The next second, a roar like thunder exploded from the Transponder Snail, shaking the very stones of the prison walls.
"KING—!!! YOU USELESS PIECE OF TRASH!!!"
"YOU'VE COMPLETELY DISGRACED THE BEASTS PIRATES!!"
The Transponder Snail mimicked the perpetually drunk, ferocious face of Kaido of the Beasts. King, however, was already used to his captain's explosive greetings. He calmly reported, "Lord Kaido, there was an unexpected complication. The strength of the man known as 'Strange Tail' Takero far exceeded our estimates. Even with Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates and I working together, he still…"
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR NONSENSE!" Kaido rudely interrupted. "Tell that brat Takero to release my man right now! Otherwise… I'll come over there myself and wipe him, along with his pathetic island, from the face of the earth!"
The pure, violent threat echoed throughout the cell. Nearby, Katakuri's eyelid twitched.
Hearing this, Takero casually took the Transponder Snail from Tesoro's hand. He spoke into it with an equally impatient tone. "Hey, you, Kaido. You want your man back? Fine. The price is four billion Berries. Plus a one-billion-Berry communication fee. Get the money ready, and I'll let him go."
"...Huh?"
For a moment, Kaido was stunned into silence. Then, a terrifying rage erupted, powerful enough to make all of Onigashima tremble.
"Uororororo... Uororororororo!!!" He began with a low, strange laugh that grew louder and louder until it became an earth-shattering roar. "Interesting! How very interesting, brat! It's been many years since anyone dared to speak to me like that! Very good! You've successfully angered me! You just wait on that island! I'm coming over there right now… to personally twist your ignorant head from your shoulders!!!"
"ROAR—!!!"
With a final, furious dragon's roar, the signal on the Transponder Snail was abruptly cut.
Inside the prison, King's expression changed. "Lord Kaido! Please calm down!" he pleaded urgently at the now-silent snail, but it was too late. He could only turn to Takero with a look of pity. "Brat, you're finished. When Lord Kaido is drunk, he's far more terrifying than you can possibly imagine!"
…
Meanwhile, in the New World, on the island of Onigashima, Kaido's mountain-like body began to undergo an astonishing transformation amidst deafening thunder. His skin was covered layer by layer with azure dragon scales, ferocious horns grew from his head, and finally, he became a colossal Eastern dragon that blotted out the sky.
"Uororororo!!"
Letting out another world-shaking roar, the massive dragon ignored the pleas of his crew below, soaring into the sky. He transformed into a bolt of blue lightning, speeding towards the North Blue with only one thought in his mind. 'An ignorant brat dares to extort me, Kaido of the Beasts!' He would teach this arrogant fool a lesson he would never forget. He would make him understand that on this sea, some beings are never to be provoked.
…
A few hours later, the clear sky above Ambri Island was suddenly plunged into darkness. Storm clouds gathered, gale-force winds raged, and a terrifying draconic pressure descended upon the island.
"Uororororo... That brat named Takero! GET OUT HERE AND DIE—!!!"
Kaido, in his giant dragon form, hovered above the island, his deafening roar shaking the land.
Hearing the challenge, Takero, still in the prison, showed an excited smile. "Oh? He's finally here." He stood up, stretched his limbs, and said to Tesoro, "You stay here. I'll be right back."
As Takero left, King felt the familiar, terrifying power of his captain and was instantly emboldened. He clanked to his feet, looking down at Tesoro with the gaze of a victor. "Did you hear that, green-haired kid? Our captain, Lord Kaido, has arrived in person! I advise you to release me immediately, then go prepare the finest coffin for that bastard Takero. Angering Lord Kaido is a mistake you don't walk away from!"
Listening to the earth-shattering sounds of battle erupting outside, King's expression grew more and more smug. In his mind, the outcome was already decided. No one in this world could defeat the "World's Strongest Creature."
However, in less than an hour, the world-destroying commotion outside came to an abrupt, eerie stop.
It's over already? King thought, a relaxed smile spreading across his face. It ended so quickly. Lord Kaido must not have even needed to warm up. That Takero brat has probably been blasted to smithereens.
Just as he was savoring the thought of his victory—
"CREAK—"
The heavy iron door of the prison was slowly pushed open once more.
Takero's figure appeared in the doorway. He had a few minor scratches on his body, but he looked energized, almost… thrilled. He was dragging a huge figure behind him—one that had returned to human form—as if he were hauling a dead pig.
Then, under the dumbfounded, ghost-white stares of King and Katakuri, he unceremoniously threw the massive body to the floor with a heavy THUMP.
He pointed at the heavily injured, unconscious man on the ground and grinned at Tesoro. "Hey, Tesoro. Can you tell me how much this guy is worth?"
The entire prison fell into a deathly, suffocating silence.
Katakuri: "..."
King: "...L-Lord Kaido?!"
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