"Oh? That Garp? Governor Kaidou went to fight him this time, huh."
Looking at the newspaper, the pirates didn't find it surprising. In fact, they were somewhat used to it. Kaidou's outings often had a predictable pattern, and no matter what he did, conflicts with other forces were inevitable afterward.
"What kind of rubbish is written in this report? How could Boss Kaidou be like they described? It's clearly an article written by those Navy journalists. Why is that Morgans so slow this time?"
Kaidou appeared in the newspapers once again, but this report was all about praising the Navy's bravery, which was quite annoying for them as pirates to read.
Such one-sided propaganda didn't match Morgans' reporting style; it was obviously an article specifically published by the Navy.
"Who knows, let's wait a bit more, and there might be different news."
In the hearts of the Beasts crew, Kaidou was the strongest pirate in the world and would eventually become the future Pirate King. Only a few high-level officials knew a special piece of information: the legendary four Roadsign Poneglyphs—Kaidou had two in his possession.
In a way, he was already the closest person to the position of Pirate King.
Except for them, even those outside who were unaware of the secrets had some dispute over who was the pirate closest to becoming the Pirate King.
More than ten years ago, Whitebeard was the only choice, but now, he was no longer the only one.
Beast Kaidou, the strongest creature—this nickname was not earned through victory after victory. Kaidou's battle record could essentially be divided into two parts, before and after meeting Arceus.
After meeting Arceus and forming the initial Hundred Beasts crew, he gradually embarked on the path of "invulnerability." With a terrifying physique and Absolute Defense, his body was almost in a state of absolute defense.
Apart from Whitebeard, who hadn't yet entered his declining phase, most adversaries couldn't even break his defense. Only Whitebeard could exploit the vacuum period of Absolute Defense and inflict some effective damage.
Before meeting Arceus, Kaidou had several instances of defeat and capture. Countless giant Prison Ships were sunk just because of him alone.
According to the original timeline's life experiences, Kaidou was defeated seven times in direct battles, fell into the hands of the Navy or hostile forces eighteen times, endured numerous interrogations, and was sentenced to death more than forty times.
However, during hangings, chains would break; during punitive impalement, spears would snap; during beheadings, guillotines would shatter—unable to execute him. His physique and vitality allowed him to remain undefeated in one-on-one confrontations, earning him the name of the strongest creature.
As for why the Navy didn't adopt more effective methods, this has become an unsolved mystery of this world, hard to comprehend.
The current Kaidou was different. He grew stronger in battles, using reckless methods to break through his limits. Now, he had better choices—nothing sharpened his physique more than directly facing a small Judgment Blast.
Earlier, to avoid wasting time, he had disappeared for a long period, but as the Beasts' manpower expanded greatly, a large human resource was deployed to search the Sea, and Kaidou's nature could no longer be suppressed.
He wasn't one to stay in solitude, so he began causing chaos in the Sea. Roaming freely, his strong physique made it almost impossible for anyone to stop him when he was determined to leave, causing significant turbulence in the New World.
While Drake and Iscariot were competing, and while Arceus was away, Kaidou was far from idle.
He wasn't riding the Hydreigon for leisurely outings but was in search of new opponents.
....
A while ago, in the skies of the New World, riding on the Hydreigon's back, Kaidou contemplated where to display his might, exercise, and hone his Martial Arts.
"Red Hair Shanks... another brat has grown up, huh? I'll try this guy next time. For now, let's go here."
Leaning on the Hydreigon's back, Kaidou looked at the latest news in the newspaper. This year, the reports about Red Hair were extraordinarily numerous. After entering the New World, he had finally begun his actions and secured a substantial territory.
Kaidou was a full 20 years older than Shanks. When the Battle of Divine Valley concluded, Shanks was barely born, making the term "brat" not entirely unfounded.
Facing Whitebeard and BIG MOM, Kaidou was considered a young junior. Now there was another powerful pirate younger than him at sea, inevitably stirring his interest, but Shanks wasn't his current target.
He went out this time because he was itching for action and wanted to test the destructive power of the Hydreigon.
What he wanted wasn't just for show, but a mount with real martial might.
Previously, he had subdued the Hydreigon through melee combat, acknowledging its strength to a certain degree, but this wasn't enough.
If a powerful mount remained unknown to the world, it would be like a luxury sports car never seen by anyone after leaving the factory. Other people's reactions are ways for humans to satisfy their desires.
Whether it's fear or envy, he wanted to see people's expressions.
"Hey, big guy, you want to fight too, right? I can feel the fighting spirit in your blood."
Kaidou discarded the newspaper in his hand. At that moment, the Hydreigon was soaring in the sky. Amidst the fierce winds, the newspaper slowly drifted away with a rustling sound, while Kaidou patted the central head of the Hydreigon.
"Roar!"
"Huhahaha, I just knew you fit my temperament. Let's wreak havoc this time!"
Both Hassaikai and Hydreigon have the numeral eight in common. He thought there must be some fate-related connection here, feeling something different when he first encountered this giant beast.
The Hydreigon, a Dark Type + Dragon Type Pokemon, was inherently ferocious.
Yamata no Orochi, the extremely evil monster in Wano Kuni's mythology.
The newly born Hydreigon, which combines both traits, was even more so. Compared to Tyranitar and Emboar, its nature was more aggressive and battle-hungry, and Kaidou's way of subduing it activated its warlike genes.
It wasn't that it disliked this method; rather, it believed that only those who defeated it in this way qualified to tame it.
For their Trainer, some Pokemon choose to change themselves. If Hydreigon had a different master, perhaps its temperament would be much more restrained, but Kaidou was clearly not that kind of person. He would indulge Hydreigon's character in this aspect.
"Alright, we're here. From this moment on, let the world truly know of your existence!"
"Roar!"
All eight heads roared simultaneously, then, flapping the six wings behind them, surged downward through the clouds. Below, the letters G1 stood out prominently across the building structures.