Reverse Bounties and Cruel Punishment

Drunken Dragon Bagua was not one of Kaido’s moves, but a special state. While drunk, Kaido’s speed, strength, and every other aspect of his abilities were enhanced.

Put simply, it was like being pumped full of adrenaline.

Drunken Dragon Bagua could be called Kaido’s strongest state, and it also meant that the enemy he faced was on his level.

"I never got to use this move in my battle with Kozuki Oden. I’ve regretted it a little all these years."

Kaido stood before Chu Yang. His injuries looked severe, but his eyes shone brightly, and he seemed extraordinarily exhilarated.

Hearing Kaido mention Kozuki Oden, Chu Yang surprisingly did not mock him. Instead, he asked seriously, "Is that your final message? Shorter than I expected."

Kaido froze, then burst into laughter. "Yours isn’t long either."

As soon as the words fell, both figures vanished at once, turning into two black bolts of lightning that crashed toward each other. The entire Flower Capital shook violently, as if it were about to sink into silence.

Although Kaido and Chu Yang were vastly different in size, their fighting styles were remarkably alike. Both favored broad, powerful attacks and overwhelming force.

Kaido swung the Hassaikai in his hand. Every time it came down, Conqueror’s Haki burst from the void as black lightning.

All manner of killing moves assaulted Chu Yang with the utmost ferocity.

Chu Yang refused to be outdone, striking back with his wooden swords.

The collisions between the slender wooden swords and the Wolf’s Tooth Club made people fear that the wooden swords would snap at any moment.

Yet the more terrified they became, the harder it was to look away from the battle.

In only a few breaths, devastation lay everywhere the two passed. The aftershocks of their battle pulverized everything into dust.

The wounds on Kaido’s body visibly multiplied.

With their Conqueror’s Haki evenly matched, Kaido discovered that the formidable body he had always taken pride in was actually inferior to Chu Yang’s.

That human, so much smaller than him, had actually endured several blows from the Hassaikai with his body alone!

Yet after Kaido’s body was pierced by the wooden swords, he could not heal his wounds in time. The mysterious power within each of the two wooden swords wreaked havoc inside him.

As one side waned and the other waxed, Kaido, even in his Drunken Dragon Bagua state, gradually fell into a disadvantage. Yet his fighting spirit only grew fiercer.

He was like a candle at the end of its life, burning itself without restraint.

Since the battle at God Valley decades ago, Kaido had never encountered an enemy as powerful as Chu Yang—powerful enough to drive him into despair!

The two continued their clash. As their Conqueror’s Haki collided relentlessly, dark clouds blanketed the sky, creating a suffocating pressure that left people speechless.

A torrential downpour suddenly fell over the Flower Capital.

Dragon was using his ability.

He had already driven Queen into a corner. The battle would be decided at any moment.

Kaido glanced up at the banquet hall. He knew that if he lost, the Beasts Pirates would be destroyed.

If King were here, the battle would not have been so tense.

At the very least, he would not need to worry about the banquet hall.

The enemy had calculated everything from the beginning, including the timing of King’s departure from Wano Country.

"Where exactly did you get your intelligence? Even the World Government doesn’t know what has happened in Wano Country…"

This question had lingered in Kaido’s mind ever since Chu Yang appeared. If he was going to die, then he had to learn the answer.

Chu Yang smiled. "We don’t know what happened in Wano Country, and we don’t care. We just wanted to find another base for the Revolutionary Army. This is a fine place—excellent location and abundant resources."

Kaido had not expected the enemy’s reason for launching a surprise attack to be so simple. He had even thought they had come to save this country.

Dragon had said from the beginning that he was here to liberate it…

"You’re different from those people. They fight for ideals, while you only fight for ambition."

Kaido suddenly realized that Chu Yang’s starting point was different from Tiger and the others’.

Chu Yang did not deny it. He nodded. "That’s right. Strictly speaking, I’m the only ‘bad person’ among this group."

Kaido took a deep breath. "In that case, we can cooperate. I can give you whatever you want!"

Chu Yang studied Kaido for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. "Only when ambition and ideals support each other can they make it to the end. When ambition encounters ambition, it only creates conflict and destroys everything."

Seeing that persuasion was useless, Kaido’s expression darkened. He had already prepared to stake everything on one final strike.

"Let this all end, Kaido!"

"Great Virtue: Thunder Bagua!"

