This novel is finished and I have posted all the advanced chapters on my Patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395
Tonight was destined to be restless. Black clouds smothered the moon, plunging the world into pitch darkness.
Two days had passed since Orrick's departure, three since Kaido had left. Now, in Wano Country, only Kurozumi Orochi remained as a threat.
"Hmph! Those two fools, what's the point of scrambling for the world? They should've learned from me: it's better to be a local emperor." Inside the General's mansion, Kurozumi Orochi lay sprawled among cushions, his drunken voice thick with disdain.
Unlike the ambitious Kaido or the enigmatic Orrick, Orochi's desires were simple. He sought nothing more than to keep Wano Country firmly in his grip and to secure his own standing upon the seas.
He had clawed power from the Kozuki clan with immense effort, there was no chance he would ever let it go.
"If I had the strength back then that I do now… Kaido wouldn't have been worth a damn!" He raised his cup, muttering to himself with a glazed look in his eyes.
To outsiders, his alliance with Kaido had always seemed like fortune smiling on him. With Kaido's "Yonko" power backing him, even the Marines hesitated to touch Wano.
But in truth, Orochi's greatest regret was ever joining hands with the Beast. That pact had dragged Wano from isolation into the maelstrom of the age. With the government's gaze fixed firmly on him, he had no choice but to pick a side to survive.
Now the Marines grew ever stronger, while the Yonkō's terror waned. The tide was irreversible. He had risen because of Kaido. And now, he would fall because of Kaido.
At his drunken rambling, the commander of the Oniwabanshu, Fukurokuju, bowed low.
"General… walls have ears. Best be cautious."
The words cut deep. Fukurokuju knew well that Orochi did not rule Wano alone, and if the wrong ears caught such talk, trouble would multiply.
"Bah! I'll say what I like! This is Wano Country, my country! Who dares gainsay me?!" Orochi grumbled, his voice rising, then faltering, until it dwindled to almost nothing. Moments later, he collapsed, snoring and drooling.
Fukurokuju sighed and gestured. "Take the General back to his chambers."
He cast a long glance at the uneasy courtesans. After a pause, he added coldly: "What you heard tonight, speak of it to no one. If misfortune falls upon you for loose tongues, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Wano was no longer a land ruled solely by one family. Orochi's drunken words would never truly be contained. Killing the courtesans now would only look suspicious. Better to let them go, and make his threat plain.
"Y-Yes! Thank you, Fukurokuju Sama!" The women hurried out, relief on their faces.
When the banquet dispersed, Fukurokuju called for the Oniwabanshu. "Who's assigned guard duty at the mansion tonight?"
"The Third Division, sir."
"Add the Fifth Division as well." His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the starless sky. "The wind blows from the west. Stay sharp."
"Yes, sir!"
Cloaked in night, figures slipped silently into place across the Flower Capital. Kanjuro led a band of rebels onto a barren hillside and motioned for everyone to lie low.
"Up ahead lies Kaido's weapons factory. I've scouted it thoroughly, since the war began, raw materials have run dry, so operations have ceased. That means fewer guards. And this factory is the closest to the Capital. If we blow it sky-high, it'll shake the whole city."
"And once the infiltrators inside receive the signal, they'll stoke chaos among the citizens, drive them into panic, and scatter them away from the city center… is that right?"
Robin's faint smile curved in the dark. "As expected of the Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon). Ever so principled."
Kanjuro rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Yeah… it was Admiral Rowen's idea. Truth is, even in our last campaign we overlooked the people, we never thought what recklessly starting war would cost them. No wonder they all turned against us."
"So, bottom line, we just need to blow the place to pieces?"
Usopp pulled down the visor of his night-vision goggles, one of Franky's handy modifications. He scanned the factory swathed in shadow and frowned.
"No good. Too far. I can't see any weak points to target from here. We'll have to push at least three hundred meters closer."
"The explosives and flammable stockpiles are stored in underground warehouses. Worst case, and the most dangerous, we'd need to rush in and plant charges ourselves."
Kanjuro met the others' eyes, then nodded firmly. "Leave it to us, Usopp-dono. You do what you must."
Similar missions unfolded across the Capital's outskirts. Every rebel knew this was their do-or-die strike. Fearless, they dove into enemy territory to sabotage and destroy.
At a crossroads outside the Flower Capital, three figures waited in the shadows, Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro.
"Hey, Sanji… what are we waiting for again?" Luffy hung upside-down from a tree branch, scratching his cheek in puzzlement.
A vein throbbed on Sanji's forehead. "…The plan we agreed on three hours ago, and you've already forgotten?!"
