Banquet Hall…
Kaido looked at Hanafuda, who was pulling on him, with a puzzled look.
Unlike Bazel and King, Hanafuda, who was a few years older, had a more steady personality.
At least, that's what he thought.
"Hanafuda, what's wrong?"
"Kaido-sama, we need to retreat as soon as possible before the Buster Call arrives!"
Hanafuda looked left and right like a thief.
After confirming no one was around, he lowered his voice.
"I just told Bazel about the Tea Party. He thinks it's too high-profile this time."
"The reason the World Government and the Marines haven't besieged the Rocks Pirates' remnants is partly because of your strength."
"But more so because you all operate independently, with no trend of cooperation or development. They can't be bothered to expend forces on you!"
"Kaido-sama, do you think the Marines won't react if you Rocks Pirates' remnants gather together?"
"And didn't Charlotte Linlin just say that John's Den Den Mushi can't be reached!"
"Maybe he's already been secretly executed by the World Government or the Marines!"
"Bazel said now is the perfect time for our Beasts Pirates to enter Wano Country. While they attract the enemy's attention in the waters of Totto Land, we retreat and head straight for Wano."
Kaido was first stunned, then showed a conflicted expression.
"But I already promised…"
"We are pirates, Kaido-sama. Since when are pirates good people who keep their promises?!"
Pulling Kaido down into the bushes, Hanafuda casually crushed a few approaching Homies.
"If we don't leave now before the fighting starts, how are we going to solve the manpower problem when we go to Wano Country later?"
"We're different from the Big Mom Pirates. The chess soldiers here are all created by Charlotte Linlin's ability."
"We only have a little over two hundred people. And you know Arber's race. If this gets exposed, forget entering Wano…"
"We might be pursued by real monsters!"
'Real monsters...'
Kaido's face darkened.
He naturally remembered that Arber belonged to the Lunarian race.
"This Tea Party isn't that simple. Linlin contacted those people using private numbers too. In theory, nothing should go wrong."
Hanafuda looked at Kaido with frustration, "You are too naive, Kaido. Why do you think Captain John still can't be reached?"
"Maybe the World Government's CP hounds have already infiltrated Whole Cake Island or the territories of other remnants, sending all the information back!"
"Bazel told me to get you out of here as soon as possible. Whether the Marines and the World Government launch a Buster Call or not, we can't afford to gamble."
"The Beasts Pirates have just started. If we lose people at this critical juncture, it will be hard for us to recover in the future!"
Kaido scratched his head, unable to make a decision for the moment.
Just now in the banquet hall, Linlin had told him many things.
Among them was their plan to cooperate in dividing the New World's waters.
Unlike Shiki and Newgate, Linlin's relationship with him was the closest.
Although their friendship had weakened slightly because they both became captains of their own pirate crews, it was still much better than with other former crewmates.
At least the alliance Linlin proposed was one he could truly believe in.
"It's really a tough choice. I was planning to divide the New World with Linlin!"
Standing up, Kaido paced around irritably.
"We'll split into two groups!"
"Hanafuda, you go back and tell Bazel. I'm staying for the Tea Party. You take the ships and go to Wano first!"
"While I'm gone, Bazel is in charge of everything. His word is the captain's order!"
"But..." Hanafuda looked anxious.
"It's decided!"
Kaido stared at his companion, "This Tea Party will determine the future direction of the seas. Even if our Beasts Pirates don't participate, we must get our hands on the information and intelligence."
"If I encounter an unsolvable crisis, I'll immediately retreat to Wano. And take this."
"This is Kurozumi Higurashi's Den Den Mushi number. Contact her after you arrive in Wano. She'll get you in. Tell Bazel for me…"
Suddenly, a ferocious smile appeared on Kaido's face:
"No need to give that old hag any face. Do what needs to be done. I'll back him up."
"If he doesn't like her, kill her. Use force to completely crush that country!"
Hanafuda sighed and put away the note.
"Alright, alright. I knew you'd be willful. We'll set sail secretly then."
