Why must Dyna Stones be stored in a special solution inside custom-made containers?
Because they are highly flammable, volatile, and catastrophically explosive. Their flammability comes from the simple fact that mere contact with air triggers an instant chain reaction, igniting them on the spot.
Their true terror, however, lies in their unstable molecular structure. Forget violent reactions involving ignition or combustion, sometimes even the lightest impact can trigger an irreversible collapse, releasing a monstrous surge of energy in a single blow.
That is why they must always be submerged in solution, sealed away from the faintest trace of air, and secured in containers designed to withstand shocks no ordinary material could endure.
But here lies the real question: 'If even the shallow-witted Kurozumi Orochi managed to stumble across such knowledge… would anyone seriously believe Rowen hadn't accounted for it?'
This was all within his calculations.
Rowen wasn't necessarily orchestrating every last move to drive Orochi toward a predetermined end, but he was always prepared. Always ensuring there was no chance of losing control.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat crew, making their way across the Flower Capital, turned pale at the thunderous tremor that rocked the land. The heaven-shaking blast rolled through the skies like the roar of an angry god. Fortunately, the explosion had erupted in a district already evacuated, so casualties were spared by a stroke of fortune.
"Hey, Luffy… what do you think just happened?"
Zoro's expression was grim, though he forced a crooked smile, trying to downplay his unease.
"Could it be… that Soryu (Azure Dragon) and Kurozumi Orochi perished together?"
"You idiot, green seaweed head! Are you trying to prove how small your brain is?"
Sanji lit a cigarette with trembling fingers. He took in a long drag, exhaling shakily before answering, his tone sharp but heavy.
"He's a Logia, you moron. An explosion shockwave means nothing to him."
"Hah?! What did you call me?"
"Green! Seaweed! Head! You got a problem with that?!"
The two launched into another familiar clash, but Luffy ignored them. He tugged his hat lower, quietly taking a deep breath. He knew why they were bickering. This was just their way of venting that gnawing dread writhing in their chests.
Think about it, merely facing a single Lirisk had nearly broken them, dragging the crew to the very brink of collapse. But now, standing opposite a foe even more formidable… Wano's General, Kurozumi Orochi, not only Kaido's ally but also Rowen's target… What chance did they possibly have before the Soryu (Azure Dragon) himself?
No matter if this blast was Orochi's work or Rowen's design, the outcome was inevitable. Between a Logia and a Mythical Zoan, there was no debate on who would remain standing.
This oppressive, invisible weight, they had felt it before.
Rowen never even treated them as opponents. And yet, his very presence was overwhelming, suffocating… undeniable.
"Up ahead is the prison. We need to hurry," Luffy said at last, his voice calm but carrying that steady steel. Then he tilted his head back, flashing that familiar wide grin. "Let's go!"
The two froze in mid-argument. Zoro glanced at him, lips curling in a wry smile as he sheathed his blades.
"Understood, Captain."
The shockwave faded, rippling away into silence. Thanks to the dense bedrock beneath Wano, no chain of earthquakes followed. The Capital still stood… for now.
Whoosh!
Rowen plummeted from the sky and landed on crystallized gravel, sparks dancing across his body. He drew slowly from his cigar, the ember glowing faintly in the gloom.
"Not bad… still clinging to life, huh?"
The faint curl of smoke slipped from his lips. His next words were like a death knell.
"Too bad for you, that's not good news."
Thud!
He stomped the ground, sending soil tumbling down the edge of the crater. The shifting earth exposed a mangled figure beneath.
Kurozumi Orochi.
His left arm was gone, along with a leg and half his torso. His flesh was torn to ribbons, chunks of bone jutting grotesquely out. A portion of his skull had caved, and his boiled eyes were cloudy white, thin trails of blood cutting across them.
In the final moments before detonation, Orochi had burrowed underground with Hattoryu's digging technique, a desperate gambit that had bought him survival for an instant.
But the Dyna Stone's fury brooked no resistance. Instead of shelter, the blast had ripped the earth itself apart, flinging Orochi's ruined body across the ground. What remained of him now was fragile, flickering on the edge of death.
Too weak to speak, his ruined eyes twitched toward the tremor of Rowen's voice. His broken face spasmed in sheer terror.
Perhaps he meant to beg; perhaps to curse. But the chance never came.
Zzzzap!!
A radiant spear of lightning lanced through his skull. His face froze mid-expression before erupting into shards of gore.
Plop!
The twisted, headless corpse hit the dirt. At last, the hydra that ruled Wano for twenty years had fallen before the Soryu (Azure Dragon).
"This… is the fate of those who defy the Marines. Who defy me!" Rowen's cold voice echoed as he unleashed one last thunderous bolt, reducing Orochi's remains to a smoldering smear of ash.
Closing his eyes, he invoked his Heavenly Network, his voice carried through electrical resonance, searing directly into the ears of his allies, Kanjuro among them.
