"Lucci has been captured. The Brewing Fruit has been secured."
"The Kozuki clan is on their way to Wano. But… it seems that man arrived earlier than we had anticipated."
In the dark underground hall, a man in a black suit knelt halfway down, his voice calm as he reported all the recent developments to those gathered.
At his words, the man seated at the head of the round table slowly opened a pair of crimson, eerie, demonic eyes and spoke:
"The fish has taken the bait. Although things have gone somewhat beyond our expectations, everything is still within our control."
"Imu, prepare yourself for matters in Wano. If I am not mistaken, the seas beneath our feet are already beginning to stir."
Everyone present trembled at those words, looking at the man in disbelief.
"You mean to say…"
"Yes. Those people will not remain idle. It's possible they will forge a new alliance. We cannot afford to lower our guard."
"Imu, as the inheritor of that fruit, you should understand your weight in this war. I hope you won't try anything reckless."
Whether warning or reminder, the man's blood-red eyes locked coldly onto Imu, seated across from him.
Since awakening from his stone tomb, the man had found that the Twenty Kings of this era were no longer united, no longer a single iron wall as they once had been.
Perhaps it was the result of centuries of slumber—but each carried their own secret designs.
Especially that boy from back then. Now grown into something terrifying, his mind was no longer simple, nor would he blindly obey.
Faced with such a fractured mess, Rochelle found himself weary in both body and spirit.
Yet, despite the exhaustion, for the sake of his true goal, he had no choice but to sit once more at the head seat—even if his followers' hearts were divided.
"Report! The giant soldiers of Wano have been annihilated! Pluton has been activated!"
"It seems our plans must also be accelerated. Enough—go, all of you. Do as I've said, and we will have another chance at victory. And beyond that…"
"We may obtain immortality itself."
"And seize the full power of that nation."
Luchiru's lips curved into a cold smile as he looked over the gathered council.
Though his Devil Fruit allowed him a form of eternal life, the price it demanded was horrifying—so dreadful that he would rather abandon it and pursue another path to immortality.
At his command, the great hall gradually emptied. Luchiru cast one last glance at Imu, still seated in silence, then turned and left without another word.
When all had gone, Imu drew a Den-Den Mushi from his robe.
"Yo… kuwahinei… To think you would call at such a time. Do you have orders for me?"
"Spare me that disgusting voice. The operation has already begun. You don't need me to tell you what to do, do you?"
"Kuwahinei… Tch. Very well."
"Then it seems there's no longer any need for me to hide my identity. Shame about the paycheck, though."
"Don't waste my time. I'd kill you if I could."
"…Fine. Goodbye."
The Den-Den Mushi went dead with a busy tone. Imu's face darkened, and with a sharp crack, he crushed it in his hand. Blue energy flared from his palm, reducing the broken shell to nothing.
Finished, he drew a grey cloak around himself and left the chamber.
History… from this moment, it was destined to repeat itself.
Boom!
Boom!
Towering waves rose, as colossal steel monsters emerged from the sea.
History always has a way of giving people déjà vu.
"This…"
Watching the ocean give birth to those metallic titans, Rodan's eyes blazed with excitement.
The sight brought him back to the world of a thousand years ago.
"What's wrong?"
"Can't hold back your thrill?" Ghidorah glanced at Rodan and asked coldly.
"Yeah. Back then, we suffered plenty at the hands of these things. But now…"
"Who hunts who… is another question entirely." Rodan's voice was filled with awe as he gazed upon the rising steel giants.
"They're nothing but appetizers. I suspect those people already intend to seal me here again."
A massive wave crashed at Ghidorah's feet, surging toward the island.
Casting a glance at the shore, he said:
"Take that brat Kaido somewhere safe."
Rodan's face twisted in reluctance. To be honest, he didn't want to leave.
But seeing the unyielding look on Ghidorah's faces, he could only click his tongue in frustration before flying toward the island's center.
Once Rodan had gone, Ghidorah too took flight, skimming the waves as he rushed toward the massive steel creatures.
The enormous titans did not attack immediately. Instead, they assembled—joining together once more.
A beast already two hundred meters tall locked into place with the others, forming a four-legged monstrosity.
Like a colossal spider forged of iron, its form rose higher and higher—until it loomed five hundred meters into the sky.
At five hundred meters, the steel beast dwarfed Ghidorah, the difference like an adult towering over a child.
"Ghidorah!"
A deep, sinister voice rang from within the spider's core.
Ghidorah did not stir. He did not recognize the speaker—nor did he care.
And so, without a word, his maws opened and loosed a blazing Gravity Beam.
The radiant beams of gravity pierced the sky, and instantly the sunny seas darkened as storm clouds gathered.
Thunder roared as the golden torrent shot forth.
The spider's central maw split open, revealing a massive cannon barrel.
Boom!
A deafening blast ripped the air apart as a pillar of blue, laser-like energy speared out, colliding head-on with Ghidorah's beam.
The two forces tangled violently, forming a seething sphere of destructive energy between them.
The sphere quivered, shoved back and forth as the powers wrestled for dominance.
"Impressive technology… to have recreated it to this degree."
Ghidorah actually sounded impressed as he watched the energy pour from the spider's maw. Then, another of his heads fired.
The second Gravity Beam merged with the first, doubling its size and power. The energy sphere was driven back, inch by inch, toward the spider.
The unstable orb swelled larger, the air around it fracturing.
Black rifts split open in space itself, torn apart by the overflowing force.
Bolts of stray energy were swallowed by the darkness, snuffed out in an instant.
Sensing it could not withstand, the spider's cannon roared with even greater fury, its output surging higher.
The sudden escalation gave Ghidorah pause.
Though the weapon's force was not enough to obliterate an island in a single shot as in ages past, the fact that the World Government's technology had advanced to such a level… was enough to leave him shaken.
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