_________ POV Narration _________
"I want to make an alliance!"
Kaido's voice reverberated throughout the meeting room as the other two Yonko pondered on his words for a bit.
Shanks was mostly just pretending to ponder the situation a bit more. He was already Enel's ally, he had already resolved to follow Enel's steps in the war.
Joyboy's rise was not going to be affected by that either. Shanks was content with whatever happened as long as Luffy got to reach Laugh Tale and become the Pirate King.
Hell, all of Roger's living crew had been preparing and training Luffy to take up that mantle. It was set in stone from the moment Luffy had eaten the Sun God Devil Fruit that was meant for Roger's son...
Now, Shanks was no longer in control of the situation in the New World because of Enel... But Enel himself seemed to not wish to hamper Joyboy's rise, hell, he was Luffy's friend if anything.
Shanks had yet to breach that subject to him though, but just being Luffy's friend meant that he wouldn't get in the way.
As the Red-Haired Emperor was pondering those things, Big Mom had already made her decision.
"You know what?... For old time's sake, I'll be joining you." Big Mom smiled widely as she crossed her arms.
Kaido immediately smiled when hearing that.
Normally, forming an alliance with ONE Yonko would've been enough for him to become the Pirate King and even start the War that he had dreamed of...
But now it simply wasn't enough. Not enough to stand a chance of winning, not even close to it...
Even so, having Big Mom on his side of the table at least gave him some hope. Hope that he wouldn't die a senseless death.
He wanted a good death, a fair death, the upcoming war was going to be a one-sided massacre from what he could see, but now they could at least hope to put up a fight...
"Good... Good!" Kaido's voice boomed once more, the walls around them shook from his excitement.
Big Mom just scoffed and started picking at one of her ears.
"Stop being so loud dumbass..." She muttered before scowling and taking another sip of her drink.
Kaido coughed a bit in his fist and turned to Shanks. Big Mom's gaze also turned towards the Red Haired Emperor.
It was clear, they were both waiting on an answer.
And from the tense atmosphere, Shanks could somewhat guess what would happen if his response was a negative one...
But he had expected such a thing from the moment he decided to attend the Yonko meeting.
The Red-Haired Emperor knew that he needed to make a decision at that moment... Either fight Big Mom and Kaido at that moment... Or join the... At least on the surface.
'Enel will certainly be interested in this development...'
Shanks smiled as he decided to give the other two people present in the room his answer.
"Although I don't usually involve myself in such matters... I will still agree. The situation in the world spiralled far out of my comfort zone after all..."
Kaido and Big Mom both smiled when hearing his response.
"WoRoRoRORORO!" "Ma Ma Ma MA MA MA"
The two Emperors started laughing loudly, Kaido first, with Big Mom following in his footsteps as if she was getting carried away by the atmosphere.
"Heh..." Shanks also smiled a bit, slightly amused by the situation as he wondered how the World Government would react to such an alliance happening...
Though from what he understood, it was likely just water under the bridge at that point.
To Shanks, it was going to be more entertaining for him to hear Enel's reaction. If only he could deliver the news in person... Enel's face was always expressive.
The Three Emperors then got to drinking, Shanks included.
Even if he didn't truly join them, he still needed to act the part... It certainly wasn't that he had a drinking problem.
"Fuhihihi!" Kaido's cheeks flushed as his expression became slightly comical. The Sake was finally getting to him, as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Nver thought I'd see the day... I'd wok with you REd Hair!" His speech was slightly slurred, but Shanks could still understand him.
"Yesh~ We didn't get along that well, ain't that right?!" Shanks spoke out as he gave Kaido a goofy smile.
Kiado laughed a bit more as he looked at the Red-Haired Emperor.
"S'all in the past! Fuhihihi!" Kaido laughed a bit more, and the party continued.
He was willing to forget past conflicts, to disregard all grievances... Shanks found it truly odd...
