"Wororororo!" Kaido's booming laugh echoed through the burning halls of Punk Hazard. "Lei Luo, you're one crazy bastard!"
The duo swaggered into the laboratory where King—er, soon-to-be-King—was being tortured. Vegapunk might've skipped town, but the sadistic experiments didn't take a coffee break. A machine was running a "durability test" on the poor guy, which was fancy talk for roasting him alive in a custom-made inferno.
From the flames came King's furious roars, dripping with pain and rage. "Let me OUT! What did we ever do to you? This is BULLSHIT! I'll burn you ALL to ashes!"
Lei Luo casually strolled over and smashed the machine to bits. The flames died down, smoke cleared, and there he was—a teenager with white hair, dark skin, black wings, and a wicked floral tattoo around his left eye, looking like he'd just been through the world's worst barbecue.
"Who… the hell are you guys?" King rasped, his voice weak but his eyes sharp, sizing up the intruders.
Kaido pointed a thumb at himself, grinning like a shark. "Me? I'm a pirate!"
Lei Luo nodded, cool as a cucumber. "Yup, same here."
King blinked, dumbfounded. That big horned dude says he's a pirate? Fine, I buy it. But you, pretty boy in the shiny Navy uniform? You're pulling my wing.
Kaido's eyes lit up as he clocked King's features. "Well, damn! No wonder the World Government's got you on lockdown. You're a Lunarian, aren't you? Surviving that kind of fire? Not bad, kid. Not bad at all."
King's temper flared. He tried to lunge up, but the handcuffs chaining him to the table clanged loudly. "What, you gonna say 'not bad for a legendary race'? You here to treat me like a lab rat, too?"
Before anyone could answer, heavy boots thundered closer. A Navy Rear Admiral—some no-name with a serious chip on his shoulder—stormed in with a posse of grunts. Spotting Lei Luo, he went full Karen. "Rear Admiral Lei Luo! What the HELL are you doing? Kaido's a critical test subject!"
Lei Luo turned, flashing a grin that screamed trouble. "Oh, you finally noticed? Took you long enough."
Kaido smirked, nudging Lei Luo. "Your Navy buddies, huh?"
Lei Luo shrugged. "Eh, randos. Don't care."
And he didn't. Lei Luo hadn't been at Punk Hazard long enough to make friends, and this guy? Total NPC energy. Probably pissed that Lei Luo, a kid half his age, snagged the same rank after two years while he'd been stuck there forever. The dude had been throwing shade left and right—petty jabs, snarky comments, the works. Too dumb to realize Lei Luo's potential was way out of his league. Lei Luo barely noticed him; he was too busy plotting world domination (or at least potato domination).
Kaido's grin turned downright feral. "So, no problem if I squash 'em all, right?"
Lei Luo waved a hand. "Knock yourself out."
"Wororororo!" Kaido charged into the Navy goons like a bull in a china shop, fists flying and bodies dropping.
Lei Luo turned back to King, swinging his halberd to slice through the cuffs like they were butter. "We're bailing this joint and starting a pirate crew. You in, lab rat?"
Before King could respond, Kaido—mid-punch, sending sailors flying—bellowed, "This world's boring as hell! Make it fun, kid! What's your choice?"
Lei Luo rolled his eyes. Really, Kaido? Stealing my line? I already hit you with that one, dude.
King's gaze flicked between the two, his voice shaky but hopeful. "Can you… really change the world?"
Lei Luo nodded, dead serious. "He can."
Truth be told, Lei Luo didn't give a rat's ass about changing the world. That was just a juicy carrot he dangled for Kaido. Potatoes were his real endgame.
Kaido shot Lei Luo a surprised look. This guy's got that much faith in me?
"Gotcha, Kaido!" A Navy grunt seized the moment, leaping high with an axe aimed at Kaido's skull.
CLANG! Sparks flew as the axe shattered against Kaido's head, leaving him unscathed. Without even glancing, Kaido swatted the guy, and his head exploded like a watermelon at a Gallagher show.
"Wororororo!" Kaido roared with laughter. "That's right! I'm the ONLY one who can shake up this world!"
King watched these two wild, unhinged, yet stupidly confident guys. Something inside him—a spark long buried under pain and rage—ignited. Struggling to his feet, his eyes burned with resolve. "Fine. I'm in."
The lab's alarms blared like a heavy metal concert. More Navy grunts swarmed toward them. The no-name Rear Admiral was still yapping. "Lei Luo, you're DONE! I reported you to Navy HQ for torching the lab and freeing the test subjects!"
Lei Luo's pupils narrowed into sharp, vertical slits. In a blink, he was gone. The next instant, his halberd pierced straight through the Rear Admiral's chest.
Blood sprayed from the man's mouth as he gawked at the weapon impaling him. "Impossible! We're both Rear Admirals! How's the gap this huge?!"
Lei Luo slowly withdrew his halberd, smirking. "You're a Rear Admiral because that's your ceiling. I'm a Rear Admiral because I chose to be."
The NPC Rear Admiral collapsed, eyes wide in disbelief, probably regretting his life choices.
As more Navy goons closed in, Lei Luo unleashed his Conqueror's Haki. A terrifying aura swept across the island, dark red lightning crackling in the air. The Navy grunts didn't stand a chance—foaming at the mouth, they dropped like flies.
Yeah, Lei Luo had Conqueror's Haki. And it was… let's say, uniquely awakened. The moment he realized he was in the One Piece world, his burning hatred and unshakable resolve to rule Wano triggered it. Even he was like, "Holy crap, that worked?!"
Kaido stared, jaw practically on the floor. This kid not only one-shotted another Rear Admiral but had Conqueror's Haki? Who is this guy?
"Let's move," Lei Luo said, dragging his halberd. "Navy HQ's backup will be a pain if they show up."
Kaido grinned, catching on. "Heh, fair. Can't change the world if we're stuck here." He glanced back at King. "C'mon, kid."
King—still weak but determined—hurried after them.
"Oh, by the way," Kaido said, turning to King. "What's your name?"
"Abel," King replied, face blank.
Kaido chuckled. "From now on, you're 'King.'"
"King?" he echoed, testing the name.
Lei Luo, leading the pack, called back, "You're under our protection now, King. No one's touching you. From today, you're the third member of our pirate crew."