New World, Totto Land, Whole Cake Island.
This is the headquarters of the Big Mom Pirates and the capital of the Totto Land Kingdom.
At this very moment, in the port of this island, a pirate ship flying a skull flag slowly pulled to a stop. It looked completely out of place next to the other pirate ships in the harbor, which all bore the Big Mom Pirates' flag.
A short time later, a tall, burly figure walked off the ship, accompanied by a small, young-looking lad who appeared to be only about fifteen or sixteen.
This towering man was Kaido. He was bare-chested, wearing black pants and a long, furry coat draped over his shoulders. With two horns on his forehead, he looked both mighty and domineering.
However, a conspicuous scar ran across his robust chest, starting from his shoulder and ending just before his navel.
This scar was, of course, the one Diarmuid had inflicted on him with a single sword strike.
As soon as Kaido stepped ashore, Katakuri, the first of the Big Mom Pirates' Sweet Commanders, approached him and said softly, "Kaido-sama, welcome to Whole Cake Island. Mama has been waiting for a long time."
Kaido didn't say anything, only nodded to Katakuri, then said, "Jack, let's go."
"Yes, Boss Kaido!" the young man beside him replied.
It turned out he was the infamous All-Star, Jack the Drought.
Although Jack looked very young, as if he were only fifteen or sixteen, his sturdy frame told a different story. He looked nothing like a youth, but more like a hulking brute.
After Kaido 'escaped' from the World Government's control, he met this boy on his way back to the New World.
He discovered that Jack was a Devil Fruit user, possessing the Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Zoan Model: Mammoth.
Kaido already had a strong preference for Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, and at the time, his crew was lacking strong subordinates. Only Queen and King could really hold their own.
Jack's appearance brought Kaido immense joy. After observing him for a while, he realized Jack was a perfect fit for his crew.
He was young, an Ancient Zoan user, and hadn't been part of any other shady organizations or powers. Kaido took a liking to him immediately and brought him back to Wano Country, keeping him close and teaching him personally.
But to be honest, Kaido's teaching skills were lacking. He was a monster who relied on pure talent, not someone with the aptitude to be a teacher.
As a result, Jack didn't learn much from Kaido, but it was better than nothing, far better than if he had ventured out on his own.
However, while he didn't pick up Kaido's techniques, Jack did absorb his personality and way of doing things.
By now, Jack had become a reckless hothead who feared nothing. If someone ticked him off, he'd fight them!
It was precisely this reckless personality that made Kaido fond of him. That's why Kaido didn't bring Queen or King with him to meet Charlotte Linlin. Instead, he brought this young fellow, Jack.
Led by Katakuri, Kaido swaggered into the castle on Whole Cake Island.
Before long, Kaido saw Charlotte Linlin. At this moment, Charlotte Linlin's body was even more bloated and looked much fatter, her once decent appearance now distorted.
But none of that mattered; Kaido wasn't there for Charlotte Linlin's looks.
When he saw her, the old woman was devouring a meal, having already eaten more than half of a table full of sweets. Drool, mixed with what looked like stomach acid, dripped from the corner of her mouth. One drop landed on the table and burned a small hole in it.
After seeing Kaido, Charlotte Linlin showed no expression and simply pointed to a large couch in the distance.
Kaido paid no mind to it; he and Charlotte Linlin were close. But the young Jack on the side couldn't stand it. In his mind, Boss Kaido was the strongest, unbeatable.
His boss came all the way to Whole Cake Island to meet this Charlotte Linlin, and this old hag dared to put on airs?
"You idiot!!! Who do you think we are?! Show some respect for Boss Kaido, you old hag!" Jack roared.
Kaido was stunned, Katakuri was stunned, and Charlotte Linlin's chewing of sweets came to a halt.
"Wororororo…" Kaido suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Charlotte Linlin also started laughing, while Katakuri composed his expression and stepped back.
Just then, Charlotte Linlin suddenly reached out a hand. A burst of ghostly green soul power erupted from her arm, forming a massive hand that grabbed Jack from a distance.
"Brat, do you know who you're talking to?" Charlotte Linlin cackled menacingly.
Jack struggled for a moment, realizing that he couldn't break free from this seemingly invisible restraint with his boasted strength, but he didn't panic.
He remained arrogant and defiant, shouting, "You're just an old hag who lost to the Straw Hat Pirates, aren't you?"
As soon as he said it, a flash of annoyance crossed Charlotte Linlin's eyes.
It was at that moment Kaido spoke up, "Linlin, you're too old to be mad at a kid, aren't you?"
"Hmph!" Charlotte Linlin grunted and flung her arm, sending Jack flying. He crashed into the castle wall, immediately spitting out a mouthful of blood.
The injury looked neither too severe nor too light.
Kaido had no intention of helping Jack. Jack had just gone too far by bringing up Charlotte Linlin's past, and the fact that she didn't kill him was a sign of respect for Kaido.
"Jack, shut up and stand over there," Kaido commanded calmly.
Jack, who usually looked like he didn't care about anyone and was ready to fight, was incredibly respectful of Kaido and obeyed his every word. As soon as Kaido spoke, he picked himself up, wiped the blood from his mouth, and stood to the side.
While he was doing this, he glared fiercely at Katakuri.
This puzzled Katakuri, who couldn't figure out what was going on in the guy's head. What was this? Why were you glaring at me?
What a blockhead.