As Chu Yang’s final words fell, Kaido unleashed his strongest move. The last of his Conqueror’s Haki erupted completely.

Above the two wooden swords, sunlight and moonlight no longer alternated. They burst forth together, forming an enormous grinding wheel that swallowed Kaido whole.

Source Breathing, Second Form: Sun-Moon in Radiance.

The grinding wheel rolled slowly, erasing everything beneath its radiance. Blood rose from Kaido’s body like smoke, and his Blood Qi rapidly evaporated.

Before the Hassaikai could even come down, it disintegrated in midair and turned to ash.

The blue scales of his human-beast form were ground to pieces. Before long, Kaido’s entire body was a bloody mess.

He suddenly dropped to his knees, his body shaking violently, unable to rise.

Kaido lifted his head one final time and looked at Chu Yang.

Unwillingness!

And… relief!

When the sunlight and moonlight reached their ultimate brilliance, even the broken walls and ruins in the streets were completely ground away.

Only a hollow abyss remained.

"Boss Kaido?!"

Queen, who had already been forced into a desperate situation, could no longer see Kaido’s figure. Like a deflated balloon, he collapsed limply to the ground.

Dragon did not continue attacking. Instead, he had his subordinates lock Queen up with the Sea Stone restraints they had prepared beforehand.

He walked out of the banquet hall and gazed at the hollow left behind by the great battle, his heart trembling.

What kind of destructive power was that?

Could anyone in this world truly withstand that attack?

With Kaido defeated, even if the remaining Beasts Pirates resisted stubbornly, they would not last long.

Next, they only needed to deal with Kurozumi Orochi and seize actual control of Wano Country.

Kozuki Momonosuke would not appear for more than a decade, and the regional daimyo capable of inheriting control had mostly been persecuted by Kaido. As long as the Revolutionary Army did not continue oppressing Wano Country’s civilians, no one would step forward to oppose them anytime soon.

The Revolutionary Army did not intend to act as rulers in the first place. They only needed a base and some weapons factories.

As the benefactors who had saved the country, such a request was hardly excessive.

If those samurai were unwilling to cooperate with dignity, then Chu Yang would help them become dignified. The process would just be a little violent.

While suppressing the Beasts Pirates, Dragon discovered that they had already contacted King, who had gone to Dressrosa, and informed him of everything that had happened here.

King would surely return to provide support soon.

But it was already too late.

Yet the call revealed more than King’s return. There seemed to be reinforcements as well. As for who they were, Chu Yang guessed that it was most likely Doflamingo leading the Donquixote Family.

In less than half a day, the banquet hall that Kurozumi Orochi had painstakingly arranged became a temporary conference hall for Chu Yang and the others.

The banquet tables had been cleared away, leaving only two maps. One was a rough map of the entire world, while the other was a map of Wano Country.

"Now that we’ve truly taken Wano Country, I’ve found that its geographical position is far better than I expected."

Dragon pointed to an empty stretch of sea on the world map. "This is where Wano Country is located. There are no countries nearby. Even the World Government knows absolutely nothing about this place, and the distance between us is vast…"

Tiger understood immediately. "A longer front means longer supply lines. If war breaks out, it will consume a great deal of resources. The World Government will find it difficult to commit to wiping us out, because it would require mobilizing an enormous force."

Dragon smiled. "After all, eliminating a force that defeated one of the Four Emperors isn’t something a single Buster Call can solve."

Ivankov suddenly appeared, gripping a Beasts Pirates lackey in his hand. He violently threw him before the group. "This is the one who tipped King off, though he doesn’t seem to know who we are."

The banquet hall had been extremely noisy at the time, and few people had heard Kaido’s words. This crewman who sent the warning had been stationed outside the banquet hall as a guard.

Before the battle had officially begun, he had already been knocked unconscious. He only woke after Kaido’s defeat and hurriedly contacted King through a Den Den Mushi.

"It’s better that he doesn’t know. That way, we can hook a few more big fish."

Chu Yang smiled.

Having dealt with Kaido, they could conveniently eliminate Doflamingo as well. That would be equivalent to wiping out both of their criminal industries in one sweep.

Chu Yang also had the complete Lineage Factor technology in his mind. If he could acquire Doflamingo’s factories, he could try improving the cultivation technology for artificial Devil Fruits, removing their drawbacks so Revolutionary Army soldiers could use them.

