On the fifteenth day after leaving Upper Yard, Kaido's pirate ship docked at an unfamiliar sky island to restock and recuperate. This island, floating ten thousand meters in the air, was surrounded by pure white cloud layers. Sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, falling upon the island's structures and refracting into strange halos.
"Boss Kaido, according to the nautical charts, after we replenish our supplies on this sky island, we'll reach Birkans in another seven days," Queen reported, studying a map in his hands with a cigar in his mouth.
"King, Bullet, Queen, you'll come with me to the island's tavern. Sebastian, Gavin, one of you stays on the ship, the other arranges for resupply," Kaido instructed directly.
"Understood," Sebastian and Gavin both replied.
As Kaido's group stepped into this sky island town, an uncomfortable tension immediately filled the air.
Residents on both sides of the street stopped their work one after another, sizing up these outsiders with hostile stares. These gazes grew even sharper when sweeping over King, as if wanting to pierce through his pair of jet-black wings.
Under the sunlight, King's black wings formed a stark contrast with the sky island residents' pure white wings. This visual disparity intensified the hostility in the surroundings.
Kaido rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully.
He clearly remembered the discriminatory tradition sky islanders held toward "outsiders"—in the original story, Enel was bullied relentlessly for being born without wings, ultimately destroying his own hometown after gaining power. The appearance of their group of outsiders, especially King with his black wings, undoubtedly touched upon the most sensitive nerve of these islanders.
Though the hostility was clear, cowed by Kaido's imposing, over-seven-meter-tall frame and the oppressive aura he exuded, the islanders only dared to watch from afar. With every step Kaido took, the ground would tremble slightly; surrounding residents backed away, lacking even the courage to meet his gaze directly.
The originally noisy sounds on the street gradually faded, replaced by a suffocating silence.
However, Kaido had still underestimated the guts of certain fanatics. Just as they turned a street corner, a middle-aged man wielding an iron rod suddenly leaped down from a second-story window.
"Die, you damned heretic!" the man roared, his iron rod aimed straight for King's head. Though his movement was swift, in King's eyes, it was like watching a slow-motion replay.
King simply tilted his body slightly, easily dodging the sudden attack. His slender fingers clamped onto the assailant's throat like iron pincers, lifting the man clear off the ground.
"Gah... l-let... let me go!" the man struggled desperately, his face turning crimson from lack of oxygen, his legs kicking futilely in the air.
King paid no heed to his struggles, instead casting an inquiring look toward Kaido.
"Dispose of him as you see fit." Kaido continued walking forward without even turning his head, as if the incident just now was utterly beneath his notice.
A cruel smile curled the corner of King's mouth upon receiving permission. Under the man's terrified stare, King slowly lowered his head, baring sharp fangs, and bit down on the man's carotid artery.
"N-no... don't..." The man's pleas quickly turned into pained whimpers. As blood was continuously drawn, his skin visibly desiccated, his muscles atrophied, and his hair fell out. Within mere seconds, a robust adult male had been reduced to a desiccated skeleton. King licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, casually tossing the mummified corpse onto the center of the street.
Surrounding islanders let out horrified screams, scattering in all directions. The once-bustling street instantly became deserted, save for a few pristine white feathers drifting down in the light breeze.
"Truly dull." King flicked the dust from his hand, catching up to Kaido's pace. Sunlight fell on his jet-black wings, the shadow they cast shrouding the entire street.
Kaido paid this no mind, striding toward the tavern. Queen, cigar in his mouth, grinned. "What a bunch of reckless fools."
King followed silently behind, his black wings slightly folded, the killing intent in his eyes not yet dissipated.
Only the desiccated corpse remained on the street, along with faint whispers carried from the distance.
The residents of this sky island finally understood—the group before them was absolutely not something they could afford to provoke.
Soon, Kaido led everyone to the island's largest tavern.
Queen kicked open the tavern door with a bang, bellowing gruffly, "Barkeep! Bring out your best liquor and meat!"
The tavern owner trembled, bowing and scraping. "Y-yes, sir! Right away!"
Before long, several waiters nervously brought out fragrant roasted meat and aged fine wine.
Kaido's group dug in without any pretense of manners. The tavern immediately echoed with the sounds of chewing and clinking cups. The food on the table vanished at a visible rate; barrels of liquor were drained one after another.
Just as everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves, a commotion of hurried footsteps and angry shouts suddenly erupted outside the tavern.
"Who killed someone in town?! Don't you know this is the territory of the Saijin Temple?!" Following this furious roar, several brawny men with shaved heads barged in aggressively. They wore uniform monk robes, sheathed knives at their waists, their faces etched with rage.
The lead monk clearly shrank back upon seeing Kaido's face, cold sweat beading on his forehead, but still mustered the nerve to shout, "S-so, it was you who killed someone in town?"
King downed a swig of liquor without even looking up, sneering coldly. "It was me. So what? Looking to die too?" He casually tossed the empty liquor barrel aside with a loud clang.
This instantly enraged the monk. He pointed an accusing finger at King, shouting sharply, "Heretics indeed! And you dare to kill! Know what's good for you and come with us quietly to face judgment, otherwise..."
"Shut up!" Bullet suddenly erupted, grabbing the monk by his collar and hurling him out of the tavern as if he were trash. The other monks, seeing this, retreated in fright, some even knocking over tables and chairs.
The tavern fell deathly silent, leaving only the sounds of Kaido and his men continuing to heartily eat and drink.
The thrown-out monk scrambled to his feet, both shocked and furious. "You'll pay for this! The Saijin Temple won't let this go!" Having said that, he fled in a panic with his underlings, not even bothering to retrieve his fallen monk's cap.
Kaido's group paid no heed, continuing to drink and eat to their hearts' content. After they had their fill, they staggered out of the tavern, preparing to return to the pirate ship.
Just then, a large crowd of monks, at least a hundred strong, came rushing from the distance in a clamorous wave. They brandished various weapons, charging menacingly in their direction. The monk at the forefront stood about three meters tall, with the distinctive wings of a sky islander on his back and golden earrings adorning his ears. He marched directly up to Kaido's group. Upon seeing Kaido's immense height and build, he visibly paused for a moment, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Beside him was the monk who had been thrown out by Bullet earlier. The monk immediately spoke to the leader, "Urouge! It's them! A bunch of Blue Sea scum killing people indiscriminately on the island!"