Chapter 58: The Key to Knowing the World

——The Grand Line, the "Great Pirate Era."

Around the time when Kozuki Sukiyaki died in Wano Country and Kurozumi Orochi began ruling as the acting shogun, pirates across the world’s seas continued to stir up chaos as always.

"You’re looking lively, Roger!!"

"Been a while, Newgate!!"

"HAND OVER EVERYTHING YOU’VE GOT!!"

Two of the four greatest pirate crews—the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates—clashed on an island in the Grand Line, engaging in a fierce battle that lasted three days and nights.

"GYAHAHAHA!! You’re as crazy as ever, Linlin!! So, what do ya say?! Why not join my crew along with those brats of yours?!"

"HA~HAHAHA MAMAMAMA…!! Shut your mouth, Shiki…!! I’m in a foul mood right now…!! That damn Roger just took something precious from me…!! If I don’t get some sweet compensation, I won’t be satisfied…!! So I’ll just take it out on your lifespan instead!!!"

In the New World, skirmishes between the Golden Lion Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates also erupted, sending shockwaves of tension across nations.

"Annoying bastard…!! You damn sand freak…!!"

"You’re pretty tough for a fusion freak… But I ain’t got time to waste on a lone wolf like you. I’ll kill you another day. KUHAHAHAHA…!!"

Around the same time, rumors spread that Douglas Bullet, the "Demon Heir" who had split from the Roger Pirates, fought a certain big-shot rookie pirate to a standstill.

Meanwhile, the Beasts Pirates, whose name now topped the list of the New World’s most ruthless crews, were quietly expanding their influence behind the scenes.

---

In Wano Country, the weapon factories were operating smoothly—proof that the Orochi regime was running without a hitch.

Orochi’s policy of constructing weapon factories in each region of Wano and forcing the men to work had initially faced fierce resistance from the samurai and daimyo. But in the end, they had no choice but to submit—not just because of the overwhelming force of our Beast Pirates, but also because Orochi’s side held legitimacy.

In Wano, the Shogun’s word is absolute. And the former Shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki, had publicly named Kurozumi Orochi as his acting successor in front of all the daimyo and samurai. True, it was only until his son, Oden, returned—but by that same logic, as long as Oden remained absent, Orochi was the Shogun. And in Wano, none dare defy the Shogun.

Even so, had we not been there—or had the daimyo not clung to the hope of Oden’s eventual return—they might have risen in rebellion. But that very hope is what made them endure. In fact, we learned through our skilled spies that the daimyo had secretly gathered and collectively agreed to bide their time. Heh. Having informants really makes this easy mode for us. For them? Hard mode. Almost feel bad. Makes me wanna laugh.

But honestly, their complete lack of resistance is boring. While we defended Orochi’s regime alongside his loyal samurai, we continued our usual pirate activities and black-market dealings to strengthen our forces.

"Wano’s weapons really are top-notch, huh? Great to use, even better to sell. Business is booming, right, Joker?"

"Indeed. They’re in high demand—warring nations, mercenaries, even terrorists. Even outdated models sell like this. It’s only a matter of time before the World Government takes notice."

"Hmph… As long as the money flows, I don’t care. Just don’t screw it up."

"Oh, I know. Money matters require precision."

"Good. Then we’re done here… Yeah, it’s about time."

Onigashima, Wano’s "Land of Demons," served as the Beast Pirates’ stronghold. Currently, we were constructing a fortress inside the island’s caverns, so we still camped elsewhere and held our usual raucous banquets out in the open. Tonight was no different—a massive feast with bonfires, endless food, and rivers of booze.

Amid the revelry, I casually brought up business with Joker (Stussy), who sipped her drink with her usual elegance. Meanwhile, King—our crew’s strongest swordsman—effortlessly carved a gargantuan hunk of meat with his blade.

"…King. Were you, by chance, the head chef here?"

"THE HELL?! YOU MOCKIN’ ME?! WHAT PART OF ME LOOKS LIKE A DAMN COOK?!"

"Heyyy, King! Hurry uuup! I’m hungry!"

"Sorry, Nue. Just wait a bit… —Anyway, Joker. You’ve got some nerve comparing me to a cook. Where the hell do you see it?!"

