Chapter 372

New World, above Punk Hazard.

The bright moonlight poured over the massive green dragon's body; the dragon's head, with eyes like searchlights, looked dazed and confused, staring blankly ahead.

"Why are there Marines here?"

"Did I end up at Marine Headquarters?"

It must be said that Kaido's acting was so exquisite that even Kizaru failed to notice anything amiss, thinking Kaido had simply flown to Punk Hazard drunk to cause a drunken rampage.

There was no help for it; a person's name casts a shadow.

Over the years, Kaido had gone on drunken rampages more than once, even making the front pages of the news several times.

"Kaido, dare you change locations?"

Kizaru understood that this battle was inevitable, yet he still tried using reverse psychology to make Kaido shift the battlefield, so their fight wouldn't reach Vegapunk's research.

"You tell me to change... so I'll change... huh?"

Kaido unleashed unparalleled acting once more, perfectly portraying the image of a seasoned drunkard.

Immediately, raging red-black lightning erupted from the green dragon and spread outward in all directions.

This was the secret signal agreed upon between Kaido and Caesar.

Using Conqueror's Haki as the signal could not only clear out the grunts but also draw the attention of the entire island, creating an opportunity for King to rescue Caesar.

In short, muddy the waters, then fish in troubled waters.

The battle between the Emperor and the Admiral erupted instantly; the vast majority of Punk Hazard's defensive forces gathered near Vegapunk's laboratory.

To prevent Kaido from rescuing Blackbeard.

The reason Kaido hadn't played along with Kizaru's reverse psychology just now was to make the act even more convincing, so Kizaru wouldn't realize the truth afterward.

Every step Kaido took was a calculated move.

This was also Kaido's greatest gain after studying Barzab Saint Saint Saiwen's experience at sea, making Kaido gradually fall in love with the thrill of using his brain.

Pirates who don't use their brains will remain pirates forever.

Kaido, who can use his brain, is simply terrifying.

On one side, Kizaru was doing his utmost to keep the battlefield far from Punk Hazard; on the other, Kaido, furious with shame, chased after Kizaru.

"Great Power... Thunder..."

Seeing this, Kizaru silently sighed with relief.

Kizaru had just thought Kaido had received news and come to rescue Blackbeard; now it seemed Kaido was truly drunk, unable to even shout his technique name clearly.

It couldn't possibly all be Kaido's calculation, could it?

Even Kaido, the notorious brute among the Emperors, would now play tricks?

If that were truly the case, he would admit it!

He would even be very willing to shout at Kaido: Kaido, I acknowledge you!

Kaido fought with increasing courage fueled by alcohol, while Kizaru, relying on the speed advantage of the Pika Pika no Mi, successfully pinned Kaido down in the waters of Punk Hazard.

This battle lasted a whole night.

Until the sea reflected the fish-belly white of the eastern horizon, Kaido shook his head, as if sobering up.

"Marines, how did I end up here?"

Such a scene made Kizaru suddenly realize: Damn it, he was truly outsmarted by Kaido.

Kaido's reaction was simply too real, so real it didn't seem like acting, which instead gave people a very uneasy feeling.

"Everyone was deceived by you, Kaido."

"Who could have thought that the Beasts Pirates, known for being all brutes, would produce a Kaido skilled in deception?"

On the surface, Kaido was a brainless brute, but in reality, his schemes were terrifyingly numerous; in terms of cunning, he likely ranked second only to Saint Saint Saiwen in the New World.

"What are you saying?" Kaido was still acting. "This is nonsense; I'm going back to sleep."

With that, the massive green dragon stepped on clouds and departed.

Having delayed Kizaru for a whole night, with time so ample, King would have had enough time to take Caesar away, likely having already reached Onigashima by now.

Kaido couldn't wait to see Caesar and have Caesar mass-produce artificial Devil Fruits.

