Looking at the devastated ruins spread before them, Ulti swallowed hard, her usual bravado completely absent. "This is way too ridiculous."
She felt overwhelmingly grateful that she and her brother had managed to escape the blast zone in time.
"I really don't know where Boss Kaido discovered such a monster," she muttered, still processing what they'd witnessed.
Page One suddenly realized a terrifying fact that made his blood run cold. "Kai seems to not have used any Haki techniques at all until now?"
Who's-Who froze completely, carefully reviewing the entire battle in his mind. It was indeed exactly as Page One had observed.
His burning ambition to compete for an All-Star position died completely in that moment. At least until his strength improved dramatically, he had no intention of pursuing that goal.
"Boss Kaido and the others are heading to the battlefield. We should go take a look as well," Sasaki reminded them from the side.
The other three voiced no objections. They desperately wanted to know the final outcome of this unprecedented confrontation.
Approaching the crater's edge, smoke and debris still filled the air like a thick curtain.
But for those who had mastered Observation Haki, this visual obstruction posed no real obstacle to their perception.
"Wororororo! Worthy of the All-Star I personally chose!" Kaido's mouth curved into a satisfied grin as he laughed with genuine pride.
The others remained silent, quietly observing the crater's center with intense focus.
Thud... thud... thud...
Heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed across the battlefield.
Kai emerged from the smoke carrying the unconscious Jack, who was spitting up blood continuously, his massive frame looking surprisingly fragile in defeat.
"Well then, Kaido-san, mission accomplished." Kai carefully laid Jack down on the scorched ground with unexpected gentleness.
"Wororororo! Excellently done, kid."
Kaido laughed as he approached Kai's position, raised his massive right hand high, and declared in a voice that carried across the entire island: "Listen up, you maggots! From this moment forward, Kai is officially an All-Star of the Beast Pirates!"
The pirate crew members who had gathered to witness the spectacle immediately erupted in thunderous cheers.
"All-Star! All-Star!"
"Calamity! Calamity!"
The chants echoed off Onigashima's rocky walls like a victory anthem.
Kai grinned widely and raised both hands high above his head, fully embracing his moment of hard-earned glory.
As for the pirates who had perished in the battle's devastating aftermath?
Who cared about them?
They could only blame their rotten luck and insufficient strength. Otherwise, why had they fallen while Jack, Who's-Who, and the others survived?
"One general's success is built upon ten thousand bones." Nothing exemplified this harsh truth better than today's events.
Kai silently vowed in his heart that in this brutal life, he would always be the one left standing when the dust settled.
The following day arrived with deceptive calm.
In Onigashima's Medical Department, the atmosphere buzzed with unusual energy. Because they employed Queen, an expert in biochemical weapons and human body modification, the Beast Pirates maintained surprisingly high medical standards for a pirate crew.
"Lord Kai!"
The female nurses quickly bowed in respectful greeting upon spotting Kai's approach.
After yesterday's spectacular All-Star competition battle, word of Kai's miraculous performance had spread like wildfire throughout Onigashima and was already reaching Wano Country's settlements.
It was safe to say that everyone on Onigashima now knew exactly who he was and what he'd accomplished.
Kai accepted the attention gracefully, nodding with calm dignity and offering a polite smile. "Good morning, everyone."
Though not particularly enthusiastic in his response, within this savage and crude Beast Pirates crew, Kai's refined mannerisms stood out like a phoenix among crows.
His gentlemanly attitude directly won over the nurses' collective affection.
"Lord Kai is so incredibly handsome!" one bold nurse exclaimed openly.
A particularly outgoing female nurse, emboldened by Kai's kind demeanor, approached him directly and asked in her sweetest voice: "Lord Kai, is there anything special I can do for you today?"
Kai smoothly stepped back to maintain appropriate distance and asked politely: "I came to visit Jack. Could you tell me which room he's recovering in?"
"Lord Kai, Lord Jack is under my direct care! Please allow me to show you the way!" A petite female nurse was first to raise her hand enthusiastically.
"Then I'll gratefully accept your assistance," Kai decided immediately, hoping to avoid further complications.
"Back off, you shameless hussies! Stop trying to monopolize Lord Kai's attention!"
The petite nurse arrogantly pushed away her competitors but then clung to Kai's arm herself, leading him intimately toward Jack's recovery room.
"Here we are, Lord Kai. I won't disturb your visit. Just call if you need absolutely anything at all."
After completing her guide duties, the perceptive nurse voluntarily exited the room, giving Kai the privacy he required.
