Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 349 Opportunity
"Ha~"

"His forehand is weak, his backhand is powerless, his footwork is loose, his reactions are slow, and not a single movement is decent!"

"You think you can carry out an assassination? Keep dreaming!"

"I'll show you just how weak and powerless you so-called samurai of Wano Country are before us beasts!"

While effortlessly dealing with the samurai's attacks, Tōrō spewed out trash talk, making Yasuke, whose already dark complexion, even darker.
Tao Long used to be a rather serious person, especially in battle; he was the type who was ruthless and didn't talk much.

But ever since he overheard Osei sharing his fighting 'philosophy' one day, he has gradually begun to change.

As is well known, Ossie likes to trash talk during battles, which she claims helps her maintain a good mindset while disrupting her opponent's emotions and causing them to reveal weaknesses.

Of course, the focus is still on the former.

Trusting in Ossie, and primarily in her combat prowess, Tauron tried her out a few more times... and then he discovered a new world!
Tao Long discovered in battle that if one gains the upper hand in a verbal contest, that advantage can be transformed into a force of 'momentum'.

This "momentum" made him more composed when facing enemies whose strength was not much greater than his own, which is to say, he overwhelmed his opponent in terms of momentum.

Like now...

Yasuke's swordsmanship was clearly quite good, and his family's Danku Kendo was also quite exquisite, but he lost his composure because of a few provocative words from Tōrō, making him look like a mouse being played with by a cat.

……

Swish-!
"Damn it! All you outsiders do is hide?!"

Another slash missed its mark, and Yasuke was now on the verge of hysteria.

The other samurai fell one after another under the siege of the pirates from the Beasts faction.

After all, as Jhin's direct subordinates, they weren't just skilled with guns.

They might not be as good as these samurai in close combat, but they're not far off. More importantly, they have the advantage in numbers... If they can't beat them one-on-one, what about two-on-one or three-on-one?
And so, these samurai fell one by one, filled with resentment, as the pirates launched their unsportsmanlike sneak attacks, outnumbered them, and used tactics that relied on long reach to defeat short reach.

……

As his companions dwindled in number, Yasuke's panic and fear grew rapidly... but his expression became increasingly ferocious.

"You, is this the only despicable trick you can use?! You're nothing but a bunch of cowards without dignity or honor!"

"If you have the guts, then have a one-on-one duel with me—"

boom!
Before the other person could finish speaking, Tao Long suddenly pulled out his pistol and slapped him.

The bullet flew a short distance and headed straight for Yasuke's head. He quickly swung his sword to block it...

But his mind was in turmoil, and this time he went astray in his strike. The bullet grazed his eyebrow after colliding with the blade, shattering half of his family's treasured black lacquered helmet.

"..."

Bright red blood flowed down his forehead, staining half of his vision red.

Misuke was no longer able to think; his mind was filled with fear of death and anger towards Tōrō.

"Abandon……"

With both hands gripping the hilt of the sword, Yasuke subconsciously assumed the basic stance of the Danko-ryu style, his lips beginning to tremble slightly...

"Abandon fame and wisdom!!!"

……

On Fenrir Island, the sun shines brightly today because the late-blooming tea plantations in La are still some time away from being harvested.

"You mean you want to select someone else from the pirate crew to replace Bulfert as the new 'Big Boss'?"

"Yes, I do have that idea."

After seeing the child, Kaido didn't go straight back, but instead went next door... because he saw that Ra was also in the backyard, so he wanted to talk to him.

Kaido is not actually as arrogant as he appears, at least not at this stage.

However, in the Beasts Pirates, where status is determined by strength, the crew members subconsciously equate ability with strength, so few people think they are qualified to express their ideas in front of Kaido.

Seeing Ra focused on his work, Kaido casually sat down opposite him and continued:
“Ossie was originally the most suitable candidate, but that kid wouldn’t agree no matter what.” “Hmm.”

Lara nodded, indicating that she was listening. However, her gaze did not turn to Kaido; instead, she remained focused on her hands.

The plain-colored ceramic teapot is scalded with boiling water, and then a pinch of dark, lustrous black tea is deftly added. The boiling water is poured high, causing the tea leaves to instantly unfurl and release their rich aroma.

Pull the lid off the teapot, and while waiting for a while, rinse an extra-large teacup and place it on the tea tray.

When the tea is poured, the tea soup is a bright amber red color, and it is poured steadily into the cup.

"Try it, this is black tea fermented from the last batch of new tea leaves."

"oh oh."

Seemingly accustomed to Rara's unhurried pace, Kaido wasn't in a hurry either. He took the tea Rara had brewed and handed him, sipped it, and then slowly said:
"Since Osei is unwilling, I thought I'd choose someone else from the pirate crew. But I can't find a suitable person right now."

"That's it..."

Instead of rushing to recommend someone, La asked a question from a strange angle that was unexpected.

"Does the large billboard have to have three slots?"

Since there are no suitable candidates, why not just set up two "Big Signboards"?
"Huh? Uh... it's not that three are absolutely necessary, it's just that the initial quota was set at three names."

"That guy Wright also reorganized the pirate crew based on having three [Big Signs]."

The new framework has already been set, and if it's suddenly changed again, even if Wright promised to give him his hair, he wouldn't agree.

"Yes, it's indeed not good to change the quota at will..."

"In that case, there is only one candidate."

"Isn't it?"

He looked down at the tea in his hand and said casually.

Just like last time, Kaido came to discuss things with Ra on the surface, but in reality, he had already made up his mind.

He just wanted to hear Raja say that name.

Tao Long – currently, apart from Osei and Oberon, he is the only one in the entire pirate crew most suitable to fill the vacancy left by Bulfat.

The reason is not complicated; it's simply a matter of ranking by ability, and it's his turn.

"But with his abilities, it's still a bit of a stretch for him to be the [Big Signboard]."

This is Kaido's assessment.

Even though he has completely widened the gap between himself and Dirk Nowitzki and Skipgate, who once gave him a tough fight, leaving them far behind...

However, in Kaido's eyes, Takayuki was still a little short of being a true core member of the crew.

Taolong is still not good enough to reach the threshold of the [Big Signboard], he still needs a 'transformation'.

"Unfortunately, the pirate crew hasn't found any suitable Devil Fruits over the years, as the improvement from ordinary Zoan-type fruits is really limited."

In recent years, thanks to its vast trade channels, the Beasts have indeed collected a few Devil Fruits, but they are mostly just ordinary abilities.

For Taolong now, things like the Hedgehog Fruit and the Ball-Ball Fruit can only serve as icing on the cake...

To break through that threshold using Devil Fruit abilities, one would need at least a slightly rarer and more powerful Devil Fruit.

Or perhaps we should wait a few more years. Given Tao Long's rate of progress, he might be able to meet Kaido's requirements on his own in a few years.

But the beasts couldn't wait for him...

"In that case, I have an idea."

"However, it might be somewhat dangerous..."

He put down his teacup and said this.

(End of this chapter)