"Hmm? Caesar, is that you as a child? And little Kaido? Mamamama, it looks so interesting! Why not let us keep watching?"
Seeing Caesar skip the memory tape, Linlin couldn't help but nudge him with her elbow.
"Yeah, yeah! Dad, those giants—are they the Oni Clan? They all look so strong!" Pudding's eyes gleamed with excitement.
Even Yamato was no exception, eager to see what life was like for the young Kaido and Caesar.
"Borororo, next time. Let's not let these trivial matters steal the spotlight. What Yamato wants to know is more important. If there's time, I'll knock Kaido out next time and let you all watch to your heart's content."
Caesar laughed heartily, though it sounded somewhat forced.
Pudding could tell he seemed to have some unresolved issue he didn't want others to know about.
'I heard Dad set sail as a pirate at the age of ten. In those images, even though Dad looked about two meters tall, given that Uncle Kaido is seven years younger, he must have been under ten at the time.'
Pudding silently thought to herself that Caesar must have gone through something unpleasant when he was ten.
The atmosphere grew heavy, and no one spoke.
The dazzling, flowing images in the void flashed by before gradually coming to a stop.
Caesar withdrew his hand and tilted his chin slightly.
"Well, this is thirty years ago."
"Thirty years ago? I wasn't even born then. Huh? Dad slept for thirty years, so does that mean he hadn't started his slumber yet?" Pudding widened her eyes, not wanting to miss a single detail in the images.
Under the influence of Caesar's immense power, the Memory-Memory Fruit's ability made the images several times clearer than when Pudding used it.
Now, with the projection enlarged to the same scale, everyone present felt as if they were following Kaido's perspective, transported back thirty years!
....
It was a dilapidated hall.
Aside from a few towering, straight pillars, the walls and ceiling were full of holes.
Thirty years ago, Kaido sat on the dirty, messy floor, holding a large bundle of bandages as he wrapped his left arm, seemingly injured.
Thud, thud, thud.
Suddenly, heavy footsteps echoed from outside the hall, each step like a hammer striking everyone's hearts.
Kaido looked up and saw a terrifying figure emerge from the darkness, stepping into the hall.
Thump! Thump!
The monstrous shadow, nearly as tall as the hall's ceiling and sporting a pair of horns, abruptly raised its hands and tossed two dark objects at Kaido's feet.
"Ah!" Pudding suddenly gasped in shock.
Yamato remained expressionless, merely raising an eyebrow.
They were two enormous heads, seemingly not belonging to ordinary humans but to giants.
Moreover, the heads still had a section of thick spinal cord attached, as if they had been forcibly ripped from their necks with sheer brute force.
"You've killed again, Caesar," Kaido remarked, glancing at the two giant heads before continuing to bandage his arm.
The massive, pitch-black demonic figure exuded an oppressive, suffocating aura under the dim night sky.
Even though they knew this was just a memory projection of Kaido, both Pudding and Yamato inexplicably felt a trace of fear.
"Borororo, it's just some trash from the Giant Warrior Pirates, barging into nearby waters looking for their captain. What a pair of useless fools—all bark and no bite. Kaido, quit dawdling! Let's go to that so-called Elbaf and take down their 'strongest village'! If they resist, we'll slaughter every last one of those giants!"
Yamato recognized the voice of the demonic shadow and couldn't help but sneak a glance at Caesar.
Caesar's expression remained blank, as if he wasn't looking at himself.
Kaido tied a knot in the bandages and stood up.
As his gaze lifted, everyone finally got a clear look at the figure opposite him.
Horns sprouted from his head, his face chiseled like an axe-carved sculpture, and his gaping mouth was filled with jagged, interlocking fangs.
But the most terrifying feature was his bloodshot eyes—a single glance made one feel as though they were plummeting into an endless sea of blood.
It was Caesar!
"Caesar, you can't keep going like this. You're losing control—this endless, senseless slaughter will only accelerate the stimulation of the demon blood inside you. Don't forget what happened two years ago—"
BAM!
Before Kaido could finish, Caesar suddenly threw a punch.
Caught off guard, Kaido's massive body was sent flying, smashing through three enormous stone pillars in succession.
BOOM!
The already dilapidated hall, now bereft of its supporting pillars, tilted and collapsed, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.
"Cough... Caesar!!"
Kaido didn't seem badly injured.
Lying amidst the rubble, he clenched his fists, causing the freshly wrapped bandages to split apart as fresh blood seeped through.
With a furious roar, as if venting long-suppressed frustration, Kaido surged to his feet, plowing through countless boulders before slamming headfirst into Caesar's chest.
The impact sent Caesar's massive body hurtling like a cannonball into the darkness.
From the darkness, a pitch-black demonic figure slowly rose, letting out a bloodthirsty laugh.
"Borororo, BORORORO! Losing control? So what?! What else do I have left to lose? Kaido, my dear brother, don't you also want to drag those damned Celestial Dragons into war? Why hide in these deserted waters? Come! Follow me out there, and let's turn the world upside down in blood!"
Kaido panted heavily and roared back.
"I hate them too, but your mindless slaughter isn't the answer! We need to lie low, build our strength quietly!"
"Too slow! That's not what I want—I want to slaughter every living thing in this world! Devour them, and my power will skyrocket! Then—"
"Then you'll repeat history and relive the catastrophe from two years ago!" Kaido bellowed.
"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!!"
From the ink-black darkness came Caesar's frenzied, monstrous howl.
In the next moment, a shadow flashed and Caesar's hulking figure charged forward.
"Then I'll beat some sense into you, Caesar!"
Kaido roared and met him head-on, their fists colliding with brutal force.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The darkness echoed with the dull thuds of flesh striking flesh as the two colossal shadows tore through the night like primordial beasts.
Wherever they passed, the earth sank, the rock layers groaned under unbearable pressure, and the island trembled for miles around.
Beyond the island, the sea surged with towering waves.
This terrifying battle lasted an entire night.
By the time the morning sun rose, the entire island had vanished from the sea, leaving only a small patch of land protruding amidst the surrounding waters.
Kaido lay defeated, flat on his back.
In his gaze, he saw Caesar, eyes bloodshot, gripping a sharp longsword with one hand while his massive foot pressed down on Kaido's chest.
The cold blade tip was aimed directly at Kaido's pupil.