Spytand Malice couldn't remember the last time the castle had been so quiet. It should have been bustling with people, ringing with the sounds of merriment or violence.

But the only sound he could hear was his boots on the wooden floor, as he strode along the corridor. His, and King's beside him. He could feel the tension in the air.

They knew what was coming.

"Are you sure you're ready?" King asked, glancing down at him.

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be, Lord King," Malice replied. And that was true enough.

Doctor Bridge had insisted that he was healed, and that none of his crazed colleagues had been allowed anywhere near him. Besides, being a little stronger would make little difference. He would either end this as himself, or as a stain on the floor. No other outcomes were possible, not after what had happened.

"Very well then." King seemed content with his answer. "For what it's worth, that fight did you a lot of favors."

Malice wanted to believe that, even though he knew it couldn't erase the previous failure. Partly defeating one arrogant young pirate, even a strong one like Fire Fist, was not going to cut it. Not after letting Kaido's daughter escape, nor being defeated by another young upstart who managed to steal from Kaido himself.

"If I may ask, Lord King, what became of that boy?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I took him alive," replied the Lunarian sternly. "Then we showed him what Queen did with his remaining crew members. Once he stopped screaming, we packed him off to the Prison Mine. A nice, soul-cleansing regime of occupational therapy and solitary contemplation. With any luck, we'll hammer out whatever rebellious spirit still remains."

Under better circumstances, Malice might have smirked at his superior's wit. He might even have felt sorry for Ace; for he had a pretty shrewd idea of the horrors Queen could cook up when the mood took him.

Then again, the brat had the gall to attack Kaido on his own home territory. He reaped what he sowed.

Finally, they reached the end of the long corridor. The iron doors of Kaido's chambers loomed over them; the carved dragon glaring down at them, fangs gleaming, as if to warn them of what awaited.

So Kaido willed. So it would be.

"My advice, be upfront and speak no lies," King said. "Your fate is in his hands."

"Yes, Lord King."

All at once, the door swung open. Malice took a long breath, and strode over the threshold.

Ahead, filling the rear of the chamber, atop his stone-carved throne was the King of Beasts. Kaido sat in a slouch, one hand perched on the pommel of his club, one finger tapping against it. His other hand was a fist, his cheek rested upon it. Bloodshot eyes glared down at him.

To either side, set on small tables, were an array of Transponder snails, seven in all. Queen, Jack, and his fellow Flying Six. He knew their faces, and their smirks. They would not want to miss this.

Malice stopped when King did; staring up at the living nightmare that was his lord and master. A moment later, King strode up to the throne, taking his rightful place at Kaido's side.

"Spytand Malice…" Kaido's voice rumbled around the chamber. "You live."

"Yes, Master Kaido."

A snicker grated on his nerves. He could not stop himself glancing at the Transponder Snails, at the one that looked like Queen.

"Do you know why you are here?"

"Yes."

"Good. We can get on with this." Kaido straightened up. "Bao Huang!"

"Here, Lord Kaido!"

Bao Huang came scurrying out of the shadows. Malice glanced at her, and saw two rolled-up scrolls tucked under her arms. One of them still had a bandage on it.

"Oh hey, it's grouchy Spytand Malice!" the squirrel-girl proclaimed cheerfully. "Out of bed and a-okay!"

Malice felt his head begin to ache. A moment before his fate was decided and he had to endure this one as well?

"Lord Kaido and Lord King were really worried about you, y'know!" the girl went on. "They thought your heart might explode! Or one of those crazy docs would swap your brain with an octopus! Or…!"

"Bao Haung!" interjected King. "Just show him the posters!"

"Righty ho, Lord King!" Bao Huang took the posters from under her arms, and flapped them open. One showed an ordinary photo of Yamato, surrounded by Wano script. Malice could read just enough of it to see that it was a Wanted Poster.

The other one was a standard Wanted Poster, showing a sketch of a young man. It was a face he would not soon forget.

"That is all, Bao Haung," King stated. "You may go."

"Understood!" Bao Haung saluted, handed Malice the second poster, then skipped off. Malice stared down at it, unable to tear his eyes away. Yes, this was the boy he had fought, what seemed like only a few moments ago. He would not soon forget that face, and those eyes.

Except…this wasn't Deku; not exactly anyway.

