"Urorororo, my leniency has made you grow increasingly lawless!" Kaido spoke coldly, the corners of his lips curling into a cruel, murderous smirk.
"Before becoming an Executive, I need to make sure you understand the rules of the Beasts—what can and cannot be done must be branded into your very bones!"
"Indeed, I've made some mistakes," Luo Xia nodded, openly admitting his faults.
Hearing this, the atmosphere in the vast Skull Hall froze once more.
The pirates exchanged glances, not expecting such a quick reversal.
Just moments ago, when Luo Xia had arrived, he'd acted as if he feared nothing in the world, flaunting an attitude of "Yeah, I did it, what are you gonna do about it?"—arrogant beyond measure.
Yet now, less than a minute later, he was already admitting his mistakes and backing down?
Truly worthy of Lord Kaido!
With just a few words, he'd subdued this lawless demon king!
The Beast Pirates Crowd couldn't help but marvel inwardly.
"Whew..." Page One quietly exhaled in relief. "Good, good. At least Big Bro didn't stay stubborn till the end. With Kaido's temperament, he won't go for the kill now."
"Tch, and here I thought he really wasn't afraid of even Lord Kaido!" Ulti scoffed, curling her lip disdainfully. "Turns out he's just another coward in front of him!"
"A real man knows when to bend and when to stand firm. Only those who understand the times live longer!" Black Maria nodded, not mocking Luo Xia for this.
At this moment, it wasn't just the ordinary members of the Beasts who were stunned—even Kaido on his throne and King the Conflagration standing beside him were dumbfounded.
Wh... What was going on?
This wasn't how their script was supposed to go!
Among the entire Beasts Pirates, aside from King, no one knew that Kaido's return coinciding with Yamato's escape wasn't actually a coincidence.
Because from the very beginning, Kaido had never truly left Wano Country.
For a powerful newcomer joining their ranks, Kaido naturally welcomed them wholeheartedly.
But if that newcomer was unruly and lawless, it would still give him a headache.
Luo Xia was precisely that kind of newcomer—exceptionally strong, yet utterly unrestrained.
To fully subdue Luo Xia and make him their own, King had devised a plan.
First, Kaido would leave Oni Island. Without his watchful eye, Luo Xia would inevitably let his true nature run wild, acting more and more recklessly.
Then, once Luo Xia's actions had stirred up enough resentment, Kaido would return. After hearing his subordinates' grievances and complaints, he would confront Luo Xia and bring down the hammer.
This way, Kaido could not only secure greater loyalty but also use this opportunity to discipline Luo Xia, making him understand who was truly in charge.
Though Kaido had been away these past days, he was fully aware of everything happening on Oni Island thanks to King's daily reports.
Luo Xia removing Yamato's Explosion Shackles, leading to her escape by sea, was an unexpected twist—but it happened to provide Kaido with the perfect pretext for his confrontation.
Based on their observations of Luo Xia during this time, this man was an absolute brute, a troublemaker through and through.
Kaido had originally planned not to let up with his hammer until Luo Xia fully admitted his mistakes, after which he would promote him to Executive.
With this combination of hammer and sweet treats, even the most unruly troublemaker should feel grateful and swear loyalty to the Beasts.
Who could have guessed that plans would change faster than expected? Before his hammer could even land, Luo Xia had already admitted his mistakes.
Was this really the same reckless, arrogant brute from before?
"Kaido, you could say we became friends through our fights. From the day I agreed to join the Beasts, you've treated me exceptionally well—sharing your liquor and meat with me, even letting me ride on your head as you carried me away. You didn't say a word when I pissed on you during the trip, and even—"
The Beast Pirates Crowd: "???"
Holy shit!!!
Holy fucking shit!!!
What kind of explosive secrets are these?!
Not only did someone ride on Kaido's head, but they also took a piss on him?!
Are we even supposed to be hearing this?!
And why does Lord Kaido tolerate this man to such an extent?!
Is this guy really not Kaido's secret love child?!
Crack, crack, crack~
The armrests of the throne groaned under Kaido's grip, fissures spreading from the sheer force of his clenched fists.
At this moment, as Luo Xia recounted the events of their journey back, Kaido's face darkened like the bottom of a scorched pot.
Luo Xia might as well have poured oil on the fire—the anger Kaido had suppressed earlier flared up anew.
Unfazed by Kaido's boiling rage, Luo Xia continued earnestly, "After arriving here, you didn't hold it against me for beating up Jack. You even assigned me a luxurious residence and had Maria personally attend to me. As a bro, Kaido, you've really been solid."
"If you know I've been so good to you, then why did you defy my orders?" Kaido practically growled through gritted teeth.
"The root of the problem lies with you!" Luo Xia declared with utmost seriousness.
"Huh?!" Kaido was stunned once more.
This brat is blaming me now?!
Did he figure out we were setting him up?
"Before coming here, I genuinely had no idea that a rough guy like you, Kaido, could have such a stunning daughter. That's right, Kaido—no more pretending, cards on the table. Let's speak plainly: I've taken a liking to your daughter." Luo Xia cut straight to the point.
The moment these words left his mouth, the vast Skull Hall fell into silence once more.
Huh?
Huhhh?!
Everyone's eyes widened in shock at Luo Xia's sudden confession, their jaws nearly hitting the floor.
"H-he… Is Lord Luo Xia confessing?! To Yamato-sama?!"
"T-this… This is unbelievable! Someone actually likes Yamato-sama?!"
"Idiots, why is it so hard to believe? Yamato-sama is a beautiful woman—of course someone would fall for her!"
"Yeah, yeah! Even though we call her 'young master,' Yamato-sama is still a top-tier beauty!"
The Beasts Pirates couldn't help but murmur among themselves.
"Damn! Big Bro, he… he… This is an unexpected twist…" Page One stammered, utterly shocked.
"Whaaaat?! How is this fair?!" Ulti screeched indignantly. "We all met on the same day! Why do you like Yamato and not me?! What does she have that I don't?! She can't even figure out her own gender!"
This wasn't out of jealousy—just a young girl's competitive spirit at work.
"So he's actually a pure-hearted little man!" Black Maria's eyes gleamed with realization.
Now she understood why Luo Xia had repeatedly refused her Ring Service and remained unmoved by her advances—he was a pure love kind of guy.
"How fascinating!" Black Maria's lips curled into a subtle smirk.
She wanted to test whether her charm could steal Luo Xia's heart away from Yamato.
"Huh?"
At this moment, Yamato, as one of the parties involved, was completely dumbfounded.
"Luo Xia... likes me? What is... liking someone?"
A look of confusion appeared on Yamato's face, as she had never encountered such knowledge before.
"That brat Luo Xia... has taken a liking to Yamato?"
Even Kaido, acting as the father figure, was quite shocked by Luo Xia's declaration.
So much so that the anger he had been accumulating dissipated significantly in that moment.
What was supposed to be a plan to recruit a strong warrior had turned into a large-scale family romance drama.
"Lord Kaido, Lord Kaido," King the Conflagration whispered a reminder, "Don't let that brat dictate the pace and forget our original purpose."
"Ah, right."
Kaido finally snapped out of it, but his thoughts were still stuck in the ditch Luo Xia had led him into.
"Luo Xia, you damn brat, I treated you like a brother, and you're trying to court my daughter?"
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