Chapter 3: Kaido of the Beasts
The Grand Line, New World.
Thirty nautical miles east of Slumbering Ancient Town.
High in the sky, a black-winged vampire streaked through the air. Trailing behind him was a massive azure dragon, gliding through the clouds on blazing flame clouds. Despite its size, the dragon was just as fast.
Caesar glanced behind him at the relentlessly pursuing beast. Judging the time, he suddenly flared his wings and came to an abrupt halt midair. Turning around, he calmly watched the monstrous figure rapidly closing in.
In a heartbeat, the giant dragon was right in front of him.
Caesar studied the creature. Its blue scales shimmered with a cold, sinister light. Its colossal, serpentine body undulated like rolling hills. Whiskers danced in the air, and its massive, intimidating eyes locked onto Caesar's.
So this is one of the Four Emperors... Kaido of the Beasts.
The sheer pressure and intimidation from facing this beast form directly was hundreds—no, thousands—of times more intense than any depiction in the manga!
As Caesar observed Kaido, Kaido was sizing him up in return.
Though only 190cm tall, Caesar stood straight and firm. His muscles were lean and well-proportioned—not overly bulky, but clearly the product of solid training.
Kaido's gaze swept past Caesar's black wings, lingered on his elven-like ears, and finally settled on his crimson eyes. They were shaken, but held no fear.
After a brief silence, Kaido suddenly grinned and burst into laughter. As he opened his mouth, a strong stench of alcohol wafted out.
"Wororororo! Why'd you stop running, kid?"
"Figured there was no point. If I can't outrun you, might as well conserve some energy."
Caesar was rather frank about it. Aside from the clear difference in stamina, Kaido could fly on flame clouds while he had to constantly flap his wings. No matter how you looked at it, it was a losing game for him.
And who exactly is Kaido of the Beasts?
The New World's number one legendary mentor, renowned lover of Zoan-type abilities. For someone like Caesar, a Mythical Zoan user, it was basically a perfect match... for better or worse.
Kaido gave him a strange look, seemingly intrigued by his composure. With a twist of his massive body, he transformed in an instant into a towering, muscular man several meters tall.
He had wild, unruly black hair cascading down his back, two prominent horns on his head, a tattoo of azure dragon scales on his left arm, and a thick shimenawa belt around his waist. His bare chest was draped with a fur cloak, and in his hand, he held a massive, black kanabo club that radiated menace. He stood imposingly on a patch of flame clouds.
Caesar glanced at the kanabo. If he remembered correctly, its name was Hassaikai—something like a spiritual rehab stick for kings...
"Kid, what's your name?"
"Gold Caesar."
"Caesar, huh? Hmph... A name worthy of a king. Not bad."
Kaido muttered the name under his breath, then smirked. Raising the kanabo slowly, he pointed it at Caesar.
"How about it, kid? Want to join my pirate crew?"
Caesar raised both hands, a little helpless.
"Doesn't seem like I have much of a choice, do I?"
"Wororororo! Who said that? You could always choose... death!"
Kaido laughed, clearly enjoying himself. But then he frowned.
"Though I don't like your attitude. Facing a threat and showing no resistance? That's not how a real man acts!"
"If I had come to this sea on my own terms, I'd probably be thrilled to spar with you, Kaido-san."
Caesar spread his hands with a sigh.
"But I haven't even had a chance to grow yet. I lacked talent, couldn't even use Haki before. I just ate my Devil Fruit—and then you dropped out of the sky."
He gave a lopsided grin.
"Since you find this boring, why not let me go? Give me two years to develop. Then we can have a proper man-to-man duel."
"Oh? You think two years is enough for you to go toe-to-toe with me?"
Kaido's interest was piqued. He sneered as Conqueror's Haki erupted from his club, tearing cracks through the clouds.
"Roger took thirty years to become King. Whitebeard ruled the seas for forty. Even that red-haired brat... took fifteen years to earn his place."
"Kid, do you have any idea what you're saying?"
But Caesar didn't look the least bit intimidated.
"You make a good point! So... why not make it three years instead?"
BOOM!
Thunder cracked through the clouds, lighting up Caesar's pale face—and Kaido's darkened expression.
A heavy silence followed.
Then Kaido bared his teeth and slowly raised his club.
"Wororororo... You cheeky little bat! Trying to play me, huh?!"
Caesar forced a smile, quickly waving his hands.
"Actually, three years is flexible! We can talk about it—"
"Talk to the club instead!"
