"Heh heh, save those words for when you actually get there!"
Kaido, who was also putting on an act, knew that at a moment like this, he could neither back down nor go along with them too smoothly. Otherwise, the Straw Hat crew would definitely notice something strange.
But in his heart, he let out a cold sneer.
Hmph! What a bunch of daydreaming youngsters.
If the final island were really that easy to find, then the seat of Pirate King wouldn't have remained vacant for so many years.
But it doesn't matter... because after today, the arrogant Straw Hat Pirates will become the stepping stone for the Beasts Pirates to conquer the world!
In the end, under Luffy's fooling-around persuasion, both Red and Kaido lowered their postures.
Using their earlier cooperation as an excuse, Luffy smoothly invited Kaido to join the banquet as well.
During the feast, Kaido and the others casually brought up Mihawk, and from Red's mouth they soon learned of Mihawk's current condition...
For some unknown reason, he had suddenly collapsed. Not only that, he was gravely injured. If they did not find a famous doctor to treat him as soon as possible, he might very well be on the verge of death.
Only...
"Why should we save him!? Once he dies, Zoro will be the world's greatest swordsman..."
"When that time comes, who knows how many people will come flocking to us because of his name and join our side, laying the foundation for us to seize this world's rule!"
At this moment, in Kaido's eyes, the Straw Hat Pirates looked like a bunch of madmen intoxicated by petty success, arrogant to the extreme.
Though he was deeply scornful of the Straw Hats' childish thinking, hearing that Mihawk was already close to death filled him with delight once more.
There had been no accidents with the power of the Conqueror Virus.
If even someone like Mihawk could not withstand the virus's power, then who in this world could possibly resist them!?
Kaido was not so conceited as to think that a single virus alone was enough to dominate the whole world.
There were many intelligent people in this world, and no shortage of brilliant doctors either.
Sooner or later, someone would crack their virus.
But by the time that day came... the Beasts Pirates would already have become the Pirate King!
"Wororororo..."
At the banquet, Kaido raised the wine cup in his hand and drank heartily with perfect false enthusiasm.
Night fell.
The brilliant night sky cast starlight over the ground of Festival Island, and the scattered glimmers made the island look far less desolate than before.
And thanks to Sanji's efforts, the feast had continued from daytime all the way into the night with not the slightest sign of stopping.
Uta and Brook sang in perfect tandem, pushing the atmosphere of the banquet to its peak.
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper also stuck chopsticks into their noses and mouths, dancing a traditional and ridiculous bizarre dance.
At this moment, the Straw Hat Pirates had practically forgotten Kaido and the others even existed and were wholeheartedly enjoying the feast.
The entire Going Merry was filled with laughter and joy.
But just then, a group of unexpected visitors interrupted the celebration.
"Please, everyone of the Straw Hat Pirates, save us!!!"
Bang!!!
Led by Hajrudin, more than twenty pirates with bounties exceeding a hundred million suddenly dropped to their knees in front of the Going Merry and shouted at the top of their lungs, begging the Straw Hats for help.
Hearing the cry, Red and the others had no choice but to pause the banquet and walk over to the railing to look down curiously.
Though Hajrudin was a giant, he too was kneeling on the ground, so his overall height did not exceed the height of the Going Merry's hull.
Even so, with his massive frame, he was still the most eye-catching one there.
"Eh?! Aren't you the giants from today's festival? What happened!?"
Luffy, who never put much thought into things, did not really understand the plight these pirates were in, but his naturally favorable impression of giants made him unable to resist wanting to help Hajrudin.
"Lord Luffy!"
At the sound of Luffy's voice, the pirates below immediately lifted their heads, revealing pairs of pitiful eyes.
They could not help it. They had truly been driven into a desperate corner.
The ships they relied on for survival had been destroyed by Bullet, and the waters around the island were packed with Marine battleships.
Although those Marines might have been wary of the Straw Hat Pirates and thus did not dare land and fight, judging from the posture of those warships, they had no intention of leaving either. Instead, they were tightening the encirclement around the entire island.
Once the Straw Hat Pirates left, the fate awaiting these pirates was easy to imagine.
