"If Whitebeard lives for one minute, there will be a reward?"
Kaido was shocked by the prompt of the system.
But he quickly came to his senses.
It shouldn't be a reward for every minute.
The rewards must be divided into stages.
In the first stage, the reward may be given if Whitebeard survives for one minute.
In the second stage, the reward should be granted if he survives for five or ten minutes.
In the third stage, it could be half an hour, an hour, or something longer.
If rewards were given every minute, even Imu could be killed in one day.
It might take two days to break through the dimensional wall and return to Earth.
The system shouldn't be that perverse.
"Check the rewards," Kaido thought to himself.
[The first phase of rewards has been received and started]
[Obtain: King Level Strength Upgrade Card]
[King Level Strength Upgrade Card: After use, you will gain a random ability at the King Level.]
[Strength classification: elementary, intermediate, advanced, top, king, invincible. ]
King Level upgrade card?
"Use it," Kaido did not hesitate.
[King Level Strength Upgrade Card: Used]
[Attack power: King Level]
[You can now view all your ability levels]
"Attack power reached King level? Does this mean it wasn't King level before?"
Seeing this result, Kaido was surprised once again: "It seems the value of this King Level is unusually high... The attack power of the Four Emperors Kaido before was only top-level." He began to grasp the true worth of the 'King Level Strength Upgrade Card.'
"Check my ability levels," Kaido ordered the system.
[Abilities have been displayed]
[Kaido]
[Attack power: King Level]
[Defense: King Level]
[Vitality: King Level]
[Movement speed: Top]
[Attack speed: Top]
[Fruit development: Top]
[Observation Haki: Top]
[Armament Haki: Top]
[Conqueror Haki: Top]
[Weapons: Top-level]
After assessing his abilities, Kaido had a deeper understanding of his strength.
"Not counting the attack power that just upgraded to King Level, I originally only had defense and vitality that reached King Level, while the others were merely top-level?" Kaido reflected, "And King Level should be the power tier of people like Roger, Garp, and Rocks. I only had two powers at King Level before, yet I was still ranked among the Four Emperors. Roger, Garp, and others must have three or four King Level powers... which is why they're Pirate Kings, legends, and a tier above me."
So this is how power is classified!
No wonder the battle power in the pirate world seems so vague.
Legends and Admirals are evenly matched.
Admirals and the Four Emperors are evenly matched.
The Four Emperors and the Seven Warlords are evenly matched, like Red-Haired Shanks and Hawkeye.
No matter how strong or weak, it's always evenly matched.
It's all evenly matched, like kids playing house.
Now the reason is clear!
These top fighters always have one or two abilities that reach King Level.
When they clash with their King Level strength, of course, it's evenly matched.
But in a life-or-death duel, all their trump cards would be on display. The Four Emperors have two King Level powers, while the Seven Warlords might only have one. Naturally, the gap becomes clear. The same goes for the Admirals.
The Admirals must also have two King Level powers.
That's why it's so hard to predict who'll win.
If someone has three or four King Level abilities, they become legends.
"If someone only has one King Level power but can fully maximize it in battle, using King Level methods to counter others' strategies... it will certainly be difficult to defeat them, and the outcome will remain uncertain. Of course, if they only have one King Level ability, they won't be as strong as someone with two or three. In the end, it'll be a 50-50 match, with no clear winner."
Kaido pondered further, "But this is only in the short term... If the fight continues, there will always be a winner. For instance, Akainu and Aokiji—they probably had an equal number of King Level abilities, but after fighting for ten days, a winner was finally determined."
After reviewing his ability levels, Kaido had a clearer grasp of the combat system in the world of One Piece.
"I now possess three King Level powers," Kaido mused, "So, I should have surpassed the Four Emperors tier and entered the Legend tier, right? Of course, I'd be the weakest among the Legends. Fighters like Garp probably have four or five King Level powers."
"As for a being like Imu, they could have seven or eight, or even all of their abilities at King Level."
"Maybe..."
"Imu might even possess powers that surpass King Level and reach the Invincible tier."
"If that's true..."
"In comparison, I'm just a Four Emperor..."
"Still, I shouldn't belittle myself."
"My defense and vitality are at King Level."
"That means I'm nearly impossible to kill."
"Others' Armament Haki, attack power, and Conqueror's Haki may be at King Level, allowing them to face me head-on."
"But my defense and vitality are King Level as well."
"A King fighting a King—it's impossible for them to defeat me."
"That's why I'm inherently invincible."
"This is the terrifying advantage that makes my name feared throughout the world."
"And now, with my attack power reaching King Level..."
"Balanced in both offense and defense, in a way, I've become invincible."
Kaido smiled faintly.
Then, Kaido continued to think: "This explains why I was defeated by Luffy two years later. Because my attack power was only top-level before, I couldn't kill people... Tsk, I wonder if now, with my attack power having reached King Level, can I kill someone with the Nika Fruit?"
After thinking deeply,
Kaido shook his head.
Impossible.
Even if my attack power is now at King Level.
But a cheat is a cheat.
There is no way.
"Complete the system tasks, protect Whitebeard... Sooner or later, I will raise all my abilities to King Level, or even to invincible!!"
Kaido thought to himself: "By then, when all my powers are invincible, I should be able to break through any limitations and defeat even the cheaters. And as for ONE PIECE, as for Imu, I'll control them all."
Thinking of this,
Kaido felt the future was full of hope.
He was excited just imagining it.
His attention shifted back to reality.
Kaido looked at Whitebeard aboard the White Whale and said, "Whitebeard, that Conqueror's Haki clash earlier was our greeting. Can we have a proper conversation now?"
"I, Kaido, reiterate here,"
"I'm here to help you."
"Your people are merely unconscious, none of them are dead."
"This is my sincerity, my proof."
"Don't you believe me yet?"
Hearing this,
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes slightly.
He had known Kaido for a long time.
This guy coming to help him? It sounded ridiculous and unrealistic! It seemed like a conspiracy no matter how he looked at it.
However, it was strange.
Kaido's current behavior was indeed a bit different.
It wasn't what he had come to know of him.
It felt like dealing with a completely different person.
Whitebeard asked, "Kaido, you say you want to help me, but why?"
"Don't you think this world is too boring?"
Kaido replied, "The Celestial Dragons have ruled the world for 800 years. Whether it's the Pirate King or the Four Emperors, they can only flaunt their power within the shadow of the Celestial Dragons' reign. They seem powerful, but when you look closely, they're just clowns in a cage."
"You want to attack Marineford to rescue Ace."
"I also want to attack Marineford. But my goal goes further: after that, I'll continue to attack the Celestial Dragons."
"I want to destroy the entire Navy, wipe out all the Celestial Dragons! Of course, I'll also seize the great treasure along the way, ONE PIECE."
"We have every reason to cooperate."
After hearing this,
Whitebeard fell silent. He stared at Kaido, thinking, evaluating.
At that moment,
Kaido's top-level Observation Haki kicked in.
"Red-Haired Shanks is coming,"
Kaido and Whitebeard said in unison.
They looked in the same direction, out toward the sea.