A memory flashed through Cain's mind in an instant.
After Buggy entered the Grand Line, he became obsessed with finding Captain John's treasure.
He dug a tunnel like mad, only to dig straight into a temporary Marine outpost and get caught red-handed.
Because he never exposed his Devil Fruit ability, he was only locked up on the first level of Impel Down and wasn't even put in Seastone cuffs.
And this guy would later become one of Luffy's key "combat assets" during the Impel Down breakout.
So…
"GET BACK HERE, YOU IDIOT!" Cain shouted furiously. "AT A TIME LIKE THIS, DON'T MAKE THINGS WORSE!!"
"AS IF! I'M NOT GOING TO ROT IN SOME MARINE PRISON!" Buggy ran for his life, his red nose practically flapping off as he screamed himself hoarse.
"THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I WANT—FOR YOU TO GET CAUGHT BY THE MARINES!!!"
Cain roared, grabbed his weapon, and smashed it hard toward Buggy's back.
But at that exact moment, Buggy's body split apart with a swish.
His head flew upward, while his arms and legs scattered like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
The long staff slammed into the sand beside his waist, kicking up a cloud of dust and perfectly missing him.
Cain froze for a second, muttering to himself inwardly.
'Was this guy really hiding his strength, or had that absurd, heaven-defying luck of his saved him again?'
His eyes shifted, and he slowed his steps, lowering his voice into a mysterious, tempting tone.
"Oh? So… you don't want revenge against Shanks?"
"W-WHAT?!"
That name hit Buggy like a bolt of lightning.
He scrambled to pull his body parts back together, forgetting all about running away.
He rushed straight up to Cain, grabbed his black coat in one fist, and shouted, his red nose trembling like a motor!
"YOU BASTARD! WHAT'S YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THAT ASSHOLE SHANKS? A-AND…"
He looked up and got a clear look at Cain's face in his human-dragon form, then glanced at the blue-green body.
His hand suddenly loosened.
Staggering back half a step, his eyes widened even more than his nose, his face full of horror.
"THAT LOOK OF YOURS! WHY DO YOU LOOK EXACTLY LIKE THAT MONSTER KAIDO?!"
"Ah, so you saw through it."
Cain lowered his head and glanced at his shiny blue-green-painted skin, then tugged at his sand-covered coat.
"Looks like the human-dragon form really isn't easy to disguise. I should've just gone full dragon from the start."
"None of that matters!" he continued, suddenly leaning closer to Buggy.
He shifted fully into human form, though he was still covered in greenish-blue paint, making the two of them standing together look especially ridiculous.
"What matters is—don't you want revenge against Shanks? I know you've resented him for a long time. And me… I'm the same as you."
"We can work together."
Buggy folded his arms and eyed him up and down suspiciously.
"Hmph. And why should I believe you?"
"Oh? Really?"
Cain raised a brow and deliberately curled his lips into a grin—one exactly like Shanks's, so punchably smug it was infuriating!
"Shanks is one of the Emperors of the Sea now, ruling the New World in glory. And you? You're just some small-time pirate whose bounty hasn't even hit a hundred million. What exactly do you think you're going to use to fight him?"
"Y-YOU DARE LOOK DOWN ON ME?!"
Buggy exploded on the spot and grabbed Cain's coat again.
"DAMN IT! WAIT… WHAT'S WITH THAT EXPRESSION? IT'S EXACTLY LIKE SHANKS, THAT INFURIATING BASTARD—EXACTLY AS PUNCHABLE AS HIM!"
Cain's trademark "long time no see" attitude instantly hit Buggy's sore spot, making him stomp in rage.
"But in a certain sense, you do have the capital to stand against Shanks."
Cain suddenly changed tone and lowered his voice, adding a trace of mystery.
"You know Devil Fruits can awaken, right? Once that happens, your Chop-Chop Fruit could directly affect everything around you…"
His words were like hooks, each one reeling Buggy in deeper and deeper.
The man was already drowning in fantasies of defeating Shanks, and the corners of his mouth were practically stretching to his ears.
