Chapter 629: Deciding to Head to the Island of Gods!
Ryuunosuke walked over slowly and took the Key of the Gods from Nobunaga's hand.
"Blackbeard carries the aura of those Guardians," Ryuunosuke said calmly.
"I suspect he has some kind of connection with them."
"Since Kobayashi and the others just ran into Roy and Imu, it's clear the Guardians are not limited to just those two."
He looked toward the direction Teach had fled.
"I didn't leave you here to deal with Blackbeard."
Compared to Teach, this clone of Ryuunosuke cared far more about the Guardians.
If Ryuunosuke had personally moved earlier, even if Teach tried to draw on the Guardians' power, he would still have been crushed.
But once Ryuunosuke revealed himself and made a move, those hidden ones would likely vanish again and refuse to show their faces.
Nobunaga asked again, "Captain, should we stay here and wait? The mess in Wano isn't really our business, right?"
After all, they had just forced Teach back.
And from Teach's display, Orochi was probably dead already.
A Devil Fruit does not change hands unless its host dies.
"No, thank you," Ryuunosuke replied.
"The situation in Wano is basically settled."
"The people of Wano really like the name 'the base of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.'"
"As for the ownership disputes, we can leave them to Conrad and the others."
Then he glanced at Luffy and smiled.
"And Luffy too."
At this point, the problem was almost completely resolved.
What remained were Momonosuke and his side.
But Ryuunosuke truly did not want to stand face to face with Momonosuke.
Even as a clone, his personality and memories were identical to the real Ryuunosuke.
If he had to look at Momonosuke directly, he might not be able to stop himself from killing him on the spot.
That would put Luffy in an impossible position.
So whatever choice Luffy made next would be his own.
"Big Brother, there's nothing left to do here," Luffy said eagerly, eyes shining. "I want to go with you!"
The Island of the Gods.
Luffy had never heard of it before, but if Ryuunosuke and his crew were going there, then it had to be incredible.
To Luffy, that kind of place was the definition of fun.
It was irresistible.
Boom!
A figure jumped in from the distance.
A familiar voice followed.
"I'm going too!"
"Sabo!"
Luffy's face lit up instantly.
It had been a long time since the brothers had been together.
He had heard Sabo was working under Dragon in the Revolutionary Army, and under those circumstances Luffy never tried to drag him into anything.
But seeing him here now made Luffy genuinely happy.
"Luffy… Big Brother," Sabo said, lifting his hat with a broad smile.
Time had left its marks on him, but standing in front of the two of them, he was still the same brother.
Ryuunosuke smiled.
"Since you all want to go, then we'll go together."
He looked toward the rest of the Straw Hat crew.
"But are the others coming too?"
"I don't want to go!" Usopp shouted immediately, face pale. "The Island of the Gods sounds like a super dangerous place! What if some terrifying creature shows up and eats me? What if it plucks all my fur off?"
He swallowed hard and tried to sound reasonable.
"As a crew member, I think the captain's decision is the best decision."
While everyone was talking, Zoro pushed himself up from the ground.
His expression was steady, his eyes hard.
"I'm going."
After hearing Zoro speak with that kind of resolve, no one argued.
If even Zoro, who was in the worst emotional state, had made his choice, what excuse did the rest of them have?
"One by one, really… fine," Nami said first, rolling her eyes.
Since Nami, one of the three most timid, had already agreed, the others had no real way to refuse.
So the Straw Hat crew decided to head to the Island of the Gods as well.
"You all go ahead," Ryuunosuke said. "I have some things to handle here."
He turned to Sabo and placed the Key of the Gods into his hand.
"Sabo, you carry the Key of the Gods."
"I always feel like Luffy will find it annoying and toss it away if I let him hold it."
Sabo took it without hesitation.
Ryuunosuke continued issuing instructions in a calm, efficient tone.
"Shizuku, go help them cross."
"Nobunaga, stay and help me."
"That works," Nobunaga answered.
After arranging everything, Ryuunosuke vanished from the spot.
The less time he stayed in the public eye, the better.
Even though a lot had just happened, his actual time on the scene had only been a few minutes.
When the dust settled, Momonosuke and the others finally saw the situation clearly.
Nobunaga stood alone in the open, staring at Momonosuke's side with an arrogant expression.
The pressure rolling off him was enough for Momonosuke to be certain.
This was the man who had done it.
As for the Straw Hat crew moving toward Onigashima, and the extra presence of Sabo, Momonosuke did not even consider them worth focusing on.
Nobunaga sat down on the ground casually, long sword held across his lap.
"No entry."
His eyes did not leave Momonosuke's group.
"If you want to pass, come and try."
The Mink Tribe members walked up behind Nobunaga and sat down as well.
They did not say a word, but the aura they released was enough to freeze weaker men in place.
Damn it!
Momonosuke's face twisted.
"Wano was originally mine!"
"Why should we hand it to outsiders now!"
His anger and hatred boiled so violently it looked like it might swallow him whole.
"Lord Momonosuke!" Kanjuro grabbed him and forced him to stop moving forward.
Kanjuro suppressed him with grim strength.
Right now, if they acted, they would be fighting Nobunaga and the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
And behind Nobunaga sat the Mink Tribe, once allies of the Kozuki clan.
They knew exactly how terrifying the Minks were in battle.
Not to mention, there were still members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates present.
Even with Kaido on their side, they likely could not stop Nobunaga.
Defeat was obvious before the first strike was thrown.
There was no reason to force a battle that could only end one way.
"Leave," Momonosuke said through clenched teeth.
He was unwilling.
But there was no possibility of turning this around right now.
The best option was to retreat, wait, and look for a better chance later.
Throwing their lives away just to prove their failure would be nothing but stupidity.
.....
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