Onigashima.
Kaido was completely drunk, reeking of alcohol.
His gnarled upper body was bare, a liquor gourd slung across his waist. Amber-colored alcohol trickled from the corner of his mouth, leaving glistening trails on his bronze skin.
His large, rough, rock-like hand slammed onto King's shoulder armor, and his deafening laughter nearly tore off the dome above their heads: "Wororororo—"
"Abel! Do you think that Straw Hat has the guts to form an alliance with me?!"
"Pfft—"
The scalding liquor suddenly sprayed from King's mouth. His face, usually as indifferent as ice, was now filled with disbelief, his gilded eyes wide as he stared blankly at his visibly drunken boss beside him.
The black mask covered most of his face, but it couldn't hide the speechless frustration churning in his eyes—he knew Kaido's underlying intentions too well.
The man, who hailed from the Land of War, had once been betrayed by the sovereign he trusted most. What burned in his chest was never the ambition to conquer the seas, but an overwhelming hatred for the entire corrupt order.
The high-and-mighty nobles and the tyrannical Celestial Dragons were, in his eyes, nothing more than ants hollowing out the world.
His lifelong pursuit was to ignite a war that would sweep across the globe, violently dragging these hypocritical rulers down, and having the entire world reforged in fire.
Kaido had tried countless times to achieve this insane obsession.
—He once crossed the Calm Belt and found Whitebeard's Moby Dick, only to see the Strongest Man gently bandaging a crew member's wounds, his eyes filled with devotion to his family... That childish display of affection made Kaido scoff, and the alliance vanished into thin air;
—He also challenged the solitary Golden Lion, but was turned away by the man who called him an "unfledged brat." That arrogance, stemming from a powerhouse, deeply wounded Kaido's pride;
—He also wanted to swear a blood oath with Big Mom Linlin, but that woman's ambition was ultimately limited to the empty title of "Pirate King." Her mind was filled entirely with Totto Land's candy and power, and she never truly considered fighting the World Government until the bitter end.
Bumping into walls and being rejected time after time, Kaido's obsession only grew fiercer.
—And now, his gaze had fallen upon the seventeen-year-old Straw Hat, who had been charging forward recklessly all along!
King slowly raised his hand, wiped the liquor stain from his mouth, and let out a low chuckle, sounding both helpless and understanding.
He turned his head slightly, looking at Kaido's bold silhouette as he guzzled his drink, a hint of complexity flashing in his gilded eyes.
His boss's obsession was probably more stubborn than Sea Stone.
But it didn't matter. Past experience told him that this enthusiasm would last for a while at most, and once the Straw Hat truly refused, everything would return to normal.
He silently picked up the wine bowl in front of him, downed the spicy liquor in one gulp, and a faint curve appeared at the corner of his mouth beneath the mask.
—Let the boss immerse himself in this crazy idea!
...Kaido's vertical pupils suddenly constricted. His bell-like eyes locked onto King, and the oppressive aura of Conqueror's Haki mixed with alcohol fumes rushed toward him:
"Abel! What is that expression? Do you doubt my judgment?!"
He leaned in close to King, his gnarled muscles tightening with excitement, every word carrying an undeniable arrogance:
"First! The feud between that Straw Hat and the World Government is already irreconcilable!"
"Although that brat is strong, it's impossible for him to fight the entire World Government plus the Marine alone!!"
Kaido sneered, rapping his knuckles on the table, producing a dull sound.
"If he doesn't ally with me, he might be wiped out any day now!!"
Kaido tilted his head back and took a massive gulp of liquor, his eyes gleaming with certainty. King's mouth twitched beneath his mask at the sight of his confident demeanor.
This logic was utterly absurd, yet Kaido stated it with perfect justification.
King took a deep breath, suppressing his speechlessness, and spoke calmly:
"Boss, even if he needs an ally, he might not choose us."
"Rumor has it he has a deep friendship with Red Hair Shanks, who even lost an arm saving him back then—"
"Wororororo! This is the second reason I'm talking about!"
Kaido abruptly cut him off, a fervent light bursting from his vertical pupils as he roared with laughter, "That brat kidnapped my own daughter!"
"I had high hopes for that girl, Yamato, since she was little, but he confused her with a few nonsensical words about 'freedom' and she actually defected from Onigashima with him!"
Kaido slapped his thigh and laughed heartily, shaking the liquor out of his gourd.
