"King!!!"
Watching King fall into the Straw Hat Pirates' hands right after Jack, Queen's eyes went wide on the threatened deck, and he roared in fury.
But very quickly, Redfield's gaze and the overwhelming pressure radiating from the Straw Hats forced him to calm down again.
In contrast to Queen...
At this moment, after witnessing the sheer might of the Straw Hat Pirates, Caesar's eyes immediately lit up like twin searchlights!
At this very moment, he had to admit that he had miscalculated!
Because he had devoted himself so completely to his biochemical virus research, Caesar knew very little about the world beyond his laboratory.
It was not as if he had never heard of the Straw Hat Pirates' fearsome reputation.
But he had still subconsciously believed that an old-established Yonko crew like the Beasts Pirates possessed greater prestige.
On top of that, he had originally been conducting certain dealings with the Beasts through the influence of the Donquixote Family.
So when he learned that the Marines were coming to search Punk Hazard, he had taken a massive amount of research data with him and defected to the Beasts Pirates.
What he had not expected, however, was that the Beasts, in whom he had placed such high hopes, would get dragged across the floor in their very first operation!
Not long after Zoro and Sanji's battles ended, the fight on Luffy's side was also gradually drawing to a close.
Compared to Big Mom, Kaido was by no means weak.
In fact, if Whitebeard had not received the Straw Hat Pirates' gift because of Ace, then in pure one-on-one combat, Kaido might even have surpassed the illness-ridden Whitebeard!
A true top-tier monster in the world.
Unfortunately...
He had simply been born at the wrong time.
When he was young, he ran into Rocks, the man who nearly overturned the world, and could only linger at the fringes as a mere apprentice.
In his youth, he could only watch the golden age of legendary pirates like Roger and the Golden Lion.
Though he possessed remarkable strength, he still could not escape the blinding brilliance of that legendary generation.
After finally surviving long enough to approach sixty and outlast a great number of powerful figures, he had barely had time to enjoy standing at the summit before the world-blessed "Straw Hat Era" arrived.
That's right!
The Worst Generation, once full of miracles, was now hardly mentioned at all.
Because under the radiance of the Straw Hat crew, every other spark looked pitifully dim.
In just two short years, the Straw Hat Pirates had not only done many of the things Kaido had done, but had also accomplished many things Kaido had wanted to do but never dared to attempt.
It could only be said that Teacher Kaido was fated to be a supporting character.
Under the absurd power of Nika, Kaido—who knew only how to meet force with force—suffered miserably.
No matter how hard and tough someone was, in Luffy's Nika form, they would become soft and absurdly elastic.
Luffy was Kaido's natural nemesis!
Boom!!!
Accompanied by a thunderous crash that made the entire Festival Island tremble violently, the island that had been lively for days finally welcomed a long-lost silence.
"Kaido... was actually defeated..."
Among the pirate forces, as they stared at the battlefield shrouded in soaring dust, and at the absent azure dragon body that never rose into the sky again, everyone fell silent, staring at one another in shock.
It wasn't that they didn't know how strong Luffy was.
It was that they had never imagined Luffy would be this strong!!!
In the sky, Luffy slowly withdrew from his Nika form and Pokémon-ization. With one hand pressing down on his straw hat, he descended from above and landed atop a massive rock.
"It's over~"
Red's scarlet figure suddenly appeared beside Luffy. Smiling, he looked down at the unconscious Kaido below.
Luffy, however, pouted, looking faintly displeased.
"Seriously, I thought he'd be really strong~ Who knew he'd be this weak?"
"Heh." Red chuckled. "In this world, the only one who can say Kaido is weak is probably you, right?!"
There was no helping it. The power of Nika naturally countered brute-force fighters.
Before Luffy, Kaido in his azure dragon form was nothing more than a slightly longer jump rope.
Let alone fighting back, even moving freely was a problem.
"Still, being able to defeat the Beasts Pirates here is an unexpected bonus."
Red mused, "That way, we can smoothly take over Wano Country as well."
"Wano Country!?" Luffy looked confused. After thinking for a long moment, he suddenly smacked his palm. "Oh! I remember now! It's that country you mentioned where one of the Ancient Weapons is sleeping, right?!"
"It's rare for you to actually remember something." Red narrowed his eyes and gave Luffy an approving look.
Luffy's eyes instantly began to shine with excitement.
"Let's go! Let's go! It's a legendary Ancient Weapon!"
"I've wanted to see one for ages!"
"It's not like we don't already have one~"
Red shot Luffy a helpless glance.
Their Merry had already been modified according to the blueprints of Pluton. After becoming a Pokémon, it was now even more powerful than the legendary Ancient Weapon itself. He truly couldn't understand what Luffy was getting so excited about.
