Chapitre 63: [63] The Flower Capital

[2800 words]

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Damien was amused by the events that had unfolded. Going from the evil intruder to the guest of the Shogun was not the script he imagined.

The old man guided them over to the Shogun's manor, drawing eyes as they went.

Along the way, the short senior made some small talk, "Young man, I must say, your strength is quite incredible, that wasn't even a hint of your true power, right?"

Damien eyed the small geezer, "Rahaha, and you're one tough old man with that Ryuo."

The words drew a dry laugh, "My name is Shimotsuki Raizen, I'm just an old man soon to die. But I'm glad to see that such incredible people exist outside our island; truly wonderful."

The man seemed lost in his age, senile even.

Meanwhile, Damien seemed a little annoyed by a passing thought, "You know, I spent two entire minutes of my life choosing this yukata to fit in and yet you and that Hyogoro found me out immediately."

Raizen chuckled, "Your demeanour, your eyes, your confidence; it screams of a stranger, perhaps you meeting a lost Amatsuki descendant was truly fateful."

…

[Shogan's Manor]

It was large yet simple in appearance. Wooden tatami floor with simple paintings hung on the walls, a mix of landscape art and traditional drawings.

At the center sat a man on a fluffy pillow.

He had dark hair and a small beard growing out of his chin which split into three prongs and a long, thin mustache which pointed upward on each side.

"Greetings, I am Kozuki Sukiyaki, I hope our Flower Capital is to your liking," he said in a stoic voice.

[Sukiyaki Image (in Discord)]

Damien nodded while Toki bowed her head, "It's nice to meet you, Sukiyaki-san."

At the same time, the pirate felt some prying eyes from all directions–ready to strike at any moment. The air itself was sharper than a sword.

'Ninja?' Damien thought as he sat down before the Shogun.

"May I have your names?" Sukiyaki asked.

"Einar D. Damien."

"Ahem, I'm Amatsuki Toki."

She was sitting quite upright, emanating a noble atmosphere, one that Damien could care less to mirror. Instead, he looked as if he was seated in a way that he could enter a battle immediately, leaving no opening; a habit borne from the harsh reality at Hachinosu.

Sukiyaki did not seem to mind as he addressed the girl, "Young Amatsuki child, as the Shogun of Wano and the head of the Kozuki Clan, I welcome you back to Wano."

The words brought a bright light from Toki's eyes as she returned a joyful smile, though the turn of events did leave her confused.

"Um, Sukiyaki-san, can I know why you are so respectful to my surname?"

The esteemed gentleman leaned back a little, his body sinking further into the cushion.

His eyes shone with a hint of nostalgia recalling a distant past.

"Around 40 years ago, a nefarious clan, the Kurozumi, tried to usurp the Shogun's seat as the Shogun at the time, my father, had no suitable heirs," he began explaining.

"The Kurozumi were one of the six powerful clans, and succeeded in assassinating the other heads, of which one was the Amatsuki Clan."

The words brought sadness to Toki. She, with the Time-Time Fruit, was only four decades too late to meet her fellow clansmen, a fraction of the eras she had visited.

"However, by miracle, I was born and their plan was foiled," the Shogun sighed. "Unfortunately, your Clan Head had died by then, all the while the Amatsuki's samurai also fell to slow down the Kurozumi. The time they bought my father was what saved us, we are in your debt."

He then looked at the girl with some confusion.

"I however am unsure of your existence…"

Raizen, who was sipping on some tea, interrupted, "Lord Shogun, the Amatsuki Family had a faction that lived outside Wano. I take it that this young lady is from said faction."

Sukiyaki "ahhed" in understanding, nodding along.

Meanwhile, Toki felt a little bad.

'How would they react if they knew I was actually born many centuries before their own fathers?' the girl thought.

Sukiyaki then studied the only real foreigner in the room and gave an approving nod.

"I must say, if my foolish son was a tenth as capable as you then perhaps I wouldn't be so ashamed of him."

"Where is your son?" Damien asked with a hint of curiosity.

Sukiyaki looked to the distant window, "I exiled him from the Capital, I hear he made it to Hakumai with some no-good brats at his side."

