Chapter 326 - 165

Chapter 165: Kaido: Just for a few broken Sea Stone handcuffs?!"Damn old hag!!"A deafening roar tore through the deathly silence of Onigashima's main hall. Kaido's knotted muscles bulged with rage, and his crimson eyes churned with a mountain-collapsing ferocity."Crack—crack—"In an instant, the once lively den den mushi was reduced to a sticky mess, dripping from Kaido's fingers and splattering onto the floor.Kaido disgustedly shook his hand, as if the mud was something utterly filthy.It was no wonder he was so enraged.In Kaido's eyes, his daughter Yamato and Straw Hat Luffy were clearly a match made in heaven!That girl Yamato, though a bit foolishly stubborn and reckless in her actions,inherited his formidable physique and pure heart. Her eyes held both a maiden's vivacity and a warrior's heroism.Such stunning beauty and remarkable strength would be hard to find a second person like her in the entire New World.Kaido had long seen through his daughter's thoughts.When Straw Hat was wreaking havoc on Onigashima, that girl's mouth never stopped mentioning "Luffy" and "freedom."The light flickering in her eyes was a fervor and longing he had never seen before.If this wasn't the seed of love, what was it?As for Straw Hat Luffy, he was an exceptional talent, chosen from a million!At such a young age, he possessed the strength to shake the Four Emperors, that fearless drive, and the unique charm to gather people—he was practically a young version of himself, MAXed out!The more Kaido thought about it, the more satisfied he became, and a wild, arrogant smile couldn't help but curl at the corners of his mouth:"As long as that guy isn't gay, with my daughter's looks and strength, isn't taking him down a piece of cake?""Wororororo—!!"Deafening laughter echoed through the great hall. Kaido slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming with determination. He had already begun to fantasize about the future:Straw Hat Luffy would become his son-in-law, join the Beasts Pirates, and together with Yamato, become his right and left arms.By then, the entire New World would grovel at his feet.His dream of the "Strongest Pirate Crew" would also be completely realized!The scene was too beautiful, and Kaido's laughter grew even more unrestrained!..."Boss, we're here!!"A sharp roar, like the wailing of ghosts and wolves, filled with a dusty, restless sensation, crashed in from outside the hall.An bloated figure stumbled in,wearing a pair of blood-red striped overalls stained with mud and blood.—It was Queen, one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars.Behind him, a dark mass of people struggled to move.They were the "miners" from the Udon quarry.Each of them was sallow and emaciated, with cheekbones so prominent they looked like they would pierce their skin, dressed in tattered prison uniforms.Heavy iron chains were locked around their necks, wrists, and ankles, dragging on the ground with a grating "clank-clank" sound.Every step was staggering and heavy, like departed souls crawling out of hell.Their eyes were hollow, yet held a trace of awe for Kaido, not daring to show the slightest slack as they followed behind Queen."Boss Kaido—!!"Queen immediately spotted the mountain-like figure standing in the hall.His already mournful face instantly contorted into an even more exaggerated expression of grievance. Large tears, mixed with oil and bloodstains, streamed down his face as he let out a pig-like wail.Completely disregarding his image, he spread his arms, his massive body like an out-of-control cannonball, pouncing towards Kaido with a posture that suggested he had suffered an immense wrong.However,just as Queen was still several meters away from Kaido, a dark shadow suddenly darted out from the hall's beam shadows!It was so fast it was just a blurry afterimage. Then, a large foot, with a whooshing sound, fiercely kicked Queen's round belly."Bang!!"The dull thud made the air slightly tremble. Queen's several hundred pounds of fleshy body was like being hit by a heavy cannon,flying backward even faster than he had charged, slamming heavily onto the cold stone floor.The immense impact raised a cloud of dust, and The sound of gravel falling. fell."King! You bastard!!"Queen struggled to prop up his upper body, his round face covered in dust and tear streaks, snot still dangling from his nose. He looked utterly disheveled.He puffed out his rotund body, hands on his hips, his fat trembling with anger as he indignantly glared at the shadowy figure that had landed.King still wore his signature black feathered cloak, a mask covering most of his face, revealing only a pair of cold, sharp eyes that looked down at him."Even if you have a good relationship with Boss Kaido, and were the first to follow him, does that mean you can insult me so wantonly?!"The more Queen spoke, the more agitated he became, his voice rising eight octaves!However, King merely glanced at him coldly, his tone utterly calm, yet laced with biting sarcasm:"A good-for-nothing who can't even guard Udon, still has the face to cry and whine here?"His gaze swept over Queen's body, covered in blood, tears, and snot, his eyes growing even colder,"Look at your wretched state, filthy and cowardly. What right do you have to approach Boss Kaido?""You... you...?!!"Queen was so flustered by King's retort that a breath caught in his throat. His face instantly turned a liver-red, and he pointed a fleshy finger at King, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.The miners behind him were terrified, not daring to breathe, and lowered their heads, fearing to be caught in the dispute between the two All-Stars.Only Queen's heavy breathing and the occasional clinking of chains remained in the great hall... "Queen, what happened to you?!"Kaido paused with the sake pot in his hand, frowning slightly as he looked at Queen.Since King was the one who contacted Queen, he truly didn't know what had happened.His gaze sank, and Kaido's eyes fell upon the gruesome wound on Queen's chest.The sword mark was about half a foot long, its