Mr. Kaido, There Will Be Surprises Next! (4/5)

Finn placed his hands over his eyes, activating his telephoto ability. Through the distance, he could vaguely make out the embers of flames as they flickered in the skies above. Shaking his head, he deactivated the power and pulled out his smart device, hijacking Kaido's communications. It didn't take long before he locked onto Kaido's exact location.

Descending from the clouds, Finn landed quietly on the island of ghosts. Before him was a massive square with a towering building that housed Kaido. A multitude of guards patrolled the area, including a large number of Beast Pirates underlings. Activating his advanced concealment ability, Finn moved undetected across the square, weaving between the guards with lightning-fast movements until he slipped inside the building.

Using the positioning device on his phone, Finn navigated through the labyrinthine halls. He finally came upon a massive door that led to a grand hall filled with revelry. Inside, the celebration was in full swing—dancers performed to the sound of lively music, and high-ranking members of the Beasts Pirates, including some of the Six Flying Fighters, lounged at their tables. Kaido sat atop a throne, gulping down from an enormous bowl of sake, his presence commanding the entire room.

"Perfect," Finn thought with a smirk. "Time to claim the reward."

Slipping out of the hall unnoticed, he rounded the building to the back, finding a discreet entrance that led up to Kaido's platform. Two guards stood watch, but with a swift and silent movement, Finn used his advanced speed technique to glide over their heads, landing softly behind Kaido's chair.

Meanwhile, inside the hall, Ulti, one of the Six Flying Fighters, had just taken her seat when she noticed something off. "Who's that?" she asked her brother, Page One, noticing a strange figure behind Kaido.

Page One narrowed his eyes. "I've never seen him before. Should we tell Kaido?"

Ulti recognized the figure from earlier. "That's the guy I ran into just outside. He said he had a surprise for Kaido."

"A surprise?" Page One repeated, looking more concerned.

In the hall, some of the other pirates began to notice Finn's presence too. Confused, they exchanged glances and began murmuring amongst themselves.

"Who's that standing behind Kaido?"

"Is he someone new?"

Kaido, oblivious to the whispers around him, finally grew annoyed by the growing tension. "Oi! What are you idiots looking at?" he barked, taking another swig of sake.

One pirate dared to speak up, "Boss, who's that guy? Is he one of our new recruits?"

Kaido frowned, puzzled by the question. He hadn't sensed anyone unusual near him, and with his sharp Observation Haki, it should have been impossible for someone to get that close without him knowing. Slowly, he turned his head, but before he could fully register the situation, a sudden force rocked his world.

SLAP!

Finn's hand connected with Kaido's face, unleashing a massive shockwave that echoed through the entire hall. The slap was infused with the power of a high-level Finger Pistol technique, and it landed with such precision that even Kaido, the mighty emperor of the seas, had no time to react.

The hall fell into stunned silence. The only sound that lingered was the resonating slap, its echo bouncing off the walls like a taunting melody.

Ulti's words echoed in the minds of every pirate present, "Mr. Kaido, there's a surprise coming…"

Surprise? No—this was a shock.

Finn stood there, a smug grin on his face as he watched the mighty Kaido reel from the impact. Casually, he glanced at Ulti and winked. "Well, is that the surprise you were expecting?"

In that moment, the impossible had happened: Kaido, the seemingly invincible, had been caught off guard—and by a mere slap, no less. The hall remained eerily quiet, as if everyone was collectively holding their breath, waiting for Kaido's response.

But Finn? He simply basked in the silence, savoring every second of the chaos he had just unleashed.