'... Is an alliance really that important to Kaido? What the hell is it that's driving him...'
Shanks was going to have a fun time finding that out... And he planned to. After all, he wanted his reports of the situation to be as detailed as possible.
The 3 Emperors continued celebrating for a few hours before Shanks and Big Mom had to return to their respective crews... To give them all the good news.
As soon as they left, the red in Kaido's aged face vanished. Instead, his eyes narrowed and a sneer rose on his face.
'Will this be enough for the war...'
Three Emperors banding together, a force that had the potential to shake the world's foundations... But was it enough?
Only time could tell.
And time was telling Kaido a lot of things...
Thanks to time, Kaido knew that Enel didn't have the same plan as him. He didn't want to start a war in order to face off against the powers that ruled the world... He wanted to fully crush them.
To him, the war that the Sky King planned to start was nothing more than a tyrant overthrowing another. There was no such thing as freedom in any of the futures he could foresee.
Even with Enel's presence in the world, nothing had changed. Maybe the climate had changed a bit, and the balance in itself was becoming skewed... But one thing remained the same.
The weak still suffered, even more now. And the powerful still ruled with an iron fist.
The weak didn't have a voice, no matter how much they struggled and protested, they were still going to get crushed.
And it was only a matter of time before the current tyrant was replaced... Kaido had to be ready.
'... Maybe I could be the one to bring change in the end?... No, this sake's just playing with my head... The world won't ever change...'
Kaido slowly got up and walked over to the balcony, looking outside with a depressed gaze.
The sky above Onigashima trembled with thunder... There was no hope, there was no light...
In the distance, he could feel it. The people he had enslaved, the ones that acted as the cogs in the war machine he had been building for decades.
Suffering, pain, anger, anguish... FEAR. There was no hope... There was no joy...
'Wait for Joyboy, he says...' Kaido scowled as he remembered Enel's words.
The Dragon Emperor then huffed, before grasping the stone railing in front of him and cracking it with ease.
'What a joke... There's no such thing in this world...'
Kaido then turned around and walked back into his room... It was going to be yet another lonely night within the halls of Onigashima.
But not everyone in the world had the time to wallow in self-pity...
The Beast Pirates were now back to work, and the crews of Big Mom and Shanks both had to deal with the shock and surprise that came from the sudden alliance...
No one in Shanks's crew expected him to return as a member of the 'Three Rulers Alliance' As Kaido had started to call it in a drunken stupor... The name was going to stick.
Thankfully, Shanks managed to explain the situation before Beckman shot him for allying himself with such unsavoury characters...
The world was going to tremble at the news of such an alliance happening... Even if the Government did nothing to stop it, they were still bound to grow to regret it... Weren't they?
Regardless, Shanks's crew now had a lot fewer things to worry about, since they weren't in any danger of starting a war with Two Different Yonko.
The Big Mom Pirates were just as confused when hearing the decision of their mother...
Perospero almost couldn't believe his ears... But he didn't dare to raise any concerns when seeing the solemn expression on his mother's face.
Big Mom clearly needed some time to herself, so she went and sat down in her quarters on their ship...
"..." The very thought of the remainders of the Rocks Pirates banding together was making her feel a bit anxious.
Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, since just about everyone hated Xebec... But the one person that didn't hate Xebec was there, still alive, and apparently in his prime.
'Francisco... If only you weren't so stubborn...'
Linlin sighed as she remembered the events of God Valley... A true and fine mess... There was nothing redeemable about that day...
Xebec had died, sure... But with him he had taken many lives, many of the Rocks Pirates had betrayed him that day, and he had killed most of them.
Only the few that survived went on to become legends.
Francisco was someone that Linlin didn't think would hear the name of ever again. She didn't WANT to hear it...
He was, by all accounts, a caring crewmember. Not ambitious, but zealous in helping his captain follow his ambitions... It was almost as if his strength grew as the ambitions of his captain did.
Big Mom had been one of the people to deliver the 'finishing blow'.
