The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

Kaido was quite satisfied with Kidd and Hawkins.

He greatly admired their abilities, both from their previous battles against him and their current will and gaze.

Although they don't quite understand domineering yet, they are clearly very promising talents and have the potential to surpass others later on.

Perhaps if these guys were allowed to learn Haki and given a few years, they might even surpass the many powerful True Fighters on his ship, or even the Three Calamities.

The gap between a true genius and an ordinary person is enormous, something Kaido himself knows all too well.

At the tender age of ten, he had already become the strongest warrior in his own country, the Vodka Kingdom.

If it weren't for the fact that the King of the Vodka Kingdom later sold himself to the navy for the right to participate in the World Conference 493, he might still be working for them in that country.

Furthermore, when he was fifteen years old, on the island of Hatchinos, he was a force to be reckoned with, defeating many pirates on the island and making them submit to his will.

Then it was Whitebeard who stepped in and got the invitation from Rocks.

"Become a member of the Beasts Pirates, destroy this utterly boring world, and launch a war even grander than the Marineford War—the world's most epic war!!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, and the soldiers of the Beasts Pirates next to him were also deeply moved.

However~~~

"Destroy the world? The world's most epic battle? Pshaw!"

Inside the pit, Kidd heard this and couldn't help but laugh, then spat out a mouthful of blood.

"I have absolutely no interest in any of this!!"

He grinned, revealing teeth stained with black blood. "I only have one goal!!"

With his last ounce of strength, Kidd shouted those words:

"I'm going to become the Pirate King!!!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was quite clear and resonant, spreading outwards.

Kaido's laughter stopped at the edge of the pit.

"king?"

The smile on his face slowly faded. "You said..."

Kaido's gaze slowly moved downwards, landing on Kid and Hawkins inside the pit:

"What kind of king do you want to be?"

Boom! !

In the sky, dark clouds rolled in, and endless purple-black lightning intertwined and churned within them.

"With what you're doing now? Don't you dare swear!"

He slowly raised the spiked club with the "Eight Precepts" in his hand.

"I'll ask you one last time, are you willing to join the Beasts Pirates?"

"I'm the captain of the Kid Pirates!!"

Down in the pit, Kidd's voice grew weaker and weaker. After shouting, he could only finish his last sentence in broken sentences.

Although Kira didn't speak, the expression in his blood-stained eyes was exactly the same as Kid's.

"To submit or to refuse..."

Hawkins, with a complicated expression, looked at Kaido above the pit, who was raising his spiked club and gathering his aura.

He no longer has any tarot cards in his hand, and even if he did, given the extent of his injuries, he would be unable to perform divination.

He knew there were opportunities here, but he wasn't sure how he had obtained them, or if he could only get them by submitting to Kaido.

Furthermore, one cannot use tarot cards to know the probability of death or survival after surrendering or refusing.

In other words, this time, he has to make the decision entirely on his own.

"A choice between two options? And in such a life-or-death situation?! This is the situation I hate the most..."

Hawkins couldn't help but sigh softly. He was quite resistant to this situation, which was beyond divination, control, and judgment.

However difficult the situation may be, a choice must eventually be made.

"If you surrender, you can not only save your life, but you will also be given important responsibilities and continue to thrive in the Beasts Pirates."

"but……"

At this moment, considering all aspects, submission was the best option, and Hawkins, who had originally intended to agree, suddenly had the image of a group of people appear in his mind.

Enies Lobby, Impel Down, Marineford...

These places are the three major institutions under the world government, which have stood firm for hundreds of years.

However, all of these exploits became a shining example of their impressive achievements.

The World Government and the Navy are far more powerful than the pirate crews of the Four Emperors.

That's an organization that truly rules this world, has stood for eight hundred years, and possesses an incredibly terrifying foundation!

Even so, that group still fought against them without hesitation, and in terms of results and achievements, they still had the upper hand.

That group of people were able to forge ahead even when faced with stronger enemies and greater forces, and more dangerous situations.

They were facing only one of the Four Emperors' pirate crews, and not even the entire crew; it was just the captain who launched the attack.

As a result, they were unable to withstand the pressure and ended up in their current miserable situation.

"In terms of strength, we're already this far behind..."

Hawkins gave a wry smile, but his tone gradually became firm.

"We accept that we are not as skilled as others; at worst, we will just keep trying to catch up."

