Kaido, no, it's Kaido now.
As someone who had read various web novels, when he found out that he had actually transmigrated into Kaido, his first reaction was naturally excitement.
After all, he was at the bottom of society in his previous life, and being able to transmigrate into a familiar two-dimensional world, having a new life, and directly becoming a big shot like Kaido of the Beasts, was a cause for celebration no matter how you looked at it.
But soon, he couldn't get excited anymore.
Because he confirmed one thing through the memories and his understanding of this world.
That is, the current timeline he was in might just be the beginning of the plot.
And based on the fact that he couldn't find Monkey D. Luffy's name in the East Blue's bounties and Crocodile was still alive and well, he judged that Luffy might have just set sail and was still wandering in the East Blue.
In other words, he only had at most three years before he would become Young Master Joy Boy's defeated subordinate and completely exit the stage.
This was, of course, unacceptable!
Could all of this be prevented!?
Kaido thought for a long time but found that he seemed to have no solution.
First of all, his hostile relationship with Luffy was almost irreconcilable; even if they didn't know each other now, they would definitely become enemies in the future.
This was not only because Kaido occupied Wano Country, but also because Kaido held the red road poneglyph that Luffy needed to become the Pirate King.
So, did the current Kaido have the confidence to defeat Luffy head-on?
It was regrettable that, although he had completely merged with Kaido after transmigrating, inheriting all his power and memories, thinking of the Nika Fruit he was about to face, its unreasonable abilities, and infinite sit-ups, he still had no confidence in achieving victory.
More importantly, who knew if, because of his appearance, the Pirate King's version would suddenly update again, bringing something like a Martial Spirit Awakening, in which case he would still only be able to cover his face and weep.
As for secretly eliminating Luffy while he hadn't grown up yet, it seemed like a good idea, but Kaido thought about it and then gave up, because if he did that, he would only die faster.
At that time, the enemies he would face would not only be the Straw Hat Pirates, but also the Red Hair Pirates, the Revolutionary Army, the Whitebeard Pirates, Marine Hero Garp, and Dark King Rayleigh.
Moreover, both the transmigrator's self-esteem and his pride as a Four Emperors made it impossible for the current Kaido to do such a despicable thing.
Finally, what was most despairing was that, as the strongest creature on this vast sea, a Four Emperors of the New World, the ceiling of pirate powerhouses, Kaido's current various strengths, whether it was his physique, Haki, or Devil Fruit, had already reached the limit of this world's ceiling.
It would be difficult for Kaido to make further progress through his own cultivation.
Difficult!!!
This summary made Kaido feel desperate.
Would he really only be a stepping stone for Luffy to ascend to the Emperor of the Sea in the future?
But just as Kaido felt that his future was bleak, a spark of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind...
That is, if the power under the rules of the Pirate King world could not defeat Luffy, who was the Son of Destiny, then what about the power under the rules of other worlds?
This had to start before Kaido transmigrated.
Before transmigrating, he was just an ordinary office worker on Earth.
He once believed that money was the most important thing in life, and there was nothing in this world that money couldn't buy.
With money, one could get everything.
But after that special year, his thoughts completely changed.
What ranked first in his life changed from money to health.
However, as an office worker, he really didn't have the energy, money, or time for exercise and fitness.
So, he set his sights on some relatively gentle exercises that could be done at home, including some rather mystical Taoist Qi cultivation methods.
Of course, the result was that nothing was cultivated, and it was impossible to truly cultivate any results.
However, it was different now.
Even transmigration could happen.
With no hope of defeating the Son of Destiny, it wouldn't hurt to try these former cultivation methods.
This was originally just his last struggle when he saw no hope.
But unexpectedly, this struggle, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate, brought him hope.
Yes, he succeeded in his attempt; he actually cultivated it.
This cultivation method was called: "Greater and Lesser Heavenly Cycle Self-Rotation Method!"
This was one of the cultivation methods he found online in his previous life, the kind that was common, because it was the most basic Taoist cultivation method, so how to cultivate it was explained in great detail.
