Summoner in One Piece

General Ren, defeated and humiliated, joined Ho Kaku and his cronies in the deep dungeons of Tonryuu. The city barracks, now filled with incapacitated soldiers, were quietly secured by Kaelen and the remaining elite guard, their temporary weakness a testament to Tsunade's precise planning. The multi-layered deception had worked flawlessly. Tonryuu was truly Alex's, but the true work of establishing his rule and healing the wounded fief was only just beginning. The sun, now fully risen, cast its light upon a city on the cusp of profound change.

Alex wasted no time. The moment General Ren was secured, he turned to Chief Scholar Yuan. "The city needs to know, Yuan. They need to know the truth, and they need to see that justice has come to Tonryuu."

Within hours, word spread like wildfire through Tonryuu. A public assembly was called at the city square, a place that had long been a stage for Ho Kaku's deceptive pronouncements. This time, however, the air thrummed with a different kind of anticipation. Citizens, wary but hopeful, gathered in growing numbers, their faces etched with years of hardship and suspicion.

Alex stood on a hastily erected platform, the Royal Decree held prominently in his hand. Beside him stood Chief Scholar Yuan, his frail form radiating an unexpected strength, and behind them, Erza and Kaelen, their presence a silent testament to Alex's military control. Olvia stood ready with scrolls and ledgers, prepared to present irrefutable evidence.

"People of Tonryuu!" Alex's voice, amplified by his inherent presence, rang clear across the square. "I am Count Alex, appointed by His Majesty Ei Sei himself, to govern this fief!" He unfurled the Royal Decree, its imperial seal visible for all to see. A murmur rippled through the crowd.

"For too long," Alex continued, his voice hardening, "this city has suffered under the tyranny and corruption of Ho Kaku!" He paused, letting the name hang in the air, eliciting gasps and whispers. "He, along with his cronies – Chief Administrator Jin, Commander Bao, and Tax Master Song – have systematically plundered your resources, neglected your defenses, and betrayed the trust of the Qin Kingdom!"

Then, Alex delivered the crushing blow. "And it goes deeper! Ho Kaku orchestrated raids on our own Qin villages, disguised as Zhao attacks, to sow chaos and fear! He used a rogue military force, led by General Ren, for these heinous acts, and to exploit a hidden iron mine, funneling its wealth not to Tonryuu, but to the enemies of Qin!"

He gestured to Olvia, who stepped forward, her voice clear as she began to detail the financial frauds unearthed from the ledgers, the falsified military reports, and the evidence of the illicit iron mine. Chief Scholar Yuan then spoke, his voice filled with a lifetime of suppressed truth, corroborating Olvia's statements and speaking of the good officials sidelined and the suffering inflicted upon the people.

The crowd erupted. Anger, disbelief, and finally, a wave of profound relief washed over them. The truth, long suspected but never confirmed, was finally laid bare. Alex's decisive action, backed by the Royal Decree and irrefutable evidence, began to turn the tide of public opinion. Hope, fragile but real, started to bloom in the hearts of Tonryuu's citizens.

Even as the public proclamation was underway, Alex knew time was of the essence for another critical task. While the citizens absorbed the truth, Alex dispatched Tsunade and Akane to the dungeon.

"We need answers, and we need them now," Alex had instructed them before the assembly. "Ho Kaku, General Ren, Jin, Bao, Song – they hold the keys to Ryo Fui's wider network. We need to know the full extent of their operations, any hidden assets, other collaborators, and precise details about the iron mine and 'The Iron Hand's' stronghold. Be thorough. Be relentless. But ensure they remain alive to provide every piece of information."

Tsunade and Akane descended into the cold, damp depths of the dungeon. Ho Kaku, still seething with humiliated rage, met their arrival with defiance. General Ren, though weakened by the poison and his capture, maintained a stubborn silence, his cunning eyes searching for weaknesses. The cronies, Jin, Bao, and Song, were a mix of terrified compliance and desperate denial.

The interrogations began. Tsunade, with her knowledge of pressure points and subtle psychological manipulation, worked on General Ren and Ho Kaku, peeling back layers of deceit. Akane, with her sharp intellect and intimidating presence, focused on the cronies, exploiting their fears and internal divisions. They used the evidence already gathered – the ledgers, the Governor's forged message, the fate of the other prisoners – as leverage. The goal was not just confessions, but actionable intelligence: names, locations, communication methods, and the exact nature of Ryo Fui's involvement. The fate of Tonryuu, and potentially the wider Qin border, depended on what they could extract from the viper's nest.