"Well?" Kaido asked. "Is that the boy you fought?"

Malice paused for a moment, and then steeled himself.

"It is like him, Lord Kaido," he said. "But in life he was not quite so…villainous looking."

The tapping stopped.

"Explain," the dragon king demanded.

"He looked younger than this, Lord Kaido," Malice explained quickly. "His face was rounder, softer, like a young boy about Ulti and Page One's age."

There was a moment of silence.

"So you mean to say," Kaido growled, eyes narrowed, "That you were defeated, and kicked all the way to Udon, by a mere boy."

Malice's heart sank, already feeling his chances shrink.

"Y-yes, my lord."

"Oh dear oh lordy," drawled the snail that was Queen. "Beaten half to death by a pretty young boy. Why were you in the Six again?"

Kaido glanced at the snail, and it promptly fell silent.

"Tell me exactly what happened," he rumbled, turning back to Malice. "Everything."

The blonde-haired man sighed, and tried to order his thoughts, to remember.

"Yamato had been acting strangely," he said. "Carrying more food to her room than usual; and she hadn't challenged you in some time. I told Lord Queen about it, but he thought it of no consequence and…"

"You backstabbing two-bit ax-murdering rat!" shrieked Queen, knowing a large target was now on his back. "I saved your worthless life over at Udon! I didn't even…!"

"Queen."

All sound stopped at the low rumble.

Kaido's eyes glared down at the snail beside him.

"Is this true? Did Malice express these suspicions to you?"

The snail faltered, and Malice could not remember Queen ever looking quite so awkward, or so afraid.

"Well, you see, it's like this…" the snail babbled. "He might have mentioned something, but I was kinda busy with the Fire Festival. I thought he was just being a creep, like he had a crush on Yamato or something. Imagine that!"

He forced out a laugh. No one else laughed.

"So…" The word echoed around the room like a rumble of thunder as Kaido's face morphed into one of barely held fury. "You had knowledge that Yamato was acting strangely…and you did nothing."

The snail was visibly sweating, yet offered no word of defense.

"We will have a talk later, Queen, be prepared for it," growled Kaido. Queen audibly gulped, and Kaido waved a hand at Malice.

"Continue."

"I first saw Deku in the lower levels of this castle," Malice went on. "I was overseeing the stowing of your food and drink. I hadn't seen him before, but he was in uniform, and he had the look of a Wano native. I thought him one of Sasaki's new recruits. However, later, during the Fire Festival, I saw him on the floor in the crowd. He was acting strangely."

"In what way, strangely?" King asked, letting him go on before another outburst from the gallery.

"He didn't fit." Malice's brow furrowed as the memories returned. "When he saw the festivities, he looked horrified. More than that, he looked like he was going to strike you or run, and then you threw the SMILE at him. He was the last one, the tenth."

"The last one." Kaido closed his eyes, and drew a rumbling breath as he stroked his chin. He sat like that for what felt like forever, breathing slowing in and out. He reached for something at his side, only getting air, and he played it off as letting his fingers tap against the stone.

Then Malice realized. Normally Kaido would have taken at least one swig of sake by now. But the space where his gourd should have sat was empty. And now that he thought about it, his voice wasn't slurred either.

Had Kaido…stopped drinking?

"Yes, I remember," Kaido suddenly said, opening his eyes. "A boy with green hair."

"I thought him a spy, most likely a Kozuki loyalist," Malice continued. "I went after him, but I lost him in the crowd; so I went back to Yamato's quarters, thinking he might go back there."

"And did he?"

"Yes, Lord Kaido. He returned there, but…"

He trailed off. Kaido's bloodshot eyes were glaring, bright with an anger that hadn't been there before. Malice shuddered, as he felt the weight of Kaido's will. The snails were quivering, and at least one of them whimpered.

"He was in her room?" Kaido's voice made his bones shake as he bared his teeth, flashes of his Haki starting to pulse around him, the possible implications threatening to set him off.

"You're kidding…" Ulti's snail snarled.

"This kid has balls, sheesh," muttered Who's Who.

"Yes, Kaido," admitted King, stepping forth. "We found a spare tatami mat and futon, as well as many empty medicine bottles and used bandages; much more than she would normally use. More than likely the boy was injured, and Yamato was treating him. I doubt that they were lovers of any kind."