Armament Haki began to coat the kanabo, sparking with lightning. Kaido's grin grew menacing.
"Relax. I'll give you time. Two years, ten years, twenty—you name it! I'll personally train you! But first..."
"Thunder Bagua!"
WHOOM—
The air exploded as the club swung through it, the sheer force evacuating all sound from the space around them. Even the ocean below was crushed into a basin shape from the overwhelming pressure!
At the very last second, Caesar's mind cleared.
Kaido showing up here could mean two things:
One, coincidence.
Two, premeditated.
If it was the latter, then the real target wasn't him—but Robin.
Fortunately, based on Kaido's attitude, this meeting seemed like pure chance. Though… he couldn't rule out the possibility that Kaido was just more interested in Mythical Zoans.
But still...
Why is it that when other people run into Kaido, they get adopted or recruited—
—but when it's me, it's straight to Thunder Bagua?!
No, no—this wasn't the time for such thoughts!
More importantly—
MOVE, DAMN BODY!!
Otherwise—
I'll die!!!
The black kanabo swelled in Caesar's pupils. Its dark gleam seemed to reflect the smiling face of Death herself.
In that razor-thin moment between life and death, Caesar threw up his right hand.
"Blood... Grand River!!"
In an instant, a sea of blood surged forth, shrouding the air in a red mist!
A massive whirlpool of blood formed before Caesar, a hundred meters wide and over twenty meters thick. Just that one move drained most of his energy.
The next moment, hidden behind the whirlpool, Caesar flung a golden card into it with a sweeping motion.
As the card disappeared into the vortex, the swirling blood suddenly thickened and slowed, solidifying into a towering blood-red shield.
[Stored Item: Non-Newtonian Fluid / Block ×99]
BOOM!!
The Hassaikai slammed into the massive blood shield with the force of thunder and storm!
A dull crash rang out as Kaido's monstrous strength struck the gelatinous, fluid-filled shield, sending ripples across its surface.
Feeling the strange feedback in his arms, Kaido's eyes narrowed. That bizarre sensation—it was as if the blow had been reflected back onto himself!
He blocked it?!
A flicker of triumph passed through Caesar's eyes.
But just as quickly, before he could savor it—
The rippling shield began to shudder violently.
In the next instant, accompanied by a thunderous roar from Kaido, a deafening sonic boom erupted. The blood-red giant shield shattered with a violent blast, and a shockwave infused with terrifying power exploded outward, flinging Caesar away in a flash! Even Kaido himself was pushed back several meters by the force.
The fearsome shockwave rippled across the sea below, forcing up waves over ten meters high.
"Holy shit! Did he just blow it up?!"
"Nani?! He blocked it?!"
In that brief moment, amidst the pouring blood rain, both men caught the stunned expression in each other's eyes.
Whoosh—
With a sudden flap of his black wings, Caesar stabilized himself midair, raised his hand, and as if responding to a summons, the falling blood coalesced into a river that circled protectively around him.
Not far away, Kaido also steadied his stance, shaking his numb right hand and slinging the Hassaikai over his shoulder. He looked at Caesar with astonishment.
"That move just now… what was it?"
"A special fluid-state defense," Caesar replied honestly, casting a probing glance at Kaido. "It's supposed to absorb external impact efficiently. But it shouldn't have shattered like that..."
"Hmph… In Wano, we call Armament Haki Ryuo—letting it flow outward to destroy a target from the inside."
Kaido smirked and floated over on his flame clouds, his gaze on Caesar holding a strange satisfaction.
"Not bad, kid. I'm starting to like you more and more!"
"Truth be told, I've admired you for a long time, Mr. Kaido!"
Caesar spread his arms openly, with a roguish grin that practically screamed "If you hit me again, I'll really die."
"So… how about we call it a day? I'd be more than happy to join your crew!"
"Wororororo! You sly little brat!"
Kaido laughed heartily, grabbing Caesar and tossing him onto the flame cloud. His massive palm gave Caesar a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"From today on, you're one of the Beasts Pirates! Of course… if you ever betray me, I'll personally twist your head off!"
"Would you teach me Haki, then?"
"Of course I will!"
"Even Conqueror's Haki?"
"If you can awaken it!" Kaido's eyes gleamed with curiosity. "But tell me, with that slippery personality of yours… what kind of king do you hope to be?"
"Honestly, I just want to live free."
"Oh? Like Roger, huh? Tch, you're exactly the kind I hate… but who knows—maybe that's a dream even greater than the Pirate King! Wororororo…!"
