Kaido's dragon pupils suddenly narrowed into vertical slits under the force of his fury, revealing endless murderous intent.
"If I'd known this thing existed… Hmph!"
He gritted his teeth, every word seeming to carry an icy chill.
"Twenty years ago, I should've led my men straight to Mary Geoise and blasted holes through the asses of those high-and-mighty Celestial Dragons!"
His decisive tone made it seem as though he could already see the scene he had failed to bring about back then. Regret and rage twisted together in his heart, making his entire body radiate a terrifying aura.
The atmosphere was so tense it seemed almost wet enough to wring out.
Whitebeard's snow-white mustache fluttered in the wind. He gripped his naginata tightly and struck the hilt heavily against the deck, producing a dull, powerful sound like the beating of war drums.
"Ron, boy, you knew about all this from the start? No wonder you insisted on opening Wano's borders. So there was such a deep plan hidden behind it!"
Beside him, Big Mom, who was usually arrogant, spoiled, and overbearing, suddenly found her personal weapon, Napoleon, acting strangely.
The massive sword actually changed into a flattering, fawning smile and called out in a sweet voice that gave people goosebumps,
"Mama~ Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have a treasure like this too~?"
However, that coquettish remark received no response from her.
Instead, it drew her fury.
Big Mom suddenly raised her palm and, with mountain-toppling force, slapped Napoleon's ridiculous smiling face to pieces.
Even so, uncontrollable greed still shone in her eyes.
She locked her gaze firmly onto Ron and said viciously,
"You really are something, brat! Now that we know this secret, there's no need to wait for the right time anymore. Let's set off right now and wipe Marineford off the map!"
Kaido, always wild and unrestrained, had now returned to human form as well.
His scar-covered chest rose and fell violently, every breath seeming to vent his unwillingness and fighting spirit.
He crossed his thick arms over his chest and shouted,
"Stop dreaming, Linlin! You think you can take Marineford by yourself?"
After saying that, he turned sharply and faced Ron with bloodshot eyes. Thick alcohol fumes poured from his mouth as he roared,
"At the very least, add me in! With the two of us, we can flatten Marine Headquarters right now with ease!"
The terrifying aura released by these three overlords of the sea swept outward like a raging tsunami.
The other crew members on the deck were pressed down by that overwhelming presence until they could barely breathe. Their faces went pale, and their bodies trembled uncontrollably, as if they had been thrown into an ice cellar.
While everyone was still shaken, Pluton appeared silently like a ghost.
Its presence instantly plunged all of Wano into a mixture of wild joy and reverent awe.
This Ancient Weapon, which had slept for eight full centuries, now stood quietly at the center of the ancient capital that had finally revealed its magnificence once more.
Its ink-black, beautifully streamlined hull shone under the sunlight with a mysterious, bottomless luster, like an abyssal beast that had been lying in wait for ages and could devour anyone at any moment.
"Incredible…"
Nami carefully walked forward and stretched out her slender fingers, gently touching the hull that was cold, yet faintly warm beneath the surface. Her eyes were filled with indescribable shock.
She murmured, "Is this really something humans could build with their own wisdom and technology? It's beyond anything I imagined…"
Ron stood quietly to the side, his gaze deep and firm as he stared at the enormous battleship before him.
He knew very well that simply leaving it here motionless was not enough. The key was to make it truly move and bring out the power it should possess.
So he slowly turned his head and looked at the three special individuals who possessed the power of the Float-Float Fruit.
"Now it's your turn to show what you can do. Try and see whether you can make it take flight."
One of the ability users took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He slowly stepped forward and carefully placed his palm against Pluton's cold, hard armor.
In an instant, a strange energy fluctuation spread from his palm, racing quickly across the hull.
Pluton finally released a deep, heavy hum, like the prelude to an awakening.
Then it slowly rose from the ground.
Its massive body stirred up a powerful current of air, sending dust flying all around.
After that, it steadily carried everyone on deck higher and higher until it hovered high in the sky.
Finally, under everyone's expectant gazes, Pluton descended smoothly onto the surging sea like a divine bird spreading its wings, raising splashes of white water all around it.
"It worked! It really worked!"
Momonosuke could not hide his excitement. He gripped the side of the ship tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white from the force. His voice was filled with joy and excitement he could not suppress.
"It isn't damaged! It hasn't been damaged at all!"
The giant Pluton, having just entered the sea, looked like an ancient beast suddenly waking after sleeping for a thousand years, as though fresh, surging life had been poured into it.
The mysterious ghostly blue patterns across the hull became even clearer, winding over the steel shell like living snakes.
Those lines flickered rhythmically like breathing.
Every flash seemed to tell a fragment of an ancient and mysterious past, releasing an aura that inspired awe.
Seeing this, no one dared delay for even a moment.
They immediately moved, scattering in different directions as they began separately investigating the secrets hidden within this enormous battleship.
Robin walked lightly and cautiously down a long corridor engraved with ancient text.
Her fingertips gently brushed over the uneven characters on the walls, her gaze focused and deep, as if she wanted to peer through those ancient symbols and uncover the secrets hidden behind Pluton.
She nodded slightly and murmured softly,
"These writings record Pluton's origins… Every stroke, every symbol, may contain important information."
Just as everyone was completely focused on their own exploration, a low, muffled hum suddenly came from deep within the hull.
At first, the sound was faint.
But in the blink of an eye, it grew rapidly stronger, like the roar of a beast that had been lying dormant for far too long.
Along with that hum, the entire battleship began to tremble slightly, and the objects on the deck shook with it.
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