Chapter 65: Tell Kaido This — There Will Be a War Between Him and Me!

Jozu narrowed his eyes and subtly shifted a step to the left.

From that position, if a conflict broke out, he could immediately move to protect Ron.

The movement was slight, but it revealed the depth of his vigilance and distrust toward King.

Seeing how guarded everyone was, King voluntarily took a step backward.

He knew that any overly aggressive action right now could trigger an unnecessary fight.

"I came here to discuss cooperation."

King spoke calmly.

"Nothing is more attractive than becoming a user with multiple Devil Fruit powers."

His gaze swept across the crowd before he continued.

"You can make any request you want. As long as the Beasts Pirates can fulfill it, we’ll agree."

"Or name a price."

"We can negotiate any amount."

His tone was sincere and confident.

After all, most pirates went to sea in pursuit of treasure and wealth.

He didn’t believe these people would reject such an offer.

Furthermore, intelligence suggested that the Whitebeard Pirates had recently been collecting large amounts of gold.

That only strengthened his confidence.

"I know you’ve been searching for gold."

King continued,

"If you’re willing to cooperate with us, I can guarantee you’ll receive enough wealth to satisfy anyone."

"Gold, jewels, treasures—whatever you want."

"As long as you ask, we can provide it."

His eyes were firm.

In his mind, he could already see the deal being finalized.

On the seas, trust and mutual benefit were often enough to bring people together.

"Is that so..."

Ron lowered his head thoughtfully.

However, he wasn’t considering whether to accept the proposal.

Instead—

His mind was rapidly calculating how to extract gold from the armored man standing before him.

Preferably while also collecting a little blood sample in the process.

Just as he was immersed in his own schemes—

A deafening boom suddenly exploded overhead.

The thunderous sound caused everyone’s hearts to tremble.

The next moment, countless lightning foxes surged in from every direction.

They gathered together in midair and rapidly formed a towering human silhouette.

Then—

BOOM!

Murakumogiri descended from the sky and slammed into the ground.

The impact shattered the earth.

A massive crater appeared instantly as cracks spread outward like a spiderweb.

Then a towering figure emerged before everyone’s eyes.

Whitebeard.

The gigantic man stood nearly seven meters tall, his body wrapped in crackling lightning.

An overwhelming aura radiated from him.

The atmosphere immediately grew heavy.

Even time itself seemed to freeze.

"Go back and tell Kaido this."

Whitebeard’s voice thundered across the plaza.

"There will inevitably be a war between him and me!"

His answer completely rejected King’s proposal.

King’s expression instantly darkened.

He had always believed himself to be among the strongest fighters in the world.

Yet standing before Whitebeard now, he felt a pressure unlike anything he had ever experienced.

When he saw Whitebeard floating in the air while commanding the power of lightning—

His pupils contracted violently.

A storm of shock erupted within his heart.

Whitebeard can control lightning?!

Impossible!

Is he really a Three-Devil-Fruit User?!

King inhaled sharply.

The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was already among the most destructive Devil Fruits in existence.

Add the incredible regeneration granted by the Bird-Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix—

And Whitebeard practically had no weaknesses.

Now he possessed the power of a Logia as well.

King couldn’t help but wonder:

Can a monster like this truly exist?

If Whitebeard fully mastered and fused all three abilities together—

How terrifying would his true strength become?

For the first time, King realized that the gap between them was far greater than he had imagined.

Facing such an overwhelmingly powerful existence filled him with helplessness and unease.

Yet as one of Kaido’s top commanders, retreating in fear was not an option.

Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, he forced himself to remain calm.

"May I ask why you’re rejecting cooperation?"

"We can provide enormous amounts of treasure."

"Wouldn’t a mutually beneficial partnership be better for everyone?"

Whitebeard let out a cold laugh.

His eyes became icy.

"Kozuki Oden..."

"He was my son."

"Is that reason enough?"

King’s heart sank.

So it really was because of Oden.

If that was the case, there truly was no room for cooperation.

For Whitebeard, family came before everything else.

No amount of treasure could change that.

Whitebeard continued:

"Even if Oden had flaws, he was still my family."

"My son."

"If Whitebeard’s son needed discipline, then Whitebeard would be the one to teach him."

"It wasn’t Kaido’s place to kill him."

Every word struck like a blade.

His stance couldn’t have been clearer.

There was no room for negotiation.

"Before I change my mind..."

Whitebeard’s voice grew colder.

"Get lost."

King’s eyes dimmed.

The negotiation had failed completely.

The relationship between the two sides was beyond repair.

Remaining any longer would only bring humiliation.

Without another word, he turned and left.

Watching King’s departing figure, Ron couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

He had been about to say something when a mournful cry suddenly sounded beside him.

"What a waste!"

Jozu beat his chest dramatically.

"If Pops had arrived just a little later!"

His eyes followed King’s retreating figure.

The look on his face resembled someone watching a mountain of gold disappear into the distance.

"We’re going to fight them sooner or later anyway."

Jozu spoke unwillingly.

"We should’ve taken a deposit first and scammed them before the war started."

Ron chose not to comment.

Marco immediately objected.

"Jozu, don’t forget—we’re respectable pirates."

"We’re not petty swindlers who survive by tricking people."

Ace nodded in agreement.

"Even if money comes through dishonest means, I wouldn’t take it."

After that, everyone gradually dispersed to handle their own affairs.

Only Jozu remained standing there alone.

For a moment, he looked somewhat lost.

Then suddenly, as if remembering something important, his eyes lit up once more.

He clenched his fists.

"For the goal of saving up six billion Berries ..."

"I’m all in!"

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