Kaido was invigorated by Gusion's vision for the future.
At 47, he was in his prime—plenty of time to do great things.
With more money, expanding his pirate crew would be easy, and Gusion had even given him advice on that front.
"Gusion, you're my lucky star—hahaha!"
Kaido openly admired Gusion, slapping his shoulder.
Gusion used Ryou to avoid being smashed. "Let's not celebrate too soon, Kaido. Wano won't become strong in a day. Don't get drunk and order an attack on Mary Geoise in a fit of excitement."
"Ha! I never get drunk, my tolerance is amazing," Kaido laughed.
Just then, a female centaur rushed up—it was Speed, a headliner of the Beast Pirates.
"Kaido-sama, something's happened!"
She was out of breath. "Gusion-sama, you and Kaido need to return to Onigashima immediately!"
Gusion was puzzled—what could worry Kaido in the New World?
"What is it? Slow down," Gusion asked. Kaido's smile faded.
Wano was their turf—nothing urgent usually happened. That's why Kaido hadn't brought a transponder snail and they'd just gone for drinks afterward, making Speed search for them.
"It's about a new poneglyph, and King's a bit upset..."
Speed explained.
Gusion and Kaido exchanged glances, each thinking different things.
Kaido was interested in the poneglyph, but didn't get why King was so agitated—he was always known for his composure.
Gusion sensed something unusual—this wasn't part of the original story. He'd been in this world for just over three months, and guessed there weren't many explorers left.
Those still here must be elites—only those who completed hidden quests could stay longer.
If an explorer started this, it must be someone formidable. Even Gusion wouldn't wander the New World alone.
Kaido turned into a dragon and carried Gusion straight to Onigashima's conference room.
All the lead performers and core members were there—everyone took this seriously.
"King, what happened?"
Kaido asked his right-hand man. When he saw King's injuries, he scowled—anyone could sense his anger.
"My wounds are fine. I just ran into a troublesome opponent," King said, adjusting his collar to show he was okay.
Gusion was surprised—he knew the Beast Pirates were at peak strength in this era.
Kaido, at 47, was at his absolute peak, able to go toe-to-toe with Whitebeard.
King, now 35, was also at the height of his strength. Among the emperor's right-hands in the New World, few could match him.
So who could injure him?
Gusion had suspected an explorer, but with King's strength, it seemed unlikely.
"Who hurt you?"
Kaido's expression darkened. He had few friends he truly cared about, and King was one of them—no one harmed his brother without consequence.
"A blind swordsman. Never heard of him before, but he's very strong—probably on par with the navy's admirals."
King analyzed, not bragging. To hurt or force him back, you needed admiral-level strength.
He'd fought all the other right-hands before: Katakuri, older than him but still weaker in battle; Marco, two years younger, with a powerful fruit but still not as strong as King.
So, among all right-hands, King should be the strongest. In the New World, as long as you avoid the Four Emperors, you're untouchable.
But this time, not only did he get shocking news, he also met someone who could injure him.
"Blind swordsman? An older man? Dressed like a Wano samurai?"
Gusion asked, thinking of a certain character.
King was surprised. "Gusion, how did you know?"
Gusion thought he'd guessed right. "Is he a gravity fruit user?"
"You know him?" King asked.
Gusion nodded. "I heard stories on my travels. He's a swordsman named Issho."
He hadn't expected Issho, known as Fujitora in the original, to appear here. In the original, Fujitora became an admiral after the Summit War, having made a name for himself during the World Military Draft.
It was never stated what Fujitora was doing ten years ago, so it was plausible he'd be out adventuring.
"That guy is strong. If not for him, I'd have gotten the poneglyph," King said seriously. "Kaido, I got some important intel on this trip."
Kaido saw King was okay, just bandaged up, and relaxed. The other officers stayed quiet.
Through King's account, Gusion finally learned what happened in the New World.
Apparently, someone leaked news of a poneglyph on a certain sky island, causing an uproar.
Most New World pirates are after the One Piece, and to reach it, you need all poneglyphs.
But the poneglyphs are usually controlled by big powers or hidden in ruins. Only Gol D. Roger ever gathered them all.
Shanks once had a chance to go, but his friend Buggy got sick, so he stayed behind. Shanks' attitude toward the treasure is complicated.
Whitebeard, the oldest Emperor, wasn't interested—he just wanted to enjoy life with his sons.
So only Big Mom and Kaido were truly interested in the great treasure.
With news of a poneglyph, not only would New World pirates scramble for it, so would the Big Mom and Beast Pirates.
But the level of competition might be subtle—Big Mom was busy with Totto Land, Kaido was focused on war preparations. Becoming Pirate King was a means to an end, not the end itself.
So, they'd want the poneglyph, but might not go in person.
Usually, a right-hand like King could handle it alone.
But he was unlucky enough to meet Issho.
Gusion guessed the leak was the work of another explorer. There were others besides him using the situation for their own goals.
What would an explorer gain? Well, a strong explorer could deliberately create chaos, attracting powerful pirates to fight—turning it into a hunting ground.
With many devil fruit users gathered, a savvy explorer could pick off weakened targets and claim their fruits.
For example, Gusion himself couldn't beat the Tobiroppo in a straight fight, but in a chaotic melee, he could snipe a wounded one from afar.
It was a high-risk, high-reward move—a bold explorer must be behind it.
He didn't know if Issho was just passing by or led there, but King was unlucky to meet him.
According to King, after hearing the news, he went to the Top of the West Sky to reach the sky island Baron Terminal—the normal way up. The Reverse Mountain route is much riskier.
King, being a Lunarian and a pteranodon fruit user, wasn't afraid of falling, so he was the best candidate.
The Beast Pirates knew Baron Terminal—Kaido had gone bungee jumping there when drunk, but never used it to go to other sky islands.
Reaching the Top of the West Sky, King encountered the blind swordsman Issho. For some reason, Issho seemed to have a grudge against the Beast Pirates—after a brief argument, a fight broke out.
Both were injured and withdrew, but King admitted Issho had the upper hand.
What excited King more wasn't the fight or the poneglyph, but that he heard rumors of another Lunarian on a sky island. He had thought himself the last of his kind, so he was desperate to confirm the rumor.
But Issho blocked his way, saying he wouldn't let a pirate harm the sky island. This infuriated King.
"Poneglyph... blind swordsman... Lunarian..."
Kaido muttered. "Looks like it's time to head out myself."
Gusion knew that with all these factors—and King being attacked—Kaido wouldn't sit still. He'd go in person.
Gusion thought for a moment and suggested, "Kaido, take me with you this time."