Once suspicion takes root, it's incredibly difficult to remove.
The moment the first person voiced their doubt, a continuous stream of unsettling questions began to spread across Marineford Plaza and to countless locations broadcasting this massive war. Are they really just stepping stones for the future Pirate King? If that was true, then what was the point of all their current efforts and struggles?
At Marineford Plaza, Red-Haired Shanks' expression was somber. He looked at the faces of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Impel Down escapees, seeing suspicion taking hold in their eyes.
"Kaido," Shanks declared, "don't twist Whitebeard's and my meaning. Only those who believe in freedom and dreams are fit to become the Pirate King, not a dictator like you!"
"Is that so?" Kaido's face was full of mockery, and Shanks' sense of unease deepened as he recalled something important.
Kaido signaled King, who immediately pointed the Den Den Mushi at the three individuals below them.
"Hey, have you all gotten a good look at these three kids down there?"
Kaido began to introduce them one by one.
"Portgas D. Ace. His father is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. His foster father is the strongest man in the world, Whitebeard. His grandfather is the Marine Hero, Monkey D. Garp. He was formerly the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' second division and is now their Captain. He also possesses the rarest Devil Fruit on this sea—the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi—and is a natural Conqueror's Haki user."
At this point, Kaido mockingly asked, "Pirates who are the same age as 'Fire Fist' Ace, or even you old geezers, what makes you think you can win against him in the fight for the Pirate King's throne?"
Everyone present was stunned, then they grasped the meaning.
"Yeah, what exactly do we have?"
From below, Fire Fist Ace roared back with a grim expression. "I'm not the Pirate King's son! I only have one father, and that's Whitebeard!"
"Worororo!" Kaido just laughed.
"Kid, whether you admit it or not, the blood of Pirate King Roger flows in your veins. Why do you think you possess such powerful strength and Conqueror's Haki now? It's because of your bloodline. Why did Whitebeard value you so much? Why did Garp acknowledge you as his grandson? Why did so many people come to rescue you when the Marines captured you? Do you truly believe if you weren't Pirate King Roger's son, so many people would actually care about you?"
"You..." Ace wanted to retort but found himself unable to speak.
"Hmph, look at these prisoners who came out of Impel Down. If you weren't the Pirate King's son, their fate would be yours."
The prisoners he called out looked visibly unwilling. Even the few villains Blackbeard had released from Impel Down wore ferocious expressions. Had they really lost due to a lack of effort? Of course not! To survive on the sea, they had all given everything they had.
Feeling the strange, heavy atmosphere on the battlefield, Ace's expression grew increasingly severe.
However, Kaido wasn't finished. He shifted his attention to another person.
"Monkey D. Luffy. His father is the leader of the Revolutionaries, Dragon. His grandfather is the Marine Hero, Garp. He was guided onto the path of the Pirate King by the Four Emperors' Red-Haired Shanks, and he is 'Fire Fist' Ace's brother. He ate the Paramecia-type Gum-Gum Fruit, and the Monkey family's bloodline also made him a natural Conqueror's Haki user."
Amidst everyone's grim faces, Kaido posed the same question.
"Worororo, so, you youngsters on this sea, what makes you think you can compete with these brothers for the Pirate King's throne? Do you also have a Revolutionary Army leader as a father and a Marine Hero as a grandfather? You saw the punch this guy and his grandfather threw just now, right? If that were directed at you, what do you think your fate would be?"
"This... this..."
Everyone present—not just the pirates, but even the Marines—wore uneasy expressions. Yes, they thought, looking at it this way, the only reason Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat dared to be so reckless and are still alive today is entirely because of their bloodline.
"Next is the last person," Kaido said, his gaze falling on Yamato below for the first time.
"My foolish daughter. Why do you think you have such powerful strength? Do you believe you gained it through your own effort? You are wrong. Because you are my daughter, you inherited my powerful bloodline. You also ate the Mythical Artificial Devil Fruit that I painstakingly prepared for you, which is even rarer than Logia-types."
Below, Yamato's expression grew increasingly downcast, and she tightly clenched her fists. If this were before, she might have instantly retorted, but her adventures over the past three months had constantly benefited from her identity as Kaido's daughter, making it impossible for her to utter a single word of rebuttal.
"Look at the battlefield below!"
The Den Den Mushi's lens zoomed in, focusing the camera on the entire battleground.
"Without a powerful bloodline, without a powerful Devil Fruit, and without anyone's guidance, these corpses below are your fate."
Guided by the camera, everyone saw the ordinary people who had died in the battle.
"Your lives will be just like these guys. Without powerful strength, you will die silently like ants, completely unheeded. No one will care about your lives or your names. Marines and pirates are all the same. You are nothing more than a corpse among groups of death statistics."
On the battlefield, the eyes of all the Marine grunts and pirate grunts dimmed. That's right, they realized. In front of these powerful figures who could destroy the world at will, weren't we just small ants? No one would care about their lives or deaths.
Just as the atmosphere across the entire battlefield became somber, Kaido's tone gradually became elevated.
"However, it's different now!"
"???"
"As long as you join the Beasts Pirates, I can give you the power to change all of this, because..."
At this point, Kaido's tone became extremely conceited.
"Our Beasts Pirates have mastered the ability of Artificial Devil Fruits!!!"
"!!!"
"What?"
"Boom!!!"
As Kaido's words fell, the entire plaza and this sea erupted in noise. The eyes of countless people shifted, first to disbelief, then to sheer fanaticism.
"Whoa, whoa, this can't be real."
On the Marine side, Sengoku's eyes widened, as did the eyes of the other high-ranking Marines. After the initial shock, Sengoku's expression became as dark as ink.
"That's right, you all must understand what Artificial Devil Fruits mean. What were once the rarest Devil Fruits on this sea—each worth at least 100,000,000 Berries—are now easily obtainable for our Beasts Pirates. Although they are only Artificial Devil Fruits, Worororo, it's enough! The powerful strength of a Devil Fruit is enough to change your destiny. Now, I'm giving everyone on this sea a chance. After this war, all those willing to join our Beasts Pirates will have the opportunity to obtain an Artificial Devil Fruit..."
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