"What did you say?!"
Upon hearing Takero's declaration, Kaido of the Beasts erupted in fury. His already narrow eyes burned with a wild, beast-like rage.
"Brat! You're dreaming!" he roared, rejecting the offer without a second thought. This was his crew, the Beasts Pirates, an empire he had built from mountains of corpses and seas of blood. How dare this kid think he could just take it?
"I'm telling you, you little punk! Don't you even think about—"
Kaido's threat was cut short. The only answer he received was not a word, but a powerful fist, glowing with a dark red Armament Haki, that slammed into his face.
Thud!
The dull impact echoed through the cell. Kaido's vision swam, and the little clarity he had just regained dissolved back into a confused haze. He couldn't even remember what he was trying to say. Before he could recover, a brutal, relentless storm of fists rained down on him. The assault was rhythmic and overwhelming, a "combo" designed not to knock him out, but to punish him.
"Brat, you…"
WHAM!
"Don't think I'll…"
CRACK!
"If you've got the guts, then…"
BAM!
Every time Kaido tried to form a sentence, a precise and merciless punch from Takero shut him up. He fought back, of course. He was a Yonko. But Takero's speed and strength were on a completely different level. Every punch Kaido threw was instantly blocked and overpowered by an even faster, stronger counterattack. And after each failed attempt, the beating only grew more violent.
In the corner of the prison, King and Katakuri watched the horrific scene with undisguised terror on their faces. The man being pummeled, the "Strongest Creature in the World," was an Emperor of the Sea, a monster who gave even Marine Admirals headaches. 1 Yet here he was, being treated like a broken toy, utterly powerless against this mysterious young man. The two commanders instinctively shuffled backward, trying to put more distance between themselves and the brutal, one-sided beatdown.
Finally, after more than half an hour of this continuous "physical education," Kaido of the Beasts understood what he needed to say.
"Wait… wait a minute!" His face was a mess of bruises and swelling. He raised his hands in a humiliating gesture of surrender. "I… I give up! Don't… don't hit me anymore!"
Hearing the words he wanted, Takero finally stopped. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
"That's more like it," he said, patting Kaido's face, which was now swollen like a pig's head. "Haven't you heard the saying? 'A wise man knows when to give up.' If you'd just agreed earlier, you could've avoided all this pain, couldn't you?"
Kaido lay on the cold stone floor, panting heavily. His expression was a mixture of indignation and… grievance. It was back. That familiar, suffocating feeling of being completely dominated by absolute power had returned.
The helplessness threw him back decades, to his younger days as an apprentice in the Rocks Pirates. Back then, he was just a clueless, arrogant teenager on a ship filled with monsters. On that crew, surrounded by legends like Rocks, Golden Lion, and Whitebeard, saying the wrong thing or acting too cocky always earned him a severe beating. They used him as a glorified punching bag.
But now, as he looked at Takero, Kaido suddenly felt that the faces of those old tyrants in his memory seemed… almost kind by comparison.
"What? From the look on your face, you're still not convinced?" Takero asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he saw the defiance still lingering in Kaido's eyes.
"No! I'm convinced! Of course I'm convinced!" Kaido flinched. His survival instinct kicked into high gear, and he scrambled up from the ground. Although he was a brute, he wasn't a fool. He knew the difference between a real fight and a one-sided slaughter.
"Alright, then," Takero nodded, his tone becoming serious again. "It's settled. From this day forward, your Beasts Pirates work for me."
A storm of emotions raged across Kaido's face as he waged one last internal struggle. Finally, he looked up. For the first time, his eyes, though swollen, were completely clear of their usual drunken rage. A profound seriousness replaced it.
"Before we agree, I have one question for you," Kaido said, his voice a low rumble.
"Fine, ask away," Takero replied, looking completely relaxed.
Kaido took a deep breath, his gaze locked on the young man before him. "Brat, what is your dream?"
The question made Takero pause. It also surprised King and Katakuri, who were listening intently from the corner.
Kaido's mind drifted back to a distant past. He was born in the Wokard Kingdom, a nation that lived and died by war. Its people were forced to constantly fight and plunder just to gather enough wealth to pay the Heavenly Tribute to the World Government, all to maintain their status as a member nation. In that living hell, he had become the country's strongest warrior by the age of ten.
But his strength didn't bring him glory. It brought betrayal. To secure a place at the Reverie, the World Council of kings, his own country sold him—their "strongest fighting force"—to the Marines like a piece of equipment.
He refused to accept it. He refused to accept the authority of the Celestial Dragons who sat at the top of the world. He refused to accept the hypocritical kings who spoke of benevolence while dealing in blood. He refused to accept the dirty politics that treated people as currency. He was stronger than all of them, yet they bought and sold him as they pleased.
From that moment, a mad dream took root in his heart. He would create a new world, a world that belonged only to the strong. A world where violence was the only law and power was the only truth. He would drag the royals and nobles from their thrones and force them to live under his cruel, simple rule. Then, everyone would finally experience true equality.
It wasn't until a little over a year ago, after he had killed that stubborn samurai, Kozuki Oden, that he first heard the name "Joy Boy" from his own daughter, Yamato. He learned that Joy Boy was a figure from prophecy, someone destined to change the world. He realized that fate may have played a cruel joke on him. All this time, he, who saw himself as the great challenger to the world's order, might have just been a stepping stone for another, a true "Child of Destiny."
But he wasn't discouraged. If there really was a Joy Boy, a child of prophecy, then let him come! Let Kaido of the Beasts personally test his strength, his "capacity" to change the world.
And today, he had met Takero—this unbelievably powerful, arrogant brat who seemed to have come from another world entirely. So he waited for Takero's answer.
"My dream?" Takero finally smiled. He didn't know why Kaido was asking, but it didn't matter. He spoke his truest thoughts without hesitation. "That's easy. I'm going to become the strongest being in existence."
His voice wasn't loud, but it resonated with a natural Conqueror's Haki that seemed to silence the world around them.
"Then," he continued, "I'm going to change this boring world. I'll take the whole thing and make it mine. It will operate according to my will, and my will alone!"
In his heart, his plan was even grander. He would uncover the true history of this world, restore its lost super-technological civilization, and then build a spaceship worthy of a Saiyan to travel to the vast, starry sea of the cosmos.
"What about the World Government? And those so-called nobles?" Kaido pressed, his voice tight with anticipation. "Changing the world isn't an easy thing to do."
Takero looked at him as if he were an idiot.
"If you think it's not easy…" he said slowly, a dangerous glint in his eyes, "then that can only mean one thing…"
"...Your fist isn't big enough."
"Wororororo… Wororororororo!"
Finally, hearing that answer, Kaido could no longer hold back. A thunderous laugh erupted from his chest—a laugh filled with relief, excitement, and the wild joy of finding a kindred spirit.
This was the answer he had been waiting for! That was the spirit a true conqueror should have! Takero… he had to be Joy Boy! He was the one the prophecy spoke of! There was no shame in losing to a man like this! He was different from the laughing man described in Oden's journal, but written records were never perfect.
Kaido was now completely certain. Takero possessed a terrifying power even greater than Rocks had back in his day. It was only a matter of time before he overthrew this corrupt, rotten world.
Slowly, the massive Yonko pushed himself up from the ground. Then, under the astonished gazes of everyone present, he bowed his proud head to the young man who stood many heads shorter than him.
"From this moment on, I, Kaido of the Beasts… will follow you!"
Takero's heart soared.
Excellent, he thought with a smirk. I've just recruited a top-tier punching bag.
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