Chapter 125: The Birth of Pluton! Shanks and the Five Elders!
An emergency meeting was underway at the Flower Capital's Shogunate Residence.
Dragon had just informed Kozuki Hiyori of the decision to destroy the surrounding walls.
As the recognized heir of the Kozuki clan and the current shogun of Wano, only she could determine the nation's future.
Upon learning of this plan, the Kozuki retainers urged Hiyori to stop the Revolutionary Army's actions.
In their eyes, this was nothing short of destroying Wano itself.
If necessary, they were even willing to go to war with the Revolutionary Army.
The previously harmonious alliance now stood at an impasse.
Tension filled the room.
If conflict broke out, the fragile alliance would shatter, and everyone would go their separate ways.
The choice was now in Kozuki Hiyori's hands.
She looked visibly anxious—her lips pale, her body trembling slightly.
Yet, despite it all, she nodded in agreement without hesitation.
There was only one reason for her decision:
Opening Wano's borders had been her father Kozuki Oden's lifelong dream!
Though Hiyori wasn't certain if destroying the walls would truly achieve this goal, it was at least a start—a direction.
She was willing to try.
Once she made her decision, the opposition quickly quieted down.
The tide was inevitable.
Continuing to resist was meaningless.
With consensus reached, the operation to dismantle the walls began in full force.
The entire nation of Wano mobilized—men, women, and children all pitched in, gradually wearing down the massive cliffs.
Near the great waterfall, Chu Yang handled the demolition alone. This was his territory, making operations more convenient.
Meanwhile, Queen, Judge, and Caesar were tasked with relocating everything from the laboratory to the mainland. Once the walls were gone, the attic would no longer exist.
Chu Yang activated his Wood Release, summoning a hundred-meter-tall wooden giant that wreaked havoc, the tremors so violent they triggered a tsunami.
A day later, the waterfall's entrance finally collapsed, revealing a massive gap. As seawater drained out, Wano's inland sea level dropped, exposing more of the mountainous barriers.
This accelerated the demolition efforts for everyone else.
Wano's high-profile "Opening of the Nation" act quickly drew the Navy's attention. The situation was reported to the World Government at top speed.
No one could figure out what Wano was attempting. Even the Five Elders were left puzzled.
Could it be that the Revolutionary Army was planning to surrender, willingly destroying their natural stronghold?
The thought alone sounded absurd.
Unless they'd completely lost their minds, there was no reason for such a move.
The World Government held several large and small meetings, analyzing every angle, but still couldn't come up with a logical explanation. In the end, they ordered the Navy to maintain close surveillance.
News of Wano's activities spread across the world, drawing widespread attention.
Aboard the Red Force—
"Looks like Chu Yang and the others are up to something interesting. Should we go take a look?" Shanks asked lazily, sunbathing on the deck.
"Up to you. You're the captain," Benn Beckman replied, puffing on his cigarette beside him.
"If we head over, the Navy probably won't just sit back. They'll definitely follow us," Lucky Roux added, gnawing happily on an unidentified creature's leg.
"Those Navy dogs are such a pain. Been chasing us for days now. We should just stop and give them a good fight," Yasopp grumbled, scanning the horizon.
"That's Garp's ship. Better not provoke him for now," Shanks yawned, stretching as he sat up. "He looks at me like I killed his dog. Let's keep our distance."
He then broke into a grin. "Forget all that. Let's go to Wano! It's been a while since I saw that kid Chu Yang. I wonder how strong his Conqueror's Haki is now?"
Benn Beckman smirked. "He did defeat Kaido. His Haki shouldn't be any weaker than yours."
"If that kid comes back, I might have to hand over my First Mate position," Shanks chuckled.
The crew burst into laughter.
No one saw Chu Yang's strength as a threat to his place in the crew.
Shanks gazed into the distance, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"Can't wait to get to Wano!"
---
Days passed.
Aside from demolishing the walls, Chu Yang and his crew didn't do much else. Even the Revolutionary Army outside Wano had become unusually low-key.
This eerie calm put the World Government on edge—it felt like the silence before a storm.
The Navy, stretched thin trying to quell pirate uprisings across the seas, couldn't spare extra forces.
