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Kaido seemed to be powerless against Arthur's assault.

He had even been forced to bleed. But in reality... that insignificant little wound would heal in moments. Aside from a throbbing headache, he was completely unaffected.

"Hmph..."

With a cold snort, Arthur ceased his attack, stopping the pointless offensive.

Even if he was unwilling to admit it, he had to stop. If he kept fighting, the result would be the same—

He finally understood the helplessness the Marines felt after capturing Kaido. It was like a tiger trying to sink its teeth into a turtle's shell. No matter what, it wouldn't crack.

Even the devastating power of Whitebeard, the most destructive force on the seas, was useless against Kaido's impenetrable, iron-hide body.

What in the world could have given birth to such a monster?

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"OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..."

Kaido, his head still reeling from Arthur's pummelling, roared and charged forward, launching a relentless attack.

To have no way to deal with him, and to have to face his endless harassment... just that tenacity alone was enough to give anyone a headache. This was the real reason Arthur didn't want to bother with this mad dog. He was even more annoying than the Marines.

"ENOUGH!"

Big Mom descended from her singing ship, blocking the path of the crazed, disoriented Kaido.

Although doing so would turn Kaido's spear on her, she had no choice but to intervene.

She, Charlotte Linlin, couldn't be bothered to care if these two fought to the death. She only cared about her own territory.

Struck by Big Mom's Conqueror's Haki, the frenzied Kaido finally came to his senses. He actually didn't attack immediately—for the first time in his life abandoning an attack mid-battle.

Kaido might be a brute, but that didn't mean he was brainless... His incredibly powerful physique was his only advantage. Whether facing Whitebeard or the Marines, he could maintain an unparalleled edge. But against Arthur, he couldn't gain any advantage at all.

You can't hit your opponent, you can only be passively beaten? Is there anything more frustrating than that?

"Both of you, how about we discuss the division of the territories left by Roger and the Golden Lion at my Tea Party?"

Big Mom smiled sinisterly. With a wave of her large hand, she had her eldest son, Perospero—dressed as a clown, tongue sticking out, holding a lollipop—deliver invitations to the two of them.

'Discuss the division of the remaining territory? My appetite has always been huge,' Arthur thought with a cold smile, casually accepting the invitation.

Seeing Arthur agree, Kaido, surprisingly, didn't refuse either.

The three emperors who currently stood at the pinnacle of the New World had a brief meeting, and then went their separate ways.

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Wheat Island, once a single, whole island, had been shattered into an archipelago, now uninhabitable. Arthur didn't care and abandoned it directly.

The [Thor] flew towards the place of Arthur's initial transformation—Raijin Island.

Until the Thor War Fortress designed by Vegapunk was complete, that place would be the main base of the Thunder God Pirates in the New World.

From a distance, Raijin Island, perpetually shrouded in endless thunderclouds, looked no different than before. The lightning that had been continuously released for over a year had, in just two short months, re-condensed.

Electric serpents danced wildly, becoming even more violent upon Arthur's arrival.

"RUMBLE~"

Thunder roared. Streaks of lightning ravaged the thunderclouds, madly striking down at the [Thor]—

Arthur, at the bow of the ship, accepted all comers, swallowing all the lightning whole.

"Captain, this island's magnetic field is so unstable. Are you sure people can live here?" The Log Pose in Vegapunk's hand was jumping violently. The needle, indicating whether the path ahead was dangerous, almost escaped from its glass case.

Generally speaking, the faster the pointer jumped, the more dangerous the island. This was common knowledge for everyone on the seas.

Byrnndi World, Pizarro, and the others all nodded in agreement with Vegapunk.

An island this dangerous... it would probably be difficult to even leave it alive. Perhaps only Arthur could come and go as he pleased, safe and sound.

The current Raijin Island was countless times more dangerous than it had been two years ago. Two years ago, one could land safely with a high probability of avoiding the lightning by wearing a plastic raincoat. But after Arthur's transformation here, the violent lightning now erupted every moment.

The entire island was desolate, with only a ground of shattered rocks and raindrops mixed with lightning.

"Don't worry," Arthur said, waving his hand.

The great curtain of lightning that shrouded the entire island, after fusing with Arthur's own lightning, could be commanded like his own arm. With a single thought, he parted a path.

The [Thor] slowly entered the center of the island. The raindrops along the way, as if seeing their natural enemy, were automatically repelled upon approach.

"This island..."

Vegapunk observed with a frown, surprised that Arthur could control the lightning of the natural world.

"It's indeed very suitable as a main base. A natural fortress like this... people without strength can't even dream of getting in. Those with enough strength would have to constantly resist the invasion of lightning. It's... a perfect location."

"Most importantly, it's only a few hours' journey from Punk Hazard, the place where you did research before you were recruited by the World Government..." Arthur said with a smile.

Punk Hazard had a lot of research equipment and facilities that were still intact.

There was no need to waste time adding new ones. It was also close to Raijin Island, which was perfect for Vegapunk to restore his experimental research lab there.

As long as the Thunder God Pirates occupied enough territory and had enough people, they could go all out to build the Thor War Fortress. From then on, they would no longer need islands on the ground, a truly impregnable fortress.

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"Captain Arthur, this Raijin Island is too dangerous. Without you, even we would have a hard time getting in. We should start occupying the surrounding islands, using Raijin Island as the center to push towards the middle and latter half of the New World..."

"Barararara, should we go cause a scene at that Big Mom's Tea Party?"

"If there's killing to be done, Captain, take me with you!"

Naguri, World, Shiryu, and the others discussed among themselves.

"No rush. I plan to go to Big Mom's Tea Party alone..." Arthur said calmly.

"Alone?? What about us, meow?!" Pizarro's cat-like eyes widened, and the others were also extremely disappointed.

"I'll give you some time. Let Vegapunk take you to re-gather your old subordinates who still follow your orders. As long as they have strength... as long as they don't disgrace the Thunder God Pirates, I can tolerate whatever they've done."

"Whether they are the worst of the worst, scum of the earth... as long as they have strength and loyalty... you can bring them all over!" Arthur said with a cruel smile.

So far, the Thunder God Pirates only had these few people, including him. How were they supposed to guard the territory they occupied?

Recruiting those pirate grunts was now a matter of utmost urgency.

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