkillable, individually invincible monster.
Originally, Wano's terrain was perfectly suited for his development. But now, a new Emperor had emerged—another monster who ignored the advantages of Wano and Onigashima's terrain, much like Charlotte Linlin, whom he barely edged out, and Whitebeard, who could undo years of work with a single punch.
Outwardly reckless as a bull, Kaido was inwardly cunning. Without certainty, why would he turn against El?
Aboard the Moby Dick.
"What an interesting little devil."
Unlike Charlotte Linlin's fury and Kaido's renewed scheming, Whitebeard first expressed admiration for El, then frowned slightly and said, "But… killing hundreds of thousands of people is a bit too much…"
If El had used the super-tsunami only to destroy the Kingdom of Dressrosa due to conflict with Doflamingo, Whitebeard wouldn't have commented. After all, both he and Roger had destroyed kingdoms before.
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