In Onigashima's grand banquet hall, the atmosphere carried an undercurrent of tension despite the usual revelry.
"Our weapons trade middleman has been eliminated."
King announced this troubling news with his characteristic calm demeanor, showing no emotion despite the severity of the situation.
"Who was responsible?" Kai's brow furrowed with concern.
The Beast Pirates' weapons trade represented practically a semi-open secret throughout the New World. Their middlemen weren't individuals that ordinary people would dare to cross, let alone eliminate.
"Take a look at this." King tossed over an elegantly crafted invitation.
Kai caught it smoothly and opened the document, discovering it was actually a brazen self-recommendation letter.
In the correspondence, the writer was completely blunt about killing their middleman yet contained absolutely no words of apology or remorse.
Between every line, the message expressed that the Beast Pirates possessed poor judgment in selecting representatives, that the middleman had been pathetically weak, and that such an incident would never have occurred if the writer had been chosen instead.
Kai found himself genuinely amused by this person's incredible stupidity. The author clearly didn't comprehend what Kaido's name meant in this world.
Looking at the signature, he read: "Joker."
Ah, so it's Doflamingo. Everything made perfect sense now.
Kai smiled with complete understanding of the situation.
King provided additional intelligence: "This organization calls itself the Donquixote Family. Their leader is the Heavenly Yaksha, Donquixote Doflamingo, with a current bounty of 340 million berries.
He was previously active in North Blue operations. After arriving in the New World, through some undisclosed means, he secured a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Not long ago, he seized control of the Kingdom of Dressrosa, probably intending to establish permanent roots in the New World."
Kai nodded thoughtfully and closed the audacious self-recommendation letter. "What does Kaido-san think about this situation?"
Kaido squinted his eyes and sneered with cold calculation: "Kai, go test that clown's actual worth for me personally."
He could overlook his business partner's death and could even ignore Doflamingo's blatant offense, but the prerequisite was that Doflamingo possessed strength worthy of his respect.
"Understood completely. I'll depart tomorrow morning." Kai acknowledged with a respectful nod.
King added important details: "Your exclusive flagship was completed last week. Here are the subordinates you'll be taking with you tomorrow."
With that explanation, he tossed over a detailed personnel list.
The pirates listed whose names weren't even worth King recording naturally weren't worth mentioning, but the few prominent leaders caught his attention immediately.
"Jack, Ulti, Page One?"
Kai appeared puzzled by the selection: "A mere Heavenly Yaksha shouldn't require all of us to mobilize together, should it?"
He could understand Yamato's absence from the list. Kaido probably wasn't completely at ease with her leaving yet.
"Doflamingo alone naturally wouldn't warrant such a response."
King explained the strategic reasoning: "We maintain a long-term Devil Fruit trading channel. When you set sail, it coincides with our twice-yearly settlement, so handle both matters together while you're traveling."
He then provided detailed information about the trading schedule, location, and contact person.
Kai suddenly understood why King had specifically included the Ulti siblings in this mission.
The so-called trading channel was none other than the Seven Warlord Hanafuda himself!
He hadn't expected Kaido to be quite so considerate, specifically creating an opportunity for them to enjoy a family reunion.
As for Jack, he was genuinely just an additional crew member.
The following day found them at Mogura Port in southern Wano Country.
Although Wano Country officially maintained its isolation policy, it wasn't without channels for external contact and trade.
Compared to having carp pull ships up the treacherous waterfall against powerful currents, this Mogura Port route proved significantly safer.
This port had been converted from a massive natural cavern beneath Wano Country. Ships could travel up and down via mechanical elevator systems, while the cavern itself connected to the open sea beyond the towering walls.
Here, Kai observed a large pirate ship stretching over a hundred meters in length.
Both sides of the impressive hull were lined with dense gun ports, and the bow featured an embedded sculpture based on Kai's Rayquaza form.
"Truly exemplifies the Beast Pirates' distinctive style."
Kai nodded with secret approval.
Just as Jack possessed his own exclusive flagship in the original timeline, Kai, who had replaced Jack as an All-Star, naturally deserved his own vessel as well.
"Lord Kai, please provide a name for this ship."