Zoan Fruits possessed consciousness and would directly affect their host’s personality, so Chu Yang would not consider them. Logia Fruits were likely the most difficult of the three kinds to create, so they had to be handled cautiously.

Therefore, Chu Yang would first attempt to create Paramecia Fruits.

"Brother Tiger, I found this guy in the warehouse!"

Jinbe entered from outside, carrying a man in the exact same manner Ivankov had earlier.

The person in his hand was Kurozumi Orochi.

Kurozumi Orochi looked utterly ashen.

He was the Devil Fruit User of the Mythical Zoan Yamata no Orochi Fruit. He possessed eight heads, each with an independent consciousness, each representing one life.

Kurozumi Orochi had originally wanted to fake his death and deceive Jinbe, but Jinbe seemed to have known his ability already. He beat him half to death and brought him back to the banquet hall.

Jinbe threw Kurozumi Orochi before Chu Yang and smiled. "If you hadn’t reminded me, he might really have fooled me. His ability isn’t much, but he’s full of tricks."

Kurozumi Orochi abruptly raised his head and stared at Chu Yang, suddenly realizing that this man was the one sending him to hell.

"Spare me!"

"I can hand all of Wano Country over to you! Please, let me go!"

Looking around, Kurozumi Orochi saw that most of the people present were looking toward Chu Yang. He immediately threw himself to the ground and crawled toward Chu Yang’s feet.

But the moment he approached, Chu Yang kicked him away.

"Take him to the large square outside. That’s where Kozuki Oden was punished back then. Hang him up and leave him to Wano Country’s civilians. I’ve heard that plenty of people want to drink his blood and eat his flesh."

Kurozumi Orochi shuddered violently, then his body began convulsing. He knew that many people outside were indeed waiting to vent their deepest hatred on his body.

As the user of the Yamata no Orochi Fruit, if he was truly torn apart and eaten, the process would likely be exceptionally long, and he would suffer unimaginable pain.

"Please, don’t do this! I’ll give you anything you want! I can apologize to those commoners too. I’ll apologize sincerely!"

"Then just kill me! Please, just kill me!"

Kurozumi Orochi let out miserable wails and tried to get closer to Chu Yang, but soldiers immediately seized him.

Dragon gave a slight nod, signaling the soldiers to do as instructed. Kurozumi Orochi was fitted with Sea Stone shackles and escorted to the Flower Capital’s square, where a horrifying punishment awaited him.

Dragon also wanted to know just how much anger and Resentful Energy the people here had accumulated.

Publicly executing Kurozumi Orochi was the best way for the Revolutionary Army to win the people’s hearts.

After dealing with Kurozumi Orochi, everyone returned to the conference table. Chu Yang pointed to the edge of the Wano Country map, the waterfall area where they had first landed.

"Everyone came up from this place, so you should understand its importance. I want the Sun Pirates to be responsible for its defense."

Fish-Men could communicate with and control fish, making them highly suited to guarding the waterfall region at the front of the mountain. As long as they prevented enemies from landing on the island in large numbers, they would remain invincible.

As for small-scale elite battles, if one came, Chu Yang would deal with one.

Tiger agreed with Chu Yang’s proposal. He had considered this issue while landing on the island, and Fish-Men were indeed well-suited to the task.

Furthermore, most Wano Country civilians remained highly wary of their group, especially Fish-Men, whose appearance visibly differed from humans.

The people of Wano Country had never seen Fish-Men, so there was no discrimination. But out of the instinct to protect themselves and survive, they would certainly regard them with hostility. That was an objective fact.

If both sides stayed together in the short term, considerable conflict might break out. There were also radicals like Arlong among the Fish-Men, who would definitely intensify the tensions.

Having the Sun Pirates remain in the waterfall and coastal regions for the time being would help both sides ease their tensions.

Before long, once everyone realized that the Fish-Men had come to help them, Tiger and the others would receive equal treatment from humans here for the first time.

"How many of the weapons factories in Wano Country should we keep?"

"If we handle this poorly, they may become a source of conflict between us and Wano Country’s residents."

Tiger raised the most sensitive subject. After all, those weapons factories had been one of the main reasons Chu Yang convinced the Revolutionary Army to come to Wano Country.

"Most of them definitely need to be dismantled. If we can’t do that, then liberating this country will become nothing but empty words. That would go against the original purpose of the Revolutionary Army’s founding."

Dragon’s tone was unexpectedly resolute. Both Chu Yang and Tiger had thought he would hesitate over this matter, because weapons concerned the Revolutionary Army’s growth.