"Kurozumi Orochi has been eliminated. Next target, Kaido's weapons factory. Destroy it. Free Wano's people." His voice sharpened like a blade.
"This task is yours. You can handle it… can't you?"
Deep inside a mountain cave, hiding from the Beasts Pirates' patrols, Kanjuro and the others exchanged panicked looks. The dread flooding their faces was unmistakable.
That man… that General who ruled and terrorized Wano for two decades… dead?
And it hadn't even been an hour…
The Soryu (Azure Dragon) of the Marines, what horrifying might.
But one among them remained calm. Robin, steady as always, replied with quiet resolve.
"Alright. No problem."
None knew better than her the kind of monster Rowen was. From the instant she had realized "reinforcements" meant him, his arrival had sealed Orochi's fate beyond question.
"That's settled. There's a special troop of Kaido's stationed on the West Blue coast. I'll deal with them en route. Once your mission is done, return directly. From now on, this is Wano's internal matter. I won't interfere. And pirates aren't allowed to interfere either. Understood?"
Robin stiffened.
'Was this… drawing a line?'
Her heart sank, but she gave a solemn nod.
"I understand. I'll inform the Captain."
She knew what he meant. If a ruler outside the allied nations chose to ally with pirates, then the Marines' Iron Fist would descend mercilessly. Cross that line, and not even Garp's shadow would stay Rowen's hand.
At best, Rowen's terms offered them a lifeline: they could aid in freeing civilians. But only as adventurers. Only as heroes. For the Straw Hats to survive, they would have to prove they had another face, separate from the Jolly Roger they flew.
Inside Wano, outside Wano… two identities.
One called Hero.
The other, Pirate.
This was Rowen's Justice.
…
Wano Country, West Blue Coast – Underground Base
Few in the world knew that beneath this barren, windswept coastline lay a sprawling secret facility. The soldiers stationed here were monstrous half-men: their torsos and lower bodies replaced with mechanical prosthetics, leaving only their heads flesh and blood.
Inside a reinforced office, the commander-in-chief of this hidden force, a hulking pirate outfitted with four mechanized arms, lifted a Den Den Mushi to his ear. His eyes bulged in shock as the voice on the other side spoke.
"Kaido Sama… you mean…!?"
"Ah." Kaido's gravel-deep voice came through, fury straining against restraint. "Queen… is dead. Just now…"
The floor seemed to vanish beneath the commander's feet.
Dead!?
For years, Queen had stood as one of Kaido's pillars, his Calamities, a Zoan so powerful he had traded blows even with Admirals and lived to tell it. Yet the moment his Vivre Card began to burn, Kaido knew the truth.
END POINT. Something had gone terribly wrong there… Otherwise, who could possibly erase a man like Queen so swiftly, so decisively?
"How is Wano Country?"
The commander swallowed hard, throat dry. Kaido's simmering tone made his pulse thrum like a war drum.
"Not good!" he admitted, voice shaking. "The Resisters struck under cover of night. Factories are in chaos. Nearly a third of production facilities destroyed. Without your orders, we dared not deploy. The Oniwabanshu moved, but..."
He clenched his jaw.
"…the moment they left the Flower Capital, that monster appeared. The Soryu (Azure Dragon). Orochi confronted him, but…"
His words faltered. Even to speak the conclusion seemed blasphemy.
But then, like lightning striking, realization stormed his mind. His pupils constricted.
"C-could it be, Kaido Sama, that Orrick's retreat and Lirisk's disappearance… were all part of their plot?!"
It was the only explanation.
Orrick leaving could be excused. But Lirisk vanishing without a trace? Impossible. Not when the land itself had been torn apart by Rowen's fight with Orochi. No chance Lirisk had simply "slipped away."
Unless it was all staged. Unless the chaos had been orchestrated from the very beginning.
And the results were plain: The Beasts Pirates crippled.
Orochi consumed. Orrick's side, untouched.
"Hmph… I'll learn the truth." Kaido's voice dropped, cold and merciless. "And if he has betrayed me… I'll make him pay."
But then, silence. A heavy pause. When Kaido spoke again, the exhaustion in his tone bled through.
"As for you… run. Whoever can escape, escape."
The commander froze, blood draining from his face.
Run? Kaido Sama said to run?
Before he could form a reply, screams echoed from the corridor outside. BOOM! The cement wall buckled and shattered, fragments scattering across the room.
Through the dust, a single figure strode in. Sparks crawled across his body. A cruel smirk twisted his lips.
Rowen.
"Sending me a Cyborg force full of scrap metal and wires?" His voice dripped with mockery. "You really know how to make my job easier, don't you?"
Hiss!
The commander sucked in a sharp breath, every nerve fraying with terror. His whisper cracked into a stifled cry.
"He… he really came!!!"
(End of Chapter)
This novel is finished, and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395