Underground of the Flower Capital
"Pluton is literally sleeping within this country."
Kozuki Sukiyaki did not attempt to hide anything. He simply nodded, his expression grave.
"And what do you intend to do with that information?"
"Relax," Luffy replied casually. "I'm not going to use it to destroy the world. I just want to make sure such an absurd weapon doesn't fall into the hands of the World Government."
Kozuki Sukiyaki still found it difficult to believe Luffy's words.
"Even if you know where it is… you won't be able to retrieve it."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Luffy raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You don't know where it is?"
"To activate an Ancient Weapon, an enormous amount of energy is required. Pluton rests in ancient Wano… come with me."
After a brief moment of hesitation, Kozuki Sukiyaki decided to lead them.
Immediately, everyone followed him out of the old underground cell.
Deep beneath the Flower Capital, there was a passage that led to a long spiral staircase.
After passing through a small door, they began descending.
They descended for a long time.
Along the walls of the staircase were small, evenly spaced square windows.
On the other side of the glass… there was light.
Luffy approached one of them.
It was the ocean floor.
Dilapidated structures, built in the same traditional style as Wano, could be seen submerged. Fish swam freely among ancient rooftops and towers.
"This is Wano from 800 years ago," Kozuki Sukiyaki's voice echoed through the stairwell.
He continued, "When you arrived on the island, you must have seen an extremely tall mountain called Mount Fuji."
"But in reality, the Mount Fuji you see today is only half of its original height."
Luffy remained silent, listening.
"Eight hundred years ago, the ancient inhabitants built an enormous defensive wall around the island. Rainwater began to accumulate within that barrier… and over time, all of ancient Wano was flooded."
"When the city became uninhabitable, the people abandoned the old capital, reclaimed land along the slopes of Mount Fuji, and founded the current Land of Wano." He sighed.
"The area of ancient Wano is ten times larger than present-day Wano."
The current Land of Wano already had six main regions and was considered a large country.
Multiplied by ten…
It would be a territory comparable to Alabasta.
Luffy remained by the window, observing the submerged ruins.
"So… Pluton is down there… huh?"
Before he could finish, footsteps echoed from deep within the staircase.
"Is someone here?!" Kozuki Sukiyaki was alarmed. "Impossible… only I know about this place!"
Although he believed that, there were exceptions. One of Kaido's All-Stars, Jack, was a fish-man. Before eating a Devil Fruit, he could have easily reached this location.
From the darkness, a figure emerged.
"Luffy? I didn't expect to find you here." It was Trafalgar Law.
"You know him?!" Kozuki asked, stunned.
"He's part of my crew," Luffy replied naturally.
Then he looked at Law.
"You said you were going to investigate earlier. Were you investigating this?"
He had assumed Law was after Doflamingo.
Law shook his head.
"I came to Wano to investigate the artificial Devil Fruits produced by that man. Finding this place was an accident. My submarine was caught in a current and ended up descending too far… it's still parked on the ocean floor."
Luffy immediately understood.
Submarines had a much easier time accessing the country than ordinary ships, which could only climb the waterfall.
Back then, even Edward Newgate's Moby Dick had nearly sunk trying to enter.
"Did you find Pluton?" Luffy asked.
"Pluton?" Law frowned. "I found a red Poneglyph just below here. I was planning to copy the text and take it with me… I didn't expect you to show up."
Kozuki Sukiyaki nodded. "The Road Poneglyph is indeed down here. I will take you to it."
The group continued descending.
Eventually, they reached a dead end.
Sukiyaki removed a large stone slab from the wall.
A passage opened.
It was a vast chamber.
At the center, a massive red Road Poneglyph rested in silence.
Robin immediately approached and began reading.
Kozuki Sukiyaki's eyes widened.
"Girl… you can understand that?"
Robin merely murmured, focused.
Luffy smiled proudly.
"She's my adorable archaeologist. There are very few geniuses in the world who managed to graduate as scholars of Ohara at the age of eight."
Ohara…
Sukiyaki's heart sank upon hearing the name.
Then Luffy asked:
"And Pluton? Where exactly is it?"
"We are on a platform deep within Mount Fuji. Beyond this platform lies the place where the Ancient Weapon Pluton rests. I have never seen it personally, but I know it exists and is there."
He spoke seriously. "If you wish to remove Pluton from here… it will be necessary to destroy the outer wall."
Luffy walked into the darkness beyond the platform.
After hundreds of meters, they reached the end.
There was a massive depression ahead.
At the bottom of it stood a gigantic reinforced glass panel.
And beyond the glass…
Seawater.
"Destroy the wall…?" Luffy stroked his chin.
If the wall were removed, the accumulated water would escape.
It would not be difficult for him to break that barrier. He could shatter it with a single punch.
Or he could even summon Zunesha to crush it head-on.
But that might damage Pluton.
Although… an Ancient Weapon shouldn't be something so fragile.
"I already told you. Even if you know where it is, you cannot retrieve it," Sukiyaki said as he approached. "Even Kaido only knows about the Road Poneglyph. He does not know about Pluton."
"No. He knows," Luffy replied calmly.
In the original timeline, Kaido had intended to ally with Big Mom to obtain the power of the Ancient Weapons and declare war on the World Government.
He knew.
He simply wasn't ready to claim it.
He probably believed no one would dare interfere.
But…
"You said the wall needs to be destroyed, right?" Luffy smiled. "I think it's easier to lift Wano's inland sea."
"What?!" Kozuki was stunned.
"Law. I'm going to break this glass. Be ready to use your ability and teleport everyone if something goes wrong."
Law's eyes widened.
"Wait, Luffy! That's seawater! If you break it, the water will flood everything and we'll die!"
But before he could finish—
Luffy threw a punch.
The glass shattered.
"ROOM!"
Law instantly activated his ability, enveloping everyone in a spatial sphere.
But…
The water did not rush in.
Luffy plunged his hands into the water on the other side.
In the next instant—
BOOOOOOM!
The entire inland sea of Wano began to rise.
It was not merely a current.
Not a tide.
It was as if an entire ocean were being pulled upward.
Trillions of tons of seawater began violently ascending into the heavens.
Water lifted by the power of the Fuwa Fuwa no Mi.
No… it did not look like merely the inland sea.
It looked like an inverted ocean.
At the same time—
In the skies above the Flower Capital—
Kaido, in his azure dragon form, was flying toward the capital.
Right behind him was King.
Both were stunned.
A vast ocean was being hurled into the sky.
Gigantic columns of water rose everywhere, as far as the eye could see.
"What the hell happened down there?!" King muttered in disbelief.
Wano's sky was turning into a sea.
(End of Chapter)