Scratchmen Apoo rushed into Kaido's office, his voice urgent.
" Lord Kaido! A squad of rebel samurai launched a surprise attack last night while Jack the Drought was away. They breached the prisoner quarry!"
"Over ninety percent of the labor force was lost. The quarry is now completely shut down and won't be operational for at least ten days."
"And the raw material stockpiles across the factories… they won't last more than three days."
Kaido slammed his palm onto the desk with a thunderous crash, sending everything atop it flying into the air.
Apoo flinched, visibly rattled, fearing he might become the outlet for Kaido's rage.
But Kaido didn't lash out further. After the single strike, he calmed.
"What's the situation with Roya?"
Apoo let out a tiny breath of relief and reported,
"That courtesan Komurasaki turns out to be none other than Kozuki Hiyori, who had previously gone missing. Roya has openly declared her under his protection."
"Early this morning, Roya and Hiyori traveled together to Mt. Atamayama in the Kuri region to meet with Kozuki Momonosuke."
"Kurozumi Orochi even personally escorted them into Kuri. The bandit group took over only at the foot of the mountain."
Kaido's brow furrowed.
"You mean to say… that idiot Orochi may have already defected to Roya?"
Before Apoo could answer, Kaido snorted coldly.
"With that man's greed? Even at death's door, he'd never willingly surrender the position of Wano's shogun."
Apoo nodded quickly.
"You're absolutely right, Lord Kaido. That's why I believe that now that Hiyori's identity is exposed, Orochi will move against Roya immediately."
Kaido shook his head.
"You overestimate him. I know that fool better than anyone. He won't act—he'll cling to delusions and drive himself into a corner, then beg for mercy when it's too late."
Apoo gave a sheepish grin and said nothing more.
After a moment of silence, Kaido muttered,
"Judging by Roya's usual methods, there's no reason for him to play games with a nobody like Orochi. Which means… his goal in Wano may not be to help Momonosuke reclaim the country after all."
Then, Kaido suddenly stood, his eyes gleaming.
"Send an envoy to the bandit camp at Mt. Atamayama. As Wano's Guardian Deity, I will extend Roya an invitation to a feast tonight."
Apoo immediately perked up and bowed deeply.
"I'll also send a formal invitation to Queen Charlotte Linlin."
Kaido burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand.
Apoo turned and departed, his steps noticeably lighter than when he had arrived.
---
Meanwhile, Roya lounged lazily in a pavilion, watching from afar as Kozuki Hiyori chatted cheerfully with the newly arrived Red Scabbards, all of them reunited.
They were in high spirits, as if Wano had already been reclaimed.
"If only they knew... that their 'long-lost young lord' Momonosuke has been turned into one of Vegapunk's experimental subjects."
"Forget the World Government's ambitions for now... what's truly terrifying is the Sakura Dragon buried beneath this land. It's been lying in wait for centuries. When it finally acts, the consequences will be unimaginable."
Roya shook his head and sighed—not just for the Red Scabbards' ignorance, but also for the helpless civilians who had no power to resist what was coming.
"Once Momonosuke is dealt with, I'll need to figure out how to completely uproot the Sakura Dragon too."
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Roya's expression shifted.
He turned his head toward the sea—several familiar auras were rapidly approaching.
Moments later, three figures sped into view, arriving at the base of Mt. Atamayama.
"How brazen!"
Ashura Doji bellowed in fury as he leapt from a cliff hundreds of meters high.
Using his elevated position and gravity's momentum, he unleashed a massive slash of sword aura—over ten meters long—straight at the three approaching figures.
Apoo's lips puckered into a megaphone shape, and he shouted in a booming voice:
"Ashura Doji, stand down!"
"We're here under Lord Kaido's orders to invite Roya to a banquet!"
But Queen the Plague, the brute of the group, clearly had no faith in a peaceful negotiation.
With a roar, he activated his Devil Fruit ability.
In an instant, he transformed into a massive brachiosaurus, towering at over 30 meters.
Muscles coiled tightly around his neck like cables of steel, he charged head-on into Ashura Doji's slash.
The sword aura struck Queen's neck and rang out like clashing steel.
Ashura Doji, meanwhile, was sent flying from the backlash of his own attack, the shockwave propelling him higher than the cliff itself.
To be struck down in his own stronghold—in front of Momonosuke no less—was a humiliation.
Fuming, Ashura Doji quickly pulled out a gourd of sake, took a deep swig midair, and righted himself.
Letting out another roar, he summoned Armament Haki, blackening his blade before launching a second strike.
This time, the slash had no visible aura, but its killing intent and raw power were far greater than before.
Yet Queen's counterattack was already underway.
The brachiosaurus charged upward like a living missile, its bulk crashing through the air.
In the blink of an eye, he soared past Ashura Doji's height, then twisted midair—
four limbs to the sky, flipping into a head-first dive, aiming the full force of his massive skull straight at Ashura Doji's face.
Brachiosaurus Bomb!
Ashura Doji saw everything—but had no time to react.
All he could see was a wall of orange scales descending.
Then—pain exploded through his skull—and he lost consciousness instantly.
BOOM!
CRASH!
Two thunderous impacts echoed.
The first was the sound of Queen's skull colliding with Ashura Doji's.
The second—Ashura Doji's unconscious body crashing to the ground, just a few meters from where Roya sat.
Queen somersaulted through the air and landed in front of Roya with surprising agility for his bulk.
His sunglasses gleamed, and his gaze roved up and down Roya, full of ill intentions.
The other two figures landed beside him.
Apoo gave a respectful bow.
"Vice-Emperor Roya—it's been a long time."
Roya chuckled.
"Apoo... with your talents, being a pirate seems like such a waste. Why not be a musician?"
Apoo shrugged.
"Once Lord Kaido's New Onigashima Project succeeds, I'll retire and devote myself to music full-time."
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