"Be careful staying here by yourself. Pirates don't need face. Don't do anything stupid here."
After giving several more warnings, Hanafuda quickly left.
Kaido stayed for a moment longer, lost in thought.
Bazel's worry was a choice made under true rationality, something he had to admit.
Following the team into Wano Country was currently the best option.
But it's just that he couldn't miss this Tea Party.
If the Rocks Pirates' remnants hadn't all gathered, Kaido might not have felt the urge to attend.
Precisely because it was a gathering of Rocks Pirates' remnants, he had to go!
Although Newgate, one of the strongest, had already confirmed he wouldn't attend, Shiki's presence was enough for him to take this Tea Party seriously.
"Tch…"
Kaido looked up at the foggy sky, feeling restless.
"It seems that kid Bazel's prediction is about to come true. Even I'm starting to feel uneasy."
"If those monsters from the God's Knights also mobilize, this fight will be really tough."
"Those guys are the real monsters…"
But Kaido had another concern, and that was the unpredictable nature of Shiki.
Shiki's personality was extremely willful. Once he set his mind on something, no one could stop him. Even if he knew it meant death, he would charge ahead recklessly.
If it was a fight Shiki didn't want to be in, he wouldn't care who was around… he'd just use his Float-Float Fruit power to flee quickly.
Once Shiki, the key main force, left, their group trying to resist the Marine Headquarters' top fighters and the God's Knights... he estimated the speed of their defeat would be like his alcohol tolerance… this pirate alliance would soon be under the table.
"It seems I need to discuss this properly with Linlin. If things look bad, I need to be prepared to retreat early too."
He was stubborn, yes, but not brain-dead.
Nine years ago, when the Rocks Pirates charged into God Valley, the first enemies they encountered weren't the combined forces of Roger and Garp.
It was the God's Knights and one of the Five Elders, Saint Saturn!
Back then, following behind Linlin, he had seen with his own eyes the bizarre aspects of those guys.
Undying monsters!
If those monsters hadn't been covering the Celestial Dragons' retreat, the outcome of that battle back then would have been hard to say.
"The storm is coming…"
Meanwhile, on the Lizard No. 1, Bazel fiddled with the note in his hand, his expression unreadable.
"Bazel, what do we do next?"
As Hanafuda asked, both King and Babanuki nearby turned their gazes towards him.
"Are we going to charge directly into Wano Country?"
"…"
Bazel didn't answer immediately. Instead, he found a place to sit, crossed his legs, and tapped his fingers rhythmically on the armrest.
'Kaido absolutely cannot come to harm here!'
'Whether for the mission, future plans, or other factors.'
'If Kaido were killed or captured here, all future plans would be severely disrupted.'
"No, we're not going to Wano Country. Tom, coat the ship. We'll leave through the bottom of the sea and head to the Warland Kingdom in Elbaf."
"We'll pick up Dorry and Brogy first, bring the Giants, then go to Wano."
He stood up and walked to the ship's side, looking at the suddenly gloomy sky. A sense of foreboding rose in Bazel's heart.
He felt that Kaido staying here was a complete mistake. If the God's Knights and Fleet Admiral Kong brought a Buster Call...
Bazel couldn't see even a sliver of hope for victory, especially with the current era's major pirate forces, Whitebeard and Roger, absent.
The current Garp wasn't the Garp from Hachinosu 30 years later.
Without Roger and Newgate to restrain him, his fists plus the Goro Goro no Mi... even if Kaido wanted to run, he might not escape.
Not to mention Fleet Admiral Kong, who, years later, at nearly a hundred years old, exhausted the Red Count, Patrick Redfield.
Even Bazel didn't know how strong that old man, who is nearly in his coffin, really was.
He only knew that when Garp made him angry, even Garp didn't dare eat senbei, bowing his head like a primary school student who got zero on an exam.
"Set sail. We're going to Elbaf. We'll try to get the Giant Prince Loki to join us."
Bazel let out a long sigh.
"I hope the future I envision doesn't come true."