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Cake Island, Cake Chateau.
At the very top of this enormous castle, the symbol of the highest authority in Totto Land, was the place BIG MOM valued most, the venue for every Tea Party she hosted.
Yet at this moment, a small banquet was already underway there.
"Mamamama!"
BIG MOM's enormous mouth let out her trademark laugh.
"It's been so many years since we last met. I never expected that you'd become a Devil Fruit user too, Wang Zhi (Ochoku). Back then, weren't you the one who hated Devil Fruit users the most? You didn't even go to God Valley because of that."
As she spoke, her gaze fell upon the man seated before her.
He had a sinister and ugly face, long hair, folds of skin around his neck, and a forked tongue. He wore an oversized robe that concealed almost his entire body, leaving only his head and neck exposed.
"Linlin, of all things, you still remember something so insignificant?"
Hearing BIG MOM's question, he replied in a hoarse voice.
"Mamamama! I was just curious. The man once known as the 'Martial Daoist,' who even founded his own sect, suddenly became a Devil Fruit user, which surprised me for quite a while."
As she spoke, she brought up events that had long since been forgotten by the current era.
Indeed, decades ago, during the age of the Rocks Pirates, the senior officer known as the "Pirate Patriarch," Wang Zhi (Ochoku), had been a great pirate from Kano Country, famous for his identity as a martial artist.
Renowned for his powerful physique and exceptional combat skills, it was said that he possessed an astonishing talent that allowed him to master nearly every fighting style in Kano Country. He later established the Martial Exercise Sect, teaching martial arts and recruiting large numbers of pirates eager to grow stronger, earning him the title of "Pirate Patriarch."
The creed followed by him and his followers had always been:
"Abilities are merely obstacles."
And yet, after the disbandment of the Rocks Pirates, that very man had unexpectedly become a Devil Fruit user.
Gulp, gulp... Haa...
Upon hearing her words, Wang Zhi downed an entire cup of sweet liquor.
Then he let out a long breath and looked at BIG MOM.
"Does that even matter? What's wrong with a pirate pursuing power?"
"Should I have ended up like Shiki, becoming nothing more than a stepping stone for some young Marine's rise?"
That was his response.
"Mamamama! True enough. Who would've thought that Shiki would lose to one of Zephyr's disciples?"
BIG MOM nodded as she stuffed a Homies cake into her mouth. The cake continuously cried:
"Ah! Mother is going to eat me! I need to let the filling spill out quickly!"
"Still, I heard that after becoming a Devil Fruit user, you were nearly assassinated by the strongest members of your own sect."
"They were just a bunch of clowns too blind to see the bigger picture."
Wang Zhi sneered.
Yet his hand unconsciously tightened into a fist.
Immediately afterward, he changed the subject.
"Enough of that, Linlin. Let's confirm the details of our alliance once more."
"Totto Land and Pirate Island will form a Pirate Alliance. Together, we'll hunt down the Twelve Zodiac and seize Dreamland Island."
"Afterward, all the exotic beasts on Dreamland Island, as well as the other members of the Twelve Zodiac, will belong to you."
"I only want half of the Fountain of Youth and Hitsuji."
As he said this, a burning desire flashed clearly in his eyes.
"Ah..."
The moment the names The Twelve Zodiac and Dreamland Island were mentioned, BIG MOM grinned.
Crunch.
She chewed up the cake in her mouth and swallowed it.
"Originally, I had no intention of giving away anything related to the Twelve Zodiac or Dreamland Island. But the information you brought is indeed valuable."
"As expected of Pirate Island."
"Though your subordinates are truly useless. They couldn't even capture a minor figure like Fire Tiger."
Her words revealed the critical information Wang Zhi had brought with him this time.
The Pirate Island known as Hachinosu, ruled by Wang Zhi, was an exceptionally unique island upon the seas.
Ever since the era of Rocks, it had stood as a symbol of piracy itself.
The rules of the island were simple:
The strong ruled.
There were no real laws, only pure chaos, a true paradise for pirates.
Any pirate could set foot on the island.
Any pirate could freely drink and feast there.
In theory, any pirate could even challenge Wang Zhi and claim the island for themselves.
