Bang!
Seven massive serpent heads slammed into the ground, instantly falling silent.
The bizarre sight left Orochi completely stunned. He stared at Luo Yu in utter disbelief.
But faced with the brink of death, Orochi couldn't afford to think too much. He screamed in desperation:
"No! Don't kill me! I'm still useful! Keep me alive—I can negotiate with Kaido! Don't forget, I'm his ally!"
"He still needs me to trade weapons with the World Government! If I die, Kaido will go berserk—no one will be able to stop him!"
Kyoshiro and the others snapped back to reality, their expressions darkening.
The name "Kaido of the Beasts" still struck a nerve.
"Kaido, huh?" Luo Yu took a sip of his earthy liquor and looked up calmly.
"Too bad. If you'd trained harder and not wasted that Mythical Zoan fruit, maybe you'd be worth something."
"But you cost me twenty million. So—go die."
Twenty million?
Orochi was dumbfounded.
This was their first meeting—when had he ever cost Luo Yu twenty million?
But with his life on the line, he didn't care about logic. He shouted:
"No! I have lots of twenty millions! I'll give you all my money! A hundred times twenty million—just name it!"
His hysterical screams echoed through the ruins.
But before he could finish, a chill swept over him.
He saw Luo Yu's right hand slowly retracting through the air.
Orochi felt a cold sting at his neck—then a jet of blood sprayed out, staining the rubble beneath him.
He looked down at the gash forming across his long neck.
He tried to cover it with his hands, but the life was already draining from his body.
His massive head separated from his body and crashed to the ground.
Even in death, Orochi never understood when he had supposedly cost Luo Yu twenty million.
Had he known it would cost him his life, he never would've racked up that debt.
"He's dead? Orochi… is really dead?"
Hiyori still couldn't believe it.
"Uncle Kyoshiro, is this real?"
Kyoshiro stood in silence, staring at the ruined castle.
They had waited over twenty years for this moment.
He never imagined it would end so easily—and absurdly.
Looking at Orochi's body, now reverted from his Yamata-no-Orochi form, Kyoshiro took a deep breath and looked solemnly to the sky.
"This isn't a dream. We were frogs in a well. But now… the real challenge begins."
"The Beasts Pirates are gathering. War with the Navy is coming. If we want Wano to stay free, we must make sure Kaido never returns."
"Princess Hiyori, I've decided—I will follow Lord Luo Yu to sea. I believe he's a greater force than Lord Oden ever was."
"You're going to sea?" Hiyori's face changed.
Before she could say more, Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, and others arrived from all directions, declaring in unison:
"To ensure Wano's freedom, we too request to go to sea and fight!"
Their voices echoed across the ruins.
The warriors gathered there grew solemn. More and more samurai arrived, their faces filled with fearless resolve.
Seeing these warriors ready to die for their cause, Hiyori was momentarily overwhelmed.
"Go," said Kozuki Sukiyaki, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm still here. These old bones are still useful."
Then, with a wink, he added:
"And don't forget—if you get the chance, remember what we truly lack in Wano… is real strength."
"Father! You're impossible!" Hiyori blushed and scolded him.
But she couldn't help glancing toward Luo Yu in the ruins.
What she saw made her pupils contract in shock.
"Uncle Kyoshiro—look! In the sky! A massive ship! There are people on it! What's going on?!"
Everyone tensed.
They followed her gaze.
Above the ruins, aside from Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, the others were shaken to their core.
They had thought Luo Yu came alone.
They never imagined he had such a colossal vessel behind him.
And whoever could bring such a ship through the skies—couldn't be ordinary.
"Ashura," Inuarashi said urgently, "once you see the people on that ship, you'll understand. You're lucky to be here. That twenty million? Totally worth it. Those guys are elite forces from the sea—some of them rival Admirals."
Nekomamushi nodded in agreement.
At last, Ashura Doji, Kyoshiro, and the others began to understand what Luo Yu meant by "twenty million."
And why he said Orochi owed him that much.
It was for wasting a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit.
As they stared at the massive warship hovering in the sky, their worries about Kaido returning to Wano vanished.
Ten days later, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
As the war at the summit approached, the entire Navy—and the entire sea—moved like a war machine.
100,000 elite Marines had already gathered at HQ.
Countless high-ranking officers had taken their positions.
With the battle just three days away, everyone's nerves were stretched to the breaking point.
The atmosphere at Marineford grew heavier by the hour.
Inside the strategy hall, dozens of Marine officers were assembled.
At the head of the room sat the three Admirals—and Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself, overseeing the final deployment for the upcoming war.
The thought of facing two Emperors, over a hundred pirate crews, and 100,000 pirates…
Even Sengoku's face was grim. His nerves twitched.
The bloodshot eyes said it all—he hadn't slept in days.
As silence filled the room, no one dared to speak.
They all knew: one wrong word, one misstep, could lead to disaster in the war to come.
All they could do now… was wait.