Malice nearly gawked. Lovers? Did Kaido believe that Deku and Yamato had been…lovers?

No wonder he was so angry.

"Continue." Kaido finally seemed to calm down some.

"Deku left her room via the open window, using what I thought was Geppou to jump down to the beach. I followed."

"From the window? That's hundreds of meters high" Sasaki commented. "He some kind of wall crawler?"

"It's not impossible, Black Maria can do so with her Devil Fruit after all," Page One offered.

Malice paused, wondering if he dared describe what he had seen. But Kaido already had ideas in his head. There was no point in holding back now.

"On the beach, Yamato was waiting for him. They met…like old friends, my lord."

Kaido breathed hard through his nose. Malice gritted his teeth, hating the memory of it. To see them meet like that, their eyes full of joy, and hope, and trust. Since when has anyone looked at him with eyes like that?

Since when had anyone ever called him a friend?

"I was able to trap Lady Yamato with a seastone bazooka, and I battled Deku. I thought he had the Smoke Smoke Logia Fruit, so I knocked him into the sea. But…I was wrong."

The snails all gasped, and Kaido cocked a bushy eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" pressed King.

"He burst out of the water to attack me, not even fazed by the water. He could generate smoke from his body, and black tendrils to grab and bind. He had great strength and speed, and he endured every blow I laid upon him, even with all my power."

"Such strength," mused Jack. "He must have mastered his Haki."

Malice gulped. He did not like to deny Jack, who had never treated him badly; but he dared not keep quiet either.

"Respectfully, Lord Jack, he has not," he said. "He didn't use Haki, not at any point in our battle. I doubt the boy even knows how to use it."

For a few moments, the chamber was utterly silent.

"BUHAHAHAHAHA! You mean you lost to that kid, and he didn't even have Haki!?" guffawed Queen. "How the hell did you-!?"

"QUEEN!" Kaido snapped, his eyes flashing red, the snail letting out a whimper. Malice staggered, as a wave of Conqueror's Haki erupted from Kaido's massive form. The sound echoed around the chamber, making his ears ache and ribs vibrate. He could hear the thunder rumble outside the Skull Dome.

"Master!" he pleaded, shaking hoping to atleast quell some of his anger. "Master, he is dangerous! Even without Haki he was able to defeat me! With it, he might threaten even you!"

Instantly, he wished he had not said it. Kaido's glaring eyes fixed on him, and it was all he could do not to throw himself on his face; like one of those wretched, whimpering peasants over in Wano.

"Threaten me… you say?" he hissed, and Malice went rigid, Kaido's eyes shifting to their more draconic appearance his fist clenching and his nails becoming sharp like claws. "You think that boy could threaten me!?"

"His powers are certainly strange," King cut in. "That he survived his swim proves he is not a Devil Fruit user. The sea cannot constrain him, and neither can seastone."

"Uh, something doesn't make sense here," Page One cut in. "Malice said he jumped right out of the water. Does Geppou even work underwater?"

"I've never known it to," replied Who's Who. "Though in theory if someone were physically strong enough, it might be doable."

Malice gulped, as all eyes fell back on him. It was time for his last revelation.

"Deku did not use Geppou, not in our battle," he said. "He didn't just jump out of the water. He flew out. Out of the water, and straight at me."

Silence.

"What…" Kaido uttered, eyes widening.

"That's not possible," Who's Who replied first. "Flight like that is only possible with Devil Fruits, and even that is almost exclusive to Zoans, which this kid clearly isn't!"

"We don't have up to date information on all of them," Sasaki cut in. "What about that Golden Lion guy? He could fly, right? With his Float Float power?"

"He died years ago," retorted Black Maria. "Besides, it wasn't a fruit, or weren't you listening?"

The arguing in the room however quickly fell slight as a heavy pressure started to fill the air.

"He…can…fly?" Kaido uttered, staring down at the floor, his club creaking as his grip tightened. The arguing snails fell silent, and all eyes turned to the Demon King.

They were afraid. And so was King. Malice had never seen him look afraid.

"Kaido…we searched Wano from end to end," the giant in black uttered. "We tore it apart, searching every hiding place we knew and some we didn't. Logged them in, searched them again. There was no sign of them anywhere. Which can only mean…"

Then Malice's blood ran cold, as he understood his lord's meaning.