This unique system attracted countless pirates, who constantly came and went. All sorts of criminals, outcasts, and shady figures gathered there.
As a result, the island had effectively become one of the greatest centers of information on the seas.
When it came to gathering intelligence, especially illegal intelligence, the advantages of Pirate Island were nearly unrivaled.
Even the World Economy News Paper could not compare.
And the news Wang Zhi had brought to Cake Island this time was that...
Not long ago, a certain Great Pirate had one of the illegal establishments operating within his territory completely destroyed by someone.
The other party had supposedly been nothing more than a gambler visiting the place for entertainment.
But after discovering that the casino was secretly involved in organ trafficking and slave trading, he had acted without hesitation. Using his ability, he pulled down a meteor from the sky and wiped out both the casino and the Great Pirate behind it.
"Ol... cough cough... I am Fire Tiger, a member of the Hitsuji Division under Hitsuji of the Twelve Zodiac."
That had been his answer when asked about his identity.
And that was the crucial point.
Through Pirate Island's intelligence network, Wang Zhi immediately connected the codename "Fire Tiger" with the world-shocking Meteor Shower Incident that had occurred at Dreamland Island not long ago.
As a result, he completely confirmed a theory that had previously been nothing more than speculation.
Dreamland Island itself had been created by the Twelve Zodiac.
More specifically, the island was directly connected to Hitsuji, one of the Twelve Zodiac.
That was also the reason why he had finally decided to seek out BIG MOM and propose an alliance.
Naturally, he was not pleased by her current remarks.
"According to the intelligence I've gathered, that Fire Tiger fellow is extremely strong..."
he said.
"How strong can he be if he's not even one of their top officers?"
BIG MOM clearly dismissed the idea with contempt.
"Besides, Drug Peclo has already dealt with Zishu, one of their highest-ranking officers. He'll be delivering the corpse to me tomorrow."
Wang Zhi: "..."
Irritated, he rose to his feet.
"Anyway, that's the situation. The alliance has been established, and we've had enough drinks reminiscing about the past. I won't stay any longer."
He stood up and turned to leave.
But,
"..."
As if suddenly remembering something, his footsteps paused slightly.
"Oh right, Linlin. One last question."
"Hm?"
BIG MOM raised her head from her desserts, puzzled.
"Regarding the Star Lord of the Twelve Zodiac... did you ever see him at God Valley?"
Wang Zhi asked in a deep voice.
"Ah, that..."
Hearing the question, BIG MOM's expression also became serious.
Even for her, the God Valley Incident was an unforgettable event.
After all, that was where she had personally witnessed the true face of the world.
But without a doubt,
"Star Lord? I never saw that guy at God Valley."
BIG MOM looked at Wang Zhi.
"I have no idea why the Government claims he's the mastermind behind God Valley. Maybe he was the one who kidnapped Shakky from Pirate Island back then?"
Indeed, every member of the Rocks Pirates knew the origin of the God Valley Incident.
It sounded ridiculous when spoken aloud, but the truth was that the incident had begun because Shakky, the unattainable beauty among pirates, had been abducted from Pirate Island and ultimately fallen into the hands of the Government.
Even now, BIG MOM still had no idea who had kidnapped Shakky.
"Then again, that doesn't seem right either."
She grinned.
"Star Lord looks like an enemy of the World Government now, not one of their former accomplices."
"But it doesn't matter. Once we capture those people and interrogate them, won't everything become clear?"
"..."
Wang Zhi fell silent.
"That's true."
With those words, he swallowed the last lingering doubt in his heart and turned away.
Leaving the summit of Cake Island, he headed toward his room.
"Welcome back, Lord Wang Zhi."
As the most prestigious guest at this Tea Party, his accommodations were among the most luxurious rooms in the entire Cake Chateau.
There was even a service Homies stationed both inside and outside the room, and at this moment it enthusiastically pulled open the door for him.
"Linlin was one of the people who fought until the very end at God Valley, yet even she never saw the Star Lord..."
Obviously, Wang Zhi felt no sense of honor from this treatment.
On the contrary, he was extremely agitated.
Because he knew very well that BIG MOM's earlier speculation was wrong.
The person who had kidnapped Shakky for the Government had not been the Star Lord.
