On Golden Island, the Hell Pirates watched the chaos below with amusement.
The ship's doctor, Crocus, and sniper, Hiruba, didn't expect Iron Shield City to have tranquilizer guns. They had just developed a new type of tranquilizer bullet recently themselves.
However, the ones being used down below were syringe-based tranquilizer guns—not as powerful or long-range as their bullets. They could only be fired at close distances, with an effective range of just a few dozen meters.
"Vegapunk, can you invent a seastone net launcher that works like a gun? This iron net seems pretty effective!" Brook suggested as he saw Kaido being pinned down by 40 to 50 soldiers using a heavy iron net.
Brook was thinking of a net gun—known by many names like explosion-proof net gun, capture net, net shooter... If they mixed in seastone powder, it could work wonders. Catching Devil Fruit users might be as easy as catching Pokémon.
"Of course, Captain Brook. That's a creative idea. Give me a week—I should be able to come up with something!" Vegapunk adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, a confident gleam in his eyes. It was a simple gadget. The only technical hurdle was figuring out how to combine seastone powder with the iron mesh.
"Perfect. I'm looking forward to your work!" Brook said, smiling with satisfaction. With a genius like Vegapunk on the team, many of his crazy ideas could be realized. He had both money and brains—he'd be wasting it if he didn't launch a tech revolution.
Down below, the adjutant of Iron Shield City realized the tranquilizer gun couldn't pierce the Bull Horn Warrior's skin. That was their biggest failure. Even after the tranquilizer bottle exploded, Kaido—who had been breathing it in for quite a while—was still standing strong.
What the hell kind of monster is this kid? Is he built different? Did he max out every kind of resistance?
Time passed, and the anesthetic gas finally started taking effect. At least Kaido's roars were quieter now, and his struggles were slowing down.
More and more soldiers joined in, dragging and pressing down on the iron net. By now, hundreds of them were trying to hold him down. The strength of that iron net was beyond what Brook and the others expected.
Kaido couldn't break through it. If he had a sword, maybe he could slice his way out—but using just a mace wasn't working.
"Brother Brook, go save him already. We all saw what he's capable of. He's gotta be at his limit. The kid's only eight years old and he's already taking on hundreds of elite warriors. That's top-tier talent!" Whitebeard said with admiration.
Even he didn't think he had that kind of power at eight. Maybe only Big Mom could compare. Fisher Tiger, standing nearby, had already accepted defeat. He could only take on a dozen fish-men at most back on Fishman Street—Kaido's raw power was on another level.
"No, no, no... it's not over yet!" Brook replied confidently. "I can still sense massive vitality in him!"
Brook had used Observation Haki to detect Kaido's life force—it was overflowing. He showed no signs of weakening.
As if on cue, Kaido let out another furious roar. The anesthetic seemed to have done nothing. With bloodshot eyes, his body pulsing with veins, Kaido turned red-hot. White steam rose from his body, and with a roar, he threw off the hundred-plus soldiers holding the iron net like they were rag dolls.
Kaido broke free, grabbed his mace, and made a dash for the city gate. He was panting now—clearly that last burst of strength drained a lot out of him.
Seeing this terrifying little monster about to escape, Count Iron Shield realized he had to act. He didn't know what Golden Island's intentions were, but if he let Kaido go now, his reputation would take a massive hit.
He leapt off the city wall and landed in front of Kaido, blocking his escape. With one powerful kick, he launched Kaido back, smashing him into a wall and burying him in rubble.
The soldiers erupted in cheers. The Count had finally made his move! As expected of the strongest man in the Kingdom of Valoran—he took down a monster with one hit.
Back on Golden Island, the Hell Pirates' expressions changed. Their future crewmate had just been laid out. Still, none of them were too worried. Their Observation Haki told them Kaido was still alive.
"Brother Brook! I'm going down first!!" Shiki the Golden Lion shouted before flying down. No one could mess with a future member of the Hell Pirates and get away with it.
As Count Iron Shield moved in to finish off Kaido, a golden, domineering figure descended from the sky—Shiki the Golden Lion.