"…My mistake. I was wrong."

"Damn right. Now, time for the next round of torture—I mean, cooking."

"…………"

Ah. Stussy just made a face like she’s given up. She silently drank her wine. Eh, whatever. Stussy, at least use a glass. Chugging straight from the bottle kinda ruins your whole ‘elegant lady’ vibe. Or does it loop back around to being charming? Nah, probably just me.

Tonight’s banquet also celebrated two new additions to our forces—well, not new, but newly deployed. Among the three watching Queen’s performance up close, two were currently—

"FUNK IT UUUUP!! Tonight, we DANCE AND SING!!"

"Jukiki!"

"Jugii~!"

"GYAGHH?!"

"THE HELL?! QUIT FIGHTIN’ IN FRONT OF ME!! HEY, YOU’RE SPILLIN’ THE BOOZE, DUMBASSES!"

The Numbers, as usual, were a chaotic mess—drinking, eating, then suddenly brawling before laughing as they knocked over a barrel. Queen tried to scold them, but the Numbers were wild beasts at heart. Normally obedient, but give them alcohol and all bets are off. The new round one with sharp fangs and the lanky one seemed to be enjoying themselves. Eh, let ‘em have fun. It’s a party. Just don’t let it go too far.

"WORORORO… hic. Hey, where the hell’s Orochi?! Said he was comin’, but he ain’t here!!"

"Oh, right. He’s missing. Wonder why. Anyone know?"

"N-no, we haven’t heard anything…"

“No word from the Torii Gate either…”

Kaido, slightly irritated, grumbled about Orochi not showing up. That’s when I realized he hadn’t come either, so I asked my subordinates. But none of them seemed to know anything. We recently finished laying the foundation for a fortress at the massive torii gate out on the sea in front of Onigashima—meant for lookout duty. If anyone approached, we’d get a report from there. But apparently, there’s been no contact.

“Wahaha! Maybe that bastard Orochi overslept! Or he’s too busy fooling around with some courtesan!”

“I don’t care what he’s doing, but saying he’d come and not showing up… Is he looking down on us? —Nue, the steak’s ready.”

“Yaaay!! You’re the best, King!! Even with meat this huge, you grilled it perfectly!! Time to dig in~♡”

“Maybe something happened to him. Should we check with a Smart Toad?”

Chomp chomp “Mmm… that might be a good idea~”

“—Hey!! Someone go check it out!!!”

“Y-yes, sir!! Right away!!”

Kaido’s angry shout got everyone moving instantly. Even if it’s a party, being a low-ranking grunt really sucks at times like this. It reminds me of when I used to run errands too. —Anyway, back to this steak… it’s delicious. Honestly, I expected something that massive to taste rough or gamey, but no—there’s a wild richness to it. It’s hearty, with a great chew, but not rubbery. Barely any fat. I usually try new meats as steak first, and this one’s great—but I bet it’d be even better in a stew where the flavor could really soak in.

Still… why isn’t Orochi here? We’re on decent terms, but even he wouldn’t be dumb enough to skip out on an invite from us. That’d be like ignoring a party thrown by your biggest business partner. If it weren’t Orochi—and if Kaido were in a worse mood—he might’ve already been wiped off the map. Even King looks slightly annoyed, probably thinking about appearances. Me? I don’t care, as long as he offers something in return. …But really, what’s going on? Should I send a drone or something to check?

“—Oh! We got a message!!”

“Speak of the devil. Is he just late?”

“Oh! Oh! As punishment for being late, how about we make him play meat Russian roulette? I’ll grill all kinds of meats, disguise them so they look the same, and he’ll pick one at a time and eat it. Sounds fun!! Wanna test it out, Queen?”

“Why me?! And let’s be real—you wouldn’t even have a ‘bad’ option in that game!!”

“Shut up, Queen… I can’t hear your excuses over your whining.”

“Not my fault!! Are you blind or what?!”

Haha, Queen's reactions are always priceless—he’s too easy to tease. Anyway, Kaido takes the Smart Toad passed to him by a subordinate and answers it. Orochi’s voice comes through immediately, sounding flustered.

“—Yo, Orochi?”

“Sorry for the delay!! I’m almost there!!”

“Yeah? Something happen?”

