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A lonely, wind-battered island.
Dracule Mihawk sat quietly in front of a rough wooden hut, polishing the black blade Yoru.A newspaper lay tossed beside him. On the front page, the number "3,000,000,000" stood out like a wound, along with the name "Demon Child Dan."
There was no fear in those sharp, hawk-like eyes—only a faint glint of excitement, the thrill of finding a worthy opponent.
"Kaido's son, huh…"
He muttered under his breath, the corner of his mouth curving just slightly.
"Interesting… To think he pushed those two that far.""Three billion… The Navy's being generous."
Mihawk took a long drink from his wine bottle, his gaze drifting toward the horizon, as if waiting for something—or someone.
Amazon Lily, the island of women.
"Three billion?!"
The beautiful Empress Boa Hancock stared at the newspaper, her flawless face frozen in shock. For once, even her usual arrogance seemed to crumble.
"A… a toddler in open-crotch pants?!"
Behind her, the Kuja warriors looked equally stunned, whispering among themselves.
"He defeated both Doflamingo and Tesoro working together?""No way! That's impossible!"
Hancock abruptly rose to her feet and stormed out of the palace.
"L–Lady Hancock! Where are you going?""To train!"
Clearly, the Empress had been deeply rattled.If she didn't start training right away… she might not even be able to beat that diaper-wearing brat next time!
A secret revolutionary base.
Monkey D. Dragon, Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army, stared quietly at the intel in his hands.
"Demon Child Dan… three billion…"
Beside him, Chief of Staff Sabo whistled low.
"That kid's insane! One year old and already has a bounty of three billion?! If this wasn't confirmed, I'd think it was some kind of joke!"
Dragon's expression didn't change.
"Kaido's son… of the Beasts Pirates…"
After a brief silence, he said calmly:
"Koala, keep a close watch on that boy's movements.""Yes, Dragon!"
Somewhere in the sea, aboard a shabby little raft.
"Zehahahahaha!"
Marshall D. Teach—Blackbeard—laughed loudly, bits of cherry pie flying from his mouth as he tore into another slice.
Scattered across the deck were several copies of the latest newspaper.
"Hey, is what this says actually real?"
Sniper Van Augur tilted his hat, disbelief in his tone. The article about Dan was absurd: a toddler with a three-billion bounty who had beaten two Warlords.
It sounded like the setup to a bad joke.
"Cough… cough…"
Doc Q, looking like death warmed over, spoke weakly from atop his equally sickly horse, Stronger.
"Rumors like that… cough… probably just the Navy exaggerating things to… cough… scare pirates."
"Mmmhehehe… wouldn't be the first time," drawled helmsman Lafitte, tapping his cane on the deck with an eerie smile.
Only Jesus Burgess, the fighting champion, wasn't laughing. His face was pale, sweat pouring down his forehead. His body trembled slightly.
"N–No… it's not fake…"
His voice shook with pure fear.
"That monster… is absolutely real!"
"Burgess, what's with you today? You scared or something?"
Van Augur frowned.
"You actually know this Demon Child Dan?"
"Know him? He almost killed me!" Burgess blurted."When me and the captain escaped Whitebeard's territory in the New World, it was him! That brat nearly wiped us both out!"
"What?!"
Van Augur, Doc Q, and Lafitte all froze. Their eyes darted toward Blackbeard.
Teach's grin faltered. He set down his pie, scratching the gap in his teeth with a thick finger before forcing a strained laugh.
"Zehahaha… that brat's got some skills, I'll give him that…"
A shadow of unease flickered in his eyes.
"If I hadn't run when I did… well… heh."
He didn't finish the sentence—but he didn't have to.Everyone got the message.
If even their captain admitted he barely got away, that kid was no joke.
If Dan kept growing like that… what kind of monster would he become?
"But it doesn't matter."
Teach's grin widened again, black smoke curling around his hand.
"Once my plan's complete, forget Dan—even Kaido, Whitebeard, Red-Hair… they'll all be beneath me! Zehahahaha!"
The rest of the crew, reassured by his confidence, broke into grins of their own.
After all, if Blackbeard's plan worked, they wouldn't just be pirates.They'd be gods among men.
On Onigashima, inside Kaido's fortress.
"Worororororororo—!!!"
Kaido's booming laughter shook the entire island.
He held the latest newspaper in one hand, while his massive club, the Hassaikai, lay forgotten on the floor.
"Three billion! My son! Three billion berries!"
He roared to the heavens, overflowing with pride and delight.
"And that bastard Tesoro! Paid up his full hundred billion! Not a single berry short! Wororororo!"
Below the throne, mountains of golden boxes gleamed, coins spilling out in blinding waves of light.
The Golden Emperor's compensation money.
Kaido had fought a thousand battles in his life—but never had he felt this happy.
He'd hit the jackpot!
This foster son of his, Dan, wasn't just a prodigy—he was a miracle.
"Dan! My good boy!"
Kaido scooped up the yawning toddler floating in midair and rubbed his rough cheek against the boy's soft face.
"Wororororo! Tell me—what reward do you want? Anything! If your old man has it, it's yours!"
Everyone in the great hall—King, Queen, Jack, the Tobiroppo—wore matching proud smiles.
Young Master Dan had brought unparalleled glory to the Beasts Pirates!
Dan squirmed in discomfort, frowning as Kaido's bristles tickled his face.
He pushed the giant away with his chubby hand, then turned his round, black eyes up at him.
"Eeya."
He pointed toward the open sky.
"Hmm? You wanna go outside and play?" Kaido asked.
Dan shook his head.
Then he raised four fingers… and bumped his tiny fists together.
"Eeya."
King was the first to realize it, eyes widening behind his mask.
"He means… the Four Emperors?"
Queen nearly dropped his cigar.
"No way… you don't mean just to meet them, right?"
Jack swallowed hard, watching the eager gleam in Dan's eyes.
"I–I think Young Master Dan wants to fight the other Emperors…"
The hall fell silent.
Utterly, completely silent.
Every Beast Pirate stared in shock, jaws hanging open.
Fight the other Four Emperors?!
The kid was barely a year old!
Sure, he was terrifyingly strong—but those were the Emperors! The absolute rulers of the New World!
Kaido blinked, then suddenly burst out laughing again, louder than ever.
"Wororororororo—!!! That's my boy! You've got guts!"
He lifted Dan high above his head.
"Alright then! If that's what you want, your old man will take you there himself!"
His grin widened, feral and proud.
"I heard Red-Hair Shanks and that old man Whitebeard are meeting soon anyway. Perfect timing! I'll take you to see for yourself—just how wide the gap really is between those old fools and your father!"
"..."
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