One Piece: Lord of Calamity

The massive snail herd rumbled and trekked onward, leaving behind a world as silent as snow.

Until they completely vanished at the horizon, the town ruled by Shimotsuki Ushimaru remained quiet as a graveyard.

Everyone trembled, hiding in their homes, covering their mouths, afraid to make any sound, fearing it might draw the monsters back.

Inside the palace on the back of the snail.

"It's rare for you to be so well-behaved this time, brat."

Kaido sat on a newly added giant throne, casually speaking as he drank. "I thought you'd burn that town to ashes."

"Don't always judge people by old standards, Brother Kaido. I'm not a playful kid anymore!"

Roa sat cross-legged on another throne, sighing with a weathered expression. "I now deeply understand a principle: waste is a shameful thing."

For him, population was the most precious resource in the world.

Everything else had to come second.

Ah, I love the people of this world more than anyone else. Oh, I'm truly great, practically a saint.

Besides, the black mist nurtured by fear in that town was quite delicious already.

Kaido's lips twitched.

Waste. Was that a word that could be used to describe humans?

Every time he chatted with Roa, he had the illusion that he might actually be quite kind.

"Next, it should be a truly significant battle."

Roa said. "Are you ready, Brother Kaido?"

"These so-called samurai?"

Kaido sneered.

After witnessing Shimotsuki Ushimaru's actions, Kaido was completely disillusioned with the widely circulated reputation of the "samurai" on the sea.

What a bunch of worthless trash.

Samurai? More like bullsht!*

"That won't do, Brother Kaido,"

Roa's face straightened. "Arrogance is a great enemy of victory."

Kaido immediately scoffed. "Do you have the right to say that, brat?"

He raised a hand, pointing to a few samurai huddled in a corner of the palace.

They were all quite old, bruised and disheveled, but their faces were full of grief and indignation.

"Didn't you tell them to contact this country's shogun and have him gather all his forces to await our arrival?"

"Hahahaha!"

Roa scratched the back of his head with an innocent look. "I was just thinking of saving some effort."

These old men were Shimotsuki Ushimaru's retainers, all captured by Roa in Shimotsuki City.

One reason was to have them lead the way to the Flower Capital.

The other reason was to have them contact Kozuki Sukiyaki, telling him to gather all of Wano Country's military power, and then achieve complete victory in one fell swoop.

As for why these guys would obediently listen, Roa had foresight.

He deliberately spared Shimotsuki Ushimaru's life; that gravely wounded man was currently receiving emergency treatment in Judge's laboratory.

If this were on a forum, Roa felt he could at least get the title of "Threatening King."

While Roa was rapidly advancing.

His destination, the Flower Capital.

The country's supreme ruler, Shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki, was sweating profusely.

"Ushimaru was defeated so easily?"

Shimotsuki Ushimaru—that was a powerful samurai renowned throughout Wano Country!

Yet he and the samurai under his command were completely annihilated by the enemy in a short time! Ushimaru himself was captured.

Who exactly are these enemies?

Is the world outside so vast?

Moreover, they were excessively arrogant!

Then, let it be as they wish!

He couldn't hesitate. He had to immediately notify all the daimyo and gather all of Wano Country's strength.

Especially, his foolish son!

Thus, through Wano Country's unique Transponder Snails, the Flower Capital quickly established contact with other regions.

All the daimyo were shocked by the news.

"Outsiders invading? And Ushimaru was captured?"

Without any hesitation, Daimyo Fenggetsu Oketsu of Kibi and Daimyo Uzuki Tempura of Udon were greatly alarmed. They immediately mustered their troops and quickly converged on the Flower Capital.

They and Ushimaru were old acquaintances, sharing a deep friendship.

Whether for the sake of this country or to save their old friend, they naturally felt bound to act.

In the Hakumai region, Daimyo Shimotsuki Yasuie, from the same family as Shimotsuki Ushimaru, also immediately began to gather his forces.

"We must not be careless! To render Ushimaru completely powerless, the enemy must be formidable!"

While he was busy deploying troops, he didn't notice that among his servants, one individual showed an unusual expression.

"Guhehehehe, invaders? Opportunity, has the opportunity come?"

As the various daimyo deployed their troops, the news of outsiders invading the country uncontrollably spread.

Panic gradually spread.

However, at this moment, another famous figure stepped forward.

The man at the pinnacle of this country's underworld, Hyogoro of the Flower, also began to rally the ronin. Although they were part of the underworld, their determination to resist foreign enemies was absolutely no less than anyone else's.

And then, in the westernmost part of Wano Country, the farthest region from the Flower Capital.

Kuri.

"What?"

The man whose hairstyle looked like a round disc on his head, Shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki's son, Daimyo of Kuri Kozuki Oden, stood up, slapping the table, his expression indignant. "Invaders? From overseas?"

"Then can I learn about the outside world from them? Can they take me out to sea?"