The Shogan felt more embarrassed after the answer and turned back to the green-haired girl.

"Ahem, Toki, if you have any wishes then please say so, I will surely do everything to fulfill it in the name of my father!" the man voiced out his desire to pay his debts.

"Sukiyaki-san, I wouldn't be able to make it here if it weren't for Damien-san," she smiled in return, "please extend your kindness to him instead."

The Shogun nodded while stroking his beard. He turned to Damien once more and gave him a questioning look.

Damien saw the puzzle pieces fit into a satisfying and convenient picture as he put forth his request, "Before I met Toki, I planned to come here to learn your techniques of Ryuo."

Sukiyaki raised an eyebrow, "Of course! It's no problem at all." He then turned to the geezer, "Raizen-dono, I will leave him to you."

"Very well," the aged man agreed. "Young man, come find me tomorrow, I will train you in Ryuo as you request."

Damien smiled, nodding as a thank you.

They continued with some small talk until bringing the conversation to a conclusion. Sukiyaki sent his aides to take Damien and Toki to their rooms.

…

[The Following Night]

"It's a cozy room," Toki said as she walked through the wooden halls.

They were sent to a guest room in the Shogun's estate. After Oden's departure, it was practically empty anyways,

The only thing Damien found odd was that Toki and he were placed in the same room.

The girl had put on a simple green kimono, cleaning up.

Toki then went around the room, setting up the beds in a traditional manner while humming a soft tune.

Damien watched from the side, watching her set a pair of pillows on the adjacently-placed beds.

"You know, Toki. Most girls would be uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as a man," the pirate said with a wry smile.

The girl tilted her head and quipped back, "Isn't it normal to sleep with people you trust?"

She then drew the curtains to a close and blew out some candles, bringing a peaceful darkness into the room.

Damien shrugged, lying down on his futon which was actually two separate beds put together to accommodate for his larger body.

"..."

A silence fell under the peaceful night, nothing but the sound of soft breaths.

"How do you feel about Wano, Toki? You've finally come here after so many centuries."

"Hmm, it is more beautiful than my mother told me… I wish she was here too."

There was a slight pause.

"Even though I know she would be glad I could see it myself, I can't help but think that no one from the outside world can ever see this beautiful place; it's a shame."

She regretfully sighed, "It would be nice to open Wano's walls."

Damien opened his eyes as he heard her comment, "Wano is safe because of its isolation policies. If they opened their borders, both the Government and Pirates would flood it; it's a huge pile of gold."

Toki's voice came but this time with less spirit.

"...Then, Damien-san. Will Wano hide in the shadows of its walls forever?"

The words evoked a chuckle from the pirate: "Hehe, I have great plans for Wano…"

The words laced with ambition may provoke fear from others, though it only elicited a giggle from the girl lying barely a foot away from him.

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[The Next Morning]

Damien's eyes opened up after a nice rest. He took in a deep breath, stretching his legs. However, at the last second, he felt a weight on his chest.

His eyes glanced down and saw a glob of green over his shoulders, and chest.

"Faint breaths went off as the girl was in a deep sleep. Damien's movement awakened her. She slowly got up and wiped her eyes.

"Good morning, Damien-san…"

…

[Later that Day]

Toki had decided to stay in the library, going over the many history books documenting the special events of Wano.

The people here were quite erudite in their literacy and academics. Most of them relied on self-education via these books, granting the girl easy access to her home island's rich history.

She even learned of Oden.

Four years ago, he committed some 'shameful' antics of kidnapping women into his harem that even led to a Harem War in the Capital, embroiling many male citizens and even the Yakuza.

One year ago, the death of a man by the name of Katsuzo occurred, leading to his funeral. Though the infamous Oden appeared and used the man's cremation to cook up some stew.

And not too long ago, he slew the Mountain God, around the same time of his exile.

…

Damien left the estate, leaving Toki to her devices. The warm sun hit his face, gracing him with Vitamin D.

The pirate made his way through the Capital, bringing in some surprisingly positive commotion from the people. The "foreigner" who was invited to the Shogun's Manor was now viewed in a light of respect and admiration.

