"Ragnaraku!!!" Kaido swung his club with all the ferocity he could muster. The battered and bruised Gecko Moria swung his own weapon to clash against the behemoth.
"Boom!!!" A resounding shockwave spread throughout the battlefield. The force from Kaido's attack was overwhelming, sending Moria flying through the air and crashing into a building behind him. Moria, who had once prided himself on besting anyone, had lost hope.
His entire crew had been torn apart by Kaido—quite literally—right before his eyes, leaving him completely helpless. Moria understood that Kaido was toying with him. His zombie army, which numbered in the tens of thousands when he started the siege on Onigashima, had dwindled to a mere hundreds. The Beast Pirates were now using the remaining zombies as practice dummies.
"Wororororo, Shichibukai, the seven warlords, such wimps! And the World Government expects you lot to bring balance? What a joke. Wano is mine, and anyone who steps into Wano will be slaughtered." Kaido's voice boomed, filled with arrogance and disdain.
Meanwhile, a few miles away, a marine dressed as a Wano citizen used a spyglass to observe the situation. He was already aware of the commotion in the Flower Capital, but it seemed the Beast Pirates were still engaged in fighting Gecko Moria.
Suddenly, the marine's transponder snail rang. He had earlier informed Marine HQ about the situation in Wano.
"What's the situation in there?" A gruff voice sounded from the other side of the transponder snail. The marine's eyes widened in realization. Normally, it would be his superior talking to him with new orders, but this time it was Fleet Admiral Kong. Although he hadn't met Kong in person, he had heard the Fleet Admiral's voice many times while in Marineford.
"Sir, it seems like the Shichibukai Gecko Moria has lost. However, the entirety of the Flower Capital is in shambles. It seems there is a rebellion against the current Shogun, and once Kaido gets wind of the matter, it will be a full-blown war," the marine reported, not wasting any time.
On the other end, within the Fleet Admiral's office, sat Kong, Admiral Zephyr, Admiral Sengoku, and Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"We cannot have Gecko Moria fall at the hands of Kaido. This will disrupt the entire Shichibukai system," Sengoku stated, thinking about the implications of the matter. Once the world learns that a Shichibukai has fallen, the deterrent power will reduce drastically, and many will boldly challenge the Shichibukai.
"Isn't this what you guys wanted? For someone to take down the Shichibukai, showing that they can be replaced by stronger ones," Zephyr added with a smirk. As someone who hadn't supported the Shichibukai initiative, he didn't care what happened to these pirates.
"That's different, Zephyr. Gecko Moria was added to the roster to encourage other stronger pirates to fight for the Shichibukai position by taking down the old ones. This way, the final Shichibukai will be an absolute deterrent. Even the rookie Crocodile was picked to be a scapegoat. But Kaido killing him would be different. There's no way Kaido would join the Shichibukai. As much as it sounds stupid, we need to get Moria out of there alive," Tsuru explained, her mind racing with counter strategies. If Moria was lost without a proper replacement, the World Government would breathe down their necks.
"This can be an opportunity for us Marines," Sengoku voiced, catching everyone's interest. "Wano has been closed to everyone. Now that Kaido and Oden, who was once part of Roger's crew, are going to clash, maybe we can lend our assistance to Wano and establish a base of operations there."
"Ahem! Sir! What are my orders?" A voice sounded from the transponder snail on the table. The marine soldier had inevitably become part of the meeting.
"Monitor the situation closely and make sure not to get caught. You are the only source of information we have from within Wano," Kong ordered. The marine was tasked with continuing his monitoring before the call was disconnected.
The marine, now fully aware of the critical role he played, returned his focus to the unfolding chaos on Onigashima. His heart raced, knowing that the fate of the Shichibukai system and the strategic advantage of Wano hung in the balance. The storm was far from over, and the world was about to witness a clash of titans that could reshape the power dynamics of the seas.
**************
Prisoner Mine, Udon
Crimson blood dripped from my blade as I cut down another warden of the prison mine. Hundreds of Beast Pirates' bodies lay scattered around me. My target was confined within this hellish place, and I had no intention of leaving without him.
