"BOOM!!!"
A massive Pillar of Fire shot straight into the sky!
The island trembled, mountains shattered, and terrifying shockwaves swept across the entire land, churning the seas beyond into towering waves.
"CRACK!"
The pirates of the Beasts stared in horror at the cracked castle walls and shattered windows, their legs shaking uncontrollably.
What terrifying destructive power!
"This is the might of a Logia user—a force of nature!"
"It's too terrifying!"
"Can Lord Gurd survive this?"
The pirates were petrified, and even Yamato, though confident in Gurd, was taken aback by the overwhelming power Fire Fist Ace had displayed.
She really wanted to fight Fire Fist!
Wait—no! Gurd, you better be okay!
At the center of the battlefield, the massive Pillar of Fire gradually shrank, revealing a colossal silhouette within.
"What is that?!" Yamato's eyes widened.
The towering figure rivaled the size of a giant, but its outline was unmistakably inhuman—more akin to a monstrous dinosaur.
As the flames dissipated, a creature clad in Crimson Armor, covered in orange Magma Markings, with a massive tail and spikes, came into view.
"BOOM!"
The monster took a step forward, instantly melting the ground beneath its feet into magma.
"ROAR!!!"
Its deafening roar shook the heavens!
"Look at the sky!"
The pirates raised their heads in unison. Thick clouds directly above the monster rapidly dispersed, revealing a clear blue sky as sunlight poured down.
The pirates were dumbfounded.
Oni Island's environment was notoriously harsh—clear skies were a rarity.
What in the world was happening?
"It's Gurd!" Yamato's eyes sparkled.
The monster's armored shell bore a striking resemblance to Gurd's transformed state, suggesting he had evolved into a complete form.
But what exactly was this creature before them?
At the battlefield's center, as the power stabilized, the Magma Markings on Gurd's body gradually dimmed, reverting to their base black.
Within him, the juvenile Groudon had absorbed an immense amount of flame energy in one go, triggering another evolution.
Adolescent Groudon!
"Hah, I feel so empty now."
Gurd slowly reverted to his human form, his power diminishing, leaving behind a hollow sensation.
Though it was only a fraction of Primal Form's power—likely not even one ten-thousandth of its true might—the feeling of invincibility was intoxicating.
Unfortunately, such opportunities were rare.
As Groudon grew, the energy required for further evolution would increase tenfold, even a hundredfold. Ace's flames alone wouldn't be enough—though keeping him around as a "battery" might suffice.
But Ace would rather die than submit.
Gurd walked over to the unconscious Ace, contemplating whether to try that infamous line when he woke up.
["Become my son!"]
"...Nah."
Gurd shuddered.
He was only 24—way too young to be a dad.
If he actually said that, Ace would probably fight him to the death.
Besides, this guy still had to take the fall for him.
"Urororo—er, Gegege!"
Gurd corrected his laughter.
Soon, the pirates swarmed around him, their eyes filled with fervent admiration.
"Lord Gurd, you've worked hard!"
"Mhm."
Gurd gave a slight nod, took the coat handed by his subordinate, and draped it over his shoulders before ordering, "Lock Fire Fist in the dungeon. Don't let him die."
"Yes!"
The pirates lifted Fire Fist onto their shoulders, puffing their chests with pride.
Just Fire Fist—nothing to worry about!
Gurd-sama is awesome!
Win!
Meanwhile, in the Flower Capital.
Inside the General Castle, Orochi once again summoned the Oniwabanshu.
Orochi's face was dark, his mood restless as he gulped down wine. "The assassination of Kyoshiro must not be leaked to anyone."
"We understand."
Fukurokuju nodded solemnly.
Kyoshiro's influence was vast, and he had been lurking for fifteen years—no one knew how many spies he had planted within the General Castle.
Lately, Orochi Shogun hadn't even dared to summon his beloved courtesan Komurasaki, fearing Kyoshiro might notice something amiss.
At present, only Orochi and the Oniwabanshu knew Kyoshiro's true identity. Not even Hotei, the leader of the direct patrol unit, had been informed, let alone the other ministers.
Orochi turned to Fukurokuju, a glimmer of expectation in his eyes. "Fukurokuju, how confident are you in killing Kyoshiro?"
"..."
Fukurokuju remained silent for several seconds.
"Thirty percent!"
"Only thirty?!"
Orochi roared in fury.
A thirty percent chance—not even half!
If Kyoshiro escaped, he wouldn't dare close his eyes to sleep!
Fukurokuju's expression darkened.
Against any other target, the Oniwabanshu could easily carry out an assassination. But Kyoshiro was different—his strength surpassed even Fukurokuju's, arguably making him the strongest samurai in Wano Country today!
Killing Kyoshiro would be no simple task.
Fukurokuju spoke gravely, "Orochi-sama, rest assured. With us here, Kyoshiro will never harm you!"
"That's not what I want to hear!"
Orochi smashed his cup in anger!
What he wanted was Kyoshiro dead!
Fukurokuju fell silent.
The greatest challenge in this assassination was preventing Kyoshiro from escaping—unless they had someone strong enough to hold him off head-on.
The problem was, they didn't!
The Beasts Pirates were on an expedition, and all the warriors capable of defeating Kyoshiro had left, unable to return anytime soon.
Given Orochi's sleepless state, he clearly couldn't wait that long.
Another option was to mobilize a large force of samurai to hunt him down. But if they deployed troops, Kyoshiro's skills would surely catch wind of it.
Kyoshiro wasn't just formidable in strength—his intellect was sharp, his methods flawless, and he had almost no weaknesses.
Facing him as an enemy was terrifying.
After a long silence, Da Black stepped forward.
"Shogun-sama, I have a proposal."
"Speak!"
Orochi's face brightened with hope.
Da Black took a deep breath. "We could seek help from Gurd of the Beasts Pirates. He and Kaido's daughter can hold off Kyoshiro!"
"Gurd!"
Orochi gritted his teeth at the name.
Just hearing it made his skin crawl!
Orochi's eyes bulged with rage. "That bastard has screwed me over more than once—he still hasn't delivered the money for suppressing the bandits! And you want me to ask him for help?"
"Shogun-sama..."
Da Black wiped sweat from his brow nervously.
He knew mentioning Gurd would anger Orochi Shogun, but in this matter, Gurd was indeed a powerful ally.
If Gurd agreed to assist, killing Kyoshiro would be no trouble at all.
And besides...
Da Black swallowed hard and forced himself to continue. "Shogun-sama, compared to the trouble Gurd has caused you, I believe eliminating Kyoshiro is far more important!"
"..."
Orochi frowned, deep in thought.
Da Black was right. His desire to eliminate Gurd stemmed merely from profit disputes, whereas Kyoshiro represented hatred and a threat to life itself!
The difference in severity was obvious at a glance.
Moreover, it was Gurd who had uncovered Kyoshiro's true identity, so there was no worry about information leaks. Additionally, the Beasts' stance aligned with his own—Kyoshiro was also the sworn enemy of the Beasts.
The only difference was that he couldn't afford to wait.
Orochi turned to Fukurokuju, seeking his opinion.
Fukurokuju gave an almost imperceptible nod.
When weighing two evils, choose the lesser one—eliminating Kyoshiro was far more important.
"Good!" Orochi declared coldly, making the decision.
"Da Black, you personally go to Oni Island!"
"As you command!"
(End of chapter)