Year 1490 of the Sea Calendar.
This was Kaido's sixth year since his rebirth.
Six months ago, Judge, Wald, and others led over 2,000 pirates, successfully modified with exoskeletons, to the North Blue.
Wearing an optimized battle suit, Judge wreaked havoc in the kingdoms of the North Blue, beheading six kings and shocking all the nations. The name of Germa Kingdom once again resounded throughout the North Blue!
This bombshell news, like a bomb thrown into a river, immediately caused a huge uproar.
Kingdoms all over the world were discussing the assassination of the six kings, and for a time, kingdoms that had had even slight friction with Germa Kingdom were in a state of panic.
Winter Island, the dock.
Dozens of dark warships were lined up, their flags fluttering, and sails billowing.
On the shore, the air was filled with a clamor of voices.
The sky was shrouded in mist, heavy snow fell, and the continuous snow-capped peaks rose like a giant dragon from the earth.
On the shore, Redfield leaned on his cane, his wine-red cloak fluttering in the wind.
Wald wore a Viking helmet, his eyes full of light and excitement.
Beside or behind him were Hanafuda, Bullet, Abel, Queen, Judge, Caesar, Roya, Hiber, the Beetle Brothers, Sebastian, Nachen, Gairam, Squard, and MacGuy.
Squard had eaten the Six-Eyed Sand Spider Devil Fruit six months ago, and Queen had consumed an Ancient Zoan Brachiosaurus Devil Fruit.
Further back were the 21 Captains of their subordinate pirate crews.
Each of them was a pirate with a bounty over 100 million Beli, their expressions solemn, their robes fluttering and rustling in the strong wind.
Over thirty thousand pirates stood before the dock, most of whom had been injected with the Exoskeleton Lineage Factor for enhancement.
Suddenly, everyone present sensed something and looked into the distance.
The crowd automatically parted to create a path.
Kaido, wearing a cyan shirt and a purple haori cloak, slowly walked from the distance. As he passed Redfield, Redfield followed him.
Then came Wald, Hanafuda, Bullet, Abel...
"It's the Beasts Pirates' main ship combatant All-Star lineup!"
The pirates exclaimed, their faces filled with excitement; this was a rare and powerful lineup!
The cold wind hit Kaido's face, his eyes like a demon's: "Wald, Hanafuda... How are the Marine warships monitoring nearby?"
Wald grinned: "Ready to be sunk at any moment!"
A cruel smile curled at Kaido's lips: "Sink all the monitoring warships and nearby Marine bases."
Upon receiving the order, Wald immediately went to make arrangements.
Kaido stood on the high platform built on the dock and said in a booming voice: "My subordinates!! Since the establishment of our Beasts Pirates, with 21 subordinate pirate crews, totaling 32,000 people, we have grown into a formidable force in this great sea that cannot be underestimated!!"
"Whether in the sea or in the Underworld, the name of the Beasts Pirates is synonymous with power and disaster!"
"Tell me, why did you join the Beasts Pirates!!"
Kaido scanned the tens of thousands of pirates below, his tone possessing an undeniable allure.
In an instant, the pirates roared in unison: "To dominate this sea, to rule this world!!"
The sound shook the heavens, echoing throughout Winter Island, and the calm surface of the dock's lake instantly churned with waves.
"Well said!"
Kaido grinned, his eyes filled with intense fighting spirit: "Now we are going to that country of samurai that even the World Government fears—Wano Country! We will conquer Wano Country and let this world witness the power of the Beasts Pirates!!"
"Kill, kill, kill!!"
The pirates' shouts shook the sky, their voices soaring to the clouds, and even the falling snow seemed to freeze.
Kaido descended from the high platform and led his cadres onto the main ship.
The other pirate Captains, along with Redfield, Hanafuda, and others, led their respective forces onto the other warships.
The Marine warships monitoring from a distance suddenly exploded, and nearby Marine bases were also attacked one after another.
Thirty-two dark warships sailed majestically into the distance, about a ten-day journey to Wano Country... Approximately one day after the Beasts Pirates set off for Wano Country.
Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, only then received the news.
When Kong learned that the Beasts Pirates, almost their entire crew, were heading to Wano Country, deploying over thirty warships, his face was anything but calm.
Kong's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, looking extremely grim: "They destroyed six warships and two Marine branch bases... deploying over thirty warships, does Kaido really intend to attack Wano Country?"
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. As the strategist among the Marines, he had read numerous ancient texts, which contained many brief mentions of Wano Country.
Wano Country, the land of samurai, was notorious for its bandits and pirates in ancient times, often organizing samurai to plunder other nations overseas, earning it the infamous title of a pirate kingdom.
Many nearby kingdoms had suffered greatly from it.
However, several centuries ago, for unknown reasons, this country suddenly adopted a policy of isolation, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
After unifying the seas, the World Government had repeatedly organized large fleets to encircle and attack Wano Country, intending to conquer this kingdom.
However, all attempts ended in failure.
The ancient texts mentioned that this kingdom had a strong samurai culture, with its citizens practicing martial arts and swordsmanship from a young age. It seemed as if they were intentionally targeting the World Government; whenever the country faced a crisis of survival, one or two legendary samurai would always emerge to save it.
Staff Officer Tsuru, a Vice Admiral, said: "Wano Country has been isolated for many years. Its natural chasm alone is enough to make it impossible for over ninety percent of warships to cross the waterfall and fall into the deep sea.
If Wano Country were so easy to deal with, the World Government wouldn't have been helpless against it for so many years... I actually think this might be a great opportunity to annihilate the Beasts Pirates."
Staff Officer Tsuru looked at the sea chart and continued: "Neither we nor Kaido have a deep understanding of Wano Country; we don't know how many samurai are truly within Wano Country. Kaido's reasons for attacking Wano Country are nothing more than two points.
First, he values Wano Country's natural waterfall barrier, which he can use as a natural stronghold to develop his power. Second, he wants to harness the power of Wano Country's samurai for his own use."
Kong frowned, staring intently at the sea chart, and said: "You're right. With Wano Country's natural chasm, even if Kaido's warships can ascend the Wano Country waterfall, most of them will likely be destroyed. Moreover, the Wano Country samurai are not to be trifled with; it's highly probable that Kaido and the Wano Country samurai will only end up in a mutually destructive battle."
Sengoku's eyes lit up: "We just need to gather nearby warships and wait for the outcome, then we can capture the Beasts Pirates in one fell swoop!"
Kong nodded heavily. He suddenly lifted his face, his eyes gleaming with fire: "This is our chance. Immediately recall Garp, and gather all Marine officers of Colonel rank and above from Headquarters to proceed to Wano Country within two days!"