The flame cloud soared toward Wano, Kaido's laughter echoing across the sky.
Along the way, Caesar kept sneaking glances at the cloud… and at Kaido.
Kaido sat cross-legged atop the flame, chugging from a gourd of wine. Noticing Caesar's gaze, he raised an eyebrow.
"You brat… don't tell me you're thinking of riding on my head?"
"Of course not!"
Caesar waved his hands quickly in denial. Although… he really was thinking that—but how could he admit it out loud?
"Your eyes already gave you away! Damn kid!"
With a toothy grin, Kaido slammed a fist down on Caesar's head.
Thump!
Everything went dark as Caesar collapsed onto the flame cloud.
---
Who knew how much time had passed, but when Caesar awoke, he found himself lying in a quiet, traditional Japanese-style room.
Soft bedding had been laid out on the tatami floor. Caesar threw off the covers to discover he had been dressed in a kimono.
Without hesitation, he stripped off the kimono and casually conjured a new outfit with a flip of his hand.
A wide-sleeved, linen shirt tucked into a brown leather vest with a stand collar. Black jeans and high-cuffed, long Martin boots completed the look.
Lifestyle card: Apparel Type.
Thanks to the Collector System, Caesar could infinitely replicate collected items. Though each duplicate was capped at 99 units, using one would initiate a cooldown before it could be recreated. The more valuable or energy-rich the item, the longer the cooldown.
This replication ability had been how Caesar originally built up his capital.
However, living beings couldn't be duplicated. Certain items imbued with their own will—such as Devil Fruits or cursed swords—were also exempt.
Additionally, to collect a living being, the target must be unable to resist. Time would also freeze for anything that got collected.
The system was powerful, but had one critical flaw—it couldn't actively break past human limits on its own.
For instance, Caesar had once completed a system achievement by collecting over 90% of the world's kitchenware and spices, earning a skill called "God of Cuisine", which... only let him cook food that glowed.
In other words: you get what you earn. The reward always matched the nature of the achievement.
Without the Vampire Fruit—the key that pushed him beyond the mundane—he would have remained an ordinary human forever.
Breaking the barrier from zero to one was the hardest part. But once that limit was surpassed, everything afterward became easier.
Like now—with the Vampire Fruit, an upgraded Masterwork, and the awakening of Conqueror's Haki—came new achievements...
---
[Collected Item: Conqueror's Haki]
[Rarity: S]
[Collection Value: S]
[Review: You've got the potential of a king. But Kaido's fart probably still has more presence than you.]
[Achievement Unlocked: Awakened a Type of Haki]
[Achievement Reward: Talent - Overlord]
[Overlord: You can now attempt to challenge the human limit—in any domain!]
Undeniably, this was a talent-based reward.
But whether he could truly bring it to life… would depend entirely on Caesar himself.
The future looks bright—brilliant, even!
With a smack, Caesar clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Grrrrrr…
Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly, and a crushing wave of hunger hit him like a truck. He felt like he was about to faint.
The sensation was strange—but thrilling. In the world of pirates, being able to eat didn't mean you could fight. But those who could fight… were always big eaters!
Monstrous strength required monstrous nutrition. In the past, even when Caesar was starving, he never felt this drained.
Which meant the double boost from the Devil Fruit and the Overlord talent had truly transformed his body!
He pulled open the door.
A beautiful maid in a kimono knelt quietly in the hallway. As Caesar stepped out, she bowed gently.
"My lord, Kaido-sama has prepared a banquet in your honor…"
"Lead the way…"
Caesar's stomach growled again, and his emerald-green eyes burned like a ravenous beast.
The maid dared not look directly at him, bowing low as she walked ahead, guiding Caesar through a few corridors.
At the end of the hallway, bright lights and lively noise spilled forth.
He could already hear the clamor of pirates, the clinking of cups, geisha shrieks, and Kaido's bizarre "Wororororo!" laughter from within the banquet hall.
At the entrance, the maid stepped aside respectfully.
Caesar stepped calmly into the room, the lights casting a warm glow over his strikingly handsome features.
The once-boisterous hall instantly fell silent.
Dozens of eyes turned toward Caesar—some curious, some surprised, others envious.
Seated like a mountain at the head of the hall was Kaido himself.
Beside him stood three massive figures, each rivaling Kaido in stature.
The masked, winged All-Star: King the Wildfire.
The bloated plague doctor with strange shades: Queen the Plague.
And a man taller than Kaido himself, with a bounty of over 1 billion—Jack the Drought.
A