Chapter 22 — The Traitor Akira?! Kaido Is Coming!
After two full days of searching with no trace of Yamato, King finally had no choice but to return to Wano.
Now, he stood amidst the ruins of Onigashima, overseeing the aftermath of utter devastation.
The "training duel" between Akira and Kaido had nearly torn half the island apart.
But what followed was far worse—Akira's sudden disappearance, taking that stubborn girl Yamato with him, had sparked chaos throughout the entire Beasts Pirates.
Buru buru buru…
Buru buru buru…
Suddenly, the sharp, rapid ring of a Den Den Mushi echoed through the air.
King frowned, picking up the call from a secured line.
The snail's face morphed into a familiar—yet despised—visage:
a man with slick blond hair, dark sunglasses, and an ever-smiling mouth.
Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Lord King!!!"
From the other side came Doflamingo's panicked voice, trembling and shrill.
"Something terrible has happened, Lord King!!"
King's eyes narrowed behind his black mask.
"Joker."
His tone was cold, flat. "You'd better have a damn good reason for using this emergency channel."
"It's Akira!!"
"That bastard—he's betrayed us!!"
The words pierced the air like a blade, slicing through the silence of the demon island.
King's pupils contracted sharply.
"Explain. In detail."
"He's here—in Dressrosa!"
Doflamingo's voice quivered with fury, laced with a venomous rhythm of accusation that sounded far too prepared.
"That bastard… he came here with Young Master Yamato!"
"The moment they arrived, they destroyed my palace! Crippled all my men!"
"And then—he claimed he came under Kaido-sama's secret orders!"
"He used Kaido-sama's name to extort me—for 'loyalty funds'!!"
King froze.
"…How much?"
"Three—no, 3.2 billion Berry!!"
"He took everything from me, Lord King! That was the entire fortune I'd saved for Kaido-sama himself!!"
Doflamingo's voice cracked with grief, dripping with false desperation and humiliation.
King's face darkened.
3.2 billion Berry.
That wasn't a small amount.
That was robbery. Extortion.
And if true… treason against Kaido himself.
"There's… there's one more thing…"
Doflamingo's tone dropped lower, trembling with what sounded like genuine fear.
"Lord King! I saw Young Master Yamato…"
"She was holding Kaido-sama's personal weapon—Hassaikai!"
BOOM!
The words struck King like a bolt of lightning.
Hassaikai?!
That was Kaido's own weapon—no one was even allowed to touch it!
If Yamato was wielding it… then that could only mean one thing.
Akira stole it.
Of course!
It all fit.
King's breathing grew heavy, rage building in his chest.
"I saw it with my own eyes!!" Doflamingo screamed hysterically.
"They used Kaido-sama's weapon to threaten me—to extort me!!"
"Lord King! This is the greatest act of betrayal against Kaido-sama himself!!"
"You must report this to him immediately!!!"
Crash!!
King said nothing.
He crushed the Den Den Mushi in his fist, shattering it to pieces.
His entire body trembled—not from fear, but from a burning mix of shock and fury.
Hassaikai.
Yamato.
Akira.
Hadn't Akira said he was only leaving to "search for Yamato"?
But now, the truth was clear.
He hadn't been searching—he had been escaping.
The clues lined up perfectly in King's mind:
The mysterious disappearance of Seastone shipments.
The underworld disturbances.
The missing tribute money.
Everything pointed to the same conclusion.
"Betrayal."
"This… is true betrayal."
Killing intent flared from King like a roaring inferno.
He spun around, his wings spreading wide as his body turned into a dark blur.
Without hesitation, he launched himself toward Kaido's private chamber.
…
At nearly the same moment—
At Onigashima's port.
A massive black warship slowly docked at the shore.
The Red Dragon.
"Uuugh—"
"H-help me… my legs… they won't stop shaking…"
"We… we finally made it back alive… I thought we were dead for sure…"
The surviving Beasts Pirates sailors stumbled out one by one, faces pale and hollow like corpses.
The moment they set foot on land, several collapsed immediately, vomiting uncontrollably.
The voyage had been pure hell.
For two days, the ship hadn't moved like a normal vessel at all.
These were battle-hardened pirates—men who had crossed the New World a hundred times without flinching.
And yet, this trip had nearly broken their spirits.
Even the veterans who had never once experienced seasickness were now clutching their stomachs, eyes spinning like storm clouds.
"R-report… hurry, report this!" one of them shouted weakly.
