A single, cotton-candy-like cloud drifted through the endless azure sky. Nestled within it was a small, golden island. At the island's center, beside the massive Golden Bell, Kaido stared down at a newspaper delivered by a News Coo, letting out a heavy sigh.
The World Government's control over the flow of information was a strange and powerful thing. Three days had passed since the chaos on the Sabaody Archipelago, yet the newspapers were completely silent on the matter. There wasn't a single word about a Celestial Dragon being attacked, nor was there any mention of his own world-shaking appearance. Instead, every front page was plastered with news of "Straw Hat" Luffy, the so-called Son of Destiny, and his rampage at Enies Lobby.
"What's that?" Eneru asked, walking over to peer curiously at the bounty poster in Kaido's hand.
It was Hogback who answered, his tone dripping with eagerness to please. Ever since the incident at Sabaody, the disgraced doctor had been falling over himself to fawn over Kaido and Eneru.
"Eneru-sama, those are wanted posters! The Marines and the World Government of our Blue Sea issue them for pirates."
"Wanted posters?" Eneru repeated, intrigued.
"That's right," Hogback explained. "For most pirates, a higher bounty means a higher status in the world. It's a measure of their threat and infamy."
"Oh? Is a bounty of 300,000,000 Berries considered high?"
"For any normal pirate, it is an incredible amount. This 'Straw Hat' fellow is especially notorious for directly challenging the World Government," Hogback said, quickly adding, "However, it is nothing compared to Kaido-sama, of course."
"Oh? Then what is Kaido's bounty?"
Seeing that Kaido didn't object, Hogback puffed out his chest and announced the number with reverent excitement. "It is 4,611,100,000 Berries!"
Even though Eneru had expected an enormous figure, the number still managed to shock him. He turned his gaze on himself, a thoughtful look on his face. "If I were to get a bounty in the Blue Sea, how much do you think it would be?"
"This…?" Hogback hesitated, terrified of giving the wrong answer and displeasing the self-proclaimed god.
At that moment, Kaido spoke, his voice a low rumble. "With your Devil Fruit and powerful Observation Haki, you could easily get a bounty of 500,000,000 to 700,000,000 Berries right now. Once you master Armament Haki, it would likely rise to over a billion. None of my All-Stars have a bounty lower than that. And if you ever manage to master Conqueror's Haki… you could probably start at 1,500,000,000."
"Oh!" Eneru's eyes lit up with excitement. "Then I can't afford to waste any more time."
"Good," Kaido grunted. "How is your physical training coming along?"
Hearing the question, Eneru glanced at Hogback and clenched his fists. "This man may look pathetic, but he knows what he's doing. With his guidance these past few days, I can already feel my body getting stronger."
Hogback rubbed his hands together obsequiously. "It is my greatest honor to be of service to Eneru-sama!"
"You've done well," Kaido said. He wasn't one to hold back praise for a subordinate who proved their loyalty and competence. Hogback was, without a doubt, extremely capable. As a world-renowned genius surgeon, his understanding of the human body was second to none. He knew the most efficient and scientific methods to push a physique to its absolute limits. "Don't worry. As long as you continue to produce results, I won't be stingy with your reward."
Hogback bowed deeply, his voice trembling with excitement as he sought to prove his value further. "Thank you, Kaido-sama! I will not fail you! In fact, my success is also due to Eneru-sama's extraordinary natural talent. I have already discovered something remarkable about his body."
"Remarkable?" The word made both Kaido and Eneru pause.
"Yes," Hogback said, a showman's flair entering his voice. "During my years working for Moriah, I studied the corpses of countless life forms for his zombie army. In doing so, I discovered something incredible. Every living species in this world has a natural upper limit to their physical strength. Giants and Fish-Men are born stronger than humans; that is simply a fact of their biology. It led me to a theory: the truly powerful figures in this world, those who gain superhuman strength, must possess some kind of power within their bodies that ordinary people lack. I have not yet identified what that power is, but I am certain that Eneru-sama's body contains it."
Kaido's eyes narrowed. He didn't need Hogback to tell him this. The idea that bloodline didn't matter in this world was utter nonsense. Which of the monsters who stood at the peak of the world didn't possess a special lineage or some extraordinary inborn talent? Did Whitebeard and Big Mom have the bodies of normal humans? Was the "D" in the names of Roger, Garp, Dragon, and Luffy just a meaningless letter? Were the Three Admirals so powerful because of their Devil Fruits alone? Of course not. From his own Oni race to King's Lunarian heritage and Kuma's Buccaneer blood, power was so often a matter of birthright.
Eneru, meanwhile, grew even more excited. Hogback's theory was a perfect balm for his ego. He already knew he was special. How could a god possibly be an ordinary man?
"If that's the case," Kaido declared, "then after we return to Wano, I will provide you with all the research equipment and funding you could ever desire. I only want one thing in return: results."
"Rest assured, Kaido-sama!" Hogback proclaimed. "I will find the answer for you!"
Just as he finished speaking, the weather in the distant sky began to change. The sunny afternoon grew gloomy as dark clouds rolled in, and a powerful wind began to blow. Kaido and Hogback's expressions remained unchanged. They knew exactly what this meant. They had reached the Red Line.
Sure enough, a few moments later, an impossible sight appeared before Eneru's astonished eyes. A colossal, red-colored continent stretched across the horizon, soaring so high it pierced the clouds. It was like an impassable wall that split the entire world in two.
"What is that? An infinite land?" Eneru asked, his voice filled with awe.
"No, Eneru-sama," Hogback explained. "That is the Red Line. Once we cross over this continent, we will be in the New World."
"Oh." Eneru vaguely recalled Kaido telling him some of the world's basic geography. He looked down at the massive wall of earth, and his awe quickly turned to disappointment. "So this is the Red Line. It's ugly. Just a barren, red rock. And it smells like rotten eggs."
Kaido remained silent. He had crossed the Red Line countless times and was all too familiar with that smell.
Hogback explained, "That is the smell of sulfur, Eneru-sama."
"Sulfur?"
"Yes. While there is no definitive proof, it is said that the Red Line is red because its interior is made of uncooled magma."
"Magma?"
"Indeed," Hogback continued. "That is why, with the exception of the Holy Land Mary Geoise, the entire continent is barren. The sea only cooled the outer crust; molten rock still flows deep inside. In fact, Mary Geoise itself was once just as ugly as the rest of this, but the Celestial Dragons used countless slaves to build a garden in the sky..."
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