"KILL!!!"
The massive flagship of the Crimson Harvest docked violently against the rocky, hidden shores of Punk Hazard. Hanafuda and Magha, eager to blood their newly formed Dinosaur Special Forces, leapt from the bow alongside their men.
"ROOOARR!!!"
"HISSSSS!!"
Amidst the primal, deafening roars of ancient beasts and the hisses of giant snakes, six majestic and terrifying Tyrannosaurus Rexes—each over thirteen meters long—and a colossal Titanoboa, three meters thick and over forty meters long, materialized outside the World Government's premier research facility.
(Note: The absolute size of a Zoan-type transformation is affected by the user's baseline human form. Magha is 5 meters tall in human form, making his Titanoboa form exceptionally massive, while the cloned T-Rex users are currently around 2 meters tall).
BOOM!!
The facility's outer reinforced wall, capable of withstanding direct naval cannon fire, was violently crushed under the weight of the charging beasts. The Tyrannosaurus Rexes opened their massive jaws, revealing rows of sharp, razor-like fangs.
"Stop them!! Hold the line!!"
There were still brave, disciplined individuals among the Marine guard. A Marine Colonel commanded a security unit to quickly form a defensive line near the breached wall.
Flintlock rifles were arranged in a dense, desperate formation, pointing at the charging ancient beasts. The triggers were pulled.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunsmoke rose from the muzzles, and the lead bullets broke the sound barrier, successfully hitting the yellow-scaled Tyrannosaurus Rexes and the Titanoboa.
However, these standard bullets, which could cause massive casualties in ordinary human warfare, struggled to even dent the thick, leathery scales of these giant prehistoric beasts.
Hanafuda, fully transformed into the crimson, apex Tyrannosaurus Rex, led the charge. He used a devastating "Dragon Charge" to directly smash through the Marine's newly formed line like a bowling ball through pins.
Dozens of Marine soldiers were sent violently flying into the air, and the sickening sound of breaking bones and tearing tendons was incessant.
"ROAR!!"
A gaping crimson maw snapped shut, precisely biting down on the commanding Marine Colonel. Sharp teeth pierced flesh, and the officer's reinforced Coat of Justice offered absolutely no defense.
Feeling the metallic taste of blood in his mouth, Hanafuda frowned slightly. He was, after all, a human swordsman, not a mindless, feral beast. Realizing that if he pressed any harder, he might actually bite the Marine Colonel completely in half, he shook his massive head, loosened his grip, and slammed the Colonel hard onto the paved ground.
BANG!
A shallow crater formed in the concrete. The Marine Colonel's eyes rolled back, losing consciousness on the spot.
"KILL!!!" Hanafuda roared again, spitting out a piece of uniform.
Through the massive gap in the wall crushed by the Titanoboa behind him, hundreds of heavily armed Crimson Empire pirates swarmed into the facility like a tide of locusts.
"Occupy the research facility!!"
"Loot the vaults! Take the equipment!"
"For military merits!!"
"Brothers, charge!!"
York strolled leisurely, his coat billowing as he walked casually through the breached gates, mingling among his charging pirates.
At this point in his reign, if every single skirmish still required the Emperor to personally lead the vanguard charge, he would be a rather failed Captain and King.
In fact, although he didn't physically lead the charge, his advanced Observation Haki had already expanded to cover the entirety of Punk Hazard. Through the perception of his Haki, he clearly knew the geopolitical situation.
Punk Hazard had completely lost its power to resist.
The Marine Vice Admiral stationed there to guard the facility had completely lacked the courage and daring to fight the Flame Emperor directly. He was currently only responsible for commanding the remaining Marines to hastily escort the high-value scientists onto ships to evacuate from the far side of the island.
Besides that coward, there were only scattered Marines like the ones at the gate. Perhaps purely fulfilling their absolute duty of Justice, or perhaps hoping to earn suicidal military merits, they sporadically set up defensive lines at key corridors to intercept the pirates.