They had not expected Dragon’s conviction to be so strong. He truly was a revolutionary fighter!

Tiger’s expression eased, and Chu Yang smiled a little more as well. Neither of them wanted this issue to shake the alliance.

"We’ve discussed nearly everything that needs discussing. Now there is only one final matter."

Just as everyone thought the meeting could end, Chu Yang suddenly spoke. "We have acquired an almost perfect base. Now it’s time to oppose the World Government in a more proactive way."

A proactive way?

Dragon and Tiger looked at each other. One traveled around liberating nations, while the other sabotaged the Celestial Dragons’ slave-catching operations everywhere.

Was there a more radical approach than that?

Chu Yang’s eyes gleamed.

"Starting today, we’re putting bounties on the Marines and the World Government, just like they’ve always done!"

Putting bounties on the Marines and the World Government?

Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

For centuries, the World Government had always been the one placing bounties on others. Now they were going to reverse it?

The hall immediately fell silent.

Tiger suddenly burst into loud laughter, feeling immensely satisfied. "Just as expected of you. You actually came up with something like this."

A flash of excitement passed through Dragon’s eyes. He also found Chu Yang’s proposal extremely interesting.

"If those Celestial Dragons wake up one day and find that someone has put bounties on them, their expressions will definitely be spectacular."

Ivankov could not help laughing.

"Just imagining it makes the scene feel incredibly amusing."

Jinbe clutched his stomach and laughed.

Even Arlong, who always wore a stern face, slowly curled his lips upward, no longer looking as if the entire world owed him Beli.

"Then it’s decided. Once we deal with King, we’ll immediately make the Reward Orders and turn the Celestial Dragons into the laughingstock of the whole world."

Everyone nodded repeatedly, and Dragon ultimately made the final decision with a slap on the table.

Chu Yang knew that once these Reward Orders were issued, the arrogant Celestial Dragons would send people here to die in an endless stream.

Whether it was CP0, which they held in such high regard, or the Marines, all would be swallowed whole by Wano Country’s invisible mouth.

With the Marines already severely short on manpower during the Great Pirate Era, they would be even less able to spare attention for the Revolutionary Army’s land operations.

This was a slow poison that would accelerate the downfall of the Celestial Dragons.

The sun set in the evening.

Kurozumi Orochi had been strung up in the square for quite some time. The surrounding area was packed with people, yet not a single one dared step forward and do anything to him.

Beneath their resentment and anger lay a layer of fear toward Kurozumi Orochi. Over the years, his brutal methods had left a deep impression on them.

They simply stared at Kurozumi Orochi, neither stepping forward nor leaving.

Kurozumi Orochi, whose psychological defenses were nearly collapsing, could only glare furiously, trying to intimidate the commoners.

The two sides fell into a strange deadlock.

Until…

After the meeting ended, Chu Yang and the others walked out of Orochi Castle and witnessed this scene in the square.

Chu Yang shook his head in disappointment and slowly approached Kurozumi Orochi. The moment the latter saw him, the momentum he had maintained through his long standoff with the commoners finally crumbled.

Kurozumi Orochi began cursing loudly, but as Chu Yang drew closer, his tone abruptly changed and he began begging for mercy, tears and snot streaming down his face. Where was the majesty of the local tyrant king now?

The watching commoners felt an inexplicable chill in their hearts.

Anyone who could make Kurozumi Orochi so terrified had to be as frightening as Kaido, right?

Chu Yang’s next actions confirmed their thoughts.

Using his palm as a blade, he forcibly chopped off one of Kurozumi Orochi’s arms, then casually tossed it before the commoners. Everyone immediately recoiled.

Not just them—even his companions felt their scalps go numb.

Chu Yang said nothing.

After giving the crowd of commoners a cold glance, he left amid Kurozumi Orochi’s miserable screams.

A moment later, a woman emerged from within the crowd. Her eyes were dull, her face haggard, and she looked like a walking corpse.

But the instant she saw Kurozumi Orochi’s flesh and blood, a terrifyingly cold light erupted in her eyes. Like a vicious wolf, she pounced forward and began tearing into it with mad bites.

The nearby commoners all knew the woman. Several of her children had died from hunger and cold under Kurozumi Orochi’s oppression.