edges glowing with an eerie black-red luster, as if tiny lightning bolts faintly pulsed around the wound.The residual Haki fluctuations, even from several meters away, gave Kaido a familiar sense of oppression."Hmm?"Kaido grunted, slowly lowering the sake pot in his hand, his brows furrowing even deeper.This aura... imbued with will and destructive power—top-tier Haoshoku Infusion?!To be able to so precisely integrate Haoshoku Hakiinto a sword technique and injure a strong opponent like Queen, there were only a handful of people in the New World capable of such a feat.A ripple of emotion stirred in his heart, and his initial impatience gradually gave way to solemnity.Hearing this, Queen seemed to have found his pillar of support. His massive body trembled, and the grievance that had been stuck in his throat from King's earlier taunts instantly erupted.Snot and tears began to stream down his face again. His knees buckled, nearly collapsing to the ground, and he desperately hugged Kaido's calves, wailing:"Boss! You must uphold justice for me!!""Udon... Udon was ambushed!"His voice trembled noticeably, and his pupils revealed unconcealed terror, as if the horrifying scene was replaying before his eyes,"A white-haired old man with glasses suddenly burst in, and without a word, attacked...""So, you were instantly defeated?!"A cold voice came from the side. King still leaned proudly against the stone wall, the hem of his black feathered cloak gently swaying with his breathing.He held his chin up, his eyes filled with undisguised mockery, his tone as flat as if stating an irrelevant fact.But no one knew that King's heart was already churning with tumultuous waves.The "white-haired old man with glasses" Queendescribed was clearly the same man he had encountered on Onigashima not long ago!..."No, it wasn't!"Queen's face burned from King's mockery, his already flushed round face looking as if it would bleed.He suddenly puffed out his rotund belly, hands on his hips, his massive body straining to project a tough posture as he argued:"This old man fought that old geezer for several hours! If I hadn't run out of stamina in the end, how could I have lost to him?!"As soon as these words left his mouth, a deafening burst of laughter suddenly erupted in the hall."Pfft! Worororororo—!!"Kaido clutched his stomach with one hand and held the sake pot with the other, laughing so hard his entire body shook.He laughed for a full half-minute before he could barely stop, pointing at Queen with a teasing tone:"What did you say? You can fight 'Pluton' Rayleighfor several hours?!"Queen froze, opening his mouth to retort, but the words "Pluton" struck his heart like a heavy hammer, making him instantly speechless.Meanwhile, King, leaning against the wall, stiffened abruptly at the name, his pupils behind the mask contracting sharply.He suddenly looked up at Kaido, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock.So that white-haired old man was actually Pirate King Roger's right-hand man, the legendary 'Pluton' Rayleigh!No wonder Queen was severely injured in one move... King's surprise instantly vanished, leaving only deep solemnity.For that legendary figure to personally take action, the Udon incident was definitely not a minor matter!!...Queen also reacted, his massive body instantly slumping, all traces of arrogance gone from his face, replaced only by the relief of having survived a great calamity.That's right, besides that legendary figure, who else could possess such terrifying strength?He had felt wronged just now, but now, thinking back, surviving Rayleigh's hands was already an immense stroke of luck.Kaido stopped laughing, and the amusement on his face gradually faded, replaced by deep solemnity.He, of course, knew Queen was bragging. With Rayleigh's strength, instantly defeating Queen was merely a flick of the finger.But he was more concerned about Rayleigh's appearance.That legendary figure had retired for many years, so why would he suddenly appear in Udon and attack Queen?"So, what did Rayleigh do at the quarry?!"Kaido's gaze was as sharp as an eagle's, staring intently at Queen, his crimson eyes carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.His mind raced, recalling his previous deadly battle with Straw Hat Luffy on Onigashima.Now that he thought about it, that was just a diversion!Straw Hat tied him down, while Rayleigh took the opportunity to infiltrate Udon... Such a meticulous plan could never have been a spur-of-the-moment decision.What exactly did Rayleigh do in Udon? That was the most crucial point!Queen felt a chill run down his spine under Kaido's gaze, and quickly lowered his head, racking his brain to remember.After a moment, he looked up, his tone clearly hesitant: "Uh... he seemed to have taken a few pairs of Sea Stone handcuffs?!""Wororororo—!!"Kaido first froze, then burst into an even more frenzied roar of laughter, though there was no humor in it, only extreme, suppressed rage.He violently smashed the sake pot in his hand onto the ground, ceramic shards scattering, and sake soaking the floor."Are you saying—"Kaido's voice was as deep as thunder before a storm, and black-red lightning crackled around him.Terrifying Conqueror's Haki swept through the entire great hall like a tsunami. The stone pillars in the hall began to hum, as if they could collapse at any moment."Pluton Rayleigh went on a killing spree at the quarry, and Straw Hat and I fought all night long—""Just for a few broken Sea Stone handcuffs?!""What kind of joke is this?!"Kaido practically roared the last sentence.His crimson eyes were filled with grotesque bloodshot veins, and the black-red lightning around him grew even more violent, making the great hall flicker between light and dark.He felt an unprecedented humiliation.As an Emperor of the Sea, those two clearly didn't even put him, Kaido, in their eyes!The terrifying aura pressed down on the entire great hall like a physical weight, making it impossible to breathe. Queen and King were as silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter another word.