A New Strategy
Jhin and Queen were both eagerly anticipating Kaido's plan.
Despite his rough and brutish exterior, Kaido was actually quite shrewd.
He burst into laughter.
"If you want to gather the strongest warriors, you don't necessarily need to subdue them!"
"Bonds, interests, morality—these things can also pull the strong to our side."
"Bai Yu can be won over too!"
But how?
Wealth? Bai Yu already had too much gold.
Bonds? Should they just go and worship him?
Morality? That was even trickier—they'd at least have to save Bai Yu's life once.
Jhin and Queen racked their brains, trying to figure out how to recruit Bai Yu.
After all, Bai Yu wasn't alone—he had Hawk-Eyes Mihawk by his side, and he was someone even more worth recruiting.
"You can't figure it out, can you?"
Watching them struggle, Kaido felt a rare sense of intellectual superiority. He laughed heartily.
"Well, well, giggle-giggle… If the opportunity arises, I'll save him—that's morality."
"But that's too slow."
Kaido suddenly grinned.
"Laozi has sons—no, I have a daughter!"
Jhin and Queen froze.
"A… daughter?"
Kaido nodded.
"That's right! He and Yamato are part of the same generation of tyrants! I've seen the new era… and only Bai Yu is worthy of my daughter!"
But then—
The so-called Crybaby Yamato suddenly burst into tears.
"Waaah! But Yamato doesn't even acknowledge me as her father! It's so sad—damn you, Oden!"
Jhin and Queen: "…"
Boss… so you do know, huh?
Kaido frequently beat Yamato, locked her up without food, and even forced her to wear explosive shackles. Jhin and Queen honestly had no idea how that father-daughter relationship could ever be repaired.
Queen hesitated before asking, "Boss… um… Mr. Yamato—cough, I mean, Miss Yamato—won't just obediently agree to a marriage, right?"
"That's the issue?" Kaido looked puzzled.
"Yamato's strong, but she's still a woman. If Bai Yu can't handle her, then I'll kill him myself!"
"That's that!"
"Find someone to contact Bai Yu and tell him—Laozi is his father-in-law!"
Bai Yu: ???
A free wife?
No, no—just leave Yamato there, and I'll grab her myself!
Above the Clouds
High in the sky, a strange white cloud was speeding through the air.
Onboard the ship, the girls were amazed.
Everything about the spaceship felt fresh and surreal, as if it wasn't a product of this world.
Its weapons, defenses, equipment, and rooms all left the crew in awe.
It was as strong as steel…
And it could fly!
However, Bai Yu intentionally disabled the flight function—he wanted to train his Cloud-Cloud Fruit abilities instead.
The most surprising thing to the girls, though, was the hundred female robots that came with the spaceship.
Standing only one meter tall, the small white-metal robots could perform basic tasks like cleaning and repairing the ship. Though their abilities were simple, they were undeniably adorable.
They were instantly well received by the women onboard.
"Is this… Pluton?" Robin wondered aloud after a long silence.
"Pluton doesn't deserve to be compared!" Bai Yu scoffed.
He didn't think the ancient weapon was superior to his spaceship—it was too outdated.
Robin gave Bai Yu a long, thoughtful look.
"No wonder you weren't interested in Pluton…" she murmured.
It turned out he had something even better.
Bai Yu didn't bother explaining. Instead, he turned to Nami.
"How long until we arrive?"
"A few more minutes."
Nami furrowed her brows.
"Our ship is already amazing—why are we still heading to Water 7?"
"We can't stay in the sky forever. Besides, it's a famous landmark, and there are plenty of talented people there."
Bai Yu's mind immediately turned to CP9.
Especially Rob Lucci—who had been abandoned for five years and wasted away eating a rotten Devil Fruit. Yet after just two years of training, he had become the captain of CP0.
Of course, CP0's captain and its strongest warriors weren't at the same level—but Lucci was still formidable.
And the whole CP9 crew? Pure intelligence assets.
Bai Yu had already decided—he would coerce them, tempt them, and never let them slip away.
"I'll go ahead first."
When the ship arrived, it would cause a stir. Bai Yu figured it was best to scout ahead.
Water 7—Dock One
Water 7, one of the busiest islands in Paradise.
Eight hundred years ago, the Pluton was built here.
Every day, countless pirate crews passed through, either repairing their ships or commissioning new vessels before setting sail again.
At Dock One, shipwrights Lao Ka and Lao Luo were hard at work as usual.
As the sun began to set, Lao Ka sighed.
"Another wasted day…"
Lao Luo snorted.
"Watch your mouth! You should be happy—you're about to clock out and rest."
Lao Ka's eyelid twitched.
Then why don't I ever see you smile?
…Well, whatever. The guy had a big fist—he had a point.
But even as their shift ended, neither Lao Ka nor Lao Luo looked particularly happy.
They hurried out of the dock.
As they walked, Lao Ka muttered in a low voice.
"Seriously… my legs feel like they're rusting away."
Lao Luo shot him a sharp look.
"That's not something you should say."
The ruthless shipwright clenched his fist instinctively—then sighed and let it go.
Five years.
Five years!
Did they even know how he had spent those five wasted years?
Every single day…
Lao Luo had wanted to kill his useless superior. His talent was rotting away.
And then—
"You're at the peak of your growth, yet you're stuck doing things that any ordinary worker could do. It must be maddening, right?"
A voice suddenly rang out.
A figure appeared before them—seemingly out of thin air.
"Five years… how many more five-year periods will you waste? Your strength hasn't grown at all. In fact, you're being left behind by the era!"
"Tell me—don't you hate it?"
!!!
Lao Luo and Lao Ka's pupils shrank.
Instinctively, they used Soru to distance themselves from the speaker.
"Demon King… Bai Yu?!"
Bai Yu stood before them—an unmistakable figure.
Lao Luo stiffened.
There had been no warning.
That meant… they had no chance to resist.
"Rob Lucci, Kaku… I appreciate you both."
Bai Yu spoke bluntly.
"Your identities are exposed. Your mission has failed. You know what that means."
Their expressions darkened.
The CP Organization was ruthless.
Failures were rarely forgiven.
And their useless boss would undoubtedly throw all the blame onto them.
Five wasted years, only to die as scapegoats? They couldn't accept that.
Just as they were about to decide their next move, Bai Yu smirked.
"By the way—there's no one around. If you think you can kill me instantly, go ahead."
"Clean up the area, erase the traces—no one would know you were ever exposed."
The two hesitated.
…Well, they had considered it—briefly.
But.
Why was he taunting them?!
"Shigan!"
"Rankyaku Chaos!"
Their attacks flew—
But Bai Yu merely sighed.
"Foolish choice."
He disappeared.
And then—
"It's over."
A flash of steel.
A bloodied scene.
Boom!
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