On the night of the Fire Festival, the great celebration roared to life.
Crowds of Beast Pirates, their heads adorned with twin horns, shouted and cheered without restraint. Ten massive, numbered Brutes sat together, their faces flushed red from heavy drinking, tongues lolling as they guzzled down more sake. All around them, Shinuchi (Headliners) and Gifters fought fiercely over the chance to earn the next batch of artificial Devil Fruits — both the ordinary versions and the rarer perfected models.
These elite pirates weren't fools. They all knew the perfected versions came with far fewer drawbacks. Without them, there was a seventy to eighty percent chance of turning into nothing more than a laughing Smiler — a husk of a fighter who could do nothing but cackle endlessly. But Kaido of the Beasts didn't care about such odds. As far as he was concerned, power was all that mattered. Gain strength, and your position rose. In the Beast Pirates, might made right.
Among the Shinuchi, six stood at the top — the Flying Six. They alone had the right to challenge the All-Stars for their seats. To climb higher, one had to crush those above.
Jack the Drought, only twenty-six, had already toppled veterans like Fuz Fuz and Sasaki to claim the title of All-Star. Ulti and Page One had clawed their way up as well, stealing the Ancient Zoan fruits of the Pachycephalosaurus and Spinosaurus from Kaido's stores, earning their place among the Flying Six at a young age.
It had to be said: the Devil Fruits Kaido gathered were absurdly easy to steal. Even Yamato's Mythical Zoan, the Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Ōkuchi-no-Magami, was eaten by accident as a child — simply because she was hungry. Kaido had never intended to let his rebellious daughter consume such a precious fruit. But fate had other plans.
Now Kaido, that reckless brute, was roaring with laughter, drinking heavily while discussing with Araryū — the False Dragon — about the delivery schedule of the next shipment of artificial Devil Fruits. His ambition was clear: a five-hundred-strong army of ability users. He intended to realize it within two years, which meant at least twenty new fruit-eaters every month. Ideally, the Araryū group would deliver a hundred of the ordinary models monthly.
"Kaido," Araryū pressed, seizing the moment while Kaido was tipsy, "if you and your All-Stars, along with the Flying Six, provide me with your blood, I'll give you a discount. Who knows? I might even be able to craft more Ancient Zoan fruits for you."
His eyes gleamed with greed. The lineage factors of Kaido and his elites were treasures in themselves. Years ago, when the World Government captured Kaido, they had been so focused on recreating the Azure Dragon fruit that they failed to preserve enough of his flesh and blood. What little they had was consumed in Araryū's experiments. If Vegapunk had perfected the Seraphim back then, the Government would already have had a Seraphim Kaido in their ranks.
Now that both cloning and Seraphim technologies were nearing completion, Araryū was eager to acquire more of Kaido's lineage factor. With it, he could create a monstrous Seraphim or even mass-produce Oni warriors like the Pacifistas.
"Hmph. Don't even think about it!" snapped Queen the Plague, the scientist among the All-Stars. He had no intention of letting Araryū tamper with his lineage, much less see his Brachiosaurus powers replicated.
"We can capture other ability users for you," Queen continued, his tone sharp. "But the members of the Beast Pirates are off-limits!"
Kaido and King the Wildfire both scowled, memories of their torturous time in laboratories still fresh in their minds. They rejected the idea at once. The thought of another counterfeit Azure Dragon — another pretender like Araryū — was intolerable. Kaido would not allow his fearsome dragon form to be cheapened.
Araryū shrugged carelessly. "A shame. But no matter. Some things can always be taken by force." His tone turned casual, though his thoughts were clear — he would claim what he desired, one way or another.
"Still, if you have captured ability users, you could sell them to us," Araryū added smoothly. "Surely your prisons must hold suitable candidates. Every year, reckless fools challenge the Four Emperors. The ones who survive either submit to you or end up in the mines of Udon."
He wasn't wrong. Among those imprisoned in the seastone mines were formidable figures like Kawamatsu, one of the Akazaya Nine, and Hyogoro the Flower, the former yakuza boss of the Flower Capital. Such prisoners could be turned into blank-slate Pacifista-like weapons with their memories erased.
"That's fine. Queen, you handle it." Kaido waved dismissively. To him, those who refused to submit were just waste to be recycled.
As they spoke, both Kaido and Araryū noticed the growing tension between Enel and Jack. The thought occurred to both leaders at once: perhaps it was time to test their underlings against one another. Even Law and Capone Bege seemed eager to challenge the Flying Six, eager to measure themselves against the elite of the New World.
But before any challenge could be declared, a towering figure burst into the celebration. A masked warrior with a demon's visage, carrying a massive spiked club, stormed through the revelry, scattering Beast Pirates like leaves.
"Move aside! Out of my way!"
Clad in wooden clogs, chains of black seastone shackling her wrists, Yamato crashed forward with unstoppable force, sending lackeys flying as she charged directly toward Kaido and Araryū.
"Yamato-sama! The Governor does not permit you to attend the festival!" several terrified subordinates shouted after her. Sweat streamed down their faces — if Yamato ruined the festivities, Kaido's wrath would consume them all.
"I just want to see how strong a man must be to drink with Kaido!" Yamato roared, never breaking stride, knocking aside anyone foolish enough to block her path.
"Well, well, if it isn't our dear Yamato-sama," Ulti drawled, stepping forward with a crooked grin. "Why don't you run along back to your books instead of spoiling our fun?"
"Step aside! That man chatting with Kaido can't be anything good!" Yamato snapped. She could not stand by and let the Beast Pirates grow stronger — it would only make liberating Wano that much harder. If disrupting Kaido's alliance with Araryū was possible, she would do it.
"You dare call Father by name so rudely?!" Ulti snarled, rage flashing in her eyes. Her body twisted, transforming into her Pachycephalosaurus hybrid form. "Ulti-Mortar!" she cried, lunging at Yamato with brutal force.
Ulti and Page One had long seen Kaido as their adoptive father. Though they had stolen his prized fruits, Kaido had spared them, raising them as his own. For that reason, Ulti loathed Yamato's constant rebellion — her insistence on calling herself "Kozuki Oden," the sworn enemy of Kaido. To Ulti, it was unforgivable.
"You're not my match!" Yamato bellowed. Raising her spiked club, she charged. "Thunder Bagua!"
The strike landed with a thunderous crash. Ulti was blasted backward, soaring helplessly through the air. She smashed through the crowd, her body flung directly toward Araryū.
Even bound by seastone chains that suppressed both her Mythical Zoan powers and part of her strength, Yamato had crushed Ulti with ease.
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