“Someone might’ve broken into the castle… But turns out it was a false alarm. Sorry about the fuss.”

“…An intruder?”

That word makes me tilt my head. He says it was a misunderstanding, but something doesn’t sit right with me. I can’t shake the feeling that it wasn’t a mistake. Stussy must’ve felt the same—she rested her cheek on her hand and spoke up.

“Maybe it wasn’t a false alarm. Remember, Wano’s crawling with ninjas.”

“If that’s true, then one of the daimyo might be pulling strings from the shadows…”

“Is this a joke? If that’s true, they’ve got some guts. Aren’t they afraid of us?”

Following Stussy’s comment, King and then Queen each gave their own brief take. Yeah, if it was a daimyo, that’d be idiotic. If we found out, we could just use it as an excuse to wipe them out. I want to believe no daimyo would be that dumb. So maybe it really was a false alarm?

‘Also... this probably has nothing to do with the intruder thing, but I thought I should mention it anyway.’

“What’s going on? Don’t tell me there’s another mouthy samurai hanging around—just spit it out already. I’ll kill ’em right now.”

‘No, nothing like that... But it seems a pirate ship showed up in Kuri a few hours ago. And this pirate, he—huh? Wh-What did you say!?!’

“Huh!? What!? What about the pirate!? Say it already!!”

Orochi suddenly shouted mid-sentence, his Smail-projected face frozen in shock. Something definitely happened. …Wait, a pirate? No way—could it be—

‘W-Wait... new intel just came in. Apparently, that pirate, the one called “Roger,” has already left the country. And... Oden was on his ship...’

“Whaaa!? Roger!!? You mean that Roger was here in this country!?”

“Ehhhhhh!!? The Roger Pirates were here!? But wait—wasn’t Oden with Whitebeard’s crew!?”

Kaido erupted with fury, Queen yelled with his mouth agape, and I remembered—oh, that’s right. Roger and his crew do stop by Wano at one point. I didn’t forget, exactly... but seriously, what the hell were the lookouts doing!?

“—Hey!! What were the lookouts doing!!?”

“S-Sir!! It seems they... somehow missed them...”

“Y-You IDIOTS!!! What the hell were you doing!!!?”

“Eep!!”

Yeah... well. Can’t blame Kaido for being pissed. Whether it was Orochi’s men or ours, every region’s supposed to be assigned underlings who report to Orochi or us via Smail if anything unusual happens. It’s not impossible a daimyo could suddenly rebel, or that Oden could sneak back. And now they tell us they just missed it? Even if Roger’s crew came and left like ghosts on a stealth mission—it’s still not an excuse.

“Feh... useless trash... Hey. Bring me the fool who screwed up the lookout later. I’ll make sure they atone...”

“U-Understood.”

King issued the order in that calm, heavy voice of his. Poor guy, whoever it is. Getting punished by King is the worst. I mean, if you get hit by Kaido on the spot, it’s over in one shot. Not pleasant, but quick. But if you’re not here, and someone else gets to do the punishing? Well, then it’s King doing torture, Queen using you as a virus test subject, or Stussy draining your youth. Everyone in the Beasts Pirates knows how this goes. We’re fun most of the time—there’s structure, but we’re chill—still, even a chill crew has consequences. You mess up, you pay. Whether you survive or not mostly depends on Kaido and me.

As for me? No one really knows what I do. It changes depending on how I feel. Rumor has it I invite you to dinner. Weird, right? I mean, it’s not true—I wouldn’t do that with subordinates. I’d torture them at most. I’m pretty nice, actually.

Besides, if we had realized Roger came... things could’ve gotten bad for us. In a weird way, maybe it worked out for the best. Seems like Oden didn’t come back either, and Orochi sounded kind of relieved about that.

‘A-Anyway, both Oden and this Roger guy have already left the country. We’re looking into their motives now.’

“...That bastard Roger... sneaking into my territory... What the hell is he thinking...!?”

“He’s probably after the Poneglyphs, you know? The ones with the ancient writing.”

“HUH!? The Poneglyphs!? ...What-the-hell-is-THAT!?!”

“...Huh?”

“...What?”

Everything froze for a moment between me and Kaido. We both let out equally dumb-sounding noises in response. —Wait, what? Did I say something weird? Roger’s goal was the Poneglyphs. Kaido should know that... right?