Thus, the World Government had to rely on CP0 to keep an eye on Wano. Even if they wanted to launch an attack to stop Wano, they couldn't gather sufficient forces in time.
While the Celestial Dragons fretted, Chu Yang was full of excitement—he was about to lay eyes on the legendary Ancient Weapon, Pluton.
As the walls continued to fall, the inland sea nearly drained. Slowly, the Wano of 800 years ago began to reveal itself.
A grand and majestic cityscape emerged—its architectural styles diverse and extravagant, with each district rivaling the luxury of the Flower Capital.
Rainwater wasn't as corrosive as seawater, so the ancient buildings remained surprisingly intact despite eight centuries passing.
Chu Yang strolled the damp streets, admiring the scenery while searching for Pluton.
Given Pluton's enormous size, it shouldn't be hard to spot.
Before long, Chu Yang found the old shogunate residence from 800 years ago. Driven by curiosity, he ventured inside.
It was large but clearly not big enough to hide Pluton.
Staring at the empty halls, Chu Yang remembered that the current shogunate had a secret underground passage leading to a hidden Poneglyph.
Could this ancient residence have something similar?
With that thought, he smashed the golden floors to pieces—and luck was on his side. He found a passage.
Descending into the dark, damp tunnel, he followed it deeper underground until the space widened.
There it was—a massive, menacing warship resting silently on an underground river.
Pluton was even larger than Chu Yang had imagined—easily hundreds of times bigger than the Red Force.
It dwarfed even the giant ship Gran Tesoro.
Calling it a "warship" felt inaccurate—it was more like a fortress that could freely sail the seas.
"Forget the cannons—this thing could sink an entire Navy fleet just by ramming them," Chu Yang marveled.
He hovered over Pluton, staring at the enormous cannon barrels—each nearly the size of an entire ship.
"One shot from this could probably wipe out an entire island."
"No wonder there are legends saying Pluton could destroy the Red Line. The Five Elders have every reason to fear it."
"I wonder how many of these shots I could survive?"
Chu Yang landed on the deck, completely in awe of the weapon's destructive potential.
As he wandered the deck, he suddenly heard footsteps.
Looking up, he saw Dragon, Tiger, and several others arriving.
Their reactions were even more dramatic than Chu Yang's—most stood frozen in place, like statues.
"Don't just stand there! Get down here and figure out how to drive this thing!" Chu Yang shouted.
Snapping out of their daze, Dragon and Tiger hurried down the stone steps to Pluton.
Seeing the ship from the front was even more jaw-dropping.
Pluton's body was entirely black, as if forged from a single massive piece of steel—smooth and seamless, without any visible joints.
Chu Yang threw down a rope ladder, helping them climb aboard. It took nearly half a minute just to reach the deck.
"There's probably another entrance. We need to find the control room's map. Otherwise, climbing up and down this thing every day will kill us," Tiger groaned.
"If only we had a shipwright who knew Pluton's design," he added.
That sparked an idea in Chu Yang's mind—he could ask Shanks to bring Tom, the legendary shipwright, over.
He was sure both Shanks and Tom would agree.
One by one, more people boarded Pluton—Revolutionary Army members, Fish-Man Pirates, Wano's samurai, and of course, Kozuki Hiyori.
Chu Yang then led Dragon and Tiger to the control room, located in the ship's rear.
Unlike typical pirate ships, Pluton's layout resembled modern vessels—the helm and controls were all housed in this room.
Chu Yang didn't rush to activate the ship. Instead, he spent time studying its systems before heading to the engine room alone.
Pluton's power source sat deep within the ship—a massive core that resembled a colossal heart, silent but imposing.
As Chu Yang approached, he felt a strange sensation, almost as if the core was… beating.
He touched its surface. The material wasn't entirely rigid—it had a soft, cartilage-like texture.
"Could this actually be the heart of some massive creature?"
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
After more careful observation, he left the engine room and rejoined the others.
"There's no exit at the end of the river," Chu Yang announced. "We'll have to move the ship to the surface."
"The demolition work must continue. Once Pluton reaches open sea, we need to be ready to move immediately."
"When Pluton appears, the World Government and other forces will surely react. That moment will mark the start of the war."
"Get ready for battle. Don't let your guard down."
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