Chapter 206: Chapter 206: Kaido’s Feast and Plunder
Iron Shield Earl’s Mansion
Viscount Nass stood before a massive transparent aquarium, gazing at the trembling mermaid inside. He tossed a few small fish into the tank to feed her, but she cowered in the corner, too terrified to eat.
Frustrated, Nass snatched a mermaid care manual from one of his lackeys. Apparently, mermaids didn’t eat fish or meat at all—just shellfish like clams, plus seabed fruits, kelp dishes, and, oddly enough, cakes and sweets.
Shrugging, Nass grabbed a plate of pastries from his desk and chucked them into the tank. The sweets floated on the surface, clouding the pristine water. Nass groaned. This was nothing like the playful, enchanting mermaid he’d imagined!
"Master Nass! Emergency!" The butler burst in, panting and pale. "The Earl called—he says you’ve got to send that mermaid to the battlefield now, or he’ll kill you the moment he’s back!"
Nass’s jaw dropped. "What?! Father would never kill me! I’m his only son!"
He grabbed the Den Den Mushi from the butler and dialed back, but before he could get a word in, Earl Iron Shield’s voice roared through the line.
"You idiot! Get that mermaid here now, or I’ll gut you myself! You’ve brought a monster down on us with your stunt. A son like you? Worthless! Move your ass!"
Nass, who’d been ready to argue, froze as his father’s fury hit like a tidal wave. His face drained of color, panic setting in.
"Father, what’s going on? I’m sorry, I’ll fix it, I swear! Don’t be mad..." His voice quivered. Without his father’s protection, he was nothing—a target for every enemy he’d made over the years, from families of women he’d wronged to countless others.
"One hour, Nass. If that mermaid isn’t here, you’re dead!"
The Earl slammed the Den Den Mushi down, cutting the call.
Nass nearly collapsed, legs shaking.
"Hurry!" he screamed at the butler. "Get a big barrel, fill it with water, and stuff the mermaid in it!"
He rallied every thug and guard in the mansion, loading the barrel onto a carriage. The convoy tore through the streets toward the city walls, crashing through stalls and scattering pedestrians. Nass didn’t care who got hurt—he had to appease his father’s wrath.
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Atop the City Walls
Earl Iron Shield, still fuming from his outburst, stared nervously at the Golden Island looming in the sky. He muttered under his breath, praying the notorious pirates wouldn’t strike before he could make amends.
Meanwhile, Brook and the Hell Pirates paid no mind to the Earl’s anxiety. Their attention was fixed on the rampaging Oni kid, Kaido, tearing through the battlefield below.
Kaido’s unmatched strength sent his spiked club whistling through the air, keeping Iron Shield City’s elite fighters at bay. His Oni heritage gave him a near-indestructible body, shrugging off bullets and cannon fire. Combined with his raw power, he could fight at full throttle for hours.
Surrounded by enemies, Kaido wasn’t scared—he was thrilled. The scent of blood fueled him, driving him to crush his foes and grow stronger. Defeating them meant claiming their treasures, and Kaido was determined to haul it all back!
Even in the pirate crew’s camp, food was barely enough to keep him going. It couldn’t fuel his growth or the energy he burned getting stronger. He needed to plunder more money and food to sustain himself.
"Raaagh! Die!"
With unstoppable force, Kaido swung his club, smashing an enemy swordsman. The blade shattered, fragments embedding in the man’s chest. He crashed into a building, slumping to the ground, barely clinging to life.
Iron Shield’s soldiers recoiled at the sight of the horned warrior’s ferocity. A martial artist wearing elbow guards, equal in skill to the fallen swordsman, swallowed hard. If that swordsman got obliterated, what chance did he have? This monster was unreal.
Worse, the shallow cuts the swordsman had landed on Kaido were already gone, healed without a trace. How could they fight something like that? Where was Earl Iron Shield? Why wasn’t he dealing with this beast?
The city’s strongest was the Earl himself, yet he stood by as this horned warrior slaughtered his troops. Without the swordsman to pin Kaido down, the martial artist held back, terrified of being clubbed to death.
Unrestrained, Kaido stormed into the city, looting as he went. He devoured food from market stalls and stuffed his pockets with Belly and trinkets, grinning like a kid in a candy store.
"Gurarara!" Whitebeard Newgate chuckled, watching Kaido’s rampage. "That kid’s just like me when I was young—scared of going hungry, scraping to survive."
The crew fell silent, reflecting on their own pasts. Shakky, who’d grown up hustling in Sabaody Archipelago, had dodged starvation but knew hardship. Fisher Tiger, raised in Fishman Street, was no stranger to scrapping for scraps.
Redfield, born a noble, and Shiki, from a powerful family, never faced hunger. Charlotte Linlin had the Carmelite nuns and Streusen to keep her fed. The others had it relatively easy, spared the gnawing pain of an empty stomach.
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Earl Iron Shield seethed as the horned brat ran wild in his city. If not for the Golden Island looming overhead, he’d have crushed Kaido himself by now.
"Get the iron nets and tranquilizers! Take him down!" he barked at his adjutant.
This lone wolf, charging in without backup, was a sitting duck. A bit of cunning, and they’d have him caged.
Kaido, oblivious to the trap, continued his plunder. His pockets bulged with loot, his belly full from raided food stalls. Satisfied, he turned back toward the pirate camp, ready to return in triumph.
This raid was a jackpot—he’d taken down a skilled swordsman, eaten his fill, and grabbed enough wealth to feast for weeks!
"Going somewhere? Not so fast!"
The city’s adjutant led a fresh squad into the fray. A massive iron net dropped over Kaido, followed by a barrage of tranquilizer darts and smoke canisters, all aimed to bring the Oni down!
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