Beneath the military building disguised as "Red Blossom Pavilion" but actually "Jingwu Gate," there was a dense network of hidden tunnels and traps.
There was no other choice. Even though the "Unrighteous Ones" had existed for 800 years and were not weak—boasting a dozen high-ranking officers and a young leader on par with a royal deputy—they still had no way to go head-to-head with Kaido and his three top officers, whose physical strength defied common sense. Sometimes, retreat was the only option.
Besides—
"Brother, are we really doing this?"
In the heart of the underground maze, where countless traps and Seastone barriers protected a small chamber, the bandaged vice commander, who was preparing to depart, closed the box in his hands. He turned calmly to look at the girl standing at the doorway, carrying a bow on her back—Melody.
"What's wrong with it?"
"But... wasn't the prophecy from 800 years ago telling us to..."
"Heh, aren't you always the first to mock these so-called 'old traditions' passed down for centuries? And now you suddenly believe in a prophecy?"
"...It's just something the elders have been repeating for years. Besides, that outsider from across the sea really did show up exactly as the prophecy described—an unusual Devil Fruit ability, answering the secret code without hesitation, arriving precisely on the promised date from 800 years ago..."
The girl couldn't help but believe it. After all, one coincidence might just be a coincidence. But several coincidences together? That meant—
"That means someone orchestrated all of this!"
The bandaged vice commander let out a scoff. "To be honest, I don't believe in prophecies either. But I do know that this world has many Devil Fruits with unknown abilities—like the one the general's wife had twenty years ago.
If that so-called 'Unrighteous Commander' really is who we suspect, then everything makes sense.
However—"
He pushed his sister out of the room and shut the Seastone door behind him. Free from the weakness caused by her presence, he shrugged.
"What does that have to do with us?"
"Whatever promises our ancestors made 800 years ago, that was their business. I just want to keep our people alive and happy. Protecting Flower Town is one thing, but stuff like the Pirate King or the will of freedom... none of that concerns us!"
"…Alright, you're the leader, so it's your call."
Melody, the archer girl, also shrugged. "So what now? If you never wanted to get involved with this 800-year-old agreement, why even make contact with that outsider? Why not just ignore him?"
"It's not that simple."
As the vice commander walked outside, he explained to her.
"First, he clearly came for us. If he starts investigating, he's bound to notice something unusual. We've been living here for 800 years—our presence is deeply ingrained in this land."
Melody nodded. The outsider definitely had some knowledge about them. He might even be from the Land of Flowers.
"Second, even though I have no intention of handing over the secret treasure we've protected for 800 years, we do have an obligation to fight for him. Because, at the end of the day—"
The bandaged man adjusted his helmet.
"He is our Unrighteous Commander!"
"…I see."
After ending the paper-phone communication, Roman checked the coordinates of his airborne doves and confirmed that this underground ship—called the "Earth Vessel"—was moving even faster than elite Marines running at full speed. Its principle was simple:
"So that's how it works—softening the surrounding soil with the power of the Swamp-Swamp Fruit and instantly restoring it after passing through. Not only does it save energy, but it also leaves no tracks..."
Hearing Roman's praise, the young boy named Xiao Qia, who had launched a surprise attack from underground earlier, blushed slightly as he pressed both hands against the spindle-shaped vessel to activate his ability.
It wasn't one of those clichéd "girl disguised as a boy" situations—his pale skin was simply a result of spending too much time underground and lacking sunlight.
Looking at it now, the massive underground base of the Unrighteous Ones was likely all thanks to him.
Devil Fruits had all kinds of bizarre applications. There was no need to waste time developing simple attacks like throwing mud or hurling rocks at enemies.
"Commander, we're about to reach Straw Hat Village."
With the help of this underground vehicle, Roman easily transported over a dozen Unrighteous Ones past the Beasts Pirates' extensive surveillance network and into Kuri.
After all, Kaido's forces boasted 500 Devil Fruit users, most of whom had artificial abilities. This made their physical tracking skills incredibly sharp—eyes that could see tens of kilometers, noses that could detect scents from miles away.
A single dove flying in the sky wouldn't attract attention, but a whole group of Unrighteous Ones moving together would...
Gurgle—
In the ruins of Straw Hat Village, the ground rippled like water, revealing a massive, oval-shaped ship. This sight stunned Nami, who was on lookout duty, but she quickly realized what was happening.
"Roman's back."
"Perfect timing!"
With one arm hanging at his side, Law suddenly stood up. "Next time something like this happens, let that so-called strategist take care of his own captain!"
"Hey! I don't need anyone to take care of me~~"
"Luffy, stop moving—"
Chopper forcibly held Luffy down, who was wrapped head to toe in bandages—a result of their little "outing." Even Zoro sitting nearby was covered in wounds. But despite their injuries, both of them still looked full of energy, which made Roman nod in approval as he walked in.
