The Land of Wano, Onigashima.
"Worororororo!!"
At the very center of the island's castle town, inside the towering keep, Ian's mentor—Kaido—burst into roaring laughter. "So that brat has finally prepared himself to challenge me?"
"Is this really something to be happy about, Boss Kaido?"
Summoned to discuss the matter, Queen nearly ground his teeth to dust. "That damned brat! I knew he'd never stay obedient. Sooner or later, he was bound to rise up and cause trouble!"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
Kaido only laughed harder as he drank from his gourd. "I've been waiting for that kid to make his move!"
"To defeat a powerful enemy that you yourself raised—what could be more exhilarating than that?"
"But, Boss Kaido…"
Queen spoke cautiously, his voice dropping a little. "That damned brat's power has already become ridiculous."
There was no need to speak of Ian himself—just from that battle on Onigashima nearly two years ago, it was clear enough. He was already a monster on the same level as Kaido.
And that was almost two years ago.
Given how fast that kid grows stronger, no one could even begin to imagine how powerful he had become now.
Then there were the ones under his command—Yamato, and that troublesome girl, Hancock. Both of them were freaks of talent as well.
With another two years gone by, their strength must have reached an entirely new level.
Queen couldn't help but lick his lips.
To be honest, he could barely see any chance of victory.
"So, are you saying I would lose to that brat?"
Kaido, still chugging his sake, lowered his head and glared menacingly at Queen.
Queen's whole body trembled. He shook his head so fast that the fat on his cheeks jiggled uncontrollably. "O-of course not! Boss Kaido, you are the strongest, without question!"
"As long as you defeat Ian, the rest are nothing but weaklings and trash!"
That's right!
As long as Boss Kaido could win, there was no reason for them to lose this war.
But still…
A different thought suddenly crept into Queen's mind.
Could Boss Kaido really defeat Ian now?
Although he didn't want to admit it, Queen had to acknowledge that the brat was indeed a monster unlike anything he had ever seen before.
And he was only seventeen this year!
"Anyway, King!"
Kaido turned to look at his trusted right-hand man.
"Yes, Kaido-sama," King nodded solemnly. "What do you plan to do?"
"Summon back all our forces from outside!"
Kaido roared with laughter. "Wororororo! This time, it's going to be a true all-out war!"
"Understood!"
King gave a heavy nod.
He didn't care whether they would win or lose. Since this was Kaido-sama's order, he would carry it out with everything he had.
If Ian wanted a battle, then they would give him one!
All-out war, huh?
Queen thought to himself. No matter which side emerged victorious from the coming clash, the world's most powerful pirate crew would be born.
The Beasts Pirates would rise into a force as terrifying as the Rocks Pirates of old.
Heh heh!
Let the entire world tremble!
Let even the gods fear us, let the very heavens shudder before us!
Hive Island.
War preparations were already being carried out in haste.
Though it was called an all-out war, Ian had no intention of taking away every single force from Hive Island's waters.
But he also wouldn't leave many behind.
He planned to summon some of the beast giants stationed on the other surrounding islands, and leave a few of his subordinate allied pirate crews to guard the territory—that would be more than enough.
Every other force would march with him to Wano.
Even Tesoro, who now acted more like a civil official, would bring along his original subordinates, as well as the former Donquixote Family officers, to join the fight.
Ian felt that to defeat Kaido and his forces, such grand preparations weren't even necessary.
Just himself, Yamato, and Hancock would already be enough.
No, in fact, he might not even need them. He alone could be sufficient.
If he could defeat Kaido, then no one else in Wano's ranks would be a match for him.
Still, since this was Kaido's final battle before stepping down, the grandeur and spectacle had to be worthy of the occasion.
Give him a grand and earth-shaking battle.
The entire Hive Island was restless.
Although Ian had not yet told the low-ranking pirates what they were about to do, this was the first time such a massive military gathering had taken place on Hive Island.
Everyone understood that a great war was coming.
The pirates could not help but grow excited.
At last, they could fight for the great Lord Ian!
Compared to the common pirates, Ian's officers had of course known about their war preparations in advance.
Among them, Yamato was the most thrilled.
"So it's finally time to fight my father head-on? Damn, I've waited for this moment for years!"
"The time is ripe," Ian said with a smile. "Nothing can stop us now!"
With the Dyna Stones in hand, there was no longer any need to fear the World Government's threats.
And with the power they commanded today, they could completely crush Kaido's forces.
What reason was there left to hesitate?
"From here on, Ian," Hancock's eyes blazed as she gazed at him, "we will be the strongest pirate crew in the world. And you will be the man closest to the title of Pirate King!"
"That's right!"
Jack was equally fired up. "We're about to stand at the very top of the seas!"
"Then let's begin." Ian laughed. "My friends, prepare for war!"
"Ohhh!!"
War preparations proceeded smoothly, and before long a massive fleet had taken shape in Hive Island's harbor.
Over thirty warships, carrying more than twenty thousand men.
Such a bold and open display quickly attracted attention.
Stussy was the first to approach Ian.
After learning that Ian intended to go to war with Kaido, she asked seriously, "Should this matter be reported to the World Government?"
With such a large-scale force assembled at Hive Island, even if Stussy did not report it herself, the Five Elders would soon learn of it.
Ian replied, "You can report that we're setting out, but don't be in a hurry to tell them our destination is Wano."
After all, the World Government would never want to see the Beasts Pirates completely unified.
Ian didn't want anyone to interfere with Kaido-sensei's grand final battle.
So, he decided to just play along for now.
"Understood."
Stussy nodded slightly.
It wasn't an unreasonable request.
After all, it would be strange if she could directly know Ian's target for the campaign, right?
**********
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