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Kaido sprang to his feet, instinctively tightening his grip on his kanabo.

The young girl standing before him continued to stare at him with an expressionless face.

This creature was bizarre—Kaido had realized that the moment he first met her. No, rather, the entire island was bizarre. Just a moment ago, Kaido had foolishly trusted her words and followed her into the forest in search of ingredients.

He had witnessed sights never before seen, landscapes that surely belonged only to this island. The trees in the forest blotted out the sky. Looking upward, the massive, ancient groves seemed to have no end, looming with a mountain-like majesty that inspired awe.

Less than a hundred paces into the forest, Kaido encountered the insects. In common knowledge, an ordinary mosquito is barely the size of a fingernail, and a common ant is so insignificant as to be unworthy of mention. But in this forest, everything was different. The solitary ants they encountered were as long as an arm’s span, and the flies and mosquitoes were as gargantuan as goshawks, swooping down upon them with the predatory ferocity of beasts. There was no doubt: if one were pricked by a proboscis as thick as a giant straw, a person would likely be drained dry in an instant.

Seeing two such insects, Kaido had already grasped the danger posed by the island's denizens. Yet, as if more insects had noticed the commotion, a thunderous, rhythmic buzzing echoed from afar. In the blink of an eye, two dragonflies the size of helicopters descended, one after the other. Their flight speed was so fast that there was no time to react; they were already upon them.

Kaido felt no fear; instead, he felt a surge of excitement at this sudden "crisis." He loved powerful enemies, but... Kaido spared a glance at the one behind him—a frail girl who looked as if she lacked the strength to truss a chicken. Did she have enough strength to protect herself? Surely she wouldn’t be killed in a single strike by these bugs, would she?

Tch...

After all, she was the one who had saved him. Kaido possessed a sense of honor, yet he remained wary of strangers. Ultimately, he stepped forward, half-turning to shield the girl behind him.

Kaido raised his kanabo and swung it violently at the incoming dragonfly.

*So hard!*

Unexpectedly, the dragonfly’s compound eyes were as tough as armor. Looking closer... was that Armament Haki? A mere insect, yet it could use Haki!

Kaido felt no fear; he was only more exhilarated. He gripped his kanabo, resetting his stance. Muscles bulged on his right arm as he prepared to show these insects the weight of absolute power...

Then, he heard the little girl behind him suddenly let out an "Hm?"

She then dashed off in a blur, completely abandoning the safety of his protection. Kaido paused, his mind struggling to keep up. Surrounded by several other insects, he could only watch as the reckless child threw herself toward the giant bugs as if she were a meat bun tossed to a dog.

And then...

The process was incredibly strange—mainly because it happened so fast that it felt like there was no process at all. And indeed, there was no combat. The next thing he knew, the girl was holding that helicopter-sized dragonfly—which looked heavy enough to crush her with a single leg—above her head like a championship trophy.

The sight was utterly shocking. The girl’s face remained blank, but her voice brimmed with excitement: "I caught a dragonfly! It’s been logged in the encyclopedia as a 'Giant Titan Dragonfly'! ...Wait, this dragonfly doesn't actually seem that big, does it?"

Kaido’s hand, still raised with the kanabo, dropped. He stared blankly as she held the massive insect firmly. The dragonfly was still frantically flapping its wings, kicking up dust on the ground, yet it could not break free. Then, in another instant, the massive creature vanished from her hands.

Kaido had originally dismissed this seemingly plain, fragile girl, paying her no mind. But now, he realized with absolute clarity that she... was clearly not an ordinary girl.

Kaido finally looked at her properly, feeling interest for the first time: "Are you a Devil Fruit user?"

The girl looked at him, confused: "What’s a 'Devil Fruit user'? ...Ah, are you afraid of bugs? Let me help you catch these few for you."

Kaido: "............"

Me? Afraid of bugs??

Kaido didn't know what to say. After a long silence, he spoke: "...I have learned much."

"?" The girl looked at him.

Kaido seemed to deliberate for a moment: "...Forget it, never mind."

As expected, the girl couldn't follow his erratic train of thought, and a question mark appeared on her forehead. Kaido paused again before saying: "Regardless, consider it repayment for earlier. You may ask me for one favor, and I will do my best to fulfill it..."

Before Kaido could finish, the girl blurted out with the speed of a contest winner: "I’ve decided!"

Kaido narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt a mix of surprise and the wariness that came from her overly quick response, reminding him of his past experiences. Since birth, everyone he had met had been a villain with ulterior motives, someone who viewed him only as a tool to be exploited. But Kaido didn't care. He had the strength, and those who dared to plot against him had all learned their lesson. If she, too, wanted to sell him to some faction or make him a lapdog for the likes of the Marines, he would kill this brat without hesitation...

But the girl finished her sentence: "I want to touch your horns."

Kaido: "..."

Kaido: "............"

The killing intent that had risen halfway was stuck, suspended in mid-air.