Of course. If Luffy at this level could still be taken out by Kaido in one hit, then everything the Straw Hat Crew had been through up to this point would've been a complete joke. But still—
"Yeah, Luffy,"
"Your adventures are just as crazy as ever."
Roman's casual remark made Luffy scratch the back of his head with a grin.
"Nah, it was just normal fun~~"
"Your idea of 'fun' was challenging sumo wrestlers, knocking Wano's top sumo champion into the sky, beating up three of the Beast Pirates' top fighters, and then getting chased down by Kaido himself…"
Law rubbed his forehead, looking like he had a massive headache just remembering it all. But honestly, being able to step outside for a bit and somehow end up drawing one of the Four Emperors into a full-on battle… That was just Luffy's "talent," wasn't it?
"Hehehe, but we got away, didn't we?"
Luffy patted the bandages wrapped around him, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Kaido is really strong, but I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates! I'll send him flying sooner or later—"
…
The group of warriors following behind Roman had mixed expressions. If this small, bandaged guy wasn't bluffing, then maybe he really did have what it takes to become the Pirate King. After all, the Four Emperors were already the ones closest to that throne.
"They are—?"
Luffy, still getting treated by Chopper, noticed the group behind Roman. His eyes immediately landed on the armored man who had a samurai-like look to him. Without hesitation, he greeted him like an old friend:
"You're covered in injuries too! Did Kaido beat you up as well?"
"…Ah, no."
The bandaged warrior shook his head.
"This is just how I dress. More accurately, it's my Devil Fruit ability."
"Huh? There's a Devil Fruit that makes you look like you're badly injured?"
"Luffy."
Nami interrupted before he could say anything else inappropriate. She stood up and invited Roman's guests to sit down.
Thanks to the secret messages she and Roman had exchanged through their notebooks, she already knew that these warriors were allies he had gathered.
—At least, when it came to taking down Kaido, they were on the same side as the Straw Hats.
"…Unbelievable. How did you get them to leave?!"
The Tengu swordsmith stared at the group, looking them up and down repeatedly. After checking several times, he was finally certain—they really were the "Unruly Ones" warriors from Ringo. But—
"If Wano's policy is 'closed borders,' then the Unruly Ones's policy is 'closed towns.' Even twenty years ago, when the whole country was in chaos, they refused to help the other daimyo who asked for aid. The only exceptions were two legendary swordsmen who left their ranks…"
"White Knight, those people are definitely not to be underestimated."
Law walked over with a serious expression. He could tell that every single one of them was strong. But the one that stood out the most was the bandaged warrior at the front—
That guy gave him a seriously dangerous feeling.
Having reinforcements was great and all, but if they were stronger than the main force, things could get tricky. Besides—
"How much do you really know about them?"
"If an ally can't be trusted, they'll just ruin everything at a critical moment—just like what happened with Kid and the others."
Back when the Straw Hat Crew and the Heart Pirates took down Doflamingo, three other crews—Scratchmen Apoo's "On-Air Pirates," Eustass Kid's "Kid Pirates," and Basil Hawkins' "Hawkins Pirates"—had also teamed up to challenge Shanks. But then Kaido literally dropped out of the sky. Apoo and Hawkins instantly switched sides, Kid got a VIP seat in prison and became a construction worker, and Killer ate a failed artificial Devil Fruit that left him laughing uncontrollably and unable to swim...
Honestly, even if those four Supernovas couldn't beat an Emperor, they should've at least been able to escape. But thanks to their so-called allies turning on them, they all got wiped out.
That just goes to show—sometimes, your teammates are your biggest enemies.
Even though Law was still in the "I totally regret this" phase, he was still doing everything he could to help the Straw Hat Crew.
"Don't worry, I've contacted another group of reinforcements. We won't be outmatched."
"A balance of multiple forces? That really puts a captain's skill and leadership to the test—"
Luffy had the strength, no doubt about that. But political strategy? …Yeah.
Seeing Law's concern, Roman just smiled and waved it off.
The other reinforcements were none other than the Whitebeard Pirates, led by Luffy's brother, Ace. If *they* ended up betraying them, then the whole world might as well collapse.
Besides—
"Luffy isn't exactly *bad* at strategy—"
Roman pointed behind him. Over there—
"Hehehe, next up!!"
While Roman and the others were talking, Luffy had already gotten along with the "Unruly Ones" and was now playing pirates' favorite pastime—arm wrestling!
After effortlessly defeating a few muscle-bound giants, the way the others looked at Luffy had changed. What started as indifference was now full of respect.
Out at sea, you didn't have to respect someone's character, but you *had* to respect their strength.
"Don't underestimate our captain—he's just too lazy to think."
(End of chapter)
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