Ryuma walked forward, glancing back at the three behind him. He murmured, "Given what you know about Kaido, do you think we stand a good chance of winning?"
They exchanged uneasy looks, saying nothing.
Ryuma laughed heartily. "Don't worry, there won't be any problems. I'm just talking for now—wanted to hear your thoughts."
"To be frank… I think even you, it'd be tough to defeat him like this. Honestly, it's almost impossible," Jack said.
Jack took a deep breath, locking eyes with Ryuma as he spoke.
Ryuma smiled. "It's okay, no offense taken. Tell me what you think. I'm genuinely interested—how do you figure the four of us combined can't match Kaido alone?"
Hearing this, Jack forced down a gulp and said, "That Kaido… he's called the strongest creature. It's not that simple. He's tried to kill himself several times before, but every attempt failed. If he can't even kill himself, how could anyone else do it?"
Ryuma used his mind-reading ability to probe Jack's thoughts, finding the man's words truthful. He nodded lightly and said coldly, "Hmm, I admit that part."
"Exactly. It really isn't that easy," Jack sighed.
The other two remained silent, but Ryuma read their thoughts as well. He realized they believed Kaido's chances of winning were higher than theirs, though their own chances weren't zero. However, if they lost, they would all perish together with Kaido.
No matter what, as long as they thought this way, Ryuma felt reassured. At the very least, there wouldn't be any "fires in the backyard."
Ryuma stared straight ahead with a cold gaze. "Up ahead is Kaido's territory. You three go in first. If anything happens, watch each other's backs. Stay sharp."
With that, the three stepped forward into the territory.
Their roles were clear.
First, Jack and Quinn would enter together with King. They'd assess the situation once inside.
They all guessed Kaido was a man of his word. If he said he'd go all out, he would—no holding back.
Their mission was to seriously injure Kaido before he could strike.
Ryuma was their trump card, saved for last.
If it came down to one-on-one fighting, Ryuma's current strength was weaker than any of the three. But with his tactical skills and fruit abilities, he could still maneuver skillfully in battle.
Even if he couldn't beat them outright, he could retreat unscathed. That was Ryuma's advantage—making him appear extremely powerful.
...
At the same time, in a different place—
At the residence of the Protector General.
Also known as the Protector King's Palace.
A burly man was holding a wine jug, continuously pouring drink into his mouth. His face was flushed red, and his two whiskers looked nearly stiff from the alcohol!
Nearby, a trembling maid dared not come close to Kaido.
It was clear this girl was from Wano Country but had been bullied by Kaido.
After hesitating for a long moment, she finally stepped slowly toward Kaido.
If Kaido were sober, it wouldn't be a problem. But drunk, he was wildly unpredictable—killing without mercy. Nobody knew what he might do next. Better to be cautious.
The girl approached, lowering her head humbly. She said softly, "My Lord King... The Three Disasters outside request an audience."
At those words, Kaido suddenly lifted his head!
The girl twitched violently and convulsed, too terrified to speak further.
"Hmph, I won't see them. Damn it, those three worthless fools. Why do I even bother raising them?" Kaido gritted his teeth fiercely.
At that moment, Kaido suddenly remembered something.
The Three Disasters… couldn't even handle such a small task. If he kept them around, wouldn't it be hard to maintain his authority?
Thinking this, the veins on Kaido's forehead bulged as he spoke each word deliberately, "Fine then. Since that's the case, have those three come in."
The girl immediately nodded quickly, like a chick pecking grain, and hurried off.
It was clear she, the songstress, didn't really want to serve by Kaido's side. She was just stuck because of her troublesome family—there was no way out.
A few minutes later, she returned leading three massive figures.
There was no doubt who they were: Jack, Quinn, and King.
Though none of them were as large as Kaido, their size was still far beyond ordinary men.
Kaido took a deep breath, his expression stern as he slowly spoke, "You three… you really messed things up for me, didn't you?"
Jack's face went pale. After a long moment, he said, "Lord Kaido, for all this time, I've risked my life and shed blood for the growth of our Beasts Pirates. The brothers have seen it all. How can you exile the three of us just over one little swordsman?"
Quinn glanced at Jack, not foolish—he knew Jack was still hoping for a comeback. Rolling his eyes, he hurriedly nodded and chimed in, "Yeah, yeah, we did fine. This isn't about our fighting ability—it's because he's just too cunning…"
Kaido's mouth twitched, saying little. Instead, he grabbed the poor-looking maid and shoved her straight into his mouth!
He bit down hard. A sharp cracking of bones echoed inside, and the poor woman's life was extinguished in an instant.
Jack and the others were already used to this.
Kaido was known for his brutality. Besides attempting suicide, he enjoyed torturing and killing his subordinates!
Of course, these were only surface symptoms.
When Kaido was idle, he would often go mad—something no ordinary person could handle.
King drew a sharp breath, thinking to himself that Kaido was clearly ready to discard the three like flags. If that was the case, it was better to get straight to the point.
"Captain… I have to ask—are you really willing to sever ties with us over something so small?"
"Of course," Kaido said coldly. "Not just sever ties—I'll tear you all limb from limb!"
A cruel smile curved at the corner of his mouth.
Kaido was a man who loved to torment others.
That was his only real hobby.