Even those who turned their swords at Damien just yesterday, came and apologized, offering food and money as compensation.

Suffice to say, they were an honourable society.

It took Damien some tens of minutes to reach his destination, much to the credit of some young children who guided him here.

It was a small dojo in the Yakuza part of the Capital, away from the main populace.

He saw some swordsmen who greeting him, to which he returned a nod. There were many such men inside, eating, chatting, and training; a rowdy atmosphere.

Damien made his way through the main area and into the top floor, eventually reaching Raizen's hall.

*Creak* The wooden doors slid open, leading to an open area.

The pirate looked to the side and saw the bulky Hyogoro, who seemed to have been drinking some tea, stand up and now his head.

"Damien-dono, please forgive me for my hasty actions yesterday."

The apology was answered with a wave of a hand, "Don't sweat it."

His casual words resulted in a wry smile on the Yakuza Boss' face. He tried his best to kill Damien and was casually forgiven. He couldn't find any words to speak further and took his leave.

The Sin Incarnate waited a little while before hearing some distant steps.

*Creak*

The door slid open once more and Raizen's tiny figure waltzed in, his long white eyebrows dancing at every step.

"You're here, young man. Very good," he said with a content tone, "let's begin right away."

He then pulled up two wooden posts stuffed with straw.

"Ryuo," he began. "It has the meaning of 'flow'. It requires you to transfer all your spirit energy across your body and into the location you desire, but it cannot be forced, especially when its caster is not calm."

Raizen then placed his hand a few inches away from one of the posts.

"With this, you can direct it as you please."

*Fwwm!*

He demonstrated it as his arm turned a pristine black.

*Purrup*

A blue bubble of gentle energy then flowed out of the old man's heart and warped around the armoured arm, behaving like a fluid.

*Fwooo!*

A soft wind blew as Raizen directed the energy unto the straw post, though remaining a small distance from it.

The wooden post was still untouched, though it cried out in pain.

"..."

The Haki was reined in and it seemed as if nothing had happened.

That was until Raizen then unsheathed one of his swords and slashed down with a swish, revealing a cross-section of the post.

Damien narrowed his eyes as he saw it all unfold.

The post's outer structure was undamaged, though inside, all the straw was obliterated and torn apart!

"Ryuo allows for internal destruction when mastered, a fearsome power when against the toughest foes," Raizen finished.

He then glanced at the much larger guest and said, "Show me your current mastery."

Damien nodded.

*Fwwm*

He stood up and clad his left arm in a thick coat of Haki.

Bam!

The fist collided with the post which felt the full brunt of Damien's power. It took but a moment for it to be eviscerated into innumerable pieces from the sheer force.

Raizen hummed from the side.

"You're technique is bordering on Ryuo, but lacks understanding of the word 'gentle'."

Damien lightly coughed as he heard the words.

Raizen examined his new pupil's eyes and opted to convey the main idea.

"You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water into a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot."

"Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water and learn to make your strength flow."

Raizen demonstrated once more, doing it slowly and with great calmness.

Boom!

The same post was once again disembowelled as its outer structure remained solid. Damien slowly nodded and began the training under Raizen's supervision.

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[During the Evening]

The Sin Incarnate had returned to the room.

Raizen was a good teacher, but he was old and unable to help Damien for too long, only pitching in every here and there.

Upon returning home, he was greeted by an erratic Toki. She had gone through dozens of books, though still unable to find something.

She saw her housemate arrive and stood up, "Damien-san, welcome back."

Toki then brought out some snacks and drinks for his arrival.

The two ate some lunch, eventually leaving a Toki that seemed like she wanted to ask something.

"What's up?" Damien asked while nibbling on some bread.

She looked up with seriousness.

"Damien-san. I want to be more useful… I don't want to stay home and waste time, I want to help."

Damien eyed her determined glance and could not help but chuckle, "Well, apart from your interest in these books, you're still training in Haki and your powers every day. You don't exactly give yourself time for other stuff."

He thought over her schedule.

When Toki was not reading, she was training in Observation Haki or her Time-Time Fruit. Naturally, Damien's training routine for her was not exactly forgiving.