Count Iron Shield froze, stepping back in shock. Were the Hell Pirates finally about to take action?
Has my idiot son arrived yet?! Damn it!
Shiki the Golden Lion—bounty 800 million berries—was a nightmare-tier pirate in the New World. Not even a Vice Admiral could stop him. You'd need an Admiral to even have a chance.
Count Iron Shield broke into a cold sweat. He'd already sent word to his son to bring the mermaid and had also contacted the Navy. After all, his kingdom was part of the World Government, so they had a right to protection.
The World Government wouldn't interfere in wars between its own member states. That's why when Valoran and Vodka went to war, nobody showed up to mediate. But if pirates or outsiders attacked, then the Navy had full authority to respond.
Now, seeing Shiki landing in front of him, Count Iron Shield didn't dare meet his eyes. If it had been rookie pirates from the Grand Line, he'd make sure they came in vertically and left horizontally.
"I wonder what business Lord Shiki has in Iron Shield City?" the Count asked cautiously.
He played dumb, pretending he didn't know his son had bought a mermaid. If Shiki really wasn't here for the mermaid, admitting it would be like handing him an excuse to start a massacre.
What if the two Fish-Men in the Hell Pirates heard about it? They'd tear him apart.
He wasn't stupid enough to mention the World Government either. Naval protection was great on paper, but it wasn't going to stop a pirate standing right in front of you.
"Hahahaha! We're just here to pick up our new crewmate—but looks like you just beat the hell outta him!!"
Shiki landed near the rubble and casually waved his hand. All the debris floated up, revealing a coughing Kaido underneath.
The crowd gasped in awe.
Count Iron Shield's eyes widened. He turned pale—not because of Shiki's devil fruit power, but because he finally realized something...
The Hell Pirates weren't here for the mermaid.
They were here... for that bull-horned monster.
Which meant...
If he told his son to bring over the mermaid now, wouldn't that just be giving the Hell Pirates a reason to kill him?
---------------
At this moment, Count Iron Shield wanted to curse out loud. If he made it out alive, he swore he'd kill that idiotic staff officer. Damn it, the Hell Pirates were targeting them just because of a mermaid!
Now, he was praying that his son would mess up again and fail to deliver the mermaid. He even hoped the brat would fall in love, run off with the mermaid, and never return—anything but bring her here.
But first, he had to act fast. He needed a reason to slip away and stop his son, or at least find a way to have the Hell Pirates take this bull-horned warrior and leave.
"Ah, so this wise and brave warrior who looks like a god is one of your crew members? I truly didn't recognize him—my sincerest apologies! I'll have a doctor and medical supplies brought here immediately!"
Count Iron Shield tried to use this excuse to step away and call his bastard son—tell him to turn back, now.
Shiki the Golden Lion was surprised at Count Iron Shield's quick apology. He was planning to beat the guy down, but the count seemed genuinely terrified of the Hell Pirates.
Besides, the Hell Pirates didn't even know Kaido yet, and Kaido was invading other nations. Killing a local noble who was just defending his land and actually cooperating with them? That'd be going too far.
Kaido, buried under rubble, felt the weight lift off him and paused his escape. His momentum to break free halted mid-burst.
He saw a tall, golden-haired man, biting a cigar. Did someone just save me...?
As Count Iron Shield hurried off, Shiki didn't bother stopping him. After all, the guy was just a sensible noble doing what he had to do.
"Hey, kid. You dead or what?"
Shiki looked at Kaido, who was panting heavily. He frowned and tossed over a bottle of bright green liquid labeled Lab Brand Healing Potion.
"Drink that. It'll patch you up."
"…Who the hell are you?"
Kaido grabbed the potion, still suspicious. He didn't know this guy at all—but whatever. Poison or not, he wasn't scared. He downed it in one gulp.
As soon as the healing potion hit his throat, a refreshing coolness spread through his body, and the exhaustion from earlier started to ease up.
"Hahaha~ I'm the top officer of the Hell Pirates. The overlord of the New World. Shiki the Golden Lion. Bounty: 800 million berries!
