Rowen was absolutely certain that after learning he had stolen three tons of Dyna Stones, Akainu must be furious.
After a brief minute of silence, his Den Den Mushi rang nonstop for a full thirty minutes, so much so that the poor thing was sticking out its tongue in exhaustion.
Naturally, Rowen ignored every single call.
He stuffed the Den Den Mushi deep into a room within his ring's space. No matter how much it rang or buzzed, he couldn't hear a thing anymore.
"Buuurp..."
After eating and drinking his fill, Rowen stood up and stretched his neck with a pop.
"Now then... what should I do with you?"
Guuu, RUMBLE!
A massive tree trunk burst through the surrounding rocks, exposing the volcanic magma pool hidden deep within the mountain. Bubbling magma poured down natural channels, setting trees ablaze as it flowed downward, eventually merging with the ocean and sending white steam billowing into the sky.
"Ryokugyu really went and did something huge..."
After briefly inspecting the island, Rowen smacked his lips and muttered in awe.
This was an END POINT, one of the three pressure valves that stabilized the New World's underground magma layer. The reason they required Dyna Stones, weapons of mass destruction, to detonate these points was because of the unique geological makeup.
To destroy the stacked underground strata, like bottle caps layered on a bottleneck, you needed immense energy and shock force to concentrate pressure into a single spot, using the magma's own force to shift the tectonic plates and unleash a world-ending natural disaster.
And given the thickness of the rock layers forming the volcanic shell... other than a Dyna Stone, you might as well toss Akainu himself in.
Cough cough!
All jokes aside, the current END POINT, at least this one in front of Rowen, was in critical condition. It had become dangerously fragile.
'Who is Ryokugyu?'
'He is a Wood-Wood Fruit ability user.'
'What had he just done?'
'He used the entire island's life force to grow massive trees and reshape the landscape!'
As a result, the volcano that once acted as the island's outer defensive shell had been completely consumed in the process.
Now, the exposed magma pool, the most crucial part of the site, was completely open to the air. You wouldn't even need to throw Akainu in. Just one blast from a Super Electromagnetic Cannon could wipe it out.
Aside from Wood powers, not even the Stone-Stone Fruit could cause this level of structural change.
It was like the heart, which should've been safely hidden behind ribs, now lay completely outside the chest cavity, protected only by a thin layer of skin. You could clearly see the vessels and nerves above.
After thinking for a moment, Rowen let the electricity in his hand dissipate.
"Not yet... not now."
The END POINT determined the fate of the New World. Destroying it, if at all, should be a last resort.
And even then… It shouldn't be done by his hand. And even if he had to do it… It shouldn't be done this casually.
"Hmm..."
Rowen sighed, feeling like his moral baseline was sinking lower and lower. Then his lips curled upward.
"I've got a plan!" (｀ω)
He approached Ryokugyu's headless corpse, hoisted it up, and carried it to a jagged stone ledge near the magma pool. After fiddling around, he brushed off the excess dirt.
Once done, he chuckled softly.
"Exploiting the habit of soldiers checking corpses during war. Brutal… but effective, right?"
Hidden from view, the rock behind Ryokugyu's body had been hollowed out.
Inside were dozens of jars of Dyna Stones suspended in a special liquid. Several fine threads from Ryokugyu's coat connected the corpse to the explosives, fragile and dangerous.
If anyone tried to retrieve the body, BOOM!
"Do me a favor, buddy, if you don't wanna die, behave yourself these next few days."
Rowen stomped on the molten lava beneath his feet, then leapt into the air. A flash of thunderlight streaked across the sky as he vanished into the distance.
…
Wano Country, Flower Capital
Not long after, Orrick received word that the END POINT was still intact.
"No detonation?" He looked at Kurozumi Orochi in surprise, blinking in disbelief.
"I see... So Soryu (Azure Dragon) still clings to his ambition."
"If he detonated an END POINT, the public would turn their already-fragile admiration into pure hatred. No one wants a world-destroying maniac hanging over their heads. Murdering pirates and murdering civilians are two very different things. Heh... thanks for the help, Soryu (Azure Dragon)."
Thinking he had seen through everything, Orrick smirked confidently.
"That means we haven't completely lost control of this END POINT yet. Since the information's public, and the Marines haven't fully secured it, the battle is still on."
"He let his personal ambition ruin a golden opportunity for his allies... Tch! What a self-serving bastard."
Kurozumi Orochi scoffed with contempt, enjoying the company of the oiran Komurasaki as he raised a cup of sake.
"So what? As long as things are moving in a good direction, I don't care what his intentions are."
Kaido raised a giant-sized sake bowl, longer than a full-grown man, and took a sip.