...She wanted to touch his horns? ...Huh?

For a moment, Kaido genuinely wondered if he had been drinking too much and was hallucinating. But it turned out he had heard correctly. The girl, who was always expressionless, now made a tearful face to convey her "devout" intent—so she *was* capable of other expressions!

...No, that wasn't the point!

The girl looked at him pitifully: "I’ve wanted to touch your horns since I was born."

...You’re lying through your teeth; this is our first time meeting!

"Can I just touch them once? Please, this is really important to me!" The girl put on a hopeful expression, looking at Kaido with sparkling eyes.

Kaido: "..."

Kaido remained silent.

"Really, just one touch! Just once! Please, it’s my life’s request!"

Kaido: "............"

Kaido coldly spat out a cruel rejection: "No. Absolutely not."

The girl didn't give up, still looking at him with desperate hope. Under the assault of her sparkling eyes, Kaido... remained completely unmoved. The iron-hearted Kaido replied with icy indifference: "That is out of the question. Ask for something else."

Seeing that Kaido truly had no intention of changing his mind, the girl stopped wasting her expressions. She returned to her blank, emotionless state, though she didn't seem particularly regretful. She simply kicked a pebble at her feet toward Kaido.

Kaido, equally indifferent, brushed off the spot where the pebble hit him, as if nothing had happened. A pebble was nothing; even cannonballs the size of bowls struggled to cause him harm, which was why he could kill his way in and out of Marine prisons. A mere stone was neither painful nor itchy...

Then he heard the girl say, as if suddenly enlightened: "Could it be that kind of trope?"

Kaido: "...Hm?"

"That your horns are actually very sensitive, and if touched, you’ll have a strange reaction?"

Kaido: "............No."

Horns were just horns; where would sensitive nerves come from?

"Or perhaps... the kind where if someone touches your horns, you’re forced to marry them, like losing your purity? So, to preserve your chastity, you have to protect your horns from being touched?"

Kaido: "."

After the shock, Kaido’s face turned red, mostly from pure fury: "What kind of joke is that? How could that be possible! What kind of nonsense are you thinking about?!"

Before you exercise your vivid imagination, have you ever considered the possibility that I simply don't want you touching them?! You idiot!!

...

Later.

After Kaido and the girl finished collecting ingredients (though one had to wonder if giant insects and mushrooms that looked colorful and highly poisonous could truly be called ingredients), Kaido witnessed the girl pull off another astonishing feat.

A mysterious dish, prepared with those mysterious ingredients, was placed in front of him.

Kaido felt as though he were hallucinating; he imagined the expressionless girl saying to him with deep affection: "Dear, it's time to take your medicine."

The girl said softly: "Would you like to eat?"

...Tell me, are you a Marine? Did you set a trap here, planning to end my life right here and now?

Kaido was certain now. This creature before him definitely harbored killing intent and had come to take his life!

Kaido once again hoisted his kanabo, staring at her every move with hostility, as if facing a heinous criminal. "You eat first," he said, probing, his guard even higher, fearful that she might suddenly strike.

Yet, he watched as she actually ate that entire bowl of dark, mysterious sludge.

She really... ate it?! Not only that, she proceeded to prepare two more legendary-grade dishes...

Kaido stopped paying attention to what she said; just watching her boil the soup and concoct the medicine made him want to vomit. Kaido, who had never been a picky eater—who could feast on expired canned food in a Marine prison as if it were a gourmet delicacy—had finally been defeated by this dark cuisine.

His stomach, faced with such evil, foul-smelling concoctions, actually let out a growl of hunger!

His reason warned him not to touch it; his stomach insisted it wanted to eat...

Kaido didn't know if he wanted to retreat or move closer. As if giving up on the struggle, he sat on the ground, staring blankly at the dish in her hands.

The girl noticed his gaze and walked toward him.

Kaido glared at her.

The girl extended her hand in a friendly gesture.

Kaido glared at her with a look of "death before surrender." If eyes could kill, she would have died dozens of times over. Any ordinary person would have been shaking in their boots, wanting to flee from such a fierce gaze from the young Kaido.

But the girl felt nothing and continued to reach out toward him.

Kaido picked up his kanabo as a show of force.

The girl ignored it completely. Finally, her hand landed on Kaido’s head.

The heinous criminal who had become the strongest mercenary at ten, been scouted by the Marines at thirteen, and earned a 70-million-berry bounty at fourteen—was now having his head patted by a little girl not even as tall as his thigh.

The girl didn't know when to stop; she seemed to want to reach for his horns next.

Kaido flew into a rage, stood up abruptly, and swatted her hand away. His massive frame blocked all the sunlight from above, casting her entire body into shadow.

The girl stood frozen, as if startled.

Just as Kaido was about to curse her out, the girl lifted her expressionless face. Kaido always felt there was a hint of laughter hidden deep within her eyes:

"Do you want to try some? After eating this, it seems like you really can boost your abilities!"

She held the mysterious dish out to him.