Chapter 191: The Cheerful Young Man

After a long period of contemplation, Jack ultimately decided not to take any further action.

If Queen Otohime was dead, then so be it. Who killed her didn't matter.

She was a saintly idealist—destined to die sooner or later.

However, Hody Jones turned out to have some grit.

After several rounds of "education," Zeo had finally come to recognize his role completely. Jack originally tasked him with gathering intelligence on Fish-Man Island, but unexpectedly, his little playmate delivered a surprising gift.

This Hody Jones might prove useful in the future. Jack decided to let him live.

Now, if the royal family of Ryugu Castle were wiped out, who would become the new king?

Despite being massive, Wadatsumi was astonishingly fast underwater. Even when the merchant ships pushed their engines to the limit, they couldn't outrun him.

Thankfully, as soon as they entered the New World, King had arrived with reinforcements.

Once the transfer of Wadatsumi and Tom was complete, Jack finally breathed a sigh of relief.

King, wearing his iconic mask, extended his hand to Tom. After a handshake, King softly explained:

"Tom-san, Kaido-sama has been eagerly awaiting your arrival!"

"Kaido-sama didn't come personally to avoid drawing attention, but he sent me to escort you. I hope you won't hold it against him!"

"Huh?"

Tom, caught off guard by King's unexpectedly courteous demeanor, stood dumbfounded.

Tom was no spring chicken—he was an elderly shipwright. And as everyone knows, old men are either tight-lipped or incessant chatterboxes. Unfortunately, Tom fell into the latter category.

Jack, on the other hand, was notoriously impatient. Initially, he managed to answer Tom's endless questions with a calm demeanor. But as time went on, Jack started threatening to sew the old man's mouth shut—a threat he never carried out.

Tom wasn't offended. On the contrary, he saw a shadow of his disciple Franky in Jack's fiery temperament.

After getting used to Jack's gruffness, combined with the rumors about Kaido's cruelty, Tom had mentally prepared himself for the worst. But upon meeting the composed and respectful King, Tom was momentarily at a loss.

King's attitude made Tom reconsider the rumors he had heard about Kaido.

If Jack knew what was going through Tom's mind, he would have laughed and told him he was overthinking it. Kaido wasn't just bad, he was worse than the rumors described.

The fleet quickly reached its destination.

The island was bustling with construction, while two smaller adjacent isles had already been designated and developed as settlement zones for Fish-Men.

The fleet bypassed the main port and sailed straight to one of the smaller islands.

As Jack and his party disembarked, Kaido himself charged over to greet them.

"Ahahaha! Tom-san!"

"I have been waiting for you!"

Tom, overwhelmed by Kaido's enthusiasm, stood frozen, clutching his nose.

Mermaid dancers twirled joyfully, and an endless stream of fine food and wine was carried in.

Besides Kaido and King, everyone present was a Fish-Man. Jack glanced at the mermaid dancers, twisting their waists as they performed. He couldn't quite grasp Kaido's intentions.

Is this some sort of "make Tom feel at home" gimmick?

It's pointless—he's way too old for this!

Meanwhile, King stood silently like a butler behind Kaido, while Jack plopped himself down and began wolfing down the food.

Priorities: the world can wait, but my stomach can't!

Kaido's regard for Tom was evident, even from the seating arrangement. Tom sat opposite Jack, to Kaido's immediate right—a spot usually reserved for King. Except for moments when Queen was present, this position was always left vacant.

But clearly, this wasn't an ordinary occasion. Despite his lack of social experience, Tom could sense Kaido's respect for him from the glares of the Fish-Men around the table. He felt as if there were needles under his seat, making him squirm with discomfort.

After a few glasses of wine, Tom finally mustered the courage to speak.

"Kaido-sama, I understand what you want. You're hoping I'll join the Beasts Pirates."

"But first, I need to know one thing!"

"What is your dream?"

"Huh?"

"Pfft!"

Hearing Tom's abrupt question, Kaido's smile froze, while Jack spat out his wine all over the table.

What the heck is this?

Tell us your dream! If it's good enough, I'll turn my chair!

"My dream?"

Kaido set down his wine cup, his gaze distant and nostalgic.

"My old dream… was to liberate all the slaves."

"And now? My dream is to overthrow this world!"

"No matter how hard we struggle, we can't change this world. So the only solution is to destroy it and rebuild it from scratch!"

"Glug, glug, glug…"

After his impassioned declaration, Kaido drained his cup and continued in a low voice:

"I was born in the Vodka Kingdom, a nation that sustained itself by waging war to pay the Heavenly Tribute."

"Because of my exceptional performance, the kingdom sold me out to the Navy. I escaped, earning a bounty of seventy million berries."

"But even after escaping, I couldn't bear to steal food from innocent civilians. So when hunger became unbearable, I'd let the Navy capture me."

"Once I'd eaten my fill, I'd find a way to break out of prison."

"Later, I joined a pirate crew as a trainee. I stayed with them for a long time until the Navy crushed the crew. After that, I wandered the seas alone for a while… until the Navy caught me again."

As Kaido shared his past, everyone listened intently. Even the mermaid dancers paused their routine, and King clenched his fists nervously.

At that moment, an ill-timed voice broke the silence.

"Kaido, how long were you a pirate trainee? Was it two and a half years?"

Jack's curious tone earned him a sharp glare from Kaido, whose brow furrowed deeply. But instead of addressing Jack, Kaido continued:

"That last capture changed me."

"Before that, despite everything, I was still a cheerful young man…"

…

Jack was about to speak again when he noticed King's tear-filled eyes glaring at him. Panicking, he quickly covered his mouth.

Come on, Kaido. Do you even know what a cheerful young man is supposed to be?

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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg