The captured orc did not survive the night.
Not because the Royal Oni killed him.
But because something inside him consumed him.
Interrogation Beneath Crimson Torches
The orc was bound in reinforced vine restraints at the edge of the village.
Elders surrounded him.
Raizen stood calmly before the trembling creature.
Kaiser watched from the shadows.
The orc's skin looked darker than normal.
Veins bulged unnaturally.
His pupils flickered as if something was trying to control him from afar.
Raizen's voice was steady.
"Who gives you orders?"
The orc drooled.
"Voice… from sky… hunger… feed… devour…"
Kaiser's Observation Haki sharpened.
Something was wrong.
There was no intelligence behind the orc's eyes.
Only compulsion.
Then—
The orc's chest swelled grotesquely.
Magicules spiked violently.
"Move!" Raizen roared.
The body detonated in a wave of corrupted energy.
Oni warriors shielded civilians.
When the smoke cleared—
Nothing remained of the corpse.
Not even bone.
Silence fell.
Akane's expression darkened.
"That was a kill-switch."
Kaiser clenched his fist.
Someone was testing.
Manipulating.
Eliminating loose ends.
This was no simple tribe conflict.
This was strategy.
And if someone was making moves—
Then Kaiser would begin making his own.
Midnight in the Southern Marsh
Kaiser left the village quietly.
Observation Haki mapped the patrol routes.
He slipped into the marsh alone.
He found it quickly.
A battlefield from days prior.
Unburied orc corpses.
The stench of decay thick in the air.
Moonlight reflected across stagnant water.
He stood before one corpse.
His heart beat steadily.
It was time.
He extended his hand.
Shadow gathered unnaturally around the body.
A whisper filled his mind.
"Extract."
Darkness poured from beneath the corpse.
The ground trembled softly.
The shadow detached.
Rose.
Took form.
A humanoid silhouette—larger than before.
Red eyes ignited in the dark.
The corpse crumbled to dust.
Before him knelt a black-armored shadow warrior.
It radiated cold obedience.
Kaiser inhaled slowly.
"…Arise."
The creature bowed.
And just like that—
He had taken his first soldier.
The Weight of Command
The shadow did not speak.
But Kaiser felt the connection.
A direct mental link.
It shared his senses faintly.
It required no food.
No rest.
No loyalty pledges.
Only his will.
He tested it.
"Move."
It vanished into the trees with unnatural speed.
Even weakened at 8% synchronization—
The Shadow Monarch authority was absurd.
He looked at his hand.
This power was dangerous.
If discovered too early, fear would grow.
Fear fractured unity.
Unity was required for long-term rule.
He made a decision.
The shadow army would remain hidden.
For now.
Ripples Among the Ogres
Days later, word arrived.
A neighboring ogre clan had suffered similar orc probes.
Unlike the Royal Oni—
They retaliated immediately.
Brutally.
They wiped out an entire orc scouting party.
But two days later—
Their western outpost was destroyed overnight.
No survivors.
No bodies.
Only a crater.
Akane studied the report carefully.
"Someone wants escalation."
Raizen nodded.
"If tribes begin blaming one another, war spreads."
Kaiser's mind calculated rapidly.
Divide and destabilize.
Then consume weakened tribes.
Classic conquest.
The mastermind wanted chaos in Jura.
He spoke calmly.
"We should call a summit."
Shiori blinked.
"With ogres? They hate negotiations."
"Which is why we offer strength and stability."
Akane's gaze sharpened with approval.
"You want alliance before suspicion spreads."
Kaiser nodded.
"If we appear neutral but powerful, others will gather around us."
Raizen leaned back.
"My son… are you planning to rule?"
Kaiser met his father's eyes without hesitation.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
Raizen laughed loudly.
"Good!"
The warriors nearby looked startled.
"If you aim high, aim properly."
Akane smiled softly.
"But ruling means carrying burdens."
"I already have," Kaiser replied quietly.
They didn't understand the full meaning.
But they saw the resolve.
And they did not oppose it.
A Brother's Promise
That night, Daiki found Kaiser sitting alone.
"You're thinking scary thoughts again."
Kaiser chuckled.
"Is it obvious?"
Daiki plopped beside him.
"Big brother… will there be war?"
Kaiser paused.
He looked at his little brother's bright eyes.
In the original timeline—
The Royal Oni were massacred.
He would not allow that.
"There might be battles," Kaiser said gently.
"But you won't be alone."
Daiki puffed his chest.
"I'll get stronger too!"
Kaiser placed a hand on his head.
"Then stay close to me."
He felt something shift inside him.
Leadership was not domination.
It was responsibility.
And if he wanted to unite Jura—
He had to build trust, not fear.
The First Summit
Representatives arrived within the week.
Lizardmen.
Ogres.
A few goblin elders.
Suspicion hung heavy.
Raizen opened calmly.
"The forest grows unstable. Orc aggression increases."
An ogre slammed his fist down.
"Then we crush them all!"
Kaiser stepped forward.
"And what happens after?"
All eyes turned.
He continued evenly.
"If someone commands them, killing pawns reveals our strength and invites retaliation."
Murmurs spread.
The lizardman chief narrowed his eyes.
"You suspect an external force."
"Yes," Kaiser replied.
"And whoever it is wants us divided."
Silence.
The ogre grunted.
"So what do you propose, child?"
Kaiser did not flinch.
"A defensive pact. Shared information. Rotational patrol support."
Akane added smoothly:
"No tribe loses autonomy. But no tribe stands alone."
The room shifted.
It was subtle.
But seeds were planted.
Alliance through stability.
Not conquest.
Yet.
In the Depths of Jura
Far away—
Deep within a sealed cave—
A massive dragon shifted slightly in his slumber.
Ancient eyes flickered beneath closed lids.
A pulse of magic rippled outward.
The forest trembled faintly.
Kaiser paused mid-sentence.
He felt it.
Something vast.
Something ancient.
Observation Haki struggled to grasp its scale.
A being like a mountain breathing.
He looked toward the north.
"…So you're there."
The Storm Dragon.
Still sealed.
Still sleeping.
One day—
A certain slime would meet him.
But Kaiser had time.
Plenty of time.
Growth
That night—
[Shadow Soldier Count: 1]
[Whitebeard Sync: 14%]
[Shadow Monarch Sync: 10%]
Each decision.
Each assertion of will.
Each step toward leadership—
Increased synchronization.
Power responded to ambition.
Kaiser stood at the center of the Royal Oni village.
Firelight danced across his golden eyes.
He was still a child.
Still small.
Still growing.
But beneath that exterior—
A conqueror's blueprint was forming.
Not a tyrant.
Not a destroyer.
But a sovereign.
And soon—
Jura would begin to shift around him.