"What's wrong?" Teach called up to the rooftop. "Did you spot him? Is Fire Fist Ace chasing us again?"
Van Auger's words immediately put the entire Blackbeard crew on high alert. Ace had been hunting them relentlessly, and they were constantly on edge.
"No," Van Auger replied, his voice laced with uncertainty. "It's not Fire Fist… It looks like… a mass of golden flame clouds. There's something moving inside them."
"Golden flame clouds?" Laffitte scoffed lightly. "Van Auger, have you had too much to drink today?"
Only Teach seemed to understand. His face, moments ago filled with ambitious scheming, suddenly twisted into an expression of pure terror. He shot to his feet and stared nervously out at the distant sea. Just as Van Auger had described, a cluster of golden clouds, burning like a second sun, was moving swiftly through the sky, heading directly toward their island.
"No way…" Teach whispered, his voice trembling. The sight was all too familiar, especially considering the recent news. "We can't be that unlucky, can we!?"
He strained his eyes, trying to see through the brilliant glow of the clouds. And then he saw it—the unmistakable, massive form of a blue dragon winding its way through the sky. A cold dread washed over him.
"Hey, hey…"
Seeing the sheer fear on their captain's face, Laffitte and Van Auger grew deeply uneasy.
"What's wrong, Captain!?" Laffitte asked.
Teach didn't have time to explain. His face was pale and covered in a cold sweat as he roared at his crewmates. "Quick, call Burgess and Doc Q back! We're leaving Mock Town immediately! Now is not the time to run into a monster like that!"
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and fled in a panic, running as fast as he could away from the coast. Seeing their captain, a man who feared almost nothing, so terrified was all the convincing Laffitte and Van Auger needed. Though they didn't understand what was happening, they knew the newcomer was someone they absolutely could not afford to fight. They immediately followed their captain's lead.
Far out over the sea, Kaido, in his giant dragon form, noticed the small figures scattering like ants on the distant coast. He gave a menacing grin but didn't spare them a second thought. Just as he had let Kizaru go, he had no interest in playing the hero or helping the Whitebeard Pirates clean up their own messes.
About three minutes later, he finally arrived at his destination. With a final roar that shook the island, he transformed back into his human form and descended from the sky.
Boom!
The impact of his landing shook the ground on a deserted stretch of Mock Town's coast. A huge cloud of dust and smoke erupted, startling a group of pirates who were busy working there.
They were gathered around a strange, magnificent-looking castle. However, the castle was a clever illusion; it was nothing more than a giant painting on a large wooden board. Behind it stood a humble two-story building. The pirates, all members of the Saruyama Alliance, were dismantling a broken ship on the green grass surrounding their hideout.
When the smoke finally cleared, they saw a tall, hulking figure standing where the impact crater was. He was built like a giant, radiating an aura of pure power.
"Boss…" one of the pirates, a large ape-like man named Masira, whispered nervously to their leader.
"Who… who is that person?" another asked, his voice shaking.
"Such a terrifying feeling!"
No one needed to say anything else. The mere presence of the giant-like man before them was so overwhelming that it felt hard to breathe. The members of the Saruyama Alliance, who were quite large themselves, felt like small children standing before him. The entire area fell into an eerie, tense silence.
Finally, their captain, Mont Blanc Cricket, stepped forward. He was shirtless, with the word 'MAROON' tattooed on his arm. Clenching his teeth, he tried to keep his voice steady as he addressed the intruder.
"May I ask why you've come here, sir?"
In the first half of the Grand Line, news from the New World was often scarce and heavily controlled by the World Government. Most pirates here wouldn't recognize Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, as his face was often just a silhouette in the newspapers. They felt as if they were in a completely different world.
But even without knowing his name, the man's immense size and suffocating presence were enough to make every pirate there tremble.
Kaido had no time for pleasantries. "You only need to answer my question," he said, his voice a low growl.
As the captain, Mont Blanc Cricket wisely decided not to argue. He nodded, showing he was willing to cooperate. "I understand. Please, ask away."
"Good," Kaido said. "I ask you, if I fly straight up from this island, will I be able to find Sky Island?"
His question stunned everyone present. Mont Blanc Cricket's eyes widened in surprise, but he didn't question how the man knew of Sky Island's existence. He simply shared what he knew.
"No, you can't," he answered honestly. "If Sky Island truly exists, it's said to be inside a giant cumulonimbus cloud that floats through the sky. Its position is always changing, so you won't find it just by flying straight up."
"Is that so? Then how do I find this island?" Kaido pressed, his gaze intense.
Cricket hesitated for a moment, but one look at the man's cold eyes told him that holding anything back would be a fatal mistake. "There is one way, though it's not a guarantee. The location of Sky Island is connected to a rare natural disaster known as the Knock Up Stream. It's a massive, upward-flowing current of water. If you ride that stream, you might find the legendary Sky Island."
"Is that right?" Kaido said, a hint of interest in his voice. "Then when is the next Knock Up Stream?"
Seeing that the monster before him believed his words without question, Cricket felt a wave of relief. "You're very lucky," he said. "The next one is this afternoon, in about three hours!"
"Three hours! It seems my luck is good," Kaido declared. "Take me to the location of the Knock Up Stream."
It wasn't a request. Mont Blanc Cricket had no right to refuse.
"Understood," he said with a respectful bow. "Please, follow me…"
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters in Marineford.
"This is bad! This is very bad!"
A frantic messenger burst into the Fleet Admiral's office, his panicked voice causing Sengoku, Garp, and the Three Admirals to look up from their work.
"What happened?" Sengoku demanded.
The messenger snapped a nervous salute and held out a report. "We just received news from Red Port! The Shichibukai, Doflamingo, was spotted leaving the New World and entering the Grand Line!"
Sengoku frowned, clearly annoyed. "What's so strange about that? He's probably on his way to the Holy Land Mary Geoise for the Warlord meeting."
"No, sir! That's just it!" the messenger explained. "Doflamingo left the Holy Land and headed directly for the first half of the Grand Line!"
"What!?" Sengoku stood up, puzzled by this strange behavior.
But before he could process it, the messenger delivered even more shocking news.
"Sir, there's another report! According to our intelligence agents on Jaya Island, about half an hour ago… a figure suspected to be Kaido of the Beasts was found on the island!"
"WHAT!?" The room erupted.
"Idiot!" Sengoku roared, his face turning red with anger. "You should have started with that intelligence!"
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