"Opportunity..."
A day later in the Flower Capital, Gion walked side by side with Rosse, looking at the endless stream of pedestrians around them, softly murmuring the two words Rosse had said a few days ago.
Today, she finally understood what Rosse had meant.
Rosse actually dared, at this exact time, to show up in the capital of Wano, the Flower Capital.
Today, there would be at least four top-class powerhouses in this city.
Yet still, they came.
Gion felt Rosse was a little crazy, and that she herself was a little crazy too.
Clearly, they could have secured a sure victory, but in the end, they still chose to take a reckless risk.
Even if Rosse could defeat Whitebeard and Roger together, bringing those two to the Flower Capital today might mean they would both be left here.
Of course, there's only one Whitebeard. Gion meant under the condition that the number of top-class fighters didn't change.
In this situation, Gion was confident she could hold off one, but even if Rosse had broken through to that realm, defeating three would not be an easy matter.
So, in the end, the decisive card... was still in her hands?
Perhaps, she would have to resolve one, then go help Rosse, only then would this battle have a chance of victory.
Gion felt an unprecedented pressure, but at the same time also felt Rosse's trust in her.
This was for her to take a step further forward, betting both of their lives.
Gion had long been prepared, but she hadn't expected Rosse to put her on the line as well.
"Don't keep your body so tense. Today we're just here to have some fun."
Rosse chuckled as he patted Gion's shoulder. The enemies were still far, far away, not even gathered yet, but Gion was already tense.
"How could I not be nervous," Gion muttered in a low voice.
They had come secretly. Not even Zephyr knew about them coming to the Flower Capital.
Once a battle broke out here, by the time news reached Ringo and Zephyr rushed over, the fight would already be over.
After all, in the Flower Capital they had no people, and there was no way to transmit messages remotely.
"We're in the Flower Capital now. Whether they're really willing to gamble or not, that's still uncertain."
Compared to Gion's nervousness, Rosse appeared much more relaxed.
Not to mention his power after the breakthrough, even if all four attacked together, it wasn't certain they could take him down.
Even if he couldn't win, he could still take Gion and escape.
Besides, this was the Flower Capital, the central heart of Wano.
If a battle broke out here, at the very least, hundreds of thousands would die.
That price... could Kozuki Oden really bear it?
Rosse, in truth, also wanted to know whether Kozuki Oden's determination to hunt him down was strong enough to sacrifice the Flower Capital.
To test this thought, Rosse hadn't continued his slaughter at Ringo, so as to avoid making Kozuki Oden overthink.
A one-sided determination to sacrifice wasn't nearly as fun as things were now.
Hundreds of thousands of Wano lives, in exchange for his Rosse's life.
'Kozuki Oden, do you dare to gamble?'
———
"That bastard dares show up in the Flower Capital!?", Above Kuri on the way to the Flower Capital, Kozuki Oden's face was dark, glaring fiercely at the transponder snail before him, which had taken on the form of Kurozumi Orochi.
["He suddenly appeared this morning, just him and Gion. Zephyr and Moria are still in Ringo. The news is confirmed,"] Kurozumi Orochi's voice came through, tone without much emotion.
Anyway, when the sky collapses, it'll be the tall ones who hold it up. Trouble wouldn't fall on him.
Although the news of Rosse's slaughter of Ringo Castle had spread, fortunately the Flower Capital hadn't spread his image. So even if the two of them swaggered about, it wouldn't cause too much uproar.
At most, because Rosse looked different from Wano natives, people would look at him a little more.
But since Kaido had been in Wano these past years, and the Beasts Pirates often appeared in the Flower Capital, people were already used to it.
If it weren't for Kaido still being in the Flower Capital, Kurozumi Orochi would already be thinking of an excuse to slip away early.
"Bastard!"
Hanging up the call, Kozuki Oden cursed again, furious.
"Don't act like some beaten dog. Right now's a great chance, let's rush in together and take him out," Golden Lion crossed his arms, not caring about the Flower Capital at all.
What Flower Capital or not, who cared where it was, getting the man was the real deal.
He had fought Rosse himself back then, and knew how troublesome the guy was.
So young, yet already with power on par with his own peak. If this person wasn't taken out, he might never have hope of ruling the world.
"No way. That's the Flower Capital," Kozuki Oden flatly refused, his face dark, "That bastard is so bold exactly because he knows we wouldn't dare act there."
They might have the chance to kill Rosse there, but the price would almost certainly be the destruction of the Flower Capital. With the destructive power of these fighters, if even one-tenth of the people survived, it would be lucky.
And with his bad impression of Rosse, if it really started, Rosse would definitely head straight for the densest crowds.
"What's there to fear? Such a good chance, what's the loss of a few people?", Golden Lion sneered twice. With such a great chance, no way he'd let it go.
"No. Too many would be sacrificed," Kozuki Oden shook his head, firmly refusing.
If it were just hundreds or thousands, he'd grit his teeth and accept it.
But to sacrifice the entire Flower Capital, he couldn't make such a choice.
"Oden, make your decision," Whitebeard, who had been sitting silently, suddenly downed a gulp of sake, his calm gaze locking on Kozuki Oden, "You can run, but Wano cannot. Either you fight to the death here until the World Government doesn't dare send anyone, or you offer your own head in exchange for Wano's peace."
He knew too well the nature of the World Government.
If Rosse wasn't killed today, then tomorrow when the Navy or other World Government powerhouses came, Wano would still be doomed.
"This...", Kozuki Oden scratched his head, utterly torn.
If Rosse wasn't killed, when the World Government's forces arrived, Wano might not survive.
But if Rosse was killed, it would mean sacrificing the Flower Capital, and it would completely enrage the World Government. If they couldn't hold them off, Wano would be destroyed anyway.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Golden Lion glared at Whitebeard, "Newgate, back then you were the one who lacked guts. If you had been ruthless, Rocks wouldn't have died."
"Don't mention Captain Rocks in front of me."
Whitebeard suddenly burst forth with Conqueror's Haki, glaring at Golden Lion, "If not for your scheming and backstabbing, he wouldn't have been besieged. And now you blame me?"
"Who else to blame? Infighting is one thing, but we were ready to retreat. If you had unleashed a tsunami and drowned the entire God Valley, none of this mess would've happened," Golden Lion spat.
Back then, he had never been able to stomach Whitebeard's mercy.
And this so-called mercy had nearly cost them dearly several times.
"Enough, you two stop arguing! Let me think in peace!", Kozuki Oden cut them off, gloomily propping his head in his hands. He truly didn't know what to do.
Seeing him like this, Golden Lion just sneered and dropped the argument.
Anyway, there was still an hour until they arrived. By then, whether to fight or to negotiate. That wouldn't be Kozuki Oden's choice anymore.
If it really came down to battle, even if Oden refused, it wouldn't be up to him.
Kozuki Oden wasn't his brother, Wano wasn't his country. If Rosse's life could be taken in exchange, it was absolutely worth it.
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