After confirming the terms of the deal, King immediately led his men away, preparing to report everything to Kaido via Den Den Mushi.
"Captain, are you interested in Wano's mineral resources?"
Shiryu lit a fresh cigar and asked.
To be fair, compared to other nations, Wano's greatest advantage lay in being the world's only source of Seastone, along with its natural ocean defenses and advanced weapon-forging techniques.
It wasn't strange for Xia Te to want to take it.
"Shiryu, I didn't expect you to misunderstand me this much. Do I look like the type to hole up on an island like a turtle?"
Xia Te chuckled.
Shiryu paused, confused. "Aren't you?"
The Float-Float Fruit allowed him to roam the skies freely without restraint.
For years, the Yonko and the Navy had maintained a fragile balance, neither daring to break it.
Xia Te had always looked down on people like Big Mom and Kaido—establishing territories and then hiding within them, afraid to expand outward.
Why would he do the same?
Although he didn't like Roger much, there was one thing Xia Te agreed with:
Pirates are the freest people on the seas.
Though in his view, it needed an addition—
They are also the most lawless.
A true pirate should sail the seas endlessly, expanding outward—not sit safely in one place.
"I just think this ship isn't big enough anymore. So I figured… why not just replace it with an island?"
Xia Te smiled.
Back in the day, Golden Lion's favorite trick was to use entire islands as ships, soaring across the skies.
And his habit of casually dropping islands onto enemies had once been the Navy's greatest headache.
Now that Law's Heart Pirates—dozens of new members—had joined, the Ark Maxim was already too crowded.
Expansion was inevitable.
Building a new ship would be troublesome.
So why not just use an island instead?
"…Hmm? Isn't it getting dark too fast?"
Law suddenly looked up.
Just minutes ago, the sky had been painted with sunset hues.
Now, thick storm clouds blanketed the heavens.
Boom! Boom—!
Thunder roared as lightning tore through the clouds.
Then—
From within the storm, a pair of massive azure claws emerged.
Bepo instantly curled into a ball, clinging to Shachi and Penguin.
"T-That is…!"
Even Shiryu and Enel, usually fearless, showed traces of caution as they gripped their weapons.
"Finally here…"
Xia Te smiled and stood up. "Everyone, stand back."
From the thunderclouds, a massive dragon's head descended.
"D-Dragon!?"
Bepo screamed.
The azure dragon locked onto them, eyes blazing.
"You bastards… you're the ones causing trouble on my turf?!"
As it roared, its massive body rapidly shrank mid-descent, transforming into a towering, muscular man.
Gripping his kanabo, he plummeted like a meteor.
The sheer pressure alone nearly crushed Law and his crew.
"Heh—"
Xia Te shot forward.
The ground beneath his feet shattered like an earthquake.
"Big bro!"
Weevil shouted anxiously.
At that moment—
Enma and Ame no Habakiri were unsheathed.
For the first time under a new master, the legendary blades faced a top-tier opponent.
For swords of this caliber, there could be no greater calling.
The moment Kaido saw those blades—the very ones that had once scarred him—his expression changed.
His arm muscles bulged as Conqueror's Haki crackled, dark lightning splitting the air.
"Thunder Bagua!!!"
"Lion: Thousand Cuts Valley!!!"
Xia Te's eyes gleamed with excitement as both blades erupted with golden slashing light, clashing head-on with Kaido's kanabo.
For a single instant—
Everything froze.
Then—
BOOM!!!
A cataclysmic explosion erupted, as if the world itself were ending.
The shockwave spread across all of Wano.
—
In the Flower Capital…
Komurasaki—Wano's top oiran, and secretly Kozuki Hiyori—looked up in shock.
Her lips parted slightly, eyes filled with disbelief.
The sky—
No…
The heavens themselves—
Had been torn apart.
Split cleanly in two.
—
"Another monster has arrived in Wano…?"
Kyoshiro—secretly Denjiro of the Nine Red Scabbards—stared at the divided sky, deeply shaken.
Just who… was it?
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