Chapter 815: A Premonition of the Final Battle
Hearing Sabo’s words, Ian also calmed down.
Indeed, thinking carefully, even if Ian rushed over, his help wouldn’t amount to much. Facing Uranus’s nuclear attack, even Ian could only retreat. In such a situation, whether one more or one fewer person was present, the result would be the same—none of them could kill Uranus.
Whitebeard Old Man and Red-Haired Shanks were people who understood the truth of history. They couldn’t possibly be unaware of Uranus’s terrifying power. Without a sure plan, they likely wouldn’t confront Uranus head-on. Ian guessed they would instead focus on rescuing as many refugees as possible.
On the contrary, because Ian had fought Uranus at Amazon Lily and inflicted considerable damage on it, his appearance might provoke Uranus into a frenzy, causing it to frequently use its Devil Fruit power and leading to more innocent casualties.
After much deliberation, Ian and Ace really weren’t suited to appear at this time.
But if what Sabo said was true—that Vegapunk possessed a weapon capable of completely dealing with Uranus—then it was a different story. As long as they could rescue him and obtain that weapon, Ian and his group would have a trump card against Uranus.
“Alright!” Ian nodded in agreement. “We’ll do it your way.”
Next came the task of settling the Kuja Pirates and the Buggy Pirates. There were many islands near Whole Cake Island’s waters, so Ian chose a relatively remote one for Boa Hancock and the women of the Kuja Pirates to live on. Although Amazon Lily had been destroyed, the customs of the Kuja women couldn’t be changed overnight. Giving them a secluded island to inhabit was also a way to reduce their contact with the outside world.
Of course, in Ian’s view, the Kuja women would eventually integrate into society. Perhaps at some point, they would accept men, marry, and live together, but that would take time to change.
Was this considered securing benefits for his Dragon Hunter Pirates’ crew? Ian thought to himself with a strange expression.
Boa Hancock wanted to accompany Ian, but he insisted she stay. First, as an empress, she needed to settle her people. Second, the Buggy Pirates would also be staying here temporarily, and having Boa Hancock around would help keep Buggy in check.
Buggy didn’t overthink it. He kept pestering Ian to find someone to repair the Pluton. Ian had to contact the Straw Hat Pirates, only to learn that they had already agreed to Kin’emon and Momonosuke’s request and set out from Zou for Wano Country!
It seemed they planned to seize this opportunity to return to Wano, avenge Momonosuke, and defeat the shogun of Wano, Kurozumi Higurashi.
If it were any other time, Ian wouldn’t interfere with Luffy and Zoro’s decisions. But now, he had to call them back. Not only was Franky, the iron-man shipwright who inherited the Pluton’s blueprints, the best person to repair it, but Ian also needed Luffy and Jinbe to return to Fish-Man Island, find Shirahoshi the Mermaid Princess, and bring her here.
Why? Because Ian had sensed the aura of the final battle. The fact that Buggy had found the Pluton at this moment felt like fate, reminding Ian of that saying: Only an ancient weapon can counter an ancient weapon.
Thus, Ian needed to gather these two ancient weapons. They might be key in the fight against Uranus. The Pluton needed repairs, while Shirahoshi, the Sea King, required Luffy as a guide to awaken her power.
Combined with Sabo’s mention of the weapon in Vegapunk’s hands, Ian planned to make thorough preparations and eliminate the threat of Uranus once and for all.
Since the Straw Hat Pirates were being called back, they couldn’t go to Wano anymore. Fortunately, during the call, Ian learned that their trip to Zou had successfully secured the Mink Tribe as allies. As retainers of the Kozuki Family, the Minks had sent hundreds of warriors to accompany them. The Straw Hats’ detour wouldn’t affect them much.
With Ian and Ace both asking, the Straw Hat Pirates had no reason to refuse. They quickly turned back and headed for Whole Cake Island. Once Franky returned, combined with Germa’s research facilities and the expertise of scientists Waldo and Caesar, repairing the Pluton shouldn’t be a major issue.
However, Ian might not have realized that his seemingly casual arrangement would lead to a massive turning point in the situation in Wano Country.
After arranging these matters, Ian contacted Fujitora and the others. Learning they were safe for now, he felt much more at ease. Two days later, Ian, Ace, and Sabo set off for the Revolutionary Army’s headquarters, Baltigo.
For the first time since the Revolutionary Army’s founding, all its officers would gather. But Ian didn’t know that among the people Dragon had summoned, there would be someone unexpected.
