A Month of Silence—Where is Bai Yu?
Ten days passed in a blur.
After the shocking news of Bai Yu slaughtering the Celestial Dragons had made waves across the world, there had been no updates about him for nearly a month.
Meanwhile, other pirates of the same generation had started making moves. However, the only noteworthy news was newcomers defeating washed-up pirates who had returned from the New World.
There were no real game-changers.
So, where was Bai Yu?
The major factions were still investigating, but aside from a single sighting in Dressrosa, no one had seen Bai Yu in the past month.
Not even CP0 or the Marines had managed to find a single trace of him. The failure infuriated the Five Elders, who had removed and replaced several CP0 agents in frustration.
"Where is he?" Sengoku muttered, his frown deepening. "Has he been hiding in the sky this whole time? No, that's impossible—he wouldn't just drop dead out of nowhere."
Meanwhile, Dragon sat in contemplation. "The so-called 'Demon King'… He's an impulsive but rational young man. Maybe he's just waiting for the right moment?"
Kaido's Annoying Calls
On the other side of the world, Bai Yu had just finished talking to Dracule Mihawk, confirming that he would arrive at Whole Cake Island soon. As he hung up, his Den Den Mushi rang again.
"Hahaha! My good son-in-law! How have you been? Why haven't you arrived yet?"
Bai Yu sighed.
This damn guy called him every three days without fail.
At first, Kaido referred to him as "kid," then "boy," then "Bai Yu." But now? Now, he was "my good son-in-law."
No matter how many times Bai Yu tried to correct him, Kaido refused to change it and kept calling him that.
And if Bai Yu ever seemed annoyed, Kaido would just say:
"If it's too much trouble, just send me your location. I'll fly over and pick you up."
Bai Yu completely gave up on reasoning with him.
"We'll talk in two years. Right now, I'm going to fight the Four Emperors. I'll come find you when I've secured my territory."
"Hmm? Kid, you're not trying to avoid fighting me, are you?"
"What's so important in your little territory that you're acting like it's a treasure? Why not just come to Wano?"
"Listen, my good son-in-law! Who do you want to fight? I'll bring my men to help you!"
Bai Yu's patience snapped.
"Kaido! LISTEN TO ME! This is MY fight!"
"Hahaha! Good, good! I like that ambition! Go on, fight! I won't bother you."
Kaido finally hung up, leaving Bai Yu rubbing his temples in exhaustion.
Kaido's Speculations
After hanging up, Kaido's expression became serious as he looked down at his subordinates.
"Who do you think that kid is going after?"
Queen answered first. "It's definitely not Whitebeard. If we rule ourselves out, there's only one real possibility left."
"Is it Shanks?" Jack asked, confused. "The guy barely has a crew. What's Bai Yu gonna do, fight one man and his fan club?"
For once, Jack was out of his depth.
Bai Yu was strong, sure, but his crew was full of weak women. Was he planning to fight an entire Yonko crew alone?
Jin pondered for a moment before speaking. "No… his target is likely the Charlotte Family. And his influence is probably far greater than what we've seen."
"Don't forget—Hawkeye himself acknowledged his power."
"Then there's Crocodile, Moria, Rayleigh… According to reports, Bai Yu cut off the limbs of people and threw them into another dimension. But why not kill them outright?"
"And what exactly did he do in Dressrosa?"
"Lastly—where has he been for the past month?"
Kaido listened, deep in thought.
"So what you're saying is…" He smirked, "He's doing what I did—defeating his enemies, locking them up, and slowly recruiting them."
Jin nodded.
Kaido burst into laughter. "Hahaha! So he's secretly gathering forces to wipe out the entire Charlotte Family in one move?"
Kaido took a deep drink of sake. "That's a good kid!"
Then, a thought struck him. His grin widened.
"If he actually manages to kill Linlin… I won't have to repay my debt!"
After all, a dead woman couldn't collect on a favor.
Kaido looked at Yamato, who was listening with wide eyes.
"Did you hear that? Your man is getting stronger and stronger. Give him two years, and he'll be standing in front of me as an equal."
"And when that happens—"
Before Kaido could finish, Yamato interrupted. "I don't care! Oden will never lose!"
With an annoyed growl, Kaido punched Yamato straight out of the room.
"Tch. Just wait till your man finally knocks some sense into you."
Whole Cake Island—The Tea Party Begins
Whole Cake Island, the center of Totto Land, was bustling with life today.
Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, had organized a grand Tea Party, inviting countless influential figures.
Among them were the Six Kings of the Underworld, the major players of the New World's black market.
At the island's coast, Gibson, the "King of Warehouse Storage," smirked as he noticed a certain guest.
"I didn't expect that walking corpse to show up…"
Next to him, Umit, the "King of Ocean Transport," wrinkled his nose. "Ugh. You can smell the blood on him from a mile away…"
They were talking about "Big Hand" Drug Peclo, the Undertaker of the assassination market.
Meanwhile, Du Feld, the Loan Shark King, chuckled. "Morgans, why do you look like someone just killed your parents?"
The albatross Zoan user, Morgans, was slumped in his chair, utterly miserable.
"The Demon King, Bai Yu… why has there been no news of him for an entire month?"
The others sighed.
"You really love that little troublemaker, huh?"
Morgans suddenly perked up, eyes gleaming. "No. No, this isn't right. The Devil I know wouldn't stay silent for this long. He must be planning something big!"
At that moment, a seductive voice interrupted.
"Well, well, Mr. Morgans. You seem to know the Demon King quite well."
Stussy approached gracefully, carrying an elegant handbag.
"I'm very curious about that man. He's so mysterious. Can you introduce me to him?"
Du Feld laughed. "My, my. Has the Queen of the Pleasure District finally fallen for someone?"
Stussy chuckled. "Who wouldn't? The Demon King is powerful and handsome. It's hard not to be interested."
As they spoke, a massive pink ship appeared on the horizon.
Doflamingo had arrived.
The Tea Party was about to begin.
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