York had absolutely no interest in participating in such trivial battles; he just needed to let Hanafuda and the others handle the mop-up.
The Punk Hazard research facility was incredibly massive, and the crew York brought quickly dispersed through the intricate network of underground corridors. The gunshots and screams of war gradually echoed across various sectors of the island.
York maintained an unhurried, almost bored pace, yet he was the very first to arrive at the laboratory's highly classified holding cells for live test subjects.
There was absolutely no doubt that, besides the normal animal subjects, about 30% of the total test subjects in World Government research facilities were humans abducted from various exotic or endangered races.
York's glowing eyes swept over the hundreds of imprisoned individuals in the glass cells, but he didn't find the specific person he was looking for.
"I am a pirate Emperor, currently plundering this World Government facility!" York announced, his voice echoing down the cell block. "You now have two paths!"
"One! Swear absolute loyalty and join my Empire. I will grant you the dignified treatment you deserve as free citizens, but at the same time, you must strictly abide by the laws on my ship!"
"Two! Refuse to join, remain in your cells, and after we finish plundering the island, you can figure out how to survive the elements on your own."
Most of the brutalized test subjects imprisoned in the cells immediately stood up upon hearing this, looking at York with desperate, tearful anticipation.
"We are willing! We are willing to join your crew!!"
BOOM!
With a casual flick of York's finger, a concentrated burst of advanced Armament Haki violently shattered all the reinforced glass cell doors down the corridor. The test subjects willing to join his crew immediately surged out, weeping and bowing.
York continued to look into the remaining cells; there were still many who were completely unwilling to become pirates, choosing to remain where they were out of fear. York didn't force them; everyone had their own choices in his Empire.
Afterward, he continued to use his Observation Haki to deeply scan the entire subterranean levels, searching for his desired target.
"It should be within the last year or two... I couldn't have come too early, could I?" York muttered softly, opening a heavily reinforced, blast-proof laboratory door at the end of the hall.
"So, the criminal who caused all this trouble in the facility has finally appeared."
Before York even fully entered the room, a calm, deeply exhausted voice drifted out.
York focused his gaze. In this sterile laboratory, which resembled a torture chamber more than an operating room, a young man was heavily chained to an experimental bed in the center of the room. He had white medium-length hair, dark skin, and a distinctive wreath-like tattoo around his left eye. He was looking at York with his head tilted.
"Found him."
York smiled, stepping forward to stand directly before the young man.
"White hair, dark skin, a tattoo around your eye, and black wings. Are you a Lunarian?"
The young man's pupils violently contracted upon hearing this taboo word. His previously calm, deadened emotions instantly became incredibly agitated.
"Did you... did you also come here because of the Lunarians?!"
"Ah! That's right!" York admitted frankly, without any concealment or lies.
"Tell me your name, young man."
"What do you want to do to me?!" the Lunarian young man strained against his heavy Seastone chains, his emotions spiraling. "I won't go with you!! Just kill me!!"
"Heh!" York laughed, crossing his arms. "If you don't come with me, do you intend to just stay here on this table? Is this sterile torture chamber really a place worth your attachment?"
The Lunarian young man's expression froze. Before he could retort, York's expression suddenly changed, becoming incredibly serious and solemn. His tone dropped into a heavy, earnest register.
"I am an Emperor of the Sea, currently tearing this research facility down to its foundations."
"To me, the 'God-like' Lunarian race merely represents another minority group. There is nothing inherently special or terrifying about you in my eyes."
"So, I am seriously asking you right now... do you want to come with me and be free?"
The Lunarian young man's agitated emotions gradually calmed down upon hearing the absolute sincerity in the man's voice.
He tilted his head, his gaze fixed on York's bright, sun-like eyes. He softly asked in return, "Aren't you afraid of being relentlessly hunted by the World Government if you harbor me?"
"Hunted? HAHAHAHAHA!"
York threw his head back, sounding as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the New World.
