Hearing Kaido's words, King fell silent.
Ever since Sanders defeated Whitebeard, he could clearly feel Kaido's eagerness to become stronger.
That desire peaked after the battle with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Since then, Kaido stopped wandering off trying to end his life elsewhere.
Training became his daily routine.
King had only ever seen Kaido like this once before— over ten years ago,
when they hadn't yet fully taken over Wano, and Kozuki Oden was still alive.
Looking at Kaido, now drinking again, King made a quiet decision in his heart.
Maybe… he, too, needed to push his strength further.
The Thunder God Pirates' blind swordsman, Fujitora, had put considerable pressure on him.
His instincts told him—
If it came down to a fight to the death…
He might not be able to win.
"You will become Pirate King, Kaido—as always."
"And I will give my all to help you ascend that throne."
"It was like that before, and it will always be like that."
King said calmly.
"Ohohoho!"
Kaido gave a strange laugh.
"I will, King!"
Just then, a loud explosion came from outside.
King frowned slightly, thinking some reckless pirate was challenging an Emperor again,
and turned to go check.
Just as he reached the door, a crewmember ran in.
"Lord King! The Sand Crocodile and Sasaki have started fighting!"
"Why?" King asked coldly.
"Apparently, Crocodile wants to challenge for a Flying Six seat!"
King nodded and returned to Kaido's side.
"That Sand Crocodile—he has other motives for joining us,"
King said flatly.
"Doesn't matter."
Kaido didn't care that Crocodile had his own agenda.
They were pirates—of course they had their own goals.
All Kaido cared about was whether Crocodile could strengthen the Beasts Pirates.
During the battle against the Whitebeard Pirates,
Crocodile's performance left Kaido quite satisfied.
As for those hidden motives—Kaido didn't care to know them.
"And if his goal is to use us to go against the Thunder God Pirates?"
King asked again.
"Ohohoho!"
Kaido just laughed loudly.
"If he can put enough chips on the table, I don't mind going to war with Sanders!"
Kaido leaned his head back, laughing wildly with his hand on his forehead.
"The whole sea says Sanders is the world's strongest..."
"But unless he defeats me, I won't acknowledge that title!"
To Kaido, alliances and war weren't mutually exclusive.
They were pirates, after all!
With enough profit, any pirate could turn on their so-called allies.
King nodded.
This was the Kaido he knew— strong, defiant, brutal.
Nothing could stop his advance.
Not Kozuki Oden.
Not Whitebeard.
Not even Sanders.
At least, that was how King saw it.
"And if he challenges for a Calamity's seat?" King asked.
"If he wins, give it to him."
Kaido waved dismissively.
"King, you'll beat him, right?"
"He won't come after me or Queen."
"Jack's his target."
"But if he dares to challenge me—"
"I'll make sure he understands the true might of the Beasts Pirates."
King stood tall, his words filled with confidence.
"Jack, huh?"
Kaido hugged his wine gourd and pondered briefly before chuckling.
"If Jack loses his Calamity seat, will he cry like he did when he was a kid?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Elsewhere…
The battle between Sasaki and Crocodile was still ongoing.
On the battlefield, Sasaki looked ferocious, his mechanical spiral sword slashing wildly in aggressive bursts.
Crocodile, with a cigar in his mouth, had transformed the battlefield into a desert, sandstorm raging.
As the fight dragged on, Sasaki began to lose ground.
He was gradually being overwhelmed.
Meanwhile, Crocodile remained calm and composed, controlling the rhythm with ease.
"Looks like Lord Sasaki can't hold out much longer."
"Looks like the strongest Flying Six seat is about to change hands."
Outside the battlefield, Beasts Pirates crew members whispered among themselves.
Though the swirling sand made visibility poor,
most of them had at least some level of Observation Haki.
They could hear clearly—
Sasaki's breathing was getting heavier and heavier.
In contrast, Crocodile's breath remained steady, and he even had the energy to mock Sasaki.
In truth, Crocodile and his group weren't well received after first joining the Beasts Pirates.
After all, Crocodile used to be a Warlord of the Sea.
While that title carried great fame across the seas, to the brutal members of the Beasts Pirates, Warlords were nothing but lapdogs of the World Government.
Even if someone was strong, they wouldn't earn respect.
Just like how Drought Jack had no regard for Doflamingo—not because he thought highly of himself as a Beasts Pirates officer, but because Doflamingo was a dog of the World Government.
"Page One, Sasaki's about to lose. Are you happy?"
In a corner outside the battlefield, Ulti swung her spiked club and looked at her younger brother.
She was one of the Flying Six, with the Ancient Zoan: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Pachycephalosaurus form.
Her kanabo was different from Kaido's or Yamato's— mainly yellow, no spikes along the shaft, and a mace-like spiked ball at the end, resembling a morning star.
Her younger brother, Page One, was also a member of the Flying Six.
He had the Ancient Zoan: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Spinosaurus form.
Page One cast a sideways glance at his sister, saying nothing.
"Hey hey, Sasaki always mocked you for being too weak,"
"Said he didn't want to be ranked alongside you among the Flying Six."
"Now that he's about to be replaced by Crocodile..."
"Shouldn't you be happy?"
Ulti messed up his purple hair, ruffling it until it looked like a bird's nest.
"Sis..."
Page One looked a little helpless.
"Ah, I forgot—if Sasaki loses his spot,"
"He might come after you next and kick you out too!"
Ulti put on a mock-surprised expression and gasped.
Though she sounded like she cared about her brother, anyone could hear the schadenfreude in her voice.
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