Perhaps as special treatment befitting the strong, the spacious medical room housed only Jack within its sterile walls.
At this moment, Jack lay bandaged like an ancient mummy on an enormous hospital bed. Tubes were inserted throughout his massive frame, with various colored medicinal fluids flowing continuously into his battered system.
Yesterday's catastrophic battle had left Jack with severe burns covering his entire body and complete fractures throughout his skeletal structure.
In his previous life, such injuries would have been instantly fatal with no hope of survival.
But in the pirate world, while this level of trauma wasn't exactly minor, it certainly wasn't life-threatening either.
Kai couldn't help but marvel at Jack's absolutely tenacious vitality and incredible durability.
Truly worthy of being the infamous "Drought King," a man who could consecutively provoke Admiral Fujitora, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, and even the ancient elephant Zunisha, yet somehow survive every encounter.
"It's you?"
Jack, hearing the commotion of footsteps, slowly opened his eyes with genuine surprise coloring his hoarse tone.
He genuinely didn't believe he and Kai shared any particular friendship worth visiting over.
"We're colleagues now, after all, and we just fought an intense battle. Isn't it perfectly normal for me to check on your recovery?"
Kai smiled warmly and presented a carefully arranged basket of fresh bananas. "I heard from King-san that you absolutely love eating bananas, so I specially brought an entire basket for your enjoyment."
The Beast Pirates apparently lacked any tradition of bringing gifts when visiting the sick. Jack's bedside area was completely barren of personal items or well-wishes.
Jack remained ominously silent, studying the offering.
Kai assumed Jack felt embarrassed about accepting his thoughtful kindness and quickly reassured him: "No need to thank me excessively. This is simply what any decent colleague should do."
Unexpectedly, Jack's composure completely shattered as he grumbled with barely contained fury: "You bastard! Do you seriously think I can eat anything in this pathetic condition?!"
Placing his absolute favorite fruit directly at his bedside where he could see but not consume it was nothing short of psychological warfare.
This was pure torture! Absolutely diabolical!
"Oh! Oh! My sincere apologies."
Kai scratched his head with genuine embarrassment, finally understanding why Jack's bedside remained so empty.
He quickly relocated the banana basket to a spot where Jack couldn't see the tempting fruit.
Kai smiled with renewed enthusiasm. "You focus on recovering well. Next time, let's have another proper fight, but the close-combat kind."
Throughout the entire Beast Pirates organization, Jack represented the most suitable sparring partner for hand-to-hand combat development.
Most of Queen's considerable strength derived from advanced technology rather than pure physical prowess. His actual hand-to-hand combat abilities remained relatively average.
King stayed incredibly busy, managing virtually everything within the Beast Pirates from top to bottom. The fact that he could spare even a few days to teach basic Haki techniques was already remarkably generous.
Yes, although Kai had technically become Kaido's personal disciple, King bore responsibility for fundamental Haki instruction.
According to Kaido's characteristically blunt assessment: "I don't have time to play nursemaid with you! Come find me to learn the advanced techniques after you've properly mastered the basic foundations!"
Kai's words directly struck Jack's most sensitive nerve, his eyes flashing with brilliant anticipation. "It's absolutely settled then!"
As a dedicated battle maniac, Jack had been genuinely worried about finding suitable opponents recently.
Who's-Who and the other Tobiroppo members made decent adversaries in theory, but they consistently avoided direct confrontations with him.
How utterly ridiculous and cowardly.
Without intense battles to test oneself, how could anyone properly digest and apply the results of daily training regimens?
Kai seized this opportune moment to inquire about the current political situation in Wano Country and broader Onigashima operations.
Since Kai had earned Boss Kaido's personal acknowledgment and respect, Jack answered every question with complete honesty.
The Beast Pirates' current organizational structure remained relatively straightforward and easy to understand.
Besides Governor Kaido and the three All-Stars, those possessing exceptional combat strength earned the title of Tobiroppo, while the remaining pirates maintained equal status regardless of individual capabilities.
Regarding Wano Country's delicate political situation, Jack's expression darkened with obvious contempt.
"The current Shogun is a pathetic weakling named Kurozumi Orochi, supported by his subordinates called the Orochi Oniwabanshu."
"Most irritating is that Kurozumi Orochi never seems to understand his proper position in our arrangement. If Boss Kaido weren't too lazy to directly rule Wano Country himself, and if King-aniki had sufficient energy to manage governmental affairs, we would have eliminated that snake long ago."
Kai nodded thoughtfully, recognizing a potential opportunity when he heard one.