Chapter 339
Over those four days, news of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin's alliance spread through every corner of the New World.
By the morning of the banquet, the waters surrounding Wano Country had become almost unrecognizable.
Pirate crews driven by greed, ambition, fear, and opportunism had converged from every direction.
Some genuinely intended to swear themselves to the new alliance, while others wanted access to protection, territory, weapons, money, or simply the chance to stand beside what they believed would become the dominant power of the next era.
The enormous concentration of pirates could not simply be packed onto Onigashima itself.
The Beasts Pirates therefore kept Wano's controlled entry routes operating almost continuously, with invited vessels screened and directed toward designated anchorages and staging areas throughout the country.
Ordinary fighters and subordinate crews were distributed across those positions, while captains, senior officers, important allies, Underworld rulers, and other prestigious guests were permitted to continue toward Onigashima.
Taken together, the forces gathered throughout Wano's approaches were approaching one hundred thousand.
No one mistook the number for a single army standing shoulder to shoulder on one island.
They were spread across ships, ports, camps, coastal positions, and guarded routes, but the scale of the mobilization was unmistakable.
This was no longer merely a banquet.
It had become a declaration.
Flags belonging to crews from across the New World covered the surrounding waters.
Cannon fire, drunken laughter, and boasts about the coming era rolled across the sea while merchants, criminals, mercenaries, and pirates tried to calculate what the alliance would mean for them.
At the center of everything stood Onigashima.
Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were there.
Their commanders were there.
Representatives from the Underworld were arriving.
Germa 66 had accepted an invitation.
Somewhere beyond Wano, Whitebeard was coming.
Red-Haired Shanks had begun watching the surrounding routes.
The World Government had quietly moved pieces of its own.
And only a short distance from Wano's natural defenses, Zaraki was approaching with the "surprise" he had mentioned before Ace left.
The separate currents spreading across the New World were finally converging on the same place.
...
The commotion surrounding Wano Country had spread throughout the New World, gradually gathering into a storm powerful enough to tear apart the existing balance of the entire sea.
Onigashima had become the center of that storm.
Pirate flags filled the designated anchorages around the island and stretched into the surrounding waters, while many more vessels remained stationed at staging areas elsewhere in Wano.
Not every ship was permitted to approach Onigashima itself.
For the previous four days, the Beasts Pirates had kept Wano's controlled entry routes operating almost without pause.
Vessels whose identities had been confirmed in advance were admitted under heavy guard and directed toward designated positions, while unauthorized ships were intercepted before they could reach the inner routes.
Most ordinary rank-and-file forces remained distributed across Wano's ports, coastal camps, and temporary anchorages rather than being allowed to crowd onto Onigashima.
Only notorious captains, high-ranking officers, important prospective allies, Underworld Emperors, and other guests whose names carried genuine weight were permitted into the island's inner harbor.
Even so, the place was overflowing with murderous intent.
The smells of rum, cigars, steel, and gunpowder mingled in the humid sea breeze while conversations, laughter, and arguments filled the harbor.
Every arriving vessel seemed to bring another group of dangerous individuals eager to establish its position within the newly formed Emperor alliance.
"Queen Stussy! I didn't expect to see you again so soon."
A shrill, almost effeminate voice cut through the commotion, drawing the attention of everyone nearby.
The speaker was a deathly pale man with a skeletal frame.
His black tailcoat only accentuated his sinister appearance, making him resemble a walking corpse dressed for a funeral.
He was Drug Peclo, the Funeral Director, an Underworld Emperor who had built his fortune through the business of death and dealings best conducted far from the public eye.
His sunken eyes were fixed on a beautiful woman standing a short distance away.
Long, wavy blonde hair fell over her shoulders, framing an elegant face with vivid red lips.
Stussy, the Queen of the Pleasure District, held a glass of champagne with practiced grace.
Her relaxed posture did nothing to conceal the danger lurking beneath her refined appearance.
Peclo studied her for a moment before smiling provocatively.
"So even Her Majesty the Queen has taken an interest in this little gathering?"
His eyes narrowed.
"Tell me, Stussy. Are you here representing yourself, or have you come on behalf of those less respectable associates hiding behind you?"
The question immediately attracted the attention of the other Underworld Emperors.
The Shipping King, Umit, the Loan Shark King, Du Feld, and the Warehouse King, Giberson, had all arrived with considerable reservations.
