Wano Country, Flower Capital slums.
Every great city has its place where the poor gather. Especially under the twisted policies of Wano Country, the number of impoverished people is countless.
With her hands wrapped in bandages, Komurasaki walked through the sewage-filled streets with an unpleasant look on her face. From time to time, gasps of surprise rang out around her; people were stunned to see the number one courtesan appear here.
On any other day, she would've greeted them with a smile. But now…
"You seem to know the routes in the slums quite well. Even I, who memorized the map, don't know this street."
As they continued along, a cold voice suddenly spoke up behind her.
Startled, Komurasaki realized she had somehow led Lirisk into a deserted, abandoned street. Though technically part of the slums, it wasn't even marked on the map.
But she quickly calmed herself and said: "I grew up in the Flower Capital since I was little. Would it really be strange for me to know this road?"
Then she turned back to him, her expression sharp.
"What exactly are you trying to do? I've already walked you around the entire main district of the Flower Capital!"
"Keep walking. Don't ask… When I want you to know, you'll know." Lirisk spoke lightly, but his mind was elsewhere.
"So, we've already made a full circle?"
"As expected, we'll have to go to that place."
Looking at Komurasaki, he stated decisively: "Next, we're heading to the abandoned Oden City."
Oden City?!
Could it be…
Komurasaki's eyes widened in disbelief. Holding her breath, she stared at this cold man.
"What? You don't know the way?"
"I… I do. Follow me." She replied bitterly, then turned and silently led the way forward.
…
Meanwhile, in an underground chamber…
"So it really is him!" Nico Robin gave a wry smile and set the book down.
Indeed, there was no better reinforcements than him.
Whether it was the Marines he represented, or his own personal strength, there was no second person on the seas who could compare to him.
But the others were nowhere near as calm as she was…
"The Marines are here! Sanji, save me!!" Chopper hid his head behind his legs, but his body remained completely exposed.
"S-… Soryu?! Why would a Marine Admiral appear here?!" Usopp trembled, raising his slingshot and shouting in a shaky voice: "I-I am the great pirate Captain Usopp, with 80 million crew members! If you don't want to die, you'd better back o, ugh! I bit my tongue!!"
He spat out blood mid-sentence, throwing the scene into chaos.
Rowen: "…"
"Give it up. In our current state, what do you think we can even do?" Franky, holding one of his detached arms, stood up to shield Usopp. Then he looked at Rowen and said: "I heard about the war between Kaido's alliance and you guys, so I figured Wano wouldn't stay peaceful for long. But I didn't expect you yourself to show up here, Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
It was normal strategy during a war to attack the enemy's home base.
Franky had imagined many people might come to Wano to cause Kaido trouble, but he never expected it would be Soryu (Azure Dragon) himself. Someone with such terrifying combat strength should be stationed at Marine Headquarters, guarding the Holy Land, not here.
"Well, a lot of things happened. But that's not something you people need to know, so I'll leave it at that."
Seeing his intimidation still worked, Rowen relaxed, shrugging as he lit a cigar.
"To be honest, I'm starting to regret proposing an alliance. Nami… With them like this, what can they possibly achieve?"
Franky was a wreck, his body missing intact parts, even one eye gone, his synthetic skin ripped away, leaving him like a metal skeleton. As for the actual skeleton, Brook, he hadn't said a single word. His jaw had fallen off somewhere, his bones shattered, and he now lay on the bed unable to move.
Usopp and Chopper were also gravely wounded; the fact they could even move was a miracle.
The only one still in good shape was Nico Robin. But her strength was only sufficient against small fry. Against opponents of Wano's caliber, she wasn't even worth mentioning.
Put simply:
The three current powers in Wano, Orrick, Kaido, and Kurozumi Orochi, were each no weaker than the Yonkō of old. Even with Luffy's protagonist's aura, defeating them required life-or-death struggles and extraordinary luck. Each one of them alone was enough to drag out a year's worth of chapters.