It was entirely possible that the Marines would directly flatten the entire island with a Buster Call-level bombardment.
No!
This was no mere Buster Call, but a fleet ten times the size of one...
That kind of artillery bombardment was simply not something they could endure.
So after several respected captains discussed the matter and concluded that their chances of breaking through by force were slim, they had no choice but to come beg the Straw Hat Pirates.
In just a few words, Hajrudin, as their leader, clearly explained his request to Luffy and the others.
And after hearing it, Luffy immediately responded:
"Ah, you guys are really unlucky."
As soon as he said that, he turned to Red at his side and asked:
"Red, what do you think we should do? Should we help them!?"
Luffy knew that Red seemed to have some kind of plan involving these pirates, though he did not know exactly what it was.
So even though he wanted to help, he did not immediately agree.
At this moment, Red's lips curled upward into a deeply interested smile.
"You want to ask us for help!?"
He cast a slightly frivolous gaze toward the pirates below, then slowly said:
"We're all people who sail this sea. You should understand very well that we have no obligation to help you."
"And I'm sure you've seen our strength too, so I doubt you've got the guts to morally blackmail us."
"So... if we help you, what exactly can we gain from it?"
"Th-this..."
The pirates raised their heads, but instead of feeling disheartened by Red's profit-driven tone, their eyes all lit up with hope.
After all, as long as there was something to negotiate, there was still hope.
Just then, Caribou, who was standing beside Hajrudin, suddenly stepped forward.
He had been quite lucky. Though he had suffered many injuries in the earlier riot, he had not died outright.
Then his body began to writhe, transforming into a living swamp.
In the next moment, a short figure bound in Seastone chains was spat directly out of his swamp-like body.
Caribou wore a fawning smile.
"My lords of the Straw Hat Pirates, this is just a small gift from us. Please accept it, my lords."
As he spoke, Caribou crouched down and yanked the short man upward so that the Straw Hats could clearly see his face.
And although his face was covered in blood and bruises, Red and the others recognized him instantly...
The man who had once appeared in the newspapers as the mastermind behind the festival, and also the founder of this pirate celebration itself—Festa!
"Y-you bastards..."
Perhaps because he had not been trapped in the swamp space for very long, Festa's mind had not suffered too much, though his body remained restrained.
And when he saw the Straw Hats—the ones who had turned his carefully planned festival into complete chaos—the already ugly and twisted features on his face became even more savage.
"Damned Straw Hat Pirates!!! You all deserve to die!!! Deserve to die!!!"
Bang!!!
"You useless trash, shut your mouth already! Nobody asked you to speak here!!!"
Caribou kicked Festa square in the mouth, then turned back around. Rubbing his hands together like a fly, he grinned obsequiously and said nothing more.
At that moment, rustling sounds came from behind him again.
Cavendish, whose appearance was still impeccably neat despite having gone through the riot, dragged an unconscious figure over to the underside of the Going Merry and threw him down beside Festa.
They did not even need to see his face. Just from that burly physique alone, Red and the others knew...
This man was the Demon Heir, Bullet, whom Luffy had just defeated!
"Oh? I was originally planning to go find him tomorrow. I didn't expect you'd bring him to us yourselves."
"You lot... did well!"
Hearing Red's praise, the obsequious look on Caribou's face instantly deepened.
"Hahahaha... being able to serve my lords is my honor!"
"I just wonder whether, in the future, this humble one might still have the chance to continue serving my lords."
"You really are a clever one."
Hearing Caribou's words, Red immediately looked at him with amused eyes.
Though this guy had been a complete villain in the original story, the sort who worshipped Blackbeard's brand of true piracy—doing whatever he pleased—
Blackbeard was probably already standing in line waiting to be reincarnated by now. Even if Caribou wanted to defect, he would not know who to defect to.
And the more people like him were, the more obedient they tended to be.
Under the expectant gazes of the gathered pirates, Red smiled and waved his hand.
"All right. Before dawn, gather all your men here. When the time comes, we'll take you back out to sea."
"Thank you, Lord Red!!! Thank you, Lord Luffy!!! Thank you, everyone of the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
The moment Caribou heard this, he immediately kowtowed over and over again, shouting his thanks loudly with every bow.
