Boom!
On the vast, surging sea currents, looking into the distance, Winter Island, perennially shrouded in snow and mist, seemed to have its mysterious veil lifted, revealing its continuous snow-capped peaks.
Above Winter Island, a massive cloud of smoke and dust lingered, emitting rumbling sounds.
Minutes later, the smoke and dust gradually settled.
Heavy footsteps sounded. Kaido, maintaining his Human-Beast form, was enveloped in a crimson Haki that crackled like surging lightning.
He wiped a trace of blood from the corner of his mouth and looked with cold eyes at the spot where he had just attacked.
There was no one there, only a human-shaped indentation at the bottom of a large crater.
Kaido couldn't help but roar, "Damn it, that guy actually got away!!!"
Meanwhile, somewhere in the Holy Land, Garin Saint's expression was equally grim.
He had actually been forcefully sent back to the Holy Land by Kaido's attack!
Humiliation, unprecedented humiliation!
"Kaido...!"
Garin Saint's unwilling roar echoed deep within the Holy Land. Somaz Saint, wearing swimming trunks nearby, jumped in surprise, having never seen Garin Saint so furious.
"Did you suffer a defeat, Garin Saint?"
Somaz Saint said in a deep voice, his chest still throbbing faintly.
Garin Saint looked coldly at Somaz, "Shut up! Somaz Saint!"
"Next time, I will crush him head-on!"
"Why bother with a mere ant? Decades from now, he will grow old and die, while we possess extended lifespans and immortal bodies. He is merely a slightly larger ant in our long lives."
Somaz Saint chuckled.
Garin Saint said coldly, "Remember, Somaz Saint, ability is not true immortality. There are still some people in this world who can harm us... You haven't forgotten how you were sent back to the Holy Land, have you?"
Somaz fell silent.
Garin Saint looked outside the Holy Land: "Edward Newgate, Kaido... if these pirates on the sea were to unite again, it would cause trouble for that adult's rule. Fortunately, these monsters have their own ambitions."
...Winter Island was largely destroyed, and reconstruction was extremely difficult.
Hiber, however, had a tough time. For half a month, he had been using his ability to rebuild the island, re-adhering the collapsed ground.
But Hiber was not without gains. Such a massive and precise amount of work gave him a deeper understanding of his Soft-Soft Fruit ability.
After a period of rest, Kaido received information from Wald about the islands Hanafuda had successively landed on.
After analysis and calculation by Binjack, Hanafuda was predicted to appear next on Gran Island in the New World.
"The number of Celestial Dragons' God's Knights is unknown. If one Garin Saint is so powerful, how strong must the God they serve be?"
Kaido mused. The World Government was far from as simple as he had imagined. No wonder it had ruled the world for nearly eight hundred years; its foundation was profound.
The Marine, the World Government, the God's Knights—to dominate the world, these were obstacles he had to face and overcome.
"Only with absolute military might and influence can I achieve my ideal!"
He wanted to ignite an unprecedented war, to drag the high and mighty Celestial Dragons into this conflict.
He wanted to seize the opportunity of rebirth to gather more powerful individuals!
Kaido said, "I'll personally go to Hanafuda. Wald, Binjack, you two will be responsible for the Underworld business. Remove all the known strongholds that are secretly buying weapons from us! I want those people to know the consequences of daring to compete with me for business!"
Binjack hesitated for a moment and said, "There are two arms trafficking groups in the Underworld that have contacted us, wanting to join our ranks, Kaido, what do you think?"
Only Wald and Binjack could call Kaido by his name within the Beasts Pirates. Firstly, they were both older than Kaido, and secondly, Kaido recognized their respective abilities.
Kaido's eyes flickered, "As long as they can create profit for us and genuinely wish to join us, I am willing to give them a chance. It will also help expand our manpower in the Underworld."
Binjack breathed a sigh of relief, "Of course... I will still vet them for such issues."
Kaido looked at Wald. Over the past year, Wald had been training very hard, probably because he had been defeated by Bolonga a year ago.
Wald had not only mastered the Six Styles but also grew physically stronger, and increased the Magnification of his Magnify-Magnify Fruit to 100 times.
With 100 times Magnification, anything he casually threw could break through dozens of times the speed of sound. Anything he smashed could be a large mountain, or half a small island!
For those weaker than Wald, he could crush tens of thousands of people with his strength alone.
To this end, Kaido and Wald had craftsmen meticulously build the Wald-Go Super Cannon, capable of firing super cannonballs ten meters in diameter!
If amplified a hundredfold by Wald, a super cannonball could instantly flatten an island!
Of course, while destructive, these moves had too obvious drawbacks for powerhouses like Kaido and posed no real threat.
But for most ordinary people worldwide, Wald's hundredfold amplification was a dimensionality reduction strike.
However, since reaching 100 times amplification, Wald found that his amplification seemed to have reached its limit.
To help Kaido achieve his ideal, Wald continued to train day and night.
Because he knew that the stronger his physique became, and the greater his basic strength and speed, the more powerful his 100 times amplification would be.
Perhaps one day, Wald would be able to face an Admiral alone and not lose!
Kaido left Winter Island.
Before leaving, he went to see Bullet and Lola. Perhaps accustomed to raising children in his previous life, despite Kaido's somewhat rough parenting style, Bullet and Lola surprisingly accepted it very well.
Several days later.
New World, Gran Island.
Boom!!
Cannonballs exploded in the crowd. A pirate crew that had just landed soon faced a barrage of artillery fire from Hanafuda, who had been following them all along.
"It's Hanafuda!"
"Damn it, how did that bastard show up in a place like this?"
The pirates screamed. The island residents had long since closed their doors and windows, hiding in their rooms, trembling.
Hanafuda licked his lips, a glowing scythe in his hand: "I heard you have a Zoan Devil Fruit you want to sell!"
The enemy pirate shouted, "We went through so much trouble to get that, Hanafuda, you're going too far!"
"Sell it? Isn't it a shame to sell such a Devil Fruit? Besides, I'm a pirate, and pirates just burn, kill, and plunder, don't they?" Hanafuda said nonchalantly, completely uninhibited.
"We won't just surrender! Look around, Hanafuda, you're surrounded!"
The enemy pirate yelled. As his voice fell, nearly a hundred pirates, armed with firearms and grinning strangely, poured out of the alley.