"…Yeah."
Kaido nodded, still staring at the wanted poster.
His eyes were full of disbelief.
He never imagined that Romu, the man with the outrageous bounty, was the same terrifying bounty hunter he had witnessed days earlier.
"Talk," Shiki said, taking a slow drag on his cigar. "What do you know about him?"
"I don't really know him," Kaido replied, scratching his nose. "Just saw him once."
He began recounting the story.
"A few days ago, before I joined the crew, I went to a nearby town looking for someone strong to fight."
"The guy was trash. I smashed him in a couple hits with my kanabō."
The pirates listening burst out laughing.
Even Shiki nearly dropped his cigar.
Kaido frowned, confused at what was so funny, and continued.
"Just as I was leaving, I heard cannon fire. Thought it was Marines."
"I was hungry, so I figured I'd crash their mess hall…"
More laughter rippled through the crowd.
"…but it wasn't Marines," Kaido said, ignoring them. "It was a bounty hunter facing off against pirates."
"That bounty hunter… was Romu."
A bounty hunter?
The pirates murmured in confusion.
Shiki's eyebrow lifted. His interest sharpened.
So Romu wasn't part of any crew yet…
Recruitable.
Someone strong enough to kill a Marine Vice Admiral would be a perfect addition to his division.
"And then?" Shiki pressed.
Kaido continued:
"At first I thought he was a rookie. Three cannonballs and he didn't dodge a single one."
"But I was wrong."
"He didn't need to dodge."
"He's a Devil Fruit user — controls plants."
"He formed a wooden barrier. Those cannonballs didn't even scratch him."
The surrounding pirates were stunned.
"A Devil Fruit user?!"
"No wonder he killed a Vice Admiral!"
"Plant powers stopping cannon fire?!"
They erupted into chatter.
Kaido snorted.
"That's nothing. The real crazy part came after."
"He waved his hands — trees exploded out of the pirate ship, tore it apart!"
"Then a black thorn-vine shot out and instantly killed twelve pirates!"
"I thought I'd never hear about him again…"
"Next thing I know — he killed a Vice Admiral and got a 120 million bounty!"
The more Kaido talked, the more animated he became.
His tone carried unmistakable admiration.
Romu was the first truly overwhelming monster he'd met since escaping the Vodka Kingdom.
And he looked around Kaido's age.
That made the gap even more shocking.
The pirates buzzed:
"That guy's destined to be a legend!"
"He already is!"
"Plant summoning… insane!"
"When's my bounty coming…"
Even hardened pirates stared blankly, caught between awe and envy.
Shiki rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
A Devil Fruit user… young… Vice Admiral killer…
Perfect.
He was already imagining how to recruit Romu into his division.
Then Kaido casually added:
"Romu's insanely strong… might even be stronger than Captain Shiki."
The crowd froze.
All eyes turned to Shiki.
He burst into laughter.
"Gya-ha-ha!"
Like he'd heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.
After a moment, he waved it off.
"You brats don't know anything."
"He killed a branch Vice Admiral — that's barely a Commodore by Headquarters standards."
"Romu's got potential. Sure."
"But compared to me?"
"I'll fight him with one hand."
The declaration was arrogant.
But after watching Shiki split the sea…
No one doubted his confidence.
The pirates nodded furiously.
Everyone — except Kaido.
He scratched his horn awkwardly.
"Captain Shiki… you're strong, but isn't that a bit…"
Silence.
The recruits subtly stepped away from Kaido.
History said Shiki didn't tolerate disrespect.
But instead of anger—
Shiki laughed.
He clapped Kaido heavily on the shoulder.
"Good!"
"That's the spirit! You've got guts — just like I thought."
He turned sharply.
"Send word — all ships near Hachinosu keep eyes open! Any news on Romu comes straight to me!"
With that, Shiki's coat flared as he strode off.
The pirates stared after him.
Did Captain Shiki just… declare a hunt?
For Romu?