"Considering our past as comrades, I'll give you a heads-up. The new era has arrived, and it's time for you to step aside." Upon hearing that Esdeath had headed to Wano, Kaido immediately lost interest in Whitebeard. After all, Wano was his headquarters.
However, even as he prepared to leave, Kaido couldn't resist taking one last shot at the Whitebeard Pirates. He unleashed a torrent of scorching flames toward the Moby Dick. Ace attempted to intercept the attack by transforming into flames, but Whitebeard stopped him. Instead, Whitebeard punched the air in front of him, activating his Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers to neutralize Kaido's assault.
It had to be said that Ace's mastery of his Devil Fruit still fell short compared to the top-tier fighters. The temperature of his flames couldn't match those of Akainu or Kaido. Kaido's breath attack could instantly vaporize and destroy an entire mountain, something Ace couldn't achieve. Even Akainu couldn't do it in one go—he needed multiple attacks to destroy a mountain.
"Pops!" Marco exclaimed, rushing to Whitebeard's side as the old man swayed slightly after the punch.
"I'm fine," Whitebeard said, though his eyes betrayed a hint of weariness as he watched Kaido fly away.
As former members of the Rocks Pirates, Whitebeard and Kaido had once been comrades. However, after the Rocks Pirates were defeated, Whitebeard, Kaido, and Shiki went their separate ways. Back then, if Whitebeard had harbored any ambition, he could have taken over as the new captain of the Rocks Pirates. But he chose not to, leading to Kaido, Big Mom, and Shiki splitting up due to their mutual distrust.
Through years of conflict, the current Four Emperors emerged.
"Dammit, what is Kaido doing?"
In the Kingdom of Dressrosa, Doflamingo frowned as he read the newspaper. The headline was about Wano's opening to the world. As one of the most powerful underground brokers, Wano's weapons trade was crucial to Doflamingo's operations. Not to mention his collaboration with Kaido on the artificial Devil Fruit project. Now that Wano was overturning everything, Doflamingo was furious but powerless.
With the conflict between Daniel Davis and Kaido still unresolved, Doflamingo couldn't risk going to Wano to negotiate with Daniel Davis. Doing so would be seen as a betrayal of Kaido, and Kaido wouldn't let that slide.
For Doflamingo, the best outcome would be for Daniel Davis and Kaido to settle their fight decisively. Only then could he plan his next move. As it stood, the situation was too uncertain.
Similarly, others familiar with Wano were also waiting for the outcome. If Kaido emerged victorious, Wano would likely return to its isolationist policies. Only if Daniel Davis won would Wano's opening be recognized, and merchants from around the world would flock to the country.
"Daniel Davis, Kaido... these damn pirates."
At Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sighed as he read the news. While he wanted to take action against Wano, the Marines' current strength made it impossible. The Revolutionary Army's recent activities had only added to the Marines' troubles.
Originally, the Marines' primary focus was on pirates, while the Revolutionary Army was handled by the World Government's CP organizations. However, with the Revolutionary Army now openly declaring their intentions to overthrow the World Government, abolish the Celestial Dragons, reject the Heavenly Tribute, and end the slave trade, they had become a significant threat.
Previously, the Revolutionary Army's bases were hidden, making it difficult for the Marines to target them. Now, however, the Revolutionary Army had exposed their base, but the Marines were too stretched to act.
The Revolutionary Army had officially declared the establishment of a New World Government in the West Blue, inviting oppressed nations to join. Naturally, they also exposed some of the World Government and Marines' dark secrets, with several oppressed kings from small nations providing evidence.
In a world where most countries consisted of a single island, the World Government's 170-plus member nations weren't that many. The lower-ranked nations often changed hands, as failing to pay the Heavenly Tribute for even a single year could lead to the World Government and Marines turning the country into ruins.
Sengoku was once again overwhelmed. The World Government had zero tolerance for the Revolutionary Army's New World Government and immediately began mobilizing forces to suppress it. They also ordered Sengoku to deploy the Marines.
However, the Marines simply didn't have the resources to send forces to the West Blue. Not only was it logistically challenging, but doing so would leave the first half of the Grand Line vulnerable. Moreover, it would confirm the accusations that the Marines were nothing more than the Celestial Dragons' enforcers and accomplices in the slave trade.
After all, the Marines' primary mission was to combat pirates, not the Revolutionary Army. The World Government had a treaty prohibiting the Marines from interfering in member nations' internal affairs. In the original story, even Smoker could only watch as the civil war in Alabasta unfolded. It wasn't until Smoker used Dance Powder to create rain that the conflict was temporarily halted.
Otherwise, even if Luffy and his crew defeated Crocodile, they couldn't have stopped the tens of thousands of people from fighting.
Now, with the World Government in crisis, they were willing to overlook this treaty. But Sengoku couldn't afford to ignore it, as it would alienate the lower-ranking Marines.
The World Government might not care about the opinions of low-ranking Marines, but Sengoku did. Currently, Sengoku was caught between a rock and a hard place. The Five Elders were dissatisfied with him, the lower-ranking Marines were unhappy, and the Revolutionary Army was also a thorn in his side.
In the end, Sengoku could only send Aokiji and a small contingent of Marines to the West Blue. Sending more would leave the World Government's member nations vulnerable.
These member nations were the primary source of the Heavenly Tribute. Even the Five Elders couldn't afford to ignore them. If the member nations turned against the World Government, it would spell disaster.
