With Kaido's retreat, the forward defensive lines under his command collapsed instantly, and the Marines' advance became unstoppable. In just a few days, countless pirates were surrounded and wiped out, and nearly half of Kaido's territory in front of Wano fell.
All the pirates of the New World were shaken.
No one knew what had happened.
* * *
New World, Wano Country.
Onigashima, inside the main hall.
Glug, glug, glug…
The sound of heavy drinking echoed as Kaido sat on the ground with his face flushed from drunkenness, his mind seemingly clouded. He casually threw aside an empty wine jar, then grabbed another full one, and from time to time, he even broke into loud sobs.
The once spacious hall was now filled with piles of empty jars. Pirates hurried back and forth, bringing in carts of fresh alcohol and carrying out the empties, yet even so, they could not keep up with his drinking.
This had been going on for days.
Whoosh!
A black pterosaur landed and transformed into a human.
King, who had just returned from the front lines, looked both anxious and helpless. His body was exhausted, and his face pale.
Since the day of that battle, this had been the situation. He had been rushing between Wano and the front lines. The Marines' attacks were growing stronger, and the already failing defense was on the verge of collapse.
In the absence of Kaido, their strongest force, the Beasts Pirates simply could not hold the line.
Yet Kaido refused to speak to anyone. He only drank in silence, and even King was completely ignored.
There was no other choice.
A trace of struggle flashed in King's eyes, but in the end, he made up his mind and took out a Den Den Mushi.
"I hope Kaido-san doesn't blame me…"
He dialed.
On the other end was Big Mom, the woman who had once shared a bond with Kaido stronger than siblings.
If anyone could wake him, it would be her.
As for her, Kaido usually referred to her in private as "that old hag," clearly annoyed by her.
But King had no other option. Without Kaido, the Beasts Pirates could not withstand the Marines.
He was already struggling to hold off even a single Admiral, while the enemy had two just directing the battlefield. If nothing changed, the front would collapse completely, and the crew would fall with it.
* * *
New World, Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom sat upon her throne, listening to the report from the Den Den Mushi as her expression slowly darkened.
"I understand. I'll go over there."
Click.
After a brief reply, she hung up, then suddenly stood and walked out.
"Someone! Prepare a ship. We're heading to Wano!!"
Unlike her usual demeanor, she was unusually serious, her mind was already processing everything King had told her.
Only now did she understand why Kaido's side had been retreating step by step.
He had actually been broken by Sakazuki?
During this time, all eyes in the New World had been on Wano. The Marines were advancing relentlessly while Kaido kept losing ground, and everyone assumed he was preparing some grand plan or that this was the calm before a storm.
Not a single person had imagined this.
But it made sense.
Only a few high-ranking survivors remained from that battle, and none of them would betray Kaido. On top of that, he had stayed on Onigashima the entire time, keeping everything tightly sealed.
As long as King was not a fool, he would never let such news spread.
After all, one of the Four Emperors, Kaido of the Beasts, who had ruled the seas for decades… had been completely broken by Sakazuki.
If news like that got out, the Beasts Pirates would fall straight into the abyss.
But King was truly at his wit's end. He could not even get a word through to Kaido, so he had to find someone else. And among the Four Emperors, the only one with both the connection and the ability was Big Mom.
Back in their younger days, the two had been like siblings, even sailing on the same ship. Though they had spoken less over the years, she was still the most suitable person.
As Big Mom's order was issued, the entire Whole Cake Island sprang into action. No one knew why they were preparing a ship for Wano, but by the time she reached the port, everything was already ready.
The moment she boarded, the ship set sail without delay, heading straight for Wano.
At the bow, Big Mom looked out over the sea.
"What exactly happened, Kaido…"
Despite decades of tangled grudges between them, at a moment like this, they were the only ones who truly trusted each other.
* * *
New World, Red Hair Pirates' territory.
The crew had gathered for a meeting.
At present, the Marines' main offensive targets were Whole Cake Island and Wano. With their forces spread on both sides, they and Knox were facing very little pressure and had even retaken several islands with ease.
But that was exactly what made them uneasy.
Since the war began, the Marines had spent massive resources capturing their territories, and now, just because their main targets were elsewhere, they had simply let these islands go?
Letting them take everything back so easily?
Nobody understood Sakazuki's intentions.
They had swept the reclaimed islands with Observation Haki and even searched underground, yet found nothing unusual.
Everything about it felt like a massive trap. And yet, it was hard to resist the temptation, because there was really no sign of any hidden danger.
Whether it was a trap, and whether to continue the counteroffensive, had become the core issue for the Red Hair Pirates.
Everyone debated, offering all kinds of analysis, but no conclusion could be reached.
Creak!
The wooden door to the meeting room opened as Beckman walked in, holding a stack of documents.
Looking at the noisy crowd, he sighed slightly. "Did you figure anything out?"
Yasopp, whose missing arm no longer affected him, leaned back in his chair and grinned. "We've been waiting for you, strategist."
Beckman rolled his eyes but smiled. He walked over to Shanks, handed him the documents, and said, "We were all wrong. It's not that Kaido has some grand plan or preparation. It's more likely that something has gone wrong with him."
The room fell silent.
Shanks paused as he took the documents. "…What?"
The cigarette in Beckman's mouth burned slowly as he continued, "Half a day ago, Big Mom left Whole Cake Island and headed toward Wano. From the reports, her expression didn't look good at all.
"In a situation like this, the only explanation is that something happened to Kaido. After all, those two were once as close as siblings. So…"
Shanks flipped through the documents, his expression turning serious.
"That battle on Kibu Island… what exactly happened?"
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