Yet faced with Kaido's almost tangible battle lust and volcanic urge to destroy everything in sight, Ron remained perfectly calm upon his throne.
His deep, unreadable gaze rested on Kaido's powerful draconic frame while the fingers that had been tapping rhythmically against the armrest finally came to a stop.
The entire hall fell quiet.
Only Kaido's heavy breathing remained.
After a moment, Ron spoke.
His voice was not loud, yet it carried enough authority to cut cleanly through the violent aura surrounding Kaido.
"You want to go to Marineford?"
Ron looked directly at him.
"What you really want is information about King, isn't it?"
The words were casual, but they cut straight through Kaido's bluster and exposed the thought he had been keeping buried beneath all that enthusiasm for battle.
After a brief pause, Ron gave a slight nod.
"Fine."
Kaido's enormous eyes immediately lit up.
For the briefest moment, surprise flickered through them, only to be replaced by an even fiercer gleam.
He was already turning around, ready to charge out of the temple like some ancient beast finally released from its cage.
"But."
Ron's voice stopped him cold.
The single word carried enough weight to make Kaido freeze before he could take another step.
"Remember your mission."
Ron's gaze sharpened.
"You're going there as the vanguard, not the main force. Don't do anything unnecessary."
Kaido's massive body went still.
He slowly turned his head back toward Ron, thick brows drawing together in confusion as he tried to understand what exactly Ron wanted from him.
Ron rose from the throne.
His figure cast a long shadow across the hall as he looked down at Kaido, his gaze seeming to reach far beyond the temple itself, across the sea toward distant Marineford—and perhaps even farther, toward whatever forces were moving behind the scenes.
"Your job is to raise hell at Marine Headquarters and turn the place upside down."
Ron's voice remained measured and firm.
"Hit them hard. Disrupt their deployment. Throw their plans into chaos and force them to react."
Then his tone shifted.
"But more importantly…"
He paused.
Kaido's attention sharpened immediately.
"You're going to find out whether the God's Knights will intervene."
Ron's eyes narrowed.
"If they appear, your mission is complete. Withdraw immediately. Do not stay and fight them."
Kaido's expression changed slightly.
Ron continued before he could object.
"What we need right now is accurate intelligence, not a blind battle."
"We need to know where they're operating, what they're capable of, and how they respond when the World Government is threatened."
His gaze bored into Kaido.
"We are not committing ourselves to a decisive battle against an enemy we still don't understand."
"Got it?"
The instructions were clear enough to extinguish some of the raging battle fever that had been pouring from Kaido only moments earlier.
He had originally imagined charging straight into Marineford, smashing everything he saw, and beating anyone foolish enough to stand in his way until nothing remained.
Instead, Ron was asking him to play a different role.
A vanguard.
A probe.
Bait meant to force whatever was hiding in the shadows to reveal itself.
That meant Kaido could not simply give in to his instincts and rampage without restraint. He would actually have to think about when to attack, how far to push, and when to pull back.
For a man like Kaido, that sounded almost cruel.
Everyone expected him to complain.
Perhaps even explode in anger.
Instead, Kaido merely stared blankly for a second.
Then—
"WORORORORORO—!!!"
His thunderous laughter shook the hall.
There was no frustration in it whatsoever.
If anything, he sounded even more excited than before.
"That works just fine for me!"
His enormous dragon tail slammed into the floor like a steel whip.
BOOM!
The impact made the ground tremble beneath everyone's feet.
Kaido lowered his head slightly and ran his tongue across one of his sharp teeth, a vicious, cunning gleam entering his eyes.
"So first I get to smash Marineford until I've had my fun…"
His grin widened.
"Then I drag those sneaky bastards out of whatever hole they're hiding in and see what they're really made of!"
Kaido looked toward Ron, practically radiating excitement.
"Ron, you really do understand me!"
...
Kaido no longer hesitated.
His enormous body whipped around with such impatience that the motion itself stirred up a violent gust, sending dust swirling across the floor. His draconic frame seemed to expand with barely restrained power before he strode toward the temple entrance.
