"Yeah, all right, you've got a point."
Cain tapped one fist into his palm, then waved the matter aside.
"But it wasn't a complete waste. My Devil Fruit awakened because of that fight, remember?"
"What?! You awakened?!"
Garp's irritation disappeared instantly, replaced by genuine concern.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?!"
Zoan Awakening was nothing like most other types. If the user failed to overcome the will dwelling inside the fruit, there was a very real risk of that will replacing their own personality entirely.
In other words, Cain had taken an enormous gamble.
After thinking about it for several seconds, Garp raised his fist and knocked Cain on the head twice more.
Thunk! Thunk!
Then he flexed his wrist thoughtfully.
"Yep. Definitely awakened. Your head's even harder than before."
Cain crouched on the ground clutching his skull and stared resentfully at his grandfather.
There really was no dealing with this old man.
What was Cain supposed to do, punch him back?
Sengoku stood nearby and gave an approving nod.
"Still, Awakening is impressive. Cain, your bounty really does need another increase after this."
Then he paused.
Something Cain had said finally registered.
"Wait. You said your fruit awakened too."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes.
"Does that mean…?"
"Yeah. Kaido awakened his too."
Cain raised his head, completely unapologetic.
"I was still stronger in the end, though."
Then his eyes brightened.
"So how much are you raising my bounty? Four billion? Think I can surpass Kaido?"
Sengoku's eyebrows shot upward.
A vein began throbbing violently across his forehead.
He strode over, stopped in front of Cain, and copied Garp by placing one hand firmly on the boy's head.
Cain looked up at the unusually furious former Fleet Admiral with growing unease.
"S-Sensei Sengoku?"
"Oh, so now you remember to call me Sensei."
Sengoku smiled with suspicious warmth.
"Well, I did teach you Conqueror's Haki. Good boy."
His hand gently patted Cain's head.
"Come on. Let your teacher give you a little head pat."
Then his fist came down like lightning.
BAM!
A fresh lump immediately appeared on Cain's head.
"Agh! That hurts!"
Sengoku, however, was the one clutching his fist afterward.
"Ow—what the hell?!"
He stared at Cain's skull in disbelief.
"Why is your head this hard? How was Garp hitting you without reacting?!"
Then Sengoku looked at Garp.
Ah.
Right.
He had almost forgotten that this ridiculous old man had spent decades turning his fists into weapons.
Sengoku gritted his teeth and switched to kicking.
"You really have gotten far too comfortable being a pirate!"
"Is getting a higher bounty supposed to be a good thing?! Is that something you should be bragging about?!"
He kicked again as Cain hurried backward.
"Keep talking like that and I'll mobilize the entire Navy right now and arrest your criminal ass on the spot!"
Cain dodged another kick and finally realized what he had done.
Right.
He had forgotten who he was talking to.
For pirates, bounty numbers were practically status symbols.
For Marines, every increase represented another headache.
Getting excited about his own bounty directly in front of a former Fleet Admiral really had been pushing it.
"Sorry. I got carried away."
Sengoku saw that Cain had genuinely understood and finally stopped chasing him.
"Forget it. I can't entirely blame you."
His voice softened.
"Considering that we were the ones who originally let you become a pirate…"
He stopped himself midway.
Kaido was still lying nearby, after all.
There were certain things better left unsaid in front of outsiders.
Without wasting any more time, the group worked together to bring Kaido up from the seabed.
Yamato arrived soon afterward with a group of samurai, and they immediately wrapped Kaido in layer after layer of Seastone chains.
The chains were each nearly as thick as Cain's thigh and made from the highest-purity Seastone available. Kaido was bound so thoroughly that his body was practically buried beneath them before being secured deep within the lower section of Onigashima.
The island itself was only barely stabilized. Although it was no longer in immediate danger of sinking, too much weight or another violent impact could still cause the entire structure to collapse.
That made it a surprisingly effective prison for Kaido.
He couldn't afford to cause any major destruction without bringing the whole island down on top of himself.
Explosives had even been buried beneath the lower levels as a final precaution. If Kaido made any serious attempt to escape, the entire island could be collapsed into the sea with him underneath it.
As far as prisons went, it was difficult to imagine one better suited to someone like Kaido.
There was only one problem.
"…Isn't this a little too luxurious?"
Sengoku stared at the cell in disbelief, his beard practically trembling with irritation.
"This is supposed to be Kaido's prison?"
"If you told me this was a vacation resort, I'd believe you!"
The cell had an enormous table covered with food, a spacious sofa, warm candlelight, and more than enough room for Kaido to lie down comfortably.
Yes, he was wrapped in absurd quantities of Seastone.
But if he stretched out one hand, food and drinks were always within reach.
"Hey, Sengoku! Watch how you talk to the kid!"
Garp immediately stepped in front of Yamato.