Because the one who had planned that kidnapping...
had been Wang Zhi himself.
And his question had never been about that matter.
What he truly wanted to confirm was a possibility that filled him with unease.
"That guy couldn't possibly still be..."
Muttering anxiously to himself, he stepped into his room.
But the instant he entered, his brows suddenly furrowed.
"Lord Wang Zhi, would you like something to eat, "
In the next moment, Wang Zhi spun around without the slightest hesitation and threw a punch at the Homies behind him.
"Hasshō-ken , Eight Impacts Fist: Nail!"
BOOM!
The violent force of the punch instantly blasted a massive crater into the floor before him.
And the service Homies shattered apart in an instant, breaking into countless fragments.
However,
"Hm?"
The next moment, Wang Zhi frowned.
Because he saw the service Homies reappear out of thin air a short distance away.
But at the same time...
"How strange."
Wang Zhi watched as the Homies' appearance began to change continuously.
A moment later, the service Homies had transformed into a figure wearing a pale golden robe and a canine-faced mask.
The figure tilted his head, two fingers resting against his chin.
"I don't think I exposed any flaws."
Hearing this, Wang Zhi let out a cold laugh.
"Trying to hide your identity in front of a top-tier martial artist is itself a flaw."
"You've concealed your killing intent very well. Even ordinary Observation Haki might have difficulty detecting it."
"But as a martial artist, my instincts alone can sense danger."
As he spoke, his gaze locked onto the beast mask on the other's face.
"That mask... could it be that you're, "
By this point, the sharp light in his eyes had become almost feverish.
"I see."
Inu nodded thoughtfully.
"Katakuri seemed to have a similar reaction. So it's subtle killing intent, huh? I've learned something."
As he spoke, he smiled and pointed at himself.
"As repayment for the lesson, I'll answer your question as well."
"I am Inu of the Twelve Zodiac."
The moment those words left his mouth, Wang Zhi moved.
Whoosh!
Accompanied by a piercing sound that tore through the air, his figure appeared above Inu's head almost instantly.
"A member of the Twelve Zodiac actually dares to appear directly before me!"
His voice was filled with unmistakable excitement.
"What a gift from heaven!"
Both of his fists clenched tightly as Armament Haki gathered around them.
"Tsucha Fist: Barrage!"
Empowered by both Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki, his fists exploded forward once more.
This time, however, he employed a completely different martial technique.
His punching speed was so high that it formed a massive storm of fists.
And every strike in that rain of punches targeted Inu's limbs.
"I'll break all four of your limbs first and capture you. Then I'll naturally learn where Hitsuji and Dreamland Island are!"
That was Wang Zhi's plan.
And in fact,
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every strike landed squarely on Inu's body.
"Got him!"
The excitement in Wang Zhi's eyes intensified.
As a martial artist, he was certain that his attacks had struck a living human body.
The sensation of life force weakening.
The sounds of muscles and bones breaking.
The faint scent of blood.
Everything confirmed it.
"No matter what your ability is, you won't have a chance to use it!"
he laughed viciously.
But then,
"Heh."
He heard a chuckle.
"Heh."
"Heh."
"Heh."
Countless chuckles followed one after another.
And then he witnessed something unbelievable.
The Inu standing before him slowly dissipated like a mass of air.
In its place,
Inside his room,
One figure after another emerged from the surrounding air.
"Your advice was quite meaningful. I really do need to learn how to perfect every little detail, but..."
Layer upon layer of voices echoed throughout the room.
In the next instant, Wang Zhi sensed killing intent.
"I was ordered to kill you from the beginning. Generating killing intent is unavoidable."
Indeed.
As Inu had said, Wang Zhi was a top-tier martial artist capable of detecting even the slightest trace of killing intent.
His sensitivity to killing intent was, in some ways, even greater than Observation Haki itself, a pure instinct forged through countless battles.
But the situation now was different.
Because every figure appearing throughout the room radiated overwhelming killing intent in his perception.
Each one felt real.
Each one felt deadly.
And Inu's overlapping voices continued to echo in his ears.
"And besides..."
"When did you start believing that I wasn't already using my ability?"
(End of Chapter)