Chapter 102: The Red Hair Pirates Are Destroyed, And The Dissatisfied Bullet

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kaido's heart, which had been almost silent, suddenly started beating violently again. His broken body began to heal and reorganize itself. A pair of dragon wings, about ten meters long, burst from his back.

Kaido slowly opened his eyes, feeling the changes within him.

After the intense battle, the power of his Devil Fruit had fused with the bloodline of Deathwing. The violent, maddening consciousness that came with it had been completely suppressed.

He could feel that his entire being had transformed.

His already immense physique had been greatly enhanced. His strength had more than tripled! The red-black dragon scales now covering his body were tougher than diamonds, almost like a permanent layer of Armament Haki.

With the bloodline inheritance of Deathwing, Carlos understood everything. He now knew that his dragon form was his most powerful trump card, far stronger than his human or hybrid forms.

[Deathwing (Fallen Form)]:

Once a guardian dragon, he was led down a dark path after being corrupted by the ancient gods. Although the madness in his mind has been fully erased, the words of this once mighty dragon still echo:

"My name is Deathwing, the Destroyer of Destiny, the Terminator of all things. Unstoppable, irresistible. I am... a catastrophe!"

At the far end of the port, countless figures began to appear. Surrounded by many pirates, Bullet and his crew approached.

Bullet's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Kaido's damaged ship and Kaido's bloodstained appearance. After a moment of stunned silence, he bellowed:

"Kaido! Why the hell are the Marines following you?"

"And what's with all those injuries?"

His tone was filled with both disappointment and anger, though a small trace of pride lingered behind his words.

Kaido, still lost in thought, suddenly snapped back to reality. Looking at the crowd below and the approaching warships in the harbor, he quickly put the pieces together.

"Don't worry," Kaido said, his voice calm. "Those warships are my spoils."

"But I must say, Bullet, I didn't expect you to make it back before me. What happened? Did you manage to collect 100 billion Beli?"

Just as Kaido finished speaking, Shiryu of the Rain let out a snicker and exhaled smoke from his cigar.

Through the haze, his mocking voice cut through the air:

"Sorry to disappoint, but we got 120 billion Beli this time."

Kaido raised an eyebrow, genuinely surprised. "One hundred and twenty billion Beli?" He gave a sly grin. "I guess you're more than just a fighter after all. I might've underestimated you."

His remark immediately set off murmurs among the gathered pirates.

"You better watch what you say, pal!"

"Haha, unlike some people who barely crawled back from defeat, we completed our mission in just ten days, and we went beyond the target!"

"In terms of strength and leadership, Boss Bullet is clearly the best choice to lead us!"

"Yeah! The Dragon Pirates will thrive under Boss Bullet's wise leadership! What's a Marine compared to him?"

It was obvious to anyone paying attention that the pirates were rallying behind Bullet as their leader. Some spoke to show their allegiance, others to boast their loyalty. Sarcastic remarks flew around, with many praising Bullet as the best candidate for captain.

The dock became as loud as a marketplace, filled with cheers and noise.

Pushing past the crowd, Bullet strode forward, his face set in determination.

"Kaido! Enough of this nonsense! From now on, you take orders from me!"

Kaido sighed. "I'm afraid you're celebrating too early."

Bullet's eyes narrowed. "Oh? Are you saying you got 100 billion Beli as well?" He paused, his expression shifting. "Fine. If I can do it, then I suppose you're capable of it too."

He gave a nod, conceding a bit. "In that case, you'll stand on equal footing with me—as my vice-captain. How about that?"

Kaido's face broke into a mocking grin. "Equals? Vice-captain? What nonsense are you spouting?"

The corners of Kaido' lips curled up, a dragon-like aura radiating from him unintentionally.

Bullet's face darkened, and he seemed ready to argue, but his heart suddenly skipped a beat. He glanced over in surprise and uncertainty.

Next to him, Kuzan raised his thumb, pointing backward. "Sorry, we hijacked the World Government's fleet transporting the Heavenly Tribute. We brought back a total of 200 billion Beli."

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the dock exploded in an uproar.

"Are you kidding? Two hundred billion Beli?"

"Do you realize what that means? Even the biggest entertainment city in the world only ever took 120 billion!"

"Is this for real?"

"Wait, Heavenly Tribute? They actually attacked the World Government's tribute! Are they insane?"

"No normal person would have the guts to do something like that!"

Kaido ignored the crowd's disbelief. Instead, he simply commanded the pirates aboard the ship to start unloading the cargo.

As the pirates at the port watched crates filled with Beli being offloaded one after another, an eerie silence settled over them.

Even though Bullet was frustrated, he held his tongue. After all, the haul Kaido had brought back was double his own.

"I'll admit defeat," Bullet said, finally. "Kaido, from now on, you're the leader of the Dragon Pirates."

He paused, his voice hardening. "But don't get too comfortable. One day, I'll defeat you and take back the leadership."

After a brief sigh, Bullet seemed to remember something and asked, "Judging by the looks of you, that must've been some battle. Did you run into a Marine Admiral?"

Kaido shook his head. "No, it wasn't the Marines. We took on the Red Hair Pirates."

Everyone gasped.

"The Red Hair Pirates? I've heard of them. They've been making waves recently, and there's talk they might become one of the new Emperors."

"That's right," another chimed in. "The remnants of the Big Mom Pirates, led by Katakuri, were wiped out by them. They didn't have many people, but each one had a bounty in the hundreds of millions!"

"I can't believe they managed to wipe them out…"

Kaido shook his head slightly. "We couldn't kill Shanks, though. He escaped, badly injured."

He continued, "When Kizaru arrived, the Red Hair Pirates lost their will to fight. Shanks even proposed a truce. We didn't give him an easy out, though. With Aokiji and Kizaru's help, we quickly took down Beckman. If it weren't for the desperate efforts of Yasopp, Lucky Roo, and the others, Shanks would've died there."

Kaido frowned. "After we dealt with them, a sudden storm hit. It gave Shanks the perfect cover to dive into the sea and escape. We searched for a long time but found no trace of him. In the end, I had to chalk it up to pure luck."

Hearing this, Bullet, who had been a bit down, suddenly perked up.

"Oh? So a little intern from the Roger Pirates caused you that much trouble?" He smirked. "That's a bit embarrassing, don't you think?"

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