None of them had come merely to enjoy the hospitality of the newly formed alliance; they wanted to assess the situation before committing themselves to anything.
Joining an alliance between two Emperors could mean openly breaking with the World Government, placing entire business empires at risk, and none of them had accumulated such enormous fortunes by gambling without first examining the odds.
Yet the possibility troubling them most was not whether the alliance would succeed.
It concerned a particular individual whose name had been spreading throughout the New World.
War Demon Zaraki.
The monster who had overturned the situation at Marine Headquarters and forced the Five Elders into an increasingly difficult position.
Would he come?
Would that madman really charge into the middle of a gathering backed by nearly a hundred thousand fighters spread throughout Wano and turn the grand alliance banquet into a living hell?
The possibility alone sent chills through men who had spent their entire lives dealing in blood, money, and betrayal.
The Marines and the Four Emperors were powerful, certainly, but they usually operated within a system the Underworld Emperors understood.
Their conflicts created opportunities, and opportunities could be exploited through sufficiently profitable transactions.
Zaraki was different. He was the kind of walking disaster who could tear apart that entire system without caring what happened afterward.
Stussy, however, merely smiled and took another delicate sip of champagne.
"Peclo, business is business. There's nothing particularly unusual about having dealings with the World Government."
Her voice was languid and pleasant, but her words carried a distinctly sharper edge.
"After all, can you honestly claim that none of the people occupying your coffins ever had anything to do with the Marines?"
"Hmph!"
Peclo slammed his cane against the ground.
"Don't get too arrogant! Whitebeard, the Emperor alliance, and that War Demon from the East Blue—none of them are people we can afford to underestimate!"
The moment he mentioned the War Demon, the expressions of everyone nearby changed. Even Stussy's fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around her champagne glass.
She understood better than most what had happened during the World Government's repeated attempts to contain Zaraki.
She knew how badly supposedly controlled operations had collapsed once his overwhelming strength entered the equation, and in the face of such absolute power, even elaborate schemes could become worthless.
Her expression remained composed, but her wariness toward Zaraki ran far deeper than she would ever willingly reveal.
Before the confrontation among the Underworld Emperors could escalate further, heavy metallic footsteps interrupted them.
An enormous steel warship resembling a giant snail slowly approached the harbor.
The vessel belonged to Germa 66.
Standing at its bow was a young man with green hair styled into a distinctive pompadour.
Vinsmoke Yonji folded his arms and swept a contemptuous gaze across the assembled Underworld Emperors.
"What a pathetic gathering."
His lips curled.
"A bunch of cowards who spend their lives crawling around in the sewers think they're qualified to stand alongside Germa 66?"
Yonji's voice carried clearly across the harbor.
"It's about time we took over the Underworld's businesses anyway."
"Yonji. Mind your manners."
A calm voice came from behind him.
Vinsmoke Judge, the supreme commander of Germa 66, stepped forward.
Despite the apparent reprimand, there was no genuine disapproval in his voice.
The contempt visible in his eyes made it perfectly clear that he shared his son's opinion of the people gathered below.
To Judge, these Underworld Emperors were little more than wealthy merchants who had mistaken financial influence for genuine power.
Peclo's expression darkened immediately, and the other Underworld Emperors reacted much the same way.
They were powerful men accustomed to receiving respect wherever they went.
Having Germa openly insult them in front of so many influential guests was an affront none of them could easily swallow.
Everyone understood why the Emperor alliance had invited them.
Big Mom and Kaido wanted access to their considerable wealth, commercial influence, intelligence networks, and logistical capabilities.
By gathering those resources beneath a single banner, the alliance could transform itself into an even more formidable military power.
Recognizing the Emperors' intentions, however, did not mean these Underworld rulers were prepared to surrender everything without negotiating favorable terms.
The metallic gangplank slammed against the stone quay with a heavy crash, scattering a thin cloud of dust and grit.
Judge's openly arrogant demeanor only intensified the hostility.
Peclo gripped his cane so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Never in his life had he suffered such public humiliation, and if he had not been wary of the alliance and Germa's military strength, he would already have been considering ways to make Yonji disappear into the shadows.
"Vinsmoke!"
His voice rasped like bones grinding together.
"Without our money, your precious war machines are nothing but piles of scrap metal!"