With their current state, the Straw Hats were useless for anything other than gathering information.
"At the very least, we've still preserved half our fighting strength. As long as we coordinate with the rebels, there's still a chance." Sanji spoke calmly, asserting their value.
Rowen glanced at him and asked flatly: "Half? For example?"
"Of course, Luffy, me, and…" Sanji froze mid-sentence.
"Where's that moss-headed idiot?!"
Σ(￣□￣||)
"I dunno…" Luffy muttered while digging his nose.
"C-Could it be…" Sanji turned back toward the corridor they had come from, his face full of disbelief. "He actually got lost? There's only one hallway!!"
As Sanji grit his teeth and prepared to storm out in search of Zoro, Rowen casually dragged a chair over and sat down, puffing on his cigar.
"Ah… such familiar conversations."
The boastful Usopp, the timid yet brave Chopper, the perpetually lost Zoro, and the quarrelsome-but-loyal Sanji, such familiar faces.
"While we wait for them to come back, why don't you tell me about your plan?" Rowen turned his head and asked.
Hearing this, Franky nodded.
"The current situation is not good for us. Our last attempt at launching an attack ended in failure. Not only did we fail to rescue Momonosuke, but many comrades were put at risk, and Kin'emon was captured."
"But for the time being, the two of them are safe. After fending off our attack, Kurozumi Orochi is still uneasy. After all, the legend from twenty years ago said that nine retainers would one day return to end everything. Until he has identified and dealt with all nine, Orochi won't dare harm them."
"The Nine Red Scabbards… huh?" Rowen nodded slightly.
"But I don't care about that brat's life or death. What I want is their troop deployments, their strength, their weaknesses… information I can exploit."
"On my way here, I heard about your last assault. Do you know why you failed?"
Franky froze.
"Why?"
"It's simple. Even now, you're still treating your trip to Wano as an adventure, not as a war."
Seeing the Straw Hats dumbstruck, Rowen spoke calmly. "Do you still remember what happened in Alabasta? Pirates invading en masse, the smoke of war covering the land, endless carnage everywhere."
The Straw Hats fell silent.
It was true, this was war.
Back in Alabasta, they first began to grasp the cruel reality of the world. On this vast ocean, human lives were cheap.
So when had they forgotten that truth?
Luffy silently clenched his fists.
Probably from the day Ace died right before his eyes.
He would never again allow anyone precious to him to disappear.
"Innocently trying to save everyone versus doing whatever it takes to win, that's the difference between adventure and war. Just from your description, I've already thought of at least five strategies using Momonosuke as bait to strike at Orochi. Yet you chose the one method I can't fathom… a direct assault on the Flower Capital."
"Using Momonosuke as bait?!" Franky drew in a sharp breath. "Sorry, we can't do that. And neither could Kanjuro or the others. The lord's safety is more important than their lives. That's the way of Wano."
Rowen glanced at him.
"You think that's cruel?"
"No, it's just wrong! Using Momonosuke as bait--!" Usopp shouted in protest, but then lowered his head.
"Don't underestimate a man's resolve… even if he's just a kid." Rowen exhaled a cloud of smoke. "If sacrificing his life could end all this, bring victory and hope to his land, then how do you think Momonosuke would choose?"
"Kaido's terror, the invasion twenty years ago, Momonosuke, Kin'emon, and Kanjuro all experienced it firsthand. They understand it better than any of you. And yet, they still came back… Tell me, with what resolve do you think they set foot again on this land, now changed beyond recognition?"
"It's you who are underestimating them, Straw Hat Pirates! You believe you can protect everyone, and in doing so, you disregard their will."
After a pause, Rowen lost interest.
"But since none of them are here to speak their piece, what good are my words? Go on. This time, don't miss the point."
"…I… I understand."
Franky took a deep breath and began slowly describing the Kaido alliance's military strength and deployments.
(End of Chapter)
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