"They're not here," uttered Kaido, with a strange, unsettling calm. "They left, across the sea."

Malice's stomach churned, as he remembered the heavy-looking backpacks.

"They… had backpacks…" he forced himself to say. "Heavy with supplies."

"Then…they could be anywhere," said Jack, realizing the gravity of the situation.

There was silence. Malice could hear the beat of his heart in his chest, as Kaido began to shake.

"Two weeks…"

Kaido's spirit erupted, slamming against Malice like a hurricane wind. The Demon King rose, his club brandished high, as the throne room was filled with blood red light. Malice fell to his knees as lightning erupted from the Demon King, his form… changing.

"TWO!" he roared, as his tail erupted, azure scales covering his body, his eyes glowing like twin red suns, his open mouth bright with the light of his power.

"WEEEEEEEEKS!"

Fire and fury erupted from his mouth, blasting through the steel door. King leapt at Malice, throwing him against the wall and shielding him with his wings. The fire blazed through the upper floor of the Castle, out to the empty corridors of the Skull Dome, through dozens of meters of stone, and out into the darkened sky; cutting through the lightning and the howling wind.

"TWO WEEKS!" Kaido yelled. "TWO WEEKS DESTROYING OUR OWN DOMAIN; MY KINGDOM! WHILE THOSE TWO RAN FREE! TWO WHOLE WEEEEEEEEEKS!"

He threw back his head, and the fire erupted once again; straight up through the roof. Droplets of molten metal fell like glittering rain, sizzling and smoking as they hit the floor; hissing as they passed through Kaido's aura, evaporating before they even touched him.

His form expanded, horns growing longer. The King of the Beasts stood in his Man Beast form, his tail slamming into his throne, smashing it to pieces. His roars echoed around the throne room's vaulted ceiling, and along the corridors, while the winds from his Haki tore through the building.

From behind King's wings, Malice could only gaze in horrified awe. Amid the wreckage, the snails stared up at Kaido; all of them terrified.

"Ah crap there's a stampede!" Page One bellowed from his snail.

"Hey! Get those away from the farms!" Who's Who yelled.

"Too many birds!" Black Maria complained.

"Crap, is that a Mountain Boar?" Sasaki all but screamed.

And finally, silence; save for Kaido's heavy breathing laced with flames. Kaido stood amid the wreckage, teeth bared, glaring at the molten ruin he had inflicted upon his own Castle, yet he cared little. King let go of Malice and stepped away, holding out his hands to draw in the flames.

Malice stared at his inhuman lord, at the Demon King of Onigashima. He had always known that Kaido had such power, that he was a force like nothing else in this world. He had willingly pledged himself to that power, sworn to serve its terrible will.

And he had failed it. He had affronted that power with his failure. He had failed, as he somehow always did. He had caused this.

"Master!" he cried, falling to his knees. "I have failed you! I let Yamato and Deku escape! I swore to be your weapon, and I failed utterly!"

Kaido paused, and then looked down at him, as if he had forgotten he was there.

"Yes, you have," he said plainly, his voice hoarse. "You lost my daughter. And allowed the rat who stole from me to escape WITH her." He hissed, fangs bared and his eyes glowing red.

Malice felt a spear of ice in his heart. He was going to die, and it was no more than he deserved. It was the least he could do, if it would only appease Kaido's rage, and ensure no one else died because of him.

"Kaido, he is loyal," King spoke up, stepping up beside him. "He fought off Fire Fist when no one else could. He saved the lives of our troops, stopped our slaves from escaping! We…"

"I am no fool, King!" Kaido barked, and the Lunarian fell silent. Malice lowered his head, waiting for the inevitable.

But it didn't come.

"Malice…" Kaido's voice was calm again, a hissing, echoing rumble; like an earthquake. "You are a ravening madman, who finds peace only in slaughter and destruction. I tolerate this because if I did not, I would not have many followers. In a way, you and I are alike."

Malice forced himself to look up into those narrow, gimlet eyes; eyes that were, even then, deciding his fate.

"But that is not sufficient. I do not need a mindless killer; I have a whole army of them now. I need an admiral, such as you once were. I need one who can command ships, lead troops into battle, and carry out my orders."