Kaido didn't rush anything. He simply sat on the couch without a word, looking around Charlotte Linlin's castle.
Charlotte Linlin didn't bother with the brat anymore and quickly, and without grace, devoured the rest of the sweets on the table.
Only after she had finished everything did she turn to Kaido and say, "You came all the way from Wano Country to see me. Does this mean you've given up on your old plans, Kaido?"
Kaido finally looked at Charlotte Linlin, his eyes a little annoyed. "Why do you care so much?"
"Mamamamama…"
Charlotte Linlin let out her unique laugh, then said, "Looks like I was right."
She was indeed correct. Originally, Kaido's plan was to quietly develop his strength in Wano Country for another ten or twenty years, building up enough power and waiting for the global situation to change before making his move.
In the original story, Kaido did something similar, accumulating power until the great pirate war for supremacy erupted in the New World. Only then did he truly get involved, no longer staying dormant, and quickly became one of the Yonko.
But now, due to Diarmuid's interference, Kaido was captured and locked away for two and a half years. During his absence, the Beasts Pirates were without their captain. Queen and King bickered and fought amongst themselves, while the samurai in Wano Country stirred up trouble.
Destruction is far quicker and more brutal than construction. In just two and a half years, Kaido's accumulated wealth was all but gone. His weapons business had cooled down, and he hadn't found many promising new subordinates.
He was basically back to square one.
Because of this, Kaido had been miserable for the past two years and didn't want to talk about it.
"I didn't come here to listen to your nonsense, Linlin," Kaido said in a low voice.
"I told you long ago that your methods were no good and that Wano Country isn't a great place, but you wouldn't listen. If you had teamed up with me back then, none of this would be happening. The Whitebeard Pirates wouldn't have grown so powerful, and maybe Roger wouldn't have become the Pirate King. If you and I had joined forces, we would have already taken out Shiki, Roger, and Whitebeard!" Charlotte Linlin grumbled.
But Kaido didn't take any of it seriously. He knew that Charlotte Linlin was just bragging. Even if they had joined forces ten years ago, they wouldn't have been a match for Roger, Newgate, and Shiki.
He hated to admit it, but that era truly belonged to those three.
During that time, both he and Charlotte Linlin could only be considered "the underlings."
The reason Charlotte Linlin was saying all this now was simply to gain the upper hand and take the lead in their upcoming alliance.
Kaido might look like a brute on the surface, but he was keenly aware of this.
If it were possible, he would, of course, want to be the leader of this "pirate alliance."
But he knew it was impossible now. While his individual strength might not be inferior to Charlotte Linlin's—they could fight for ten days and ten nights without a clear winner—in terms of overall power, the Big Mom Pirates were clearly stronger. With Katakuri at the helm and many other powerful fighters, most of whom were Charlotte Linlin's own children, a family-based pirate crew like hers was notoriously difficult to deal with, especially with Charlotte Linlin herself holding everything down.
When it came to the overall strength of their pirate crews, Kaido had to admit that his Beasts Pirates were a step behind Charlotte Linlin's Big Mom Pirates.
Charlotte Linlin was even capable of holding her own against the Whitebeard Pirates. The two sides had fought many times before, and although Charlotte Linlin lost more than she won, in the end, Whitebeard still couldn't do anything to her, could he?
In fact, the two sides were on the verge of signing a peace treaty, but Kaido and Diarmuid's sudden appearance ruined it, leading to the current situation.
In short, Kaido had already figured it all out on his way here. In this alliance, he probably wouldn't be the leader. That role would fall to Charlotte Linlin.
But he could tolerate it. As long as he teamed up with Charlotte Linlin and they defeated the Whitebeard Pirates, he would reap immense rewards. It might even allow him to break free of his current stagnation and let the Beasts Pirates grow at a rapid pace.
After achieving that, he could then consider whether or not to turn on Charlotte Linlin…
As he thought about this, Kaido looked at Charlotte Linlin again, and a strange idea crossed his mind.
Although Linlin was old and no longer as sexy and beautiful as she once was, she was definitely valuable. Should he, during this alliance, find a way to "conquer" her?
If he, Kaido, could "subdue" Linlin, wouldn't he naturally become the father figure to all the members of the Big Mom Pirates?
And what if he handled things properly… maybe he could even absorb the Big Mom Pirates?
He even thought about getting a child with Charlotte Linlin. If the child inherited the strengths of both of them… and if they were raised well, wouldn't they become an even more powerful monster in a decade or two? They could also rightfully inherit their combined legacy.
Huh? Thinking about it like that, it was a little tempting.
But soon, Kaido reined in those thoughts. It was just a fantasy. The immediate priority was to first form an alliance with Charlotte Linlin.
However, from now on, he could change his attitude toward her.
With that thought, a "gentle" smile appeared on Kaido's face. He nodded to Charlotte Linlin and said, "You're right, Linlin, you're right."
When Kaido tried to make a gentle expression, it was as unnerving as it got. Charlotte Linlin was almost disgusted. She said unhappily, "Are you out of your mind, Kaido? Why are you smiling so disgustingly?"
I'll be damned... Kaido cursed silently in his heart.
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Happy Holidays everyone!
Six chapters after not updating for a few days, haha. Enjoy it!
And if you want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]
I also have a ko-fi, in case you got some christmas gifts for me, lol. → ko-fi.c-om/juanfiction