The towering waterfall was a natural barrier, a rampart shaped by heaven and earth itself. It guarded Wano Country firmly within, and at this moment, the phrase "easy to defend, hard to attack" took on a vivid, tangible meaning.
"What a huge waterfall! Wait, no, hold on—how are we supposed to get up there?"
Shien stood at the bow, listening to the thunderous roar of the water with astonishment written across his face. Seawater plunged vertically from above, sending great sheets of spray bursting outward. The dampness in the air made him, as a Fish-Man, feel extremely comfortable.
But after marveling for a while, he realized a very serious problem. With a waterfall this tall, there was no way a ship could sail up normally. The sheer force of the water crashing down from such a height would be enough to smash smaller vessels to pieces.
The Mebius was expensive enough that they did not need to worry about that part. The real problem was how to climb the waterfall.
"Huh? Big Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"
After waiting for a while without receiving any response from Roldy, Shien turned his head. There he saw Roldy and Moria standing side by side, both staring at him with ill intentions in their eyes.
A bad feeling rose in Shien's heart.
"You two aren't thinking of…"
"There's no helping it, Shien. You're the only Fish-Man on this ship! The sea is the natural enemy of us Devil Fruit users, and there's no one else aboard with strength like yours. So we're counting on you!"
"Kishishishishi! Don't make that face. Once we get back, I'll treat you to drinks. How about we spend all of Roldy's money together?"
Moria and Roldy laughed cheerfully, but their laughter sent a chill down Shien's spine.
Because he saw those two damn bastards take out a terrifyingly thick iron chain.
They showed absolutely no concern for his feelings. The small fry nearby were all watching the fun, and some of them even fixed the chain to the bow right in front of him. Then Roldy and Moria walked over and firmly tied the massive chain around his body.
That was right.
Their goal was obvious. They wanted Shien to act as labor and drag the entire Mebius up the waterfall.
A warship on the level of a medium-sized Marine Headquarters vessel, plus all sorts of luxurious modifications—its weight was far more than a thousand tons.
Shien gnashed his teeth, but in the end, he helplessly jumped into the water.
"You two bastards! This is way too much!"
Pouting angrily, yet with no other choice, Shien began swimming through the sea.
That kind of weight was not actually difficult for him, especially in the ocean. Beneath the waves, Shien's figure moved like a swimming dragon, charging upward against the waterfall. The enormous Mebius followed behind him. A thousand tons was not much to him physically; he was simply upset in his heart.
They advanced against the current.
Along the way, however, there were many cannon batteries and troops deployed by the Beasts Pirates. Wano Country was a closed nation that allowed no one to leave, and the forces stationed by the Beasts Pirates existed for that very purpose.
Originally, this was a rather idle assignment.
The pirates had just woken up from a drunken stupor and were discussing whether they should drink some rum or beer to cure their hangovers, when they suddenly saw a massive ship appear.
"Is that… a whale?"
One pirate's eyes were still hazy with drunkenness. In such cold weather, he wore only a few pieces of leather armor, yet he did not seem to feel the cold at all. The Beasts Pirates' standard attire was very much like a Viking outfit.
Beside him, a pirate with decorations on his shoulder armor—clearly a squad captain—struck him hard on the head.
"Idiot! How could there be whales here? Those dumb samurai of Wano killed off all the whales in the nearby waters ages ago! Wake the hell up, you idiot !"
After cursing him out, the captain turned to look in the direction the pirate was staring.
"Strange. Why does it look like a ship?"
"Hey, boss, now that you mention it, it really does look like a ship. As expected of you, boss. Your eyesight is amazing!"
"Of course it is. Back when I was ten, I'd already trained my eyes enough to see the scenery in the red-light district from across an entire street. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Thinking about it now really brings back memories."
"Heh heh. After our shift changes, how about this little brother treats you to some fun?"
"You're pretty sensible, kid."
The two chatted until the conversation went completely off track.
It was not until Shien dragged Roldy's group and the Mebius past them, and one of the small fry on the ship waved at the pair, that the two politely waved back.
Only then did the captain suddenly come to his senses.
"Outsiders are here? That's rare… Wait, no!"
The captain finally reacted and hurriedly adjusted the cannon battery.
But a shadow bat suddenly flew over. Its sharp wings swept past, and in the next instant, a violent explosion completely destroyed the cannon.
"Enemy attack!"
The alarm was ear-piercing.
The members of the Beasts Pirates snapped out of their drunken state one after another, grabbed their weapons, and began resisting. But when they saw the flag flying from the ship, and the man standing at the bow, even the hands holding their guns began to tremble.
"That's… the wolverine flag of the Roldy Pirates! Why has the ruler of the Sabaody Archipelago come to Wano?"
"Hurry! Inform the boss!"
"That man standing at the bow looks familiar. Wait, that's Rampage Roldy, captain of the Roldy Pirates!"
"Bastards, what are you waiting for? Open fire and fight back!"
When two overlord-class forces entered each other's territory without prior notice, it was no different from a declaration of war.
Although the members of the Beasts Pirates were terrified, they still raised their weapons. They had no choice. If they retreated before battle, Kaido would not let them off. And if they were unlucky enough to fall into King the Wildfire's hands, that torture-loving maniac would make them understand that death was the true release.
Cannon fire filled the sky.
In the sea, Shien snapped the chains around his body. Now that they had reached the waters of Wano, there was no longer any need for him to keep dragging the Mebius forward.
Still submerged in the ocean, he reached out and seized a large mass of seawater in his palm through a unique technique. With a fierce flick, countless droplets shot out with flawless precision, striking the pirates one after another. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen capable fighters fell dead.
"Beasts Pirates, pay the price!"
A cold light flashed in Moria's eyes.
He was usually lazy, but at this moment, he displayed his full strength. There was still hatred between him and Kaido. In that defeat years ago, he had lost a large number of subordinates. If Roldy had not extended a helping hand in time, all of his men might have died there.
And now, after twenty years of harsh training, Moria was no longer the man he had been back then.
An Asura-like aura erupted from him.
Moria's eyes widened, and Conqueror's Haki surged outward. Black-and-red lightning filled the entire sky and earth. The Beasts Pirates who still wanted to resist rolled their eyes back one after another, losing consciousness under the impact of that overwhelming presence.
However, the Beasts Pirates' distress call had already gone out.
Of course, Roldy and the others did not care.
On the surface, they had come to purchase weapons and Sea-Prism Stone and to prepare for an alliance. But Roldy knew Kaido's nature very well. That fanatic of war would only consider an alliance if they displayed equal strength. Unless they beat him into submission, even having a normal conversation with that madman would be wishful thinking.
As for the lives of these small fry?
Kaido would not care.
Even if they killed them all, it would not matter.
The Mebius rode the wind and split the waves, unstoppable.
At last, by the time the pirates' call for help reached the ears of the All-Star in charge of coastal defense—King the Wildfire—Roldy's group had already set foot on the land of Wano.
Kuri region.
Having just landed, Roldy and the others looked around curiously at everything in Wano.
However, unlike the secluded kingdom they had imagined, everything in Wano was filled with desolation. Although the trees were lush and the streams were clear, Roldy could smell a heavy chemical stench in the air. Under the sunlight, the river water gave off a strange glow. Clearly, even this ordinary freshwater was poisonous.
They continued forward.
Finally, after walking for roughly twenty minutes, a dilapidated village appeared before everyone's eyes.
Amigasa Village…
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