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"Bang!"
Kaido of the Beasts, having fallen into the ocean, rapidly sank towards the seabed.
"One hundred meters, two hundred meters, five hundred meters..." As the descent quickened, Law's expression grew tense. Kaido of the Beasts had already sunk over a thousand meters.
"If I wait any longer, Kaido of the Beasts will fall outside the ROOM space." Law's ROOM space could currently reach a giant circular area with a diameter of three thousand meters at its maximum extent. But the space originated from his own body. This meant he was at the very center of the space, so the radius was naturally only fifteen hundred meters.
"The powerful individuals shouldn't be using Observation Haki, right?" Law carefully sensed his surroundings. Using Observation Haki, in the eyes of other Observation Haki users, was like a beacon. If other powerful individuals were using Observation Haki, Law should be able to faintly sense it. But right now, he didn't sense any powerful individuals using Observation Haki. Of course, this didn't rule out the possibility that the commanders' Observation Haki was far stronger than Law's.
It was already fourteen hundred meters.
"I can't wait." Law no longer cared if he would be exposed. Even if he was, Kaido of the Beasts' shell could not be lost. At worst, he would threaten Whitebeard with the entire ship. Whitebeard might be strong, but this was in the sea, within the ROOM space. Law certainly wasn't Whitebeard's match. If it came to a fight to the death, even Marco and Jozu would be hard to defeat. But if he wanted to hide, Whitebeard would also struggle to catch him quickly. During that time, Law could manipulate the ship, causing it to sink into the sea.
"ROOM: Shambles!"
Kaido of the Beasts instantly vanished from the depths of the ocean, leaving only the Seastone chains to continue sinking. Kaido of the Beasts suddenly reappeared before Law, still unconscious.
"Was I not discovered?"
Law used his clairvoyance ability to monitor the movements of the commanders. As for Whitebeard, Law never once attempted to peek at him. Although clairvoyance was an extremely strange ability, top-tier powerful individuals were very sensitive to any targets. Law would not allow himself to make any more mistakes. After much caution, he confirmed that he had indeed not been discovered.
"Scan!"
After a careful assessment, Law determined that the soul currently inhabiting Kaido of the Beasts' shell was not his own, but the soul of that dog. As for Kaido of the Beasts' soul, with the dog's death, it had no vessel and thus dissipated. An Emperor had truly died. A generation's legend, dying silently, unknown to all. Perhaps this was the most humble way to die.
"I can't let the dog's soul continue to occupy Kaido of the Beasts' shell, or he will surely be exposed upon waking." Law pointed his sword tip at Kaido of the Beasts' body and thrust it. The materialized mind appeared as a heart shape, connected by a line to the body.
"Swish!" The sword's edge severed this connecting line, separating the mind from the body. This meant that Kaido of the Beasts was now truly just an empty shell.
"I never thought this trip would allow me to obtain everything of Kaido of the Beasts." Law couldn't help but reveal a look of wild joy in his eyes. This was Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors, one of the handful of top figures in the sea. And now, his body and all his strength belonged to Law.
"I must make good use of this." Law took Kaido of the Beasts' shell and transferred it to the deepest, most inconspicuous part of the ship's hold, where it was least likely to be discovered. His surging heartbeat still struggled to fully calm down.
"How can I maximize the benefit?" Law stroked his chin. Solving Kaido of the Beasts in this manner was a temporary decision, made on the fly, because an opportunity had fallen from the sky—how could he not seize it? "The simplest method would be to send Kaido of the Beasts to Marine Headquarters and gain astonishing credit. Such credit would surely warrant becoming an Admiral, wouldn't it?" But Law instantly rejected this proposal.
The position of Admiral was one of Law's goals. But the essence of this world was power. Lacking sufficient power, yet holding an Admiral's position, was not a good thing. And when he did have enough power, he wouldn't need merit to become an Admiral. Why waste an Emperor's shell, throwing away such a treasure? Moreover, doing so would incur the retaliation of the entire Beast Pirates, while the beneficiaries would be the Marines. Law would not consider such a self-sacrificing act.
"What if I put the soul of a subordinate I completely trust into Kaido of the Beasts' shell? Then I'd quickly have an Emperor as a subordinate?" Law couldn't help but chuckle. It seemed he had no one he completely trusted. Even if he had absolutely loyal subordinates, would they remain loyal once they possessed the power of an Emperor? Law didn't trust human nature; so-called loyalty was merely the inability to resist. With the power of an Emperor, who would choose to serve others?
"Such a good thing should naturally be enjoyed only by myself." Law surveyed Kaido of the Beasts' shell. Every part of it seemed to contain endless power. The power of an Emperor—who wouldn't want it? "If I could enter Kaido of the Beasts' shell, wouldn't I be able to control an Emperor's power and even his forces, instantly ascending to the very peak of the sea?" Ambition flickered in Law's eyes. The most top-tier power and influence—who wouldn't be tempted?