"Oh. Sumi-masee (I'm Sooorrryyyyy…)…"
The apology was as lazy as it was insincere.
Sanji's fangs bared as he roared, "Take this seriously, you idiot!"
With a curse under his breath, he lit a cigarette and drew in a long, steadying drag.
Kaido's Flying Six had already been crushed by Lirisk, but under Kurozumi Orochi's banner, the Oniwabanshu still remained. There were many; they were strong, and aside from Orochi himself, they were the deadliest enemies left on the field.
"Our position is right at the choke point between the Flower Capital and where Robin and the others are. It's their only route forward. That means our quest is simple: stop these dangerous bastards from advancing, and protect our rear guard until the evacuation is complete… understood?!"
"Ohhh, I get it! So basically, we just beat them all down, right?"
Sanji pinched the bridge of his nose. "…That's one way of putting it."
"Yosh! Leave it to me!" With that, Luffy spun around.
"Zoro, where the hell are you going?"
Zoro flashed a wolfish grin, one hand tightening on his sword hilt. The air around him reeked of killing intent.
"If we've gotta fight anyway, better to storm straight in than sit around waiting. No way in hell I'm dancing to that bastard's tune."
Sanji and Luffy exchanged a look. "…Seriously?"
Sanji arched a brow. His voice stayed calm, but his words cut sharp. "Sure, the logic makes sense. But can you even find your way there?"
"Shut it! The path's right here, isn't it?!" He turned confidently… and marched off in the exact direction they'd just come from.
Sanji let out a long, weary sigh, rubbing his temples. "So the real reason we're holding position here… is because this damn moss-head couldn't navigate his way out of a rice ball. With him around, forget reinforcement, he'd never even arrive."
"Ha ha ha ha! You're hilarious, Zoro!" Luffy howled, pounding his knee.
…
"Are all positions in place?"
Atop a golden-tipped pagoda in the Flower Capital, Rowen balanced on one foot, the Justice cloak on his back snapping in the midnight wind.
Through the Heavenly Network, he tracked every movement across the city. His eyes opened, sharp and cold, fixing on the southeast.
"That's the General's residence. Just as I thought, crawling with hidden sentries. Getting inside unnoticed would be impossible."
But that was now.
Rowen's lips curled into a smile. He raised a Den Den Mushi to his mouth, voice low and steady.
"Begin."
Boom! Crack–ka!
The words had barely left his lips before thunder rolled across the horizon.
The Flower Capital erupted in chaos. Countless citizens froze mid-step, staring wide-eyed at the night sky. A drunken samurai, swaying on his feet, squinted blearily at the sudden blaze in the distance.
"Huh? Was that… thunder?"
Inside the General's estate, Fukurokuju's eyes snapped open. He had been meditating, but the distant firelight told him everything.
"So, they've come at last… the rebels!"
Kaido and Orrick had long since departed, and Fukurokuju had been waiting, prepared for the inevitable strike.
Thud, thud, thud!
A ninja from the Oniwabanshu rushed to the door and dropped to one knee. "My lord! The weapons factory outside the city has exploded, confirmed, the rebels' work!"
BOOM!
Another detonation thundered from afar, then another, shaking the heavens themselves. Fire tore through the clouds, and the night was painted in burning hues.
Even the dullest citizen could no longer feign ignorance. Panic spread like wildfire.
"The rebels! They're storming in from the East Gate!"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
Hidden agents mingled among the crowds, fanning the fear. Rumors spread faster than flames, and with the blasts clearly echoing from the east, terrified masses surged westward in blind desperation.
"Tch… pathetic theatrics," Fukurokuju hissed, his eyes glinting with murder. "Leave only a skeleton crew here. The rest of you, move out! And be wary… worst-case, Lirisk has betrayed us. If he appears, report to me immediately."
He remembered well: Orrick and Lirisk had come to Wano together, shattering the Flying Six and nearly annihilating the Oniwabanshu in a single campaign. Their strength was undeniable.
Now Lirisk had vanished without a trace. Orochi was no fool; he had already decreed that the Oniwabanshu treat him as an enemy.
But what they didn't know was this: Lirisk was far from the deadliest threat lurking in the dark tonight.
"Yes, sir!"
Shadowy figures leapt from rooftops, darting through the streets toward the blazing horizon.
Fukurokuju remained seated, his long face tilted slightly upward, eyes narrowing.
"…How familiar."
Flames devouring the heavens. Explosions are tearing the night apart. Soldiers scrambling in chaos.
Just like that night, twenty years ago.
(End of Chapter)