Every heavy step made the magnificent structure tremble faintly, as though the temple itself could already sense the storm he was about to unleash.
Kaido threw his head back and shouted over his shoulder.
"Just wait for the good news! Wororororo!"
His booming voice echoed through the temple, brimming with confidence.
Everyone watched as his massive figure disappeared into the distance, each step carrying the ominous presence of a walking natural disaster.
Ron quietly followed Kaido's retreating back with his eyes until he was finally gone.
Only then did he settle back onto the throne.
His eyes narrowed slightly, deep and unreadable as countless calculations turned through his mind.
The opening act had begun.
Ron had just thrown a bomb powerful enough to shake Marine Headquarters straight into the heart of the enemy.
And Kaido was far more than a simple weapon.
He was a carefully placed piece capable of triggering a chain reaction throughout the entire World Government.
For now, Ron did not need to make another move.
All he had to do was remain patient and watch.
Like an experienced fisherman who had already cast the bait into the water, he only needed to wait and see what came to bite.
...
"WORORORORORO—!!!"
A thunderous laugh suddenly exploded outside the temple and rolled across the surrounding area.
Kaido emerged in his enormous hybrid form, radiating such violent energy that he looked like an ancient beast moments away from breaking free of its chains.
He strode forward at a brisk pace, the wind kicked up by his movements strong enough to send nearby trees swaying violently.
His face was twisted into a savage grin, every feature practically glowing with anticipation at the destruction ahead.
Nearby, Bullet had been attempting some rather stiff and awkward small talk with Dragon.
The sudden noise made even him jump.
His eyes widened as he stared at Kaido, who looked as though he might launch himself straight into the sky at any second.
For a moment, Bullet simply stood there in bewilderment.
Then he snapped out of it.
Whatever polite conversation he had been forcing himself through with Dragon was instantly forgotten.
He took several huge strides and quickly caught up with Kaido, slapping one massive palm onto the Azure Dragon's scaled shoulder.
"Hey! Kaido!"
Bullet's booming voice rang out behind him.
"Wait for me!"
Curiosity practically shone from his huge eyes as he leaned closer and studied Kaido's ridiculous grin.
"Look at you!"
"You're grinning like a complete idiot. Hell, the stupidity's practically leaking out of you."
Bullet frowned in exaggerated confusion.
"What happened? Find a mountain of Berries lying around somewhere? Win the damn lottery?"
Kaido abruptly stopped.
His huge dragon head slowly turned toward Bullet.
Hot breath blasted from his nostrils, distorting the surrounding air with waves of heat.
His eyes were wide with undisguised smugness and barely contained battle lust.
"The lottery?"
Kaido snorted.
"That's nothing!"
His deep voice rolled like thunder.
"What I've got coming is ten thousand times better than winning some stupid prize!"
Kaido clenched his fists, his blood already boiling at the thought.
"I'm heading straight for Marine Headquarters!"
"Marineford!"
His grin became downright feral.
"I'm gonna raise hell over there, smash the whole damn place to pieces, and turn it into a pile of rubble!"
"By the time I'm done, the entire world will remember exactly what happens when Kaido comes knocking!"
Bullet froze.
For several seconds, his expression went completely blank.
His gaze instinctively followed the direction Kaido had indicated before snapping back toward the magnificent temple behind them.
Then realization struck him.
'Ron approved this!'
There was no other explanation.
And the instant Bullet understood that—
envy hit him like a tidal wave.
His eyes lit up.
Something hot and violent erupted inside him like a volcano that had been building pressure for far too long.
He had already been suffocating under all this diplomacy.
Standing around exchanging polite words with people, smiling when he did not feel like smiling, pretending to enjoy formalities he could not care less about—it had been driving him insane.
Every forced courtesy felt like another chain wrapped around him.
And now Kaido was being allowed to go straight to Marineford and smash things?
Bullet suddenly found the entire situation deeply, personally unfair.