Ignoring his prisoners for the moment, as if they posed no real threat at all, Luffy slowly raised his gaze toward the sky, his eyes reflecting an almost indifferent calm in the face of the grand scene before him.
High above, the colossal warship Pluton hovered.
Beside it, a massive sphere of ice imprisoned the enormous body of the defeated dragon, Kaido, completely frozen.
And not far from there, a prison of water held one of Kaido's subordinates captive.
Without saying a word, Luffy slowly lowered his index finger.
As if the very sky obeyed his will, the aquatic prison began to descend, gradually lowering in altitude until it stopped in front of everyone.
Kaido's subordinates looked up tensely, their expressions filled with uncertainty and fear as they watched the scene unfold.
Inside the sphere of water, King was submerged.
His body remained completely still.
He had lost consciousness due to the lack of oxygen.
But… he wasn't dead.
His heart was still beating.
Luffy observed this with genuine interest.
"As expected of a member of a near-divine race… the vitality of the Lunarian clan is truly impressive."
There was a trace of admiration in his voice.
Long ago, it was said that a "Land of Gods" existed atop the Red Line.
The race that inhabited that place was known as the Lunarians.
Members of this clan were capable of generating flames from their own bodies, and as long as those flames remained lit, their durability and defense reached absurd levels.
They were beings capable of surviving even in the harshest environments.
And this moment was living proof of that.
King had been trapped in seawater for over ten hours.
For any ordinary person, that would have been a death sentence.
Yet he was still alive.
Only unconscious.
A vitality that bordered on the absurd.
What a pity… that such a powerful race was nearly extinct.
Most likely, King was the last of his kind.
With a simple wave of Luffy's hand, the water prison dispersed completely.
The sphere collapsed, and King fell to the ground with a heavy thud, his unmoving body sinking slightly into the разрушed earth.
Shortly after, Law approached.
With precision, he removed King's heart and handed it to Luffy.
Then he took out a syringe and collected a sample of his blood.
Even unconscious, King's body was incredibly tough.
His monstrous physique didn't reach the absurd level of Kaido or Big Mom, but it was still far beyond that of an ordinary human.
A normal needle wouldn't have been able to pierce his skin at all.
Law had to use Armament Haki to perform the procedure.
"Take them all to prison."
Luffy took the heart and the blood sample, waving his hand dismissively.
—
Soon, time advanced to midday.
The Flower Capital, which had previously been engulfed in chaos, began to regain its calm.
Hiyori finally revealed her true identity to the public.
Her appearance was incredibly similar to her mother, Toki—especially her hair.
Many of the older residents still remembered Toki's face.
Upon recognizing those features, there was no longer any doubt.
She truly was the princess of the Kozuki family.
The revelation brought immediate relief to the people.
As for the Straw Hat crew occupying the Shogun's castle…
The people naturally assumed it was part of the princess's plan to liberate the country.
The atmosphere changed drastically.
Fear and confusion gave way to hope.
The population celebrated the "return" of the Kozuki family.
But that joy didn't last long.
An announcement from the Shogun's castle struck like thunder.
The new Shogun of Wano had been decided.
Her name was Tama.
A child only six years old.
The reaction was immediate.
Disbelief.
Shock.
No one could accept it at first.
Under Robin's guidance, Hiyori appeared before the people once again.
Firmly, she declared that Tama was like a sister to her.
And more importantly…
That Tama's appointment as Shogun was the will of the Straw Hat Pirates, now one of the Four Emperors of the sea.
After that…
No one dared to say another word.
It was almost ironic.
People who had never had the courage to rebel against Kaido…
Would they oppose the man who defeated him?
Moreover, Hiyori openly supported the decision.
Even though a woman—let alone a child—had never held the position of Shogun in Wano's history…
The population accepted it surprisingly quickly.
Compared to Kurozumi Orochi…
Tama was, without a doubt, a far better choice.
For the people…
There was only one real concern:
As long as the new laws weren't worse than the previous regime's…
Everything would be fine.
—
Meanwhile, inside the castle…
Nami and the others finally arrived at the Flower Capital.
