"No."
Kaido rejected Gusion's proposal without hesitation.
Thanks to Gusion, Wano was thriving and the Beast Pirates' profits soaring—Kaido trusted him completely and had already removed the handcuffs from both Gusion and Yamato.
He didn't want to restrict Gusion, but felt that, during this high-speed development, losing Gusion would bring everything to a halt.
"Kaido, if you're worried about Wano's operations, I've got everything arranged."
Gusion explained, "All projects are running smoothly, and I've given Yamato my follow-up plans. If she has questions, she'll discuss them with Mr. Yasuie. Even without my supervision, Wano will continue to develop."
He said this to reassure Kaido, but also to prepare him—he didn't have much time left in this world, and if he set out to sea, he might not return to Wano.
From what he'd learned, if you want to return to the same world in the future, it's best to have a reasonable missing person excuse.
Otherwise, the system would waste power fabricating a new identity for you. If it's too costly, you might be sent to a new mission world instead.
In his previous mission in the Bleach world, Gusion had perfectly staged his exit, making it easy to return later.
In the One Piece world, if he disappeared in Wano, Kaido would turn the country upside down looking for him, undoing all his hard work.
So, it was best to disappear overseas, where it was common for people to be lost at sea.
This time their goal was a sky island—he'd have many reasons for vanishing, with little fallout.
"No. This is about grabbing the poneglyph. We don't need your strength."
Kaido shook his head. He valued Gusion's mind, but this was a battle, and Gusion's strength was only about headliner-level. If something happened, he'd lose his strategist.
"Kaido, you're mistaken," Gusion smiled, then turned to King, "King, you said the blind swordsman is as strong as an admiral, right?"
King nodded. "That's right. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been injured."
Gusion looked back at Kaido. "Kaido, Issho is a chivalrous man of justice. He fought King because he'd heard bad things about the Beast Pirates—believing we oppressed the people."
"Doesn't matter why. He hurt King, so I want his head," Kaido said, his voice low and angry.
"Kaido, why don't we hear King's thoughts?" Gusion knew Kaido was fiercely protective, especially of King.
He asked, "King, if Issho joined the Beast Pirates, could you forgive him?"
King frowned, then nodded, "If he joined Kaido, I wouldn't hold a grudge—but is that even possible?"
Kaido realized what Gusion was suggesting, "Gusion, you want to come along and persuade Issho to join us?"
"Exactly," Gusion replied. "Issho is powerful. Remember what we discussed? He's a third type—someone with conviction. If he accepts you, our crew's strength will skyrocket."
Issho always followed his own sense of justice. He joined the navy thinking they were righteous, but later saw the corruption.
Gusion felt Issho would be better off under Kaido.
"Can you really do it? From King's description, he sounds tough," Kaido asked, more intrigued now.
If they could recruit Issho, Kaido would be the strongest Emperor.
"That's why I need to go. Who else could persuade him?"
Gusion smiled.
He wasn't sure he'd succeed, but it was a good reason to go to sea.
Sky Island was a great place, and the poneglyph wasn't his main goal—he could explore and maybe hunt for a rare devil fruit.
"Hmm... fine. But only if you arrange everything so Wano runs smoothly."
Kaido agreed, realizing that elite strength mattered more than numbers. Even if productivity dropped, recruiting an admiral-level fighter was worth it.
"Thank you, Kaido. I'll go hand things over to Yamato now."
Gusion anticipated a headache—Kaido was reasonable, but Yamato would definitely object.
They'd promised to go to sea together, but now he was sneaking off with her father.
…
"What!? Gusion-dono's going to sea!?"
Yamato looked at him, shocked. "I'm coming too!"
Gusion had expected this, and tried to comfort her. "Yamato, you can't go. You're different from me—I work behind the scenes, but you're the shogun. You're the people's hope. Right now, you must stay to keep Wano stable."
Yamato had been working hard, helping the people every day, gradually earning their acceptance as the new shogun.
If both Gusion and Yamato left, with both top fighters and managers gone, Wano could easily fall into chaos.
So only one could leave. Gusion needed to go for his own reasons, and hopefully recruit Issho, so Yamato had to stay.
"But... we promised to go together!" Yamato pouted. "You broke your word!"
"Sorry, Yamato, next time," Gusion said, not wanting to make up more excuses.
"When is next time?" Yamato looked hurt. "You know how complicated Wano's affairs are—just handling daily tasks is overwhelming, and your plans go on forever. Who knows when I'll finish?"
Gusion saw how much work had changed Yamato—from a lazy rebel to a thoughtful leader. She no longer talked about rebellion or objected to Gusion helping Kaido, understanding it was for the people's good.
She'd learned of her father's dream and was determined to make Wano a peaceful, prosperous place before adventuring with Gusion.
Standing on the shogun's tower, overlooking the city and factories, Gusion said, "Once this country is truly prosperous, I'll return and take you to sea."
Yamato gazed into the distance, then turned to Gusion with a bright smile. "It's a promise! If you break it again, I'll smash you into the ground with Takeru!"
Gusion laughed. "Deal!"
He then handed over his work to Yamato and Yasuie, going over his strategies in detail.
Yamato nearly dozed off several times, but Gusion kept her alert—she had to learn.
After all, he might never return, and if Yamato remained naive, Wano would be doomed.
Yamato meant well, but any country left unchecked breeds corruption. If she couldn't manage, Gusion's plans would fail.
Luckily, Yasuie was clever and reliable. Seeing Wano's progress, he gradually shifted his loyalty from the Kozuki family to the people themselves.
He still felt guilt, but knew his true duty was to the people who trusted him.
With everything in place, Gusion was confident Wano would thrive.
After a long night, Gusion rubbed his aching brow and looked seriously at Yamato and Yasuie. "I'm counting on you two for Wano."
Yamato felt the weight of Gusion's trust and expectation, along with a strange sadness. She didn't know why, but still nodded firmly. "Don't worry, Gusion-dono."