"Potential beyond even the Tremor-Tremor Fruit. Defeating Shanks with your own hands…" Cain continued to dangle the bait.
"R-REALLY?!"
Buggy's eyes sparkled, and even his breathing grew quicker.
"Of course." Cain nodded eagerly. "I came to you because I saw your potential. Now, close your eyes and feel carefully. And for the moment, don't use your Devil Fruit ability."
By now, Buggy's head was completely filled with dreams of defeating Shanks.
He trusted Cain's words without question and immediately shut his eyes obediently, face full of anticipation.
At that very moment, Cain used his recently recovered Observation Haki and clearly sensed that the Marines behind him had already woken up.
Without another word, he grabbed the completely unsuspecting Buggy and hurled him toward the Marines like a sack of potatoes.
Thud—
Buggy landed face-first in the sand, his nose nearly flattened.
He snapped his eyes open and roared, "YOU BASTARD! WHAT KIND OF AWAKENING METHOD IS TH—"
Before he could finish, he saw a ring of Marines raising their guns around him, every black barrel aimed straight at his face.
Buggy instantly shut up.
He clamped both hands over his mouth and didn't dare even breathe too loudly.
He absolutely did not want to expose that he was a Devil Fruit user—if they put Seastone cuffs on him, then he really would never escape!
And at that moment, something suddenly clicked in Buggy's mind.
He turned to look in the direction where Cain had just been standing and finally realized why the man had seemed so familiar.
'So it was that 'pink Cain' from Straw Hat's pirate crew!'
He was just about to start cursing when the sky suddenly changed.
Dark clouds gathered in dense masses as if being pulled together by force.
Thunder exploded so violently the ground trembled, and then a huge blue-green figure emerged from the clouds above.
It was Cain, transformed into a full 'azure' dragon.
His dragon eyes glared viciously at the Marines below.
Buggy's mouth trembled as he stared at the sight in disbelief.
In that instant, he understood.
Cain wasn't imitating Kaido at all—he really did possess a power like Kaido's!
No wonder he had dared to talk so boldly about defeating Shanks. This was practically a second Beast Kaido!
The Marines immediately descended into chaos.
Panicking, they scrambled to find the Den Den Mushi from the wrecked warship and shouted at the top of their lungs:
"HURRY! REPORT TO HEADQUARTERS IMMEDIATELY! ONE OF THE FOUR EMPERORS, KAIDO, HAS APPEARED IN THE FIRST HALF OF THE GRAND LINE!"
That was exactly the result Cain wanted.
If word spread that Emperor Kaido had appeared, it would inevitably draw the full attention of the Marines and even the World Government.
And with the Marines already stretched thin in terms of top combat power, there was a high chance they would send Sakazuki—Akainu—to investigate Kaido's movements.
If that happened, it would successfully delay Ace from being found.
What Cain never expected, however, was that events would develop completely beyond his predictions.
...
The moment Sengoku received the report, the first thing he did was ask about the color of the dragon's body.
When he heard it was blue-green, his brows furrowed even deeper.
Why would Kaido appear in the first half of the Grand Line at a time like this?
Despite all the suspicions, Sengoku did not mobilize a single Admiral.
Instead, he went straight to the prison and personally pushed open the heavy iron door.
"Garp, your strength is needed now."
He stared at the figure inside, fast asleep in his cell, and woke him.
"The Admirals each have their own tasks. Right now, only you can drive Kaido away."
There was simply no one else available.
Sending those Vice Admirals would be tantamount to sending them to their deaths.
Sakazuki had an important mission, Kizaru was still busy with the Science Unit, Aokiji was missing, Zephyr was absent, and Sengoku himself could hardly go in person.
The only person left was Garp.
What Cain had failed to anticipate was that Sengoku would release the imprisoned Garp again!
Sengoku continued,
"Doflamingo is still badly injured, so Tsuru will accompany you."
"You are not to look for Cain, and you are absolutely not to try to save Ace! You have only one mission. This is your atonement—and atonement for your justice as well. Garp, use your Iron Fist against Kaido!"
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