Whitebeard and Reyligh were enough to hold Francisco occupied properly, when she was added into the mix, things took a turn for the worst.
Even as the strongest swordsman of his generation, he still failed.
Now, it seemed that he was back from the dead, and Big Mom couldn't help but feel that the situation wasn't looking all that great for her...
'Is Francisco going to try and manipulate Enel into fighting and killing us? Does he want revenge? And would Enel even disregard our business relations and attack me?!'
There were too many questions for her liking. Too many uncertainties.
She would've taken more time to decide upon joining such an alliance with Kaido, who was not exactly a predictable man.
But under the current circumstances, her very fate was unpredictable. She needed to take precautions, and siding with Kadio was one of them.
One of her sons was still with Enel anyway... But they were personal friends, so the Sky King was unlikely to harm him.
Still, Big Mom couldn't help but scowl at how unhelpful Oven had been as a spy.
He had rarely given Big Mom any information on Enel's forces. She only knew of the marines, revolutionaries and Shiki... Francisco was someone that Oven hadn't mentioned ONCE.
And he was one of Enel's main combatants...
There was also the devil fruit user that could manipulate the age/time of others...
'... Oven better not have betrayed me... Even if he's my son, I won't take kindly to that...'
Linlin's frown deepened as she thought of the prospect of her own blood betraying her... But it was far too soon to assume that.
One thing was for sure... The next conversation was not going to be a pleasant one for Oven...
Just like Enel's next conversation was not going to be pleasant at all!
Hina finally managed to make some time in her schedule to visit... She even talked to Garp to be the one to deliver Enel's food.
She spent some time preparing it as well, to make it as bland and tasteless as possible.
Enel's one and only lunch break came quickly... And it was finally time for him to face the music.
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
Alliance is happening in the end ;) Big Mom and the MC never had a full alliance of their own, they were just business partners.
Anyhow, haf a good dey
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
_________ POV Narration _________
"I want to make an alliance!"
Kaido's voice reverberated throughout the meeting room as the other two Yonko pondered on his words for a bit.
Shanks was mostly just pretending to ponder the situation a bit more. He was already Enel's ally, he had already resolved to follow Enel's steps in the war.
Joyboy's rise was not going to be affected by that either. Shanks was content with whatever happened as long as Luffy got to reach Laugh Tale and become the Pirate King.
Hell, all of Roger's living crew had been preparing and training Luffy to take up that mantle. It was set in stone from the moment Luffy had eaten the Sun God Devil Fruit that was meant for Roger's son...
Now, Shanks was no longer in control of the situation in the New World because of Enel... But Enel himself seemed to not wish to hamper Joyboy's rise, hell, he was Luffy's friend if anything.
Shanks had yet to breach that subject to him though, but just being Luffy's friend meant that he wouldn't get in the way.
As the Red-Haired Emperor was pondering those things, Big Mom had already made her decision.
"You know what?... For old time's sake, I'll be joining you." Big Mom smiled widely as she crossed her arms.
Kaido immediately smiled when hearing that.
Normally, forming an alliance with ONE Yonko would've been enough for him to become the Pirate King and even start the War that he had dreamed of...
But now it simply wasn't enough. Not enough to stand a chance of winning, not even close to it...
Even so, having Big Mom on his side of the table at least gave him some hope. Hope that he wouldn't die a senseless death.
He wanted a good death, a fair death, the upcoming war was going to be a one-sided massacre from what he could see, but now they could at least hope to put up a fight...
"Good... Good!" Kaido's voice boomed once more, the walls around them shook from his excitement.
Big Mom just scoffed and started picking at one of her ears.
"Stop being so loud dumbass..." She muttered before scowling and taking another sip of her drink.
Kaido coughed a bit in his fist and turned to Shanks. Big Mom's gaze also turned towards the Red Haired Emperor.
It was clear, they were both waiting on an answer.