"You're too unreliable!"

The de facto second-in-command of the Kozuki family of Kuri, Kozuki Oden's initial follower, Kin'emon the Foxfire, said exasperatedly, "They're enemies! The samurai under Lord Ushimaru were all killed, and he himself was captured!"

"Oh, right, right!"

Kozuki Oden seemed to awaken from a dream. "We have to get rid of those bastards and rescue old man Ushimaru."

Only then did Kin'emon nod with relief.

"And then, use their channels to go out to sea!"

Kozuki Oden laughed.

"Please give up on that fantasy, Lord Oden!"

Kin'emon was a bit irritated. "Kuri cannot do without you! And Wano Country is waiting for you to inherit it! You carry the Kozuki blood; you are this country's only heir!"

Lord Oden was good in every way, but his constant yearning for the outside world was too troublesome.

He was the only heir of the noble Kozuki family!

He had absolutely no sense of responsibility!

"That kind of thing doesn't matter!"

Kozuki Oden said carelessly. "Kin'emon, gather everyone! To the Flower Capital!"

"Yes!"

Wano Country's strongest monster had set out.

Time moved on.

The bright moon already hung high in the night sky.

The giant snails continued their rumbling journey. Their endurance was extraordinary; even traveling day and night, their speed hadn't slowed down.

At this rate, they would reach the Flower Capital in at most two days.

However, as they neared the edge of the Ringo region, someone suddenly blocked their path.

"I've come to seek cooperation! We can help you defeat Wano Country!"

The newcomer shouted loudly.

Soon, in the palace, a yawning Roa pulled a drunken Kaido to meet the old woman who had come seeking them out.

Her appearance, it must be said, resembled a witch from all fairy tales, even more so than Brulee.

Her face was gaunt, covered in wrinkles, with a prominent nose and sparse teeth.

She perfectly fit the objective rule of this world: that low-level, clownish villains are ugly.

Um, then what about Kozuki Oden, who was killed by this clown?

Roa, of course, knew this witch. More accurately, at this stage, the only rebels within Wano Country were the Kurozumi family.

Kurozumi Orochi's puppet master, the root cause of Kozuki Oden's tragedy, Kurozumi Higurashi, was now even more taken aback. "It's actually Lord Roa and Lord Kaido?"

"Oh, you know us?"

Roa pretended to be clueless. "Didn't Wano Country say it was closed off?"

"Calamity Roa, Beast Kaido—the names of great figures are like wind; even with tightly shut doors, they will seep through the cracks in the room."

Kurozumi Higurashi's attitude became even more humble. "Your reputations precede you; I've heard them like thunder!"

She had known for a long time that to avenge the Kurozumi family, she had to rely on power from overseas.

So, in her early years, she ventured out to sea to accumulate strength and always maintained contact with people from abroad. While not fully understanding the current situation of the sea, she was at least well-informed.

So upon seeing these two monsters, her heart was filled with nothing but ecstasy.

We won!

The Kozuki family is finished!

The entire Wano Country combined definitely cannot defeat the remnants of the Rocks Pirates!

"Hahaha!"

Roa laughed proudly. "You're quite a smooth talker. Alright, I'll give you two minutes. Explain your purpose clearly. If you can't satisfy me, you'll die."

"Yes!"

Kurozumi Higurashi, however, wasn't afraid. Instead, she eagerly spoke with excitement. "I am from the Kurozumi family! A tragic family persecuted by Wano Country's rulers, the Kozuki family!"

Roa almost laughed.

The Kozuki family might all be fools, but your Kurozumi family aren't good people either.

"To exact revenge, we have been accumulating power all these years!"

She continued, "Around the strongest Kozuki Oden in Wano Country, and around the most influential daimyo, we have our people infiltrated!"

"Lord Roa, Lord Kaido, we can help you achieve victory more easily!"

"Oh?"

Roa nodded slightly. "Sounds a bit interesting. So, what do you want?"

Kurozumi Higurashi carefully glanced at Roa and Kaido. "We hope to help you rule Wano Country. This country's samurai are unruly. If outsiders directly rule, it will likely cause continuous resistance."

"However, if there is a proxy, the situation changes."

The drunken Kaido's lips twitched.

Roa let out a long "Oh."

Kurozumi Higurashi's heart pounded as if it would leap out of her chest.

Was this request truly too greedy?

But if she missed this opportunity, the Kurozumi family might never rise again.

"It doesn't matter,"

Roa said with a grin. "Whoever rules this country, as long as they can help us, that's fine."

"I agree."

He said.

"..."

Kurozumi Higurashi looked up ecstatically. "Good! That's wonderful, Lord Roa! Please look forward to it! The Kurozumi family will certainly not disappoint you!"

This Lord Roa is far easier to deal with than expected!

"That's good."

Roa nodded, smiling.

Clown.

But if he could save some effort, then he would.

Besides, didn't he think something very interesting would happen?