Beltz brought the Giant Robot back to Wano. After storing the Conqueror's Haki Knot inside his shadow, he departed once more.
He was slightly concerned that the World Government might "go for broke" and launch an all-out offensive against Wano. After all, his recent actions were enough to drive them insane. Previously, he felt killing the Fleet Admiral was no big deal—he didn't think the Government would trouble itself over a mere Admiral. To them, the Marines are just dogs; as long as they bark when useful, the masters don't bother avenging a disposable pet.
But now it was different. He hadn't just killed Marines; he had slaughtered Celestial Dragons! And in large numbers! He had beaten the Five Elders and the the Knights of God like dogs.
How could they let that stand?
Beltz couldn't be sure how deep their hatred ran. If they were truly determined to kill him, even Wano wouldn't be safe. Theoretically, with Shiki's help and his own ability to humiliate the Elders, he shouldn't fear them. But it wasn't that simple.
As powerful as he was, he still hadn't cracked the immortality of the Five Elders! He couldn't kill them. Even attacks infused with Conqueror's Haki only delayed their regeneration. In a 1v1, he could mince an Elder and toss them into the sea, but against five? While he mangles one, the other four stall until the first recovers. Anyone would eventually be ground down by them.
Furthermore, his strongest state, Mujou Shougyou Shoukaku, drained stamina far too quickly for prolonged use.
Thus, Beltz decided the best move was to wander the seas to draw the World Government's fire away from Wano. Nothing was more important than Vegapunk creating the clones! He would rather face the Government alone than risk a disruption to that progress.
Over the next six months, he made frequent public appearances. His popularity surpassed that of any pirate crew; he only had to show his face to make the front-page headlines. During this time, he faced numerous pursuit attempts, mostly from the Marines.
The God's Speed-bumps (the Knights of God) seemed to have been beaten into submission by Beltz; they realized he actually possessed the power to kill them. Having taken advantage of others for years with their immortality, they were now terrified of an enemy who could break it.
For the past half-year, Beltz mostly clashed with Garp and Sengoku. Garp wasn't seeking revenge for the Celestial Dragons—in fact, he found their deaths quite satisfying—but he was there for Kong. Even if Kong had his flaws, he was the man who had promoted Garp; they belonged to the same small circle.
However, even without entering Vollständig, Beltz's Hybrid Form was no longer something Garp could easily handle. Beltz's only weakness was accumulation; his Haki reserves, specifically Armament, were still low. Conqueror's Haki isn't trained but grown through momentum and confidence; after destroying the Holy Land, Beltz's confidence—and thus his Haki—had surged.
While Sklaverei could replenish Haki in Vollständig, he still preferred to avoid using powers so closely tied to Yhwach. He couldn't beat Garp, but Garp couldn't catch him either. Flight was too authoritative an advantage, and the Azure Dragon Fruit made him incredibly durable. After thirty or forty battles with the Marines, he remained virtually unscathed.
One day, Beltz arrived in the North Blue and met Liltotto in a Mirror World.
Liltotto had devoured Saint Ju Peter, but she usually maintained her original appearance, only transforming into the Elder's form for battle. Because she had volunteered to be the Government's "combat power," Imu had been ruthlessly sending her into battle. In fact, her current "mission" was to kill Beltz.
"I'm starting to regret this," Liltotto sighed upon seeing him. "I shouldn't have listened to you and eaten that Elder. Now that Boss is making me fight everyone like I'm some low-level lackey."
She had spent the last six months capturing pirates. Though this was Marine work, Imu had ordered her to secretly snatch powerful pirates for unknown reasons.
"Imu is likely trying to manufacture combat power," Beltz mused. "Capturing those pirates secretly... he's probably experimenting on them or forcing them into submission."
He had heard rumors of powerful pirates—many of them Rocks Pirates remnants—suddenly vanishing. Captain John, Silver Axe, Ochoku, and others of their caliber had all been taken by Liltotto. Since this wasn't in the original manga, Beltz couldn't be certain of Imu's endgame.
"Supplementing war potential is a must," Liltotto said, leaning back lazily on a sofa. "By the way, the World Government even reached out to Kaido."
"Kaido?" Beltz's eyebrows shot up. "How did they get in touch?"
"Initially, I was supposed to capture him, but I have to say, that guy is fast." She crossed her legs. "But since he was heavily injured, it seems the Marines caught him later anyway."
