Reborn as Kaido, Protect Whitebeard Summit war

Buggy was desperate and had no choice but to blurt out the only thing that came to his mind.

Captain Roger's great treasure.

The legendary One Piece, the very treasure that sparked the entire Pirate Era.

Pirates across the world set sail in search of it, lured by its promise.

From Kaido's perspective as someone who now had god-like awareness due to his knowledge, he knew Buggy the Clown had never actually reached final island.

When Roger's crew was on their way to the great treasure, Buggy had suddenly fallen ill and missed the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it himself.

Even Shanks, who stayed behind to take care of Buggy, never saw the treasure firsthand.

So Buggy didn't truly know what the great treasure was.

However, Kaido didn't think Buggy was outright lying. Though Buggy hadn't seen One Piece itself, he had still journeyed alongside Roger through most of the Grand Line. He'd witnessed the process and the path that led to the treasure, so all the final steps were already in Buggy's memory.

For this reason, Kaido's desire to kill Buggy started to wane. Instead, he began to seriously consider Buggy's offer.

Take him to find One Piece?

Maybe.

It wasn't impossible.

Although Kaido's main focus was completing his primary objectives—protecting Whitebeard, and killing a few powerful figures—he was fully aware of the side quests in his destiny. These included toppling the Celestial Dragons and ultimately killing the Five Elders.

Kaido was set on destroying Imu and ending the tyrannical rule of the World Government. The entire world would inevitably plunge into a new era once he succeeded.

At that point,

Kaido wouldn't mind taking the time to search for One Piece.

After all,

Although Roger reached the treasure first, he never claimed it as his own. He didn't have the powers of the Nika Fruit, a legendary Zoan-type Devil Fruit that Kaido now possessed.

Even though Kaido's fruit had not yet awakened, it was only a matter of time.

With the Nika Fruit awakening, Kaido believed he wouldn't leave Laugh Tale empty-handed, as Roger had. Kaido could unlock all the mysteries the treasure held.

"After eating the Nika Fruit..." Kaido mused to himself. "I am now the protagonist of this pirate world... Whether out of curiosity or for a grander purpose, I have every reason to claim One Piece."

With this in mind,

Kaido glanced back at Buggy.

With Buggy's knowledge of Roger's voyage, the journey to One Piece would become much easier.

So.

Buggy, trembling with fear and filled with a desperate hope, continued to pray in his heart as he awaited Kaido's response.

Kaido finally spoke: "You've been to the finals island, right?"

Hearing this, Buggy saw a glimmer of hope. It seemed he'd made the right gamble. Kaido was genuinely interested in the legendary treasure.

Buggy nodded frantically and replied, "Yes! I went with Captain Roger! I didn't see the treasure itself, but I remember the entire route to it!"

This confirmed what Kaido already knew from his god-like memories.

Kaido nodded slowly, then said, "Alright. After I take care of the Navy, destroy the Celestial Dragons, and kill the Five Elders, you'll take me to One Piece. Don't even think about trying to trick me—my Observation Haki will track your every move. Even if you manage to run, I'll find you at the ends of the earth."

Buggy, who had initially been thrilled that Kaido was agreeing to his proposal, suddenly froze.

What did Kaido just say?

Destroy the Navy.

Take down the Celestial Dragons?

And kill the Five Elders?!

This was insane!

Could he really do that?!

Even Roger himself had never dared to openly oppose the Celestial Dragons or the World Government. In fact, Roger had ultimately turned himself in to the Navy and allowed himself to be executed.

Buggy was from the old era. He had sailed alongside Roger and knew well about Rocks D. Xebec, the infamous pirate who once tried to challenge the World Government.

Rocks was so powerful that it took both Roger and Garp joining forces to defeat him.

And even though Rocks caused significant damage at the God Valley Incident, the foundation of the World Government remained entirely intact.

As powerful as Rocks had been, he couldn't truly bring down the World Government.

Then there was Golden Lion—another legendary pirate. He fought Roger countless times, but when it came to the World Government, even Golden Lion couldn't make a dent. At most, he staged a chaotic assault on Marineford after Roger's capture.

Even Whitebeard, despite his legendary status, never directly challenged the World Government.

All these mighty figures—the Four Emperors, Rocks, Roger, Golden Lion—none dared to truly defy the World Government.

Yet Kaido had just declared his intention to not only oppose them but to destroy the Five Elders and overthrow the Celestial Dragons.

This meant only one thing to Buggy: Kaido must be suicidal.

Or perhaps, he was so delusional that he believed himself stronger than Roger and Rocks combined.

"Taking him to One Piece isn't the problem... but if he's going to pick a fight with the World Government... Am I going to be dragged into this too?"

Buggy's heart pounded in fear.

Even the most reckless pirates knew there was one force in the world that could not be provoked—the World Government.

But it was far too late for regrets now.

After a brief hesitation, Buggy nodded weakly and said, "O-okay... okay..."

No one dared to ask Kaido why he wanted to fight the World Government. The answer didn't matter.

Everyone knew the outcome.

Death.

But still, Buggy couldn't help but feel a glimmer of joy, hidden behind all his fears.

Buggy, seeing an unexpected opportunity to benefit from Kaido's eventual downfall, began fantasizing again. If he wasn't implicated in Kaido's battle with the World Government, then when Kaido was inevitably defeated, Buggy would be free from his grasp. Not only that—Buggy could then use his experience of cooperating with Kaido to recruit Kaido's followers. In his mind, this could even position him as the next Four Emperors!

Buggy's mood improved significantly as he imagined himself rising to power, leading Kaido's former subordinates, and achieving legendary status.

The agreement between Kaido and Buggy was made. They both returned to the vicinity of the White Whale, knowing that Whitebeard was in danger. Kaido intended to stop the attack that was about to hit Whitebeard, as the latter would be severely injured by his own subordinate.

As Kaido and Buggy approached together, Buggy's followers began to piece together their own imagined version of events:

"Captain Buggy is back with Kaido!!"

"Does this mean the battle is over?"

"None of them look injured—"

"It must have been a draw!"

"Captain Buggy fought Kaido to a tie!!"

"This is the true strength of Captain Buggy!"

"Kaido looked like he was going to destroy everything earlier, but now even he had to face the reality of Captain Buggy's power and chose to shake hands."

"Captain Buggy made Kaido back down! Incredible!"

"Captain Buggy is amazing!"

"As expected of a legendary figure!!!"

Buggy's followers, already notorious for their misplaced faith in him, now idolized him even more, fabricating a victory out of what was pure survival on Buggy's part. They continued celebrating their captain's "strength," convinced that he had forced Kaido to respect him.

Despite the cheers and admiration surrounding him, Buggy could only force a nervous smile. He knew the truth—that it had taken every ounce of his cunning just to survive Kaido's wrath. The thought of boasting about this near-death experience was unthinkable.

Amidst the celebration and confusion, Kaido turned his eyes toward a familiar figure on the battlefield.

It was Squard, the Great Whirlpool Spider—a subordinate of Whitebeard. Kaido recognized him immediately, knowing his notorious betrayal of Whitebeard during the Marineford War.

Squard—the one who backstabbed Whitebeard.