Meanwhile, while Ian and his group were en route to Baltigo, in a cave in the western mountains of Wano Country, sobbing could be heard.
“They’re all gone! Waaah… My adorable subordinates, all gone!”
Inside the cave sat a towering giant with wild long hair, explosive muscles, and sharp curved horns on his head. It was none other than Kaido of the Beasts, known as the “Strongest Creature.”
Kaido held a massive gourd of sake, tilting his head back and drinking heavily. As he drank, he wept, starting with soft sobs that soon turned into loud wails.
“Dead! My Beast Pirates, all died at the hands of that dragon!” Kaido cried, pounding his chest with his fist. He then turned to a trembling, petite figure cowering in the corner and roared, “Can you understand my pain?!”
Seeing Kaido’s fierce expression, the small figure was also scared to tears, trembling as she replied, “I… I understand…”
“You understand jack shit!!!” Kaido suddenly bellowed, the alcohol vapor from his mouth forming a powerful gust that battered the small figure. At the same time, he lifted his massive foot and stomped hard on a somewhat plump person lying on the ground. “If you understood, you wouldn’t have come here to die at a time like this!”
The person on the ground coughed up a mouthful of blood as Kaido’s foot crushed down, bending their body and revealing their identity.
The one under Kaido’s foot was none other than the former Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria!
It was clear that Moria had just been severely beaten by Kaido, his entire body covered in serious injuries. His subordinate, Absalom, the Invisible Fruit user, lay unconscious nearby. As for the small figure cowering in the corner, it was naturally the Ghost Princess, Perona.
Why was Moria in Wano Country, and why had Kaido knocked him down? The reason was simple: he had tracked Kaido here.
Some time ago, Moria had gone to Whole Cake Island to ally with Ian and take down the Beast Pirates. But Ian was in Wano at the time and had captured Queen the Plague. When Moria heard the news, he was frustrated but also saw an opportunity. Unable to wait for Ian’s return, he left Whole Cake Island with his crew.
Ten years ago, after losing to Kaido, all of Moria’s subordinates had died. He had long plotted revenge. With Queen captured, Moria knew the Beast Pirates would likely go to war with the Marines, giving him his chance.
However, things didn’t go as Moria had expected. The Beast Pirates did mobilize to rescue Queen, but they did so as part of an allied force. The Marines, instead of engaging in a costly war, had the Celestial Dragons deploy Uranus, which instantly annihilated the Beast Pirates.
Although Moria didn’t witness a grand war between the Beast Pirates and the Marines, the outcome was even better than he had hoped. The complete destruction of the Beast Pirates eliminated countless enemies for him.
But Moria guessed that Kaido might not have died. He knew Kaido’s near-immortal body well. So he immediately took Perona and Absalom and scoured the world for Kaido’s trail.
After relentless tracking, Moria discovered that Kaido hadn’t returned to his stronghold but had fled back to Wano Country!
Moreover, Moria found that Kaido was seriously injured. One of his arms was severely burned, missing large patches of muscle tissue. His body was covered in countless wounds. Most importantly, these injuries weren’t healing as quickly as before—they still hadn’t recovered!
Moria didn’t know the exact reason, but he recognized this as a once-in-a-lifetime chance for revenge. So, after finding Kaido’s hiding spot, he launched his vengeance.
He had gathered over a thousand shadows recently, planning to use them to strengthen himself and possibly defeat the injured Kaido.
But he had severely underestimated Kaido’s true power. The gap between an Emperor and a Warlord was too vast. Even injured, Kaido easily defeated Moria, pinning him underfoot and not even giving him a chance to use his shadows.
Perona hadn’t been attacked, perhaps because Kaido saw her and thought of his subordinate Queen. She wasn’t hurt, but she was terrified. Her idolized captain, Moria, had been taken down in just a few exchanges—something she couldn’t fathom.
Now drunk and rambling, Kaido kept talking to Perona. Probably overwhelmed by grief over losing his subordinates, he wanted someone to vent his immense anger to.
After a bout of madness, Kaido used two fingers to pick up Moria, holding him before his eyes. With drunken, blurry eyes, he said, “You’re an ant, but I have to admit, your ability is quite useful. I’ll give you a chance. Inject those shadows into me, and I’ll spare your life.”
“Cough… cough…” Moria coughed up blood, barely conscious from the pain. But hearing this, he couldn’t help asking, “What… what do you… want…”
Kaido tilted his head back and took another gulp of sake, a ferocious expression spreading across his face. “Uranus is coming. It will definitely come here. I came to Wano to wait for it to appear and see who the real strongest creature is!!”