The land of the Asdea Kingdom had been burned clean by White Ghost.
Truly clean.
Since there was still some time left, the crew simply held a banquet there.
Everyone knew a great battle was coming.
A life-or-death battle.
But the men went about things as usual.
Only the women looked at their men with worry in their eyes.
Elena and the others looked anxiously at White Ghost.
"Do you really have to fight them?"
White Ghost nodded and looked at the newspaper.
"The three of them are coming. I can't run, and I don't want to run. It's been a long, long time since I fought properly."
"Can't you fight someone else? This time it's all three Marine Admirals. Can you beat them?"
Elena's eyes reddened as she looked at White Ghost.
Stella said nothing, but tears had already gathered in her eyes.
Naqin was the same, her eyes full of worry.
Pfft.
White Ghost could not hold back and laughed.
Elena angrily pinched his waist.
"We're all worried about you, and you're laughing?"
White Ghost pulled all three of them into his arms. The three women struggled symbolically for a moment.
"Enough. I have a rough idea of their strength, and you know mine.
"Killing me? It won't be that simple."
Stella buried her face in White Ghost's chest.
"White Bro, you can't lie to me. I only have you now."
Naqin also sobbed in White Ghost's arms, looking pitiful.
White Ghost could not stand this kind of scene.
"Alright, alright. This isn't a final farewell. Smile, okay? I'm not going to die."
The others did not look toward their captain. They simply ate meat and drank on their own.
Before a big battle, filling your stomach was the best thing to do.
After White Ghost finished comforting the three women, he returned to the bonfire and sat beside Issho.
"Now you can't leave even if you want to."
"Heh."
Issho added more gravy noodles to his bowl and smiled.
"This one already said before. I want to see how far you can go. Whether I regret it or not is no longer important."
"Do you need me to heal your eyes?"
White Ghost did not continue that topic and instead looked at Issho's eyes.
Issho added tomato and egg to his bowl.
"These eyes were sealed by this one's own hand. There is too much filth in this world. This one could not bear to look."
"Don't you want to see people living better and better in my territory someday?"
White Ghost smoked and looked at the bonfire.
Issho's hand paused as he was about to eat.
He lowered his head and thought for a while.
"If the time comes when this one needs it, I will ask you, Captain."
White Ghost nodded, then looked up at the sky.
Issho thought White Ghost was thinking about the upcoming battle.
But then his Observation Haki sensed something, and he raised his head as well.
The others also noticed and looked into the sky.
In the dark night, a massive creature was flying toward them.
Those who knew who it was did not move. Those who did not picked up their weapons and prepared for battle.
"It's fine. Keep doing what you're doing."
White Ghost waved a hand.
"Worororororo!"
A dragon's laugh came from the sky.
On the ground, the people responsible for surveillance were startled and hurriedly reported the situation.
Kaido shrank his body and began falling.
Boom!
A huge pit was smashed into the ground nearby, sending dust into the air.
White Ghost snapped his fingers, and a gentle wind blew the dust away.
Kaido stood there, carrying his kanabo, his eyes blood-red as he stared at White Ghost.
"What? You want to fight me now? I need to conserve my strength for those three Marine monsters. I don't want to fight you first."
"Worororororo!"
Kaido tightened his grip on the kanabo.
"You bastard. Rather than let the Marines beat you to death, I might as well give you one good swing and kill you myself to vent my anger!"
"Hm?"
The others gripped their weapons one by one and stared solemnly at Kaido, one of the Three Emperors.
White Ghost signaled that there was no need.
He took a large gourd of wine from his bracelet and tossed it to Kaido.
"If you're not here to fight, sit down and drink. This is our first time drinking together."
Kaido put away his kanabo.
Bang!
He caught the flying gourd with one hand, pulled off the stopper, and took a huge gulp.
"Worororororo! Good wine! Truly good wine!"
Kaido walked to the bonfire and sat beside White Ghost without even looking at the wary crew.
Boom!
The seven-meter-tall Kaido sat beside White Ghost, shaking the ground.
"Speaking of which, why didn't you run? I don't believe you couldn't escape."
White Ghost clinked cups with him and took a big gulp of wine.
"Hic."
He wiped the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.
"I'm not a pirate like you. I don't run the moment I see Marines."
"Worororororo!"
Kaido laughed loudly.
"Pirates being chased by Marines is only natural."
Kaido familiarly picked up a large piece of meat and started tearing into it. As he ate, he looked at Issho beside White Ghost.
"Didn't expect you to have someone like this under you. Now I'm relieved."
White Ghost chuckled.
"What, afraid I'll die and no one will be around to fight you later?"
Kaido took another huge gulp of wine and burped.
"That's right. We still have a score to settle."
White Ghost curled his lips.
"Isn't it just because I cut you once last time? Do you have to hold such a grudge?"
Kaido glared at White Ghost.
"Bastard, that's not the only thing, is it? While I wasn't in Wano, you took quite a few good things, didn't you?"
As Kaido spoke, he looked toward Shiroheko.
"She looks a lot like Oden's woman. Those two blades are Oden's, aren't they?"
When Shiroheko heard the name "Oden," she tightened her grip on her two swords and stared hard at Kaido.
After a moment, she loosened her hands and her eyes returned to normal.
"I am no longer a member of the Kozuki clan. The ones who will come to overthrow you in the future are the Kozuki clan."
"Worororororo!"
Kaido laughed as he looked at her.
"Strictly speaking, your mother wasn't killed by me. After she sent that coward and the others away, she died with Oden."
White Ghost tapped his wine bowl.
"Stop. She's mine now. There's no need to tear open old wounds.
"The one who'll come after you in the future is Momonosuke, not her. Say any more, and I'll draw my sword."
Kaido grinned.
"You bastard. Fine, I'll give you face today."
Then Kaido showed a look of disdain.
"With just that brat and the so-called Nine Red Scabbards, they want to defeat me? Dream on. Wororororo!"
White Ghost looked at Kaido playfully.
In the original path, this guy had been worn down through round after round of attacks.
First those nine useless fools, then the others, and finally the cheating Luffy.
Kaido noticed White Ghost's gaze and his face darkened.
"You don't seriously think I'll lose to those rats, do you?"
White Ghost narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe they'll find outside help."
Kaido shook his head.
"Whitebeard won't help them. As for you?"
White Ghost waved his hand.
"I'm not interested in that place. The helper I'm talking about isn't Whitebeard."
At this point, White Ghost's eyes narrowed.
"Joy Boy."
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