Witnessing such a scene, Ulti of the Tobi Roppo felt her body grow slick with sweat.
*'Lord Ryōsuke is truly so strong,'* she thought.
*'Compared to this, his previous fight with Lord Kaido feels like mere child's play.'*
*'Even with Lord Kaido's incredibly resilient physique, if he took that attack head-on, there probably wouldn't even be a corpse left. He would be completely obliterated.'*
Yamato was equally stunned. She felt like she had just gotten to know Ryōsuke a little better last night, but now, she realized she hardly knew him at all.
*'Ryōsuke is absolutely terrifying,'* she thought. *'Thank goodness he's my man.'*
X Drake felt an overwhelming sense of dread in his heart. *'This guy... isn't he way too terrifying?'*
*'If the Marines were to make an enemy of him, they would likely be entirely wiped out by that single attack.'*
He had to warn Koby. The Marines absolutely could not afford to antagonize him.
Even though he was no longer a Marine, he still didn't want to see them completely annihilated.
*'Anyone who makes an enemy of Lord Ryōsuke is doomed to die.'*
*'No wonder this man holds the Celestial Dragons and the World Government in such utter contempt.'*
*'This level of destructive power might be even greater than the Ancient Weapons. I've only heard rumors about the Ancient Weapons, but the cost to activate them must be astronomical.'*
*'Yet Lord Ryōsuke still looks completely calm and unfazed. He could probably fire off that attack many more times. If that's the case, what does an Ancient Weapon even matter?'*
Seeing the dumbfounded expressions on everyone's faces, Ryōsuke knew he had achieved his goal.
"Once the sea calms down, everyone will immediately set sail to conquer Wano Country!"
"After the conquest, you will all be handsomely rewarded."
Ryōsuke naturally understood that suppressing them with sheer force wasn't enough; he also needed to incentivize them with material rewards. Only then would they willingly lay down their lives for him.
Upon hearing their Emperor's promise, the imperial army grew even more motivated.
It seemed their Emperor wasn't entirely ruthless; he wouldn't let their efforts go unrewarded.
Once the ocean surface returned to normal, the massive army boarded their ships and set sail.
Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital of Wano Country.
The explosion from Ryōsuke's pitch-black energy sphere was so massive that even the Flower Capital felt the tremors.
The city's residents were struck with panic, and a clamor of voices erupted.
"What in the world is happening? Is it an earthquake?"
"Hurry up and pack your valuables! Get to an open area!"
Terrified, the citizens scrambled to evacuate their homes.
Inside the Shogun's castle, the current Shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, also felt the tremors from the sea. He looked around in a sheer panic.
However, the shaking only lasted for a moment before stopping completely. Still, his heart sank.
A faint sense of unease lingered in his mind. Kozuki Toki's prophecy always made him anxious.
*'Wano Country will be liberated in twenty years.'* *'That's impossible,'* he thought.
He now had complete control over Wano Country. His military was strong, and no one dared to rebel.
More importantly, he had the backing of the Beast Pirates. How could anyone possibly overthrow him, let alone defeat the Beast Pirates?
There were factions on the seas capable of such a feat, but they would never intervene. The World Government, for instance, actually wanted to trade with him to acquire the weapons he manufactured.
Furthermore, even if they dared to wage war, it would only result in mutual destruction.
Aside from them, no other force was capable of invading Wano Country.
Yet, despite this perfectly logical reasoning, he still felt incredibly uneasy. *'What exactly is going on?'*
Meanwhile, Robin of the Straw Hats, who was currently undercover on the island dressed as a geisha, hid inside a geisha house with a grim expression on her face.
She had no idea what had just happened. The building was completely deserted now; she was the only one left inside. She decided to head out and investigate the situation.
Zoro, Usopp, and Franky, who had come with her, were also operating undercover throughout Wano Country.
They were waiting for Luffy to rescue Sanji before regrouping here to cause a massive uproar.
They planned to defeat Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi, saving this country just as they had saved her back then.
At this time, Yamato and Ulti were following the main army, sailing toward Wano Country.
Given their strength, Ryōsuke naturally had nothing to worry about. Ulti was one of the Tobi Roppo, possessing an incredibly resilient physique. Yamato went without saying—she was someone capable of trading blows with Kaido himself.
Ryōsuke, of course, had his own matters to attend to. Activating his Rinnegan, he teleported directly to the Flower Capital and strolled casually down the streets.
He knew that Kozuki Hiyori was working in a brothel. Only by subduing her and entering into a marriage alliance with her could he truly claim complete control over Wano Country.
By now, the people who had rushed into the streets with their valuables realized the tremors had stopped. However, none of them returned to their homes, choosing instead to wait and observe.
Ryōsuke asked a passerby for directions to the geisha district and quickly received an answer. He set off in the direction the person had pointed.
Not long after arriving in the geisha district, he spotted a courtesan. Her appearance was truly stunning, and he instantly felt the urge to claim her for himself.
But the more he looked at her face, the more she resembled Robin. No, wait—wasn't this Robin from the Straw Hats?
He finally recalled the original plotline. The Straw Hats had split into two groups, and Robin had naturally arrived in Wano Country ahead of the others.
He absolutely had to take in a woman like her. Not only was she incredibly talented, but she could also bear his children and study the Poneglyphs for him.
He was actually quite curious about what exactly was recorded on those Poneglyphs.
Meanwhile, Robin noticed that while everyone around her was in a state of panic, the man standing before her remained perfectly calm.
Furthermore, his eyes were incredibly strange. They actually had a ripple-like pattern in them. She had never seen anything like it, nor was there any record of such eyes in the history she had studied.
And this man seemed to be walking straight toward her.
Ryōsuke stopped right in front of Robin and asked a question.
"How much money will it take for you to bear my children?"
Robin froze, a look of sheer astonishment washing over her face.
In the past, men had lusted after her beauty and demanded she sleep with them, which she naturally always refused.
She wasn't that superficial, and there certainly weren't any men in Wano Country capable of catching her eye.
But this man was even bolder—he skipped straight to asking her to have his children!
Of course, Ryōsuke himself was momentarily taken aback. It seemed he had grown so accustomed to propositioning women this way that he no longer preferred using force.
Finally, Robin made her stance clear.
"No. Not for any amount of money."
Ryōsuke wasn't disappointed. It would be a cold day in hell before Robin was swayed by mere money.
He knew exactly what she cared about.
"Then how about I give you Kaido's Poneglyph?"