"He kidnapped my daughter! If he doesn't ally with me to compensate, it's simply unforgivable by heaven's law!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, completely immersed in his self-constructed fantasy, causing his Conqueror's Haki to become erratic.
King's mouth twitched even harder, and his silver-gray hair trembled slightly.
He had to admit, setting aside the absurd logical premise, Kaido's two points actually held a strange kind of twisted logic.
—The premise being that Straw Hat Luffy was a normal person who played by the rules!
But that guy always charged forward on pure passion, acting entirely on impulse. How could he be constrained by such "cause and effect" or "pros and cons"?
King silently picked up his wine bowl and drained the spicy liquor in one gulp, using it to suppress the urge to complain.
His boss's thought process truly wasn't something ordinary people could comprehend... Just then,
Buru buru!
"Buru buru—Buru buru—"
The crisp ringing of a den den mushi suddenly sounded.
Kaido, who was squeezing the liquor gourd toward his mouth, paused at the sound, raised an eyebrow in slight surprise, and pulled a glossy den den mushi from his voluminous pocket.
The snail had several loops of lace ribbon wrapped around its head, mimicking Big Mom's signature voluminous curly hair, and its round eyes already showed a hint of underlying arrogance.
"Oh, it's that old hag Linlin." Kaido realized, grasping the den den mushi tightly in his rough hand, rubbing its shell with his knuckles, and decisively pressed the answer button.
"Mama māmā—Kaido, it's been quite a few years since we properly talked, hasn't it?"
As soon as the den den mushi connected, Big Mom's highly recognizable laughter, laced with saccharine sweetness and coercion, pierced their eardrums and echoed throughout the hall. Even the air seemed tinged with an aura mixing candy and brutality.
Kaido frowned slightly, his thick eyebrows twisted into a knot, his expression volatile.
He knew this woman too well. She never visited the temple without a reason; unless she needed something from him or had a crucial matter, she would never contact him proactively.
However, recalling the favor regarding that Devil Fruit from years ago, Kaido temporarily suppressed his impatience and growled:
"Linlin, why are you suddenly looking for me? Spit it out!"
"Mama māmā, don't be so quick to lose your temper."
Big Mom's voice carried a subtle hint of mockery, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"I heard that Straw Hat, Luffy, has already launched an attack on your Onigashima?"
"Boom!"
This sentence was like a spark hitting the earth, instantly igniting Kaido's rage, which was already volatile due to his drunkenness.
The air around him suddenly solidified. Veins bulged and snaked across his neck and arms like dragons, his bell-like vertical pupils instantly became bloodshot, and black-red Conqueror's Haki lightning crackled around him.
"What do you mean?!"
Kaido's voice exploded like thunder, carrying world-destroying malice. "Linlin, how dare you plant a spy on my Onigashima?!"
"Mama māmā—"
Big Mom's undisguised sneer came from the other side, thick with ridicule:
"Kaido, you haven't gotten so drunk that your head isn't clear, have you? You talk as if you haven't sent spies to my Totto Land either."
Her tone suddenly sharpened, carrying the unique dominance of a Four Emperor:
"As Emperors of the Sea, isn't it perfectly normal to plant eyes on each other?"
"Do you think that just because you and Straw Hat are fighting tooth and nail on Onigashima, those battle reports haven't already reached the desks of that old geezer Sengoku and the five old men of the World Government?!"
Hearing this, the malice around Kaido abruptly stalled, and the black-red lightning gradually subsided.
He was indeed drunk and currently in a state ready to explode, but Big Mom's reminder caused him to belatedly calm down slightly.
He glared resentfully at the den den mushi in his hand, as if he could see the bloated, greedy, and fierce old hag on the other side through the small creature, and he gritted his teeth, saying:
"Hey, Linlin, stop beating around the bush! What's your objective? Just say it directly!"
The laughter on the other end of the den den mushi ceased abruptly, followed by Big Mom's voice, tinged with seriousness and urgency, finally revealing her true intention:
"I need to know the details of your fight with Straw Hat—has that brat entered 'That Realm'?!!"
"Oh?"
Hearing this, a mocking smile suddenly appeared on Kaido's ferocious face, his eyes full of amusement.
"Linlin, don't you have a spy? What, didn't your people tell you?"
"Kaido, you bastard!!"
Big Mom's furious roar instantly erupted from the den den mushi, so sharp it nearly pierced their eardrums.
The den den mushi's eyes were wide open, and tiny bolts of lightning crackled around its body, vividly displaying her current fury.