Totto Land.
Cake Island.
The ancient castle was eerie, and violent purple lightning raged across the sky, illuminating the land as if it were a purgatory of the Underworld.
Charlotte Linlin, who had just finished having a child through a political marriage with a certain country, was frantically eating to replenish her energy.
She crammed cream-covered tarts into her mouth, her peripheral vision fixed on the trembling Perospero below.
"You're saying Kaido wants us to help obstruct the Marine in the waters surrounding Wano Country?"
"Yes, Mama, the Beasts Pirates want to attack Wano Country and need our help to deal with the Marine approaching Wano Country from overseas. Mama, if I may be so bold, Wano Country is not comparable to an ordinary country. Kaido is trying to bite off a tough bone this time; it will be very difficult."
Perospero spoke tremblingly, his scarlet, forked tongue hanging down to his chest, making him look very much like a demon from a folktale.
"Perospero, Kaido and I just formed an alliance. Now is when he needs help. Are you trying to make me betray our agreement?"
Charlotte Linlin's eyes suddenly turned cold: "He is my brother, Perospero!"
A wave of Conqueror's Haki crushed down like a tide, forcing Perospero to grovel on the ground, gasping for breath.
Perospero's eyes widened, his pupils quaking. He had never expected Mama Charlotte Linlin to get angry at him for Kaido's sake.
"Ma-Mama, I was only thinking of Mama. Please forgive me..." Perospero said with difficulty.
Charlotte's forehead was covered in black lines. Due to the lighting, from Perospero's perspective, he could only vaguely see Mama Charlotte Linlin's cold eyes.
Charlotte Linlin stopped releasing Conqueror's Haki. Perospero immediately felt a lightness in his body, slumping to the ground and panting heavily.
"From now on, I don't want to hear you talk about him behind his back again."
Charlotte Linlin's eyes were cold, then she smiled slyly: "Perospero, since Kaido needs help, I will personally go. Consider it a grand gift for my brother whom I haven't seen in many years."
New World, a certain island.
Stussy, of Buckingham, looked at the newspaper in her hand—
'Major Event: The entire Beasts Pirates mobilize! Destination unknown!'
The newspaper reported that the Beasts Pirates had dispatched over thirty warships, along with their affiliated pirate Captains and combatants, a pirate force of over 32,000 people, majestically departing Winter Island.
This force, almost the strongest on the seas, mobilizing its entire crew, was something even the World Government could not ignore.
"I never thought that Kaido kid could develop to this extent. I underestimated him back then."
As a scientific thief, Stussy had always moved between various kingdom institutions, earning a large amount of treasure by selling and stealing scientific secrets.
It was well-known on the Rocks Pirates that Stussy admired Whitebeard Edward Newgate, but Whitebeard was indifferent to love. After the Rocks Pirates disbanded, he secretly left with the Ice Witch Whitey Bay.
Stussy had some complaints about Whitebeard's unannounced departure, but compared to Whitebeard's leaving, she was more concerned about treasure.
"Besides Vegapunk, the former members of the Peace Research Institute—Judge, Queen, and Caesar—have all joined the Beasts Pirates. The Beasts Pirates are a massive force with complex connections in the Underworld. Their monthly revenue alone is over ten billion Berries, with a net profit of over four billion Berries. This is far more than what the Rocks Pirates earned by plundering everywhere back then..."
Stussy's eyes gleamed. She spread out a sea chart and, based on the recent information she had gathered about the Beasts Pirates, analyzed: "For Kaido to mobilize such a large force, it can only be the Flying Pirates, the Whitebeard Pirates, or the Roger Pirates."
The Whitebeard Pirates are a newly formed pirate group. Most of the pirates on board are youngsters under twenty, and their numbers probably don't exceed forty.
The Roger Pirates have been active on the seas for many years and have famous great pirates like Rayleigh and Jabba. Although their numbers are not large, every one of them is fierce.
Roger even has a dark history of wiping out an entire kingdom's army because one of their army Captains spoke ill of his comrades.
But that is not enough for Kaido to mobilize such a massive force.
Therefore, if Kaido's goal is to seize territory and start a pirate war, only the Flying Pirates fit these conditions.
Stussy believed she had discovered the target of Kaido's actions, but she was not in a hurry to contact various places and spread the intelligence.
Instead, she looked at the sea chart and pondered: "Of course, if Kaido's target is the Marine, that also fits these conditions."
Unable to clearly see the current movements of the Beasts Pirates, Stussy decided to wait and see.
After all, she was not the Marine and did not have the extensive intelligence network of the Marine to constantly monitor the Beasts Pirates' whereabouts.
Relying only on newspapers and limited hearsay, the results obtained would naturally be far from the truth.
New World, a certain shipyard harbor.
The Roger Pirates' Jackson was nearing its end after more than ten years of voyaging, having been battered by strong currents, collided while crossing the Red Line's currents, and suffered residual shockwaves during battles with enemies at sea.
The main mast's keel was broken, and it could sink into the sea at any moment.
The Roger Pirates had therefore docked at the shipyard, planning to repair the Jackson before setting sail again.
Rayleigh, with a scar above his eye, was sitting among the piles of damaged ships in the shipyard, reading a newspaper.
Roger walked over, clapped Rayleigh on the shoulder, and said with a grin: "Hey, Rayleigh, what are you doing here by yourself? Come down and party!"
Rayleigh's expression was grave: "The entire Beasts Pirates have mobilized, Roger. This is a major event of recent years. Now the whole world's attention is drawn to the Beasts Pirates, and everyone wants to know the real reason for their full mobilization."
Roger's smile disappeared, and he said seriously: "The Beasts Pirates, that's the pirate force established by that Kaido, right? A few years ago, I remember you even mentioned the young soldiers. I didn't expect that in just a few years, their strength would not decline but increase. Now, every move they make can cause a worldwide stir."
Rayleigh looked at the clouds gradually disappearing on the horizon, as darkness enveloped like a large net: "The current Beasts Pirates are undoubtedly the most massive force. Their subordinates are not like the Rocks Pirates, each acting independently and harboring ulterior motives. I always feel that the shadow of the Rocks Pirates, which passed not long ago, will soon sweep across these seas again."
Roger laughed heartily, unconcerned: "That's something Garp and Sengoku should be worried about. Why are you worrying about it? Kaido, we'll talk about it if we ever meet him!"
On this day, whether it was the Marine, the World Government, pirates, or various families of the Underworld, everyone was searching for the whereabouts of the Beasts Pirates.
And the Beasts Pirates, a few days later, had already arrived in the outer seas of Wano Country!
Less than a hundred nautical miles from Wano Country!