"Well said!"
Umit stepped forward with an equally unpleasant expression.
"And without my shipping fleets, you wouldn't be able to move those machines anywhere!"
Du Feld, Giberson, and several other Underworld figures voiced their agreement.
The atmosphere around Germa's warship grew increasingly oppressive as the combined influence of the Underworld Emperors was brought to bear.
Ordinarily these men competed fiercely with one another, and none would hesitate to exploit a rival's misfortune, but their businesses were interconnected through an extensive network of mutual interests.
When a newcomer threatened that arrangement, they instinctively presented a united front.
Judge remained completely unimpressed.
He understood Big Mom's intentions perfectly well.
Money was easy enough for someone of her influence to acquire, but Germa's cloning technology was something entirely different.
The ability to manufacture vast numbers of genetically engineered soldiers could fundamentally transform the way wars were fought, and it was precisely the sort of military advantage an alliance between two Emperors would covet.
Germa possessed something none of these Underworld Emperors could offer.
Judge therefore considered his arrogance entirely justified.
"What a collection of fools."
His voice was cold.
"All you people understand is how to count money. While you spend your lives accumulating wealth, I'm creating the future."
He looked down at the assembled Underworld Emperors.
"Big Mom invited Germa because she wants an equal partnership."
His expression became openly mocking.
"She invited you because she needs a few geese to keep laying golden eggs!"
"You bastard!"
Peclo's killing intent erupted.
The shadows gathering behind him seemed to writhe, almost as though countless resentful spirits were howling within them.
Stussy maintained her elegant smile, but her eyes had sharpened considerably.
The confrontation was seconds away from turning violent when a familiar, sickeningly sweet voice drifted across the harbor.
"Perorin~! My, my! Such distinguished guests shouldn't be getting so worked up!"
Everyone turned.
Charlotte Perospero, eldest son of the Charlotte family and Totto Land's Minister of Candy, was approaching at a leisurely pace.
His enormous tongue swayed as he walked, while the smile on his face concealed intentions considerably less pleasant than his cheerful tone suggested.
His presence carried an unmistakable implication: Perospero was acting on Big Mom's behalf, and whatever he said would effectively represent her position on the matter.
His eyes swept across both sides of the confrontation.
"Your Majesty Judge, Mama greatly appreciates Germa's technology."
He paused deliberately before turning toward the other group.
"However, Mr. Peclo and his associates are also distinguished guests. It would be terribly unfortunate if our prospective allies damaged their relationships before the banquet had even begun, perorin!"
His words sounded diplomatic enough, but everyone present understood the distinction he had deliberately established.
Judge had been addressed as a king and treated as a potential partner of equal standing. The Underworld Emperors, despite their enormous wealth and influence, had merely been acknowledged as guests.
Peclo's expression turned particularly ugly.
The others were equally displeased, but none dared openly challenge Perospero over it.
They were standing on Onigashima at the heart of an alliance gathering guarded by the core forces of two Emperors, and turning a commercial dispute into a confrontation with their hosts would accomplish nothing except getting themselves killed.
"The banquet is about to begin."
Perospero slowly licked his lips, a feverish gleam appearing in his eyes.
"Mama and Lord Kaido are already waiting in the main banquet hall."
A ripple passed through the gathering.
"Kaido..."
"And Big Mom..."
Two Emperors appearing together at the center of the same alliance was enough to extinguish what remained of the hostility among the assembled guests.
Their confrontation suddenly seemed insignificant compared with the unprecedented gathering awaiting them inside the fortress.
Even these powerful Underworld figures could not entirely suppress their excitement. They were about to witness an alliance that might become one of the defining events of the era.
Yet beneath that excitement, everyone harbored the same unspoken question.
Zaraki.
Would he come?
If the War Demon truly appeared here, with nearly a hundred thousand fighters spread throughout Wano's approaches and the core forces of two Emperors concentrated around Onigashima, what kind of catastrophe would follow?
The question lingered over the harbor, tightening nerves and fueling increasingly extravagant speculation.
Anticipation, fear, ambition, and uncertainty had become so thoroughly entangled that nobody could confidently predict what awaited them once the banquet began.
The festivities had not even properly started, yet the entire gathering already seemed to be standing on the edge of disaster.
And the real storm had yet to arrive.