Kaido's death triggered a surge of terror in Doflamingo.
If he couldn't find a way to escape, he would be the next to die.
Doflamingo's eyes were bloodshot from the sheer pressure. He grabbed a corpse near his feet at random and hurled it toward the indigo laser that was pursuing him relentlessly.
To his despair, the laser curved around the corpse once again, closing the distance rapidly.
"It's over..." Doflamingo felt utter despair.
No tactic worked.
Before being pierced by the indigo laser, he gave up all resistance. He stood in place and looked toward Luo Chen.
Big Mom's son, Perospero, was also being chased by a laser.
That idiot is actually running toward Luo Chen... Doflamingo couldn't help but sneer inwardly.
Was Perospero planning to run in front of Luo Chen and leap away at the last possible second before the laser hit?
He wanted to voice his mockery, but it was too late.
Following a sharp sting in the center of his brow, Doflamingo's consciousness rapidly faded away.
In the distance, Luo Chen raised his palm and made a clenching motion.
The oncoming Perospero was suddenly lifted off his feet, struggling in mid-air.
In the next moment, the indigo laser drilled into the back of his head and exploded.
Luo Chen released the gravity, and Perospero's headless corpse slumped to the ground.
"Quite the genius," he sighed inwardly, scanning his surroundings.
There were no living enemies left on the battlefield.
Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Doflamingo, Katakuri, Shiki...
Every pirate was dead.
Unable to use Devil Fruits or Haki, these men had possessed no means of resistance whatsoever.
"A pathetic alliance."
Luo Chen gave his silent evaluation.
In his eyes, the actions of Kaido and the others were truly laughable.
The only real result was that they had allowed him to test out various new abilities.
Luo Chen waved his hand, and gravity settled upon the corpses of Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and the others.
Their bodies slowly drifted upward, eventually disappearing into the Kamui dimension.
The Jinghai Army would soon have several more Admirals.
As for the hundreds of thousands of SMILE users who had been reduced to ashes, Luo Chen never had any intention of using Impure World Reincarnation on them.
Once those people transformed into their animal forms, they lost their sanity; even if reincarnated, they would be useless.
"Caesar... where is that guy?"
Luo Chen hadn't spotted Caesar from start to finish.
He didn't bother searching too hard, though; there were scientists far superior to Caesar available.
Some time ago, Luo Chen had asked Dragon to look for Vegapunk to see if he could be convinced to join the Jinghai Army.
Dragon and Vegapunk had been in contact before regarding the modification of the Seven Warlords of the Sea member "Tyrant" Kuma.
Unfortunately, Dragon hadn't been able to see Vegapunk this time.
It seemed Vegapunk had departed a long time ago.
The laboratory was covered in dust, clearly uninhabited for a significant period.
Luo Chen speculated that Imu must have taken Vegapunk away.
The Ancient Weapon Uranus was in Imu's hands.
However, activating such an Ancient Weapon required a massive amount of energy.
In this world, only Vegapunk possessed the level of expertise required to create the energy source needed to power Uranus.
While Luo Chen was clearing the battlefield and collecting the corpses, Luffy and the others gathered around him.
The group expressed their gratitude, and they were equally happy to have met again.
Chopper, Usopp, and Carina, having survived the disaster, slumped onto the ground in relief.
Kozuki Hiyori, accompanied by Toko, hurried to Luo Chen and bowed deeply in thanks.
Today, if not for Luo Chen, they surely would have died at the hands of Kaido and the others.
In the distance, Toko's father, Shimotsuki Yasuie, also came running from the collapsed Execution Ground.
Father and daughter were reunited. Though they were filled with immense gratitude, they could do nothing but laugh incessantly as they voiced their thanks.
Seeing this pair plagued by the side effects of a failed SMILE, Luo Chen waved his hand and released a surge of Yin-Yang Release energy.
Yin-Yang Release could create matter from nothing and reshape physical bodies.