Speed, distinguished by her bow-carrying equipment and distinctive black and white hair, spoke with respectful deference.
She was a Tobiroppo specifically assigned to Kai by King, with responsibility for managing the pirate crew members aboard the ship.
Kai answered without any hesitation: "Let's call it the Rayquaza."
"Damn it! Bastard Kai gets his own ship after just three months of service."
The accompanying Ulti was filled with obvious resentment: "Little Pay-Pay, we need to get our own ship too!"
Page One sighed with resigned acceptance: "Big sister, Kai-aniki holds All-Star rank."
Ulti remained supremely confident: "So what? Working together, we'll overthrow him sooner or later!"
"Hey, could you please not discuss such rebellious plans directly in front of me next time?"
Kai felt black lines forming on his forehead.
He was beginning to regret agreeing to bring these troublesome siblings along on this mission.
Jack proved superior as a traveling companion: quiet and peaceful.
"Kai, I challenge you to combat!" Jack, who had been standing with arms crossed attempting to project expert confidence, suddenly spoke up. His eyes blazed with obvious desire for the impressive Rayquaza.
Someday, he would possess a ship exactly like this, complete with a mammoth sculpture adorning the bow!
"Let's discuss it after we set sail properly." Kai held his forehead with obvious helplessness.
So he was commanding a ship filled entirely with problem children. Thank goodness he had successfully pacified Yamato, who had desperately wanted to join this expedition. Otherwise, the coming days would prove absolutely unbearable.
After Kai's group of four boarded successfully, following Speed's authoritative commands, the sailors already positioned at their stations began adding fuel to the engine room.
The large ship slowly began its journey, traveling along the artificial waterway.
The waterway spanned half of Wano Country's territory and proved frighteningly long. It wasn't until most of the day had passed that light suddenly appeared ahead in what had been pitch darkness, accompanied by the thunderous sound of a massive waterfall reaching their ears.
Soon, the enormous waterfall came into full view.
WHOOSH!
The large ship burst dramatically out of the waterfall, and the brilliant azure sea spread magnificently before Kai and his companions.
This represented an ocean completely different from Wano Country's enclosed inland sea.
Simply observing it felt refreshing and genuinely invigorating.
But emerging from the waterfall didn't guarantee their safety. Wano Country's coastal waters remained filled with dangerous turbulent whirlpools.
Fortunately, the Rayquaza was constructed with exceptional durability, and the ship was crewed by experienced sailors. They encountered no significant difficulties and safely departed the treacherous coastal waters.
After successfully putting out to sea, Page One impatiently retrieved his fishing rod and began positioning himself on the ship's rail to fish.
His skilled baiting, casting, and reeling techniques demonstrated that he was an experienced member of the Air Force, that notorious group of fishermen who never actually catch anything.
Of course, Page One's consistent lack of success was largely related to Ulti's presence.
Not every fishing enthusiast could successfully catch fish with someone who constantly caused disruptions nearby.
On the main deck, Kai and Jack stood facing each other in preparation for combat.
They had tacitly agreed not to use weapons or Devil Fruit abilities, as it would prove problematic if they damaged the ship.
"Normal Punch."
As Kai's Armament Haki-covered fist struck toward Jack with precision, he tilted his neck smoothly to dodge Jack's incoming counterattack.
After three months of relentless training, Kai had successfully mastered Armament Haki's coating, hardening, and emission techniques, could utilize Observation Haki at will, and could release targeted bursts of Conqueror's Haki.
Only those higher-level techniques remained completely beyond Kai's current grasp.
Kaido had proven remarkably generous with his instruction. Whether covering internal destruction, future sight, or advanced Conqueror's coating, he taught everything without reservation, truly living up to his reputation as "Teacher Kaido."
But even though he understood the fundamental principles, not knowing remained not knowing.
"Advanced Haki techniques cannot be mastered through instruction alone. Only by constantly battling powerful opponents and achieving complete mental and physical transformation can one grasp that crucial flash of insight."
Teacher Kaido had emphasized this point repeatedly.
This represented one of the primary reasons Kai had agreed to regular battles with Jack.
Even though Jack didn't apply tremendous pressure during their fights, accumulated over time, these experiences would become valuable parts of his combat foundation.