Chapter 28: Turning the World Upside Down! Let the Battle Begin!

You arrived so quickly? Brother Kaido, were you perhaps already on a business trip in the neighborhood?

I only just read in the newspapers that you were sent scurrying away in defeat by the hero Garp in another sea zone not long ago. Don’t you find it awkward, Brother Kaido, meeting a former friend while you’re in such a sorry state?

Roya sighed; it seemed there would be no easy way to leave today.

Stepping out of the carriage, Roya looked up at the monster peering down from the clouds and asked with mock ignorance, "Oh! Brother Kaido, that look really suits you. The Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon fruit—did Aunt Linlin give you the captain’s treasure? What was the price? You didn't give Aunt Linlin a child, did you?"

Barrett and Dylan followed him out of the carriage. Barrett, in particular, stared up at Kaido with extreme vigilance.

"Hmph, what stupid things are you spouting! I just owe Linlin a big favor."

Brother Kaido let out a cold snort, his body descending until he was hovering just a few dozen meters above the ground. For a creature hundreds of meters long, this was close enough that he could touch the earth just by lowering his head. He scrutinized Roya, whom he hadn't seen in six years.

Roya was now around one meter seventy, dressed in the fine finery of a noble, with a sword hanging at his waist. His black hair was slightly wavy, resting softly on his head. His skin was unnaturally fair, making him look as if he were glowing. He was quite handsome, and the natural upturn of his lips, combined with his perpetually curved eyes, made it seem as though he were always smiling.

"That’s truly a pity," Roya said with feigned regret. "I was quite looking forward to seeing how extraordinary a child who inherited both your bloodlines would be."

To be honest, if a child really were born with the blood of both Aunt Linlin and Brother Kaido, Monkey D. Luffy would surely be sweating, right?

"You brat, even after growing up, you still think of such nonsensical things." Brother Kaido snorted again. "I should have known you’d be here! This country full of wailing is your favorite kind of nest!"

"Honestly, Brother Kaido, don't make it sound like I’m some monster lurking in a cave waiting for a hero to come slay me," Roya complained. "If you have to call me something, I should be the Demon King, shouldn't I? And my dwelling shouldn't be a damp cave, but a glorious Demon King’s castle."

"Demon King?"

Kaido’s massive eyes shifted slightly, taking in the scene below. The hundred or so thralls with pitch-black eyes startled him slightly. He knew how picky Roya was; if his standards hadn't dropped over the years, every one of these thralls was no simple combatant.

Moreover, Kaido’s gaze locked onto Barrett behind Roya. This brat was also exuding an extraordinary aura.

Roya, after six years, truly had the air of a Demon King about him!

However, that only meant he had arrived at the right time! Greed flickered in Kaido’s eyes. If he could recruit this brat, his meager Beast Pirates would finally be able to take real shape! He had to hurry! Shiki and Linlin must be on their way, too; even Wang Zhi and Silver Axe might start making their moves.

Roya was just that popular. When he joined the Rocks Pirates, everyone knew he would eventually stand at the pinnacle of the seas. It was just that the brat was too cunning; he hadn't returned to Hachinosu six years ago, or the battle to claim him would have started long ago.

Kaido prepared to extend his invitation.

But, "Brother Kaido, you’ve arrived just in time!"

Roya looked up and said with a smile, "I was just about to start a war corporation. Since you like war so much, why don't you join me? We can grow the business together, reach new heights, and take our operations global!"

Kaido, who was still organizing his words, was genuinely choked up by Roya’s statement. It was completely upside down—he was the one who had come to recruit!

Roya knew his invitation was nonsense, but he knew exactly why Brother Kaido had come. He was here to freeload! Aside from Kaido himself, the current Beast Pirates were nothing but bottom-feeders; there wasn't a single All-Star or Flying Six among them. If Morgans wasn't a secret fan of Kaido, the current Beast Pirates wouldn't even have a single officer with a bounty over three hundred million.

There was no helping it; Uncle Shiki had been poaching too aggressively. Anyone with a bit of strength looking to climb the ladder had gone to join him. To put it bluntly, the current Beast Pirates were inferior to his own army of thralls!

All he could think was: *Brother Kaido, you’d be better off heading back early to help give birth to my big niece. I wouldn't mind calling you 'father-in-law' then—who could say no to a white-haired, tomboyish powerhouse? As for anything else, don't even think about it.*

"I’m not interested in your business!" Brother Kaido clearly didn't grasp Roya’s high-level social maneuvering and said bluntly, "Join my Beast Pirates, Roya! If you and I join forces, surpassing the prime Rocks Pirates will be a piece of cake!"

"Sigh."

Roya sighed. *Brother Kaido, why is your emotional intelligence so low? I already told you I have my own career to run; how can you still have the nerve to spout such nonsense?*

"Sorry, Brother Kaido!" Roya said with righteous sternness. "Only the captain is worthy of being my captain! The day the captain died, I decided I would no longer be a pirate!"

Upon hearing this, even a man like Kaido couldn't help but roll his eyes. *Weren't you the first one to run away at God Valley, you little brat?* And he hadn't even returned to Hachinosu afterward; he had packed his bags and prepared to bolt early on.

Still, he understood what Roya meant.

"So, brat," Brother Kaido’s eyes turned malicious, "are you refusing me?"

*Woom!!*

A violent aura descended like a tsunami. The earth trembled, and Roya’s pirates—no, his employees—began to foam at the mouth and pass out one by one. The thralls were unharmed; since they lacked their own wills, they couldn't lose consciousness. Even Barrett’s eyes widened. *Just like Lord Roya!*

Roya shook his head helplessly. He knew this would happen; Brother Kaido was the type to fly into a rage at the slightest opposition.

"Yes," he said.

*Boom!!*

Black lightning instantly erupted from Roya’s body, radiating outward like bared fangs and claws. Two massive surges of Conqueror’s Haki collided instantly, the clash of wills sparking countless bolts of lightning. The air vibrated, and the earth shattered. Dylan couldn't help but stagger backward; even he couldn't ignore a clash of Conqueror’s Haki of this magnitude.

"What?" Brother Kaido was shocked. *This level of Conqueror’s Haki! This brat!*

"I’m really no match for you, Brother Kaido. At this level of Conqueror’s Haki, you are indeed stronger." Roya praised him with genuine sincerity. The strength of Conqueror’s Haki depended solely on the user’s own power. Brother Kaido was still strong.

However, it was not an unattainable level of strength. If Uncle Shiki or Aunt Linlin had come, Roya might have made a different decision. But the twenty-seven-year-old Brother Kaido was different. Brother Kaido’s strength was right there within reach.

"Uro-ro-ro-ro! Interesting! Then let me see it—the confidence you have to refuse me!"

The giant dragon inhaled.

"Bolo Breath!"

*Oh?* Wanting to play with fire in front of him?