Kaido stared down.

"You have proven your loyalty, and your strength," he went on. "Your failure was to lose your fight against an enemy both cunning and strong; with powers that none of us understand. That is not weakness, nor is it betrayal. It is the triumph of the stronger, nothing more."

The blonde perked up, eyes wide. Was he being…forgiven?

"Nevertheless, you have failed," Kaido rumbled. "Because you failed, Yamato has escaped, and we don't have a clue where she is. This is a colossal failure, and I should destroy you for it." He hefted up his club.

Malice's heart sank.

"But you have value to me, alive." He rested Hassaikai against his shoulder instead. "You alone know what this Deku looks like. If you would redeem yourself then serve me as I wish you to. Show me that you can command my pirates, and do what I need you to do. Do you understand?"

Malice stared up at his master; the one who could destroy him with barely more than a thought. The one who would fulfill the last yearning of his ruined heart, and destroy this world.

"I will do it, Lord Kaido."

Kaido stared unwaveringly down at him; as if daring him to falter, or look away, or show any kind of weakness in that sacred moment.

"King."

"Sir."

"When the slaves and the Waiters awaken, they will tend to this mess." Kaido let out a groan, and covered his face with his hand, as his body returned to normal, wishing he could take a sip of some sake. "We will bring in craftsmen from the Flower Capital to repair the damage."

"It will be done."

Kaido looked around at the ruins of his throne room, as if marveling at his own fury.

"And I want a new throne. The stone was becoming worn… this new one… make it marble, I think."

"I'll have Bao Haung sort that out, when she awakens." King glanced down the corridor. Malice followed his line of sight, and saw that the door to his lounge had withstood the blast. The Lunarian's shoulder slumped in visible relief.

He cared for that strange girl. Malice was a little surprised. King was not pointlessly cruel, nor was he incapable of compassion. But her? A silly child like that?

Then again, he found benevolence for a wretch like himself. And for all her faults, Bao Huang was loyal; and considerate, in her own way.

"This meeting is adjourned," Kaido said, turning back to the snails, somehow still unfazed. "Flying Six, return with your crews to Onigashima, rest and replenish, and remain here until ordered. I want all forces ready to move at a moment's notice. Jack, continue with your operation as planned. Queen…"

His voice went low, and the Demon King's left hand froze.

"I will be coming by, in person," Kaido hissed. "For a talk." He tapped his club on the ground, and Malice felt the floor shake underneath him. "You will stay in the Prison Mine. If you leave…" He bared his teeth, making his meaning clear.

"Yes…sir. " Queen's chins quivered. He looked like he was walking to the gallows. A chorus of affirmatives rang out from the Six and Jack, and the snails disconnected. Kaido let out a frustrated growl.

"Now, Malice, you will accompany me and King to the Flower Capital," he said. "You will help Orochi's artists produce a more accurate poster for Deku."

"And what then?" asked King, falling beside Kaido as he strode out into the corridor. Malice fell into place behind them, almost running to keep pace.

"When we have the most accurate poster, we will issue a bounty via Joker, and his connections with the papers."

"The price on his head?"

"350 million berries."

"Master, what of Yamato?" Malice asked. "Will she…?" He trailed off, as Kaido shot him a glare.

"My daughter will not be getting a poster. Do you recall the great hunt the Government carried out many years ago?"

Malice thought hard, forcing himself to remember the old days, back when he was still a Marine.

"There were rumors of a hunt," he replied cautiously, "But I received no official orders regarding one."

"There would have been no orders," Kaido growled as he faced away, marching down the scorched hallway. "This was a secret matter carried out by Cipher Pol, as Who's Who informed me. They were hunting for women, specifically women who may have had a connection to Gol D. Roger. Some of them were pregnant."

Malice understood immediately. Such a matter would have been well above his pay grade, even as a Vice Admiral.

"I will not let the Government learn of my daughter's existence, lest she be met with a similar fate or be used as leverage over me," Kaido went on. "Besides, wherever Deku is, she will not be far away." He bored a particularly dark smirk. "Kozuki Oden never abandoned those he cared for, and my foolish child will follow his example to her dying breath. If he is in trouble, she will come to his aid."