"You've been locked up in this bunker for far too long; surely you haven't heard absolutely nothing about me?!"
York leaned over the table, his Conqueror's Haki flaring. "I am the Flame Emperor! Atlas D. York!!"
"The absolute incarnation of the Sun! The man who makes the King of the World tremble in her castle! I am the strongest existence in the world right now!!"
"The World Government hunting me?!" York scoffed. "If one Admiral comes to my shores, I can twist his head off and use it as a chamber pot!! If two Admirals come, I'll butcher them without hesitation!! If all three Admirals come, they can at most hope to retreat with their lives!!"
"Unless the World Government sends out all three Admirals, the Five Elders, and the King of the World simultaneously, they don't stand a chance! Do they want to kill me?! They'll only be killed by my hand!!"
The Lunarian young man stared blankly at York.
What had he just heard?!
So insanely arrogant?! Is there something completely wrong with this guy's mind?!
But... Flame Emperor... he seemed to have vaguely heard the terrified guards whispering that taboo title in the halls over the past year. Recalling the scene of those sadistic, animalistic researchers fleeing in absolute, tearful panic just minutes ago, the Lunarian decided it was better to believe the man than not.
He then asked York, his voice trembling slightly, "Since you are so strong... will you change this world?"
"Of course I will."
York's face showed a smile full of absolute, self-evident confidence. "This world is already being changed by my hands! Those disgusting, corrupt Celestial Dragons and their lapdogs... I will personally kick them all into the trash heap of history!!"
"So, young man... tell me your name!!"
The Lunarian secretly swallowed, his heart pounding. He answered in a deep, resolute voice, "A... Alber!"
York grinned warmly. He casually waved his hand, his advanced Armament Haki violently shattering the indestructible Seastone mechanisms of the experimental bed that restrained Alber.
"Very good, Alber!"
"From today on, I am your Captain! I'll be looking out for you!!"
"Remember this!" York declared, offering the boy his hand. "Your Captain is the strongest man in the world! You don't need to have any worries or fears ever again!"
"Even the Celestial Dragons... in front of me, their men die, and their women are taken! Even the King of the World, I will conquer her completely sooner or later!!"
Alber sat up, rubbing his bruised wrists. Looking at this Captain—who was clearly not much older than him but exceptionally, overwhelmingly arrogant—his emotions were indescribably complex.
He didn't truly understand where York's absolute confidence came from. Was he really as god-like as he claimed?! But... after suffering here for so long, was that kind of salvation even possible?!
At the same time, he was deeply moved by York's words. For the first time in his entire, miserable life, he felt a genuine sense of protection. The absolute confidence in York's voice made him truly feel that from now on, he wouldn't have to live in constant fear of the World Government's scalpels.
"Ca... Captain?" Alber's voice trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly, as he tentatively called out the title.
York heard him. A look of profound relief flashed across the Emperor's face. After nodding, he asked in a calm yet probing tone, "Are there any other members of your tribe hidden in this research facility?"
The hopeful light in Alber's eyes instantly dimmed.
He lowered his gaze to his bare toes. His shoulders trembled violently with anger, his hands clenched into fists until his nails dug into his flesh. His voice was so hoarse it was almost a sob: "No... When I was captured by the strike team... I was the only one left alive."
York's eyes narrowed slightly. His tone sank, carrying an undeniable, heavy resolve.
"Since that is the case, Alber... then you no longer need to hide your identity!"
"Wh-what?!" Alber suddenly looked up, his face filled with incredulous shock.
York exhaled softly and began to explain the reality of the geopolitical board.
"I'm not sure exactly how many Lunarian survivors there are scattered across the seas, but even if we look at the entire world, there shouldn't be more than ten people."
"Assuming you are truly the only one left alive in this world, hiding your identity behind a mask is entirely meaningless."
York placed a heavy hand on Alber's shoulder. "But... if there are still tribesmen surviving out there, and you operate proudly under my flag in your true, winged form... the World Government's sanctions will be utterly powerless against you. And those tribesmen still hiding in the terrified shadows will naturally see your bounty poster and know that you are safe in the Crimson Empire."
