Chapter 83: [3] If I Get the Chance, One Swing of My Club Will Bury Him!

"He’s not dead. Orochi isn’t dead. He’s in the Flower Capital right now, leading a citywide hunt for rebels. Do you want me to project it for you?"

Bao Huang’s words were sharp and direct, each one cutting straight through Jack’s doubts.

More importantly, every word he spoke was the truth.

"There’s no way... I clearly saw Orochi’s corpse with my own eyes..."

Jack’s voice began to tremble.

For the first time, he found himself genuinely uncertain.

Seeing his reaction, Bao Huang said nothing further.

Instead, he calmly took out a small and exquisitely crafted Den Den Mushi.

The snail looked ordinary enough, but in Bao Huang’s hands it seemed almost magical.

He gently patted its head.

Immediately, two beams of light shot from its eyes and projected onto the wall.

A clear image appeared before everyone.

In the center of the Flower Capital, Kurozumi Orochi stood in the main square, loudly berating the townspeople.

He was ordering everyone to report any information regarding the intruders.

Anyone who refused—or failed to provide useful information—was sentenced to hard labor, helping repair the damage caused by the chaos throughout the city.

"T-This... How is this possible...?"

Jack was completely dumbfounded.

His mind raced as he desperately searched his memories for an explanation.

Yet no matter how much he replayed the scene in his head, he couldn’t deny what he was seeing.

The Orochi who had supposedly been struck down and left for dead by Izou was now standing in the Flower Capital completely unharmed.

Not only was he alive, he looked more energetic than ever.

Jack felt his scalp go numb.

What exactly was wrong with this guy?

He had clearly watched Orochi die.

So how was he alive again?

And judging by his appearance, there wasn’t a single trace of injury on him.

Could Orochi’s durability actually be greater than his own?

That made absolutely no sense.

Jack stood there awkwardly, rubbing his eyes.

"Maybe I saw it wrong..."

he muttered to himself.

"Or maybe that guy’s luck is just ridiculous."

"Enough."

Kaido’s cold voice cut through the room.

"We’ll leave the matter there."

"Since he’s still alive, he’ll remain Shogun for the time being."

At that point, Kaido slowly raised his head and swept his gaze across the room.

His voice was low and filled with fury.

"But this complete defeat is the greatest humiliation the Beasts Pirates have suffered!"

The room instantly fell silent.

Everyone could feel the pressure radiating from him.

After several seconds, Kaido suddenly let out a dismissive snort.

"Treasure?"

"What does treasure matter?"

"If it’s gone, we’ll simply take more."

"For us, money is the one thing we never lack."

Everyone understood what he truly meant.

The issue wasn’t money.

The issue was that their pride had been kicked clear across the Red Line.

"Kaido-sama, if you ask me, next time Whitebeard shows up, we all attack together!"

Queen narrowed his already tiny eyes and spat the words out viciously.

His voice was full of resentment and unwillingness to accept defeat.

Jack immediately burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! That’s exactly what I was thinking."

Then his expression stiffened slightly as he hurriedly added,

"Besides, Whitebeard’s only advantage is his speed. In terms of overall strength, Kaido-sama is definitely no weaker than him!"

Kaido snorted.

Of course he knew that.

What he needed wasn’t empty flattery.

He needed a solution.

An actual solution.

Otherwise, he would continue serving as Whitebeard’s personal punching bag.

Seeing Kaido’s expression, Queen and Jack immediately grew serious.

They knew he wouldn’t be satisfied without a practical answer.

"Is there any way to restrict Whitebeard’s movements?"

Kaido’s voice lowered.

Frustration was evident in every word.

"My Observation Haki can barely track his attack trajectories."

"The problem is that he’s simply too fast."

"Even if I can predict his next move, my body can’t react quickly enough."

His eyes burned with unwillingness.

"As long as someone can find a way to stop him for even a single moment..."

Kaido clenched his fist.

"I’ll bury him with one swing of my club."

His fingers dug into his palm.

The speed gap had become a thorn in his side.

He knew that if he couldn’t solve this issue, it would eventually become a fatal weakness whenever he faced Whitebeard.

Unless...

Unless he somehow gained a second Devil Fruit power.

But that was obviously impossible.

Whitebeard would never allow him to become a User with Two Devil Fruit Powers.

And more importantly, given Whitebeard’s cautious nature, he would never willingly place himself in such a disadvantageous situation.

The two of them were mortal enemies.

There was no possibility of reconciliation.

The atmosphere in the room became increasingly heavy.

Everyone understood that the battles ahead would be more difficult than anything they had faced before.

Jack cautiously glanced at Kaido.

Respect and hesitation filled his eyes.

After taking a deep breath, he finally spoke.

"Kaido-sama... could we try exhausting Whitebeard’s stamina?"

"As long as his stamina runs out, won’t he be completely at our mercy?"

Kaido frowned and fell into thought.

The previous battle replayed itself in his mind.

Back then, he had attempted exactly that.

He had deliberately dragged the fight out, hoping to wear Whitebeard down.

But just as Whitebeard’s stamina was nearing its limit...

The old man had simply retreated.

He escaped the battlefield immediately.

That outcome had infuriated Kaido.

Despite possessing overwhelming strength, he had been unable to catch up to his exhausted opponent.

In the end, not only had he failed to achieve his goal, but he had also taken a beating himself and lost a considerable amount of blood.

All that strength, yet nowhere to use it.

"Easy for you to say."

Kaido’s tone grew noticeably colder.

"You think I don’t want to crush that old man completely?"

"But the reality is this—"

"The moment Whitebeard realizes he’s at a disadvantage, he immediately retreats."

Kaido fixed Jack with a sharp stare.

"So tell me."

"How exactly am I supposed to fight someone like that?"

◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇

◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!

◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.

◇ Read 70 Chapters ahead on P@treon → /Sagamaster789