Spurred on by the woman’s actions, more and more people joined in devouring the flesh. Some did it out of hatred, while others were simply starving…

Before long, they had eaten the entire arm. The commoners naturally turned their eyes toward Kurozumi Orochi. He was terrified beyond words, too frightened to even speak.

They slowly approached, expressionless, red light glowing in their eyes like a horde of zombies in the apocalypse.

Screams! Curses! Wails!

Only when Kurozumi Orochi’s cries were completely drowned out by the sounds of chewing did this tragedy, which had lasted more than a decade, finally come to an end.

From that day onward, Chu Yang gained the private nickname of "King Yama."

The public execution, carried out as an outlet for resentment, immediately established the Revolutionary Army’s image and accelerated the progress of friendly relations between both sides.

As news of Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido’s deaths spread throughout Wano Country, huge crowds poured into the Flower Capital within days.

Some went to the square to view Kurozumi Orochi’s mangled corpse, while others headed to the quarries to watch the Beasts Pirates crew labor diligently.

They used different methods to confirm whether the news was true, then voluntarily ran about everywhere, spreading the good news.

A large number of weapons factories had been destroyed, and the remaining ones could no longer pollute Wano Country’s environment. Chu Yang used Wood Release to swiftly restore the nearby natural vitality.

Before long, flowers bloomed in the Flower Capital once again.

Orochi Castle became the Revolutionary Army’s temporary base.

The shogun’s residence was returned by the Revolutionary Army to the people of Wano Country. As for how it would be used, that was their business.

Everyone tacitly chose to guard it in silence until a new shogun emerged. At the same time, they gradually accepted the Revolutionary Army’s control over the place.

With the Revolutionary Army’s assistance, livelihoods in the Flower Capital were being restored in an orderly manner.

Postwar reconstruction had always been their specialty.

A fortress-like town was quietly being built at the waterfall entrance. It would serve as the first line of defense, and Chu Yang and the Sun Pirates would be stationed there long-term.

Because the memories he had left the commoners were too profound, Chu Yang felt that he should stay away from them for a while.

More importantly, he could not stand the numbness in those people’s eyes. It made him unable to suppress his anger.

At least until that place regained its vitality, he would not show himself voluntarily.

A week after postwar reconstruction began, samurai started appearing near the Flower Capital. Deliberately or otherwise, they made contact with the Revolutionary Army in an attempt to understand its intentions.

With half suspicion and half hope, the samurai and the Revolutionary Army sat down at the negotiating table.

Led by the young Kozuki Hiyori, Denjiro—once one of the Nine Red Scabbards and now operating under the alias Kyoshiro—served as the main negotiator. Also present was the daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie, who had lived under an assumed identity for many years.

Neither Denjiro nor Shimotsuki Yasuie believed they could reclaim control of Wano Country through negotiations. They were not that naive.

The two only hoped that Kozuki Hiyori could regain her rightful status and remain in the shogun’s residence, earning the people’s recognition through her own efforts in the future.

Judging by the Revolutionary Army’s actions during this period, they were trustworthy. Even if negotiations failed, their lives would not be threatened.

Yet neither of them expected the Revolutionary Army to agree to their request so readily, even stating that they would assist from the sidelines in helping Kozuki Hiyori rebuild Wano Country.

None of the scheming and deception they had predicted beforehand appeared, leaving Denjiro especially ashamed.

Shimotsuki Yasuie proactively made concessions. In Kozuki Hiyori’s name, he treated the Revolutionary Army as allies and granted them many conveniences to make it easier for them to operate within Wano Country.

The two sides immediately hit it off.

Once news spread that Kozuki Hiyori had returned to the shogun’s residence, a great number of scattered samurai gathered once more, forming a powerful force.

This force would also help Chu Yang and the others oppose the World Government.

After the Beasts Pirates were attacked, King did not immediately return to provide support. Instead, he used Doflamingo’s connections to gather intelligence.

As the voice of the underground Black Market, the Donquixote Family had always possessed exceptional intelligence capabilities regarding war, constantly monitoring the movements of major forces.

King suspected Whitebeard, because Kozuki Oden had once been the commander of his Second Division. If Whitebeard knew what had happened in Wano Country, it was possible that he had attacked the Beasts Pirates.

The Whitebeard Pirates also had the strength to defeat the Beasts Pirates head-on.

But as more and more intelligence reached King, he discovered that Whitebeard had nothing to do with the matter. The man had remained in his own territory and had not moved.

