Chapter 481: Road Poneglyph, Two Dragons Meet Again
In this war, there is another force that cannot be ignored.
That is the World Government.
During the disaster, World Government Agents were mixed in with the most prosperous Flower Capital of Wano Country.
Taking advantage of the chaos, they secretly searched for the whereabouts of the Road Poneglyph.
As they were unfamiliar with Wano Country, they could only search slowly.
Especially important locations related to the Kozuki Clan.
However, those places were usually guarded by Samurai.
Even the World Government did not expect a plague to break out, which affected their operation to some extent, and some people even fell ill.
With the World Government's reinforcements, after the Flower Capital was abandoned due to the disaster and most people fled, the World Government's operation became much easier.
The Flower Capital was not empty; there were many people who couldn't evacuate with the main force, or arrived later, or were banished.
Although people died every day from the plague and hunger, there were always some Lucky Ones who could survive.
Like a wasteland after the apocalypse, they persisted, living one day at a time.
It took a full half a year for these Agents to search everywhere they could.
Finally, they found a special secret passage in the Kozuki Clan's family cemetery.
And inside, they found their target, the Red Road Poneglyph.
"Finally found it, this thing."
Looking at the red stone block inscribed with mysterious text before him, an Agent took out a camera and took a picture, sighing with some emotion.
As Agents, they were not without emotion, but they firmly believed that what they were doing was right, the so-called "Dark Justice".
For this stone, they had put in countless effort, especially with the plague constantly spreading and not yet dissipating.
They had sacrificed quite a few personnel.
Although they didn't know what this thing was, since they found it, everything they did was worth it.
Having completed their mission, they would surely receive rewards from the World Government.
As for the dead Agents, it was their honor to sacrifice for the World Government; they were nameless heroes, even though no one would remember them.
"However, how do we take this thing out?"
The five-meter-tall Red Poneglyph was incredibly heavy, difficult to move with the strength of just one person.
They were elite Agents of the World Government, but their focus was not on combat strength, but mainly on infiltration and concealment.
"Going out like this is too eye-catching.
After the disaster, there are occasionally wanderers appearing."
"If someone sees us, deal with them.
Just finding it isn't enough; no matter what, we have to take it back to the Holy Land."
Cold discussions kept ringing out.
Transporting such a massive object, being low-key was impossible.
To avoid exposure, they could only eliminate everyone who witnessed it.
Of course, they had no psychological burden; this was also their usual method.
However, they still had to figure out how to take this Poneglyph out.
The material of the Poneglyph was hard, and in terms of weight, it was comparable to steel.
The entire Poneglyph weighed a full thousand tons.
Even combined, they could only barely move it.
Let alone transport it back to the Holy Land.
"Guard it for now, and have someone send the message back to the Holy Land first."
The World Government quickly received the news and immediately dispatched the CP0 Director-General to bring this Red Poneglyph back to the Holy Land.
This thing was priceless to the World Government, yet also a double-edged sword.
The World Government possessed the ability to decipher Poneglyphs.
The archaeologists of Ohara, after years of research, could decipher Poneglyphs, let alone the World Government with its long history.
A long time ago, hundreds of years ago, they had already deciphered the script of the Poneglyphs.
Therefore, they clearly knew how great the threat posed by the content recorded on the Poneglyphs was.
Moreover, eight hundred years ago, they also learned some secrets of the Poneglyphs from some participants or related secret documents.
This included the Road Poneglyph.
With it, Laugh Tale could not be found by anyone.
Because it was the key element to reaching the Final Island.
Equally problematic was that the Roger Pirates had already learned the content on this Road Poneglyph.
The World Government was also unsure what exactly the Roger Pirates knew now.
The expansion of the disaster and the fate of Wano Country were, in a sense, also promoted by the World Government.
The Withering Agent was provided by the World Government, and World Government Agents also played a role in fueling the fire during the disaster's outbreak.
Wasn't the weakening of Wano Country something the World Government wanted to see?
A single Kozuki Oden was not difficult to deal with, but a powerful nation with a powerful army was something even the World Government dared not easily offend.
The "Golden King" Donovan was forcefully slain during the siege back then.
Kozuki Oden was not a special ability user; could he escape facing the siege by several top tier combatants?
A Black Dragon swept across the sky, its massive shadow moving rapidly over The Great Sea.
Before arriving at Wano Country, it specifically transformed back into human form and stepped onto this land using Moonwalk.
Arriving at the agreed-upon location, guided by the Government Agents, he headed towards the Kozuki Clan's cemetery.
His purpose for coming this time was to take the Poneglyph back, to finish quickly and avoid being discovered.
Especially the Captain of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates, Zak; they were old rivals, and if he were targeted, it would cause significant trouble.
And as luck would have it, the moment he transformed back into human form after arriving in the Wano Country Sea Area in his full beast form was discovered by a member of the Tyrant Dragon Pirates.
Around the Wano Country Sea Area, due to its unique geographical location, the Tyrant Dragon Pirates had secretly established many strongholds to prevent anyone from secretly infiltrating Wano Country through other means.
"Is the World Government looking for death?"
"Don't they know Wano Country is this Old Man's territory?"
"It seems the World Government was involved in what happened recently.
The Kurozumi Clan is getting a bit restless."
The Tyrant Dragon Pirates received the news immediately and knew who the newcomer was from the description.
That's why Zak was even more furious.
Transforming into a Yinglong, he spread his wings and sped towards the North like a jet plane.
On the other side.
"Roar!"
The CP0 Director-General, in full beast form, transformed into a massive Black Dragon, piercing the ground with a claw and destroying the Kozuki Clan's cemetery.
Seeing the Road Poneglyph located underground, the Black Dragon grabbed it with a claw and spread its wings, flying towards the sky.
As for the other Agents, except for the guide, they began preparing for evacuation.
However, before he could fly far, he inwardly cried out that something was wrong.
A terrifying aura rapidly approached from the distance.
A terrifying Gravity Ray, golden and mixed with lightning, tore through the sky, locking onto him firmly.
The Gravity Ray was unavoidable; as an old rival, he knew how troublesome this ability was.
"Black Dragon Roar!"
A dark Dragon's Breath also erupted.
The two forces collided fiercely in the sky, and the terrifying impact spread out like circular ripples.
"Trouble."
Holding the Road Poneglyph in one hand, the CP0 Director-General inwardly cursed as he saw the approaching figure.
"Since you're here, stay!
Your hands are reaching too far!"
Zak's angry voice came from afar.
He noticed the red stone in the Black Dragon's hand.
He was not unfamiliar with it.
"Is that your target?
Since I'm here, you won't be able to take it away!
Wano Country is this Old Man's territory, and this thing originally belonged to this Old Man!"
Since it was something the World Government wanted, he couldn't let the World Government have it.
Moreover.
"You've crossed the line!"
A great battle was imminent.
(end of chapter)