One Piece: I'm not Roger

Aether and Golden Lion Shiki both turned toward Kaido, who was lying in the corner of the hall.

The Emperor looked miserable.

More than a dozen Seastone chains tightly restrained his body, suppressing his Devil Fruit abilities completely. Bruises and wounds covered him from head to toe, with barely a single patch of unharmed skin remaining. Even his eye sockets had been intentionally swollen by Aether during the fight, making the usually fearsome Yonko appear strangely comical.

Even after suffering severe injuries earlier, Kaido had still taken over twenty minutes for Aether and Shiki to fully subdue together.

His vitality was absurd.

Even on the verge of collapse, he still clung to consciousness like an unkillable monster. A constitution like his truly deserved the title of the Strongest Creature.

Hearing Kaido mock the Supernovas, Aether did not refute him immediately.

Instead, he offered a different perspective.

"Kaido, the Supernovas are weak right now, that much is true. But you overlooked something important."

Aether's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Among the twelve Supernovas, three possess the qualities of Conqueror's Haki users. One of them also possesses the Ope Ope no Mi, one of the strongest Devil Fruits in existence."

"Do you still think they're worthless?"

Kaido's expression shifted slightly.

"The qualities of three kings?"

"That many brats possess Conqueror's Haki?"

Even Shiki looked surprised.

Conqueror's Haki users were extremely rare. Although there were many powerful pirates in the New World, those capable of awakening Conqueror's Haki were still only a tiny fraction.

Yet among a single generation of rookies, there were already three with that potential.

And one of them even possessed the Ope Ope no Mi, a Devil Fruit the World Government had desperately pursued for generations.

That alone proved this generation was far from ordinary.

Every year, rookie pirates emerged onto the seas claiming they would conquer the Grand Line. Most vanished quietly after entering the New World.

To the Yonko, Supernovas were usually nothing more than arrogant fools with inflated confidence.

Aether noticed the strange expression on Shiki's face and smiled faintly before revealing another piece of information.

"Shiki, remember Straw Hat Luffy?"

"The swordsman on his crew, Roronoa Zoro, also possesses the qualities of a Conqueror."

Shiki's eyes widened.

"Two of them?"

"No wonder those brats were so troublesome."

He snorted coldly.

"A captain and his right hand both carrying the qualities of kings. That really does resemble Roger and Rayleigh back then."

"And Straw Hat Luffy even inherited Roger's straw hat."

"What an irritating brat from East Blue."

Aether chuckled lightly.

"I wouldn't compare them to me and Rayleigh just yet."

"But once they mature, they'll definitely shake the world."

While the two talked, Kaido suddenly fell into thought.

After a moment, he muttered in a low voice,

"Maybe those brats are qualified to become my subordinates."

"Jack already captured one of them anyway."

Aether looked at Kaido strangely.

Even as a prisoner, this man was still thinking about recruiting talent.

Honestly, it was hard not to admire the determination.

Then again, it was precisely Kaido's obsession with gathering powerful subordinates that eventually led to disaster in the future.

Aether walked forward slowly.

"Kaido, you're my prisoner right now, yet you're already planning for the future."

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"And then take over Wano Country myself?"

The moment his voice fell, killing intent spread through the hall.

The air instantly became heavy.

Even Shiki glanced toward Aether thoughtfully, wondering whether he truly intended to execute Kaido here.

After all, the death of a Yonko would shake the entire world.

Kaido, however, remained unexpectedly relaxed.

Bound tightly by Seastone chains, he leaned against the wall and spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Roger, if you really wanted me dead, you would've killed me already."

"There'd be no need to imprison me with this much Seastone."

His swollen eyes narrowed slightly.

"Let me guess."

"You plan to drag me to Wano and execute me in front of Kozuki Oden's grave?"

"But during the entire battle, you never mentioned Oden even once."

"Could it be you don't even know Oden died by my hands?"

Shiki's expression changed immediately.

"Oden was killed by you?"

This was the first time he had heard such news.

Back when Roger ruled the seas, Kozuki Oden's strength was already impressive enough to leave a deep impression on Shiki.

He had never expected a man like Oden to die at Kaido's hands.

Kaido ignored Shiki completely.

At this moment, he had no interest in discussing Oden further.

More importantly, he did not want to provoke Aether into genuinely wanting him dead.

Despite his rough appearance, Kaido was far from stupid.

In fact, he had already analyzed Aether's intentions thoroughly.

Anyone who underestimated him because of his appearance would suffer for it.

And Kozuki Oden had been one of those unfortunate fools.

Aether looked at Kaido with visible displeasure, but there was no real killing intent behind his gaze.

Kaido had guessed correctly.

To be honest, Aether's opinion of Oden was complicated.

Oden was undeniably powerful, charismatic, and capable of inspiring others.

But he was also foolish.

After returning to Wano, Oden wasted years humiliating himself instead of dealing with Kaido immediately. During that time, Kaido steadily strengthened his forces and consolidated control over Wano.

If Oden had declared war the moment he returned, Kaido's chances of victory would have been far lower.

Instead, Oden trusted the promises of pirates and squandered everything he had built.

Public support.

Authority.

Allies.

Everything disappeared over those wasted years.

So although Aether acknowledged Oden's strength, he had no interest in avenging him.

Kaido still had value alive.

At least for now.

Aether stared directly at Kaido before speaking plainly.

"You guessed correctly."

"I'm not planning to kill you."

"I want to make a deal."

"As long as you accept my conditions, I'll release you."

"Otherwise, I really will execute you."

The seriousness in Aether's eyes made Kaido's expression stiffen slightly.

He could tell Aether was not bluffing.

If negotiations failed, this man truly would kill him.

Kaido clicked his tongue irritably.

If Aether and Shiki had not shamelessly teamed up against him, he never would have fallen into such a miserable state.

Being captured eighteen times was ancient history from his younger days.

Since becoming a Yonko, he had never suffered humiliation like this.

"Speak."

"What do you want?"

"But let me warn you beforehand."

"If your demands are too excessive, you might as well kill me now."

Aether smiled faintly.

He had no intention of wasting time.

"First, since you invaded my territory, you'll compensate me with twenty billion Berries."

"All wealth and civilians plundered during your advance will be returned."

"You will also hand over Beck Island and Luan Island."

"In Wano Country, Kuri will serve as my diplomatic territory."

"We'll establish a one-year non-aggression agreement."

Finally, Aether's smile deepened slightly.

"And your daughter Yamato will join my crew."

The moment those words fell, Kaido exploded.

"Impossible!"

"Absolutely impossible!"

"Don't even think about taking Yamato!"

His furious roar echoed throughout the hall.

Then he glared at Aether furiously.

"And what the hell is diplomatic territory supposed to mean?"

"You call these conditions sincere?"

"You're obviously trying to rob me blind!"

To Kaido, the other demands were painful but negotiable.

But Yamato?

Absolutely not.

In his eyes, Yamato was the future core of the Beasts Pirates and the key to his ambitions of conquering the world.

◇ I'll drop one bonus chapter for every 10 reviews

(Leave a review/comment)

◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100

Power Stones.

◇ Read 100+ chapters ahead on P-a-t-r-e-o-n.com/_Zeph