"What!?"
Island of Ghosts.
A massive skull-shaped fortress.
The towering and fearsome Kaido of the Beasts looked like a ghost himself.
He glared angrily at the round, bloated Quinn, who had just finished reporting to him. Quinn, as fat as a ball, raised his hands and said, "Brother Kaido, this is the news from Orochi's close aide, Fukurokuju. It's definitely true."
Kaido's face darkened with fury. "Who had the guts to ruin my plans!?"
Quinn explained, "No one saw what happened. The only ones present were some geisha and guards, but they all passed out mysteriously. When they woke up, Orochi was already dead. It's possible someone used Conqueror's Haki to knock them out."
Kaido's eyes narrowed in surprise. "Conqueror's Haki?"
He frowned, deep in thought. "Who in Wano has that kind of power?"
As far as he knew, the only people in Wano with Conqueror's Haki were himself and his so-called "son," Yamato.
But Yamato had only awakened Conqueror's Haki a year ago, and Kaido had kept him trapped on the island using a slave collar. If he tried to leave, it would explode. There was no way he could have done this.
Besides, Yamato was only nine years old. He wasn't strong enough yet.
Not like those natural-born monsters from the Charlotte Family.
"It doesn't have to be someone from Wano..."
A deep voice spoke.
It was King, the "Wildfire." Dressed in black, with dark wings and a mask hiding his face, flames burned behind his head as he said, "We can't rule out someone from the outside world."
Quinn sighed. "Brother Kaido, Fukurokuju says the Flower Capital is in complete chaos. Since Orochi made you the 'Protector of the Nation,' you need to go there personally."
He continued, "If the samurai get any crazy ideas and start fighting over the empty shogun seat, things will spiral out of control."
"Also, Kyoshiro says his family fully supports you, Kaido-sama, as the new shogun of Wano!"
"Bahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Kaido of the Beasts let out a loud laugh, clearly pleased. Having a powerful warrior like Kyoshiro willing to serve him was satisfying.
"Even though Orochi is dead and things have changed a little, it doesn't matter..." He paused for a moment, then shook his head. "But I'm not interested in being the shogun."
"But my idiot son can!"
"Master Yamato?"
Both King and Quinn were surprised for a moment, but quickly nodded.
As Kaido's "son" and the so-called Protector of the Nation, Yamato becoming Wano's next shogun made sense.
"Let's go. Quinn, you stay here. Chinjao, you're coming with me to the Flower Capital!"
"ROAR—!"
As Kaido finished speaking, he let out a deafening roar.
His body expanded, transforming into a massive, sky-blue dragon.
His enormous dragon form was both majestic and terrifying, filling the air with an overwhelming presence that made people's skin crawl.
He soared into the sky, rushing toward the distance, his voice echoing behind him.
"From today onward, I rule Wano! Orochi is dead. All samurai under him now serve me! If anyone dares to cause trouble—kill them without mercy!"
"Ooooohhh—!"
"Yes, Master Kaido!"
But Kaido had no idea...
Not long after he left, on the coast of Onigashima—
In a deserted area—
A mysterious doorway suddenly appeared in the air.
From the glowing green portal, a silver-haired figure stepped out.
"Wow, boss! This skull is huge!" A raccoon-like creature named Pato, perched on Wilhelm's shoulder, stared at the massive skeleton fortress in shock.
Without hesitation, Wilhelm unleashed his powerful Observation Haki, scanning the entire island.
Rocks, plants, countless buildings—everything entered his mind.
SWOOSH!
In an instant, Wilhelm vanished, reappearing inside the treasure vault of the Beasts Pirates.
Surrounded by mountains of gold and jewels, several strange wooden boxes caught his attention.
"Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Great Wolf God Model?"
Opening one of the boxes, he found an orange Devil Fruit with a swirling pattern, shaped like a persimmon.
He smirked. "No wonder Kaido keeps getting his Devil Fruits stolen by brats."
Without hesitation, Wilhelm pocketed the Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Great Wolf God Model.
If things followed the original course, it wouldn't just be this fruit getting stolen by Yamato.
In the future, Ulti and Page One—two of the Tobiroppo—would also steal powerful Ancient Zoan fruits from Kaido, securing their positions in the Beasts Pirates.
"Heeheehee~ Boss, aren't you taking the other Devil Fruits?" Pato asked curiously, noticing Wilhelm wasn't grabbing the rest.
Wilhelm shook his head. "If we take too many at once, Kaido will realize someone snuck in."
Right now, it was better to let Kaido keep them. Once things calmed down, they could come back for the rest.
At the moment, the Big Mom Pirates were preparing for war with the Marines.
There was no need to draw the attention of the Beasts Pirates too soon.
In the end, most of Kaido's Ancient Zoan fruits weren't anything special. Wilhelm had already gathered a few high-quality ones himself.
"Besides, Kaido probably won't give these to anyone for a while. We'll grab them later when the time is right."
Just then—
Creak—
The treasure vault door slowly opened.
A young girl, about nine years old, stepped inside.
She had small horns on her head, bruises on her face, and walked in on tiptoes.
Her eyes widened as she gasped. "Huh?"
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