Damp and cold, with a putrid smell.
A pungent odor assailed his nostrils, and something seemed to be crawling on the rusted pipes, making a rustling sound.
Wald opened his drowsy eyes and found himself in a damp dungeon.
Beneath his feet was disgusting, foul-smelling black mud, his hands were in shackles, and chains extended back to a keyhole in the stone wall.
Animal carcasses floated on the sludge, and above his head were intricate underground pipes, with plump rats staring at Wald with blood-red eyes.
"One billion Berries?!"
A furious, angry voice rang out from outside the dungeon, and Bolonga's expression was savage: "That bastard Piekro actually tricked me?!"
Bolonga was on the verge of a rampage, striding quickly from outside to the front of the dungeon, roaring into the Den Den Mushi: "What does Kaido destroying your strongholds have to do with me?!"
"I completed the mission given by the Dorag Family, and now you're telling me to release him just like that? What do you take me for?!"
Bolonga grew even angrier at whatever the Den Den Mushi said, his forehead creased with a cross vein, baring his teeth.
"If you want me to release him, you can. Give me the remaining balance and half of one billion Berries, and I can let bygones be bygones!"
"Otherwise, I can't guarantee what I'll do. If I remember correctly, Wald's head is worth three hundred million Berries, isn't it?"
Bolonga gave a cold laugh, hung up the Den Den Mushi, and the veins on the back of his hand, clutching the Den Den Mushi, bulged and cracked.
He pushed open the dungeon's iron door, his face grim as he looked at Wald.
"Hmph, it seems your position in Kaido's heart is very important. In the two days you've been gone, Kaido has destroyed two strongholds of the Dorag Family and is now wreaking havoc on the islands near Jiaerzburg Kingdom."
Wald was startled, then laughed heartily: "I knew I didn't misjudge him. He truly is a man worth following!"
"You stinking Fishman, just wait. Kaido will find this place sooner or later, and then he'll show you what true hell is!"
"Shut up!!"
Bolonga roared, his face so dark it could drip water, though he was already quite dark, his teeth grinding: "A mere Kaido is just a slightly capable rookie, I don't even put him in my eyes!"
Wald sneered, retorting: "I hope your strength is as hard as your mouth."
"You—"
Bolonga glared angrily at Wald, paused for a moment, seemed to realize something, and gave a self-deprecating laugh: "I actually got angry with a defeated opponent. Heh heh, Wald, once I contact the Marine, you'll spend the rest of your life in the dark Impel Down."
Night, an island near Jiaerzburg Kingdom.
Soaring flames lit up the night sky, and black smoke permeated between the streets and buildings.
The intense vibrations were like a giant pile driver violently shaking, and the streets were riddled with holes.
The streets were filled with people fleeing in panic, desperately escaping the epicenter of the tremors.
Buildings collapsed amidst explosions, and people wailed, screamed, and cried out.
Blood and fire spread wildly through the streets, soldiers lay dying in pools of blood, and a soldier hidden beneath dilapidated ruins was covered in blood, warm, viscous blood trickling down his forehead.
He gasped for breath, peering through a crack to see the terrifying scene outside.
"All… all wiped out?! What kind of monster is this?!"
The young soldier's pupils constricted, and he trembled all over.
"Heh… there's still one here."
Kaido brutally tore open a thick broken wall and lifted the young soldier.
"Hey, kid, do you know where Bolonga is?"
The young soldier's face turned red as he looked at Kaido's demonic face, scared to the point of his scalp tingling.
"Looks like another one who doesn't know."
Kaido violently flung the young soldier towards the water tower in the central street, and a splash of bright red blood scattered, adding a touch of color to the monotonous water tower.
"Binjack, how is it? Have you intercepted anything?"
Kaido glanced at Binjack, who was wearing listening equipment not far away, and two temporary staff members who were deciphering and locating the target's position.
The streets and urban area behind him had been reduced to ruins, with towering smoke and embers, making it like hell.
After two days of monitoring and investigation, Binjack discovered that their arms deal had been leaked, and behind this, in addition to the Ibis Family and the Dorag Family, the Jiaerzburg Kingdom was also acting as a facilitator.
The Jiaerzburg Kingdom and the War Without End Kingdom had long been at war, attacking each other with varying degrees of success, but in recent years, the Jiaerzburg Kingdom had successively conquered surrounding kingdoms, its national power flourishing, and intended to eliminate the War Without End Kingdom in one fell swoop.
Having intercepted intelligence that the War Without End Kingdom was going to trade arms with pirates, how could the Jiaerzburg Kingdom give its enemy a chance to increase its strength?
So, they leaked the matter to the Ibis Family. The Ibis Family, dissatisfied that Kaido had bypassed them to cooperate with the War Without End Kingdom, resolutely issued a bounty mission to the Dorag Family's assassin group.
Binjack was hesitant whether to tell Kaido about it. The Underworld's forces were spread all over the world, plus the Jiaerzburg Kingdom, which had been at war for years.
Binjack was indecisive, wondering if it would cause trouble for Kaido's plan.
Finally, he decided to first tell him Bolonga's approximate location: "Intercepted. It's on Faka Island, a deserted island two hundred nautical miles south of the Jiaerzburg Kingdom."
Faka Island… Kaido's eyes narrowed, then he glanced at Binjack: "Contact me via Den Den Mushi if anything comes up. I'm heading to Faka Island immediately."
Kaido suddenly leaped, his body stretching and elongating, coral-like dragon horns extended from his forehead, dragon whiskers fluttered, and his sharp claws were keen. A several-hundred-meter-long Azure Dragon coiled in mid-air, its colossal shadow covering the ruins.
At this moment, all the surviving humans turned pale, collapsing to the ground, trembling.
Purple flame clouds swirled around Kaido's feet, and each azure scale gleamed with a terrifying cold light under the firelight.
The sky was overcast. Kaido roared, instantly stirring up a fierce wind that drew in the surrounding dark clouds and air currents. Several purple lightning bolts exploded in the sky, illuminating the shattered earth with an eerie purple glow.
Kaido, riding the flame clouds, flew at high speed, enveloped in a lightning magnetic storm, bursting forth with gusts of air.
Faka Island was originally a peaceful and stable small island, with an area of only ten kilometers and a population of nearly a thousand.
The island's water pipes were well-developed, and residents transported fresh water through pipes to various parts of the island for irrigation and drinking.
However, three years ago, Bolonga suddenly intruded upon this secluded place, slaughtering local residents at regular intervals.
In just two years, the residents were either tortured to death by Bolonga or became his meals.
The peaceful Faka Island became a desolate, uninhabited island devoid of life.
Flesh and blood remains became nutrients for plants. In just one year, wild grasses and vines grew wildly, more lush than ordinary trees. Among the dense vines, some dilapidated buildings could vaguely be seen.
Bolonga had just contacted the bounty hunter.
As a former pirate, it was inconvenient for him to directly contact the Marine, whereas the flexible identity of a bounty hunter could provide the convenience of an intermediary.
After confirming the transaction location with the bounty hunter, Bolonga put down the Den Den Mushi.
Just then, Bolonga suddenly sensed something, his expression freezing as he gravely looked at the distant sea horizon.
There, a terrifying lightning magnetic storm was rapidly approaching!