That storm was supermassive—howling winds and roaring thunder within it, torrential rain pouring down. If an ordinary ship entered, there was a significant chance it would sink.
So Redfield was a little worried.
But Creed replied calmly, "Simple. Fly higher than the storm, and we'll avoid it. Komurasaki."
"Ying!!"
With the Ark Maxim around, the little one's spirits seemed much better. No longer listless, the moment Creed gave the order, it shot into the air and aimed at the Ark's lightning receiver—then spat a mouthful of lightning breath.
Boom!
The lightning breath Komurasaki unleashed now contained extremely mighty power—enough to instantly kill an SSS+-level powerhouse. With just that single blast, the Ark Maxim shot upward, its flight speed suddenly doubling two to three times over.
"Ying ying ying!"
Seeing the Ark Maxim rapidly climbing, Komurasaki was clearly delighted. It started flailing its little limbs excitedly and fired bolt after bolt of lightning, continuously bombarding the lightning receiver.
Obviously—it had turned the Ark Maxim into its own giant toy!
That childish nature made Creed a little uneasy.
If what Shiki and Big Mom had said was true, then Uranus had existed for at least several hundred years—an old fox through and through.
And Uranus had definitely followed Imu through countless battles. Its combat experience would be unimaginably rich.
Letting this carefree, brainless Komurasaki face such an existence… Creed honestly had no confidence.
"Maybe… I should find more chances to temper it?"
Creed realized he hadn't cared enough about Komurasaki.
All this time, he had been charging toward the goal of overthrowing the Celestial Dragons, rarely minding other things. Not just Komurasaki—even Ain had been lacking the care and companionship she deserved.
Thinking of that now, a hint of guilt rose in Creed's heart.
Boom rumble rumble!
Woooooo!
Pat pat pat!
The thunderclaps, the wind's wail, and the rain's pounding made Creed's mind tighten.
They were about to reach the storm, but the Ark Maxim still hadn't climbed above it yet.
It wasn't that the Ark was slow—the storm had moved too fast. A moment ago it was still over ten miles away, but in less than ten seconds, it had shifted right in front of them.
Ain turned, about to add her own power and force the Ark above the storm.
"Ying ying ying!"
But when Komurasaki saw her about to act, it waved its little paws in refusal. It stopped playing around, imitating Creed's stern composure. Then its cheeks puffed up hard.
At the same time, it spread both wings, and the lightning symbols on them emerged and began to shine brilliantly!
A moment later, the lightning symbols on its wings flowed rapidly across its body, all converging toward its swollen cheeks.
"Roar!"
Then it let out an angry roar, and a ferocious bolt of lightning blasted from its mouth!
Boom!!
The power contained in this lightning was at least ten times—dozens of times—stronger than before. It even stirred ripples through space itself. Even the Ark trembled, and Creed immediately unleashed Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) to stabilize it.
"It's still holding back! It didn't even add its flame power into the breath. The question is whether its lightning-flame breath is stronger than Kaido's dragon breath…"
Creed weighed it briefly and felt Kaido still had the edge.
After all, Kaido's overall strength at SSSS+ could absolutely crush SSSS- without issue!
With this massive lightning infusion, the Ark Maxim became like a rising rocket—whoosh! In an instant it surged hundreds of meters and shot above the storm clouds.
Above the storm, looking down at the pitch-black sky below, the layered heavy clouds and the rolling lightning, everyone aboard felt a bold sense of exhilaration.
This was the feeling of standing above the power of nature.
And the thrill of soaring high in the heavens!
In the pirate world, there were Devil Fruits that defied the heavens, but true flight abilities weren't that common.
Even if some SSSS-level powerhouses could rely on perfected Geppo (Moon Walk) to reach the skies and fulfill a dream of flight, it still wasn't as free and effortless as those truly able to fly—like Marco and King the Wildfire.
Creed let his mind wander for a moment, then began discussing the plan to invade Kaido's lair with Redfield and Ain…
The place Kaido lived was called Onigashima—treacherous terrain, heavily guarded, easy to defend and hard to attack.
But with the Ark Maxim, Creed's group could bypass the guards and descend straight from the sky.
Of course, Creed didn't take those guards seriously at all anymore. To him, those mobs were just one or two sword swings—no stamina loss whatsoever.
As for the Calamities, they would be left to Redfield, Ain, and Komurasaki. With their current strength, it should be more than enough.
Before, the Calamities were SSS+ or SSS at best. Even if they'd improved over the years, at most one of them might have advanced to SSSS-.
Once everyone understood their targets, they began rotating rest.
The Ark's speed was fast, but the trip to Wano Country would still take several days.
During that time, Creed, Ain, Redfield, and Komurasaki split into three shifts and took turns controlling the Ark.
About five days later, they would finally see Wano Country's silhouette.
As they entered the skies above Wano Country, their amazement quickly turned into anger.
Wano Country was a beautiful nation—lush mountains and clear waters everywhere. But in some areas, the manmade pollution was horrifying to behold.
Those sources of pollution all came from factories Kaido had set up.
No one knew if those factories produced artificial Devil Fruits, Sea Prism Stone, or something else—but the damage was undeniable.
The towns around the polluted areas were all ruined and decayed. Many people were skin and bones, barely clothed, looking like they wouldn't last much longer.
Yet some townspeople were bizarre—no matter how destitute and hungry they were, they wore smiles that never left their faces.
Those smiles, paired with the crumbling towns, felt eerie—nothing like the carefree joy of a paradise.
Redfield and Ain's expressions also turned grim. They could see the wrongness in it too.
And Creed, recalling everything he knew about Wano Country from the original story, felt fury rise in his chest.
These eerie residents had all become like this because they drank water polluted by SMILE factories…
(End of Chapter)
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