The New Order in Dressrosa
Ten days passed in the blink of an eye.
Luo Chen remained in seclusion in Dressrosa, his physical techniques currently breaking through from Level 11 toward Level 12.
By now, Dressrosa had officially returned to the hands of the Riku Royal Family. King Riku had resumed his reign over the nation, and Kyros had returned to his position as the Commander of the Royal Army. Viola and Rebecca also had their original identities restored. They were all acutely aware that everything they had today was thanks to Luo Chen's kindness.
King Riku harbored no resentment regarding the upcoming arrival of powerhouses from the Jinghai Army to be stationed there. In fact, the mere fact that Luo Chen had executed over seven hundred Celestial Dragons gave the King a deep sense of goodwill toward the Jinghai Army. After all, Doflamingo had once been a Celestial Dragon himself.
In King Riku's view, out of a hundred Celestial Dragons, ninety-nine were nothing more than wicked beasts.
In short, Dressrosa was back on the right track. King Riku was a rare, wise ruler, and the country was peaceful. Those enslaved by the Donquixote Family were finally free, while Diamante and the other officers and members were all arrested and thrown into the kingdom's prison.
Meanwhile, at Totto Land, the army was still in training. It was estimated that in about half a month, they would be ready to be dispatched to Dressrosa.
Arrival at Wano Country
In Kuri, one of the six regions of Wano Country, the Straw Hat Pirates had followed the guidance of Carina's Vivre Card to sneak into the country.
On the beach, Luffy and the others saved a young purple-haired girl named Tama. To repay their kindness, Tama invited Luffy and the crew back to her home for a meal. However, Wano was currently in a state of ruin. The people lived in abject poverty, and days where they could eat their fill were few and far between.
Tama steamed the last remaining rice in her house to feed the hungry Luffy and his crew. She herself secretly ran outside to drink contaminated river water just to fill her stomach. As a result, Tama fell ill.
Tama's master, an old man wearing a Tengu mask, appeared. From him, Luffy and the others learned of Wano's current situation:
The Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates ruled over Wano.
Kurozumi Orochi, the Shogun, conspired with pirates to enslave the people, forcing them to work without pay.
This environment was the reason even a child like Tama couldn't get enough to eat.
Hearing about the state of Wano and seeing the sick Tama lying on the floor, the crew's hearts were heavy.
"Old man, where can we find food?" Luffy asked, his eyes fixed on the man in the Tengu mask. They had eaten Tama's last bit of food. Luffy, in particular, felt a surge of guilt; he had even complained in front of her earlier about not being full. Thinking back, he felt like punching himself.
The old man shook his head. "Forget it. Paradise Farm is managed by the Beasts Pirates. You'll never be able to steal from them."
Luffy stood up immediately and bolted out the door. Sanji and Zoro followed right behind him.
"Usopp, Chopper! I'm leaving Tama in your care!" Luffy's voice drifted back from outside.
"Make sure you bring back some food! Tama's body is too weak!" Chopper shouted in response.
The old man was furious. "What's wrong with that Straw Hat kid? Is he going to his death?" He hadn't realized what he was saying earlier and accidentally let the location slip before he could stop them.
---
A Vow and a Warning
Tama coughed, looking worried. "Big Brother Luffy and the others are in danger... If only Big Brother Ace were here. With his strength, he would definitely defeat those bastards from the Beasts Pirates."
Usopp and Chopper froze. "Ace?"
"Yeah, Big Brother Ace could produce flames from his whole body. The Beasts Pirates were no match for him," Tama nodded.
The two exchanged a look, confirming that the "Ace" she spoke of was indeed Luffy's brother. Chopper smiled. "If Luffy knows you know Ace, he'll be so happy."
Usopp explained the connection to her, then sighed. "Franky and Brook got separated from us in the currents earlier. If they were here, the success rate would be even higher."
The waters around Wano were treacherous. They had encountered a massive whirlpool that nearly destroyed their ship. Brook, the skeleton man they had only recently met on the way to Wano, had fallen overboard, and Franky had dived in to save him. They still hadn't made contact and didn't know if they were safe.
By sunset, the trio returned. They had hauled back a large cart of food from Paradise Farm fruit, roasted meat, bread, and wine.
As they ate, Luffy laughed happily upon hearing Tama knew Ace. "Don't worry, Tama. Ace is doing very well right now." Since Tama was Ace's friend, she was his friend too. Luffy made a decision: he would defeat the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates so that Tama could eat her fill every day from now on.
Usopp spat out his rice in shock. "Are you crazy, Luffy?! Those are two Emperors (Yonko)! We're supposed to find Carina and leave!" he hissed, pulling Luffy's ear.
But seeing Luffy's nonchalant expression, Usopp felt despair. He knew that once Luffy made up his mind, nothing could change it. Even if they rescued Carina, Luffy wouldn't leave.
Zoro glanced at Usopp. "Even if we just save Carina, we'll likely face both crews. Shiki is here in Wano, and Kaido and Charlotte Linlin definitely know about it. They might even be working together."
Usopp felt a bitter taste in his mouth. How could they possibly defeat Golden Lion Shiki and two Emperors? Luo Chen wasn't here... Usopp found himself deeply missing the days when Luo Chen was around. Back then, he was truly carefree.
Luffy, his mouth stuffed with roast meat, mumbled, "Don't be scared, Usopp. We've gotten stronger."
Chopper nodded vigorously to boost morale. "That's right! We trained with Rayleigh for several months! We can definitely win!"
Usopp hesitated. Could they really win? Rayleigh was the Pirate King's Dark King; surely his teaching was top-tier. Perhaps Luffy and the others really could fight an Emperor now?
Luffy swallowed and grabbed another large piece of meat. "Eat up, Usopp! Tomorrow morning, we rescue Carina, then we take down the Beasts and Mama!"
"It's Big Mom," Sanji corrected.
Seeing everyone's confidence, Usopp relaxed slightly. Maybe we can win tomorrow. Yeah, we definitely can. He began to enjoy the food.
---
The Nightmare
"Brat, what kind of 'King' did you say you were going to be?"
On a shattered landscape, a massive, towering figure stood, surrounded by arcs of dark purple lightning. Cold words drifted from his mouth. A hundred meters away, Luffy lay unconscious, his eyes rolled back into his head.
"Luffy!" Usopp snapped awake.
He sat up in his bedding, the surroundings dim. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Chopper were all fast asleep. It had only been a nightmare. Usopp wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and lay back down.
"Dreams are always the opposite of reality... It's fine, it's fine..."
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