"Bring me the combatant from yesterday!" King commanded, his voice directed coolly towards the door outside his quarters.
Clang! Soon, two Beast Pirates entered, carrying the same unfortunate soul from the day before, still wrapped like a mummy. King waved a dismissive hand, and the two subordinates exited, leaving him alone with the injured man. The jostling woke the recovering pirate.
"K-King-sama... what is it?" the combatant asked, gritting his teeth against the pain.
"This thing," King stated, holding up one of the green beans he'd acquired. He got straight to the point. "Is this the miraculous medicine you mentioned? The one that instantly restores the gravely injured?"
The bandaged pirate squinted his visible eye, carefully observing the small object in King's grasp. "Yes, King-sama! That's it! The strange medicine! There's no mistake, I remember it clearly!" he declared with conviction.
Even so, King, naturally cautious and suspicious, wasn't about to pop this unknown substance into his own mouth just yet.
"Then you try it," King stated flatly. Without bothering with any further pleasantries, he directly stuffed the Senzu Bean into the combatant's mouth. Gulp! The pirate's eyes widened in surprise, perhaps even fear.
But before panic could truly set in, a sudden, vibrant green glow erupted from the pirate's body, interrupting them both! FWOOSH!
King watched, his visible eye widening in astonishment at the bizarre transformation occurring before him!
The combatant let out a groan, not of pain, but of sheer, unadulterated relief. His previously limp arms suddenly surged with strength, tearing away the tightly wound bandages! RIP! SHRED! Where moments ago there were deep scars and burns inflicted in battle, his skin was now smooth and whole, as if never injured! The man's entire being practically ignited with newfound vitality!
King's eye widened further, shocked almost comically large! What IS this stuff?! Am I seeing things?! A gravely wounded man... completely restored to perfect health in the span of a few breaths?! Calling it a medical miracle wouldn't even begin to cover it!
The Whitebeard Pirates... what in the world have they gotten their hands on? And they can supply EVERY man with a pouch?! How is this possible?!
King rubbed his temples. "You're dismissed," he commanded the now perfectly healthy, albeit bewildered, combatant. "Keep what just happened absolutely confidential."
Watching the pirate practically bounce out of the room, brimming with energy, King's gaze remained filled with utter disbelief.
"I must report this to Kaido-sama immediately," he resolved. "If every grunt has a pouch like this... then the commanders, maybe even Whitebeard Newgate himself, surely have access to them too! If that's the case..." The implications were staggering. "...we won't even have time to cry when things get serious!"
There was no time to waste. Carefully securing the precious pouch of Senzu Beans, King unfurled his massive black wings and launched himself into the sky, soaring towards Wano Country, towards the imposing fortress of Onigashima! WHOOSH!
One day later, Onigashima, Wano Country.
Within the colossal castle, upon a massive, imposing throne, sat a figure of immense power and intimidation. Horns curled from his head, and he held a gigantic, uniquely shaped gourd, continuously pouring strong liquor down his throat. Worororo! This was none other than the Governor-General of the Beast Pirates, the man hailed as the "World's Strongest Creature" – the Yonko, Kaido!
Below him sat Queen the Plague and Jack the Drought, laughing and drinking alongside their captain. Mumumumumu!
Suddenly, the great doors to the hall were thrown open with tremendous force. BAM!
Kaido frowned, turning his gaze towards the entrance. Seeing it was King, his most trusted and capable subordinate, he held his tongue.
Queen, however, who constantly seemed to be at odds with King, let out a cold, derisive snort. "Hmph."
King shot Queen a fleeting, dismissive glance before striding purposefully towards Kaido's throne.
"King, what is it?" Kaido rumbled, tilting his head back for another large gulp of sake. Glug glug glug. "Rushing in like this... quite unlike you."
"Kaido-sama," King began, his voice urgent, "forgive the intrusion, but I have urgent matters to report."
"Oh?" Kaido asked, his curiosity piqued. "What is it?"
"King, perfect timing!" Queen interjected loudly, a malicious grin spreading across his face. "I was just hearing reports from below! Seems our boys' loss rate against Whitebeard's crew has shot up significantly in recent territorial disputes! What kind of job are you doing overseeing the battles, huh?"
King ignored Queen's barb completely, addressing Kaido directly. "Kaido-sama, this is precisely what I came to report!" He placed the cloth pouch he'd acquired on the table before them. "This is the reason for the Whitebeard Pirates' recent surge in victories!"
Kaido, Queen, and Jack leaned in curiously, peering at the small, pea-like objects nestled within the pouch.
"King, have you completely lost your mind?" Queen scoffed, chomping down on a large chicken leg. CHOMP! "A bag of peas is why our men are losing? Mumumumumu! What'd the Whitebeard bastards do, pelt our guys with 'em 'til they gave up?" He roared with mocking laughter.
Even Kaido wore a perplexed expression, staring at the innocuous-looking beans.
King knew words wouldn't be enough. Without preamble, he drew his long sword. SHIIING!
"Whoa, King!" Queen yelped, recoiling slightly. "We're just talking here! No need to get violent!" He clearly thought King, angered by the mockery, was about to attack him.
"Idiot!" King snapped. Then, under the stunned gazes of Kaido, Queen, and Jack, he raised his sword and brought it down hard against his own arm. SLASH!
The razor-sharp blade sliced through skin and muscle, and blood instantly spurted forth. SQUIRT!
Kaido, Jack, and Queen stared, utterly shocked. What's King doing?! Self-mutilation?!
Ignoring their stunned silence, King calmly sheathed his sword. CLANG! He then reached into the pouch, picked out a single Senzu Bean, and tossed it into his mouth. Gulp! The others watched this bizarre sequence of actions, brows furrowed in confusion.
"King..." Kaido finally asked, "what is the meaning of this?"
Suddenly, the same vibrant green light King had witnessed earlier pulsed from within his body. FWOOSH! Before their very eyes, the deep, bleeding gash on his arm began to seal at an incredible, visible rate. In less than three seconds, the wound, which had been deep enough to expose bone, was completely gone. Aside from the drying blood staining his arm, there was no sign that King had ever injured himself.
Kaido, Jack, and Queen were speechless, their eyes wide with disbelief. Even with their formidable regenerative abilities, honed by Zoan Devil Fruits and sheer monstrous endurance, a wound of that severity would normally take at least half an hour to close, and it would definitely leave a scar!
But this miraculous pea… it had reduced the healing time to mere seconds! It was utterly, impossibly unbelievable!
"Kaido-sama," King said, his voice steady, clearly satisfied with the dramatic demonstration. "Now do you understand what I mean?"
Kaido slowly recovered from his shock, his gaze sharp and grim as he nodded slowly. He understood perfectly.