If Whitebeard had not gone, then his commanders were even less likely to have gone to Wano Country. Even if they had, they would not have stood a chance of winning.

"The World Government has dealings with us. There’s no reason for them to suddenly turn hostile, and the Marines have remained quiet as well…"

After thinking it over, King shifted his attention to "Big Mom," Charlotte Linlin, only to get the same answer.

Then who was it?

King had no answer, but he could no longer remain seated and do nothing.

Since Big Mom was not the mastermind behind it, they could join forces.

With that in mind, King took the initiative to contact Charlotte Linlin, who was far away on Cake Island in Totto Land. After paying a sufficiently steep price, he gained a powerful ally.

If something happened to Kaido, everything the Beasts Pirates possessed would cease to exist. Only with Kaido alive could the Beasts Pirates rise again at any time.

The cost was only temporary.

"Something this important, how about bringing me along too?"

Just as King was preparing to leave Dressrosa, Doflamingo came to him and asked to go to Wano Country together.

"What are you plotting?"

"We’re partners, aren’t we? If something has happened to Kaido, naturally I have to show some concern."

King frowned.

He gave Doflamingo a cold look. He did not believe the man would be kindhearted to that extent.

And indeed, he was not.

Doflamingo merely wanted to confirm the outcome of the war.

If the Beasts Pirates won, then everything would remain unchanged, and he could even gain a little goodwill.

But if Wano Country changed hands, then he would need to negotiate a new deal and find new partners. Of course, regardless of the outcome, he would never be the loser.

With Big Mom’s full support, King did not care about Doflamingo’s stance. Still, an extra fighting force was always useful, so he nodded and agreed to the request.

Back in Dressrosa’s royal palace, the Donquixote Family’s officers had gathered.

"I’m saying, I’m saying, Doffy, do we really have to get involved in this? It feels really dangerous…"

As one of the senior officers, Trebol looked extremely slovenly. He was always sniffling, like a creepy middle-aged man.

"Idiot, how could we not go take a look? Our weapons factories are there. If something goes wrong, who will take responsibility?!"

Sitting on the sofa, Diamante pressed his clasped hands beneath his chin, his expression gloomy. The underground Black Market had been short on supplies for some time now. If the transactions were delayed any longer, there would likely be serious problems.

Hearing this, Doflamingo slowly picked up a bottle of red wine from the counter. With a pop, he pulled out the cork.

"Glug, glug."

The entire bottle of red wine quickly disappeared into Doflamingo’s stomach. He wiped his mouth, revealing a chilling grin, his expression like a Joker card from a deck of playing cards.

"I don’t care who wins or loses this war, but if anything happens to the weapons factories, just wait for my revenge!"

Wano Country.

The waterfall fortress was rapidly completed through the investment of massive manpower and resources. As an important gateway tied to Wano Country’s safety, everyone placed great importance on it.

Though it was called a fortress, its architectural style actually followed that of the Flower Capital. It was a majestic nine-story pavilion.

Chu Yang named it "Flying Current Pavilion"!

Most of the Sun Pirates crew lived on the bottom three floors of Flying Current Pavilion. Since they were close to the pirate ships at the harbor, they could immediately enter combat if anything happened.

Tiger, Jinbe, Arlong, and the others lived on the middle floors. Chu Yang had discovered that Fish-Men did not seem to like high places.

Only Chu Yang lived on the top floor.

Leaning against the railing and gazing at the distant sea of clouds always gave him the feeling of wanting to see beyond a thousand miles. Chu Yang liked it very much, so he often stood there.

There was another advantage as well. With his eyesight and Haki, standing this high allowed him to spot enemies even faster than surveillance equipment.

The secret passage through Back Mountain had already been destroyed by Chu Yang. Outsiders could only obediently come through this route.

"Guests are here…"

Chu Yang had been wondering how much longer King would take to return when a shadow suddenly appeared on the horizon. It was a massive pterosaur wrapped in black leather.

At first glance, it looked rather comical.

The corners of Chu Yang’s mouth rose.

King circled Wano Country once. He saw the majestic pavilion built atop the waterfall, as well as the weapons factories that should have stood everywhere but had now become completely empty.

The mountains, rivers, vegetation, and trees had regained their vitality, while the sky and river water had become exceptionally clear.

Every sign indicated that the Beasts Pirates seemed to have become history.

King could not accept it, nor was he willing to believe it.