York paused, a hint of expectation in his voice. "They might follow this glimmer of hope and seek refuge with you."
"By then, the bloodline of the Lunarian tribe might be able to continue. The flame of the Gods will not be completely extinguished in your generation."
Alber's body suddenly trembled violently. A spark seemed to be abruptly lit in his dim, deadened eyes—first shaking violently, then gradually igniting into a fervent, burning glow.
"Ca... Captain..." His voice trembled, the words hoarse and choked with emotion. "Are you saying... you want me to live... openly as a Lunarian?"
"What? You don't believe what I just said?"
York smiled, turning and walking towards the door to the next laboratory.
"Make your own decision, Alber!" York called back. "Will you continue to hide your face and live like a hunted rat... or will you live openly in the sunlight by my side, proclaiming to the whole damn world that the Lunarian tribe still exists! That the bloodline of the Gods continues!!"
Alber's heart pounded against his ribs. The literal flame that had long been extinguished behind his head suddenly blazed fiercely to life once more, illuminating the sterile room.
Wiping away the tears that finally fell from his eyes, he gazed at the man's imposing, retreating figure and murmured to himself, "Father... Mother... I seem to have finally found him. The Joy Boy you spoke of..."
Without any further hesitation—and possessing no need for any further hesitation—Alber stepped forward, actively following behind York.
York noticed his pursuit through Observation Haki and smiled with profound relief. He said nothing more, simply taking Alber with him to continue liberating the remaining test subjects, incidentally executing any Marines who were foolish enough to seek their own demise in the halls.
The night of intense, one-sided fighting ended.
Punk Hazard was completely occupied by the Crimson Harvest Pirates. All the Marines left behind as a rearguard to guard the island were wiped out to the last man.
The scientists, entirely thanks to the early and decisive, cowardly actions of the Vice Admiral stationed on the island, were all successfully evacuated. There were no major casualties among the scientific staff, and only a dozen or so sustained minor injuries due to their hasty, panicked escape to the ships.
In stark contrast, absolutely all the physical resources of the entire Punk Hazard research facility were completely seized by York. Only a tiny fraction of the heavy equipment was destroyed due to irresistible factors such as combat crossfire, resulting in an overall logistical loss of less than 10%.
"Brothers! Start moving! Strip the entire research facility to the copper wiring!!" Hanafuda roared to the crew.
"AWOOOOO!!!"
Through the Mirror World connection Stussy established, Dr. Vegapunk, Queen, Judge, Caesar, and Dr. Asie all arrived at Punk Hazard together. Under their manic, gleeful guidance, the pirates began to meticulously dismantle and transport the billion-Berry equipment from the research facility back to the Empire.
York himself, sitting on a crate with Alber standing loyally by his side, tallied the pirates' military merits, death benefits, injury subsidies, and deserved treasure rewards from this highly successful raid.
Alber, of course, understood nothing of the Empire's logistics at the moment and could only watch silently. He watched firsthand exactly how Atlas D. York was practically changing this world.
The New World — Winner Island.
The edges of the island were barren, jagged reefs, while the center of the island was a dense, foreboding forest.
The Kurozumi duo was currently camped near the shore. Kurozumi Semimaru was busy putting a freshly slaughtered sea beast on the spit to make barbecue.
Kurozumi Higurashi sat on a nearby rock, holding a stick, frantically drawing and writing in the dirt, murmuring about their grand, desperate plan.
"A smuggled letter just came back from Wano Country," Higurashi hissed. "Kozuki Oden's pathetic retainers have also started moving! They are learning etiquette, devouring books, and even training their Haki, shouting to the masses that they want to be the ultimate guardians of Wano!"
Higurashi snapped the twig. "If we don't find a powerful external Emperor to cooperate with soon, that idiot Oden will eventually take over the Shogun's position securely! By then, our Kurozumi family's long-cherished wish for vengeance might never be realized!!"