This was Ace's partner. There was no way Garp was going to let Sengoku yell at her like that.
Then he turned around, instantly replacing his stern expression with a warm grandfatherly smile.
"You all right, Yamato? He didn't scare you, did he?"
"…I'm fine, Grandpa Garp."
Yamato quickly explained herself.
King had told her that now that she was Shogun of Wano, she needed to show that she cared for the people under her rule. And if she truly intended to be different from Kaido, she shouldn't treat even her own captured father with unnecessary cruelty.
Yamato had taken that advice seriously.
Kaido had once punished her by locking her up and starving her.
She still resented him for it.
But Yamato also understood that she wasn't Kaido.
And now that Kaido was the prisoner, she wanted to prove that having the same combative oni blood didn't mean she had to become the same kind of person.
So yes, his prison had been made unusually comfortable.
That didn't mean there was no punishment.
Yamato folded her arms.
"There isn't a single drop of alcohol anywhere on Onigashima."
For Kaido, who practically lived on sake, that was arguably worse than any physical punishment they could have devised.
Garp and Sengoku fell silent.
Then they thought about the snacks and treats neither of them could live without.
Actually…
They understood completely.
…
Once Kaido had been properly secured, Yamato clearly had things she wanted to discuss with her father alone, so she remained behind.
Cain and the others began making their way back.
Along the route, Sengoku called Cain aside.
Since the Summit War, the balance among the Four Emperors had changed dramatically.
Golden Lion Shiki and Blackbeard were currently keeping one another occupied on Hachinosu. They could technically be regarded as part of the same Emperor-level power bloc, but unless they actually cooperated, neither side was likely to create trouble on the same scale as before.
Kaido was now imprisoned.
Big Mom's situation was complicated enough that interfering with her for the moment would be difficult.
As for Shanks—
Sengoku glanced at Uta.
Then immediately decided not to continue that line of discussion.
"In any case, Cain, you can relax for a while now."
"Do whatever you want."
Cain gave him a flat look.
Sengoku was talking as though Cain had ever stopped relaxing.
Most of these disasters hadn't been things Cain actively sought out. Problems simply had a habit of dropping directly onto his head, and all he did was follow wherever events took him.
Still, if Sengoku wanted to tell him to take it easy, Cain wasn't going to argue.
Then the phrase take it easy seemed to remind Sengoku of something.
"Wait."
He abruptly frowned.
"Where's Drake?"
"Even if he was publicly part of the Beasts Pirates, he should have met up with us by now."
"At the very least, as SWORD's captain, he needs to know that you exist."
Cain shrugged.
"No idea."
"Yamato found him unconscious near the edge of the battlefield after everything ended, but I was barely awake myself by then. I have no clue where he went afterward."
…
At that exact moment, aboard a Marine prison transport headed for Impel Down—
Drake sat miserably in one corner of the holding area.
His Den Den Mushi had vanished somewhere during the chaos of the battle.
Later, he heard through scattered rumors that a group of troublesome Beasts Pirates were being handed over to the Marines.
That had sounded perfect.
At last, he would have an opportunity to contact his own people and report everything he had learned.
So Drake quietly mixed himself in with the prisoners, expecting to reveal his identity once he was aboard the warship.
Instead, before he could explain anything, someone slapped Seastone restraints onto him and threw him into the prisoner compartment with everyone else.
Even worse—
he discovered someone else already there.
Admiral Ryokugyu.
Aramaki was bruised from head to toe and currently sobbing desperately at the Marine standing in front of him.
"Why does this keep happening to me?!"
"I'm telling you the truth! I really am a Marine Admiral!"
The Marine spat disdainfully to the side.
"Bullshit!"
"Inspector General Sengoku personally warned us that anyone wrapped in Seastone chains is a pirate, even if they're wearing a Marine uniform!"
"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to fall for that?"
He glared at Aramaki.
"We give you one sip of water and you immediately start screaming again. Shut up!"
He shoved a thick strip of cloth back into Aramaki's mouth.
Drake saw his chance and hurried forward.
"I can prove he really is an Admiral!"
"I'm a Marine too! I have intelligence I need to report—!"
Kaido had already fallen and the Beasts Pirates were being reorganized, so Drake no longer had any reason to protect his undercover identity.
Unfortunately, before he could finish speaking, the Marine produced another bundle of cloth.
Drake froze.
The man gave him a cold smile.
"Drake, don't think I don't recognize you."
"I haven't served in the Marines for that many years, but when I first left Wano, you had just joined the Beasts Pirates."
"Your pathetic lie isn't fooling anyone. I already reviewed your file."
"So what if you used to be a Marine?"
"You're a pirate now."
"Go explain yourself after we reach Impel Down."
Then he stuffed Drake's mouth shut too.
"MMMPH—!!"
Drake could only release a muffled howl of despair.
'NOOOOOO!!!'