As Kaido's escape caused the collapse of his forward defense line, the Marines' assault was unstoppable. In just a few days, countless pirates were surrounded and killed. Nearly half of Kaido's territory in front of Wano Country fell. All pirates in the New World cast their eyes, wondering what had happened.
--------
New World, Wano Country.
On Onigashima, within the main hall.
Gulp, gulp—
Sounds of hearty drinking echoed.
Kaido, several meters tall, sat on the ground, his face filled with drunken stupor, as if his consciousness was blurred. He casually tossed an empty sake barrel aside, grabbed another full one, and occasionally burst into tears. The originally vast hall was filled with mountains of sake barrels. Busy pirates transported barrels of sake in, and empty ones out. Yet, they couldn't keep up with Kaido's drinking speed. This situation had persisted for days.
Whoosh—
The black Pteranodon landed and transformed into a human. King, returning from the front lines, felt helpless and anxious. His weary body was pale and weak. Since his return from that battle, this had been his state. He had been shuttling between Wano Country and the front lines. The Navy's offensive was growing stronger, and the already retreating war was becoming unsustainable. Without the top combat power of Captain Kaido, the Beasts Pirates simply couldn't hold on. But Kaido refused to communicate with anyone, indulging only in solitary drinking, ignoring even him. There was truly no other way.
A flicker of struggle flashed in King's eyes. He finally made up his mind and took out a den den mushi. "I hope Captain Kaido won't blame me..." He dialed.
On the other end of the den den mushi was Charlotte Linlin, who in her youth had a relationship with Kaido that was akin to siblings. If anyone had the strength and ability, it was her, perhaps she could wake Captain Kaido up. Kaido privately referred to Charlotte Linlin as that old hag, expressing great annoyance. But King was desperate. Without Kaido, the Beasts Pirates couldn't resist the Navy. He struggled to even stop one Admiral, and with two commanders on the other side, if no solution was found, the front line would completely collapse, and the Beasts Pirates would fall.
----------
New World, Whole Cake Island.
Charlotte Linlin sat on her throne, her expression gradually darkening as she listened to the words from the den den mushi. "I understand." "I'll come over."
Click—
After speaking briefly, she hung up the call. Charlotte Linlin abruptly stood up and walked out. "Guards!" "Prepare a ship, set course for Wano Country!!!" Unlike her usual demeanor, Charlotte Linlin was unusually serious now, pondering what King had told her. She finally understood why Kaido was on the defensive. He had been defeated by Sakazuki?! Pirates in the New World had been focused on Wano Country. The Navy was pushing forward, Kaido was retreating, and everyone speculated that Kaido was preparing some grand plan, or that this was the calm before the storm. Yet, no one had considered this reason. It made sense. Only a few high-ranking members had survived that battle, and none would betray Kaido. Moreover, Kaido had stayed on Onigashima, and information was well-sealed. As long as King wasn't foolish, he wouldn't leak such news. Kaido the Four Emperors, who had dominated the seas for decades, being defeated by Sakazuki... if this news got out, the Beasts Pirates would fall into an abyss. But now King was truly at his wit's end; he couldn't even get through to Kaido and could only seek help from others. Among the Four Emperors, only Charlotte Linlin had the relationship and capability... They had been like siblings in their youth, even on the same ship. Although they communicated less in recent years, she was the most suitable.
As Charlotte Linlin's command was issued, the entire Whole Cake Island sprang into action. Although they didn't know why a ship was being prepared for Wano Country, by the time Charlotte Linlin reached the port, the ship was ready. After Charlotte Linlin boarded, the ship immediately set sail for Wano Country without any delay. At the bow of the ship, Charlotte Linlin gazed at the sea ahead. "What on earth happened, Kaido..." Despite the decades of entanglements between Charlotte Linlin and Kaido, in times like these, they were the only ones they could truly trust.
---------
New World, Red Hair Pirates' base.
Everyone gathered for a meeting. The Navy's main targets were currently Whole Cake Island and Wano Country. Stationed on either side, they and Helme faced little pressure, even managing to reclaim islands with ease during counterattacks. Yet, it was precisely this ease that unsettled them. The Navy had expended immense manpower and resources attacking their islands since the war began. Had they so easily abandoned them simply because their main targets were Whole Cake Island and Wano Country? Allowing them to easily counterattack? They didn't know Sakazuki's objective. On the islands they had reclaimed, they scoured them with Observation Haki, even delving deep underground, yet found no anomalies. This looked like a massive trap, but it was difficult to resist the temptation because there were truly no hidden preparations found on the islands. Whether it was a trap or not, counterattacking or not, was the main issue being discussed by the Red Hair Pirates. Amidst their varied analyses and conversations, they could not determine the core issue.
Creak—
The wooden door of the conference room was pushed open. Benn Beckman walked in with documents. Seeing the noisy crowd, he said with some helplessness, "What have you discussed?" Jozu, with his severed arm now healed, leaned back in his chair and looked at Beckman, smiling, "We were waiting for you, Great Strategist." Beckman rolled his eyes good-naturedly and smiled. He walked over to Shanks, handed him the documents, and said, "We've all guessed wrong." "It's not that Kaido has some grand plan or is preparing something." "It's likely that Kaido himself has run into trouble." The noisy chatter of everyone ceased, and they looked at Beckman. Shanks' hand, which was receiving the documents, paused. "Hmm?" The cigarette in Beckman's mouth burned slowly. "Half a day ago, Charlotte Linlin set sail from Whole Cake Island for Wano Country." "Judging by the transmitted information, Charlotte Linlin's expression was not good." "In such a situation, it can only mean that Kaido has run into trouble..." "After all, the two were like siblings back then..." "So..." Shanks flipped through the documents, his expression grave. "That battle on Kibigashima..." "What exactly happened?!"