Hachinosu was not far from Saint Sebastian. By speedboat, a direct trip would only take about four hours.
At that moment, warships flying the flags of the Marines and the World Government were anchored at ports all around the island. Squads of Marine soldiers in white uniforms patrolled the streets back and forth.
Kaido had already slipped onto the island before dawn.
Call him cautious, and he had still come running to Saint Sebastian all by himself. Call him reckless, and this guy had somehow remembered to disguise himself, dragging on a tattered black cloak he had stolen from who knew where.
But wearing it made no difference at all, because over his body was the Nine-Tails' chakra cloak.
At the highest point of the rear mountain stood a stone temple. On its roof stood a burly man holding a telescope, watching the movements in the town below.
"Report."
A man in a Marine uniform climbed up from below the roof and walked to Sengoku's side. He spoke respectfully, "Aside from Kaido, we have temporarily found no trace of any other members of the Rocks Pirates."
Sengoku slowly lowered the telescope, his brows tightening slightly. They were hidden deeply enough that even the Marines scouting every area had failed to find a single clue.
What was their plan? Were they sending Kaido ahead to gather information? Or were they using Kaido as bait?
As he thought, Sengoku suddenly remembered something and cursed, "That bastard Ochoku really chose a critical moment to play dead."
That was right. If Ochoku had provided information on the Rocks Pirates, would Sengoku still need to sit here waiting for them to walk into the trap?
Tap, tap, tap.
Another Marine soldier jumped onto the roof and lowered his voice. "Report. Kaido has already approached the temporary Marine base. Should we go on alert?"
Sengoku raised the telescope again and adjusted the focus. He saw that pale-red figure moving nimbly through the shadows of the base.
After watching for a while, he slowly gave the order. "Continue observing. Don't alert the snake. The star of this show still hasn't appeared."
"Yes, sir."
More than three hours later, inside the temporary Marine base, Kaido had already infiltrated the area. He hid in a concealed corner piled with debris, peering through the gaps between wooden crates to survey the situation outside.
He stayed there for a long time and came to one conclusion.
There were too many eyes outside. Open sentries and hidden guards overlapped, and the patrol routes left almost no blind spots.
Trying to find where the Devil Fruit was stored without alerting anyone was simply unrealistic.
The moment he moved, he would be discovered.
That left only one choice: force his way through.
If the Marine base only had small fry, that would be fine. But if any real experts were here, this operation could basically be declared a failure.
Yet if he did not force his way in and continued waiting for an opening, the operation would still fail once the World Government's mysterious organization arrived.
"Haa..."
Kaido exhaled heavily and decided to go all in.
He had already come this far. Returning empty-handed was an ending he absolutely refused to accept.
Once his mind was made up, Kaido stopped waiting. He quickly moved, grabbed a lone Marine soldier, clamped a hand over the man's mouth, and dragged him into a hidden corner.
"You get one chance," Kaido growled in a low, vicious voice. "Tell me where the Devil Fruit is."
The Marine soldier trembled all over, his eyes filled with terror. He nodded frantically, signaling that he was willing to talk.
It was not that he lacked loyalty to the Marines. But for a few thousand berries a month, he was not about to throw his life away.
Kaido slowly let go. Only then did the Marine soldier whisper shakily, "I-It's in the base warehouse... the place with the most guards."
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Kaido did not hesitate. He knocked the Marine soldier unconscious with one punch.
Then he flipped out of the corner and charged toward the warehouse without stopping.
This time, he no longer hid. He killed his way straight in.
A shrill alarm rang out, echoing across the entire Marine base.
Kaido quickly dealt with the Marine soldiers guarding the warehouse and entered. In the center of the room, on top of a table, sat an exquisite wooden box.
"Hahahaha! Perfect!" Kaido rushed to the table and yanked the lid open.
A black fruit covered in spiral patterns lay quietly inside.
"This... this is... a legendary Devil Fruit?"
Kaido's hand trembled slightly, his voice filled with excitement. Then, without the slightest hesitation, he grabbed the fruit and stuffed it into his mouth.
The skin broke between his teeth, and a strange taste spread through his mouth.
"Does it taste good?"
A quiet voice drifted from the warehouse entrance.
Kaido froze.
He turned around on instinct and spat out what was in his mouth.
"Pah! What the hell is this? It's crunchy, like plastic." Kaido wiped his mouth while cursing.
Sengoku stood at the warehouse entrance with his hands behind his back, calm and composed. When his gaze fell on the fake fruit lying on the ground with one bite taken out of it, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
"Of course," he said with a gentle nod. "Because it is made of plastic. Well? It looks realistic, doesn't it? The texture and pattern are identical to the real thing."
Kaido's face instantly darkened.
Honestly, he really should have thanked Sengoku for not being a truly disgusting person.
If it had been someone else, they might have wrapped a lump of filth in plastic and placed it inside the box. It would not have done much damage, but the humiliation would have been enough for Kaido to remember for the rest of his life.
"You bastard." Kaido cursed, his kanabo already swinging into his hands.
"Don't be impulsive, Kaido."
Sengoku took two steps forward and spoke slowly. "I don't think we need to start killing each other the moment we meet. You joined the Rocks Pirates because you wanted strength, didn't you? And you risked your life coming to a Marine base to steal a Devil Fruit."
"I believe that deep down, you desperately want a Devil Fruit of your own."
"What are you chirping about? Eat my club!"
Without another word, Kaido swung his kanabo at Sengoku.
Boom!
A thunderous crash exploded through the warehouse, and rolling smoke surged upward.
Sengoku's body flew backward out of the smoke. He flipped in midair and landed steadily in the open space outside.
Kaido followed close behind, kanabo in hand.
"Kaido, listen to me finish!" Sengoku covered both arms in Armament Haki and raised them to block the second club strike coming at him.
"Don't understand! Take this!" Kaido's third swing followed immediately.
Sengoku dodged while continuing, "Whatever you seek, I can give it to you. Strength. A Devil Fruit. Anything."
"Strength? A Devil Fruit?" Kaido's voice was full of unconcealed mockery as he swept his club horizontally. "Don't think that just because you can turn into a little golden man, you're Ron!"
Bang!
Kaido's kanabo slammed solidly into Sengoku.
Under the impact, Sengoku was sent flying sideways, crashing through a wall as smoke billowed once more.
This time, Kaido did not pursue. He stared toward the smoke, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. Then he turned and ran.
"Bye-bye, then."
Whoosh!
A figure shot up from the smoke, drew an arc through the air, and landed in front of Kaido.
Sengoku's expression had completely sunk. He slowly pulled off his justice coat, tossed it aside, and loosened his tie.
"Stubborn fool. In that case, I can only send you to a cage that will never see daylight again."
As his words fell, Sengoku's body began to shine with dazzling golden light. His frame expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.
A gigantic golden Buddha rose from where he stood, towering above Kaido and looking down at him from on high.