However, his words only led her to stubbornly shake her head, swinging her green hair to the sides.

Damien looked around and found an interesting topic.

"Well, how about this?"

Toki looked at the book's title: "The Basics of Herbs and Medicine."

"Your powers give you domain over time. Your kind nature isn't suited for heavy combat either. So, have you thought of becoming a doctor?"

The girl tilted her head, tapping her chin in thought.

"Hmm, my powers can certainly restore wounds by greatly increasing their healing, though I've never really tried it."

Damien brought up an issue before she thought too much, "You can't just heal the entire wound otherwise it will wither away."

"Rather, aim at the very blood cells and expedite their healing: encourage hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodelling of the injury."

However, after his little advice, he noticed the girl was lost. "Umm, Damien-san, I'm not that well-versed with it," Toki said with slight embarrassment.

Damien coughed, forgetting that basic biology and recovery were not exactly common knowledge in the seas.

"Well, that's where you begin. Once you understand how the body works, I'm sure your powers can turn a wound that would take months to heal and finish in moments. But then again, it'll take some time."

He waved around the basic book of biology written from the perspective of Wano.

He recalled taking the Intro to Biology course in grade 10. It was not exactly difficult, it's just that there was so much memorization!

Toki's hand jolted as she grabbed the book and held it in her embrace, "I'll do it!"

Damien smirked at her declaration and finished his meal, bringing a start to a rather monotone training arc to come.

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Ryuo is more of a given. Damien has two main tasks coming to Wano. He can put a checkmark onto one of them, let's see how the second one will go.

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Chapitre 64: [64] The Styx Passage

[2810 words]

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"Hey, Boss Indra, you sure about this guy?" a burly man asked.

He stood around 18 feet (5.49 m) with explosive muscle and a bare chest, sporting a red mask. Although his massive frame addressed the far leaner pirate, it carried a tone of respect and subservience.

They belonged to the Fourth Division of the Rocks Pirates, currently being headed by the 'Evil Omen' Zenora Indra.

The dark-skinned pirate was in the process of beating up a recruit. One that had come to Hachinosu to hunt for some bounties but was cut down by Indra's sword.

A cloud of dust blew about the region of downed buildings and barren soil. They were at a corner of Hachinosu, home to the worst of the worst.

"Unlike the other treasure-eyed scum, this one had some merit," Indra briefly explained as he examined the unconscious man.

Majin, the swordsman's first recruit, was not the brightest, to say the least.

"Oh, I see. Well, why don't I pummel him some more to break his spirit?"

Indra looked up with dull eyes, shutting the man up.

"He wants money, he can get it under our Division; it's a fair trade."

Their words were fuel for the downed man as he looked up with great difficulty. His eyes burned with refusal, refusal against death.

The man had fiery red hair that was messily scattered from the excess blood. A thin stubble and athletic figure.

"Y-You!" he cried out in desperation.

Bang!

Indra slammed his foot down without mercy, shattering the ground right next to the broken man's face.

The boot was enough to leave a deep imprint, yet the red-haired man did not even flinch.

"Majin, make sure he doesn't die," Indra ordered. "I want him alive."

The massive man hummed while tossing a bounty poster to the ground.

It read the name "Ignio Kaen" with a reward of 150 million berries. The face printed matched that of the near-dead bounty hunter below.

"Ara~ You're going around making a mess of Hachinosu," a soft voice resounded in the area.

Indra glanced at the woman and slightly nodded in greeting, "Commander Shakky."

The smoking woman seemed annoyed by the reply: "You aren't as cute as Damein-chan, why so serious?"

The words went in one ear and out the other in Indra's case; he simply turned away.

*Puff* A white cloud exhaled from the woman's mouth as she examined the fallen hunter and took out her pistol.

Bang!

A green bullet shot through the air and nailed Kaen between his eyebrows, snapping his head back.

"Ah! You crazy woman, what're you doing!" Majin roared out, rushing on ahead. Yet he was stopped by a vice-like grip on his arm.

"Your intelligence quotient isn't advanced enough to think things through, stand down," Indra ordered.