"Set us loose, Lord Kaido," pleaded Malice, his heart pounding with an excitement he had not felt for many years. "My Red Reavers will lead the hunt. We will scour the waves until Deku is found." He bared his fangs as his spirit rose. "I will hunt those two down to the ends of the Earth!"

"I expect no less," Kaido uttered. "And next time…" He paused at a cross-corridor, and glared down at Malice; yellow eyes boring into red. "When you find Deku, report it immediately. King and I will come, and he will not escape a second time."

"Yes sir."

They reached an open terrace. King put a hand on Malice's shoulder, and led him off to the side; leaving the wide terrace to Kaido. Down below, he could hear the Headliners shouting orders, trying to rouse their subordinates.

Kaido's body changed; his skin turning to those blue scales, his body growing ever longer and longer, his face sprouting a long muzzle. He could not tear his eyes away, even as half-forgotten instincts screamed at him to run and hide; to get away from this monster among monsters.

Kaido roared, as his blue dragon form soared away into the sky.

Behind him, King leapt off the balcony, his own body changing as he spread his wings. The black pteranodon came around in an arc, and hovered above him, grasping his shoulders in his claws.

"Hold tight!" King called down, and he flew away after Kaido.

(X)

One week later. Off the coast of Doyle

"I must say, it's good to see you alive, Hawkins."

Lightly Hawkins smiled politely at the compliment.

"It's good to be alive."

And it was. Having been stranded in Doyle for so many weeks, it was good to be sitting on a luxury liner, with a sunny sky above and a gentle sea below with an Old Fashioned in hand as she lounged about. "Not that I dislike Doyle, but the place wasn't at its best."

"I don't doubt it." The Transponder Snail sitting on the table shot her a familiar smile; a smile she knew better than to entirely trust. "All the same, the FInalem Pirates defeated, and the kingdom saved! Now that's what I call Big News!"

Hawkins' smile became a smirk. She had worked for Big News Morgans for many years, and had a fair idea of how he thought, and what he wanted.

"Big News indeed," she said. "And I have the whole package; story, photos, all of it. Could even make for a Magazine edition to sell. Life under siege and blockade, a Kingdom on the brink. People will gobble that up."

"I never doubted you Hawkins." The snail's eyes twinkled. "Where's your next stopover?"

"Bree Port, in Tolkien. I can send you my editorial from Silmavil."

"Ah..." Morgans' smile faltered. "I sent someone to check on your snail fax when you didn't reply for two weeks running. I'm afraid it starved to death."

"Damn it!" complained Hawkins, her good humor gone in an instant. "I paid good money to have it looked after!"

"These things happen dear," soothed Morgans. "I'll send you a new one, free of charge. And I'll have my airship swing by to pick up your editorial. I want to hear everything you can tell me about these Shirou and Yoichi characters."

Hawkins sat back in her very large and luxurious chair, and took a long sip of her excellent drink.

"I'm afraid there's not much to tell," she replied. "Those two weren't talking and made themselves scarce mostly, and King Bach was in a protective mood. Certain concessions were necessary."

"Concessions…" She could tell Morgans was disappointed, but not by how much. "I trust you got something in return?"

"Oh yes." She shot him a smile. "Reichen Bach. Private interview, editorials, and commentary. I'll be making return trips to Doyle to talk with the Good King in person. I even got one before AND after his upcoming Reverie Trip."

"Ooohhh, you had me worried there, Hawkins," chortled the snail. "But you made the right call. A good source can make or break a career; and there aren't many sources better than royalty."

"Thank you, Morgans."

"Don't mention it, miser I may be, I still am a journalist. Give me a call as soon as Tolkien is in sight. I'll have my pilots steer towards there. Also, keep your ear to the wind for anything about these two heroes. If I'm right, it's only a matter of time before they pop up again, and it'll be one hell of a story." The Snail smirked. "I can feel it."

"I will." The snail winked, and disconnected. Hawkins allowed herself to relax, and took another sip of coffee. In the news media, there was no one bigger than Big News Morgan. But he was a hard man to understand; if, indeed, he still counted as a man. His snail-face really did not do him justice.

A familiar coo rang out, followed by the sound of wings. Hawkins looked up, and saw a News Coo poke its head in through the open porthole; a rolled-up newspaper in its beak. Hawkins took it, and settled back in her seat, opening it at the bounty page.