Hey kid, wanna join us? You can eat whatever you want, as much as you want—we've got the money. See that golden island in the sky? That's ours. We've got power, we've got strength. Someone like you would still be low-rank!"
Shiki knew exactly how to tempt a monster kid like Kaido—with food, treasure, and the thrill of challenging the strong.
"Low-rank?! You think I'm weak?! I'm the strongest in the entire barracks!"
Kaido grabbed his mace and stood up, glaring at Shiki. Sure, he liked the idea of food and wealth, but calling him weak? Hell no!
"Hahaha~ Come on then. Show me. I won't even draw my swords."
Shiki casually twirled his dual blades, Oto and Kogarashi, before pointing one finger at Kaido and beckoning him with a smirk.
"Bastard! Even if you saved me—I'll still beat your ass!!"
Kaido couldn't take the insult anymore. He charged forward with a roar, swinging his mace.
But Shiki just grinned. His hand glowed with a pinkish energy, and he caught the mace mid-swing. With a light squeeze, Kaido's weapon shattered like tofu.
Then, with one smooth motion, Shiki flicked Kaido's chin and casually kicked him back into the rubble.
Kaido stared in shock.
He's strong. Stronger than anyone I've ever seen… This... This is the kind of strength I want!
"Hey kid, interested now?"
Shiki blew out a smoke ring. "Otherwise, you'll just die here like trash—before you even see the real world. Dying to the weak? That's just pathetic."
He looked so cool in that moment, he felt like Moore should snap a photo and slap it on the front page of tomorrow's headlines.
At that moment, Brook and the others jumped down from the floating ship, surrounding Kaido, who was still stunned. For a kid like him, a few more beatings might be the best education.
"Kaido," Brook said, stepping forward. "I'm Brook. I officially invite you to join the Hell Pirates as a trainee. You'll have food, shelter, and strength. What do you say?"
Brook extended his cold hand. The other crewmates stared at Kaido—ready to make sashimi out of him if he refused.
Kaido could feel it. These guys were on a whole different level. Every cell in his body was screaming, warning him of their power.
Gulp. Even Kaido, fearless as he was, swallowed hard.
He slowly reached out and grabbed Brook's hand.
Just like that, Kaido officially joined the Hell Pirates—as a trainee.
"Captain Brook~"
The three-meter-tall Kaido was effortlessly picked up by Brook, who was 2.7 meters himself. Brook looked at the young monster and thought, This one's gonna need a lot of discipline.
Four Emperors Character Cards
Collect all four—get a bonus one!
---
Meanwhile, Count Iron Shield was losing his mind. He couldn't get through to his idiotic son, and his anxiety was climbing fast.
Then, the sound of carriage wheels thundered in.
"Father, stop rushing me! I'm here! I brought the mermaid, safe and sound!!!"
Viscount Nass was all smiles. He'd made it within the hour and was proud of it. His voice was so loud, even the Fishmen—Tom and Tiger—snapped their heads around at once.
Fishmen like them were extremely sensitive to words like "mermaid" and "slave." Too many of their kind had suffered—too many tragedies.
Count Iron Shield's face turned green. He wanted to slap his dumb son to death.
It's over. We're screwed.
Why the hell did the idiot have to yell it out loud?! Was he trying to die?!
Brook's eyes also shifted in that direction. His excitement from recruiting Kaido immediately faded. He could hear Tom and Tiger's breathing—uneven, anxious.
Normally, he wouldn't interfere in something like this.
But this wasn't a normal situation.
There were Hell Pirates crew members involved.
And Tom and Tiger were part of his family now.
Not to mention, Brook had big plans. Fishman Island was one of their future territories. They even planned to move two of the Poneglyphs from there.
There was no way he could ignore this. No way he'd let some noble scumbag trade a mermaid right in front of his crew.
Count Iron Shield felt their eyes—those deadly, dangerous eyes—and his heart nearly stopped beating.
"You… You're not my son. As of today, I cut all ties with you. I have nothing more to do with you!!!"
(TL: yo, that's fast shhahahah)
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