"Damn that little brat Darren…" Kaido hissed through clenched teeth, his enormous chest heaving with barely contained fury. Each exhale came out as thick white steam, like a raging bull snorting smoke.
This cave—this ridiculous secret—was something he'd never told a soul. Not Queen, not Jack, not even his right hand, King. Only Alber knew, and only because Kaido trusted him to keep his mouth shut. Not for any strategic reason, but because the truth was simply too humiliating.
His own daughter—no, his flesh and blood, Yamato—had declared that her greatest hero wasn't her father, Kaido the "Strongest Creature," but some damn Marine!
If she'd idolized one of the greats—Garp, Zephyr, Sengoku—Kaido could have swallowed his pride. Garp, "Hero of the Marines," had stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger himself to crush Rocks D. Xebec's empire. A monster among monsters. Kaido respected that.
And Zephyr—"Black Arm" Zephyr—Kaido could at least acknowledge. A man whose Armament Haki could crush steel barehanded, who had trained generations of powerful Marines. Kaido had scoffed at him publicly, sure, but privately? He'd admired his iron will.
Even Sengoku, that wily strategist with the golden Buddha powers—Kaido could tolerate him.
But this?
His own daughter's idol being that smug, scheming brat Rogers Darren—Kaido's blood boiled.
"What the hell is this?!" he roared, veins bulging at his temples.
That bastard had thwarted his plans again and again, forced the Beasts Pirates to abandon their bases, and even had the nerve to "visit" Wano Country whenever he pleased.
Fine. Kaido could grit his teeth and endure that much.
But now that little Marine was sending other fools into his territory—into Wano—to stir up chaos?
"What the hell does he think this is?!" Kaido bellowed, the walls of the cave trembling from his voice. "This is my territory! The land of the Beasts Pirates! Not some playground for that North Blue upstart!"
His fury spiked like a storm breaking. "Enough! I'm not letting Yamato keep this up!"
Kaido's glare swept over the walls plastered with old newspapers and hand-drawn sketches. His thick fingers curled into fists, the sound of his knuckles cracking echoing like distant thunder. With a low growl, he stomped deeper into the cavern.
The twisting tunnels opened into a larger chamber. Beasts Pirates members lined the walls, eyes downcast, trembling as the air thickened with Kaido's killing intent.
At the end of the tunnel stood a reinforced cell—bars thick enough to withstand cannon fire, oil lamps flickering weakly against the suffocating dark.
Before Kaido even reached it, a voice rang out from inside. High-pitched, yet straining to sound deep and commanding.
"You wicked pirates! You're all under arrest!"
"What's that? You don't know my name? Hah! How laughable!" the childish voice thundered with over-the-top bravado. "Listen well, fools—I am Vice Admiral Rogers Darren of Marine Headquarters, the world-renowned King of the North Blue!"
"That's right! Handsome, powerful, and glorious! The Legend Ender! Successor to the Three Great Pillars! The Uncrowned King of the North Blue! The future Flying Admiral!"
"Power is my stepping stone, and beautiful women are my passion! I am Rogers Darren!"
Each boastful declaration echoed through the cave like nails being hammered into Kaido's sanity.
His face darkened to a color somewhere between plum and soot. His jaw twitched. His hands clenched so tightly around his kanabo that the metal creaked.
The two guards beside him went rigid, praying to every god they could name. They didn't dare breathe, let alone look at their captain's expression.
Kaido's voice came out as a low growl. "How have Yamato and… her been lately?"
The guards exchanged a horrified glance. "R-reporting, Lord Kaido," one stammered, "Young Master Yamato is in excellent health. She just… uh… sometimes gets bored and asks us to play games with her."
Kaido's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Games?" he repeated, his tone like distant thunder. "What kind of games?"
The smarter of the two swallowed hard. "Just… just make-believe games, Lord Kaido. Bego's inside playing with her right now."
Kaido paused, exhaled once through his nose, then barked, "Open the door."
The guards scrambled to obey, unlocking the door with shaking hands.
Kaido ducked his massive frame and stepped inside.
The voice grew louder. "Hahaha! So this is Wano Country!"
Kaido's heart sank with dread. He took one step… then another… and rounded the corner.
And froze.
For a long second, he couldn't even breathe.
A tiny figure—no older than three—stood proudly with her bare white feet planted on the back of a pirate. Her hands rested on her hips as she threw her head back and laughed triumphantly.
"Witness my power!"
Her short white hair shimmered faintly under the lamplight, the tips fading from white to green, then to blue. Two little crimson horns peeked through the hair, giving her an impish yet oddly regal charm.
She wore a miniature kimono in white and red, a thick rope tied at her waist like a warrior's sash.
And on her face—
A paper mask, roughly cut from an old newspaper, painted with the unmistakably smug face of Rogers Darren.
Kaido's mouth twitched violently.
The pirate she was standing on groaned dramatically beneath her heel, wearing a mask of his own—one crudely depicting Kaido's face.
For a split second, Kaido saw red. His pulse pounded in his ears. The veins on his forehead bulged like ropes. His grip on his kanabo tightened until the weapon trembled in his massive hand.
"Hahahahaha!"
The little girl threw back her head in laughter, imitating a hero's dramatic pose.
"See that? I've defeated Kaido once again!" she declared proudly. "That's enough for today!"
Then, with mock graciousness, she looked down at her "opponent" and said brightly, "I'll be sure to visit you again soon, Kaido-sensei!"
Kaido: …
For one long, frozen moment, no one moved.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ALL DOING?!"
Kaido's roar shook the entire mountain. The air itself seemed to crack.
BOOM!!
The peak of the mountain erupted in a deafening explosion.
A single pirate—still wearing the ridiculous "Kaido" mask—was blasted skyward like a human cannonball, screaming as he disappeared into the clouds, until he was nothing but a black dot against the horizon.
To be continued...