Chapter 1601 Kaido Remembers Rocks
Near the Ghost Island broadcast screen
Amidst the pungent smell of strong liquor and the aroma of grilled meat in the vicinity, the Beast Pirates leisurely watched a program while treating themselves to a banquet. Life away from the battle-torn Onigashima was beyond carefree.
Kaido sat down on the ground with his massive body, holding a wine bowl bigger than his head in one hand, and tilted his head back to take a big gulp.
Amber-colored liquor trickled down his chin and dripped onto his chest. His other thick arm rested casually on the ground, his fingertips tapping the earth intermittently.
On the huge screen wall in front of them, the battle of Marineford was being broadcast live, showing Blackbeard Teach riding the Purple Scaled Dragon as the son of Rocks.
When Kaido made a deal with Whitebeard with that disgustingly greedy face, a very complex light flashed in his huge, bell-like eyes.
With a hint of alcohol and a scrutiny that transcends the passage of time, "the son of Locke"?
He smacked his lips, feeling quite resentful. Just look at that fat face and that nouveau riche-looking outfit.
Kaido raised his wine bowl and took another big gulp.
The black-clad Maria beside him timely picked up a wine jug almost as tall as herself and refilled the man's cup.
The woman knelt obediently to the side, her enormous body appearing small in comparison to Kaido.
Hearing Kaido's whisper, she blinked her alluring eyes, "That legendary Captain Rocks, I have only heard of his terror, but with your current power, Lord Kaido, even if he were to be resurrected and stand before you, you would surely defeat him."
Her voice was soft, and her words were filled with unreserved admiration for the strongest creature in the world before her. This was not just to please him; deep down, she truly believed that the man of Black Maria was invincible!
Kaido did not respond immediately.
His hand holding the wine bowl froze in mid-air, his gaze seemingly piercing through the screen, directed towards a more distant past.
A boisterous banquet, a wild plunder, a chaotic slaughter, and that figure always shrouded in shadow, whose mere presence seemed to suffocate any enemy.
Rocks D. Giebeck!!
That man's fists are really hard.
Back then, it was only through his youthful arrogance and fearlessness that he managed to gain a foothold on the monster-filled Rocks Pirates and rise to the ranks of the executives.
Even so, he still felt an oppressive pressure that made it hard to breathe in front of that man.
What is the strongest creature?
Back then, Rocks was truly a monster standing at the pinnacle of all living beings!
Kaido remembered clearly that once, just because he had said something to the other, Rocks punched him so hard that his body was embedded in the ship's side and he couldn't get up for a long time.
The insane battle at God Valley changed everything. It was truly impressive to think of Kaido and Whitebeard standing on either side of Rocks, with the three men fighting side by side!
With Rocks's demise, the Rocks Pirates completely vanished, and everything Rocks owned was seized and divided up by outsiders. God Valley also directly changed Kaido's fate.
If it weren't for the Azure Dragon Fruit and the upheaval at God Valley, where would Kaido be now?
Perhaps he's still working as a high-ranking henchman for one of the Four Emperors? Or perhaps he's already died quietly in some corner like John or Silver Axe?
Or perhaps it would have taken ten or twenty years longer to reach the heights we have today?
Fate is truly unpredictable.
Kaido finally snapped out of his daze and suddenly reached out and pulled the slender yet tall body of the black Maria beside him into his arms.
The woman's exclamation was drowned out by the vibration of his chest. "Linx's fists are very hard. If I were to face Rocks now, I would definitely beat him!"
Unfortunately, there is no such thing.
The man who once made Kaido struggle to even look up at him is dead, and his death was rather hasty.
He did not die from exhaustion on the battlefield challenging the pinnacle of the world, nor did he perish in a fierce battle with an evenly matched opponent; rather, he fell in his own homeland, the Valley of the Gods.
After Rocks was corrupted and lost his freedom, he was defeated by the combined forces of the Marine heroes and the Pirate King. This ending is somewhat ironic, even tragic, for a character like Rocks.
Kaido tilted his head back and drank the remaining wine in the bowl in one gulp, letting the liquid splash onto his face and body. "It's a pity that Rocks wasn't so lucky."
His gaze swept over everything around him: the Beast Pirates executives feasting, King teaching his evolved beast to drink, Queen twisting his fat body and pointing at the screen, and Jack drinking incessantly with a furious expression.
Kurozumi Tama, Doflamingo, Brook, Gecko Moria, and other newly joined executives were all enjoying the banquet with their companions.
If Kaido falls, like Rocks, how long can this scene of beasts dominating the land last?
Of these unruly subordinates, how many will survive?
The fall of the tree and the scattering of the monkeys might be considered a good ending; more likely, they will be devoured by enemies, the navy, or other ambitious individuals.
Kaido, you absolutely must not become the second Rocks!
He wants to become stronger, so strong that all his enemies dare not approach, so strong that the world government has to be wary of him, so strong that he can suppress all dissenting voices at home and abroad.
Kaido will continue on this path of dominance, until the very end, until even death cannot easily take him away, and he need not worry about that damned Black Reincarnation!
A sudden thought flashed through his mind without warning: if only Rocks hadn't chosen to turn back in God Valley, hadn't hesitated to go to that trap-filled homeland because of any attachments.
Instead, if he had ruthlessly abandoned all weaknesses, just as he usually taught his crew, and continued to accumulate power on the high seas to plunder everything, would the fate of the Rocks Pirates, Kaido, and even the entire world have been completely different?
This thought only lasted a moment before it was replaced by him holding the warmth in his arms tighter and pouring more alcohol down her throat.
There are no "what ifs" in the past, and Kaido never regrets what ifs. He only cares about the present, the future, and being the strongest!
"Let's watch the show and see how that old man Whitebeard responds to Rocks's filial piety," Kaido knew that Whitebeard was a sentimental person, and this would become a fatal weakness for him.
Although Whitebeard was recruited by Rocks, he never betrayed Rocks and even helped Rocks fight alongside him in an attempt to rescue the captain's wife and children.
Whitebeard did justice to the Rocks family, but unfortunately, good deeds don't always go unrewarded. Teach, that fat guy, is full of bad intentions, and any deal made with him will surely be torn up at any time.
Even Kaido wouldn't want to be associated with Blackbeard, a person with a negative reputation. If they were to meet one day, Kaido would definitely mention Captain Rocks and teach his good-for-nothing son a lesson.