Kurozumi Semimaru remained completely silent, turning the spit. He and Higurashi were partners, but the team's brain and absolute decision-maker had always been the old hag. He had long been accustomed to being the quiet, obedient listener under her sharp, calculating intellect.
Higurashi didn't expect him to respond. She just irritably broke the branch in her hand, her speech becoming faster and more frantic.
"Contact with Shiki was a complete failure. That arrogant, floating fool actually wanted to be the Shogun of Wano Country himself! What an absolute joke! Not to mention us, the isolationist people of Wano would never recognize a foreign conqueror sitting on the throne!"
She sneered, her tone full of disgust.
"Bandi World is an unpredictable madman; I almost got killed by him before I even finished my pitch. It's a good thing I ran fast."
"Edward Newgate cannot be approached. Given his disgustingly righteous personality, if he knew about the bloody, historical grievances between us and the Kozuki, he might even turn around and help the Kozuki clan completely destroy my Kurozumi bloodline!"
"Charlotte Linlin already possesses Totto Land and has formed a massive, blood alliance with the Flame Emperor. There's absolutely no need for her to come to an isolated rock like Wano and start over."
"And Roger..." At the mention of that accursed name, Higurashi curled her lip in utter disgust. "That guy and Kozuki Oden are cut from the exact same cloth. If they ever get together, they'll probably call each other blood brothers. Going to Roger is purely walking into a trap."
"Damn it!!!"
The firelight from the roasting sea beast meat reflected Higurashi's distorted, desperate expression as she angrily kicked a nearby rock into the surf.
"Why is finding a reliable, Emperor-level partner so incredibly difficult?!"
Only then did Semimaru let out a long, heavy sigh, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames.
"Ultimately... Kozuki Oden is simply too strong. Even in this New World, where strong individuals are abundant, it's hard to find an Emperor who can casually rival him, let alone one willing to achieve a relatively equal, political partnership with us."
These words revealed the cruelest reality of the geopolitical board, and it was also what frustrated Higurashi the most.
"Originally..." Higurashi muttered, biting her nail. "...York was an excellent candidate. And I also deeply admired Kaido's raw strength and brutal personality. But... precisely because those two cooperated and formed a new, terrifying Pirate Empire, achieving continuous, apocalyptic victories against the World Government..."
Higurashi grimaced. "Now... it's probably entirely impossible for us to achieve an 'equal' partnership with the Flame Emperor."
The scent of meat wafted, and Semimaru began to cut the roasted sea beast. Higurashi stared at the flickering sparks, silent for a long time, just quietly eating the barbecue Semimaru handed her.
Just as Semimaru thought she was finally about to give up her foolish revenge, she suddenly looked up, a cunning, utterly insane light flashing in her eyes.
"We can only gamble!" Her voice carried a resolute, suicidal ruthlessness.
"We still go to York for cooperation!" Higurashi declared. "He is currently the strongest in absolute power and global influence; the World Government and the Marines are entirely powerless against him. So collaborating with him offers the highest, most absolute stability!"
"Secondly, Wano Country is still geographically far from his Crimson Empire. He cannot directly rule it yet! We can offer to become his loyal, political agents!"
She paused, her eyes growing brighter. "He might even want to send a military garrison to secure Seastone weapons, and we can offer him the island of Onigashima for free! Then... we'll find a way to achieve deep, manipulative cooperation with the military cadres he sends over!"
She began to let out her unique, grating "Giao-giao-giao" laughter.
"Oh, right! That Oni, Kaido, is a perfect candidate! We can tempt him with Wano's resources to eventually break away from York's command!"
Semimaru suddenly looked up at her in shock. Higurashi had already stood up, gazing maniacally in the direction of Wano Country, a calculating, deadly smile playing on her lips.
This seemingly desperate, impossible idea seemed to hide the singular possibility of turning the tide for the Kurozumi clan.
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