As the queen of Pleasure Street, Stussy radiated a charm that ordinary people could hardly resist at every moment. From head to toe, she embodied maturity and temptation.
If Hancock conquered the world with sheer beauty, then Stussy wove an atmosphere of ambiguity through every subtle expression and tiny gesture—one glance was enough to set a man's imagination running wild.
Yet this kind of allure was clearly meant for only one person: the Flying Sky General.
The other underground kings who understood the situation couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
On the way here, they'd already felt that Stussy's attire tonight was far too elaborate. Paired with her current coquettish demeanor, it was hard not to make malicious guesses—could it be that the "gift" she brought this time was herself, hoping to climb into the Flying Sky General's bed?
Of course, none of them expected that these half-disbelieved suspicions would ultimately turn out to be true.
"Since the Queen of Pleasure Street likes it, that's the greatest affirmation of our Flying Sky Kingdom's design," Tenma replied with a smile. "Wano is a thing of the past. What stands now is the birth of the Flying Sky Kingdom—perfectly in line with the theme of the Fire Festival. Please, everyone, take your seats."
With that single sentence, he both responded to her and made it crystal clear: Wano no longer existed—what had replaced it was the brand-new Flying Sky Kingdom.
The moment those words fell, small abacuses began clattering away in many minds. A continent-scale new kingdom meant countless future opportunities for profit.
Still, no one showed it on their face. Those were matters for later; for now, they needed to focus on the festival at hand.
The guests bowed humbly and took their seats. Then came the unspoken, mutually understood segment—gift-giving. Almost without prompting, someone took the lead, and the rest followed in line, presenting the carefully prepared offerings.
After years of festivals, everyone knew the Flying Sky General had little interest in vulgar gold and silver. Most gifts were rare antiques or curiosities, while others presented their chambers of commerce's signature products—there were plenty of eye-catching surprises like Natasha's among them.
Yet compared to all that, the most attention-grabbing gifts were still the Devil Fruits presented by Doflamingo and Judge, instantly eclipsing the rest.
Many guests weren't particularly surprised. Devil Fruits had appeared at previous festivals as well, so the shock wasn't like the first time—perhaps also because none of these were precious Logia types like the Snow-Snow Fruit.
Even so, Doflamingo and Judge stole the spotlight.
The former hardly needed explanation—after latching onto the right thigh, he'd surged through the New World and become yet another underground overlord.
The latter, though merely a local power in the North Blue, still benefited greatly from the Germa name alone. Plenty of people at the banquet took the initiative to cozy up to him.
Once the gift-giving concluded, it was time for the Fire Festival's most thrilling main event—the tournament.
This year's number of participants was the highest ever. Members of the Charlotte Family and former Headliners of the Beasts Pirates alone made up over seventy percent of the roster.
A year of life as captives had made many people realize just how important it was to become part of the combat reserves—or even the Oniwabanshu.
With competition this fierce, the reward slots expanded from the usual top two to the top ten. Such high-intensity battles were guaranteed to leave the guests thoroughly satisfied.
"This year's champion is definitely going to be Katakuri."
Guests who'd fully entered banquet mode—gulping down wine and tearing into meat—stared at the big screens, chatting excitedly.
"He's the strongest member of the Charlotte Family right now. If King the Wildfire were still around, it'd be hard to say—but as things stand… Katakuri has the best shot at first place. Looks like the Flying Sky General's getting another ace for the Oniwabanshu."
"…Aren't you forgetting something? Everyone standing up there is already the Flying Sky General's fighting power."
"…Now that you put it that way, I suddenly feel chills."
A short distance away from the lively open-air hall atop Shogun City, deep within the inner palace, a separate birthday banquet hall had been set up. Tenma didn't want to play polite games with the slick underground veterans, and he also wanted to accommodate the kids' moods.
"Pay-Pay! Charge! If you lose, I swear I'll beat you flat!"
Ulti shouted at the screen while gnawing on a meat bone with zero decorum. With her mouth full, her voice came out muffled.
"He can't even hear you, and honestly, I don't think he wants to be there at all. After all, once he comes back, he still has to suffer your torment every day," Perona chimed in gleefully.
"Pay-Pay loves his big sister the most! And besides, if I don't have a little brother to bully, at least half my daily joy disappears," Ulti retorted righteously. "I don't want to have to run all the way to the military base every day."
"So you're not even trying to hide it anymore? What a terrible personality," Law couldn't help muttering, discreetly dragging Zoro a little farther away from Ulti.
To the two boys, she was nothing short of a full-blown violence maniac. During daily training, they'd taken more than their share of beatings from this Ancient Zoan user.
Law had it a bit easier—he could always slip away with his Room. Zoro, on the other hand, had it rough. His swordsmanship wasn't fully polished yet, and he simply couldn't withstand the monstrous strength and physique of a Zoan.
"Is this really what being an older sister is about?" Kuina, her long ponytail swaying, couldn't help commenting.
As another older sister herself, Nojiko immediately waved her hands. "Don't misunderstand—this is definitely just Ulti's personal brand of sadism."
"Then again," Lami suddenly chimed in with a grin, "isn't Kuina kind of like Zoro's big sister too? There's that same 'bullying the younger one' vibe."
The moment she said that, everyone's gazes converged, and on second thought… it did seem oddly accurate.
Kuina alone remained perfectly calm, while Zoro's face flushed all the way to his ears—no one could tell whether it was embarrassment or anger.
"Y-you… what nonsense are you spouting?! There's no way she's my sister!" he yelled at Lami.
"Rather than being a little brother," Kuina considered seriously and replied in a matter-of-fact tone, "it's more like disciplining an unruly disciple on Father's behalf. Even though I inherited Lord Tenma's swordsmanship, the Isshin Dojo's ideals will ultimately be carried on by either me or Zoro. And since he's Father's only direct disciple now, I have a responsibility to guide him."
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