"...Ugh!" A cry went off as the near-dead Kaen slowly stood up, the cuts and bruises all over his body began to heal and wash away. "What the hell…?"

Shakky winked at Indra, "Damien-chan probably doesn't need corpses as his subordinates."

Indra nodded in his form of gratitude.

"What subordinate? I never agreed!"

Indra cared little for his resistance, giving him a single statement: "You can go around hunting whoever you want, just do it as another fodder under the Fourth Division's banner from now on."

Kaen scowled at his options but deep down he knew it wasn't a bad deal. Ultimately, he chose to rein in his disagreement and remained quiet.

Meanwhile, Shakky smiled at the harmonious display.

"You are an interesting guy, Indra. You match Damien-chan's nature of going around wreaking havoc for the things he wants."

She lifted her fingers and counted: "North Blue Massacre, 'Black Arm' Zephyr Disarming, G-4's destruction."

The words brought the attention of both Majin and Kaen, recalling the name of the recently risen powerhouse.

Shakky then tossed around a fresh newspaper.

"Just this morning came the news of the immediate dismissal of Ardemi, the now ex-CEO of the World News Agency." She puffed another cloud of smoke and murmured, "I know don't why but I feel like this is his hand as well…"

Indra narrowed his eyes at the piece of news. "The Commander does as he pleases, I'm just here to complete my orders of recruiting a handful of muscle," he calmly replied.

Shakky snorted, "What a boring man. Hmm, I guess this island is pretty stale without him. So much trash gathering here."

The woman put aside her thoughts and met the eyes of the swordsman once more. "I wonder what mess your boss will make now..."

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[An Island in the New World]

"Gurarara!"

"Wahahaha!"

An extremely sharp naginata shone in the hands of a man with a white mustache as he clashed blades with another man with unique facial hair.

"I've heard of a lot of 'D.' making waves, show me what you can do, Roger!"

"Wahaha, come on, Newgate!"

Booom!

*Rumble*

A cataclysmic clash echoed all over the island, sending out shockwaves as it reduced the nearby lands to rubble and dust. The friendly greeting between the pirates had only just begun.

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[Unso Island]

Within a large hall with sky-high ceilings were forty seats lined in neat rows.

A red carpet adorned with intricate designs was placed beneath the table and chairs, spreading to the ends of the area. Expensive and regal paintings and tapestries hung down the walls, emanating with rich design.

Tens of people walked in and took their designated seats, their bodyguards stood by the walls, each ready to jump into action.

Of the forty seats, six were visibly more grand, standing much higher than the rest.

The King of Warehousing, Aizen Ward.

The King of Fortune, Du Feld.

The King of Drugs, Elo N. Muskato.

The King of Smuggling, Nelson Vacuum.

The Queen of the Pleasure District, Stacy.

All the major and minor seats had filled up except for the host, the one that sat at the head of the table.

Even with the fresh supply of expensive wine and snacks by the hands of servants and maids, the people grew impatient.

"The host is late, how uncivilized," Vacuum blurted out past his cigar.

"Perhaps there is some trouble," Stacy elegantly commented, playing with her long orange hair.

Muskata, who donned a fancy attire, was not as patient as her, "To gather us here and make us wait, this new King of Shipping is bold!"

*Creak*

Their argument came to an end as the tall doors opened once more.

A few people walked in and the bald Ebi stood in front with a bunch of goons. They then stood on opposite sides, welcoming their new boss.

Soft steps echoed as a lithe figure appeared. The body was feminine with a concealed attire. The face was covered in a black visor-like mask and donned a hood, wholly hiding the face beneath, emanating with mystery.

Some of the less important men widened their eyes, a hint of greed churning in their hearts.

"What a hot figure, the new Shipping Emperor looks quite inviting," a mafia boss said as he licked his lips.

"Lady Stacy might have a competitor!"

Their faces turned into rabid dogs as if seeing a fresh bone in the yard.

The lithe figure soon sat at the head of the table, ignoring the comments.

Meanwhile, Ward gnashed his teeth and smashed his glass of wine to the floor, shattering it to bits with a bang.

"You're this Fulcrum!? You think you can summon us while hiding under a mask?"

