"Let's go. First, we'll head to Amigasa Village," Luffy said casually. "Ace, you know the way, right?"
"Of course." Ace smiled faintly. "I want to see Tama too."
Ace took the lead without hesitation.
Luffy had to admit it: that little girl was absurdly cute. On top of that, she was someone capable of making dumplings using a Paramecia-type Akuma no Mi—something that, by itself, already made her memorable.
It didn't take long for the group to arrive at Amigasa Village.
As expected, it was a village that lived off the crafting of bamboo hats. Its residents possessed refined craftsmanship, passed down from generation to generation. Nearby, there was a vast bamboo forest, which served as their main source of raw material.
Live from the mountains, eat from the mountains.
Live from the water, eat from the water.
A simple, but harmonious existence.
…That was before.
Now, as they entered the village, the scene before them was devastating.
The villagers were starving, pale, extremely thin. Many could barely remain standing.
"Kishishishishi… Have they all turned into zombies already?" Moria commented, with a grin completely devoid of empathy.
Robin shot him a sharp glare, one that could freeze even a ghost.
The villagers noticed the presence of the outsiders, but only barely lifted their eyelids, lacking even the energy to react. They remained motionless, as if nothing were happening.
"It's sad…" Robin murmured, with genuine sorrow. "To conserve energy, they try to move as little as possible."
She then looked at Luffy.
The corner of Luffy's mouth twitched. Fortunately, he had already prepared for this.
He extended his index finger… and the space in front of him split open.
In the next instant, a spatial hole opened, and various kinds of food began to fall out of it.
The villagers, drawn by the smell and the sight of the food, began to crawl slowly toward them like true living dead.
It wasn't much—less than one cubic meter of supplies.
"Here. Don't fight," Luffy said calmly. "In a few days, more food will arrive."
"You… who are you?" asked a woman holding a child in her arms, her voice hollow.
The child was barely over a year old… and already looked like a corpse from sheer weakness.
"I am Monkey D. Luffy. I came to liberate this country," Luffy replied with a calm smile.
He then gestured, signaling for everyone to move on.
---
After crossing the bamboo forest under Ace's guidance, they finally arrived at a small, isolated cabin, set apart from the village.
Luffy's sharp perception immediately picked up two presences inside.
"Tama," Ace called out.
Moments later, two figures ran out of the house—one small and one larger.
"Ace!"
The little girl, wearing patched-up clothes, ran toward him with eyes shining with surprise and joy.
Behind her came a man wearing a red tengu mask with an extremely long nose, along with white wings reminiscent of an angel's. He wore a black jacket with green pom-poms lining the inner edges over a light gray kimono with purple stains along the hem. He also wore dark blue puffy pants and extremely tall geta sandals.
"You are…?" the man asked, alert.
"Monkey D. Luffy."
As Luffy raised his hand, the ground beneath everyone's feet gently cracked, and they began to float into the air.
The man's eyes widened.
"An ability…?! Were you sent by Kurozumi Orochi?!"
He immediately drew his weapon, taking a defensive stance.
"No," Luffy laughed. "I came to prepare to kill Orochi."
"As a reward for that… Kozuki Sukiyaki, do you know where the Road Poneglyph is?"
"Kozuki… Sukiyaki?!" Marco's eyes widened. "Kozuki…"
Sukiyaki stared at Luffy, utterly incredulous.
How had his identity been revealed?
"Relax," Luffy said casually. "There's no need for me to lie. We're only here to find the Road Poneglyph."
He had no interest whatsoever in that old man.
He simply didn't want to waste time.
Even without Sukiyaki, Luffy could find the stone on his own—but it would be far more convenient with someone who knew Wanokuni.
Ace crouched down and gently patted Tama's head.
"We came to liberate this country. Tama, this is my brother, Luffy. And this is Marco…"
Tama showed no fear at all. On the contrary, she greeted everyone politely.
Seeing that, Sukiyaki relaxed a little.
"The Road Poneglyph… so that's it. You come from outside."
He put his weapon away.
"I apologize for my rudeness."
"It's fine," Luffy waved his hand. "Just take us to it, and we won't do anything to you."
After a brief conversation, the group quickly headed toward Hanamigai.
---
Hanamigai — The Flower Capital
Cherry blossom petals drifted through the sky.
When the floating platform appeared, the people of the capital noticed it immediately.
Hanamigai was vibrant and prosperous—an absurd contrast to Amigasa Village. It was as if they were two completely different worlds.
On the second floor of one of the city's largest brothels, a woman watched the scene, stunned.
Komurasaki, the oiran known as the most beautiful woman in Wanokuni, held a pipe, unable to tear her eyes away.
"What is that…?"
Behind her, the underworld boss stepped forward, his face grave.
"They're not Kaido's men… and that presence… what absurd pressure!"
Suddenly, a warning echoed in his mind.
The man's face instantly went pale, sweat pouring down.
"What happened?" Komurasaki asked suspiciously.
"A monster…" he murmured, trembling. "I've never felt Haki this terrifying. It's even worse than Kaido's… who are they?"
---
At the same time
Orochi's Castle
Kurozumi Orochi was laughing loudly, holding a woman in his arms while drinking.
Suddenly, a ninja fell from the ceiling and knelt down.
"Lord Orochi! A group of people descended from the sky—"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, the ceiling shattered.
Several figures descended and landed directly in front of Orochi.
"Who are you?!" he shouted furiously.
"The ones who will kill you."
Luffy smiled.
"Zoro, he's all yours."
Zoro didn't hesitate.
He didn't even need the order—he had asked for permission to do this himself beforehand.
On the way, he had already heard everything Sukiyaki told him about what Orochi had done over the years.
In an instant, the blade flashed.
Zoro appeared behind Orochi and, with a single strike, severed his head.
It rolled across the floor and stopped at Luffy's feet.
"AAAAAH!" the woman screamed, frozen in terror.
Luffy stepped on Orochi's head.
"You're a Mythical Zoan user—Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi, right? You wouldn't die from that."
Orochi's body writhed, and a new head began to grow.
"Disgusting…" Robin took a step back.
"Wait! Stop!" Orochi screamed in panic. "Kaido won't stay silent if you kill me! He's a Yonko! You—"
Puff.
Zoro pierced his heart with his sword.
"If you cut the heart, you die, right?" he said coldly, pulling the blade free.
Blood gushed out.
The woman fainted.
The ninjas present fled in panic.
"Shogun Orochi has been assassinated!"
In moments, the news spread through the Capital City… and then across all of Hanamigai.
Chaos began.
---
Meanwhile, Luffy took out a white, formless fruit.
In the next moment, it absorbed the ability left behind by Orochi's death.
The fruit began to change…
Slowly taking the shape of a Mythical Zoan.
(End of chapter)