Onigashima – Beast Pirates Assembly
The great banquet hall of Onigashima trembled with energy.
"Big Sign, Shinto, Numbers... Tch. Practically every major name in the crew is here," Queen grumbled, taking a swig from his flask.
"This kind of gathering... it hasn't happened since the Paramount War against Whitebeard," Jack muttered, glancing around with a grim expression.
The towering figures of the Tobi Roppo, the monstrous Numbers, and the elite officers of the Beast Pirates filled the room. Tension buzzed in the air. Whispers ran through the ranks like wildfire.
"Queen, Jack... do you think Kaido plans to start a war with another Yonko again?" Sasaki muttered under his breath.
"Or is it the Marines this time?" Black Maria said, twirling her kiseru.
Jack glanced at Queen, then up toward the platform where King the Wildfire stood, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Just as Queen opened his mouth to reply, a deafening dragon's roar ripped through the sky.
"ROAAARRRRR!"
All heads turned skyward as a colossal Eastern-style azure dragon tore through the clouds, its massive shadow engulfing the island of Onigashima. The shockwave that followed was like a typhoon, blasting through the hall with hurricane force.
"Kaido-sama!" someone shouted.
Indeed, it was him—Kaido of the Beasts, in his full dragon form, circling above Onigashima like a god of destruction. But something was wrong—someone was riding on his head.
Jaws dropped.
Even King, the stoic right-hand man of Kaido, lowered his arms, eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"Who... is that?" King muttered, eyes fixed on the black-haired boy perched calmly atop Kaido's massive head.
It was unthinkable.
Kaido, the self-proclaimed "Strongest Creature in the World," wouldn't even let his own daughter Yamato defy him without punishment. Yet here he was, soaring proudly with a stranger seated atop him—like a steed submitting to a rider.
Shocked murmurs rippled through the crowd.
"Is that a kid?"
"No way—someone's sitting on Kaido's head?!"
The Tobi Roppo—Who's Who, Ulti, Page One, Black Maria, Sasaki, and X Drake—stood stunned, their usual arrogance overtaken by fear.
Ulti screamed, "THAT'S MY KAIDO-SAMA'S HEAD! WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?!"
As the wind howled, Kaido hovered in midair, his glowing yellow eyes rising slowly to glance at the figure seated atop him.
The boy didn't flinch. His black hair billowed in the wind, and his youthful face was calm—yet his eyes sparkled with raw ambition.
"It's mine," the boy whispered, gazing down at the legions of Beast Pirates below, voice steady. "All of it."
Kaido's dragon body trembled—not from anger, but from amusement.
"Hahahaha!" his booming laugh echoed through the skies. "You want it, brat? Then try and take it from me!"
That wasn't rage in Kaido's voice—it was excitement.
He stared at the boy like he'd found something—someone—worth betting on.
"If Joy Boy isn't me... maybe it's my child instead."
With a roar, Kaido dived, spiraling down toward the towering skull of Onigashima, landing with a crash atop one of its great horns.
"Are they all here?" he asked, eyes sweeping the sea of subordinates gathered before him.
"Except for those assigned to hold strategic positions across our territories, everyone else has gathered," said King the Wildfire, his arms crossed as his piercing eyes scanned the elite forces assembled before the throne.
As one of the Three Calamities—second only to Kaido himself—King's voice held undeniable authority.
Kaido, Emperor of the Sea and supreme commander of the Beasts Pirates, sat atop his skull-shaped throne, sake gourd in hand. Without any grandiose introduction or drawn-out speech, he spoke directly:
"Today, I have two announcements."
His deep, rumbling voice silenced the whispers among the Tobiroppo, Headliners, and Gifters present. Even Queen, ever the chatterbox, leaned forward with anticipation.
Kaido's lips curled into a grin.
"First… I want to introduce someone to you."
He turned slightly and raised his massive hand, gesturing upward.
"This is Ragnar… my son!"
A stunned silence spread like wildfire.
Shock flickered through the crowd—eyes widened, jaws slackened, and murmurs broke out across the hall.
Even the Tobiroppo, known for their ambition and arrogance, exchanged glances of disbelief.
"Kaido's son? Then… he's Yamato's younger brother?"
"Wait, does that mean he'll be next in line?"
"No wonder he was allowed to ride on Kaido-sama's head…!"
Among the Calamities, Queen and Jack looked at each other, surprise laced with cautious understanding. They knew better than most the stormy relationship between Kaido and Yamato—Yamato, who rejected Kaido's will and idolized Kozuki Oden.
Perhaps Kaido now sought an heir more loyal to his vision.
Still, this was unprecedented. Kaido, who prided strength above all else, had never once acknowledged a successor.
Yet the boy—no, the young man—perched calmly on his father's shoulder, unaffected by the overwhelming spiritual pressure in the room. The sneers, doubt, and ambition swirling around him did not so much as flicker across his face.
Only King, his expression stoic, seemed unsettled. Unlike the others, he didn't take this revelation at face value.
"Kaido wouldn't bring out his trump card for a mere formality," King thought. "There's more to this."
And he was right.
Kaido raised his gourd and drank deep before speaking again.
"My second announcement—"
A tremor ran through the crowd.
"—is about restructuring the crew's command hierarchy."
The murmuring intensified.
"From this day forward, I am creating a new title above the Lead Performers, Tobiroppo, Numbered, Gifters, Pleasures, and Waiters—"
"A title for one who will one day rule these seas!"
He slammed his kanabo into the ground, cracking the stone floor.
"True Lord (Shin-Ō)!"
The hall erupted in uproar.
"True Lord?!"
"That's a rank even higher than King?!"
"Is Kaido serious about making this kid his successor?!"
Kaido's eyes narrowed.
"Ragnar… is the True Lord of the Beasts Pirates!"