Chapter 69
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Chapter 69: The Fish-Men Island! Poseidon Poseidon!
Kaido was silent, his eyes sparkling. Could it be a consequence of his previous five-year life consumption? He is already 68 years old, and his vigorous efforts when he was young to secure a cadre position with Rocks, combined with the years spent working with Big Mom, have resulted in a significantly shortened lifespan. But for a pirate, it's normal for death to be a constant presence. The end of another powerful figure from the old era seemed imminent, which made Kaido somewhat emotional.
"So you want me to take over the Charlotte family?" he asked again.
"Mama~" Big Mom replied, feeling relieved, "the old lady didn't say that."
"Don't misunderstand, Kaido. The Charlotte family is still mine, and even in death, it won't become yours. It's the old woman's children's business how they live their lives."
"I need you to lend them a hand at their most dangerous times." Everyone listening was surprised; this was Big Mom! She had never shown concern for her children's lives and often used them to make profits! Whether it was the doctors around her or Doflamingo at the door, they couldn't help but think about this revelation. It seemed that even the monstrous Big Mom had these feelings. After a moment of silence, Kaido responded lightly, "What's in it for me? I cannot take Smuggie's strength seriously, and though the bounty is nearly a billion, that's all there is to it."
"The previous debts are cleared, and you can have half of the Charlotte family's wealth." Big Mom took out what she had prepared without blinking an eye.
"Even though that guy Jack stole tens of billions from me, there's more to the kingdom's wealth than what appears on the surface. The old lady still has a lot of territory." The treasure was significant, but for such a large organization, it was just a drop in the bucket. With or without Big Mom, the Charlotte name would continue to attract and accumulate wealth. She knew that her departure would lead to the family's downfall, so offering Kaido a favor to care for her children was her best option. She had reached the point of a dying person's benevolence.
"I can ask King's opinion," Kaido agreed, seeing no loss for himself and the potential for a profitable gain.
"If King isn't interested, ask Queen and Jack," Big Mom added. Kaido could see her eagerness. Their interaction lacked the earlier arrogance and confrontational tone; it had turned into the final conversation between old friends.
"Understood, old woman." Kaido spoke solemnly, "Then I'll take one thing off your hands first, correct?"
"The historical poneglyph?" Big Mom guessed. She assumed Kaido would want the location of One Piece.
"Nope. I want Fish-Men Island, and the sooner, the better," Kaido grinned. He remembered Luffy's first destination at sea was Fish-Men Island on the Grand Line. Moreover, the Fish-Men princess there was "Poseidon," one of the three ancient weapons with the power to command Sea Kings. If activated, it could easily destroy an island, just like Uranus. The Fish-Men are also a naturally warrior race, with a unique advantage in the sea that arguably makes them the strongest in water warfare. To Kaido, they were the perfect army for ruling the seas.
"Deal," Big Mom clapped and said. The phone hung up and Big Mom brought out the phone bug of the King of the Fish-Men Island. The intersection of the first and second halves of the Grand Line lies directly below the Red Earth continent of Mariejois. A green dragon swims through the deep sea at a depth of thousands of meters, holding a bubble in its hand. Inside the bubble is the beautiful Yamato and the eight she is temporarily keeping safe for Yamato. Back when they were at Zou, Yamato had learned that her father was different from other Devil Fruit users—not afraid of the sea and even able to control the flow of water to some extent. That's why they were speeding through the ocean at that moment.
"Wow! Dad! Is that the island up ahead?" Yamato's eyes widened, radiating with the light of the sun filtering through the Eve, and she was very happy. It was another beauty she had never seen before! If it had not been for her father, she would have never believed such a place existed in the world. It was a beautiful island hidden under the sea at a depth of 10,000 meters, where one could see mermaids and mermen from fairy tales.
"Eh! What a big octopus!" Yamato pressed his hands against the bubble and looked in shock at the nearby Fish-Men Island. A giant octopus, nearly 100 meters in size, was quietly perched there, motionless.
"What a tall giant!" Yamato turned to the other side, equally shocked and even more excited. Outside the island, the giant fishman Mianzumi, about 80 meters tall, differed greatly from the tranquil octopus. Then Kaido, in his dragon form, and Mermaid Island got closer, with the light of the Eve Tree shining ever so brightly. It felt like they were truly approaching the sun. Yamato squinted slightly against the sunlight, and then Kaido's dragon body passed through the thin layer of Fish-Men Island.
With a "pop," they entered Fish-Men Island, and Yamato realized that the bubble had disappeared. He made a surprised sound, then quickly fell to the ground, before holding onto Kaido's mace and sitting on the flame cloud summoned by Kaido.
"Wha~," Yamato whispered, the soft feeling of the clouds beneath her making her come to her senses and open her eyes.
"Wow! So beautiful!" As soon as Yamato opened her eyes, she was amazed by the scenery in front of her—the colorful Madara coral formations and reefs, the beautiful mermaids swimming with graceful movements, and the sunlight from the trees making everything on the island appear colorful and radiant. A rainbow even formed between the light and water, creating a fairy-tale setting. The Fish-Men, though, bore scared expressions on their faces—after all, Kaido's reputation thundered even in the deep sea.
Kaido had transformed back into his human form, stepped out from behind Yamato, and rubbed her head with his big hand, remarking, "The Dragon Palace is even more beautiful than here."
"Huh?! Is there a royal family that belongs to the Fish-Men here? I don't think the palace can match natural beauty~," Yamato said with a playful smile. Despite having lost most of her memories, her desire for freedom and nature seemed to remain unquelled. Kaido looked down at the top of her head and couldn't help but feel thoughtful. In the distance, a large mermaid army approached, and no one had heard them coming first.