"The Vodka Kingdom?!" Chinjao's eyes widened, and he immediately shot it down. "The Vodka Kingdom is a World Government-affiliated nation!"
"If we strike a member nation, it'll definitely draw the World Government's forces. The War God Pirates aren't ready to clash with the World Government yet!"
Ares considered it for a moment. "You're right. This isn't the time to move on the Vodka Kingdom."
"At least… not now."
Kaido had told him before his homeland, the Vodka Kingdom, survived on endless warfare, using plunder to pay its Heavenly Tribute.
Back then
The king of the Vodka Kingdom sold Kaido to the Marines in exchange for the right to attend the Reverie.
Kaido escaped.
And that betrayal had been carved into his bones ever since. He'd been waiting for the day he could repay the king in blood.
Ares reached out and patted Kaido on the shoulder, his voice steady and sincere. "Don't worry. Once we have enough power…"
"The Vodka Kingdom will become our territory."
"Wororororo !" Kaido threw back his drink and laughed. "Of course I believe you, Ares-brother!"
If it had been before, Kaido's faith in Ares came from admiration strength and willpower.
Now?
Kaido believed in Ares without condition.
Under Ares's leadership, he could already see the future wide and blazing.
Powerful subordinates.
Loyal people.
Vast land.
Kaido wasn't stupid.
He knew the road ahead was brighter than anything the Rocks Pirates could offer.
Once they took Wano
The War God Pirates would leap into the ranks of the sea's true great powers.
That future was close enough to taste.
Ares smiled. "But you did remind me of something."
"We really can move more islands…"
Suddenly
He thought of Kuraigana Island, where Mihawk once lived, and its "human imitators" those sword-wielding Humandrills.
If those Humanrills were trained, taught Wano-style swordsmanship
Or drilled in Kaido's, Chinjao's, or Ashura Doji's fighting techniques
They could become a terrifying force.
A Humanrill army…
Ares's mind raced.
In the future, Wano will have the Kibi Kibi no Mi. O-Tama can tame beasts… even SMILE users.
Even without that fruit… it might still work.
Beat them into submission. Force them to obey.
And besides
It wasn't only the Kibi Kibi no Mi that could tame beasts. There was also the Paramecia known as the Pet Pet Fruit.
The more Ares thought about it, the more his lips curled into a grin.
At this rate… my War God Pirates might actually turn into a real Beasts Pirates.
"Ares-brother, what're you smiling about?" Kaido asked, curious.
Ares set down his cup. "I just thought of something interesting."
"Tomorrow, I'm going to bring back another island."
The next day
Ares left.
And the news that he had moved an island…
spread through all of Wano like wildfire.
Flower Capital.
Inside the shogun's palace.
Shogun Sukiyaki urgently summoned the daimyo of every region.
"Ares's strength… we don't even know where the limit is!"
"He moved an island here!"
It was something beyond common sense.
Of course, compared to Wano itself, that island wasn't considered huge.
Wano was divided into multiple regions an outright supernation, sprawling and vast.
Even in the future, during the Onigashima War, Onigashima floated over Wano's territory for a long time.
But even so
Rusukaina wasn't something a human could "move" in the first place.
It shook Sukiyaki to the core.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's face went pale, his pupils trembling. "Ares… that man might be strong enough to rival…"
"The Sword God of centuries past Ryuma!"
Ryuma.
Ancestor of the Shimotsuki Clan.
A sword saint powerful enough to shake the world, to hold off countless enemies at Wano's gates.
If you tried to place him on today's scale…
he would at least be Admiral-level, maybe even stronger.
No one could say for sure.
But an Admiral's strength
was absolute, crushing oppression to Wano's current fighters.
Shimotsuki Yasuie's expression turned grave. "If Ares truly covets Wano, we may not be able to stop him…"
"And with that monstrous body of his…"
Even Kozuki Oden couldn't injure him.
How were they supposed to defeat a creature like that?
Sukiyaki slammed the discussion back on track. "Enough!"
"This is not about admiring how strong Ares is!"
"It's about how to deal with them how to drive them out of Wano!"
News of Ares moving an island stirred every region into frenzy.
Plenty of people traveled to Kuri just to see it with their own eyes.
To confirm the truth.
To confirm Ares's power.
His name grew louder and louder across Wano.
And he was still waving that banner
Open Wano's borders.
Now that he had displayed such overwhelming might…
more and more people worshiped him and joined him. His momentum swelled by the day.
Sukiyaki was practically going crazy.
If this continued…
If Kuri kept developing, if Ares's reputation kept rising
then Sukiyaki's own authority and prestige as shogun…
would be hanging by a thread.
The room fell into heavy silence.
Ares's strength had already gone beyond what they could even understand.
Shimotsuki Yasuie suddenly recalled something his servant, Kurozumi Orochi, had been talking about lately, and spoke up.
"Sukiyaki-sama… didn't Shimotsuki Ushimaru previously propose a duel? A contest against Ares's side?"
"A duel…" Sukiyaki frowned. "I… I'll think about it."
It was Wano's future on the line.
He couldn't decide lightly.
He hesitated.
Uzumaki Tempura said with a worried face, "Right now, Ares's people have solved their food problem. Their farms and fisheries are thriving."
"Once they get past this stage, they'll be self-sufficient…"
"Food is no longer something that can stop them."
Sukiyaki's face darkened.
It was like a slap across his cheek.
Kuri had always been a land of drifters and bandits, a place even the shogun couldn't tame.
Under Sukiyaki, it had stayed a wasteland ruins and filth.
A place unfit for humans.
And now…
under Ares's construction
it was beginning to rise, taking the shape of a real town.
Sukiyaki's brow knitted tight. "Their growth is… too fast."
"I'll think carefully."
A few days later
when Ares brought back a second island
Sukiyaki couldn't stay calm anymore.
"Ares…"
"He brought another island from the sea?!"
"What… what is he trying to do?!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.
The story's already ahead on Patron. Go there if you want to catch up faster!
[email protected]/_theon
Change @ to "a"