He flew to Back Mountain and tried to enter through the secret passage. With no one there to activate the mechanism for him, he used brute force to destroy the obstruction.

As a result, he found that the path inside had been completely sealed off and could not be passed through at all.

Kaido would never have sealed off that secret passage.

There was only one answer—

The victor was not Kaido!

The overwhelming grief and rage nearly drove King mad. He restrained himself from thinking in the worst possible direction, immediately flew out of Back Mountain, and returned to the waterfall before Front Mountain to rendezvous with the Big Mom Pirates.

"Well? Can the secret passage you mentioned be used?"

Doflamingo walked up to King with a carefree expression. If possible, he wished his gaze could pierce through the mask and see the other man’s expression.

King slowly shook his head. "The passage has been sealed. We can only go up from here."

Doflamingo raised his head and looked up at the waterfall. "It seems only we can get up there. Everyone else…"

Just as King was about to answer his question, a voice suddenly came from nearby.

"Just use fish." The newcomer was tall and slender, dressed in a pale yellow long coat and wearing a candy top hat. He held a candy cane in his hand.

This man was the eldest son of the Four Emperors Charlotte Linlin, the Minister of Candy of Cake Island—Perospero.

Perospero pointed at his family’s pirate ship. Several carp had already been tied in front of the Queen Mama Chanter.

Doflamingo, who had come alone to lend support, was happy to watch from the side. He only intended to show up, not put in any real effort.

The fleet, pulled forward by the giant fish, began climbing the waterfall.

King transformed into his pterosaur form once again and flew toward the top of the waterfall, intending to clear the way for everyone.

He knew very well what the consequences would be if they were attacked during this process.

The pavilion standing at the top of the waterfall looked unpleasant to King no matter how he viewed it.

The Sun Pirates discovered the intruders through surveillance equipment, and every crew member entered combat readiness at once.

Tiger stepped onto the deck and shouted, "The enemy is strong, but we cannot retreat! We must stop them from landing on the island! Reinforcements will arrive soon!"

Having defeated the Beasts Pirates not long ago, and with the sea being their home ground, the crew members appeared extremely confident.

"They chose the same method as us to reach the island! That is an incredibly stupid decision. We’ll let them know why Fish-Men are called Fish-Men."

After delivering a few inspiring words, Tiger ordered the ship to move and aimed its cannons at the waterfall.

The Fish-Men’s fighting methods were not limited to battles aboard ships. Just as had been said before, the sea was their true home ground. Most of the Fish-Men jumped into the ocean.

"Remember, prioritize controlling the fish schools! Make their ships lose control, and they’ll fall on their own!"

Jinbe led his companions beneath the sea, slowly approaching the waterfall cliff.

"Brother Tiger, there seems to be something in the sky…"

"A black bird?"

"No, it’s a pterosaur! It’s charging toward Flying Current Pavilion!"

"Don’t worry, Yang is still up there!"

Tiger put binoculars to his eyes and looked upward. The pterosaur passed over their heads, and he noticed that it was wrapped in black leather. It was clearly a Devil Fruit User.

"It’s King the Conflagration, one of Kaido’s men!"

Tiger drew a deep breath and shook his head. "Ignore him. We only need to make sure that every enemy climbing the waterfall is shot down. Leave the rest to Yang!"

Meanwhile, after King flew to the top level of the pavilion, he suddenly saw a figure standing there.

The man was smiling at him, looking as though he had been waiting for a long time.

"You took so long. I thought you had already given up on your captain. Or is the outside world too big, and you got lost?"

Chu Yang yawned lazily.

King stared at Chu Yang, a powerful premonition rising in his heart. The man before him had to be connected to the fate of Boss Kaido.

"Where is Boss Kaido?"

Suppressing his anger, King asked coldly.

"Dead."

Chu Yang answered casually.

"Impossible! I’ll ask you one more time—where is Boss Kaido?!"

King could not accept that answer. He stood on the brink of fury, ready to attack at any moment.

"Are you naïve, or just unwilling to accept reality?"

"Since I’m standing here, Kaido is the one who’ll die. It’s that simple. How many times do I need to repeat it?"

Chu Yang shook his head in disappointment.

With Kaido’s fate unknown and Chu Yang’s attitude pushing him over the edge, King’s fury finally reached its limit. Like a fighter jet, he shot into the sky, rapidly gaining altitude before diving straight toward Chu Yang on the top floor of the pavilion.

Chu Yang stepped onto the railing and shot skyward!