“...Kaido. You do know what a Poneglyph is, right? You’ve seen one before. Remember that ancient stone? The one you tried to smash? It didn’t break.”

“That weird stone thing!? ...I vaguely remember someone calling it a ‘Poneglyph’ or whatever... but I don’t know what the hell that means!!”

"No way!! I told you!! That it had stuff written about ancient history, how to reach the final island, and those ancient weapons!! —Probably!!"

“Don’t give me that!! I don’t remember hearing any of that!! —Probably!!”

“That’s just because you were drunk and forgot!! I’m pretty sure it was during a drinking party, but I did say it!! So I just figured you already knew and were ignoring it… Wait, Orochi!! You did tell Kaido about the Poneglyph, right!? You said you’d pass it on after we found it in the castle’s basement!!”

"Ah, oh… right, now that you mention it… I di—no, sorry… I totally forgot."

“YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME, YOU IDIOT!!!”

"Eeeek!! S-sorry!! I thought you had already told him!!"

Kaido and I shouted in unison. Orochi trembled on the other end of the line, and even the nearby subordinates shrank back in fear. —But we weren’t done.

“Roger’s goal is to sail around the world!! That’s why he’s collecting those red stones — the Road Poneglyphs!!”

“NUUEEEE!! That’s the kinda thing you should’ve told me way earlier!!”

“I did tell you!! And you’re the one who said ‘who cares’!! Said you weren’t interested in history!!”

“Well yeah, I don’t care about history, but if I’d known I could’ve gotten in his way!!”

“Then it’s your fault for forgetting!!”

With that, I grabbed my trident and readied it. At the same moment, Kaido hefted his kanabo. If neither of us was going to admit fault, then this was the only way. I have to hit this idiot.

“Please, stop, Kaido-san!! Nue-san!! Y-you guys, do something!! They’re gonna tear the place apart again!!!”

“Don’t say something so crazy, Queen-sama!! Like we could stop them!?”

“Exactly!! We’d be turned into ground meat in an instant!! You’re the one who should stop them!!”

“Y-you morons!! You want me to get roasted like pork belly!? Even if I wanted to stop them… Wait, yeah! I just remembered—I was planning to inspect the Flower Capital today… Yep, so I’ll leave the rest to you guys!!”

“You’re clearly running away!!”

—There was some kind of squabble going on behind me, but right now I only had eyes for Kaido. We both slammed our weapons together, loaded with Haki.

“OOOOOHHHH!!!”

“GYAAAAHHHHHH!! THE SKY’S SPLITTING!!!?”

“THE BOSSES ARE FIGHTING!!! EVACUATE FROM ONIGASHIMA!!!”

“Forget Roger, this is way worse…!!”

“For now, let’s just grab the ships and carpenters and run before we get caught up in this…”

My trident and Kaido’s kanabo clashed right in front of us, sending out a massive shockwave. He’s as monstrously strong as ever, but I’m not going down that easy. I’ve got speed on my side too. It’s been a while since we had a full-on brawl like this, but this time… I’m definitely gonna beat Kaido to a pulp!!

---

—During a banquet on Onigashima, what began as a petty “you said, no you didn’t” argument over the Roger Pirates’ visit quickly spiraled into an all-out brawl between the Beasts Pirates’ Captain and Vice-Captain—Kaido and Nue. The clash grew so intense, it didn't just shake Onigashima—it sent the weather itself into chaos.

From places like Udon, close enough to see Onigashima from the beach, people pointed at the raging skies above the island in fear.

—There, high in the sky, were two colossal figures. A monster-on-monster showdown.

“W-What the hell is that…!?”

“T-They’re monsters…!!”

“Am I dreaming!? A dragon and a yokai going at it like that…!?”

Yes—this week-long brawl on Onigashima didn’t go unnoticed by Udon’s residents. At first, the surreal sight—lightning, firestorms, a swarm of flying saucers darting through the sky—was so absurd, most thought it had to be a dream or hallucination. But after hours—days—no one could deny the terrifying reality.

Rumors started circulating—likely overheard from fleeing underlings—that the two figures were Kaido and Nue, Captain and Vice-Captain of the Beasts Pirates. That knowledge only added to the terror.

