A heavy silence hung over the sea for only a heartbeat before the world exploded into noise.
Looking up at Kaido, who seemed genuinely intent on tearing the veil off the world's greatest secrets, the thousands of onlookers in the Wokaa Kingdom—pirates, underworld brokers, and ordinary citizens alike—let out a collective roar. Across the four seas and the Grand Line, anyone huddled around a broadcast monitor screamed at the screen.
"Tell us!" "We want to know the secret of this world!" "Don't stop now, Kaido!" "What exactly is Laugh Tale? What is the secret to becoming the Pirate King?" "Forget Red Hair and the Navy! Hurry up and speak!"
The air in the Wano region turned electric. On the decks of the Marine warships and the Red Force, the atmosphere was far more somber. The leaders could feel it—the entire sea was beginning to stir, a restless monster awakening from a long slumber.
"Kaido!" Akainu roared, his body glowing with an intense, molten heat. He looked ready to melt the very ocean to silence the dragon.
Shanks, standing on his own deck, wore an expression that was unusually grave. Beside him, his first mate, Benn Beckman, suddenly leaned in.
"Something's not right, Shanks," Beckman murmured.
Shanks started, his gaze sharpening. He trusted Beckman's intuition above all else. "What do you mean?"
Beckman stared at the sky, his mind racing. "I can't be sure yet. I originally thought Kaido was just using the Road Poneglyph as a distraction to buy time. But now... I have a feeling he genuinely wants to give that information away."
The surrounding crew—Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the others—looked at Beckman in pure shock.
"How is that possible?" Roux shouted, clutching a piece of meat. "That's a Road Poneglyph! It's the map to the final island! Even if Kaido is crazy enough to do it, Big Mom would never agree to let go of that kind of power, would she?"
Beckman's eyes didn't waver. "Don't forget one thing: having the map is useless if you can't read the language. Kaido knows that. By spreading the information, he doesn't lose his advantage, but he creates endless chaos for the World Government—and for us."
Shanks's grip tightened on his sword. "I believe Kozuki Sukiyaki will never yield the secrets of the Poneglyphs to Kaido. And besides... we are the Red Hair Pirates. No one takes what is ours."
The crew let out confident laughs, their spirits lifted by their captain's resolve.
High above, Kaido listened to the cacophony of the crowd. He glanced at the Marine fleet, then at Big Mom, before looking back down at Shanks. "It seems," he rumbled, "that the two of you are the only ones who disagree with the public's wishes."
"Stop the nonsense, Kaido!" Akainu barked, magma dripping from his fists. "If you want to fight, then come down here and face justice!"
Sengoku quickly stepped beside the Fleet Admiral, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Sakazuki. If any of our three parties strikes first, we'll be at a massive disadvantage. Red Hair might not be Kaido's ally, but he certainly won't lift a finger to help the Navy."
"Damn it!!!" Akainu spat.
Shanks understood the stalemate perfectly. Although his former captain, Roger, had once famously teamed up with Garp at God Valley, things were different now. Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, a Pirate Emperor could not be seen cooperating with the Marines. To do so would make the Red Hair Pirates the enemies of every pirate on the sea.
"Kaido," Shanks called out, his voice steady despite the tension. "What is it you're truly after?"
"What do I want? Worororo! That's a good question!" Kaido's massive dragon form coiled through the clouds, his scales shimmering. "It's simple. I've always hated the way you people act—claiming that 'so-and-so' isn't the person Roger is waiting for. You act as if one needs your approval, or Roger's ghost's permission, to become the Pirate King."
The words hit the world like a physical blow. The onlookers gasped.
"You dare to act as the gatekeeper," Kaido continued, his voice dripping with disdain, "only because you know the secrets of Laugh Tale better than anyone else. So, I've decided to level the playing field. I'm giving the secret to everyone."
The crowd on the island went wild. "Is it true?" "Is there really a special way to become the King?" "Kaido has no reason to lie about this!"
Shanks's face paled slightly. "It's not like that, Kaido. My Captain is only waiting for those who pursue true freedom—not a tyrant and a dictator like you."
"Freedom? Dictatorship? What a pathetic excuse!" Kaido's roar echoed across the sky. "Is that really what you believe, Red Hair?"
"Of course it is!" Shanks shouted back.
But what Kaido said next made the Red-Haired Emperor lose his composure entirely.
Kaido raised his head, ensuring his voice reached every corner of the world. "I once heard a story about how the World Government, in their desperation to conceal the truth of a certain Devil Fruit, chose to—"
"SHUT UP, KAIDO!!!"
The world froze. Shanks—the most level-headed and rational of the Four Emperors—had completely snapped. Without another word, he drew his sword, Gryphon. A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki turned the blade black and red. He swung with everything he had.
"Divine Departure!"
"Worororo!!!" Kaido laughed, expecting the move.
In a blur of motion, he reverted to his human-beast form. He swung his spiked club, Hassaikai, imbuing it with his own legendary Haki.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
BOOM!!!
A dazzling sphere of energy, like a rising sun, erupted between them. The collision of the two Emperors' Haki stirred up hurricane-force winds, capsizing smaller boats and leveling buildings on the coast.
It took nearly a minute for the dust to settle. When it did, no one was looking at the destruction. Every eye was fixed on Shanks.
The pirates of the Wokaa Kingdom, the high-ranking Marines, and even the crew of the Red Force stared at him in utter disbelief. For the first time, a shadow of doubt crossed the faces of Shanks's own nakama.
"Captain... you?" Yasopp whispered.
Shanks's face was shrouded in shadow, his expression grim. "My apologies," he said, his voice low. "I will explain everything later. For now... please just trust me."
The crew looked at each other, the tension thick, before a few began to chuckle. "Of course, Shanks. You're our Captain. We trust you."
Only Beckman looked at him with deep concern. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Sorry for worrying you," Shanks replied, but he didn't look fine.
While his crew remained loyal, the rest of the world wasn't so forgiving. The broadcast had captured everything.
"What just happened?" "I don't know, but as soon as Kaido mentioned a Devil Fruit and the Government, Red Hair went berserk." "Is he hiding something? Was Kaido about to tell us something Red Hair didn't want us to know?" "It was about the World Government covering up a fruit's true name..." "If Kaido's words weren't true, why would Shanks be so desperate to stop him?" "Maybe the whole 'Pirate King' thing really is just a scam set up by Roger..."
The atmosphere across the entire sea suddenly became boisterous and suspicious, as the seeds of doubt Kaido had planted began to grow.
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