Kaido put away his Hassaikai, but his gaze remained fixed on Blackbeard.
The previously tense atmosphere eased somewhat.
"You said you want to deal with Leno? Explain it properly to me!"
Seeing Kaido stop, Blackbeard felt slightly relieved.
He knew he had no choice but to speak—and it aligned with his own goals anyway.
So he quickly said:
"Of course! I want nothing more than to kill Leno!"
Seeing the hatred on Blackbeard's face didn't seem fake, Kaido felt more at ease.
"At Marineford, I had everything planned perfectly. My target was Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit!"
At this point—
Blackbeard's face twisted with anger and unwillingness, his fists clenching tightly.
"But in the end! That damned Leno ruined everything!"
"That bastard not only destroyed my plan, he even snatched the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and gave it to his woman—Domino!"
After hearing this, Kaido blinked, his face showing clear confusion for the first time.
"What did you just say?" he muttered.
What… is going on with this era?
Or did I sleep drunk for too long?
Kaido felt a deep sense of disbelief.
One after another—
How are people able to steal Devil Fruit abilities now?
Even that brat Leno can do it?
The way he looked at Blackbeard became complicated.
There was even a trace of… envy?
"Why didn't this kind of ability appear on me?! If I could steal abilities, wouldn't my army of Devil Fruit users become even stronger?!"
His gaze swept over Orochi's still-warm corpse on the ground.
The facts were right there—Blackbeard had done it.
Then Leno, who had taken the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—
Was probably real as well.
"Cooperating with this guy… might not be a bad idea," a thought emerged in Kaido's mind.
No need for troublesome SMILE fruits anymore.
Just hunt powerful Zoan users across the seas—
And have Blackbeard take their abilities…
Blackbeard had been on guard the entire time, so he immediately noticed the change in Kaido's gaze.
He was secretly delighted and quickly struck while the iron was hot.
"And Kaido, as far as I know, Leno also has a Mythical Zoan user under him! Some kind of Siren form—extremely powerful!"
"That brat Leno doesn't deserve such a fruit."
"Mythical Zoans should belong to the Beasts Pirates."
No choice—he was at a disadvantage here.
His strength wasn't on Kaido's level.
He knew Kaido's obsession with Zoans, especially Mythical Zoans, so he deliberately threw out this bait.
As expected, Kaido's eyes lit up, his interest growing even stronger.
"Oh? A Siren-type Mythical Zoan?" He licked his lips.
He was already planning to deal with Leno—
And now he could also obtain a Mythical Zoan along the way?
This was an unexpected bonus!
The SMILE business couldn't be abandoned.
But right now, directly seizing powerful Zoan abilities was even more important.
"Worororo!" Kaido burst into laughter. "Blackbeard, you've successfully piqued my interest!"
After a brief discussion—
The two quickly reached a temporary alliance.
The previously hostile atmosphere became… subtly tense in a different way.
Almost… harmonious.
"Zehahaha! A pleasant cooperation, Brother Kaido!" Blackbeard laughed.
"Worororo! Let's go, Teach! Let's meet that brat Leno together!" Kaido hoisted his Hassaikai onto his shoulder.
The two of them, along with a group of elites, set off aggressively toward the location provided by Doflamingo.
Meanwhile—
Near Gran Tesoro.
Doflamingo, whose call had just been hung up by Kaido, had an extremely grim expression.
Part of it was due to Kaido suddenly changing plans.
But more importantly—
"Can't find them?! You useless trash! How can such a large ship just disappear without a trace?!"
He roared furiously into the Den Den Mushi.
From the other side came his subordinate's panicked voice:
"Y-Young Master… we've searched all nearby seas… Leno's ship is like it vanished into thin air…"
Veins bulged on Doflamingo's forehead in anger.
How long had it been? How far could they have gone?!
Even though he had made preparations—
Using a tracker secretly placed on Sugar—
He still couldn't lock onto their exact location.
"Keep searching! Expand the search area! You must find them!"
Doflamingo roared as he slammed the Den Den Mushi down.
"Leno… where exactly are you hiding?!"
Meanwhile, aboard the Fallen One—the ship Doflamingo was desperately searching for—
Leno was looking at Kalifa with a somewhat strange expression.
Kalifa pushed up her glasses and spoke calmly:
"Just as you said, Leno."
"Bakara's Luck-Luck Fruit ability can indeed cover the entire ship."
"As long as she accumulates enough luck, it's very possible for us to have smooth sailing—everything we do becoming extremely fortunate."
As she spoke, her gaze flicked toward Bakara—
Who was locked inside a specially prepared room, her face pale and her eyes filled with fear.
Over the past few days, Kalifa had "thoroughly" used her to test the limits of her ability.
As for the "hundredfold speed" usage—
She had practically mastered it instinctively, like a natural genius.
Her efficiency in "fixing pipes" was unmatched.
Looking at Kalifa's calm yet faintly… excited expression—
Leno couldn't help but mutter inwardly:
"This is bad… ever since she opened the door to a new world, she's getting a bit out of control researching this fruit…"
Even he felt a little sorry for Bakara.
Falling into Kalifa's hands—
She had become the very first subject of deep development.
"Then let's try it your way," Leno nodded.
"Have her cover the entire ship with luck. If we run into any clueless pirates along the way, capture them and let her absorb their luck."
"Yes, Leno."
Kalifa accepted the order. As she turned to leave, the corner of her lips seemed to lift ever so slightly.
"Time to have some fun again," she thought, excitement rising within her.
The Fallen One steadily sailed toward Totto Land.
Leno sat on a chair on the deck, looking at Monet as she approached him.
Monet seemed a bit nervous.
"Lord Leno," she spoke softly.
"Mm?" Leno looked up at her.
"I… I also have a gift I'd like to offer you, my lord," Monet said.
"A gift?" Leno raised an eyebrow. "What kind of gift?"
Monet took a deep breath and reached into that uniquely feminine, seemingly extra-dimensional pocket.
After fumbling around for a moment, she carefully pulled out a strangely shaped fruit covered in spiral patterns.
A Devil Fruit.
As for how she managed to take it out—
Don't ask.
A girl's extra-dimensional pocket is not something ordinary people can understand.
Even Leno sometimes had to lean in and inspect it repeatedly.
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