boyutpedia Chapter 356 The Man Who Sees Kaido as a Rival - Hanafuda
Chapter 356 The Man Who Sees Kaido as a Rival - Hanafuda
The sudden annihilation of the Sun Pirates has shocked the world's major seas.
The reason is simple.
The Sun Pirates are currently the most well-regarded pirate crew among all the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
As the main force in combating slave traders, many people in the general public no longer regard the Sun Pirates as pirates.
They viewed the Sun Pirates as a branch of the Navy's efforts to combat the slave trade.
Now, this branch with official World Government backing has suddenly been destroyed, not by other pirates, but by the Navy.
This seems very strange to many people.
Although the world government also gave its so-called reasons in the newspapers.
Basically, the Sun Pirates, having achieved great success, became arrogant and stopped pretending. They launched a rebellion and attacked the fleet transporting supplies to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
For this reason, Fisher Tiger, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, was stripped of his title, imprisoned, and the Sun Pirates were disbanded.
Seeing the misleading content in the newspapers, the leaders of all the major powers scoffed and none of them chose to believe it.
Even ordinary people noticed something fishy about it.
However, ordinary people don't have the courage to criticize the world government and can only keep their doubts to themselves.
The first half of the Grand Line.
An island of trees.
Hanafuda, also one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, tossed the newspaper aside and sneered.
"Those fish-men idiots, the Sun Pirates, why did they have to go and liberate slaves, and do it so openly, violating the World Government's taboo? They deserve it!"
After commenting on the Sun Pirates' folly, Hanafuda's face immediately darkened.
As a fellow member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he knew from the beginning that he and his companions were nothing more than free henchmen for the World Government.
Although they may receive some privileges and preferential treatment, once they touch upon the World Government's sensitive issues, being removed from the World Government's list and eliminated is just a matter of time.
Moreover, he is different now from the pure pirate he used to be.
Previously, he had no fixed abode; wherever his ship sailed, that became his base.
But now, he has a fixed territory, a fixed industry, and many of his subordinates have even settled down.
Under these circumstances, the World Government will no longer be able to target him as easily as before. It would take a lot of effort just to locate him, let alone mobilize enough military force to destroy him in a very short time.
"I need to be prepared for both possibilities!"
The hanafuda (flower cards) murmured softly.
For him now, the title of Shichibukai is definitely not something he can simply give up.
Similarly, Hanafuda doesn't want to become the next Sun Pirates, with the World Government holding their key to power and leaving them with no control over their own lives.
As he was pondering this, his 5-year-old daughter appeared before him with his 3-year-old son.
"Dad, is work over? Can we play together now?"
The little girl's innocent voice disrupted Hanafuda's thoughts, but it also indirectly solidified Hanafuda's fleeting idea.
"The Beasts Pirates! Beasts Academy!!"
Hanafuda is a member of the Oni clan, yes, the same Oni clan that Kaido belongs to. He and Kaido are actually of the same clan.
In a time when the vast majority of Oni have spontaneously joined the Beasts Pirates, he is one of the few Oni who has no connection with Kaido and has made a name for himself solely through his own abilities.
Back when Kaido held the World Martial Arts Tournament, he considered participating.
But in the end, he was limited by his pride.
Kaido may not have heard much about him, but he considers Kaido a rival, or rather, an object of admiration.
Therefore, he did not want to be inferior to Kaido; he wanted to rely on his own abilities to achieve a position on equal footing with Kaido.
Therefore, he did not attend the world-renowned World Martial Arts Tournament.
Of course, his absence does not necessarily mean that his strength is weaker than those of the other contestants.
At least he considered Kaido as a potential rival.
After the World Martial Arts Tournament ended, he immediately chose a pirate ranked 35th and defeated him in a one-on-one duel, thus proving his strength.
At that time, the World Government was selecting the Seven Warlords of the Sea from among the winners of the World Martial Arts Tournament.
The challenger for Hanafuda is actually one of the candidates.
Therefore, having defeated the opponent's Hanafuda in a direct confrontation, it naturally came into the World Government's view.
After several exchanges, Hanafuda became one of the first members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Back to the present.
The incident with the Sun Pirates caused a slight change in Hanafuda's mindset.
From a career perspective, he still wants to compete with Kaido.
From a family perspective, or rather, from the perspective of future security, he also acknowledges the fact that Kaido is now the guardian deity of the Oni tribe.
So, after playing with his daughter and son that day, he began arranging boats the next day to take them to Water Seven.
Speaking of which, Hanafuda and Kaido actually had a cooperative relationship.
It's just the same as above.
Kaido, being in such a high position, is very likely unaware of his partner's abilities.
The island of trees occupied by Hanafuda is the largest forest resource production area in the first half of the Grand Line.
Kaido's Water 7 is now the world's strongest shipbuilding mecca.
The cooperative relationship between the two parties is that Hanafuda provides Water Seven with timber for shipbuilding, while Water Seven reciprocates with wealth or rare items that are sold in limited quantities by the beasts.
For example, Smile fruit and other similar items.
Several days later, in the city of seven waters, the Hanafuda ships docked at the port.
After he disembarked, the officials of Water Seven were naturally there to greet him.
"Who is currently in charge of the Seven Waters City?" Hanafuda asked directly.
The official in charge of receiving them replied, "Lord Jin is currently in charge of the affairs of Water Seven."
"Ember?"
Hanafuda's mind conjured up a young figure with dark skin, white hair, and wings on his back.
As a descendant of the Lunaria clan, the fact that he wasn't besieged by the World Government's army, but instead managed to hold down a position in the first half of the Grand Line, proves Kaido's current strength in a way.
"Please make the arrangements. I have some important matters I'd like to discuss with Jin."
The letter cards are very polite.
Although he privately regarded Kaido as a rival, it is a fact that Kaido sheltered a large number of Oni tribesmen who joined his ranks.
For this reason alone, Kaido and the forces he created deserve his respect.
"Please wait a moment."
The officials in charge of receiving us were also very approachable.
Just as Hanafuda respects Kaido, Hanafuda, as a member of Kaido's clan and having become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea through her own abilities, is also deeply respected by many pirates under the Beasts Pirates.