"Lord Akira… he took Young Master Yamato and sailed to Dressrosa with a ship full of Seastone!"
The message spread like wildfire—
racing across Onigashima, straight toward the main hall.
— — —
Bang—!!!
The massive doors to Kaido's private chamber exploded open with a deafening crash.
"Wororororo… King?"
Kaido looked up from his enormous sake gourd, his face half-flushed from drink.
When his eyes met King's furious expression, his brow furrowed in irritation.
"What's with that face, huh? Forgot your manners today?"
"Kaido-sama!!"
King dropped to one knee, his voice hoarse and trembling with fury.
"Akira! That man has betrayed us!!"
Kaido blinked—some of the haze of alcohol faded from his eyes.
The dragon's golden pupils sharpened.
"...Betrayed?"
"Joker just sent an emergency report!" King roared, his tone shaking with suppressed rage.
"Akira found Young Master Yamato, but instead of returning—he ran away with her!"
"The crew from the Red Dragon just docked and confirmed everything! They said he took the ship loaded with Seastone and sailed to Dressrosa—probably to sell it to Doflamingo himself!"
"And that's not all! He used your name to extort Joker—3.2 billion Berry!!"
King's voice lowered, his tone grave and cutting.
"And the worst of all…"
He looked directly into Kaido's eyes.
"He stole your weapon—Hassaikai!"
"...!!!"
Kaido's hand froze around the sake gourd.
Hassaikai?!
In an instant, the fog of drunkenness vanished.
His eyes widened, veins bulging as realization sank in.
So it was him!
With Doflamingo's testimony and the Red Dragon crew's report—
the evidence was complete.
The witnesses aligned perfectly.
Everything matched—the disappearance, the theft, the betrayal.
Silence filled the room.
For ten long seconds, not a sound was heard.
Then Kaido's chest began to heave violently.
The veins in his temple bulged as his fury boiled to the surface.
"Embezzling my funds…"
"Kidnapping my daughter…"
"Extorting my business partner without giving me a single Berry…"
"And even stealing my weapon…"
"Oh…"
"Worororororo…"
"WORORORORORORORORORO!!!"
Kaido's laughter erupted like an earthquake—wild, thunderous, and filled with murderous intent.
The shockwaves from his voice alone cracked the stone walls of his chamber!
"GOOD!!"
"Very good, my dear son-in-law!!"
"My brilliant heir!!"
"YOU DAMNED BRAT!!!"
BOOM!!!
A tidal explosion of Conqueror's Haki burst forth, ripping through the skies above Onigashima!
The island itself quaked beneath the overwhelming pressure of Kaido's rage.
"Akira, you insolent bastard!!!"
Kaido was furious—truly furious.
There was no longer a shred of doubt in his heart.
Akira had betrayed him.
The man he had trusted most.
The one he had once chosen as his "successor."
Had turned his back on him.
Taking his beloved daughter—and fleeing Wano.
"Kaido-sama!" King shouted, his voice sharp.
"Allow me to mobilize the entire armada! We'll set sail at once—"
"No need!"
Kaido snatched up the enormous sake barrel beside him—larger than a water tank—and crushed it in one hand.
"I'll go… myself!!!"
"But, Kaido-sama—"
King tried to speak, but stopped as Kaido suddenly froze mid-step.
"Wait…"
Kaido frowned, his dragon-like eyes narrowing in confusion.
"Hassaikai…"
"I saw that brat leave Onigashima myself…"
"When he left, my weapon was still here. How the hell could he have stolen it?"
For a brief moment, Kaido fell silent, lost in thought.
With the strength Akira had shown during their "training,"
there was no way he could have snuck into Kaido's quarters undetected.
That was impossible.
The kid simply didn't have that kind of power—or audacity.
"It doesn't make sense…"
"None of this makes any damn sense…"
Kaido rubbed his temples in frustration.
Then suddenly—
"Worororororororo!!"
He tilted his head back and took a massive gulp of sake, the liquid burning down his throat like fire.
"To hell with it!!"
"If it doesn't make sense, then I'll just beat the answer out of him!!"
Kaido's logic, as always, was simple—and terrifyingly direct.
"As long as I catch that brat…"
"And pound him into the ground until he screams…"
"Everything will become clear!!"
"King!!!"
Kaido's voice boomed like thunder.
"Guard this island!!"
"I—"
"Will be right back!!!"
ROOOOOAAAAARRRRR!!!
Ignoring King's call to wait, Kaido stormed out of the room.