(X)

Isla Rubikan

"Garghgghagh!"

Scotch doubled over, hacking up his gasoline and tonic. Quarz looked over with a quirked eye as he cleaned some glasses.

"What's up with you?" asked Fuego, looking over his shoulder at the paper he had been reading.

Then he saw it. Right there, on the bounty page.

WANTED ALIVE: DEKU

BOUNTY: 350,000,000 BERRIES

Fuego stared at the picture between the lines. It was a young man, not much more than a boy, wearing a suitably stern expression. The eyes were harder than Fuego remembered, and the hair a little spikier. But there was no mistaking it.

And the freckles on his cheeks.

"Unbelievable," he gaped. "Isn't that…that kid?"

"Look…!" spluttered Scotch, jabbing a finger at the bottom of the article. Fuego read the explanatory note…and read it again.

"Aggression against Beast Pirate officers?" What did that even mean? Was that seriously supposed to be worth a three-hundred-million bounty?

And even if it was, why did Lord Kaido want him alive?

"Are we…" Fuego mused. "Gonna tell-"

"Didn't see'em." Scotch uttered, chugging his tankard, his right arm shaking.

"But we-"

"Lord Kaido wants him alive." Scotch hissed. "That means he wants this kid personally. We had a chance to grab him, and we didn't."

Fuego clacked his jaw shut. If they had found him and didn't bring him in…

"Did we see him?" Scotch reiterated.

"No mi amigo." The wolf mink uttered as he gnashed on his sausage plate. "We did not…" and the two sat within the Black Rock. "He left with some… no name right? The Brown-"

"Who?" Scotch glared, cutting him off, and Fuego said nothing of it; Looking ahead with a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Quien de hecho…"

(X)

"Hmmm?" Oven mused as he looked over the paper. "Never seen this face before. Wonder what this babyface did to cross Kaido's officers?"

Galette sat within their Frosted Ship, looking at her own paper and that boy. No mistaking it. He looked like the same soft faced kid she locked eyes with a week ago, and having the sheer utter gal in talking with Beast Pirate officers like nothing happened.

The red haired woman smirked as she looked at the Paper.

"Cute..." She murmured to herself, sipping some coffee. Oven perked up.

"Say something Sis?"

"Nothing." She replied, glaring at her older and taller brother. "Let's see what those Video Snails are like. Hopefully they have strong signals." She got up, and walked out of the cabin.

Deku, huh. Mama wouldn't mind someone who could cross Kaido and get away with it. Maybe he's still around town with that bald shrimp.

Should be easy to pluck.

'I'll find you yet… little brave Deku~' Galette thought as she looked at the poster and smirked, licking her lips a little.

So yeah, we finally get to it. The long awaited Malice interrogation. Big thanks to Juubi for getting the first draft done in a day. I had to work around some things and add on. But I feel we got a good product in.

But yeah, Kaido in blind rage would have incinerated Malice on the spot had it not been for King's save there. And after a post-rage clarity, he knows he needs Malice alive to hunt Deku properly given what he looks like outside of sketch form.

The chapter was also goin to be a bit more grimmer too. Kaido would have gotten the news while flying in dragon form over Ebisu Town from King and in a moment of pure mind-bending blind anger, would have gone Shin Godzilla on Ebisu Town and leave a massive fiery burnscar on Wano, going out to sea, through the upper-sea in making it boil(and kill sealife there) and then out throug hthe wall of Wano into the Sea of Spires below. The Marine outpusts would have bore witness, and Micah would have seen his friend, who was outside, get scalded alive. So Otoko and Yasuie would have gotten the Hiroshima treatment, but things change during planning and that with Malice in the infirmary he would have presented this information to Kaido himself, not get second hand information from King. King could have conducted a more civil interrogation, but no way is Kaido missing out on this.

And we get a little snippet of Deku's bounty poster now being spread throughout the world, first outside Doyle courtesy of Hawkins, Scotch shitting himself, and Galette wanting to get a cute boy of her own. Creepy I know but she's emulating Big Mom, her own mother so... yeah :V

Anyways, gonna make the outline for Juubi next. Next stop will be back to our duo, and we will soon reach the conclusion of the Hunt for Whitebeard Saga.

Hope you all enjoyed. See you all next time.