And influenced by him, even the pirates who still had some pride left had no choice, in the face of survival, but to follow his example and kneel in worship before the Straw Hat crew.
"Heh heh..."
Red let out a light chuckle, then stopped paying attention to the pirates below and turned to his companions.
"All right, don't let this little interruption affect our banquet."
"Usopp, send some bugs over there and take Bullet into custody."
"As for that Festa... he's just a pitiful relic abandoned by the times. Send him off to meet Roger."
"Got it."
Faced with a man who treated countless pirates as steps on his path to godhood, Usopp had no spare mercy to waste on Festa.
Two insects flew out from his body and swiftly completed the tasks Red had assigned.
And so the interrupted banquet resumed once more.
Watching all of this, Kaido and the others secretly sneered in their hearts.
"Judging from that brat Red's attitude, it seems he wants to bring all these pirates under his command!?"
"What a joke!"
"I can hardly wait to see the looks on your faces tomorrow when the illness breaks out!"
At the thought of that, the corners of Kaido's mouth could not help but lift.
Unfortunately, Caesar and Queen had only created a vaccine that could prevent the Conqueror Virus, not a treatment for it.
Otherwise, he could have cut in midway and taken in a whole group of capable subordinates right here.
Forget it.
There was no shortage of pirates in the New World anyway. Nothing worth regretting!
And so, under Kaido's expectant mood, the seemingly calm night passed amid cheerful revelry.
In the blink of an eye, morning arrived on the second day.
And the captains of those pirate crews, true to their agreement, gathered every surviving pirate around the Going Merry.
The noisy clamor quickly woke the Straw Hats, who had been sleeping on deck.
Usopp sleepily propped himself up and glanced outside in confusion, wanting to see who was disturbing his sweet dream.
But in the very next second, his eyes widened abruptly, and he became fully awake on the spot.
"E-everyone... stop sleeping!!!"
"Everybody, wake up already!!!"
A flustered Usopp leaped to his feet and hurriedly shook the others awake on the deck.
Even Kaido and the others, who had merely been pretending to sleep, were affected and slowly opened their eyes as well.
In the next moment, Usopp rushed to Red's side and shouted:
"Red, those pirates from yesterday... those pirates..."
"Oh, you mean that giant bunch, right?"
Before Usopp could finish, Red cut him off directly.
As a perception-type powerhouse, even in his sleep, he could still sense the pirates pouring in from all directions across the island.
But those pirates posed no threat to them and carried no hostility, so naturally they would not trigger Red and the others' subconscious alarm.
Looking at Usopp's panicked expression, Red could not help but sigh.
"Seriously, Usopp. No matter what, you're a man who can command countless insects and who's already gone through several major battles..."
"So how are you still this jumpy~"
"Ah... hahaha... I-I just woke up too suddenly, that's all."
Usopp smiled awkwardly, his face flushing with embarrassment.
There was no helping it. That was just his personality.
Just like Luffy, no matter how much his status changed or how strong he became, he would still keep that original nature of his.
Even if it was not exactly the best kind of nature to have.
Red shook his head helplessly, then stepped over to the railing and looked down.
And then he understood why Usopp had become so flustered.
As the saying went, when a thousand people gather, the horizon disappears; when ten thousand gather, they cover the earth and sky.
Although countless pirates had died or been injured in the earlier riot, there had simply been too many pirates at this celebration.
Even after so many had died, the number gathered around the Going Merry still exceeded twenty thousand!
That number had already surpassed the Straw Hat Pirates' current total manpower!
If they could swallow up this entire force, then the Straw Hat crew's manpower shortage throughout the New World would be greatly eased.
It would not even be a problem to double the territory under Pokémon Paradise's control!!!
"This pirate festival really is interesting~"
Red instinctively glanced at Kaido, who was pretending not to know what was going on, and the corner of his mouth spread into a sly grin.
He was not worried that these pirates would refuse to join the Pokémon Pirates.
After all, with Kaido's enormous assistance here, as long as these pirates wanted to live and continue sailing the seas...
Then joining the Straw Hats was their only choice!
(End of Chapter)