Where do we go from here?

The morning sun casts its golden rays upon the vast expanse of the sea as Kaido and Big Mom stand on the deck of a majestic, impeccably crafted ship.

Towering high above the waves, the vessel serves as a testament to their indomitable might and stature among pirates.

Despite the recent defeat of the Rocks pirates, there is an air of solemnity, and based on Big Mom's current expression, it was obvious that she wasn't exactly in the best of moods.

"MaMa MaMa, Kaido, are you sure of your decision, I gave you that Devil Fruit and this is what I get in return."

Big Mom's anger simmers just beneath the surface of her laugh, eyeing Kaido with a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

"I never had the intention to follow you Linlin, but I also don't have plans of becoming your enemy." Kaido wasn't intimated in the least by Big Mom's words.

There are only two people who he believes can really threaten his life, and one of them is now dead, as for the other one… Kaido doesn't believe that he would have to worry about him.

And now that he's eaten the 'Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu', a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, his confidence has only gotten stronger.

Hearing Kaido's words, Big Mom furrowed her brow, she also knew that the kid who used to follow her when he first joined the Rocks Pirates wasn't the same anymore.

"Well, you owe me a big Favor Kaido." Big Mom after finally calming down.

Right now they were being hunted down by the World Government and the Marines, so now wasn't the best time for them to fight amongst themselves.

"That's not a problem." Kaido answered nonchalantly.

"So what are you going to do now?"

Hearing Big Mom's words, Kaido got lost in thought, although he knew what he had planned to do, seeing the way Xebec met his end shook him up a little.

He wanted to make everyone equal because, in his perfect world, only the strong will survive after he brings liberation to the world.

But to fulfill his dreams, he will inevitably have to confront the World Government, but… he saw with his own eyes what the World Government can do to a force even as powerful as their Rocks Pirates.

So to accomplish his dreams, he'll need a stronger force, and his base should be in a location where the World Government can't easily reach. Plus he'll need lots of manpower and strong crewmates.

'How the hell did Nature's Family do it.' Such a thought appeared in Kaido's head.

He isn't the clueless kid he was before he met Ephon, after years of navigating these seas, he eventually came across information about Nature's Family and its leader who had saved him.

'Shocked', couldn't describe his emotions at the time when he found out the legends about Ephon, hell even Xebec would talk about it from time to time.

According to what he had learned, during their time of piracy, everyone thought that NF Pirates were capable of overthrowing the World Government.

Although the pirates of the sea today feel like this was probably exaggerated, they understand what it means for everyone to believe that a group is capable of confronting the World Government head-on.

But Kaido then learned that after the World Government launched an attack on NF with the combined might of the Navy and Pirates, and yet Ephon somehow managed to come out of that situation on top.

And when everyone thought that NF was about to finally start a war with the World Government for the hegemony of the World, Nature's Family announced their retirement from the Pirate world.

This left Kaido in disbelief, he really couldn't understand why Nature's Family would do that. But he eventually learned the reason, which left him speechless and confused.

Nature's Tringle, known as Nature's Paradise in the Seas, is thought to be a place of legends in the four seas. This is the territory of NF, a place that not even the World Government dares to enter into without permission, well so the rumors say.

It is to create such a place that Nature's Family gave up their life of Piracy, and after learning this information, Kaido realized what he had turned down when Ephon invited him to join his Family.

After witnessing the way Rocks met his end, Kaido became more curious about Ephon's strength, to be able to confront the WG and retire without any repercussions.

To even make his territory a No-Zone for the World Government, he had started to realize that he couldn't truly fathom Ephon's strength.

"Kaido! I asked you a question?" Big Mom shouted, interrupting Kaido from his thoughts.

"Oh yeah, what did you ask?" Kaido asked in confusion.

"I asked what are you going to do next?" Big Mom asked impatiently.

"That should be obvious, I'm going to find crew mates."

…

In the tranquil sanctuary of his office, Nolan sits behind a mahogany desk, diligently attending to paperwork that demands his attention.

As the Elder in charge of Finance, he is the most busy, especially with the recent Nature's News venture. Not to mention their Nature's Provider business which is the number 1 ranked ship provider in the New World.

His brow furrowed in concentration as he methodically sifted through documents, the soft scratching of his pen the only sound breaking the silence of the room.

Meanwhile, his lively 5-year-old daughter, Iris Bloodbard, with her hair as white as freshly fallen snow, flits about the room with boundless energy.

Her laughter filled the air as she chased imaginary creatures, her tiny footsteps echoing against the polished hardwood floors.

Despite the chaos of her play, Nolan's gaze occasionally drifts from his work to steal glances at his daughter.

When he ran away from his family home more than half a century ago, he didn't know what he was truly pursuing. But what he did know, was that the home he left behind was not truly a home.

And after meeting Ephon, he discovered what he wanted, and that was a true family, not one based on gains and losses as his noble family did.

So he bonded with Ephon very quickly after they met, he knew Ephon was a natural-born monster, so he worked 10 times harder in everything he did to not hold Ephon back and keep up.

And seeing his daughter's smiling face, a fond smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he watched her innocence and joy, a reminder to him that everything he did was worth it.

"Daddy! Daddy! Is it time for training yet." Iris suddenly shouted excitedly as her little feet approached Nolan.

"Not really, we decided to wait until your mother returns remember?" Nolan answered as he rubbed his hands through Iris's hair.

"But, if we start now, she'll arrive when we are halfway through our training." Iris pouted as she replied.

"Haha, aren't you smart, alight let's go then." Nolan replied as he stood up from his desk.