Moments later, the skies above Onigashima erupted in blinding blue light.
His body expanded, twisting and stretching until a massive azure dragon coiled across the heavens—its scales gleaming like sapphire fire, its roar shaking the clouds themselves.
The monstrous form soared upward, cutting through the storm, carrying the wrath of a god toward Dressrosa.
— — —
Dressrosa.
At the port.
"Fufufufu…"
"Fufufufufufufufu!!"
Doflamingo shut his Den Den Mushi, standing at the edge of the pier with the sea breeze whipping through his pink feathers.
His laughter echoed, venomous and triumphant.
He knew.
Kaido was coming.
He understood the "Strongest Creature in the World" better than anyone.
A true monster—
a force of nature wrapped in flesh and rage.
"Akira, you arrogant little servant…"
"You thought you could steal from me and walk away alive?"
"You thought taking that girl meant you'd escape Kaido's shadow?"
Doflamingo's grin widened, teeth glinting behind his shades.
"You've doomed yourself."
"You've angered the most dangerous creature on this sea."
"Kaido the Beast will tear you into shreds!!"
Through his underground network, Doflamingo already knew exactly where Akira was hiding—
a luxury villa in Dressrosa's wealthiest district.
"Trebol! Diamante! Pica!"
He turned to his officers, who had only recently recovered from their humiliating defeat.
"Everyone, prepare the harbor!"
"Use the highest standard of reception—"
"Because we're about to welcome Kaido-sama himself!!"
Doflamingo's wicked grin stretched to his ears.
He couldn't wait.
When Kaido's wrath descended upon Dressrosa, he'd be the first to greet him—
as the loyal "guide" who pointed him toward his prey.
He wanted to see it.
He wanted to see Akira and Yamato crushed beneath despair—
ripped apart by Kaido's unstoppable rage.
— — —
Meanwhile—
Dressrosa, Noble District.
Inside the grand villa Akira had recently purchased,
the atmosphere was anything but calm.
BOOM!!
CLANG!!
The walls trembled under the sound of two overwhelming forces clashing again and again.
Akira and Yamato were locked in another brutal "layer stacking" training session.
Yamato's face flushed red with excitement and raw energy.
"Akira!!" she shouted eagerly.
"Harder! Stronger!!"
Clang!
Steel rang out once more, shaking the entire room.
Yamato could feel it—her strength growing, her body hardening with each strike.
"This kind of training—it's amazing!"
"I can feel it! I'm stronger than I was yesterday!!"
"This time, I'll definitely beat King—the stupid bird!!"
Akira glanced at the wild, battle-drunk woman before him,
a faint, wry smile tugging at his lips.
The sharp metallic echo of his armor filled the room with each movement.
His Armor of Will enhanced his body,
his rising physical strength reinforced his Divine Manifestation Technique,
and that in turn boosted his defense—
which directly evolved his Vajra Body Protection Divine Art.
The three techniques fed into one another—
a self-sustaining cycle that pushed his body to superhuman limits.
Akira paused, wiping sweat from his brow, then turned toward the window.
His gaze stretched out into the far horizon, as if piercing across the sea—
straight toward the chaos brewing back in Onigashima.
"It's been a full day already," he murmured.
"By now, Doflamingo should've already reached my father-in-law."
"He's probably on his way here."
He knew Doflamingo all too well—
petty, vindictive, and incapable of swallowing humiliation.
A man like that would never let things go.
And Kaido… from Wano to Dressrosa, even in his dragon form—
would take just over a day of flight.
"Perfect timing."
Akira turned back toward Yamato,
who was already bouncing impatiently, itching to resume their "training."
He clenched his fist.
Triple critical damage.
Eightfold Divine Manifestation.
Oni blood—triple strength.
Vajra's doubled defense.
The holy flames of a Lunarian.
And the Withering Aura.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"I'm no longer that servant who had to play weak just to survive in Onigashima."
"Come, my dear father-in-law…"
"This time—"
"I hope you last a little longer."
"And let me stack a few more layers…"
"While showing you—"
"the true power of your son-in-law!!"
Just as his thoughts burned with anticipation for the coming battle—
"Hey, Akira!" Yamato shouted angrily, slamming her Hassaikai onto the ground.
"Why did you stop?!"
"Get back here and hit me harder!!"
CLANG!!!
And so, the next round of their "dual training" began again—
with renewed heat, thunder, and laughter echoing deep into the night.
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