Beltz wasn't surprised; Kaido was a hothead who got caught by the Marines as a hobby.
"The Government wants Kaido's combat power, especially since they know he has a grudge against you."
Beltz was speechless. "A grudge? I just took two Devil Fruits that didn't belong to him anyway."
One Azure Dragon Fruit, one Munch-Munch Fruit. Neither was Kaido's to begin with! If anything, Beltz had a grudge with the World Government and the Drum Kingdom; it had nothing to do with Kaido.
"Aren't you pirates all self-centered like that?" Liltotto retorted. "Anyway, Kaido is pissed. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Both the Government and Kaido hate you, so cooperation was natural."
Beltz found it hard to believe, knowing how much Kaido despised the World Government. He had left his home country as a child specifically to avoid joining the Marines.
"You're right, he doesn't want to be a Marine," Liltotto explained. "But what if the Celestial Dragons offer him a higher status?"
"...Not a Celestial Dragon status, surely?" Beltz was stunned. "The Government is truly desperate, using any means to conscript power."
"It's possible," she said softly. "And the condition for Kaido joining was that they would give him a powerful Devil Fruit."
"I see," Beltz realized. Kaido was obsessed with Devil Fruits. After seeing Whitebeard's Tremor Tremor Fruit, he had craved a top-tier fruit, leading him to ambush his own "big sister" at God Valley for the Azure Dragon Fruit. But Beltz had snatched it, and later snatched the second fruit Kaido found!
Strong men in the pirate world are extremely self-centered and prone to extremes. Missing out on Devil Fruits repeatedly had turned Kaido's obsession into a mania. If the Government used that, plus his hatred for Beltz, a partnership was feasible.
"Then people like Captain John likely face the same fate," Beltz said.
"They might have it worse," Liltotto said. "They might be brainwashed. I saw a woman named Gunko in Mary Geoise; she was brainwashed into becoming a 'Blade of the Gods'—now a member of the Knights of God. Even Kaido... if he serves long enough, I suspect he'll be subtly brainwashed. I can already feel that influence myself."
"Even without a mark, just devouring Ju Peter has made me feel a power trying to seep into my thoughts and rewrite my cognition."
Beltz nodded. "I'll give you a psychological counseling session every so often."
He used his Subconscious ability to check her mind and confirmed a slow, creeping influence. As he performed the mental "cleansing," he continued: "If the Government is turning those pirates into the Knights of God, then the Giant King has likely already been targeted."
"Harald..." Liltotto thought for a moment. "Imu's marks have three levels: Shallows, Depths, and Abyssal. Harald has had the Shallows mark for nearly a year. I suspect he's about to be branded with the Depths mark. Once that happens, Imu will show his hand. I don't know if the King can break free."
"That doesn't matter," Beltz said confidently. He had already secured Joy Boy's Haki Knot. His plan for Elbaf was foolproof; he was just waiting for Imu to take the bait.
Liltotto trusted him; after all, he hadn't lost yet. "But what 'Super Fruit' is the Government giving Kaido?"
Kaido couldn't be underestimated—he was the future "Strongest Creature." (Though Beltz held that title now, Kaido was still Yonko material). An immortal Kaido would be a nightmare.
"I'm not sure," Liltotto shrugged. "Saturn is handling the negotiations with Kaido; I only handle the kidnapping."
Beltz thought about the fruits available to the World Government. What could it be? Given their resources, they surely had many fruits that never appeared in the original story.
"Oh, right. Take these." Liltotto pulled a bag from behind the sofa.
"All Devil Fruits?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Collected by the Government from all over. Consider it my payment."
She tossed the bag to Beltz, who inspected them one by one. The Government's collection was impressive. He saw the Mero Mero no Mi, the Ushi Ushi no Mi, and then...
"The Snow-Snow Fruit?"
Beltz was surprised. He hadn't expected the Government to find this for him. He was also surprised they were generous enough to give a Logia to Liltotto. But on second thought, the Government likely held the Chilly-Chilly Fruit, the superior version of the Snow fruit, making the latter seem redundant to them.
But this was the perfect fruit for Rukia!
Beltz felt a surge of joy. "This is a huge help!"
"Alright." Liltotto stood up and waved. "That's everything. Contact me if anything else comes up."