Buckingham Stussy's cloning project had finally shown some promise.
The first batch of clones turned out strong but... not very bright. Kaido personally put them all down.
A shame, really. What a waste of resources. Who knew how many kidneys it would take to make up for that loss?
Thanks to King's rigorous training, Enel had toughened up significantly. Not only was his body stronger, but he had also learned to wield Armament Haki, making remarkable progress in his combat ability.
But what truly set him apart was his Observation Haki.
With his Devil Fruit abilities enhancing it, he could monitor every movement, every sound across all of Wano. Seeing his potential, Kaido decided to keep him stationed in Wano permanently to oversee the nation's every move.
Hearing King praise Enel's talent, Kaido also had Jack train him for a while.
After all, training one soldier or training a whole squad made no difference to Jack. So, he brought in Teren and Ulti as well, putting them all through hell together.
According to Enel, the reason his Observation Haki had such an absurd range—allowing him to hear the voices of everyone in Wano—was due to his Devil Fruit's ability to receive electromagnetic waves.
Jack, intrigued, asked Enel to pay extra attention to any whispers about the Kozuki Clan.
With the prophesied time drawing closer, rumors surrounding the Kozuki name had begun to resurface. Many had already been captured because of it.
Jack decided to use Enel's abilities to flush out the last of these fools once and for all.
After all, none of them knew that Enel could hear their every word.
As long as someone still clung to the Kozuki dream and spoke of them during this period, they would all be rounded up.
But Jack never expected that after just a few nights of surveillance, Enel would bring back a shocking report.
"What did you just say?! The Kozuki Clan's remnants are still alive?!"
"And they're openly sitting at Kurozumi Orochi's table?"
"The top oiran of Wano, Komurasaki, and that Kyoshiro guy… they're both part of the Kozuki Clan?"
"And an old man… Kozuki Sukiyaki?!"
After confirming the information with Enel, Jack clenched his fist.
"I see. I'll report to Kaido right away. Keep a close watch on those people."
Inside Kaido's grand palace on Onigashima, the moment he finished listening to Jack's report, he shot to his feet.
"WHAT?! That old bastard Kozuki Sukiyaki is still alive?!"
"Are you sure about this?!"
Jack nodded firmly.
"Enel heard it straight from the old man himself while he was talking in his sleep.
"He muttered about how he had failed the Kozuki Clan… how he could only hide his face and live in disgrace, waiting for 'that day' to come."
"Right now, he's working as a blacksmith in one of our factories under the name 'Tenguyama Hitetsu.'"
"Apparently, he has a weird obsession with collecting dolls of young girls, so the workers call him an old pervert."
"And that Kyoshiro Orochi recruited a few years back… turns out his real identity is Denjiro, one of Kozuki Oden's retainers."
"He's been protecting Kozuki Oden's daughter, Kozuki Hiyori, who has been living in Wano disguised as the oiran Komurasaki!"
Kaido clicked his tongue.
"Tch, well, what do you know… an oiran, huh?"
"The Kozuki Clan sure is full of freaks."
"As for the rest, I have no doubt that Enel's abilities will expose them all in time."
Jack hesitated for a moment before asking, "Should we capture them immediately, or keep monitoring them for a while?"
Kaido closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then exhaled sharply.
"I've waited long enough!"
"If Kozuki Sukiyaki is still alive, then bring them in—NOW!"
"I want them alive."
"And whatever you do, don't lay a finger on that Komurasaki girl!"
Kaido burst into laughter, so elated that he could barely contain himself.
Jack, on the other hand, was utterly baffled.
"Kaido-san… why are you so excited?"
"Is it because you want to see Wano's number one oiran for yourself?"
Suddenly, Jack's face lit up with realization.
"Oh! I get it now!"
"You killed Kozuki Oden, but that wasn't enough to satisfy you, huh?"
"Then, you let his wife die without lifting a finger to stop her."
"And now, you want to have a taste of his daughter, too?"
Jack smirked.
"Man, that's some next-level depravity right there."
"But hey, once you're done, could I—"
BOOM!
...
By the time the Onigashima construction crew arrived to assess the damage, Kaido had already finished "explaining" things to Jack.
As Jack groaned on the floor, Kaido let out a deep sigh.
"The World Government forbids the study of the Poneglyphs. That's why Ohara was wiped off the map. That's why an eight-year-old girl ended up with the highest bounty in history."
"Aside from those Ohara scholars, the Kozuki Clan holds the greatest knowledge of Poneglyphs in the world."
"No… their knowledge might even surpass what Ohara once had."
"Because they were the ones who carved those stones in the first place!"
Kaido's expression turned fierce, his voice growing louder.
"To reach the Final Island, you need all four Road Poneglyphs. But even if you have them, you still need someone who can read them!"
"Roger knew that. That's why he borrowed Kozuki Oden from Whitebeard's crew!"
"And thanks to Oden, they became the first crew in 800 years to reach the Final Island!"
"That's how Roger became the Pirate King!"
"That's how he gave that island its name—Laugh Tale!"
Kaido's eyes burned with intensity.
"I don't give a damn about being the Pirate King!"
"But I want to know what's on that island!"
"What's hidden there?! What secrets are recorded?!"
"If Kozuki Sukiyaki is still alive, then once I gather all the Road Poneglyphs, I can reach Laugh Tale too!"
Jack let out a long sigh.
"Honestly, I think all you'll find there is a pile of Roger's crap."
"No, wait—maybe several piles!"
"A deserted island that's been untouched for 800 years? Roger and his crew went there, sure, but what else could possibly be left?"
"Even if someone left behind a message, it's probably eroded by now."
"And even if it's intact… what use is an 800-year-old message to us?"
"We have to go through all this trouble gathering Poneglyphs just to read a history book?"
"Honestly, I think this whole thing is kind of dumb."
"You know what? Give me a few days. I'll fly around and find Laugh Tale myself."
"Why bother with all this nonsense? You act like we're collecting artifacts to summon a final boss or something."
Before Jack could finish his rant, Kaido's expression darkened.
"RAIMEI HAKKE!!!"
That night, Onigashima's repair crew got to see what the island looked like at 4 a.m.
-----------
The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg