Chapter 20: Beasts Pirates
The return speed was faster than the outbound trip, as Kaido seemed to intentionally quicken his pace, and by the morning of the second day, the group had crossed the Red Line back to the New World.
After having meals on several Navy warships and prison ships along the way, the group arrived at an island in the mid-rear section of the New World in the afternoon of the third day.
“Boss Kaido, you’re back.”
As soon as they arrived on the island, a black-haired burly man wearing a punk-style jacket ran up to them.
“Deke, why is it you? Where is King?”
Seeing that the person who came to greet them was not the expected King, Kaido asked puzzledly.
“Some unidentified pirate ships appeared in the sea area around our territory, so Lord King led the brothers to check the situation.”
Although only 14 years old, the extremely strong King was already a bona fide executive in the Beasts Pirates, where martial prowess reigned supreme.
“Unidentified pirate ships? How many?” Kaido frowned.
“Around ten ships, including one large pirate ship. Judging by the course, they are probably from Hachinosu Island.” Deke continued reporting.
“Hachinosu Island…”
Kaido took out the Den Den Mushi from his pocket and dialed King’s number.
“Purupuru~ Puh—This is King. Mr. Kaido, have you returned?”
King’s voice soon came from the Den Den Mushi’s mouth, and King’s expression appeared on its face.
“Did that guy accept the invitation?”
“No.
That guy Sain is busy raising his precious child, so he refused.”
“But this time it wasn’t entirely fruitless—no, it should be said to be an unexpected delight.”
Kaido glanced at the three little ones who had been looking around beside him, and the frustration of failing to recruit Sain was long gone from his heart.
“Is that so? That’s truly exciting. We’ve resolved things here and are preparing to return.”
King replied while looking at the enemy ships burning fiercely.
“Well done!
So, whose crew are those guys?” Kaido’s voice turned cold.
“It’s a pirate crew newly recruited by John. They were probably sent to probe our strength; it seems they have big moves planned recently.”
“John…
That guy took most of Rocks’ treasure back then, and everyone’s been eyeing him these past few years. I didn’t expect that bastard to dare provoke me!”
……
After learning about the situation on King’s side, Kaido hung up the Den Den Mushi.
He glanced in the direction of Hachinosu Island, then turned to instruct Deke:
“Deke, take these three to their quarters first, then find people to move those chests to the warehouse. I’m going to sleep.”
“Got it, Boss Kaido. But who are these brats…”
Deke was somewhat baffled, as Kaido had brought back treasure and Navy before, but this was the first time he had brought back children.
Looking at the three little ones who hadn’t spoken since landing on the island, he muttered in his heart:
『Could they be Boss Kaido’s daughters? No, no, the boss’s daughter couldn’t be this cute… Hiss~ Could they be princesses kidnapped from some kingdom?!』
Deke looked at the long skirt on La that appeared to be extremely expensive silk, and combined with her dignified demeanor, he became even more convinced of his guess.
“This golden-haired brat is called La, and from now on, she’s an executive of our Beasts Pirates!
The other two are her sisters.” Kaido offered no further explanation and simply left after saying that.
“Wha, executive?!”
Deke was startled.
『This little girl is only about ten years old, right? She looks so soft and weak; if I spoke louder, she’d probably cry. And she’s an executive!』
When King defeated the entire pirate crew and became an executive at fourteen, it was already jaw-dropping.
But the girl in front of him, only about ten years old… This was truly beyond Deke’s imagination.
『Could she be some special Devil Fruit User? Could she really be Boss Kaido’s daughter?!』
“Hey! Punk uncle, stop spacing out and take us to the rest area quick.
We’ve been floating in the sky for days; this lord is exhausted!”
Aoxi was still not used to using feminine self-references in front of strangers, perhaps out of shyness, or maybe to maintain the last bit of stubbornness in her heart.
“Oh! Sure, sure.”
Deke came back to his senses and didn’t pay attention to Aoxi’s strange self-reference.
After instructing a few passing pirates to move the treasure chests Kaido brought back to the warehouse, he led La and the others toward the stronghold.
『Whatever, Boss Kaido said she’s an executive, so I’ll treat her as one.』
“Mr. Deke, right? My name is La. These are my sisters Osiris and Obelisk.”
Seeing Deke’s somewhat stiff gait—whether from tension or something else—La took the initiative to speak up and ease the atmosphere.
“We’re new here; could you introduce us to the specifics of Captain Kaido’s pirate crew?”
『What a nice, polite voice!』
Deke quietly crossed off the ‘Kaido’s daughter’ option in his mind.
“No need to be so formal; just call me Deke, haha~”
Eliminated of his inner tension by La’s extremely gentle-sounding voice, Deke gradually became talkative.
“Our Beasts Pirates were only formed by Boss Kaido last year. When I joined, there were only about twenty-something people.
Over the next year, Boss Kaido challenged other pirate crews everywhere and absorbed the defeated pirates, slowly increasing our numbers.
Now the Beasts Pirates have over five hundred people, five large ships, ten small boats, and control three surrounding islands!”
Excitement and pride filled Deke’s tone. As one of the longest-tenured members, he had personally witnessed the Beasts Pirates’ growth, and the crew’s development to this point was inseparable from his countless bloody battles.
But honestly, the current Beasts Pirates couldn’t rank in the New World.
Not to mention top sea overlords like Golden Lion and Whitebeard.
Even second-tier factions like Silver Axe and Wang Zhi had far more pirates under them and larger territories than the current Beasts Pirates.
No way around it; the Beasts Pirates had only been established for just over a year, and their foundation couldn’t compare to those who immediately started seizing territory and dividing the spoils right after Rocks’ death.
Especially the great pirates who had now developed for four or five years.
Why didn’t Kaido join in dividing up the New World back then?
Unfortunately, at that time, Kaido was still in a daze after involuntarily graduating from the Rocks Pirates and directly stepping into the unfamiliar New World.
He had no idea what to do and could only roam the world brushing achievements against the Navy and World Government.
It was only last year, after encountering King on Punk Hazard in his muddled state, that Kaido remembered he should start a business.
Thus, the Beasts Pirates entered the scene belatedly, after Kaido’s seniors had already eaten their fill.
“So you were one of the pirates defeated by Kaido back then?” Obei asked.
“No, I joined voluntarily because I admired Boss Kaido’s martial prowess.
Also, call him ‘Boss Kaido’ or ‘Captain Kaido,’ blue-haired brat.”
Deke seemed to revere Kaido greatly and was dissatisfied with Obei addressing Kaido by name directly.
“Tch~”
Obei turned her head away, ignoring Deke.
“By the way, what exactly is your relationship with Boss Kaido?”
Unable to hold back his curiosity, Deke stopped, squatted down, and quietly asked La by leaning his head toward her.
“We three sisters accidentally ended up stranded on a desert island, and Captain Kaido happened to pass by, so he invited us.
After some communication with Captain Kaido, I agreed.” La explained with a smile.
“?”
La spoke plainly, making Kaido sound like a kind-hearted uncle who happened to pass by and took in three pitiful little girls stranded outside.
But to Deke’s ears, something felt off no matter how he heard it.
『Th-this is talking about Boss Kaido?』
In Deke’s impression, his own captain wouldn’t just take in kids; it was good if he didn’t eat them raw.
The atmosphere fell silent again for a moment.
…………