Resolving the side effects of a SMILE was trivial.
As two beams of green light entered the bodies of Shimotsuki Yasuie and his daughter, the two suddenly stopped laughing.
They were visibly stunned, opening and closing their mouths as if unaccustomed to the sensation.
Shimotsuki Yasuie tried his best to curl the corners of his mouth but found he could no longer laugh uncontrollably.
He excitedly attempted various facial expressions.
He discovered, with utter disbelief, that he had returned to normal.
Turning to look at his adopted daughter, Toko, he saw that she, too, was now capable of showing other expressions.
The father and daughter were instantly moved to tears of gratitude, even kneeling to perform a grand kowtow to express their thanks.
Luo Chen waved them off, signaling that such formality was unnecessary.
He looked at Kozuki Hiyori and asked, "You are the princess of the Kozuki family, aren't you? What are your plans for Wano Country moving forward?"
For a moment, Kozuki Hiyori didn't know how to answer.
She looked toward the spot where Momonosuke and Kin'emon had died.
Not a single shred of flesh remained of the two; they had been completely obliterated.
Kurozumi Orochi, Kaido, and the many pirate villains who had ruled Wano Country had all been executed.
Where would Wano Country go from here?
Who could retake control of Wano Country?
Kozuki Hiyori took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes meeting Luo Chen's as she spoke seriously:
"I am but a lone woman, powerless to take over Wano Country. Therefore... I humbly request that Lord Luo Chen makes the decision."
After the ordeal with Kaido, she had long since realized that strength was paramount.
Only those with great power were qualified to rule a nation.
If a regular woman like her were to try and manage Wano Country again, she would eventually be overthrown by other pirates, and history would repeat itself.
It was better to place Wano Country in Luo Chen's hands.
Furthermore, Kozuki Hiyori had learned about the Jinghai Army.
The newspapers didn't mention Luo Chen too much, but they clearly stated that the Jinghai Army was purging pirates from the Four Seas, distributing wealth to the people, and stabilizing the order of the ocean.
Hiyori believed that under the governance of the Jinghai Army, Wano Country would surely be more peaceful and stable than if she were in charge.
As a retainer of the Kozuki family, Shimotsuki Yasuie said nothing.
Luo Chen had saved his and his daughter's lives.
Moreover, with Lord Momonosuke dead, Princess Hiyori had the right to decide the future of Wano Country.
Luo Chen nodded slightly.
If Wano Country were handed over to the Jinghai Army, it would be treated like the many other kingdoms in the outside world.
A capable Shogun would be selected to govern Wano Country.
The Jinghai Army would primarily be responsible for stationing troops for supervision and defense; they would not interfere in Wano Country's internal administration.
He didn't worry further about the matter, deciding to contact Robin later.
"I'll head to Onigashima to see if Caesar is there."
"Additionally, Kaido's daughter, Yamato, should still be on Onigashima."
"That person's strength is not weak; she cannot be ignored."
Luo Chen mused to himself, preparing to leave for the moment.
Suddenly, he sensed something and looked toward the massive volcano towering in the center of the Flower Capital.
Luffy's crew, Kozuki Hiyori, and Shimotsuki Yasuie were all affected by Luo Chen's movement.
Subconsciously, they followed his gaze toward the volcano.
Rumble, rumble...
The ground of the Flower Capital began to tremble, the sensation becoming incredibly distinct.
The high volcano exposed above the surface began to shake violently and visibly.
"What's happening?" Luffy looked surprised.
The others were also confused.
"Is the volcano going to erupt?" Carina asked in alarm.
Shimotsuki Yasuie and Kozuki Hiyori frowned.
Logically speaking, this volcano shouldn't be active.
Luo Chen shook his head and said, "It's not the volcano. Someone is moving something beneath it."
Everyone froze, looks of bewilderment on their faces.
Something beneath the volcano?
What could that be?
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]