"Kaido!!!"
The twin swords crossed into an X, a terrifying red flame-like aura bursting from Oden's body as he flashed forward with a blinding strike—
Splurt—
A massive wound tore open. The enormous dragon's body stiffened from the blow, blood gushing from its gaping maw.
Its eyes rolled back as it collapsed to the ground after the devastating attack.
Kaido was forcibly knocked out of his dragon form.
"Long time no see. You've improved, Kaido."
From afar, Orin held his sniper rifle, calmly observing this evenly matched, epic battle.
Just judging by Kaido's size, he was well on his way to becoming a musclebound monster, no longer that tall and lean figure of the past.
If you only looked at their combat strength, it was honestly hard to say who would die in the end.
"Oden."
Orin exhaled with satisfaction. He knew full well where things were headed next—Oden, the brave yet foolish man, was destined to die.
Orin turned and walked away, flicking his sleeve, leaving only a few bullets embedded in Queen's butt.
What else was he supposed to do?
Stay behind and brawl with Kaido and his underlings?
After all, they had shared a ship once—Orin didn't want to make it awkward. What if it came down to whether he should save them or not?
...
Just as the plot was supposed to develop, a small trick was enough to completely expose Oden's weaknesses due to his simple mind.
Kaido successfully landed the killing blow.
As for Oden's retainers, only a few scattered ones remained. King easily took them all down in one sweep.
Victory: Beast Pirates.
Kaido was badly wounded. Even with his strong physique and the powers of a Mythical Zoan, it wouldn't be easy to recover. Blood still streamed down his face.
But he didn't seem all that happy. He simply stared in silence at the severely injured Oden lying on the ground.
A hollow victory...
Clack, clack, clack...
Even in victory, Kaido's grip on his kanabo tightened until it creaked.
"Fufufufu... He really fell for it, that dumb prince..."
Boom—
The shapeshifting Kurozumi Higurashi cackled smugly, completely oblivious to Kaido's silence as he swung his club straight at her head—
A headless corpse collapsed to the ground.
With flames blazing behind him, the towering King strode forward. He stepped over the corpse, his expression unchanged.
He coldly turned to look at Queen, who was still fiddling with his cybernetic limbs, nervously poking at his bruised rear.
"Oi!!! Queen! What the hell were you doing just now?"
The long blade in King's hand burned with fire. His body was tightly wrapped in dark armor, his eyes ice-cold.
Kaido, already in a foul mood, also turned to look.
Facing their hostile gazes and enduring the sharp pain in his butt, Queen—who felt he had bled and sacrificed for the Beast Pirates—finally snapped.
He felt wronged!!!
So he spilled everything, even showing them his shredded and bullet-riddled trousers.
King and Kaido, upon hearing his explanation, stopped caring whether Queen's ass was intact or not.
Their minds went blank.
No way???
That Orin actually came to Wano?!?
Kaido, already heavily wounded, stared wide-eyed in shock, his pupils trembling.
He knew very well—Orin and Kozuki Oden had once been shipmates on Roger's crew.
If he, injured as he was now, had to face Orin at full power in a life-or-death battle, there would be zero chance of victory—even though Kaido believed he'd grown much stronger over the years.
But on this sea...
No one dared claim they could match Orin in talent.
Even if he brought all of the Beast Pirates' elite, they probably wouldn't last one hit.
Damn it!!!
Why now, of all times?!?
Blood vessels bulged in Kaido's eyes.
"Kaido-sama, maybe things aren't as bad as they seem."
King's eyes were also filled with shock, but he was the most reliable of the Beast Pirates' officers, their steward and strategist. After a brief moment of panic, he noticed something odd.
Even if it was Orin—
If Orin really stood on Oden's side, then he would've helped Oden just now and crushed the Beast Pirates right there.
But he didn't. All he did was shoot up Queen's butt...
Meaning—
He hadn't come to help Oden.
Considering the intelligence reports that described the Black Emperor Orin as someone who traveled the world on a whim—
"Kaido-sama, Orin probably didn't come here for Oden. Otherwise, just now would've been the perfect time to make his move."
King then laid out his theory.
It made sense. That was exactly the kind of person Orin was.
"...Get ready. We've got a big problem on our hands."
Kaido looked at Oden, lying on the ground and unable to move.
In the end, he could only suppress his dread and try to calm down.
...
All the way into the Wano interior, it was clear this land had once been beautiful.
But industrial pollution had left only a few regions in decent condition.
"This... should be Kaido's base."
Orin, visiting Wano for the first time, found himself unfamiliar with the terrain. Within dozens of kilometers of the battlefield, this was the only area where people still gathered.
One small figure quickly caught Orin's eye.
...
A wild, rare-haired loli—spotted!
As the daughter of Kaido and a young member of the Beast Pirates, Yamato had been quite normal—at least before she began idolizing Oden.
She was kind of like a girl version of Monkey D. Luffy.
A pretty cute little girl, really.
"Hey!!! Who the hell are you?!"
Clutching a small, round-headed kanabo, Yamato stared warily at Orin—clearly surprised to see a stranger in this place.
"Me? I'm a friend of Kaido's."
Orin crouched down, smiling at the adorable girl.
She wore a tiny kimono, her short ponytail tied neatly. Her hair shimmered with a pretty gradient, and the little red horns on her head looked more like decorations.
To be honest, grown-up Yamato was attractive, but she wasn't quite Orin's type. Compared to Nami, Robin, or Hancock, she fell a bit short.
But as a child, Yamato's cuteness far surpassed theirs.
Who was the genius who designed this little cutie?
That big brute Kaido?
"Eh???"
Innocent little Yamato didn't question it. After all, anyone who could walk freely in the Beast Pirates' stronghold had to be someone trusted.
"You're Father's friend?"
Orin's lips curled into a smile. He'd just thought of another great idea. He gave her a gentle smile and reached out a hand.
"Want to come play with me?"
"B-But Father said I can't leave this place... He said there are samurai watching outside..."
"No problem. Just for a little while—it'll be fine."
Orin smiled sincerely, coaxing the young Yamato with sweet words.
He looked exactly like a shady uncle about to kidnap a child.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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