Luffy had already ordered a grand banquet to be prepared.
Food and drinks were spread everywhere.
Robin entered the room alongside Hiyori.
The young princess fully understood her current position.
She was no longer just a princess.
She was an oiran.
A woman who knew exactly how to behave in different environments.
Without hesitation, she sat down and began playing the shamisen, filling the room with a soft melody.
"Luffy," Robin said as she approached, pouring him a drink, "the Flower Capital has returned to stability. At least for now, there won't be any problems."
She paused briefly before continuing:
"But other regions are still in chaos. The remnants of Kaido's forces have already received the news… and are fleeing the country."
Luffy slightly raised his head.
"Where is Moria?"
"We've lost contact with him."
Luffy took a sip of wine.
For a moment, an unpleasant feeling surfaced in his chest.
He remembered clearly.
While traveling between Amigasa Village and the Flower Capital, they had passed by the region of the former prison in Udon.
At that time, Moria had separated from him.
There were many prisoners there.
And Moria wanted bodies… to create zombies.
Additionally, Luffy had sensed X Drake's presence in that area.
That was why he had left the situation in his hands.
Now, they had lost contact.
The outcome was obvious.
"He must have been killed by Queen…" Luffy muttered inwardly.
Without wasting time, he gave a new order:
"Sanji. Go to Udon Prison and check the situation there."
Next, he ordered Marco to lead groups to eliminate the remnants of enemy forces scattered across Wano.
There was still much work to be done.
"Reiju, I've already obtained what I needed. Contact your father."
After that, Luffy stood up.
"Keep eating."
He looked at Nami and Franky.
"You two… come with me."
Franky immediately grinned.
"Pluton… finally! I need to see it up close!"
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
For a shipwright like him, seeing an Ancient Weapon was a dream.
Nami also stood up, but with a different kind of concern.
"Luffy… putting Pluton aside… we've already obtained the third Road Poneglyph."
She crossed her arms.
"If we find the fourth… we can finally reach Laugh Tale, right?"
Then she asked:
"Do you know where the last one is?"
Luffy shook his head.
Marco had said that the Whitebeard Pirates did not possess the Fish-Man Island Road Poneglyph.
"But I have an idea of where it might be."
He smiled.
"Don't worry. We'll find it soon."
—
The group headed toward the outskirts.
Luffy raised his hand once more…
And released Pluton from the sky.
—
Meanwhile…
In the outside world…
An event of enormous proportions was unfolding.
Big Mom had contacted Morgans.
The news spread through the newspapers like an explosion:
A marriage between members of two Yonko crews would take place.
The entire world trembled.
Invitations were sent to various influential forces.
The six great emperors of the underworld received invitations.
Du Feld — The King of Usury.
Stussy — The Queen of the Pleasure District.
Drug Peclo — The King of Funerals.
Morgans — The King of News.
Giberson — The King of Storage.
Umit — The King of Shipping.
And also…
A figure known as the "Golden Emperor."
—
In the New World.
On the open sea.
The gigantic golden ship, Gran Tesoro, sailed slowly across the waters.
Over ten kilometers long, the vessel was practically a floating city.
The greatest entertainment hub in the world.
An independent territory recognized by the World Government.
A neutral zone…
Where even the Government dared not interfere.
At the top of that golden empire…
Ruling with absolute authority, was Gild Tesoro.
The user of the Goru Goru no Mi.
The man known as the Golden Emperor.
At that moment, a tall woman with long crimson hair approached.
Baccarat.
With a faint smile, she handed him an invitation.
"It's a wedding invitation from Big Mom… are you going to attend?"
Tesoro opened the envelope calmly.
His eyes scanned its contents.
Then a slow smile spread across his lips.
"Straw Hat Luffy…"
He murmured.
"I've always wanted to meet him."
His eyes gleamed.
"This is a great opportunity."
A wedding between members of two Emperors of the Sea.
It was inevitable that the World Government would begin to act.
And when that happened…
The world would plunge into chaos.
---
(End of Chapter)