Arceus isn't interested in the so-called Pirate King, but Kaidou is different. His dream and goal don't conflict; his aim is to start the grandest war, which doesn't contradict his desire to become the Pirate King.
As for the current Four Emperors, they all believe that their captain will be the new Pirate King.
To find the Final Island, the Roadsign Poneglyphs are essential. Currently, Kaidou possesses two, already far ahead of other pirates.
When it comes to these things, Kaidou's opinion must be considered.
"Why don't you handle this yourself? I thought you wanted to start a war with that old hag now.
For an exchange... is it really necessary so early? I was thinking of another method to get it then.
Or did the people you sent out find the fourth piece?"
Kaidou knew Charlotte Linlin had a Poneglyph, but Charlotte Linlin didn't know Kaidou did. Whether in the hinterland of Wano Kuni or on the back of Zou, these are places the BIG MOM Pirates have never set foot.
Kaidou could have chosen to exchange with Charlotte Linlin before, but he didn't. Even though she was the elder sister who took care of him in the past, and even though there were some commercial exchanges between the two sides, when their goals conflicted, he wouldn't hold back.
The method he was referring to was naturally blatant robbery, which to him, was a pretty good war target.
"No, there was a little problem...."
Arceus briefly explained the situation, but Kaidou's response was quite special.
"Oh, no problem, but remember to give her a fake one."
"A fake one?"
"Yeah, I mean, we are pirates, after all. It's fine to be honest in transactions usually, but this time it's different. When you brought Ohara back, we gained the ability to interpret the Poneglyphs.
But guess how that old woman translates them?"
"The Three-Eyed Tribe?"
"You already know it, it's the Three-Eyed Tribe. That woman has a half-blood daughter from the Three-Eyed Tribe. It's said that once awakened, the third eye of the Three-Eyed Tribe can peer into secrets. She must be planning to use this to interpret the Poneglyphs.
I don't know if it's possible, but I'm sure that little girl hasn't opened her eye yet.
We have more than one Poneglyph, so mostly give her true rubbings, mixed with some content from ordinary ones, she won't be able to tell."
Charlotte Linlin won't believe transcribed Poneglyphs, and nobody can do it. Even one wrong stroke with the complex patterns can change the meaning completely. Even with rubbings, video proof is required, as this sea doesn't have thriving photo-altering technology; with video, it's deemed as true.
The Poneglyph's stone tablet is large and cannot be copied onto small pieces of paper, which is the operational space Kaidou sees.
The Hundred Beasts have been collecting Poneglyphs, finding scattered ordinary ones as well, mixing nine truths with one fake one; those who don't understand translations won't get it.
"But... remember to bring a real one as well. That old hag's children are not so easily fooled. If she accepts immediately, give her the fake; if she has other requests, give her the real."
"Such a small matter doesn't need you to teach me, I know how to handle it."
"Oh, of course, I'm confident in how you handle things, but when it comes to pirate trading, I'm much more experienced than you."
Kaidou wanted to say more, but was suddenly interrupted by an explosion.
Boom!
The deafening explosion made Arceus feel it wasn't a simple blast.
"What happened?"
"Oh, not much, Punk Hazard exploded, almost sending the entire island sky-high."
"Did you blow up Punk Hazard?"
"Oh no, although that's indeed something I'm capable of, this time it wasn't me. I was just out for a ride, but the scene sure is spectacular."
At this time, Punk Hazard was shrouded in smoke, with vast amounts of chemical gases dispersing into the sky, and the smell was surprisingly pungent even for Kaidou and the Dragon Heads. Waving wings behind, the Dragon Heads dispersed the toxic smoke, carrying Kaidou away.
Kaidou was telling the truth; he was merely out for a ride to see if there was any ground worthy of a fight or recruits to collect.
But as soon as he passed by, Punk Hazard exploded on its own.
The smoke from the explosions revealed that it was internally generated, but Kaidou wasn't interested in this environment and chose to distance himself.
"Alright, you handle what you need to do first; I'll hang up now."
With that, Kaidou directly hung up, seemingly worried about something being delayed.
Following Kaidou's intention, Zeraora quickly prepared two rubbings, one true and one fake, and then planned to head to Cake Island.
"Wait, Zeraora, take me along."
"What are you going for?"
"I am the king of Zou. Though I usually dislike handling affairs, protecting other Fur Race members is the responsibility of the king of Zou. Even if there really is trouble, I should be the one to face it."
He didn't say much, just disappearing from Ghost Island with Setsuna. As long as the target's body can bear it, bringing along someone wouldn't affect Zeraora's speed, and Setsuna's body was undoubtedly up to the standard.
...
Not long ago, at Cake Island, as Hichugiskhan mentioned, Pekoms was pleading for mercy and stalling for time with BIG MOM.
Earlier, Pedro and Jebo were still sailing, and their search objective had shifted to the Plates and Poneglyphs needed by the Hundred Beasts. Their infiltration of the BIG MOM Pirates was their own decision, and they underestimated the defenses of Cake Island.
Especially since Roger had once stolen a Poneglyph, making Charlotte Linlin focus even more on the security of this stone.
Faced with such thieves, she naturally wanted the other party to pay the price.
"Out of the way, Pekoms, you look too pathetic like this!"
"I beg you, Mama! Please forgive them this once!"
Ignoring the scolding from others, Pekoms merely knelt on the ground crying, knowing that on this Cake Island, Charlotte Linlin was the absolute ruler. Only by convincing her would there be a chance for Pedro and Jebo to survive.
"Pekoms, I've already been very lenient by not killing them outright. They must participate in this game; it's the rule of the BIG MOM Pirates."
A roulette with hands on foot drawn, marked with numbers, was pushed up by the Homies. It was similar in shape to the prize wheel of the Hundred Beasts, but this one was a punishment wheel, and the penalty paid by the punished was a part of the body or life.
As a member of the BIG MOM Pirates, Pekoms knew very well what that meant.
He was unable to stop Charlotte Linlin and could only do his best to stall for time, placing his hopes on the previous phone call.