Besides, this guy Kizaru is quite strong; he actually fought evenly with me. Truly worthy of being a Marine Admiral.

Watching Kaido leave, Kizaru sighed.

"Truly one of the four Emperors of the sea in the New World; even I was deceived by Kaido's long-standing impression and fell for the tactic of luring the tiger away from the mountain."

Kizaru transformed into light and sped back to Punk Hazard; he now only hoped Blackbeard was still there and hadn't been rescued.

Returning to Punk Hazard, Kizaru immediately went deep into Vegapunk's laboratory; seeing Blackbeard lying naturally on the experiment table, his brows furrowed involuntarily.

Back on Punk Hazard, Kizaru immediately went deep into Vegapunk's laboratory and, seeing Blackbeard lying naturally on the experiment table, his brows could not help but furrow.

Could it be I overthought it?

Could it be that Kaido was truly drunk and causing a rampage last night, rather than using it as an excuse to delay him and create an opportunity for others to rescue Blackbeard?

Could it be that Kaido was truly drunk and causing a drunken rampage last night, rather than using it as an excuse to pin him down and create an opportunity for the others to rescue Blackbeard?

Before Kizaru fell into deep thought, he instructed his adjutant beside him: Go quickly and assess the losses.

Half an hour later, the adjutant returned.

"Admiral, there were no casualties; the assistants and staff in Doctor Vegapunk's laboratory are all present; only some Marines who were too close to Kaido were knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki and have not yet awakened."

"Admiral, there were no casualties. Dr. Vegapunk's laboratory assistants and staff are all present; only some Marines who got too close to Kaido were knocked unconscious by his Conqueror's Haki and have not yet awakened."

Could it be that Kaido isn't full of schemes?

But rather that he has too many schemes, leading him to mistake Kaido's drunken rampage at Punk Hazard for Kaido having some undisclosed purpose?

It was because he had too many schemes in his heart that he mistook Kaido's drunken rampage on Punk Hazard for Kaido having some undisclosed ulterior motives.

What the hell.

He indeed was not suited for playing mind games.

The adult world is truly terrifying; being a child is so much better, with no schemes at all.

"You've worked hard. Go down and rest."

"Yes."

Glancing at Blackbeard chatting casually with Vegapunk, Kizaru silently turned and left, preparing to find a quiet place to think again and see if anything had been overlooked.

Kizaru needed to confirm whether he had truly been outmaneuvered by Kaido.

If so, he would definitely get his revenge in the future.

Inazuma, Flower Capital, Shogun's Mansion.

In the vast double-height living room, Saint Saint Saiwen precisely delivered the freshly brewed tea exactly one hour, ten minutes, and twenty seconds later, then stared at his watch to start timing.

On the table before Saint Saint Saiwen lay six timing watches, and the empty spots behind the watches held six small objects sent to a future moment.

Through this period of simulation, Saint Saint Saiwen had completely grasped the essence of the Toki Toki no Mi ability.

Whether living beings or objects, he could send them precisely into the future.

The only issue was that neither these living beings nor these objects had resisted the Toki Toki no Mi ability with Haki.

After all, the old man Imu possessed extremely terrifying three-color Haki; if prepared, he would likely render the Devil Fruit ability useless.

In short.

The Toki Toki no Mi ability cannot be used immediately; it must be a surprise strike to settle everything in one blow.

Two and a half hours later, watching the white mice and hot tea gradually appear before him, Saint Saint Saiwen breathed a sigh of relief.

Since the Devil Fruit ability was no longer an issue, it was time to prepare a large batch of points to purchase supplies and equipment.

Saint Saint Saiwen opened the trading platform and modified the listing information for the pure gold ring to—

Limited-time twenty-percent discount.

In the remaining six-plus months, Saint Saint Saiwen intended to sell many pure gold rings to earn points and purchase supplies to equip every member of the Morning Star Group down to their teeth.

Leaving Imu not even a sliver of a chance to win.