Kaido's thunderous laughter rumbled through the skull dome as he announced:
"From today onward, a new position will be established in the Beasts Pirates!"
The room was filled with murmurs. Though the Three Calamities and the Tobi Roppo (Flying Six) were used to their captain's erratic decisions, the mention of restructuring ranks stirred unease.
Kaido was notorious for making abrupt decisions—just like how Whitebeard, his former rival, adopted sons like Ace and Thatch, or how Red-Haired Shanks was obsessed with "face" and respect.
But now, Kaido's declaration struck a nerve.
"This new role will stand above all others."
"Even above the All-Stars and the Tobi Roppo."
"This is the position of... True Lord of the Beasts!"
Gasps rippled across the crowd. Even Queen, known for his sarcasm, and Jack, infamous for his explosive temper, couldn't hide their shock.
"Wait—what about us, Kaido-san?" Queen stepped forward, trying to keep his tone casual but laced with unease.
"Yeah. Who the hell qualifies for a position above the All-Stars?" Jack snarled.
Only King, Kaido's most stoic and loyal subordinate, kept calm, arms crossed, silently observing.
Kaido's next words dropped like a bomb:
"The True Lord… will be Ragnar."
An unsettling silence followed.
Eyes turned sharply toward the young figure standing silently at the back.
Ragnar.
An unknown among seasoned pirates. Not yet tested in blood or war. Not yet feared.
Queen was the first to protest, laughing awkwardly. "Kaido-san, come on... This isn't one of your jokes, is it? We don't even know what this brat can do!"
Jack scowled, his fists clenched. "I've bled for this crew for years. He hasn't earned it!"
Even the Tobi Roppo—Fukurokuju, Sasaki, Who's-Who, Black Maria, Ulti, and Page One—shared glances. Their loyalty was to Kaido, not to some newly appointed 'True Lord.'
But Kaido was unfazed.
"In the Beasts Pirates, power determines position."
"Ragnar can appoint and dismiss anyone. Even me."
That sent a jolt through the chamber.
At last, King spoke.
"I serve only you, Kaido. I acknowledge your strength and your will. But I cannot acknowledge anyone else as my superior—not without proof." His voice was calm, but resolute.
Kaido stared at King for a long moment, then smirked.
"Exactly what I expected you to say."
One by one, the other high-ranking pirates echoed similar sentiments:
"Even Yamato can't make us submit," Ulti said with a huff.
"Ragnar's just a kid," muttered Who's-Who.
"He hasn't earned it," Sasaki added.
"He's not the strongest," Jack growled.
Among the Beasts Pirates, respect came from dominance—power, not bloodline. They didn't bow to heirs. They bowed to conquerors.
"Father to son?" Queen scoffed. "We're pirates, not royalty."
But Kaido only laughed.
"You want to challenge his worth?" he roared. "Fine. But don't expect me to help when he crushes you."
Then Kaido looked up—at the towering figure standing calmly atop his dragon form.
Ragnar.
Unfazed by the muttering below. Eyes calm. Chin lifted.
He stepped forward into the air—Geppō echoing lightly underfoot—walking as though the sky were solid stone.
"I don't like doubts," he said coldly.
"And I don't tolerate them."
Only after rising to a position above Kaido himself did Ragnar finally lower his gaze, his eyes sharper than blades, stabbing into the hearts of every pirate below like twin swords of dominance.
"But I'll give you all one chance to question me."
"Just for today."
"If anyone can force me to the ground—this title of 'True King' will be theirs!"
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd of warriors below. The expressions of the pirates changed rapidly—from suspicion and ridicule to bloodlust and madness. Yet through it all, Ragnar remained composed.
He who wears the crown must bear its weight.
This was the Beasts Pirates—Kaido's army. An army of monsters and maniacs bred in battle.
But after today, it would no longer be just Kaido's.
It would be his.
Ragnar's Beasts Pirates.
"Kaido sama…?" one of the Headliners finally asked, casting a hesitant glance toward the towering Governor, whose expression hadn't shifted since the speech began.
Kaido grinned, baring jagged teeth like a dragon about to descend.
"Whatever he says... counts as my words."
The tension in the air thickened. King, always composed and observant, felt his heart skip for the first time in years.
In all the years he had stood at Kaido's side, fought under him, bled for him, he had never seen that kind of gleam in his eyes—not even for Yamato.
This wasn't fatherly affection.
This was expectation. This was pride.
This was Kaido acknowledging a true successor.
The True King.
King's gaze narrowed. "So this is no longer a test. Kaido has already chosen…"
But introspection was short-lived.
"Then come!" Kaido's voice boomed across Onigashima like thunder crashing down from the heavens.
That was all the invitation the horde needed.
From the Numbers to the Flying Six to the seasoned combatants among the Gifters and Pleasures, the pirates surged with savage excitement. Weapons were drawn, Zoan users partially transformed into hybrid forms, and bloodlust filled the air.
They weren't fighting a prince. They were hunting prey.
"Noisy."
The cold word sliced through the chaos like an executioner's blade.
Ragnar didn't raise his hand. He didn't shout.
He simply opened his eyes.
And willed it.
BOOM!
A wave of Haoshoku Haki—Conqueror's Haki—exploded outward, compressing the atmosphere with a crushing force. It wasn't the wild, chaotic roar that Luffy had once unleashed. This was cold. Controlled. Regal.
The ground beneath Onigashima splintered with thunderous cracks. The very air seemed to shatter, threaded with black lightning streaks—like the skies Kaido split in battle with Big Mom.
Dozens screamed. Hundreds collapsed.
Within a heartbeat, thousands of Beasts Pirates dropped like felled timber. The elite of Onigashima—the very same pirates who had once faced off against the Nine Red Scabbards and the Supernovas—now crumpled under the unseen weight of Ragnar's will.
The air was filled with groans and the clatter of weapons falling from numb hands.
Of the 10,000-strong force gathered, more than 4,000 lay unconscious instantly.
Another 3,000 staggered, pale-faced and retching, their instincts screaming at them to flee.
2,000 remained barely standing, hands trembling, gasping for air like fish out of water. Fighters all, but now they were little more than spectators.
And among them, only a little over 300 stood unshaken—those with true spirit, true grit, or perhaps... the potential for Conqueror's Haki themselves.
They were the ones who raised their heads and looked upon Ragnar—not as an enemy, but as something else.
A king.
A conqueror.
A True Lord.
The same pirates who moments ago bristled with contempt and challenge now bowed inwardly under the weight of a power few had ever felt.
They saw what Kaido had already seen.