Chapter 166: Walking Into The Trap
“Hey, heh heh!”
“Cough! Cough~”
“No big deal, no big deal~”
Although she now felt her limbs aching and her chest burning with pain… Aoxi still forced herself to stand up, showing a “relaxed” smile that didn’t look relaxed at all.
“Not bad!”
“A bet’s a bet, this invitation is yours.”
Kaido didn’t waste words and directly tossed the invitation to her.
“Straightforward.”
Aoxi caught the invitation and straightened her posture.
“I just like Boss Kaido’s straightforward personality.”
Opening the invitation, Aoxi looked at the contents while asking:
“By the way, Boss Kaido, were you originally planning to go yourself?”
“Go myself?”
“Uro-ro-ro-ro!”
“How could I? As captain, how could I personally step into someone else’s territory?”
That’s the rule.
Between two major factions, unless specifically named and invited, a pirate crew’s captain stepping into another pirate crew’s territory is almost a direct declaration of war.
“This kind of ceremony is usually attended by trusted subordinates.”
“Like that guy Jhin?”
“No, Jhin can’t go.”
Kaido shook his head.
If Jhin went, it’d be like sending a bun to be eaten by a dog…
He’d probably be directly detained by Big Mom in Whole Cake Island, and wouldn’t be released without leaving behind a bloodline.
That woman isn’t some delicate queen.
“What about Uncle Burufaruto then?”
“Hmm… Fish-Men aren’t that rare, but there’s still some danger.”
Although Fish-Man Island is Whitebeard’s territory, with Big Mom’s influence, collecting a Fish-Man or Mermaid is still easy.
After all, a piece of land that guarantees safety is very tempting to the Fish-Man Island residents who yearn for the outside world.
But no one can guarantee that woman, who flips faces faster than turning a page, won’t suddenly want a Fighting Fish-Man on a whim.
“So…?”
“So I plan to have Sister La take you and Obei, you three go.”
“Oh~~~~ Hmm?”
“No!”
Aoxi widened her eyes.
“Sister La taking us?!”
“That’s right.”
Kaido looked into her eyes and nodded firmly.
Sending three kids to attend a pirate-hosted celebration thousands of miles away sounded a bit unreliable.
But in Kaido’s plan, this was the most appropriate arrangement.
On one hand, although that woman Big Mom is temperamental and eccentric…
But because she’s constantly either pregnant or on the way to being pregnant, her instinctive motherhood makes her especially tolerant toward children.
Especially pretty kids.
On the other hand, with Sister La there, there’s no need to worry about the safety of the other two; even if a real fight breaks out, it’s not clear who would gain the advantage.
Best if they can stir up something at the ceremony, show a bit of strength or whatever.
The Beasts Pirates are no longer the third-rate pirate crew that only occupied three remote islands back then.
It needs an opportunity to establish dominance, letting everyone in the New World and Underworld recognize this emerging Overlord.
Plus, with Sister La gone, he can act recklessly on the island again.
Then he can drink whenever he wants, as much as he wants… Eh, might as well just live in the wine cellar.
Just as Kaido was smug about his arrangement that killed four birds with one stone, Aoxi nearby was dumbfounded.
What is this? Like a parent taking kids to a banquet?
Then how can I show off cake without restraint? Will we end up seated at the kids’ table with Sister La?
And this thing I fought tooth and nail for, you’re telling me it was meant for me anyway?
So you were just toying with me like a monkey?
It’s like a college student risking half his life to run the 1000-meter fitness test, only for you to say afterward that he didn’t need to run it at all, it wouldn’t affect graduation?
I damn near coughed up a lung and you’re telling me it didn’t matter if I ran or not?!
“Boss Kaido.”
“Hm?”
Kaido responded and casually tilted his head to the right.
Then a dazzling golden blast breath grazed past his ear, directly blasting the small hill behind him into the sky.
……
“Gawawa~”
“Sister La!”
“Where are you?”
“Your sister here got bullied!”
“Wuwuwu~”
……
“Hm? What’s up?”
Sister La set down her work and looked at the Den Den Mushi in her hand that kept crying “wuwu” without a single tear falling, asking.
“Sister La, where are you right now?”
“I’m in the open space in the backyard. I even greeted you when you left this morning, forgot?”
“Uh…”
Well, Aoxi had been busy looking at Kaido’s statue that morning and hadn’t paid attention.
“A-Anyway, Sister La, stay there and don’t move, I’ll come find you right away.”
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, she located the direction and rushed home in a flurry within minutes.
Circling around to the backyard, she gracefully vaulted over the wall and into the yard.
Splosh~
Just after landing, a strange sensation came from under her feet.
Slippery, sticky…
“Hm? What is this?”
“It’s the seedlings I just planted.”
“Oh…”
“Ah?!”
Aoxi glanced around and saw that half an acre of the backyard attached to their house had been reclaimed into a paddy field, now neatly planted with seedlings.
Startled, she hurriedly tried to pull her foot out, but in her panic, she trampled even more seedlings.
“Eek, th-this…”
Watching her flail around like she was breakdancing in her own paddy field, Sister La’s eyebrow twitched, then she gently raised her hand.
An invisible force instantly descended on Aoxi, pulling her out of the field and levitating her in midair.
“So, what’s the matter?”
Tying up her skirt, Sister La stood barefoot in the paddy field, righting the seedlings trampled into the mud, while asking about Aoxi’s situation.
“N-Nothing. Just wanted to ask Sister La about ‘Future Sight’.”
Aoxi dangled in midair, flailing around without a foothold, like a little turtle picked up by its shell.
“‘Future Sight’? Asking about this out of the blue… because of Captain Kaido’s fight earlier?”
Sister La asked without looking up.
“Eh? Sister La, you already know?”
“Mm, not just me.”
“Obei came by earlier, saying your earth-shaking fight had affected the construction progress.”
“Uh… heh heh~”
“I-It was all Boss Kaido not holding back. Has nothing to do with me~”
Aoxi immediately distanced herself from it, the Beasts Pirates’ number one non-stick pan.
“So you couldn’t hit Captain Kaido, that’s why you want to learn ‘Future Sight’?”
“Mm.”
“Then why not just ask him directly? With Captain Kaido’s personality, he’d be happy to teach you.”
“No way.”
Aoxi turned her head away.
“That bull-headed gorilla would probably just say ‘Eh~ It’s simple~ Just keep getting beaten and you’ll learn it quick~'”
Aoxi mimicked Kaido in an effeminate tone, then rolled her eyes.
“Don’t I know what kind of personality he has?”
“Jhin and Uncle Burufaruto were probably corrupted by him.”
“So you came to me wanting an easier method?”
“Mhm!”
Aoxi in the air nodded, completely oblivious to the approaching danger.
At this point, Sister La paused her planting.
She looked up at Aoxi in the sky and said calmly:
“Aoxi, have you ever thought about how you learned Observation Haki back then?”
“Or rather, what is the method most suited to you?”