"You... you, who are you? Do you know who you're attacking? We are the Beast Pirates! This place belongs to Queen-sama! Once the higher-ups know what you've done here, they will slaughter you!" A warden, covering his bleeding stump, had fallen onto his rear. His voice trembled as he tried to use Kaido's name to escape death, seeing me drenched in the blood of his companions.
"Hehehe, you think I'm doing all this to keep a low profile? No, Kaido must know. Well, who knows? Maybe after today, your Beast Pirates will not have a place to call home," I chuckled. I was closely monitoring everything that was happening. The more I learned about the Goro Goro no Mi, the more I understood why the lightning Logia was so feared. With my knowledge from the other world, I could use my lightning powers with unprecedented flexibility.
The warden of the mine picked up the fallen transponder snail and tried desperately to reach out to his superiors.
"You know that's not going to work, right? How many times have I told you? I've blocked all your communications." I flicked my blade to rid it of the bloodstains. I had manipulated the signals and intercepted all communications. I was even aware of the marine spy who had reached out to HQ.
I could have blocked that communication, but I needed Moria to get out alive. His zombies were already raiding the graveyard in Ringo to bolster their numbers. Shusui was already in Moria's possession, and I planned to relieve him of that blade once I saved Wolf and left Wano.
"Queen-sama... Kaido-sama..." The warden's voice trailed off as he realized the futility of his actions. His eyes widened in terror as he understood the gravity of the situation.
I stepped closer, the crackle of lightning echoing around me. "If you do survive this, let Kaido know the ghosts of the Donquixote family will haunt him to the ends of the world." With another swing, I severed the remaining arm of the warden, who screamed in agony before collapsing. Casually, I stepped into the prison where Wolf was confined.
Wolf was imprisoned in a room that looked more like a workshop. A small bed occupied one corner, while the rest of the room was littered with various designs and scraps of paper. It seemed the Beast Pirates had been working him to the bone. Despite the commotion outside, he was sleeping soundly on his bed.
I ripped open the cell door with my arm. Although the door was lined with seastone, it did not affect me as much as it might have affected other devil fruit users. The resounding noise caught Wolf's attention, and he woke up with a start, holding a compass defensively.
"That's quite some welcome, Wolf-san," I chuckled, stepping out of the shadows so my face was illuminated by the small lamp hanging in the room.
"Ross?... Ross, is that really you? I knew it! I fucking knew you guys would come for me!" Despite his weakened state, Wolf lunged forward and gave me a bear hug. I already knew he must have suffered immensely under the Beast Pirates. His missing fingers were a testament to that, but he showed no resentment towards me. All he had was genuine happiness at being rescued and meeting me again. The Voice of All Things helped me read such emotions, and my observation haki could also detect them.
"Wolf-san, I'm sorry we couldn't come to rescue you earlier." I bowed sincerely, wanting to apologize to the man. He casually waved it off and tapped my shoulder.
"Damn, you have grown so tall! How many years has it been? You're already taller than me," he chuckled while comparing our heights. Though I was still a teenager, I was already two and a half meters tall.
"Well, Wolf-san, we can catch up later. It's time we left. I have quite the surprise waiting for you back home. Didn't you always want to build something that would echo your name for eternity?" I chuckled, not giving him all the details. We had many modifications planned for Pluton, and the first project was a weapon similar to a railgun that could be mounted on warships. I couldn't think of a better person to lead this project. Pluton was a weapon built by the entirety of Water 7 centuries ago, so to create a new one, we would have to gather the best minds.
Wolf was intrigued, but knew now was not the time to get all the details. Now that his freedom was assured, he had all the time in the world.
As we stepped out of the cell, we heard pleas for help from the other cells within the mines. These must have been prisoners forced to work for Kaido and Orochi, likely imprisoned here because they had defied their rule in some way.
"Ross, can we help them out? We're going to be leaving anyway. I know the suffering behind these walls, so why don't we just lend a hand?" Wolf requested, with expectation in his eyes.
Wolf had heard the screams, the tortures, and everything that happened in the mine prison. He felt sorry for his fellow inmates. Now that his freedom was assured, he didn't want to leave them to their fate.
