4: Gradually Familiarizing with the Power

Kaido looked down at Cohen and asked, "By the way, what's my current bounty?"

Cohen swallowed nervously before replying, "Supreme Commander Kaido, your bounty is 4,611,100,000 Berries, making you the pirate with the second-highest bounty in the world, surpassed only by Whitebeard."

"Oh? And what's Whitebeard's bounty?" Kaido's tone carried a hint of amusement.

Cohen paused, recalling the information. "I believe it's slightly over 5 billion Berries."

Kaido furrowed his brow, his curiosity piqued. "What about the other two Emperors? What are their bounties?"

Cohen hesitated for a moment before responding, "BIG MOM's bounty is 4,388,000,000 Berries, and Red-Haired Shanks's bounty is 4,048,900,000 Berries."

"I see…" Kaido muttered to himself, his voice barely audible. So that's how it is. Straw Hat Luffy's bounty shot up to 1.5 billion Berries after defeating Katakuri. The World Government even started calling him the 'Fifth Emperor.' But comparing him to the rest of us, the gap is still massive. As for Blackbeard, his bounty reaches 2.2 billion two years from now… interesting.

Cohen stood below, swallowing nervously as sweat dripped down his temples. The more Kaido pressed him with these seemingly basic questions, the more Cohen's anxiety grew. These are things everyone knows. Why is he asking? To Cohen, it felt like a test, a trap. One wrong answer, and Kaido might declare him a traitor and execute him on the spot.

He could almost feel years being shaved off his life from the tension. They say being close to a ruler is as dangerous as living with a tiger… now I believe it.

"Supreme Commander Kaido, if there's nothing else, may I take my leave?" Cohen asked cautiously, hoping to escape this unbearable situation.

Kaido's voice turned cold. "What's the rush? I'm not done yet."

Cohen's face twisted into a grimace, and he nearly burst into tears. "Is there… anything else you'd like to ask, sir?"

Kaido rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Wait a moment. Let me think…"

The room fell silent, and Cohen felt his knees trembling. Standing there under Kaido's imposing gaze felt like a death sentence. Suddenly, a brr brr brr sound broke the tension.

Kaido frowned, turning his head toward the unfamiliar noise.

Cohen, as though he had been granted a reprieve from execution, rushed over to pick up a device resembling a pencil. "Supreme Commander Kaido, it's a call," he said, handing the object to Kaido.

Kaido stared at the strange object and then at Cohen. "What is this?"

"It's… a Den Den Mushi… a phone," Cohen stammered, his voice shaking as he handed the device over.

Kaido's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the object in his hand. The miniature Den Den Mushi perched on the device opened its tiny mouth, letting out another brr brr brr.

"What am I supposed to do with this thing?" Kaido asked, genuinely puzzled.

"You… you just pick it up and talk into it," Cohen explained hesitantly.

Kaido gave him a sidelong glance, raising the device to his mouth. "This is Kaido. Speak."

The voice on the other end crackled to life. "Kaido-sama, it's King. There's been an incident near Onigashima. We've captured some intruders. You'll want to see this for yourself."

Kaido's lips curled into a grin. "Intruders? Interesting. I'll be right there."

He tossed the phone back to Cohen and stood up, his massive frame casting a shadow over the room. His eyes glinted with excitement. Intruders near Onigashima? Maybe this day won't be so boring after all.

Cohen bowed deeply as Kaido strode past him, his heart racing with relief. Thank heavens for whoever those intruders are. They might've just saved my life.

As Kaido left the room, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hall, Cohen slumped against the wall, wiping the sweat from his brow. "What a terrifying man…" he muttered under his breath.

But Kaido was already gone, heading toward the latest source of chaos. Whatever awaited him near Onigashima, one thing was certain—it was going to be fun.

On the other end of the phone, King was slightly confused. Usually, he would escort people to Onigashima, where Kaido's secretary would take them directly to Kaido. Today, however, things seemed different. But King didn't dwell on it and simply responded, "Understood."

After hanging up, Kaido furrowed his brows but didn't think too much about it. Though he was slightly concerned about being caught in a flaw, he decided to let things unfold naturally. After all, he was the leader of the Beast Pirates—if they suspected anything, so what? He still had the nine Tailed Beasts under his command!

The thought of the Tailed Beasts filled Kaido with excitement. He needed to figure out a way to summon them. The strength of the Tailed Beasts was immense, and their power was unmatched. Unlike the world of ninjas, where abilities like the Sharingan, Rinnegan, and sealing jutsu existed, here, the strength of chakra and physical power ruled supreme.

Just thinking about the destructive power of the Tailed Beast Bomb, he imagined that a single strike could wipe out a small island. Nine Tailed Beasts, together, would be like nine moving artillery cannons, capable of blasting Red Line itself into oblivion.

As the leader of the Beast Pirates, it wasn't his job to wait around for Doflamingo or King. He would let them come to him when they needed to. For now, Kaido had other matters to attend to. It was time to see if he could summon the Tailed Beasts.

As he stepped outside, he looked around at the walls, realizing he was in some sort of cave-like maze.

"Where the hell am I?" Kaido muttered, walking for a while and realizing he was lost. He cursed himself, wondering if the original Kaido was an idiot for turning his own territory into a labyrinth.

He was getting frustrated now. If any of his subordinates found out he was lost, his reputation would be ruined!

"Well, I guess I can try using Observation Haki," Kaido muttered to himself. He closed his eyes and decided to rely on his hearing instead of sight.

He wasn't sure whether it was his heightened hearing or the power of Observation Haki, but as soon as Kaido focused, he began to hear footsteps, heartbeats, breaths, and even faint whispers around him.

"Whoa, is my Observation Haki really this strong?" Kaido thought in surprise. He was able to hear more clearly than ever before, and the sounds became a bit overwhelming. He opened his eyes again and was stunned by what he saw.

Through the caves, he could spot clusters of blue energy waves in the distance—human life forces, like some kind of x-ray vision. It felt like he was playing a game with a cheat code on.