"But~"

He had already made up his mind: "If I choose to surrender here and kneel down, then I will be forever inferior to others and will never be able to stand up again!"

Hawkins' face also betrayed an unwavering resolve, along with a hint of madness:

"So after that, I will no longer be qualified to follow in the footsteps of the Straw Hat Pirates or compete with them."

"Instead of that..."

A rare smile appeared on his usually expressionless face: "Why don't we just end it here now?!"

"It seems you've all made your decisions."

Crackling! !

Bolts of lightning descended from the sky, coiling around the spiked club that Kaido held aloft.

zizi~

The purplish-black lightning coiled around the spiked club, making its imposing, dark aura appear even more fierce and terrifying.

"Aren't you willing to submit?"

Kaido said in a deep voice, "In that case, fall right here!!"

"You so-called 'supernovas,' and your so-called 'era of extreme evil,' that's the end of the road!!"

Click! !

With a thunderous roar, Kaido leaped into the air, twirling his spiked club, and plummeted down into the pit below.

"The Three Worlds Descend - Naraku is Drawn!!!"

boom! !

"Is this... over?!"

Kidd, Killer, and Hawkins watched as the enormous figure and the black, lightning-encrusted spiked club grew larger and larger in their field of vision.

Feeling the terrifying power emanating from it, everyone knew that they absolutely could not withstand this attack.

But~~~

There was no regret or fear in the eyes of the three people, only a faint sense of regret.

In the end, they couldn't make it to the end.

Kidd was also there, smacking his lips, "What a pity, I couldn't have a proper showdown with Straw Hat Boy again."

This is his most obsessive goal besides becoming the Pirate King, and it's something he's determined to accomplish.

A violent explosion engulfed the area.

That created an endless wave of air that swept across the entire arena, blowing everyone inside away.

The sound that erupted lingered on the field for a long time.

588 Link has his eye on Komafoku Onimaru!! Don't you want to go out to the ocean and take a good look around?!

While Kaido was using his spiked club to entertain Hawkins and Kid, the others...

The samurai cemetery in the snow-covered Suzugo region.

That's how it is~

Link explained the situation in Wano Country and the relevant information about Kawamatsu to the komainu Onimaru in detail.

Even without Link explaining, Komaru, the fox spirit, was well aware of the current situation in Wano Country.

As for Kawamatsu's situation...

"So that's how it is. Lord Kawamatsu is now in a predicament?!"

After hearing about Kawamatsu's ordeal, Komako Onimaru breathed a sigh of relief.

When Kawamatsu left without saying goodbye, Komako Onimaru guessed that he might have encountered some misfortune or something.

Therefore, over the years, he himself has taken on the title of "Ushimaru" and continued to carry on what Kawamatsu had not finished.

Now, after hearing what Link said about He Song's current situation, he knows that he has only been imprisoned and has not suffered any other dangers, especially that he is still alive and has not been killed.

This already made Komako Onimaru very happy.

"You're being held captive at the rabbit bowl restaurant, right?"

Komako Onimaru gripped his large sword tightly, his eyes flickering slightly.

Do you want to rescue him?

Link looked at him with a smile.

"That's natural..."

Komako Onimaru blurted out those words, and then quickly looked at Link with a wary and guarded expression.

"You specifically informed me of Lord Kawamatsu's situation..."

He had a vague idea: "Could it be that you want me to go with you to break into the prison?"

"So you've got your eye on my strength and need me to go down and spearhead the attack, to share the firepower with you?!"

He naturally connected the dots, realizing that Link and his group had informed him of these matters and were using him as a pawn.

"You actually thought of this?!"

Instead, Link looked at him with some surprise after hearing his words.

"It has to be said that it is a fox. After transforming into a human, its wisdom is even greater than that of humans, and its thinking is more comprehensive than that of humans."

Link looked at the other person with some amazement.

Indeed, the other party's shrewdness was even more outstanding than that of the average person.

This can be seen from the fact that in the original version, he was able to steal the "Black Blade" Shusui from Zoro in Ebisu Town.

After all, the fact that he was able to steal the sword from Zoro shows how quick-witted he is.

Why do we need you to share the firepower with us?

Link, on the contrary, found it quite intriguing and continued to ask questions.

"Because in this way, I can draw their attention away from them, and while they are vulnerable, I can quietly achieve my goals!"

Komako Onimaru whispered from there.

"I never imagined that a fox would know such strategies and ideas..."