And from the tense atmosphere, Shanks could somewhat guess what would happen if his response was a negative one...
But he had expected such a thing from the moment he decided to attend the Yonko meeting.
The Red-Haired Emperor knew that he needed to make a decision at that moment... Either fight Big Mom and Kaido at that moment... Or join the... At least on the surface.
'Enel will certainly be interested in this development...'
Shanks smiled as he decided to give the other two people present in the room his answer.
"Although I don't usually involve myself in such matters... I will still agree. The situation in the world spiralled far out of my comfort zone after all..."
Kaido and Big Mom both smiled when hearing his response.
"WoRoRoRORORO!" "Ma Ma Ma MA MA MA"
The two Emperors started laughing loudly, Kaido first, with Big Mom following in his footsteps as if she was getting carried away by the atmosphere.
"Heh..." Shanks also smiled a bit, slightly amused by the situation as he wondered how the World Government would react to such an alliance happening...
Though from what he understood, it was likely just water under the bridge at that point.
To Shanks, it was going to be more entertaining for him to hear Enel's reaction. If only he could deliver the news in person... Enel's face was always expressive.
The Three Emperors then got to drinking, Shanks included.
Even if he didn't truly join them, he still needed to act the part... It certainly wasn't that he had a drinking problem.
"Fuhihihi!" Kaido's cheeks flushed as his expression became slightly comical. The Sake was finally getting to him, as he opened his mouth to speak.
"Nver thought I'd see the day... I'd wok with you REd Hair!" His speech was slightly slurred, but Shanks could still understand him.
"Yesh~ We didn't get along that well, ain't that right?!" Shanks spoke out as he gave Kaido a goofy smile.
Kiado laughed a bit more as he looked at the Red-Haired Emperor.
"S'all in the past! Fuhihihi!" Kaido laughed a bit more, and the party continued.
He was willing to forget past conflicts, to disregard all grievances... Shanks found it truly odd...
'... Is an alliance really that important to Kaido? What the hell is it that's driving him...'
Shanks was going to have a fun time finding that out... And he planned to. After all, he wanted his reports of the situation to be as detailed as possible.
The 3 Emperors continued celebrating for a few hours before Shanks and Big Mom had to return to their respective crews... To give them all the good news.
As soon as they left, the red in Kaido's aged face vanished. Instead, his eyes narrowed and a sneer rose on his face.
'Will this be enough for the war...'
Three Emperors banding together, a force that had the potential to shake the world's foundations... But was it enough?
Only time could tell.
And time was telling Kaido a lot of things...
Thanks to time, Kaido knew that Enel didn't have the same plan as him. He didn't want to start a war in order to face off against the powers that ruled the world... He wanted to fully crush them.
To him, the war that the Sky King planned to start was nothing more than a tyrant overthrowing another. There was no such thing as freedom in any of the futures he could foresee.
Even with Enel's presence in the world, nothing had changed. Maybe the climate had changed a bit, and the balance in itself was becoming skewed... But one thing remained the same.
The weak still suffered, even more now. And the powerful still ruled with an iron fist.
The weak didn't have a voice, no matter how much they struggled and protested, they were still going to get crushed.
And it was only a matter of time before the current tyrant was replaced... Kaido had to be ready.
'... Maybe I could be the one to bring change in the end?... No, this sake's just playing with my head... The world won't ever change...'
Kaido slowly got up and walked over to the balcony, looking outside with a depressed gaze.
The sky above Onigashima trembled with thunder... There was no hope, there was no light...
In the distance, he could feel it. The people he had enslaved, the ones that acted as the cogs in the war machine he had been building for decades.
Suffering, pain, anger, anguish... FEAR. There was no hope... There was no joy...
'Wait for Joyboy, he says...' Kaido scowled as he remembered Enel's words.
The Dragon Emperor then huffed, before grasping the stone railing in front of him and cracking it with ease.
'What a joke... There's no such thing in this world...'
