People are sailing and synthesize the devil fruit of phantom beast sp

"Kaido, you maniac! What the hell are you doing?"

On top of Cake Castle, Charlotte Linlin let out a furious roar when she saw Kaido's wild behavior. Her voice echoed across the entire island, scaring every bird and beast into a frenzy. People nearby trembled uncontrollably—this was true terror.

Kaido, however, was in high spirits, completely unfazed by her fury. He laughed loudly, full of bravado.

"I want to test something with you, Charlotte Linlin! Let's see how you handle my new trick!"

Kaido was brimming with confidence. As he shouted, the bandages on his right arm suddenly burst apart with a loud crack. What emerged was a dark, mechanical-looking limb—pitch black, futuristic, and menacing in design. A hard cannon barrel protruded from the arm, exuding pure destruction.

Kaido raised the cybernetic arm, aimed straight at Charlotte Linlin, and fired.

A searing red laser beam tore through the air, obliterating everything in its path. Buildings made from candy, chocolate, and all sorts of sweet creations instantly vaporized under the extreme heat.

"That bastard!" Charlotte Linlin cursed when she saw the laser. Her expression darkened as she yanked Prometheus from the air and clenched it tightly in her fist. Then, with a fiery punch, she hurled a blazing fireball straight at the laser.

The two forces collided mid-air, creating an explosion like a thunderclap. Everything within a kilometer radius was reduced to rubble. The shockwave was so immense that even Linlin was forced several steps backward before stabilizing herself.

"Mama, watch out!" Katakuri rushed in, summoning a massive wall made from mochi and reinforcing it with Armament Haki. Though it helped lessen the explosion's impact, the remaining force from Kaido's laser continued onward and smashed through the barrier within seconds.

The light streaked forward, coming within a hair's breadth of Katakuri's face.

Just as it was about to pierce him, he activated his Observation Haki at full power, seeing a few seconds into the future and shifting his position in time. The beam sizzled past, missing him by mere inches.

Katakuri broke out in a cold sweat.

If he had reacted a second slower, the laser would've gone right through his head. That was too close.

"Kaido, you crazy son of a—!" Charlotte Linlin screamed, her rage boiling over. She was ready to charge forward and tear him apart.

The rest of her children had also rushed over, weapons in hand, sensing a full-on battle.

But before anyone could act, Kaido suddenly dashed forward with terrifying speed and leaped high into the air. With a thunderous impact, he landed right in front of them, still laughing loudly.

"Relax, everyone! I'm just showing off!" he shouted, his voice booming. "I wanted you all to see how powerful I've become!"

Kaido brushed off everyone's glares, grinning wildly. He approached Charlotte Linlin, who had been knocked off her feet, and casually helped her up.

"Kaido, you lunatic!" she snapped, but despite her fury, her heart trembled slightly.

The laser blast he had just fired was no joke. Even her Prometheus-infused punch couldn't fully block it. Had she been hit directly, her body would've been pierced and incinerated. Not even she could survive that.

"Come on now, don't be mad. My hands were just itching to try it out. Even you couldn't block my new attack—how do you expect that brat Kairos Flint to survive it?"

Charlotte Linlin's eyes turned red with rage.

"If you dare kill Kairos Flint, I'll hunt you down myself. I'll chase you across every sea until you're dead." Her voice was laced with killing intent.

Kaido narrowed his eyes, a cunning glint flashing within them.

"Relax. I've got plans for him. He's going to be your groom whether he likes it or not. Speaking of which… any updates on his whereabouts?"

He turned his head toward a man stepping into the room—an agent from the CP Division, using Geppo to float in.

"Not yet," the CP chief replied. "But something strange is going on with Whitebeard. He's not forming alliances like usual. Instead, he's been actively capturing and wiping out pirates in both the New World and around the Sabaody Archipelago. So far, he's destroyed thirty-two pirate crews—totaling over three billion Beli in bounties."

Both Charlotte Linlin and Kaido stared at him, dumbfounded.

"What kind of game is Whitebeard playing?" Linlin muttered.

This wasn't like the old man. Whitebeard's usual approach was to bring pirates under his wing, treating them as his 'sons.' It didn't make sense for him to slaughter newcomers in such numbers.

They all felt something was off—but no one could figure out what.

Suddenly, a shadow passed above.

A news seagull swooped in and dropped a rolled-up newspaper. Katakuri reached out and caught it.

At first, no one paid much attention. They were preparing to head to the conference room to continue strategizing how to deal with Kairos Flint.

But just as they began to move—

"Wait!" Katakuri shouted. "Something huge just happened!"

Charlotte Linlin frowned. "What is it?"

Kaido and the CP agent paused in their tracks.

Katakuri's voice trembled slightly as he read the headline.

"It's... it's bad. The Pirate King—Roger—he's still alive!"

What?!

Kaido and the CP agent froze mid-step. For a few seconds, no one moved.

Then, all at once, they spun around to face Katakuri, eyes wide with disbelief.