If you wanna read ahead of my stories, you can check out the advanced chapters on my subcribestar, at the same username - 0Jordinio0
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It was a big question. For all the knowledge he had of this world, for all the power at his fingertips, he was still just a stupid 14 year old brat with more balls than brains.
And considering how hesitant he was to act, it said a lot about how miniscule his brains must be.
Well, what he could accomplish in this very moment was simple. He could crush Arlong and his pathetic crew, a gathering of insults frankly to Fisher Tiger's memory.
Now there was a guy he could admire the drive of. He hated humans because of all he went through, yet he never let it cloud his actions with them.
As soon as he did that though, the marines in Arlong's pocket would surely find out about things. He'd need to take care of those corrupt bastards anyway.
As soon as he did, his presence in the East Blue would be marked. Did he want to risk the actual strong people coming to the East Blue to find him before he was ready to do…
What?
Do what?
Travel around doing whatever the hell he wanted? Form a pirate crew? No, that was too small.
With all his desires, with all the things he wanted to accomplish, with all the people he wanted to butt heads with over being utter pieces of shit, what he needed was not only power, but influence.
He was a criminal though. A pirate.
There was no influence for him, nowhere he could set down roots good and proper without the marines coming after him.
The only pirates who could do something like that, build their own kingdoms out of conquered territories, were the Yonkou.
And he was nowhere near that kind of power or influence.
Wait.
There was one way.
He even had an example of it in his demented kin who was also a criminal and pirate.
"I need to become a Warlord." Kaden realised and it clicked for him. They were government dogs, but really only in name.
He could do as he pleased more or less if he became one, and use the time as one to grow his strength. Become a leader, a ruler of a place that could contend with the Yonkou like Kaido and let him pick fights with those bastards if he wanted.
That was a lot easier said than done. For one, all seven of the warlord spots were filled. One would have the be removed.
Hancock was a definite no to take on. He wasn't even sure just how strong she was, but she managed to force Blackbeard as a Yonkou into a stalemate at least. He knew some weaknesses to her devil fruit powers, but still she was way too big a risk to take on for a horny teenager like himself.
Doflamingo was definitely out as well. He didn't have enough haki training right now to resist those damn strings of his. And Mihawk was definitely out as well, dragon form or not, he'd get cut clean down the middle right now by a guy who was the rival of a Yonkou.
Assuming it wasn't paint at least.
That left Jimbei, who he he actually liked and was a good guy and didn't want to bother at all. Kuma, who was secretly a part of the Revolutionary Army and part of Vegapunks experiments right now and the father of Jewelry Bonney. Moria who he had some form of plans for and may need his help in the future.
And Crocodile.
Crocodile who was so rusty he got his ass beat by a Luffy who couldn't even use Gear Second yet, in the middle of a desert where he'd spent years making sure it would never rain around him.
Crocodile whom basically had an entire country at his mercy. With a princess doing everything in her power to stop, so much so she'd infiltrated his little terrorist group numbering over two thousand which held multiple devil fruit users….that all wanted a place in his future kingdom and had never spoken to any of them face to face, none of them besides Nico Robin even knew of his identity and quite a few of them were really loyal.
…That had potential.
"Would Vivi agree to marry me if I promised to save Alabasta and protect it?" he wondered.
Putting aside the thought of getting a girl as amazing and beautiful as Vivi as his woman, if he did it right. He could depose Crocodile, take his fruit to give to someone else he could trust, take over Baroque Works and gain a bunch of decently powerful subordinates that with the right directions could become actually useful, become one of the seven warlords and become king of a massive nation in the Grand Line with a standing fighting force of over a million men.
He could explode right onto the scene of the entire world and let everyone know, pirate and marine alike, he was not to be fucked with.
And gain a massive point to grow into a super power that could even contend with the Yonkou!
…There was only one thing though.
To become a Warlord, his accomplishments and power as a pirate had to be well known, far and wide.
Going by how Blackbeard accomplished such a thing, turning in a massive figure like Portgas D. Ace one of the commanders of a Yonkou. They didn't exactly grow on trees.
…That meant replacing quality with quantity.
And what luck, he had four decently high bounties for the East Blue at least sitting happy in the sack behind him on his flame cloud, iced over to be kept fresh and recognisable.
Four members of Arlong's crew had bounties. He didn't really want to fuck over Hachi, but the other three like big lips, fishman karate boy and Arlong should be sufficient themselves.
As a starting point at least.
"Guess I am going after Arlong after all." Kaden mused. It was regrettable he'd probably lose any chance with Nami not making a big show of it and coming to her defence in her darkest hour like Luffy had, but that was better in the end.
Even if he did get her from it, it would never have been genuine. Actually, he had to thank her.
It was thanks to her, he finally began to centre himself, finally had a true goal beginning to form.
"Thanks Nami." he grinned, directing his flame cloud to change directions. She proved once again, why she'd always been his favourite.
She was the common sense of the Straw Hat crew in canon, and thinking over her like this had allowed him to truly decide on beginning down the path he wanted.