But...
"Don't worry. The Beasts Pirates have a Road Poneglyph. That's something we absolutely have to obtain."
Red opened the personal terminal on his wrist and made several quick gestures on it, sending a message to the officers in the Pokémon Sea about their imminent return.
Then he placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder, and the figures of the two men blurred abruptly.
With the power of Teleport, the pair returned directly to the deck of the Merry in an instant.
And with them came the unconscious Kaido as well!
"Luffy! Red!"
The moment the two appeared, the Straw Hats already on deck immediately greeted them in delight.
Although for them, defeating the Beasts Pirates had only ever been a matter of sooner or later, now that the moment had truly arrived, everyone could not help but feel excited.
After all, this meant they had taken another huge step toward making Luffy the Pirate King!
Red smiled and responded to everyone one by one.
But in the next second, his gaze abruptly focused on two rather unusual guests aboard the Merry.
"Queen... and Caesar..."
"I didn't get your names wrong, did I?"
Wearing a bright smile, though mockery flickered in his eyes, Red called out to the two men at the edge of the deck like some grand villain who held everything in the palm of his hand.
"N-no, you didn't!"
Having their names called, Queen and Caesar both looked utterly horrified, cold sweat covering their foreheads.
After personally witnessing the Straw Hats defeat Kaido and the others, the two of them were terrified beyond words.
Their boss and coworkers had all ended up like this. Who knew what awaited the two of them?
But at that moment, Red's next words caused both of them to freeze in stunned disbelief.
"I heard that the two of you were once brilliant scientists who worked alongside Vegapunk..."
"So, are either of you interested in joining under the Straw Hats and working for us with your intelligence?"
"Believe me, the Straw Hat Pirates respect the power of knowledge more than any other force in this world."
"Y-you..." Queen stared in astonishment, his eyes bulging as if they might fall out. "You want to recruit us!?"
Red shrugged with a smile. "Was I not being clear enough?"
"But..."
Queen still wanted to say something.
Yet Caesar directly cut in, raising both arms high.
"I'M WILLING!!!"
As he spoke, that already crafty face of his suddenly filled with thick, shameless flattery.
At this moment, he didn't even care that Nami was still watching him from the side. He rubbed his hands excitedly and hurried right up to Red.
"My lord, you may not know this, but I had long admired the Straw Hat Pirates' unmatched greatness and wanted to throw myself under your command!"
"It was only because that Kaido appeared out of nowhere midway and forcibly abducted both me and all my research data to the Beasts Pirates!"
"Now that you great lords have defeated Kaido, you have truly eased the deep hatred in my heart!"
"For such immense kindness, I have no way to repay you. I am willing to give my life for the Straw Hat Pirates!!!"
Bang.
Caesar dropped to one knee with a motion so practiced and smooth that even Queen, watching from the side, could not help but sigh inwardly:
Caesar, just what exactly have you been doing all these years we were apart...?
Anyone with eyes could tell Caesar was lying through his teeth, but Red did not mind taking in a sly opportunist like him.
Of course, that was only on the condition that he truly had talent and could bring real benefits to the Straw Hat Pirates.
"Good~"
Red waved his hand, unsurprised by Caesar's acceptance.
Then he turned his gaze and looked at Queen.
"What about you?"
"I..."
A flicker of light flashed through Queen's eyes.
Though he had joined the Beasts Pirates at first simply to find himself a backer, after all these years he had long since grown accustomed to his identity as one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars.
And while Kaido wasn't especially kind to the lower-ranking crew, he treated capable officers like them very well.
It could be said that the brand of the Beasts had long since been branded into Queen's very bones.
And helping Kaido become Pirate King had already become the goal he had struggled toward.
Only...
Queen slowly turned his head to look at Kaido and the other two, whom Red had "carried" onto the Merry using Psychic Power. A trace of reluctance suddenly flashed across his face.
Only after a long while did he let out a soft sigh.
"Ah..."
Queen raised his head and said in a weary voice,
"I can join you, but I have one condition!"
"Oh? Let's hear it." Red smiled and gestured for him to continue.
Queen then spoke slowly, enunciating every word:
"I can join under the Straw Hats and provide you with all kinds of scientific assistance..."
"But!"
"You have to promise me that the three of them will be spared!!!"
He pointed at the three figures on the deck—Kaido and the others—and spoke with utter seriousness.
With the miraculous Straw Hat crew around, he knew it was no longer possible for the Beasts Pirates to reach the top.
If that was the case, then at the very least, he did not want all of their past struggle to turn completely into nothing.
In the end, Queen still could not bear to watch his comrades and captain vanish just like that into the river of history.
(End of Chapter)