New World.
In the sky, a blue dragon figure loomed among the clouds. Below, reckless pirates fired their weapons toward the massive creature.
In an instant, their attacks were consumed by roaring flames.
Countless pirate crews recoiled in horror as they recognized the towering figure above.
"Kaido…"
"The Four Emperors, Kaido!!!"
"How could he be here?!!!"
These pirates, each with bounties of hundreds of millions or even billions, trembled in fear.
In the sky,
Kaido unleashed flames upon the hapless pirates below. He could hear their screams of terror echoing through the air. His expression, however, was one of helplessness.
"I've actually traveled through time and space… and become Kaido…" he sighed, a conflicted look on his face. "It's fate. I can't even tell if I should be happy or depressed about it."
Kaido now harbored a tremendous secret.
He was a world traveler.
He had crossed over from a world called 'Earth.'
On Earth, One Piece was merely a comic, and Kaido… was just a fictional character.
Back when he used to follow the comic, he always felt a bit sorry for Kaido. The character was so overwhelmingly strong, nearly invincible, yet was ultimately bested by a cheating protagonist, forced to exit the story prematurely.
"I was just a reader, following the story. I didn't give it much thought…"
And now, here he was. He had become Kaido.
While it was true that Kaido was immensely powerful, known as the "Strongest Creature," with unmatched defense and vitality, there was a lingering concern. Sooner or later, he would cross paths with that same cheating protagonist and meet his end, wouldn't he?
How could even the strongest being fight against someone destined to win?
This was why, despite his newfound power, Kaido couldn't shake his frustration.
"Whitebeard's still alive, so the timeline must be around two years ago."
Kaido floated aimlessly over the New World, deep in thought. "Should I take advantage of Luffy's current weakness and just beat him to death with my kanabo?"
That way, he could potentially prevent his eventual death at the hands of Luffy's future powers, right?
But then again…
What if attacking Luffy now triggered his plug-in abilities early, leading to his immediate defeat?
The problem with that plug-in… it was unpredictable.
Now it was just the Gomu Gomu no Mi. But in the future, it would be the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. What might it evolve into next?
Who knew?
Better not to provoke him at all.
At that moment, a sudden mechanical voice rang in Kaido's ears.
[System binding progress: 100%]
[Congratulations! Protection System bound successfully.]
[The main task has been issued.]
[Main Mission 1: Protect Whitebeard. As long as Whitebeard remains alive, you will receive continuous rewards.]
[The longer Whitebeard survives, the greater the rewards.]
[Side Quest 1: Eliminate three Shichibukai.]
[Side Quest 2: Eliminate an Admiral.]
[Side Quest 3: Eliminate a legendary character. (Examples: Garp, Sengoku)]
[Side Quest 4: Eliminate a member of the Knights of God.]
[Side Quest 5: Eliminate one of the Five Elders.]
[Side Quest 6: Eliminate Imu.]
[Completing side quests will yield significant rewards.]
Kaido was stunned.
A system? He had a system, too?
There were rumors that time travelers always received some kind of system—like a standard feature. He hadn't expected it to be true.
The tasks the system issued also left him shocked.
Protect Whitebeard? Keep him alive for continuous rewards?
This was easy.
Whitebeard only died because he suffered too much damage, moved too slowly, and couldn't fly.
But Kaido could fly.
He could just take Whitebeard into the air. Who could possibly kill him then?
Protecting him would be a piece of cake.
The side quests, too, were intriguing. Taking out Shichibukai, Admirals, and legendary figures… it made sense to target such opponents.
But later, the tasks seemed to escalate—targeting the Knights of God and the Five Elders.
Even Imu?
Was killing Imu a mere side quest? The difficulty level was on a completely different scale than the previous tasks!
Imu… that figure was rumored to have lived for over 800 years.
What did that mean?
If a legendary pirate like Rocks or Roger appeared every 20 or 30 years, then over the course of 800 years…
Assuming one appears every 30 years…
Imu would have encountered 26 or 27 such individuals throughout their lifetime.
And that's just on the level of Roger and Rocks.
Kaido pondered further.
"And that's only counting the legendary pirates," he mused. "It doesn't even factor in the legends of the Navy or the Knights of God. What if we're talking about figures on the level of the Four Emperors?"
Kaido, Big Mom, Red-Haired Shanks, and countless others…
He began to realize, "Imu should have encountered hundreds of legends."
Eight hundred years.
Countless legends.
Countless Four Emperors.
Yet, despite all those powerful figures rising and falling, Imu still stood at the pinnacle of the world, ruling everything from the shadows. Kaido couldn't help but marvel at this.
"This guy Imu… he's not going to be easy to kill, is he?"
Kaido's brow furrowed in doubt.
Even at their peak, could legends like Rocks, Roger, and Whitebeard take down Imu in a one-on-one fight? He seriously questioned it.
And now, Imu was part of the sixth side mission.
"The difficulty of this is definitely a bit over the top," Kaido thought.
He then smirked.
"But I guess… completing the sixth side mission and defeating Imu will coincide with the system reaching its peak. That's when I'll receive my ultimate reward. I can't help but wonder… how powerful will that reward be?"
There was a glint of excitement in his eyes as he imagined the possibilities.
Kaido had come to terms with his situation, and now he fully intended to carry out the system's missions.
In the sky, Kaido shifted his direction.
"I should return to Wano Country, gather the Beasts Pirates, and head out to protect Whitebeard... or should I go alone?"
He hesitated as he gazed across the vast New World, looking in two separate directions.
Then, he looked toward Whitebeard's territory and chuckled.
"The Beasts Pirates aren't really that strong. It's only me that makes them formidable. Summoning them would just give me a bunch of cannon fodder. I can handle protecting Whitebeard alone."
In the future, if the Marineford War got too intense, Kaido could simply carry Whitebeard away himself. There was no need to concern himself with leaving his crew behind.
…
Meanwhile, in Whitebeard's territory,
Kaido's approach caused an uproar.
"K-Kaido!!!!"
"Kaido's invaded!!!"
"Someone get Pops! The Four Emperors Kaido is coming!"
"No way… he's enormous! What a monstrous and magnificent creature!!!"
"Did Pops ever fight a beast this terrifying before?!"
"AAAAHHH!!!"
Many of Whitebeard's pirates panicked.
Whitebeard's crew wasn't solely made up of powerful fighters. Whitebeard enjoyed the idea of family, so he took in all kinds, regardless of strength.
At that moment, seeing Kaido's arrival caused widespread fear among the less capable members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Kaido, hovering in the sky, hadn't even lifted a finger, yet chaos erupted below him.
He sighed.
"…"
Kaido felt exasperated.
How terrifying did the world see me?
The mere sight of him sent these men into a frenzy.
I haven't done anything, and they're already screaming like this?
Kaido rolled his eyes.
These are Whitebeard's men? He really is too soft, taking in such a ragtag bunch.
Nonetheless, news of Kaido's arrival soon reached Whitebeard.
Suddenly, Kaido's gaze sharpened.
His advanced Observation Haki allowed him a glimpse of the future.
He saw himself locked in battle with Whitebeard. Their Haki clashed fiercely, creating shockwaves so intense they split the sky itself.