Roy still couldn't get his daughter to accept him. Children's instincts are sharp, even though she knew he was her father, she still didn't want anything to do with the current state.
That only fueled Roy's anger. He had eaten that cursed fruit just to kill those monsters, and now his beloved daughter refused to recognize him.
'If Newgate ever saw this, wouldn't he laugh his head off?'
The more Roy thought about it, the angrier he became, and the angrier he was, the more he wanted to vent.
Coincidentally, he needed to go to the Flower Capital to find Momonosuke. When Roy appeared at the shogun's residence, Momonosuke greeted him with a smile at the entrance.
But as Roy glanced at him, the displeasure on Roy's face made Momonosuke's smile freeze. He was startled by Roy's presence.
The others felt it too. The Whitebeard Pirates were stationed in Wano, and they also knew that both Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were now allied with them, far more terrifying than when Kaido alone ruled.
"Mr. Roy!" Momonosuke mustered the courage to address him.
"When can you open the borders?" Roy didn't waste words. He sat down and asked directly.
"N-next month," Momonosuke stammered.
"A month isn't necessary. Open them now," Roy said.
"Wh-what? Now?" Momonosuke exclaimed in shock. Kin'emon and the others were equally stunned.
"Yes. What's the difference between now and a month? It's just a few more days. Unless nothing goes wrong, the Celestial Dragons are about to make a move on the New World, their next target is Elbaf."
"I need to activate Pluton in advance to see if we can create a sky island capable of attacking Uranus. With Uranus in play, the Celestial Dragons will always have a tactical advantage, attacking from above is like beating a child."
"Poseidon can't reach Uranus. The only thing that can is a sky island. Opening the borders now is necessary, we need to prepare ahead of time," Roy explained.
"But Mr. Roy, the timing-"
"There's no need to fuss over the timing. Based on the calculations from your mother's era, the time is now. I'm not here to negotiate. If you can't open the borders, then we'll do it for you," Roy said.
Roy's eyes locked with Momonosuke's. In those eyes, Momonosuke saw something dangerous, rebellious and violent. His heart raced, and his breath grew heavy.
"M-Mr. Roy, I, "
"I'm not here to bargain. Open the borders."
"Lord Roy, Lord Momonosuke is the shogun of Wano. You can't just-" Kin'emon protested.
"Do you want to die?" Roy said coldly. "Or do you want all of Wano to perish?"
"That's enough, Kin'emon. I understand. Lord Roy, I will open the country. But the ceremony requires Zunesha. I'll summon it." Momonosuke gritted his teeth.
"Then hurry up. I don't like last-minute preparations. Open the borders within three days. If you can't, I will do it myself," Roy said, turning to leave the shogun's residence.
Everyone watched him leave, helpless. In front of Roy, they already felt the weight of danger. He hadn't come to discuss, he had come to issue commands.
"Lord Momonosuke, do we really have to open the country now?" Kin'emon asked.
"Yes. We were always going to. This just moves it forward a few days." Momonosuke answered.
"He doesn't respect you at all," Denjiro muttered with a frown.
"This might be the fate of Wano. If we want to shake off these threats, we must become stronger," Momonosuke said. He wasn't stupid. Though young, he had already seen and endured much, and he was growing fast.
Facing the Whitebeard Pirates now, he knew there was no choice but to obey. Resistance was impossible.
Two days later, Zunesha arrived in Wano.
The sight of its colossal body reminded everyone of just how vast the ancient world must have been.
Back then, creatures like Oars and monsters of Zunesha's size roamed freely. Compared to them, even Sea Kings didn't seem so big. Ancient giants and ancient beasts alike had once flourished, but as time passed and the planet changed, most of them had disappeared.
Zunesha was, in fact, a type of Sea King.
All land animals originally came from the ocean. Zunesha was simply a mutated variant Sea King that evolved differently.
But no one knew why Zunesha was so tightly bound to the Kozuki clan. Perhaps it was like Poseidon, who could command the Sea Kings, only, Momonosuke could communicate with ancient land creatures. In truth, Momonosuke himself was like an ancient weapon, though few ancient beasts remained for him to command.
The most likely place where ancient giant creatures still existed was the mist-shrouded Florian Triangle, where massive shadows had been seen, making it the prime candidate for hosting such beings.
Everyone felt the Zunesha's arrival. On the shores of Wano, all eyes turned toward the colossal figure, the largest living creature in the world.
"Zunesha is here," Charlotte Linlin said excitedly.
"The legendary Zunehsa has been wandering the world for centuries, and no one knows why. I never thought the Kozuki family could command it. What kind of family are they? Why does it obey them?"
Charlotte Linlin had many questions, and everyone was curious. Even Kozuki Sukiyaki couldn't explain why their family could communicate with Zunesha.
Roy could do it too, but it was because of his Observation Haki, like Luffy, he could hear the Zunesha's voice but couldn't issue it any commands.
"That elephant experienced the war nine hundred years ago," Kaido said.
"How did it grow so huge? Even Sea Kings aren't as large," Vista remarked.
"To be precise, Zunesha is a Sea King, just a mutated one that evolved from an ocean creature into a land-dwelling being," Roy explained.
"What? Zunesha is a Sea King?" Everyone was astonished.
"Yes. Zunesha was originally a Sea King. You've all seen Sea Kings, many of them aren't much different from land animals, aside from their size. During its evolution, Zunehsa didn't develop a fish-like body but instead grew legs."
"It was born in the sea. As its limbs grew, it became taller and gradually left the ocean, becoming a creature that stood above the sea," Roy elaborated.
"Where did you read this?" Whitebeard asked curiously.
"In records of ancient biological evolution. Someone studied and observed Zunesha around a thousand years ago. Zunesha is over a thousand years old, its existence during the Void Century just wasn't documented. Many adventure journals mention Zunesha, and even Elbaf has records of it," Roy said.
"Enough about that, it's starting!" Whitebeard said, staring ahead.
.....
If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead.
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu