Chapter 162: Kaido and Big Mom!!
Onigashima
Kaido was already completely drunk, his entire body reeking of alcohol.
His muscular upper body was bare, the jug of sake hanging loosely at his waist. Amber liquor dripped from the corner of his mouth, tracing wet lines across his bronze skin.
His rough hand—like a slab of stone—suddenly slammed down onto King's armored shoulder. His thunderous laughter nearly shook the ceiling above them.
"Wororororo—!"
"Alber! Tell me… do you think that Straw Hat brat has the guts to form an alliance with me?!"
"Pfft—!"
The hot liquor sprayed straight from King's mouth.
The usually cold and composed face beneath his mask was now filled with disbelief. His golden eyes widened as he stared at his drunken captain.
Though the black mask covered most of his face, it couldn't hide the speechless look in his eyes.
King understood Kaido far too well.
The man who came from a war-torn nation, betrayed by the ruler he trusted most, had never truly desired domination of the seas.
What burned inside his chest was hatred for the rotten world order.
To him, those lofty nobles and the tyrannical Celestial Dragons were nothing more than parasites hollowing out the world.
His lifelong wish had always been the same—
To ignite a war that would engulf the entire world.
To drag those false rulers down from their thrones and rebuild the world through flames and chaos.
For this insane ambition, Kaido had tried countless times before.
—He once crossed the Calm Belt to find Whitebeard's Moby Dick, only to see the so-called "Strongest Man in the World" gently tending to his injured crew.
The warmth of that "family" nonsense made Kaido scoff in disdain.
The idea of forming an alliance died immediately.
—He once challenged the proud Golden Lion Shiki, but was dismissed as a "brat who still smelled of milk."
The arrogance of that legendary pirate deeply wounded Kaido's pride.
—He even tried to form a blood pact with Charlotte Linlin — Big Mom.
But that woman's ambition was limited to the hollow title of Pirate King.
Her eyes were always fixed on the sweets and power of Totto Land, never truly willing to fight the World Government to the death.
Time and time again, he was rejected.
Yet each failure only made Kaido's obsession burn hotter.
And now—
His gaze had fallen upon a reckless seventeen-year-old pirate who had been charging across the seas like a hurricane.
Monkey D. Luffy.
King slowly raised his hand and wiped the liquor from his lips.
A low chuckle escaped his throat—half helpless, half understanding.
He glanced sideways at Kaido, who was tilting his head back to chug more alcohol. A complicated glint flashed in his golden eyes.
His captain's obsession was probably harder than Seastone itself.
But it didn't matter.
Past experience had taught him something—
This enthusiasm would only last for a while.
Once Straw Hat Luffy inevitably rejected him, everything would return to normal.
King silently picked up his bowl of sake and drained it in one gulp. Beneath his mask, the corner of his mouth curved slightly.
—Let the captain indulge in this crazy fantasy for now.
…
Kaido's vertical pupils suddenly tightened.
His bell-sized eyes locked onto King as a wave of alcohol-laden pressure burst forth, mixed with Conqueror's Haki.
"Alber! What kind of face is that?!"
"You don't trust my judgment?!"
He leaned closer, muscles bulging with excitement. Every word carried domineering confidence.
"First! That Straw Hat brat already has an irreconcilable feud with the World Government!"
"He may be strong—but there's no way he can fight the World Government and the Marines alone!!"
Kaido sneered and tapped the table with his knuckles.
"If he doesn't ally with me, he'll get killed sooner or later!"
He raised the jug and gulped down another mouthful of sake, his eyes gleaming with certainty.
King's mouth twitched under the mask.
The logic was ridiculous.
Yet somehow Kaido said it with absolute conviction.
King inhaled slowly and replied calmly.
"Boss… even if he needs allies, he may not choose us."
"I heard he has a close relationship with Red-Haired Shanks. Shanks even lost an arm saving him back then—"
…
"Wororororo! That's exactly my second reason!"
Kaido abruptly interrupted him, his pupils blazing with excitement.
"That brat ran off with my daughter!"
"Yamato was someone I had high hopes for since she was little! But a few words about 'freedom' from that kid, and she ran away from Onigashima with him!"
Kaido slapped his thigh and burst into laughter, sake sloshing out of the jug.
"He kidnapped my daughter! If he doesn't form an alliance with me to compensate, that's simply unforgivable!"
The more he spoke, the more excited he became, completely immersed in his own fantasy.
Even his Conqueror's Haki began to fluctuate wildly.
King's eye twitched again. Even his silver hair trembled slightly.
He had to admit—
Aside from the absurd premise, Kaido's two arguments almost sounded reasonable.
But that depended on one key condition:
If Straw Hat Luffy were a normal person who followed logic.
Unfortunately, Luffy had always acted purely on instinct and passion.
Concepts like "cause and effect" or "benefit and loss" had never bound him.
King silently lifted his sake bowl again and drained it, suppressing the urge to comment.
His captain's way of thinking truly defied normal understanding.
…
At that moment—
Buru Buru!
"Buru Buru—Buru Buru—!"
The crisp ringing of a Den Den Mushi suddenly echoed through the hall.
Kaido paused mid-drink and raised an eyebrow in surprise before pulling out a glossy black Den Den Mushi from his coat.
The snail had lace ribbons wrapped around its head, mimicking Big Mom's fluffy curls. Its round eyes already carried a hint of her domineering expression.
"Oh, it's that old hag Linlin."
Kaido grunted in realization and pressed the receiver.
The moment the call connected—
"Maaamaamaama—! Kaido, it's been quite a few years since we last spoke properly, hasn't it?"
Big Mom's unmistakable laughter echoed through the hall, carrying both sweetness and overwhelming pressure.
Kaido frowned deeply.
He knew this woman well.
She never contacted him without a reason.
But remembering the Devil Fruit she had once given him, he suppressed his irritation and growled:
"Linlin! What do you want? Spit it out already!"
"Maaamaama—don't be so impatient."
Her tone carried playful mockery.
"I heard that brat named Straw Hat Luffy has already attacked your Onigashima?"
Boom!
Those words instantly ignited Kaido's temper.
The air around him froze.
Veins bulged across his neck and arms. Black-red lightning crackled around him as Conqueror's Haki erupted.
"What do you mean by that?!"
Kaido roared like thunder.
"Linlin! You dare plant spies on my island?!"
"Maaamaama—!"
Big Mom laughed mockingly.
"Kaido, are you drunk out of your mind?"
"Don't act like you've never planted spies in Totto Land."
Her tone sharpened with the authority of an Emperor of the Sea.
"We're both Emperors. Of course we keep tabs on each other."
"You think the battle between you and Straw Hat on Onigashima hasn't already reached Sengoku and the Five Elders at the World Government?!"
Kaido froze for a moment.
The violent aura around him slowly faded.
He really was drunk, and easily provoked.
After Big Mom's reminder, he finally calmed down slightly.
He glared at the Den Den Mushi as if staring directly at the greedy old woman on the other side.
"Linlin, stop beating around the bush!"
"What do you want?!"
The laughter from the other side suddenly stopped.
Then Big Mom spoke again—this time with unmistakable seriousness.
"I want to know the details of your fight with Straw Hat."
"Has that brat… stepped into that realm yet?"
"Oh?"
A mocking grin spread across Kaido's savage face.
"Linlin, don't you have spies?"
"What, they didn't tell you?"
"Kaido, you bastard!!"
Big Mom's furious roar exploded from the Den Den Mushi.
The snail's eyes bulged wide as sparks of lightning crackled around it, perfectly mirroring her raging anger.
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