BANG!
The seven enormous serpent heads slammed into the ground. In an instant, they fell completely silent.
The bizarre scene left Orochi utterly dumbfounded. He stared at Lucas in disbelief.
But faced with this life-or-death crisis, Orochi had no time to worry about anything else. He hurriedly shouted:
"No! Don’t kill me! I’m still useful! Keep me alive and I can negotiate with Kaidō! Don’t forget, I’m Kaidō’s ally!"
"He still needs me to conduct weapons deals with the World Government. Without me, Kaidō will absolutely go berserk! Once he does, no one will be able to stop him!"
Kyoshiro and the others suddenly came back to their senses, their expressions changing drastically.
The mere mention of Kaidō of the Beasts remained their greatest source of concern.
"Kaidō?"
Lucas took a leisurely sip of shōchū before calmly looking up.
"Unfortunately, if you’d worked harder at cultivating your strength and hadn’t wasted that Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, you might have been somewhat useful."
"But unfortunately, you cost me twenty million. So you’d better die."
I cost you twenty million?
Orochi was completely bewildered.
This was the first time he had ever met Lucas!
When had he ever cost this man twenty million?
But with his life on the line, Orochi obviously had no time to dwell on it.
"No! I have plenty of twenty million! I’ll give you all my money! I’ll give you a hundred twenty millions!"
His hysterical roar echoed throughout the ruins.
Yet the moment his words fell, an inexplicable chill swept through his entire body.
He watched as Lucas slowly drew his right hand back through the air.
Orochi suddenly felt a chill around his neck.
A streak of blood shot outward, instantly staining the ruins beneath his feet crimson.
Looking down, Orochi saw a bloody line rapidly appearing across his long neck.
He hurriedly reached up to cover the wound.
But the rapidly fading vitality in his body left him utterly powerless.
The moment his enormous head shifted, it was already separated from his body and crashed onto the ruins.
Even at the moment of his death, Orochi still could not understand when he had supposedly owed Lucas twenty million.
If he had known that this debt would cost him his life, Orochi absolutely would never have incurred it.
"He’s dead? Orochi just died like that?"
Kozuki Hiyori still had not recovered from the shock.
"Uncle Kyoshiro, is this really happening?"
Kyoshiro was equally overwhelmed.
He stared at the ruined castle gate before him.
They had waited for more than twenty years for Wano to open its borders.
They had never imagined that it would happen so easily—or so absurdly.
Looking at Orochi, who had reverted from the form of the Yamata no Orochi back into his human form, Kyoshiro took a deep breath.
He then looked solemnly toward the sky.
"This isn’t a dream. It seems we truly were frogs in a well."
"But what comes next will probably be the real challenge."
"The Beasts Pirates will mobilize and go to war with the Marines. If we want Wano to remain open to the outside world, the only way is to make sure Kaidō cannot return."
"Princess Hiyori, I’ve decided to go to sea with Lord Lucas. I believe he is a great man whom even Lord Oden cannot compare with."
"You’re going to sea?"
Kozuki Hiyori’s expression changed.
However, before she could say anything, Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, and the others arrived from all directions.
They spoke almost simultaneously:
"To ensure that Wano truly opens its borders, we too request permission to go to sea and fight!"
Their voices echoed across the ruins.
Everyone present became solemn.
More and more samurai arrived, each displaying an expression of complete fearlessness in the face of death.
Looking at these people who seemed ready to sacrifice their lives, Hiyori froze.
For a moment, she simply could not process what was happening.
"Go."
Kozuki Sukiyaki patted Hiyori on the shoulder, his expression solemn.
"I’m still here. These old bones of mine are still good for something."
Then, at the end, he blinked and added:
"Just don’t forget—if you get the chance, remember that, well... what Wano truly lacks is genuine strong fighters!"
"Father, get lost!"
Hiyori’s cheeks flushed crimson as she glared at him.
Even so, she could not help instinctively glancing toward Lucas in the ruins.
The sight before her immediately made her pupils contract.
Her face filled with shock.
"Uncle Kyoshiro! Look! There’s a huge ship in the sky! There seem to be all kinds of figures aboard it! What exactly is going on?"
Everyone’s nerves immediately tightened.
They all followed her gaze.
Across the enormous ruins, everyone except Nekomamushi and Inuarashi was visibly shaken.
They had originally thought that Lucas had come here alone.
They had never imagined that such a colossal vessel was following behind him.
And someone capable of suspending such a gigantic vessel in the air...
Could he really be an ordinary person?
"Asura, once you see those big brothers aboard the ship, you’ll understand that you’ve benefited from their presence. Twenty million was absolutely worth it."
Inuarashi hurriedly explained:
"Those men are special combat forces from across the sea. Among them are even individuals whose strength rivals the Admirals!"
Nekomamushi beside him repeatedly nodded in agreement.
At that moment, whether it was Ashura Doji or Kyoshiro and the others, they finally began to understand what Lucas’s constant talk of twenty million actually meant.
They also finally understood why Lucas had said that Orochi owed him twenty million.
Was it because Orochi had simply wasted a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit?
Facing that enormous warship rising into the sky, they had originally been worried about whether they could prevent Kaidō from returning to Wano.
Now, that concern vanished completely.
Ten Days Later — Marineford, Marine Headquarters
With the Summit War drawing closer, it was not merely Marine Headquarters—even the entire sea seemed to have transformed into a gigantic war machine, operating at full speed.
One hundred thousand Marine elite soldiers rapidly assembled at Headquarters.
Countless high-ranking Marine officers also arrived at Headquarters one after another.
With the great battle only three days away, everyone’s heart felt as though an invisible hand were squeezing it tightly.
An oppressive atmosphere spread throughout Marine Headquarters.
At the same time, inside the conference hall of Marine Headquarters, dozens of Marine officers had gathered.
At the head of the assembly were the Three Admirals, while Sengoku personally presided over the deployment of forces for the approaching Summit War.
Just thinking about what Marine Headquarters was about to face—two Emperors simultaneously, along with attacks from more than a hundred pirate crews and one hundred thousand pirates—made Sengoku’s expression grim.
Even his nerves were twitching slightly.
His eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, enough to show how overwhelmed he had been during this period.
He had barely been able to sleep normally.
As Sengoku remained silent, the many officers present did not even dare breathe too loudly.
They knew very well that at this moment, any careless statement could potentially cause a mistake or omission that might affect the Summit War.
For now, all they could do was stare ahead in silence...
and wait for the outcome.
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