[RLOP] Chapter : 08 - New Mission

The White Tiger model Metal—one of the fabled Four Divine Beasts.

With snowy-white fur and wings stretched wide, legends say it brings fortune, wards off evil, averts calamity, blesses harvests, punishes the wicked, and protects the good.

Of course…

That was the White Tiger of myth. Lucci hadn't inherited such divinity—only a Mythical Zoan modeled after it.

If his fruit truly matched the prestige of the Four Divine Beasts, then the Pirate King's world wouldn't have needed some obscure Sun God, Nika, to rise and "liberate" it.

Still, Lucci considered it a blessing.

For someone with his personality, it was fortunate his fruit didn't force him into being a saint who rewarded virtue and smote evil.

After half a month of Kaido's "training"—a euphemism for club beatings—Lucci had slowly unearthed the powers of his fruit.

It wasn't as absurd as the myths, but it was no less terrifying than Kaido's Azure Dragon.

The standard three forms came first.

In his human form, his wings could harden into blades. The left he named Torachika, the right Torawi. They had no flashy abilities—but even Kaido's kanabo couldn't dent them.

In his hybrid form, his wings returned in full, boosting his agility, endurance, and ferocity—granting him free dominion over the skies.

And in his full beast form, he became the White Tiger itself, an overwhelming embodiment of offense.

But his true powers went further.

With a thought, Lucci could twist the seasons themselves within a set range—turning blizzards into heatwaves in an instant. The power within his body let him manipulate and shape metal at will.

And most insidious of all, the tiger embodied balance—yin and yang.

Evil and good.

Lucci could amplify or suppress those intentions in others. Push a man's malice until he was a demon. Or stifle it, leaving only virtue behind.

A single thought, and someone could be enslaved to his will—a so-called tiger's minion.

Unless they possessed Haki or willpower strong enough to resist, they would all bend.

In short, Lucci's core abilities were:

Warping weather,

Manipulating metal,

Controlling the very morality in people's hearts.

Yet even with such a power in his hand, Lucci never abandoned martial arts.

He knew well—Haki was king.

Boom!

The training hall trembled as Lucci was hurled into the wall.

Across from him, Kaido stood casually in his human form, sake gourd in one hand, spiked club in the other.

To be honest, Lucci knew he had grown stronger. Two months on Onigashima had pushed him far. He could now trade dozens of blows with King, Queen, or even Hanafuda.

But against Kaido?

His strength was a joke.

His "record" was surviving two strikes in full beast form before blacking out.

As for swaying Kaido's heart with his good-and-evil control? That was laughable.

"That's enough for today. Thank you, Kaido-san," Lucci muttered, falling to the floor and reverting from hybrid form.

Kaido's methods were brutal, but effective. He never crossed the line—pain was lesson enough.

Still, Kaido wasn't really a teacher. He simply struck and struck again, leaving only those strong enough to endure. Luffy, Yamato, Lucci—no exceptions.

Except Moriah. He skipped class.

"Worororo~ I feel like you could've taken one more hit."

Kaido belched, fastening his club back at his waist and taking another long swig of liquor.

Lucci brushed at the dust on his white suit—newly tailored just days ago, now already in tatters.

"Losing consciousness isn't my idea of training. I'll stop here."

From above, Hattori swooped down, clutching Lucci's hat in his beak, and landed on his shoulder.

"Lucci, you lost again, coo."

"Hm. Wouldn't it be stranger if I won?"

"But coo, you've never won. Not against King, Queen, or Hanafuda."

Lucci smirked faintly, unfazed, as he placed the hat atop his head and adjusted his long hair.

Failure didn't discourage him.

Seeing that calmness, Kaido frowned. "Kid, with that mindset, you'll never get strong."

Lucci simply pointed at his own youthful face. "Kaido-san, I'm only thirteen."

His voice was cool, steady.

He wasn't lazy. He wasn't afraid. He simply had a long-term plan. Strength mattered, but reckless growth often stunted more than it helped.

So he trained hard—but ate well, read often, and slept soundly. His routine was precise. Scientific.

This was a lifetime's journey, not a sprint.

"Thirteen? Hah! When I was your age, I'd already torn through Marine branches," Kaido scoffed.

"And Linlin—by six, she had the strength to level Elbaf!"

Lucci tipped his hat lower, voice flat. "Then it's an honor to be compared to monsters like you."

Year 1505

Seven years had passed since Roger's execution.

Enough time to reshape the seas.

The Rocks' remnants carved their own territories. Roger's crew dissolved, scattering powerful free agents across the world.

Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe… The golden age of pirates had erupted. Far more terrifying than the so-called "Worst Generation" that would one day follow.

But tides shifted quickly.

Redfield was imprisoned. Bullet was crushed by a Buster Call. Shiki was licking wounds in hiding.

And from the chaos emerged three emperors of the sea.

Whitebeard. Big Mom. Kaido.

The ones closest to Roger's throne.

So when Lucci said "honor," he meant it.

"Compared to that, Kaido-san…" Lucci spoke again, dragging Kaido out of his thoughts. "Tomorrow, when I head to Wano… are you sure you want me to bring Princess Yamato along?"

Kaido had given him authority to crush the samurai resistance. Anything within the Beasts Pirates' island was his to use.

But with one condition—he had to take Yamato.

Kaido raised a brow. "What, afraid of my daughter? Her brain's broken, so what?"

He snorted, shaking his head with some hidden pride. "Don't worry. Yamato might be an idiot, but when it comes to taking a beating, she's not inferior to me!"

Lucci stayed silent, his expression unreadable.

He didn't dislike Yamato because of her strength. He disliked stupidity.

Admiring Oden? Rebelling against her own father for the sake of some idol? It was laughable. Like a child throwing a tantrum because her parents forbade her to follow a celebrity.

He would never harm her, though. Kaido's gruffness was a facade—he had still given his daughter a Mythical Zoan, still raised her to adulthood.

But Oden wasn't a worthy idol.

If Yamato needed someone to worship…

Why not him?

Lucci's eyes gleamed faintly beneath the brim of his hat.

Later, in the grand hall—

"Kaido-san, are you really entrusting this to children?" King asked, voice sharp.

Kaido sneered. "What's wrong? Growing soft?"

"Tch. I just don't want to see the mission fail."

"Worororo! That's just like you, King. At thirteen, weren't you already called my right hand?"

King said nothing, only shifting against the wall.

Kaido rose, cracking his neck. A suffocating aura rolled off him as black and red lightning arced wildly across the room.

"I just think that small matters should be left to the children."

"And we adults should be focused on the big issues."

"Whitebeard! Roger's brats coming for vengeance! Anyone who wants war—come at me!"

His Conqueror's Haki flooded the hall like a storm.

King only muttered beneath his mask.

"As you wish… Kaido-san."