The young Du Feld was equally irritated, "There is honour amongst the Underworld! How do we know you're not some marine spy?"

Though his words received an odd reception.

"Du Feld, didn't you kill your daddy for your seat, why are you talking about honour?" Muskato said, puffing on two cigars at once.

Stacy giggled at the scene, attracting the attention of the hungry dogs below.

Yet the environment was soon flooded with tense air as a chain of explosions went off.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Tens of bodies fell to the floor, a powerful force descending on them.

*Creak*

The hall groaned from the added pressure as wide craters appeared under the dozens of men.

*Click*

Hundreds of guns cocked in bullets as chaos seemed to arrive.

Though they all soon fell to the floor once more, their eyes popping out from their sockets.

Ward looked around in shock, then at Fulcrum.

"This is your doing isn't it, what are you up to!?"

Stacy's teasing demeanour warped into speculation as she studied the vertical forces raining down. The purple energy brought a striking thought to mind.

"Is it the Gravity Fruit?" the redhead muttered.

Meanwhile, the masked woman glanced at Du Feld, her right palm pressing down to showcase the eruption of the force.

"You were worried about spies, weren't you? That's all of them."

She then dramatically closed her palm.

*Pop*

Their bodies exploded in a pathetic display, dyeing the hall a fresh coat of crimson paint.

"..." Muskato and the rest looked around with some trepidation.

"Spies?" Ward questioned.

Fulcrum gestured to Ebi who handed out a report outlining the dead scum and their affiliations. Many were marine spies, while quite a few came from distant Kingdoms, some even Cipher Pol.

Fulcrum then elegantly placed her hands on the cracked table.

"I didn't invite you all here to fight, I invited you here for business," she explained through the screen-like mask.

The words evoked some morbid curiosity from the others.

The minor players effectively remained shut while only the Underworld Emperors seemed to have any weight in this situation.

Seeing no further interruptions, Fulcrum had Ebi pass out a bundle of paper highlighting the main goods to be sold.

Each Emperor got a special goodie for their respective trade.

Modern drugs for the King of Drugs.

Motorized boats and ships for the Kings of Warehousing and Smuggling.

Modern insurance traps for the King of Loans.

And powerful aphrodisiacs for the Queen of the Pleasure District.

Beyond that, Fulcrum also gave out some of the blackmail Barro had prepped for the Marines' side to calm them down a little.

Within moments, their faces were quite pleased after going through the detailed plans, enough to warrant their attention for this new Emperor.

"A welcome surprise," Stacy said with a vixen-like smile.

Ebi gulped as he saw Queen of the Pleasure District lick her lips in Fulcrum's direction, almost as if trying to seduce her.

All the while Muskato was lost in the chemical makeup of the products, smiling at the thought of people incessantly coming for more and more drugs that would only kill themselves.

The others were just as satisfied.

"I must say, I didn't take you for an architect of our trades," Nelson Vacuum stated. "The devil's architect."

Fulcrum did not take their empty words at heart, rather bringing up the next order of business.

"This was just the appetizer, the next thing I want to put forward is a trade route that I'm sure will interest you all," she said with an inviting tone.

The words drew the attention of everyone in the room. Though as always, the voice was distorted, credit to the metal mask.

"The biggest problem in the way is the Navy. They hold the paths that will guarantee the fastest and most cost-friendly routes to move our goods."

"Knowing this, they heavily tax and control the goods being moved. Though deals are reached for them to allow our materials to be brought in, it is very strict and not so cost-effective."

She allowed her words to sink in before continuing with an entrancing tone, "There is one path they cannot control, a route even outside the domain of everyday pirates: The Calm Belts!"

"We know that little!" Du Feld remarked. "But the Calm Belts are the home of endless Sea Kings, our ships won't stand a chance!"

The thought was shared among the others as well.

*Thunk* Fulcrum tapped her finger on the table to regain their attention.

"What if I told you I have a way to ensure safe transportation through the Calm Belts? A passage where no marine or pirate can get in your way," she offered.

Seeing the razor-sharp focus of the others, the assassin finished her pitch, "Sea Kings rule the belts so I will use Sea Kings to transport the goods."