This cultivation method was completely different from the cultivation methods of Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and Core Formation that we are familiar with in xianxia novels.
Because the real world does not have spiritual energy.
Perhaps, it was precisely because of this that this cultivation method could be cultivated in this world of Pirate King.
Because the world of Pirate King obviously couldn't have spiritual energy.
This cultivation method was divided into three advancements: Refining Essence to Transform Qi, Refining Qi to Transform Spirit, and Refining Spirit to Return to Void.
The 'essence' here does not refer to the commonly understood essence, but rather the acquired energy within an ordinary human body, based on the existence of matter, including the human body and energy obtained from grains, water, air, the sun, etc.
The 'qi' here is also not spiritual energy, and certainly not the air we breathe, but a kind of fundamental life force, which is easier to understand with another character: 'Qi' (Jing).
As for'spirit,' it is not the primordial spirit we imagine, but a non-material existence, similar to mind, will, or soul.
Therefore, Refining Essence to Transform Qi refers to the cultivation method operating within the Lesser Heavenly Cycle, emphasizing the refinement of the acquired energy within the cultivator's body into the innate primordial 'Qi'. This 'Qi' can strengthen the body, eliminate various diseases, and consolidate the foundation.
Refining Qi to Transform Spirit is the method of operation within the Greater Heavenly Cycle, emphasizing the combined refinement of the innate primordial 'Qi' cultivated by the practitioner and the practitioner's'spirit'. This can strengthen mental power or the power of the soul, enhancing the power of non-material existence, such as mental power, will, soul power, and so on.
Finally, Refining Spirit to Return to Void is the combined cultivation of essence, qi, and spirit, which is the so-called 'Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown', where the Greater and Lesser Heavenly Cycles run automatically, allowing the cultivator to reach a state of complete perfection of essence, qi, and spirit, like a perfect circle, which is 'returning to void', returning to the Great Dao, and becoming what people call: an Immortal.
Of course, Kaido didn't even think about becoming an immortal; what Kaido hoped for now was that this cultivation method could help him defeat the Son of Destiny in this world, the Nika Fruit user: Young Master Joy Boy.
Therefore, during these three months, Kaido familiarized himself with the body's power on this island while cultivating this immortal cultivation method.
The result was surprising!
It was unclear whether it was because of the fusion of the two souls after transmigration, or because Kaido's physical body had already reached an extremely powerful realm, or perhaps Haki and Devil Fruit were originally a type of energy.
When Kaido cultivated for the first time, he easily entered the Refining Essence to Transform Qi stage, gaining the legendary 'Qi sense' and feeling the existence of 'Qi' within his body.
The effects were obvious.
First, during these three months, although his human form didn't change much, the giant dragon form in his Devil Fruit state underwent a drastic transformation, almost growing a circle larger every day, and his strength also increased significantly.
Secondly, under the nourishment of 'Qi', he clearly felt his body becoming younger.
One must know that Kaido was already 57 years old, and the problem of aging, which every life must encounter, had begun to trouble him.
In addition, the old injuries from years of pirate battles also began to slowly recover.
The most obvious was the pain from the severe wound on his right abdomen, left by Kozuki Oden's Oden Two-Sword Style: Paradise Totsuka, which was becoming increasingly faint.
Finally, he felt that his Haki had also undergone some kind of change.
Besides the breakthrough in Observation Haki, Kaido felt that his Haki was no longer as sharp and fierce as before, nor was it invincible.
Instead, after being refined, it began to have a feeling of returning to simplicity and great skill appearing clumsy, making it easier for him to use Haki, and it seemed to have a stronger suppression effect on Devil Fruit abilities.
These changes completely gave Kaido the confidence to face the destiny that was about to arrive.
"Hmph, I don't care if you, Luffy, are the Son of Destiny, the protagonist, or Joy Boy reincarnated.
Since I am now Kaido and possess this power that does not belong to this sea, there can only be one protagonist in this world, and that is me!!!"
"Worororo..."
As his words fell, amidst hearty laughter, Kaido transformed into a giant dragon, stepping on flame clouds, and headed towards Wano Country...