New World.
Wanokuni.
A land shrouded in mystery.
This is where history itself began.
Eight hundred years ago—
It was here that the craftsmen of the Kozuki Clan carved the missing century into indestructible stone.
The art of reading those stones, the Poneglyphs, was also passed down through the generations of Wanokuni's shogun line.
But this is also a closed country, isolated from the rest of the world for those same eight hundred years.
Perhaps the reason was to keep the people ignorant and secure the rulers' dominance.
Or perhaps—
It was a decision made for the sake of a future, when the "cycle" of those eight centuries would one day come full circle.
It may even have been to avoid the invasion of a powerful force from the outside world.
Whatever the reason, Wanokuni's doors have long remained shut.
And yet, this land is the key to the grand transformation that Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, foresaw upon reaching the final island—Raftel.
When the true founding of Wanokuni is revealed, the secrets buried here will come to light, and the world will never be the same again.
They also call it the Country of Gold—
A title earned from the abundance of its unique and precious resources.
From its rich iron ore—vital for forging weapons—
To the rare and invaluable Seastone, found nowhere else in the world.
After centuries of development, the artisans of Wanokuni even discovered how to polish and refine Seastone with unparalleled skill.
Today, nearly all the Seastone weapons, cuffs, and tools used by the Marines and major powers of the seas trace their origin back to this land.
In truth, Wanokuni itself is a treasure vault—one that cannot be measured in money—
and one coveted by countless nations and pirates alike.
However…
For all those eight centuries, save for Kaido of the Beasts,
no one has ever truly succeeded in conquering this land.
Even the many diplomatic attempts by the World Government have ended in vain.
There are three reasons why.
Time. Location. Strength.
The first—Weather.
The natural conditions surrounding Wanokuni are brutal.
The closer one sails, the fiercer the storms become—the winds howling, the waves towering high.
Most ships are swallowed by the sea long before they ever glimpse the coast.
The second—Geography.
Wanokuni isn't like ordinary islands. It sits high above sea level, hundreds of meters in the air.
To enter, one must ascend a mighty waterfall, sailing against the current.
Only a handful know the method—the fabled "carp pulling the boat over the dragon's gate."
And even among those who try, fewer than one in ten ever make it safely.
Even the legendary Whitebeard Pirates nearly met disaster here.
Finally—the people.
The warriors born in Wanokuni—called samurai—
are so formidable that even the seas whisper their name in fear.
Four hundred years ago, the legendary Dragon-Slayer Ryuma forever carved the title of "Warrior" into legend.
And yet—
despite its unassailable location, fierce people, and proud history—
Wanokuni now lies helpless, a nation on the chopping block.
All because of one foolish man—
the "idiot" shogun of this country.
He had the strength to stand above the world.
With one command, he could have united the nation's warriors and crushed his enemies.
Kozuki Oden had countless paths to victory.
He could have united the daimyōs of the provinces with Heigoro, the boss of the Flower Capital.
He could have launched a decisive crusade against Kaido of the Beasts and Kurozumi Orochi.
At that time, Kaido was far from his peak.
The Beasts Pirates were nowhere near the unstoppable force they are today.
But Oden—
the man who once sailed the seas as a commander under both Whitebeard and Roger—
was ensnared by Orochi's most pathetic trick: a hostage threat.
And for five long years, the great Kozuki Oden—believing the words of a coward—
danced like a fool.
Five wasted years.
Years in which Kaido grew stronger and stronger—
while the strength of Wanokuni's samurai faded away.
By the time Oden realized he'd been deceived, he had no allies left to fight beside him.
The heavens had granted him chance after chance—
and he squandered every one of them.
In the end, Oden seized only the chance to become a martyr.
Sugisawa Yuuto had once felt pity for the tragedy of Dressrosa.
But as he watched Wanokuni's suffering now…
he couldn't feel sympathy at all.
If anything—
he almost wanted to laugh.
This was Oden's doing.
For the sake of a few lives, he condemned an entire nation to two decades of misery.
And those very few he'd tried to save?
They were likely long dead by now.
If Yuuto ever got the chance,
he would drag Kozuki Oden from the depths of hell himself—
and make him witness the ruin he had brought upon Wanokuni.
"If you regret it now," he'd ask, "was it worth it?"
But—regret or not—
the task still had to be done.
Though Wanokuni was a dangerous, treacherous land, it held countless treasures worth claiming:
its vast Seastone mines, its secret forging techniques, and—above all—
the Poneglyphs that Robin sought.
Yuuto also wanted to craft a Seastone armor set for Erza.
And beyond all that…
he couldn't ignore the ancient weapon said to be hidden deep within Wanokuni's inner seas—
the Pluton, the super battleship from eight centuries past.
The Fairy Tail, with its Jupiter Cannons and forbidden magic like Purgatory Shatter, was already a weapon rivaling Pluton.
Still—
who wouldn't want an Ancient Weapon of their own?
"Already in sight—Wanokuni!"
cried Violet, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon.
"Really? We're almost there?"
"Where? I don't see it!"
The Fairy Tail crew crowded the deck, squinting into the distance.
At first, there was nothing but sea and sky.
But ten minutes later, a dark silhouette appeared—
a speck of black rising high above the ocean.
"There! I can see it now!" said Robin, nodding in awe.
"Amazing… that island is so high!" Wendy exclaimed.
"What's with that place?" Nami added.
"Why's it floating so far above sea level?"
"Look, the water here's crystal clear!" Vivi cried.
"It's like river water!"
"And those koi fish—so big and colorful!" Rebecca's eyes sparkled.
"How do koi even survive in the sea?" Koala frowned.
"There's only one answer," Yuuto replied with a grin. "Because this isn't seawater."
Before anyone could stop her, Juvia dove overboard.
"Big news! This really is freshwater!"
"Ah~!" Shirahoshi squealed, diving in after her.
The deck erupted into laughter and chatter.
Despite their mission, the crew's mood felt more like a group of schoolchildren on a spring outing than warriors sailing into one of the world's deadliest strongholds.
At the edge of the deck, Ace and Sabo exchanged glances.
Now they knew for sure—
what Sugisawa Yuuto had said yesterday hadn't been a joke.
From the very beginning, he'd never intended to ally with the Whitebeard Pirates.
From the very beginning, his goal had been clear:
To challenge Kaido of the Beasts—
and to do it with the power of Fairy Tail alone.
"At this point, there's no turning back," Sabo said quietly.
"Yeah," Ace replied, his eyes burning with resolve. "After all, this whole plan was my idea."
Fire Fist!
A blazing punch erupted from Ace's fist,
tearing through the air and smashing through the outer defenses of Kaido's territory.
The war for Wanokuni—
had begun.