"Speaking of which, it's really a shame that Ryokugyu died. I was planning to recruit him into my pirate crew."
Kaido's reputation for cherishing talent was well-known. As long as someone wasn't an amateur, even if they were an enemy, he would still give them a chance. Even if their strength wasn't up to his standards, he would still visit them repeatedly, trying to win them over.
Naturally…
If they refused him three times, their ending would be tragic.
However, Ryokugyu was not only powerful but also Orrick's subordinate, this had left Kaido brooding for a while.
At this, Orrick was silent for a moment before turning to speak.
"Lirisk, find time to go to the END POINT. See if you can recover Ryokugyu's body. At least we were once teammates, it's only right to lay him to rest."
Upon hearing this, the man seated beside Orrick, Lirisk, dressed in a clean-cut combat outfit, nodded his head.
"I'll head out shortly. I figure once the Marines stabilize their offensive rhythm, their counterattack won't be far behind."
Although the world was currently engulfed in war, in reality, both sides hadn't committed their full strength yet.
Never mind the fact they were still sitting here drinking sake, Kaido's elite Cyborg force was still stationed in Wano Country, and on the Marine side, over half of the Assassination Force's elite assassins were still waiting on orders, with Base Heads overseeing various regions.
Right now, both sides were still in the probing stage, like a sparring match before a real fight. Just like how steel must be repeatedly heated before being forged, both sides were constantly testing each other's limits, looking for weaknesses, only then could they land a decisive blow!
Only then would it count as a true war!
Who would win? No one could say. The scales of fate remained hidden beneath the hem of the goddess of destiny.
Orrick nodded at that and said nothing more, continuing to drink. Just then, a samurai respectfully slid the door open and knelt outside.
"General, we've received urgent information!"
"Huh? What is it? Have those guys attacked again?"
While both factions were locked in a standoff, some restless elements were still moving behind the scenes.
Because Momonosuke had been captured, Foxfire Kin'emon, together with the Straw Hat Pirates, just like in the original story, had begun rallying rebels to overthrow Kurozumi Orochi. This had scared Orochi half to death recently.
However, Orrick paid no attention to those heroes from 20 years ago. After returning quickly from the World, he immediately dispatched Lirisk and his subordinates to launch a sweep, defeating the Straw Hats. Thanks to the desperate cover of their comrades, they barely escaped with their lives and went into hiding.
"No, it's news from the Marines."
The samurai respectfully reported: "Marine Headquarters just issued an announcement: Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon) has returned safely and gave a public speech, expressing his confidence in this war."
"Impossible!"
Before Orochi could even react, Orrick stood up with a frown.
"Marineford is thousands of miles away from where he was captured. Even for Soryu (Azure Dragon), returning in under 24 hours is impossible!"
"Indeed... Could this be another Marine trick?"
Orochi furrowed his brow. Right now, even he feared Soryu (Azure Dragon) like a tiger.
Then Kaido, drunk and red-faced, suddenly spoke up.
"You know, Orrick... I've had this question for a while."
"This whole affair, about Soryu (Azure Dragon) being captured, was all based on what you told us. But from the beginning until Ryokugyu's death, none of us actually saw the guy in person…"
"You think I lied to you?!" Orrick glared sharply, interrupting Kaido mid-sentence.
"Ryokugyu is dead. The END POINT is sure to bear traces of battle, you're welcome to investigate it yourself."
"No… I'm not doubting you, Orrick. I'm doubting the Marines... hic."
Kaido let out a rank-smelling drunken burp, then braced his only remaining arm on the floor and leaned back.
"Was Ryokugyu really killed by Soryu (Azure Dragon)?"
"Or… from the very beginning, was this all part of the Marines' trap?"
Even now, all anyone could confirm were three points:
Ryokugyu did capture "Soryu (Azure Dragon)."
Ryokugyu did transport him to the END POINT.
Ryokugyu was killed.
However, to this day, no one knows what exactly happened at the END POINT. The location was so far that even departing from Wano would take five days.
"It's like twenty years ago, when you faked surrender to lull Kozuki Oden into lowering his guard. But that was just a front, your true self had already opened the city gates and let my men slaughter their way into the inner city."
Kaido looked toward Kurozumi Orochi, his drunken eyes hazy.
Amid the deepening tension, no one noticed the courtesan Komurasaki sitting beside Orochi, clenching her fists so tightly that her fingernails dug into her palms.
No one, or maybe not quite no one.
"This woman…"
Elsewhere in the room, Lirisk swirled her sake calmly, eyes locked on Komurasaki.
He had noticed, every time someone mentioned Kozuki Oden, she always gave an obviously fake smile.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 90 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.p*treon.com/darkshadow6395