His entire body became a streak of white as he charged at King, ascending even faster than King was descending.

King’s pupils contracted slightly, but he had no intention of dodging. He was a Zoan Devil Fruit User—how could he possibly lose to an ordinary person in a contest of physical strength?

King’s body began to burn, erupting with blazing flames. This was a talent of the Lunarian Tribe and had nothing to do with Devil Fruits.

"Tankyūdon!"

King spread his wings and rammed Chu Yang, who was flying through the air at high speed, with wings wreathed in flames.

At the same time,

Lightning burst across Chu Yang’s body as he entered the Lightning Release Armor state.

He bent his arm at a ninety-degree angle, like a scythe.

Black wings and arm collided in a shower of fierce sparks, and lightning suppressed the flames covering King’s body.

King could actually smell something burning from his own wings.

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking rang out.

The pain made King grunt, his eyes filled with disbelief.

How could this man’s body be this hard?!

Stronger than even a Zoan Devil Fruit User?!

King was both shocked and enraged.

Since he had no advantage in physical strength, he simply abandoned his pteranodon form and shifted into his human-beast form.

In his human-beast form, King’s arms fused with his wings, transforming into even larger black wings. With a wave of his hand, he could unleash dozens of terrifying wind blades.

Seeing the wind blades flying at him, Chu Yang did not dodge. They struck his body like rain falling on a roof, pitter-pattering without leaving a single wound.

"Get down!"

Chu Yang flashed above King’s head and stomped viciously on his forehead.

His head took a violent blow. King’s vision went black, and he fell unconscious, plummeting from the sky.

"Why did King fall out of the sky?" Everyone aboard the Queen Mama Chanter was stunned.

Charlotte Linlin, who had not yet grown too bloated at the time, frowned. "Could someone have knocked him down?"

Doflamingo, always eager for chaos, burst into loud laughter. "Getting beaten up on your own turf—this is pretty embarrassing, King."

Perospero warned darkly, "Mocking an ally is not a good habit, Doflamingo."

Doflamingo sneered. "Got a problem with that?"

The two were at each other’s throats, and the atmosphere stiffened.

"That’s enough. Don’t let the enemy laugh at us. I recall that you came here to help, didn’t you, Doflamingo?"

With an unfriendly expression, Charlotte Linlin reminded Doflamingo to mind his place.

"Of course. The Beasts Pirates are my closest partners!"

Doflamingo lowered his stance and wisely took a step back.

But he had already marked this down in his heart, intending to repay it someday.

While the argument was taking place aboard the ship, no one noticed the massive fish pulling the vessels quietly changing direction.

The Fish-Men had already infiltrated beneath the fleet.

Using their natural ability to communicate with fish, the Fish-Men controlled the giant fish and secretly disrupted their course. Before long, several pirate ships collided with one another.

It was not until the Queen Mama Chanter began spinning wildly that Charlotte Linlin noticed something strange about the fish!

"Everyone, be careful! Something’s wrong beneath the ships!"

Charlotte Linlin simply summoned Zeus, who lifted her into the air.

As the user of the Soul-Soul Fruit, Charlotte Linlin could grant souls to anything and create special lifeforms, which she called "Homies."

Zeus was a thundercloud infused with a soul.

Besides him, there was also the flame with a soul—Sun Prometheus; and the bicorne hat with a soul—Napoleon!

These special Homies possessed incredibly powerful abilities, allowing Charlotte Linlin to gain the upper hand in battle against her enemies.

Zeus carried Charlotte Linlin into the sky. The next second, the Queen Mama Chanter slammed viciously into another pirate ship.

The violent impact sent many crew members tumbling from the deck into the sea, while the pirate ships suffered severe damage. Seawater rapidly flooded into their cabins through the breaches.

Doflamingo embedded thin strings into the cliff rock walls on either side of the waterfall, creating a staircase in the air and walking above it, untouched by the chaos.

The giant fish’s sudden rampage directly sent nearly half the pirate ships in the fleet plunging from the waterfall, while the remaining half could only struggle to hold on.

Charlotte Linlin knew that if this continued, the entire fleet might be wiped out, so she directly infused the waterfall with a soul.

A human face immediately appeared on the waterfall.

Charlotte Linlin shouted, "Send us up!"

"Yes, Mama."

The waterfall’s face actually answered her!

Then the water flowed in reverse, carrying the pirate ships upward!