“When’s this gonna end…?”

“Beats me… All we can do is pray we don’t get caught in it.”

“They trampled our fields…”

“Man, you’re really taking this hard… You okay…?”

Meanwhile, Kaido and Nue’s subordinates had evacuated all the way to Udon, watching and waiting as the battle raged. A few crew members had collapsed to their hands and knees in despair—but never mind that. Just as suddenly as it started, the fight ended.

The seas calmed. The endless rumbling stopped. The animals, fish, and birds that had fled in terror slowly began to return.

At King and Queen’s command, the Beasts Pirates started heading back to Onigashima. They knew the routine. After one of those fights, Kaido and Nue would demand an obscene amount of booze and food.

When they arrived, carrying offerings like tributes to angry gods, they found the two at the center of a shattered rocky plain—already drinking.

“—Worororo!! Alright, Nue!! Let’s smash the whole damn world!!”

“Ahahaha!! Of course, Kaido!! Let’s mess everything up!!”

“Whoa… they’re already drinking… Where the hell’d they get booze…? Meat, well, they probably just found it somewhere…”

Kaido and Nue sat among the rubble, banged up and bloodied but laughing and chugging sake like nothing happened. The crew was puzzled where they’d gotten supplies, but considering Nue’s power included flying UFOs, she could probably summon alcohol and food mid-fight. Better not to overthink it.

Even as King, Queen, Joker, and the other top brass approached, the two were still grinning and drinking. But when they noticed their subordinates, they raised their voices cheerfully:

“Hey, you lot!! Rejoice!! Worororororo!!”

“That’s right—celebrate!! Ahahaha!!”

“…What now?”

Queen muttered back with a half-dazed look. He was already tired of dealing with drunk idiots—especially when those drunk idiots were Kaido and Nue. But he braced himself and listened anyway.

The two downed more sake and shouted:

“We already have one of the keys to ruling the world!!”

“Just three more to go and the world is ours!! Or if we grab the other stones, maybe we’ll just destroy the whole thing!!”

“A key… to ruling the world…?”

“They were talking about the Poneglyphs, weren’t they…?”

“…It’s true. The Poneglyphs supposedly hold info on the Ancient Weapons—the ones the World Government’s so afraid of…”

The top officers furrowed their brows at the implications. Only Joker—aka Stussy—nodded knowingly. She’d heard whispers of those secrets before, and silently thanked her luck she hadn’t been dragged into that brawl. She’d also assumed Kaido already knew everything from Nue. If she'd been accused of withholding info… she'd be in hell by now. So she sighed in relief and kept listening.

The two were still riding their drunken high.

“Heh!! Maybe this stuff’s too much for us now—but we will get it one day!!”

“Damn right!! We’ll become the strongest pirate crew, get our hands on everything, and tear the world apart!! No need to rush!!”

“…I don’t get it… but hey, at least the fight’s over…”

"...Oi, Stussy. Start explaining."

"Sure. Though it'll only be what I know."

This time, Queen looked visibly relieved. Then King turned to Stussy, requesting an explanation. Yet, Stussy couldn’t help but think:

It might just be that the information these two somehow have is deeper than what she, as a government intelligence agent, ever learned. Considering their backgrounds, that was entirely possible. Wanting to confirm that, Stussy proceeded to share everything she knew—her knowledge and insights about the Poneglyphs—explaining it all to the Beast Pirates, including the top executives.

But while she did so, Kaido and Nue were drinking and making a ruckus.

"Hey, go get that Orochi guy too!! This is a damn celebration!!"

"Y-Yes! Right away...!"

"We gotta get the stone later too!! Once the mansion's done, we’ll stash it somewhere safe!!"

"Brilliant idea!! Tell Orochi that too!! Hand over the damn stone!!!"

"I-I'll let him know immediately...!!"

"Uorororororo!!!"

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

On Onigashima, the laughter of Kaido and Nue—two of the world’s most dangerous calamities—rang out loud. Today, even though it had practically been in their hands for some time, they finally secured the "Road Poneglyph," bringing them one step closer to building the strongest pirate crew in the world.

—And this happened just one year before Gol D. Roger would complete his journey around the world.