With a great splash, two figures leaped from the water and landed steadily on the floor of the enormous hall. Kaido and King both shook the water from their bodies, and Kaido let out a cheerful laugh.
"Worororo! How does it feel, King? Swimming in the water for once!"
King's shock had not faded in the slightest. He glanced at the Road Poneglyph nearby before turning back to his captain. "Big Brother, what exactly is going on here?"
Kaido shook his head, his laughter still booming. "Worororo, I don't know everything myself. Jack was the first to find this place. He realized the water down here is freshwater, so its weakening effect on Devil Fruit users is almost nonexistent. This is only true at the bottom, though. The higher you go, the more it mixes with the seawater from above. But even if I don't have all the answers, there are some things I do know."
King tensed. "So, that underwater country... is it really the Wano Country from 800 years ago?"
"That's right," Kaido confirmed. "I learned it from the records left behind by the Kozuki Clan."
"Then why is the current Wano...?" King trailed off, his mind filled with too many questions to form a coherent thought. He stopped trying to figure it out and simply looked to Kaido for the answer.
Kaido chuckled. "You want to ask why the Wano we live in is floating high above our heads?"
King nodded, and then he heard Kaido say something that shook him to his core.
"It's simple. Because our world is facing destruction."
King's eyes widened. "Destruction?"
"That's right, didn't you see it? The sea level of this world has been rising for centuries. If nothing is done, the ocean will eventually submerge everything. Eight hundred years ago, a man named Joy Boy learned this truth. He created the massive barriers around Wano, lifting the country up to protect it from the rising tide."
"Joy Boy!" The familiar name startled King once again. He had been skeptical of Kaido's words. It wasn't that he didn't trust his captain, but the idea of the world ending sounded too absurd to believe. But the moment he heard Joy Boy's name, King's doubt vanished. In his heart, Kaido's importance had long surpassed that of the legendary figure, but Joy Boy was still the prophesied savior of the Lunarian race.
"Big Brother Kaido, why is this happening?"
"Worororo, who knows? Perhaps the real secret is hidden right beneath our feet, in this old Wano. Unfortunately, I haven't found it yet."
For the past three days, ever since he had completely taken over Wano and moved into the Shogun's residence, Kaido had been searching the underwater ruins. He was looking for the legendary Ancient Weapon, Pluton, which was said to be sleeping somewhere in the country. It was a pity that after three days of searching, he had found nothing.
But Kaido was not disappointed. If Pluton wasn't in the submerged city, then there was only one other possibility. It had to be inside the great mountain at the center of Wano—the very volcano upon whose slopes the current capital rested. It was the same volcano where he and Big Mom had fallen in the other timeline.
His reasoning was simple. He had noticed that Wano's geography was a reflection of the entire world. The barriers surrounding the country were like a miniature version of the Red Line. The great waterfall one had to climb to enter the country was another version of Reverse Mountain. The symmetry of it all was too perfect to be a coincidence.
However, that was not his focus right now. He looked at King, who still seemed stunned by the revelation.
"What, are you scared by the truth that our world is ending?" Kaido asked.
His words snapped King back to reality. His gaze shifted, and he lowered his head in thought. His initial shock gave way to a familiar, somber expression. "No, Big Brother... I'm just a little surprised. What does the end of the world have to do with me, anyway?"
Kaido understood. When they had first met, King had been just like this, completely detached and showing no interest in the fate of the world.
So, Kaido smiled and asked a different question. "King, what do you think I am to you?"
The strange question made King pause, but he answered without hesitation. "You're my big brother, Kaido-san. Of course."
"Then, will you listen to what your big brother says?"
King seemed surprised by the direction of the conversation but nodded firmly. "Of course. I'll always listen to you."
At last, Kaido said what he had wanted to say all along. "Good. Then, whether you take my next words as an order or as advice from an older brother, I need you to do it."
Before King could react, Kaido spoke the words he had prepared. "Go find a woman you like. Have a few children, and continue the Lunarian bloodline."
Seeing King immediately about to object, Kaido held up a hand. "Don't argue. As your big brother, I want to make a promise with you."
"A promise?"
"Worororo, that's right. I'll work hard from now on, too. When I have other children, if any of ours get along, we'll let them marry. If they don't, they can be brothers and sisters. We'll let them carry the hopes of us old men and live in a new world created by us—a world without slavery or oppression, where everyone has enough to eat."
With that, as King's eyes began to brighten with a light he hadn't shown in years, Kaido slowly extended his hand.
"What do you say? Will you make this promise with me?"
At that moment, under Kaido's sincere gaze, King's body trembled. He felt like he was back at their very first meeting, when a spark of hope had ignited within his soul. Only this time, the flame burned even brighter. He clenched his fists tightly, then reached out to grasp Kaido's hand. He paused, then brought his own hand up to his face and removed his mask, revealing his handsome features to his captain.
Only then did he firmly clasp Kaido's hand. He didn't say much, but looked at Kaido with determined eyes and spoke slowly. "Big Brother, please guide me."
"Worororo, we don't need to wait. As your big brother, I have something to teach you right now."
Kaido had already made up his mind. He would pass on the first level of his secret training method to King. He knew the world was only giving him two years. In two years, the Straw Hat pirates would arrive in Wano, and the final war for the fate of the world would begin. He urgently needed a brother who could stand and fight alongside him.
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