One Piece Thundergod Marine

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The fruit-cutting competition concluded amidst the sounds of "boom, boom, boom," filled with joy and excitement. 

Gaz found the trio from Wano Country, who were covered in soot as if they had been digging coal, backstage and enthusiastically shook their hands. 

"Congratulations! Your swordsmanship truly opened my eyes! Here are your temporary passes and prizes, valid for one week." 

Only the top three could obtain the passes, and Momonosuke had been knocked out by a peach bomb, securing the third-to-last place. 

Looking at the palm-sized passes in their hands, Kanjuro and Kin'emon exchanged glances and suddenly hugged each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces. 

"Kanjuro, we did it!" 

"Yes, Kin'emon, we did it!" 

This so-called Fruit Ninja competition was truly a test of their mettle! 

If it weren't for their skills, they might have ended up like Momonosuke, sent off the stage by a bomb. 

Wait, Momonosuke? 

Suddenly, Kin'emon calmed down and asked, "Host, can only the two of us enter?" 

"Huh?" 

Gaz, who was about to leave, turned back and looked at them strangely. "Naturally, one pass per person, non-transferable and void if expired. That's how it is." 

"Then…" 

Kin'emon's eyes narrowed as he glanced back at Momonosuke, who was lying on the bed, bandaged, with vacant eyes, still suffering from a concussion. 

"Only we can enter." 

"Actually, that's not bad, is it?" Kanjuro stroked his chin and said, "We don't know the situation in Region 4 yet. If there's any danger, having the young lord with us might make us hesitate." 

"That makes sense!" 

"Then…" 

In the restaurant, Rowen stood up and stretched. "Then… barring any surprises, they'll come to Region 4 tomorrow. Keep an eye on that kid, Kyros, and don't let him slip away." 

"Understood!" 

Kyros nodded solemnly. He just wanted to remove these unstable elements from Dressrosa. As long as the methods weren't too extreme, he didn't care if it was an adult or a child. 

"Good, as long as you're clear about it." 

He didn't plan to personally intervene in capturing Momonosuke. If he had to do everything himself, what was the point of his position? 

As long as it wasn't a life-or-death situation, Rowen acted entirely on his mood. 

… 

The next day, at the entrance of Region 4. 

"Young lord, please be careful. We're going in!" 

"Don't worry, Kin'emon. I'm also a samurai; I'll take care of myself!" 

"Young lord!" 

"Kin'emon!" 

Sigh… 

The soldier in charge of checking the passes took a puff of his cigarette, looking utterly speechless at the scene of farewell before him. 

"If you're not entering, then leave. Don't block the line for others!" 

"Listen here, although you're allowed in, remember, this is the royal palace of Dressrosa. Some places are off-limits. Be careful not to wander into restricted areas, or you'll be arrested and thrown into jail with no chance of bail!" 

"Follow the soldiers, and if you have any questions, ask them. Alright, next group!" 

Following the guiding soldiers into the palace area, Kin'emon was surprised to find that it wasn't as dangerous as they had imagined. 

Although they could only move around the edges of the main palace, key areas were marked with signs and patrolled by soldiers. As long as they avoided those places, their range of movement was quite free. 

In Dressrosa, which had already systematized this process, such a setup was quite beneficial. 

"If I had known, I would have tried to bring the young lord in too." 

Kin'emon held a box of takoyaki. "Apart from feeling the grandeur of the palace up close, there's not much difference from other regions here." 

"No, there is!" 

Kanjuro said seriously, then turned back. "Look, that's Princess Rebecca, King Riku's granddaughter. Can you see royals doing this in other places?" 

In a small garden at the edge of the palace area, Rebecca's sudden arrival caused a stir among the tourists. 

The lineage of King Riku had always adhered to their people-friendly politics. In fact, he hadn't imposed any strict rules, but everyone had come from hard times, and life was not easy, aligning closely with the populace. 

"Indeed…" 

Watching the girl surrounded by the common people, Kin'emon's expression suddenly darkened as he murmured, "Lord Oden… it was the same back then." 

Kanjuro fell silent. 

Yes, Kozuki Oden had also been like this. 

He had taken their group of unwanted outcasts from Wano and brought them out, but the outcome was… 

"Enough with the nonsense. We're lucky that the place we need to go hasn't been occupied by the newly built palace. While that woman draws attention, let's hurry over." 

At this moment, Flamingo in the backpack interrupted their reminiscence, quietly reminding them. 

"Exactly, the priority is to help Pink Feather find the treasure he left behind." 

"It's Lord Pink Feather, you fool!" 

In a corner of the palace's high platform, Rowen leaned against the window sill, calmly taking a puff of his cigar. 

"Indeed, the thing they are looking for is in Region 4… but what could it be?" 

Hearing this, King Riku put down his binoculars and frowned. 

"That direction… Admiral Soryu (Azure Dragon), is where the former royal highland was located." 

"Oh? The old site of the royal palace…?" 

Rowen nodded. "It's about time to start preparing. Be careful not to alert the snake." 

"Understood!" 

Meanwhile, under Pink Feather's guidance, the entire group arrived at a remote corner of Region 4, stopping in front of a large protruding rock. 

At this point, Pink Feather also emerged from the backpack. 

Looking at the overgrown land before him, a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes. 

"I still remember back in the day, this place was bustling…" 

"But this is good too; it means no one has noticed the things hidden underground." 

Thinking of this, Pink Feather said, "You two, keep an eye on the outside. I'm going to open the door." 

With that, he flapped his wings and struggled to fly up to the rock, clearing away the debris and dust above it, searching carefully. 

After a while… 

"I found it!" 

Looking at the palm print that had been corroded by wind and rain, Pink Feather felt a moment of daze. Year after year, the flowers remain the same, but the people change. If it were still back then, he wouldn't have remembered that he had hidden something here. 

After all, at that time, he held the world in his hands, a unique underworld giant in the New World. The treasures he left as trump cards when he started out were no longer worth mentioning. 

Now, however, it was his only chance for a comeback and revenge! 

Thinking of this, Pink Feather pressed his wings against it and pushed hard… 

Crack! 

(￣ー￣)… 

"What happened?" 

"Nothing… nothing." 

Covering his wings, Pink Feather endured the pain and stubbornly raised his head. "Well, it seems this mechanism is stuck. You guys try it." 

Kin'emon: "…" 

"One, two, three, pull!" 

"One, two, three, put in more effort!" 

"One, two, three… be careful!" 

Bang! 

With a not-too-loud but significant sound of collapse, the weathered stubborn stone suddenly cracked into pieces. Kanjuro got up from the ground, brushing off the dust, staring blankly at the passage before him. 

"What a spectacular underground passage!" 

Even just the entrance was filled with various gems and gold in the corners; one could only imagine how many treasures were buried in the deepest chamber. 

Seeing this, Pink Feather stood up, covered in dust, and grinned. 

"Isn't it spectacular?" 

"Back then… never mind, let's hurry down. The noise just now might have attracted the guards' attention. Let's just take the most valuable things and leave." 

With that, Pink Feather took the lead and flew into the passage. 

Kanjuro and Kin'emon exchanged glances and quickly followed. 

After they left, Rowen and King Riku appeared at the entrance of the passage, the latter frowning deeply. 

"It's impossible! There's actually a Hidden Treasure Room here, and I had no idea." 

"Then I'm even more curious about how they found out!" 

Rowen slightly squinted his eyes, a smirk forming at the corner of his mouth. 

(End of Chapter)