"!!!"

Ward was the first one to jolt out of his seat. "You have such a thing!?" he thundered.

Muskata, however, was not as easily enthralled, "There is no such thing! Even the Government doesn't have a way of traversing the Calm Belts, let alone controlling those hungry beasts."

Fulcrum shrugged, "A… companion of mine can make it possible. I cannot prove it to you here, but you will need to take my word for it."

"..." The statement plunged the room into silence.

On one end was a woman who had given them some quite handy tools to further their shady trades. On the other hand, there was the sheer impossibility of the solution presented to them.

The Emperors did not speak, though some semi-known mafia bosses made their thoughts clear.

"It's ridiculous, we cannot trust the words of a person hiding behind a mask. Who knows that perhaps she is under the World Government, trying to dig their claws into our business and removing us from the board!"

"I agree, this doesn't smell right at all!"

Another one stood up with a thirsty look, "I say we kill her here and split the Shipping King's Empire for ourselves!"

"A 'companion' who can master the Calm Belt?" a well-known mafioso asked in a mocking tone. "I haven't heard something so ridiculous in a while!"

The demeaning words echoed in the halls as more and more people stood up in disagreement. Though they seemed to overlook the clenched fists of the woman sitting at the head of the table.

"Acting all mysterious, Ha! "Sorry, young 'Empress', maybe in your naive eyes you have been played around by someone pulling your strings."

The once calm and collected Fulcrum's voice turned sharp as she heard the disparaging comments, not about her offer, but rather the insults aimed at her unknown companion.

"Don't run your mouths!"

The words were wrapped with a furious tone, stretching to the edges of the spanning hall.

"Augh!"

The man who spearheaded the insults was the first to fall to his knees, foaming at the mouth.

The others who had put across their disagreement also felt the same force overwhelm their mind as they were forced to the ground one by one, losing their conscience.

"..."

"W-What happened?" Ebi said out loud, blinking frantically. "I've never seen her powers do that one before…"

While the lower members had fallen into further disarray, the Emperors had their thoughts.

"That was…!"

"There's no doubt about it!"

Ward and Mukato sat up a little, narrowing their eyes at the display.

Stacy smiled wider, exposing her perfect teeth, "Things got more interesting."

Du Feld stayed quiet alongside Vacuum.

Fulcrum turned away from the spectators and once again addressed the true decision-makers of the shady seas, her voice dripping with authority and determination, "The Government's grip on the world has stifled your freedom for far too long. Don't you wish to carve out your own path to power?"

Her voice was inviting, mixed with a tinge of distortion which drew the other emperors.

"Well, how about a test run with simple goods?" she suggested. "If you're satisfied with the goods, then we can gain a true monopoly over the entire Underworld."

Ward's mouth twisted into a smile as he looked at the young woman with newfound appreciation. "I must say, you are far more daring than I would have imagined."

"Very well, Fulcrum, you have my approval."

Muskato nodded in agreement, "Seconded."

"I don't mind bringing in girls from all over the seas for a cheaper price," Stacy smiled.

Du Feld nodded as well.

Vacuum closed the vote with a thought of his own, "If you can back up your words with results then it seems that we will be working very closely from now on."

Fulcrum nodded, an air of satisfaction surrounding her tone, "Very well, the 'Styx Passage' will open up in a few days, connecting the Outer Seas to the Grand Line. Sea Kings will arrive on your islands and receive your exports."

The Banquet closed after a hefty buffet with exotic meals. Such meat was from the highest quality Sea Kings, something only Celestial Dragons can get their hands on.

Regardless of what went down, one thing was certain: a new King of Shipping had risen, one far stronger and with far more influence than any previous one.

An Underworld Emperor whose pull in the shady dark sea would surely take the hidden forces by storm!

To Be Continued…

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Author's Corner.

Indra adding to his collection while some big deals go down in the Underworld. All the while Damien enters his little training arc.

Some people commented on the Aether Fruit's similarity to the Gravity Fruit when it came to her spawning forces, well, it wasn't a coincidence.

Images are available on Discord alongside other niche details: https://discord.gg/aJHHHPvb6q

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