Kaido then turned around and walked back into his room... It was going to be yet another lonely night within the halls of Onigashima.
But not everyone in the world had the time to wallow in self-pity...
The Beast Pirates were now back to work, and the crews of Big Mom and Shanks both had to deal with the shock and surprise that came from the sudden alliance...
No one in Shanks's crew expected him to return as a member of the 'Three Rulers Alliance' As Kaido had started to call it in a drunken stupor... The name was going to stick.
Thankfully, Shanks managed to explain the situation before Beckman shot him for allying himself with such unsavoury characters...
The world was going to tremble at the news of such an alliance happening... Even if the Government did nothing to stop it, they were still bound to grow to regret it... Weren't they?
Regardless, Shanks's crew now had a lot fewer things to worry about, since they weren't in any danger of starting a war with Two Different Yonko.
The Big Mom Pirates were just as confused when hearing the decision of their mother...
Perospero almost couldn't believe his ears... But he didn't dare to raise any concerns when seeing the solemn expression on his mother's face.
Big Mom clearly needed some time to herself, so she went and sat down in her quarters on their ship...
"..." The very thought of the remainders of the Rocks Pirates banding together was making her feel a bit anxious.
Normally, it wouldn't be a big deal, since just about everyone hated Xebec... But the one person that didn't hate Xebec was there, still alive, and apparently in his prime.
'Francisco... If only you weren't so stubborn...'
Linlin sighed as she remembered the events of God Valley... A true and fine mess... There was nothing redeemable about that day...
Xebec had died, sure... But with him he had taken many lives, many of the Rocks Pirates had betrayed him that day, and he had killed most of them.
Only the few that survived went on to become legends.
Francisco was someone that Linlin didn't think would hear the name of ever again. She didn't WANT to hear it...
He was, by all accounts, a caring crewmember. Not ambitious, but zealous in helping his captain follow his ambitions... It was almost as if his strength grew as the ambitions of his captain did.
Big Mom had been one of the people to deliver the 'finishing blow'.
Whitebeard and Reyligh were enough to hold Francisco occupied properly, when she was added into the mix, things took a turn for the worst.
Even as the strongest swordsman of his generation, he still failed.
Now, it seemed that he was back from the dead, and Big Mom couldn't help but feel that the situation wasn't looking all that great for her...
'Is Francisco going to try and manipulate Enel into fighting and killing us? Does he want revenge? And would Enel even disregard our business relations and attack me?!'
There were too many questions for her liking. Too many uncertainties.
She would've taken more time to decide upon joining such an alliance with Kaido, who was not exactly a predictable man.
But under the current circumstances, her very fate was unpredictable. She needed to take precautions, and siding with Kadio was one of them.
One of her sons was still with Enel anyway... But they were personal friends, so the Sky King was unlikely to harm him.
Still, Big Mom couldn't help but scowl at how unhelpful Oven had been as a spy.
He had rarely given Big Mom any information on Enel's forces. She only knew of the marines, revolutionaries and Shiki... Francisco was someone that Oven hadn't mentioned ONCE.
And he was one of Enel's main combatants...
There was also the devil fruit user that could manipulate the age/time of others...
'... Oven better not have betrayed me... Even if he's my son, I won't take kindly to that...'
Linlin's frown deepened as she thought of the prospect of her own blood betraying her... But it was far too soon to assume that.
One thing was for sure... The next conversation was not going to be a pleasant one for Oven...
Just like Enel's next conversation was not going to be pleasant at all!
Hina finally managed to make some time in her schedule to visit... She even talked to Garp to be the one to deliver Enel's food.
She spent some time preparing it as well, to make it as bland and tasteless as possible.
Enel's one and only lunch break came quickly... And it was finally time for him to face the music.
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter!
Alliance is happening in the end ;) Big Mom and the MC never had a full alliance of their own, they were just business partners.
Anyhow, haf a good dey
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster(Vegan Cult) on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