"Trade? Of course, that's no problem. Wano is now open, and joining the World Government is also an option. But we'll need to discuss the Heavenly Tribute and our seat at the World Government meetings."
When the Five Elders called, Daniel Davis didn't hesitate to make his demands. While he could have outright refused—after all, the World Government couldn't do much to him at the moment—there was no need to burn bridges. Playing along and extracting some benefits was the smarter move.
The World Government meetings, held every four years, weren't open to all member nations. Only the top fifty nations were invited. While this ranking was entirely controlled by the World Government, it provided a semblance of legitimacy.
"No problem. But what about the seastone trade—"
"Wano is open now. The highest bidder gets the seastone. Don't tell me the World Government is short on funds." Daniel Davis cut off the Five Elder before he could finish.
Seastone was a valuable resource, and Daniel Davis had no intention of giving it away cheaply.
"Fine."
"That damn Dragon has really caused a mess." After ending the call with Daniel Davis, the Five Elders turned their attention to the Revolutionary Army. Compared to the Revolutionary Army's actions, Daniel Davis' issues were minor. Moreover, if Wano joined the World Government, it would be a significant win.
"According to CP's investigations, it will be difficult to deal with these rebels in the short term."
"Then we'll just have to stall. Even if they take over the entire West Blue, once Im-sama awakens, everything will return to normal. Look at what happened to the Germa Kingdom."
"That's true, but Im-sama won't be pleased with the current situation." The Five Elders fell silent at this remark.
"Tell Kong to prepare. If necessary, he'll need to lead a team down. If things get out of hand, we'll be in trouble."
"That's a good idea. It seems we'll need to extinguish quite a few lights this time."
"Dragon's moving fast. I wonder if this will make Im appear sooner." Daniel Davis was well aware of the Revolutionary Army's actions. While he believed their timing would have been better after the Marineford War, the current situation made it uncertain whether the war would even happen.
However, considering Sengoku's personality and the Marines' current state, defeating the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, would be an excellent way to restore the Marines' image.
After all, pirates were pirates. Aside from a few exceptions, most people didn't view them favorably. Even the Whitebeard Pirates, who were known for their loyalty and protection of Fish-Man Island and other territories, couldn't escape accusations of pillaging and destruction.
Even Roger had destroyed cities and countries simply because someone insulted his crew.
"The original inhabitants of the Red Line... it seems the World Government has hidden quite a bit. But then again, such a massive landmass couldn't have been devoid of life. It's a pity King doesn't know much."
Looking at King, who was still unconscious despite his body having mostly recovered, Daniel Davis pondered what he had learned using his Double-Layered Hands technique. Even Robin didn't know some of the things King had revealed.
However, due to the passage of time, King only knew about his own origins and little else.
"The Ancient Kingdom... could it have been a nation on the Red Line? But then it was overthrown by the twenty nations through conspiracy. Things are getting more and more mysterious. It's possible we'll see a situation similar to the aftermath of the Naruto world. Speaking of which, I remember Enel went to the moon and discovered space pirates. I should find time to visit the moon."
As Daniel Davis gazed at the ever-changing clouds in the sky, he began formulating his next steps.
"Speaking of which, Buggy's Conqueror's Haki-level luck is truly impressive. After all this time, he still hasn't been caught." The fake Road Poneglyph incident had made Buggy a target for both the Marines and pirates. Yet, he always managed to escape.
"I wonder when the real Road Poneglyph will be discovered, and what about the location of Pure Gold?" For Daniel Davis, while the fake Road Poneglyph served his purposes, having the real one would be even better.
Luffy wanted to be the Pirate King? Well, Daniel Davis could create a whole bunch of Pirate Kings.
"Where's King?" Upon returning to Onigashima, Kaido immediately summoned the Calamities. However, when only Queen and Jack appeared, he asked about King's whereabouts.
"He might have been captured." Queen quickly explained King's disappearance and his decision to withdraw their forces to Onigashima to avoid further losses.
With both Kaido and King absent, Queen had been the highest authority in the Beasts Pirates, and no one dared to oppose his decisions. Jack, on the other hand, was a simple-minded brute. While he wouldn't back down from a fight, he was useless when it came to decision-making.
Normally, Jack would charge headfirst into battle, even against Daniel Davis and Esdeath. However, Queen had strictly forbidden him from doing so.
"What do they want?" Kaido asked after downing a barrel of sake.
Kaido wasn't as simple-minded as Jack. While he often appeared reckless, with his frequent suicide attempts and complaints of boredom, he was actually quite cunning and ruthless.
If he truly wanted to die, he could have attacked Marineford or Mariejois. Alternatively, he could have challenged Whitebeard, Shanks, or Big Mom. But Kaido never did any of those things. Even when he went after Whitebeard, he chose moments when the old man was vulnerable.
His manipulation of Kozuki Oden showed just how shrewd Kaido could be. His apparent lack of intelligence was merely a facade—he didn't need to think deeply when dealing with ordinary people. But against equals, it was a different story.
For instance, instead of rushing to Wano to reclaim it, Kaido had returned to Onigashima to gather information. Daniel Davis had expelled the Beasts Pirates from Wano, destroyed the artificial Devil Fruit factory, and taken control of Udon Port and other key locations.
Of course, the weapon workshops were left intact. After all, Daniel Davis needed weapons, and destroying them would only mean rebuilding later—a waste of resources.
"They want an alliance," Queen said, explaining Daniel Davis' demands.
(End of Chapter)
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