Since the girl before him was the woman Lord Ryōsuke desired for a political marriage, Kaido naturally wouldn't strike back against her attack. He simply coated his body in Armament Haki for defense. Rebecca's sword slashed against him, but it couldn't cut through at all. Instead, the sheer recoil sent her flying backward. Crashing to the ground, she glared at Kaido furiously. *I can't believe how incredibly tough this man's body is,* she marveled inwardly. Seeing this, King Riku hurriedly stepped in front of Rebecca to stop her from attacking again. If she truly angered Kaido, they might not be so lucky next time. Kaido looked down at the pink-haired Rebecca lying on the ground. "So you're the one. Not bad looking. No wonder that Lord is willing to marry you. Just come with me." "Catching that Lord's eye is your good fortune." "When he eventually rules over the entire sea, you'll have a share in it too." "I really don't know why you're resisting so much. Countless people would beg for an opportunity like this and still be denied." *That Lord is destined to reign supreme over the entire sea, considering even I, the strongest creature in the world, couldn't withstand more than a few of his moves,* Kaido thought. *The same goes for anyone else, whether it's Red Hair or Big Mom. Even Blackbeard, who stole Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit powers, would fare no better.* *It's a pity his goal isn't to become the Pirate King, otherwise the title would undoubtedly be his.* *Still, founding a nation to become the world's hegemon is a pretty fantastic choice too.*
Hearing Kaido's words, King Riku was shaken to his core. *Kaido actually said that this Emperor is going to rule the world? Who on earth is he?* He had never even heard of such a person. Unable to hold back his confusion, he asked, "What is this Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets?" Kaido explained, "It's a newly established empire, and I suppose you could consider me a lead general under his command." *With my strength, I am naturally second only to that Lord. I never expected a day like this would come,* Kaido mused to himself. *It feels as though I've returned to the era of Rocks, reduced to being a mere subordinate. Yet, this life thrills me far more than my empty status as one of the Four Emperors.* He knew he didn't have the power to overturn the world himself, but that Lord certainly did.
King Riku was even more astounded. *To think things would turn out like this.* *Even Kaido has become that Lord's subordinate.* *Just how terrifying is this man?* The Dressrosa Kingdom had absolutely no power to resist. But he couldn't bear to watch his granddaughter be married off like this. As for the so-called ruling of the world, King Riku harbored no such ambitions; simply being able to protect his citizens was more than enough for him. A deep sense of helplessness washed over him.
Just then, Kyros crawled out from the collapsed pile of rubble. He was covered in dust, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His internal organs had already sustained damage. His eyes were filled with shock. *Is this the power of an Emperor of the Sea?* *He's too strong.* *But if he wants to take my daughter away...* *He'll have to step over my dead body.* He had failed to protect Rebecca's mother, so he had to at least protect her daughter.
Kaido narrowed his eyes at Kyros, who was slowly limping forward. "Judging by your look, are you still trying to stop me?" "You really aren't afraid of death, kid. How many of my punches can you even take?" "You're just wasting your breath."
Seeing that her father was alive, Rebecca felt a surge of joy. She had finally gotten her father back; she couldn't let him die. She had already lost her mother. The light faded from her eyes, but she then raised her head with firm resolve. "I am willing to marry that Lord." Kyros shouted in disbelief, "No! Rebecca, you can't do this!" King Riku was at a total loss for what to do. On one hand, she was his precious granddaughter. But on the other hand, he lacked the strength to protect her. *I am such a useless king,* he thought bitterly. *It's the exact same feeling I had facing Doflamingo over a decade ago.*
Kaido, however, burst into roaring laughter. "What a sensible woman." He reached out, grabbed her, and tossed her onto his back. Transforming into his Azure Dragon form, he soared straight into the sky. Looking down at the two men below, he said, "Oh, right. If you have the skills to make it to Wano Country, you're more than welcome to come drink at the wedding." With that, he headed straight toward the Red Line. He had to go notify the next person.
Kyros tried to chase after them, but his body gave out after a single step. He fell to one knee. King Riku walked over to his side. "Kyros, are you alright?" "You can't chase them anymore. If you do, you'll die." Kyros was consumed by fury and unwillingness. "Are we really just going to let him abduct my daughter like this?" King Riku lowered his head, his legs trembling as they gave way. "Accept reality. We can only hope that this man treats her well." There was no other choice but to accept reality.
High in the sky, Rebecca sat on Kaido's back, her mind racing with thoughts. She was about to marry the so-called Emperor of the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets, and she felt incredibly anxious. Unable to hold back, she asked, "Kaido, what kind of person is the Emperor of the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets?" Kaido chuckled. "Someone far stronger than me, and incredibly handsome too. He's definitely a great match for you." Hearing this, Rebecca finally relaxed a little. *I was terrified he might be some hideous monster,* she thought.
Shortly after Kaido's departure. A reporter from the World Economy News Paper relayed the information to their president. When Morgans heard the news, his eyes widened in absolute shock. He pondered the key points the reporter had mentioned. *The Emperor of the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets, and Kaido claiming to be his general.* *This Emperor actually wants a political marriage with the Dressrosa Kingdom's Rebecca.* *Political marriages are perfectly normal.* *Usually, two small nations marry to form an alliance and consolidate power.* *Or a large nation uses marriage to control a smaller one.* *A nation that has Kaido on its side is undoubtedly a massive power, perhaps even a superpower.* *But why have I never heard of such a country?* He cursed himself inwardly. *To think I missed such massive news—it's a complete disgrace.* *Just what exactly happened on Onigashima?* *After all, Kaido's stronghold is Onigashima, which naturally includes Wano Country.* *It seems something massive went down there. I need to send people to gather intelligence immediately.* *There's no time to wallow in disappointment now.* *First things first, I have to broadcast this incident to the world and shake things up.* *This news is probably just as explosive as the Straw Hat crew wreaking havoc on Whole Cake Island. Hahahaha!* *Of course, I'll report this exactly as it happened.* *After all, these were words straight from Kaido's mouth.*
One day later. Having just escaped from the Emperor Big Mom's Whole Cake Island, the Straw Hat Pirates were sailing rapidly toward Wano Country. They were almost there. As long as they passed through the treacherous waters ahead, they would arrive. Just then, a News Coo flew down onto the Thousand Sunny. It dropped a newspaper toward the orange-haired Nami on deck. Nami caught the paper and tossed some Berries to the bird. She felt a mix of excitement and nervousness. *I wonder what big news has broken this time.* *After our escape from Big Mom's Whole Cake Island...* *I never expected my bounty to skyrocket to 66 million Berries.* *I'm actually worth so much money! I never knew I could be valued that highly.* *That's more than three times the bounty of Captain Arlong back in the day.* *But what's even more shocking is that Luffy's bounty has reached a staggering 1.5 billion Berries.* *He's become a bona fide Great Pirate.* *The newspaper even dubbed him the 'Fifth Emperor of the Sea.'* She couldn't help but sigh in amazement. *The little pirate from the East Blue I followed is achieving his dreams step by step.* *That idiot Luffy is really going to become the Pirate King.* *And now, our goal of heading to Wano Country to defeat Kaido of the Beasts actually seems possible.*
Nami opened the newspaper and read through it, her eyes widening in sheer astonishment. *The mysterious Emperor of the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets has sent Kaido to arrange a marriage with Dressrosa's Rebecca.* *What kind of news is this?!* *Why can't I understand a single word of it?* *What is the Empire on Which the Sun Never Sets?* *What does it mean that he 'sent Kaido'?* *And why on earth is he marrying Rebecca from Dressrosa?!*