"Huh, so that nose-hair guy is the Pirate King. No wonder he was so hard to manifest."
Saya spoke in surprise upon hearing the words Rickross kept muttering.
To boost her strength, Saya had previously chosen to eat the Phantom Fruit, which allowed her to create phantom projections based on images. What was more, these phantoms even possessed the same abilities as the original.
As Saya continued to develop her powers, she discovered that the fruit also granted her the ability to cast illusions. With Ren's help, this ability had evolved into a barrier that shrouded all of Kuri. Combined with the Door Door Fruit's power, Kuri existed in a state between illusion and reality.
However, at Saya's current level, the phantoms she summoned could not manifest their full strength, and they could only exist for a few seconds.
Fortunately, Roger's phantom was powerful enough. A single Kamusari had instantly dealt with these enemy grunts.
The large man before her had only a breath of life left, but Saya had no intention of delivering a finishing blow.
"I wonder what that idiot Kaido would look like if he found out the long-nose-hair guy was here at Kuri right now?"
A wicked idea crossed her mind, and she grinned to herself.
"You're telling me Roger is at KURI?!"
On Onigashima, Kaido stared at Rickross, who was wrapped in bandages like a mummy. For once, the Yonko looked genuinely rattled.
He slammed his sake onto the ground and rose from his seat, unconsciously unleashing waves of Conqueror's Haki at Rickross in an attempt to mask his own emotional turmoil.
In an era where the Pirate King was still alive, those who had once chased the title of the strongest inevitably harbored some complicated feelings toward that man.
It was not quite fear — more a sense of profound annoyance.
In truth, Kaido's own combat prowess had nearly reached its peak. In his early thirties, he was at the absolute peak of his physical prime.
Even if there was a gap between him and Roger, it would not be enormous.
In a straight fight, he would still lose, of course. After all, this was the man who had defeated Rocks and repelled Shiki! In all the seas today, only a handful of people could stand as Roger's equals.
Marine hero Garp.
The perennial lone wolf Redfield. Fellow members of the Three Legendary Pirates, Whitebeard and Shiki.
And, barely qualifying as a rising star among pirates — Ren.
In truth, some circles in the world were already speaking of the Four Legendary Pirates instead.
However one counted it, Kaido was certainly not among their number. But if Kaido chose to flee, at least Roger — who was not a Devil Fruit user — would have a very hard time keeping him there.
The real issue was not a one-on-one duel. The problem was that Wano Country also had Kozuki Oden, whose strength was nearly on par with Kaido's. If one more person capable of tipping the balance of the war appeared, there was no telling how the situation would unfold.
Forget Roger himself — even his second-in-command Rayleigh, or his third-in-command Jabar, if either of them came to Wano Country and joined forces with Oden, the current situation could spiral completely out of control.
But Kaido quickly calmed himself down. Gol D. Roger appearing in Wano Country — was that even possible?
In theory, it was not impossible. That man had vanished from the seas after becoming the Pirate King. There was no telling where he might surface now.
But the problem was this: if Rickross had genuinely encountered the real Roger, would he have had the chance to come back and report it?
Kaido actually knew a thing or two about Roger's personality.
If it were an ordinary clash between pirates, Roger might let his opponent off with their life after defeating them. But if they were true enemies, he would show absolutely no mercy!
This was the man who had annihilated an entire nation's military just because they insulted his crew. With the Beasts Pirates treating Kozuki Oden the way they had, knowing Roger's personality, he would probably have already stormed Onigashima by now!
"You got played, Rickross..."
After a rational analysis, Kaido sat back down and fixed a vicious glare on him.
Forty-four men had been sent to attack Kuri, and only this fool had returned alive. But that was not what angered Kaido.
He had already accepted that this group would be sacrificed. What truly infuriated him was that after losing so many men, the intelligence he received was false!
"K-Kaido, big bro! I'm not lying! I really saw that man!"
Hearing Kaido's words, Rickross clearly panicked. But he still had not grasped what the actual problem was.
Kaido massaged his temples with a look of exasperation. It was hard to believe his subordinates were all such imbeciles.
Still, at the very least, this had proven that Kuri's combat strength was formidable. Until he had fully secured the rest of Wano Country, it was best not to make a move on Kuri. He did not want to drive Kuri straight into the arms of the rebel forces.
Feeling irritated, he gulped down his sake in huge swigs. Then, in a sudden burst, his entire body transformed into a massive azure dragon. Like a bolt of lightning, he soared into the sky!
He was in a foul mood and needed somewhere to vent his frustration.
"I'll just find a Marine base to trash!"
With flames spewing from his eyes, Kaido rode off on Flame Clouds.
Ren had no idea about Kaido's mood, but his own was quite good. He had two new gains today.
The first was acquiring a new Devil Fruit — a Paramecia-type called the Pass-Pass Fruit.
Its ability was somewhat similar to the Door Door Fruit's, so he did not intend to keep it.
The second was that he had found a brand-new recruit for Kuri's kindergarten — the boy who would one day be known as CP9's once-in-eight-hundred-years genius: Rob Lucci!
So now, the question arose.
There was a man hailed as "the Greatest in Eight Hundred Years." He was also a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user. He had trained his Zoan ability all the way to the level of Awakening.
And finally, his name contained the character for "Lu."
So then — who is this person?
Rob Lucci: That's right, it's me —
Monkey D. Luffy: Wait, that's me!
When Ren had first transmigrated, he had no idea that Rob Lucci could actually develop an ordinary Cat-Cat Fruit all the way to Awakening — or that he could even trade blows with Gear 5 Luffy.
His impression of Rob Lucci was still stuck at the level of someone who could fight Sabo to a draw. But to be fair, achieving that much with a basic Zoan was proof enough of his extraordinary talent.
So what if you gave him a more powerful Zoan fruit instead?
At this moment, Ren had no idea what heights this kid he had picked up would eventually reach. But one thing was certain — twenty years from now, Inazuma's fighting power would have one more formidable addition.
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]