While Setsuna was self-harming behind the door, chaos ensued outside.
Hancock's delicate features suddenly contorted. Clutching her heaving chest, she screamed in horror, "No! Setsuna-sama's presence... it's rapidly weakening!"
Not just her, Zephyr and the others also had drastic changes in their expressions.
They could clearly sense that immensely powerful, almost suffocating presence inside the room was fading rapidly, like a candle flame being swallowed by darkness, liable to be extinguished at any moment.
"Someone ambushed Setsuna-sama!" Fierce anger blazed in Hancock's eyes. "We must go in and rescue him immediately!"
However, a barrier of flames suddenly rose, blocking her path.
"No!" Ace's voice was low but resolute. "Have you forgotten Captain's orders? No matter what happens inside, we are not to enter!"
Hancock glared at him, radiating sharp Conqueror's Haki. "Ace! Are you trying to kill Setsuna-sama to seize Captain's position for yourself?"
Ace took a deep breath, his gaze firm. "Hancock, you should understand Captain's strength better than I do. He's the strongest man in the world!"
Little did he expect Hancock's cheeks to suddenly flush a rosy red, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly. "Setsuna-sama is of course the strongest... all three of us…"
Ace looked baffled. Why are you blushing like that?
He raised his head, his eyes sharp. "Don't you even have this much faith in Captain?"
Hancock was stunned briefly, but soon her anger reignited. "But Setsuna-sama's presence has weakened to the extreme. What if something happens..."
As the two argued, the presence behind the door abruptly skyrocketed.
That energy, which had been nearly extinguished, surged explosively in an instant, becoming even more vast and profound than before.
"See?" Ace breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile at his lips. "I said Captain would be fine. And..."
Before he could finish, the presence plummeted again, like a dying candle in the wind.
Hancock's heart, which had just settled, rose to her throat again. "What on earth is..."
Before she could react, the energy inside the room surged wildly once more.
"..."
Everyone outside was utterly numb.
Even Zephyr, with seventy years of life experience, couldn't fathom what Setsuna was doing.
Enel's eyes burned with fanaticism. "Captain must be shedding his mortal shell, ascending to godhood! I understand! The boundary between life and death is the stairway to divinity! I must also commit suicide..."
His frenzied appearance scared Cavendish beside him, who quickly took two steps sideways.
This drastic fluctuation in presence continued for three full cycles, each one making everyone's hearts race.
When the presence surged to its peak for the third time, the room's door finally creaked open.
Setsuna emerged, wearing fresh clothes. His eyes were deeper than before, as if containing the mysteries of the entire cosmos.
"Phew..." Setsuna slowly exhaled, feeling the surging power within him. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "As expected, I still have to rely on cheats."
The first near-death experience doubled his strength.
The second near-death increased it by half.
The third near-death offered negligible improvement.
But even so, his power was now three times what it was before!
A threefold increase in strength within a few short minutes… this was the powerful trait of the Saiyan race.
"Two and a half years ago, I needed Sage Mode and the Seventh Gate simultaneously to rival Kaido," Setsuna clenched his fist, a hint of emotion in his eyes. "After these two and a half years of training, I could suppress him with a single enhancement. And now..."
Setsuna chuckled inwardly. "Even in my most basic normal state, defeating Kaido shouldn't be difficult anymore."
However, while this increase in strength was gratifying, it also brought new troubles.
Previously, he was essentially stuck at a level. Battles with Kaido provided combat experience.
But now, only a battle with Imu would likely accumulate combat experience for him.
"Captain, what were you doing just now?" Ace finally couldn't hold back. "We sensed your presence fluctuating three times, like teetering on the edge of life and death repeatedly..."
Setsuna smiled faintly. "A dangerous training method."
He didn't explain the secret of the Saiyan bloodline in detail. Instead, he gazed deeply at everyone. "The current me already possesses the power to change the entire world."
These words sent a shock through everyone.
Zephyr's voice trembled with excitement. "Captain, you mean... to move against the World Government?"
Having been influenced by Setsuna, he had come to deeply understand the root of this world's decay.
"Soon," Setsuna smiled slightly. "It's time to prepare an unforgettable farewell performance for those haughty 'gods'."
...
The sky was overcast, dark clouds looming as if foretelling an approaching storm.
The [Gluttony], leading dozens of warships, sailed majestically towards the waters of Wano Country.
The Mythical Zoans in Mary Geoise weren't guaranteed acquisitions yet. Before moving against the World Government, Setsuna decided to first secure Wano's Mythical Zoan as a fallback.
Wano Country was surrounded by waterfalls, perhaps the best natural barrier. But before the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, this natural moat was a joke.
Setsuna's fleet easily breached Wano's defenses, advancing deep into its territory.
Kurozumi Orochi's forces couldn't even organize effective resistance before being swept away by Setsuna's fleet with overwhelming force.
The fleet pushed forward relentlessly. In just one day, they were at the gates of the Flower Capital.
Inside the Flower Capital, Orochi was terrified. Of course, he knew Kaido's Beasts Pirates were at war with a powerful external force.
But for the fighting to be so intense that it directly invaded Wano was unprecedented.
"Quickly go to Onigashima and request Kaido-sama!" Orochi shrieked in panic.
Fukurokuju, the captain of his Oniwabanshu, said bitterly, "I already sent people, my lord. But Onigashima replied that the Great King is currently in a drunken stupor. They are trying their best to rouse him."
"At a time like this..." Orochi gritted his teeth but didn't dare curse Kaido behind his back. He asked, "Then what should we do now?"
A meaningful smirk tugged at the corner of Fukurokuju's mouth. "I have heard, my lord, that the leader of that force is named Chiaki Setsuna. Such an elegant name, completely different from those crude outsiders. It's highly likely he is of Wano bloodline."
"A man of Wano? Could he be a remnant of the Kozuki family, returning for revenge?" Orochi felt a surge of fear initially, but quickly reacted. "If he's from the Kozuki Family, then he must cherish those lowly commoners, right? Gufufufu~ I'll play with him just like I did with Kozuki Oden."
Fukurokuju flattered, "Your Excellency is wise."
"Gufufufu!" Orochi laughed triumphantly, as if already seeing the scene of victory. "I can't wait to see that Chiaki Setsuna strip naked and dance!"