At the Udon Prison, three massive figures sat on the ground, with King and Queen standing before them like two infants.
King glanced left at Kaido, then right at Caesar and Big Mom, exchanging silent looks with Queen.
Kaido face still bore two very clear fist marks.
Not just anyone could withstand punches from Caesar and Big Mom. Only someone with Kaido monstrous physique could take two direct hits to the head.
Kaido expression was sour as he raised a finger and pointed at Big Mom.
"Linlin, what the hell happened to you? You're pushing eighty—disgusting."
Whack!
Thud!
Caesar immediately smacked Kaido head with a heavy, drum-like impact.
The sheer force of the slap sent Kaido flying far away as he peeked from a distance.
"Linlin?! Who do you think you're talking to, brat?! Call her 'sister-in-law'!"
Big Mom, equally hot-tempered, punched Kaido square in the left eye, leaving it black and blue like a panda's.
"I… I've always looked like this, haven't I, Caesar dear?"
She batted her eyelashes and leaned in close to Caesar.
"Damn right! My Linlin is the most beautiful woman in the world!"
"YOU BASTARDS!"
Kaido fists clenched with a crack, grinding his teeth as he glared at the lovey-dovey pair, seething with rage.
"Hmm?"
Caesar and Big Mom turned in unison, their eyes sharp with warning.
Kaido's lips twitched. Inside, he was cursing up a storm, but with both of them being just as strong as him, he had no choice but to swallow his fury.
In the distance, Queen, withered and frail, stealthily crawled into a pit squinting with his dim cloudy eyes as he searched for any remnants of Caesar blood.
"Huh?! Found it!"
Spotting a trace of crimson blood in the corner of the pit, Queen face lit up with glee as he eagerly licked it up.
The moment the blood touched his tongue, his eyes bulged—it felt like swallowing molten lava, a burning sensation surging through him.
"OOOOOOOOHHHH!!! I'm back, baby! Wahahahaha! The one and only Queen, the heartthrob, makes his grand return! Ta-da! Now, I shall sing a song in honor of the great Caesar-sama! ╭(╯ε╰)╮"
His shriveled body inflated like ballon, rapidly swelling until he was once again a rotund, big-bellied man with a head as round as a barrel.
"Shut up, you idiot Queen!" Kaido roared, the sheer force of his voice causing rocks to rain from the prison walls.
Queen shivered violently, quickly shrinking his bloated body and hiding in the pit, peeking out with beady eyes to assess the situation.
Kaido sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
"Mamamama~ Caesar dear, who's this guy in the cell? He looks kinda familiar. Did you catch him?" Big Mom pointed at Ryokugyu behind bars.
Caesar glanced at Ryokugyu and scoffed. "That's the Marine Admiral, Ryokugyu. The moron tried to drain me dry right after I woke up. So I put him in his place."
Big Mom giggled coquettishly, playfully punching Caesar arm.
"What an idiot. Even I can't drain you dry, Caesar dear. Who does he think he is? Hmph."
"Ahem!"
Caesar face flushed red as he quickly changed the subject, shouting at the dark-faced Kaido.
"Kaido, look at you! After decades of struggling, what have you achieved at your age? I heard you got beaten by a bunch of brats? What a useless waste!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Kaido glared furiously.
Caesar snorted coldly, pointing at Kaido nose and scolding him.
"You fool, always so arrogant. The moment King told me the story, I understood everything. What exactly do you have to be proud of?"
"Do you think today youngsters can be underestimated? Have you forgotten how the young Roger and Garp crushed the invincible Rocks on God Valley?"
Caesar stood up, pointing at the sky "You think becoming an Emperor makes you untouchable? Decades later and you still haven't fixed your habit of carelessness!"
"You had them beaten and captured, yet didn't finish them off. Look what happened—they made a comeback, gathered allies, and took you down."
"What a perfect hand you had and you played it like absolute shit!"
Kaido expression darkened, but as Caesar continued berating him, his shoulders slumped in dejection.
Caesar wasn't wrong—he had indeed been too careless.
Kid and Straw Hat had been in his grasp, but his fondness for talent made him keep trying to recruit these troublemakers.
If he had just killed them back then, Kid and Straw Hat would've been long dead.
"Let me tell you something—unless you think you're Rocks himself, don't keep a bunch of rebellious hotheads under you. Back in Rocks' crew, there were over a dozen Conqueror's Haki users!"
"Newgate, Shiki, me, you, Linlin—which one of us wasn't an unruly powerhouse? If Rocks hadn't been overwhelmingly strong and sharp-minded, we would've disbanded long ago. And even someone as mighty as Rocks still got betrayed by Newgate and the others in the end. So much for being invincible!"
Caesar sneered at Kaido "You think you're stronger than Rocks?"
Kaido lowered his head, silent.
"And you, Linlin! You're just as bad! With the two of you working together, you still lost so miserably. I truly don't understand how you planned things. Fighting isn't just about brute strength!"
King glanced at Caesar bulging muscles, then recalled his savage beatdown of Ryokugyu, his lips twitching involuntarily.
Coming from you, that sounds pretty damn hypocritical.
Linlin pursed her lips, lowering her head in shame.
Caesar clenched his massive fists "Starting today, Kaido, Linlin—your crews are merging. I'll be the captain! Any objections?"
Kaido and Linlin looked up at Caesar.
After a moment, they both sighed and nodded.
Kaido "Fine, you take over. Since I lost, I'll honor our old promise—this world is yours now. But Caesar, if you lose too, don't expect me to forgive you!"
Caesar threw his head back, laughing wildly.
"Borororo! Don't worry! I'm not indecisive like you. Back on Rocks' ship, I was the strategist! Brains and brawn—that's me! Borororo!"
"Linlin, what about you? If you disagree, I won't blame you" Caesar said, grinning at her.
Linlin said solemnly "Caesar-oniisama, you're right. Maybe I'm really not suited to be a captain. After all these years, I've somewhat lost myself. I entrust all the forces of the Charlotte Family to you! I believe in you!"
"Bororororo! Good!" Caesar spread his arms wide, roared to the skies and extended one palm.
"Then I, Emperor Caesar, officially return! The Beast God Pirates are hereby established! The Charlotte Family shall henceforth be known as the Barbarossa Family! Kaido, from this moment on, you shall be the Dragon God Kaido. Linlin, what god title would you like?"
Linlin smiled brightly, standing up to place her hand on Caesar palm.
"I don't mind, Caesar-oniisama. You can decide for me."
"Borororo, then you shall be the Soul God! And I, the Beast God Caesar! From this day forward, anyone who wishes to become a god-tier member of my Beast God Pirates must single-handedly defeat a Marine Admiral in direct combat!"
Kaido also stood up, placing his hand atop Linlin.
The three exchanged glances, all smiling as if time had reversed and they'd returned to thirty-eight years ago.
Noticing King and Queen watching eagerly from the side, Caesar snorted coldly.
"What are you looking at? You're still too weak to be anything more than small fries!"
King and Queen felt as if arrows had pierced their hearts, deeply stung by the remark.