"Sigh, fine! But they will have to fend for themselves once they're free. I saw an armory nearby. Why don't you get the keys from the warden and open a few cages? I'll take care of the rest," I commented. Wolf immediately left to get the keys for the prison and the armory, which housed hundreds of weapons. The people of Wano were warriors, and once they had weapons in hand and knew that Oden was fighting for their liberation, they would dive into the battle without caring for the consequences.
Soon enough, I ripped apart the cages and the shackles from the prisoners. Doing this also added an advantage, as it would create more opponents against Kaido and his crew. The freed prisoners, once armed, would be a formidable force.
Soon enough, hundreds of freed prisoners gathered, and Wolf, followed by a dozen others, stepped in carrying hundreds of weapons. They placed them in the center and even looted the pantry, bringing food in sacks to distribute among everyone.
"You guys may not know this, but Kozuki Oden is currently fighting against the Kurozumi and Beast Pirates to free Wano. I believe you don't want to sit this one out," I remarked.
A burly samurai, towering over three meters, stepped forward. His face was marked with three scars, as if a dangerous beast had mauled him. Despite his long imprisonment, he exuded strength. From my estimation, he could fight toe-to-toe against some of the veteran vice admirals. "Benefactor-dono, can you please share your name? We would like to remember this favor till the end," he asked, bowing politely.
"It's Rosinante... Donquixote Rosinante," I replied. The burly man's eyes widened in recognition of the name Donquixote, but then he realized that was the past. The teen before them had liberated them.
"In the future, if you ever need any assistance, no matter how insignificant it seems, remember Rosinante-dono. My blade, Uzuki Miyamoto's blade, will be at your service," he declared. Strapping two katanas to his waist, he exuded the natural aura of a leader. Following his lead, many bowed to me sincerely in gratitude, armed themselves with weapons, and prepared for battle. I realized that the Uzuki family was the daimyo family of Udon.
As the prisoners were fed and armed, their eyes shone with a mix of relief and determination. They quickly prepared themselves with weapons from the armory, and the atmosphere was charged with newfound hope and a thirst for vengeance.
"To the Flower Capital! Oden-sama needs us! For Wano!" Miyamoto roared like an unchained beast, rallying the others. Soon, hundreds of samurai rushed out of the mine prison. They were momentarily shocked by the carnage outside—hundreds of Beast Pirates dismembered and slaughtered, the entire grounds stained with blood. After a moment of initial shock, they composed themselves and started their march towards the Flower Capital.
After the prison force left, I spread my observation haki throughout the entire prison to ensure no one was left behind. To my surprise, in one of the cells with its door already ripped apart, I detected a single person sitting unmoved. Wolf and I walked toward the cell, and as we reached it, the stench of rotting bodies hit our noses. Earlier, in my haste to free the prisoners, I hadn't noticed this.
The sight inside was horrific. More than half a dozen rotting corpses with various injuries lay scattered about. It seemed they were from a single family, having died on different days as the degree of decay varied. Wolf couldn't hold it anymore and stepped out, puking.
In the corner, amidst the decaying bodies, sat a young boy, probably around five or six years old. He was all skin and bones, with countless lacerations on his body. Seeing the kid brought back memories of how Doffy and I had held on back in Mariejois, clinging to life with the last ember of our strength. The boy was similarly holding on, a flicker of life still burning within him.
The kid slowly stirred and looked up. Even opening his eyes seemed like a massive burden. "Is it finally my time?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.
"I am not one of them, kid. Tell me, do you want to live?" I remarked, not knowing why I said that. Granting him a quick death would be a mercy, but he reminded me too much of myself and my brother.
"Will you grant me the strength so that I can have my vengeance?" The kid's almost-shut eyes opened, a fire of vengeance burning brightly within them.
"I can show you the way, but how far you walk along that path will be up to you," I said, carefully lifting the boy. His body was frail and light, a testament to the suffering he had endured.
"What's your name, kid?" I asked, wrapping an old, tattered blanket around him to shield him from the cold.
"It's Oda... Oda Nobunaga," he replied, his voice weak but determined. I instinctively knew that the kid was lying, trying to keep his secrets to himself, but I did not expose him.
I couldn't help but feel a sense of destiny in his name, a name that echoed with the promise of greatness and the weight of history.
***************
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