Kong Tai watched Kaido, who was convinced he was Joy Boy, and covered his forehead in speechlessness.
"I am Joy Boy? How come I don't know? Could it be this guy just believed what I said earlier, that I was born knowing Joy Boy!"
He didn't know who Joy Boy was eight hundred years ago, but he certainly knew who Joy Boy would be three years later.
Well... maybe not.
His appearance had, in fact, completely disrupted the established timeline of this world.
Monkey D. Luffy might still set sail, but whether he would become the Pirate King after setting sail was uncertain.
After all, when he reached the final island, wouldn't he already be the Pirate King of this world?
At that time, he could change his name.
What should he change it to?
How about "King of Navigators"?
King of Navigators, King of Navigators, King of Navigators...
"Hahahahaha!!"
As if he had thought of something incredibly amusing, Kong Tai burst into laughter under Kaido's bewildered gaze.
"What is this guy thinking about again?"
Kaido looked utterly baffled. "Could this brat really be Joy Boy? That laugh now… it's a bit similar."
He didn't know much about Joy Boy, but it was his childhood dream to become Joy Boy.
But as he grew older, he knew he wasn't and couldn't be Joy Boy, so that ideal was buried deep in his heart.
And while he couldn't become Joy Boy, he could be the one to awaken Joy Boy. This was something he didn't know and couldn't possibly know.
Kong Tai's laughter abruptly stopped. He lowered his hand, looked at Kaido again, and said, "Alright, let's not talk about it. I suppose we both know about as much regarding Joy Boy. That thing is merely the hope within the spiritual light of human fantasy."
"I don't know the specific conditions for its appearance, but I have a vague idea."
"These are not things I will discuss with you."
If anyone in this world, besides the World Government, understood the world most thoroughly, it would undoubtedly be Vegapunk.
This guy could even manufacture Devil Fruits.
The fruit Momosuke ate was, aside from its color, almost identical to Kaido's.
Since Devil Fruits could be replicated, he must have analyzed their composition and understood how they came into being.
With his knowledge, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him the most knowledgeable human in understanding the world.
If Kong Tai could find him, he might be able to learn many secrets that seemed complex now but were actually quite simple.
As for history, frankly, Kong Tai had no interest in understanding it. No matter how grand or thrilling it was, it was the past, not the future, and had nothing to do with their present.
However, he was very interested in understanding the world through the answers he could glean from Devil Fruits.
Gazing at Kaido, the smile in Kong Tai's eyes gradually vanished, replaced by a coldness.
Kaido seemed to sense something as well.
He gripped his Kanabo tightly with both hands, raised his head to look at Kong Tai, radiating an aura of defiant courage.
A long time ago, in this bizarre space, he had sensed a faint but palpable mortal danger, which made him realize that this brat definitely had some special ability he hadn't yet revealed.
This peculiar space, while powerful, didn't pose a significant threat to him.
Then, what was it that brought him this mortal danger?
"Brat, I know I might not be able to leave today, but if you want to kill me easily, you'll have to see if you have the ability."
"Worororo!!"
He let out a booming laugh, "Come! Come! Kill me!"
"Worororo!!"
Looking at the wildly laughing Kaido, Kong Tai's gaze was calm, without any ripple.
By now, he should indeed send Kaido to hell.
It was difficult for others to kill Kaido. This guy was incredibly durable; ordinary swords and blades couldn't even scratch him.
To injure him, one had to cultivate their Haki to the Ryo level, capable of causing internal damage, to truly hurt him.
And to truly breach his defense and leave wounds on him, only the attacks of an ultimate swordsman could accomplish that.
This was why, after countless battles over the years, he only had two scars on his body.
Kong Tai withdrew his gaze, raised his hand, and held it in front of him.
He opened his palm, facing upwards, and a peculiar ripple emanated from his palm.
He looked at his palm, his expression serious.
"I truly don't intend to let you wait for your subordinates, because it's pointless. In fact, ever since you arrived in Dressrosa, your life has been on a countdown. I didn't want to kill you so soon, and I think you know why."
As he spoke, the space in his palm rapidly collapsed, like a funnel. The surrounding space twisted and flowed inwards.
In the end, not a trace of light could be seen, only a dark opening.
That dark opening was minuscule, without any earth-shattering or thunderous display, not revealing any aura.
Yet, it resembled the entrance to hell, instantly captivating Kaido's entire attention, giving him a feeling that his very soul was about to be swallowed.
And at this moment, he felt the greatest sense of crisis he had ever faced in his life, his hairs standing on end.
"This, this, what is this?"
Kaido paid no attention to anything else; his entire focus was on Kong Tai's palm.
"This?"
Kong Tai looked at the black opening in his hand, his lips curving upwards slightly. He turned his head to look down at Kaido and smiled, "This is..."
"What is it?"
Not only did Kaido want to know, but the Marines in the distance also desperately wanted to know.
Garp and Kizaru looked over the moment Kong Tai unleashed the black hole energy.
Although that peculiar ripple had no aura, it carried an extremely fatal sensation, allowing them to instantly sense what Kong Tai was doing.
So, when they heard Kong Tai was about to explain what that black energy was, they all pricked up their ears to listen carefully.
Looking at Kaido, and feeling the expectant gazes of the Marines behind him, Kong Tai's lips curled. He laughed loudly, "This is, this is, this is."
"I'm not telling you."
"Hahahahaha!!"
Kong Tai said "you," not "you guys," clearly including the Marines.
"You damn brat."
Kizaru's mouth twitched, and his mood instantly soured.
Garp, however, shook his head helplessly.
There was a reason why the brat wouldn't divulge such important information.
Kaido was much more furious. He glared at Kong Tai, gripping his Kanabo tightly, purple-red lightning flashing around him. He was ready to attack at any moment.