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Chapter 192: The Gathering Storm, and Warlord Enel
🕑 Added 2025-09-15 12:20:25 +0000 UTCChapter 192: The Gathering Storm, and Warlord Enel
Five days later.
Dressrosa, high noon.
King Riku stood on the outer city wall, his fists clenched, his eyes burning with resentment as he stared at the distant Marine fleet.
This was an absolute outrage! He had long known that the sea was a place without reason or justice, but for the Marines—the very people who carried the banner of "Justice" on their backs—to be so utterly shameless... it was beyond belief.
Now that the devil was dead and the country was stable, they finally show up.
But where were they years ago? On that bloody night, when Doflamingo's scheme threw the entire kingdom into madness, where were these warships? When his people were being turned into toy slaves, where was the helping hand of the Marines?!
"Your Majesty," Kyros said, gently placing a hand on his trembling shoulder. "At least this time, we are not fighting alone."
That's right.
King Riku looked behind him. Under the scorching sun, a sea of people stretched along the entire length of the wall. There were the soldiers of the Riku Army led by Kyros, the Tontatta Tribe warriors sent from Green Bit, and countless ordinary citizens who had come, filled with righteous anger, to join the fight.
This time, his people had chosen to believe in him. They had chosen to resist.
And this time, they had powerful allies...
King Riku looked up. The mountain of a man, Kuma, stood beside him, silently gazing at the horizon.
"Mr. Kuma, will... will he truly arrive in time?" The "he" King Riku referred to was, of course, Shane.
Kuma had overthrown the Donquixote Family and saved Dressrosa. He was a hero to the entire nation. And Shane, who had personally executed the mastermind Doflamingo, was a hero as well.
Kuma turned, a gentle smile on his face. Before he could answer, a mature female voice spoke from behind them.
"Don't worry, Father. He will."
A slender, beautiful woman with long, dark brown hair strode onto the wall. She had an elegant yet passionate air about her, with deep, light-brown eyes and a red flower tucked in her hair.
"Viola!" King Riku said, surprised. "Why are you on the front lines? I told you to stay at the King's Plateau!"
The King's Plateau, where the royal palace was located, was the highest point in Dressrosa. It was the safest location and the best vantage point for her to use her Glare-Glare Fruit powers to observe the Marine fleet.
"I am not the same crying girl I once was, Father. I can be of some help in a fight," Viola said with a small smile. "That ship... Lord Shane and the Curtain Call Adventurers are very close. They will definitely arrive before nightfall."
Is that so?
King Riku's eyes lit up. The Marines' ultimatum expired at midnight. His greatest fear wasn't dying in battle, but that Shane would arrive just moments too late, only to find Dressrosa had already fallen. This country, which had been baptized in blood and fire twice in just a few short years, could not endure another defeat.
"That's good, that's good," King Riku said, a weight lifting from his heart as he smiled at his daughter. "But you should still..."
"I'm not leaving this wall today, Father," Viola said, shaking her head firmly.
"Me too!" a small hand shot into the air.
"Me three!" another, even smaller hand followed, though its owner's voice was just as loud.
Eh? King Riku blinked and looked down to see two little heads peeking out from behind Viola.
"Bonney!" Kuma's eyes nearly popped out from behind his glasses.
"Princess Mansherry!" Leo, the leader of the Tontatta warriors, stared with wide eyes.
"What are you two doing here?!" they roared in unison.
Bonney and Mansherry flinched, but quickly puffed out their chests and retorted defiantly. "We're here to help!"
Bonney put her hands on her hips. "Don't underestimate me, Kuma! I'm a Devil Fruit user, you know! I'm super strong!" As she spoke, her small form rapidly expanded, transforming her into a curvy, stunningly beautiful woman.
"That's right!" Mansherry, emboldened, hopped onto Bonney's shoulder and shook her tiny fist. "Leo! I'm the princess of the Tontatta Kingdom! You have no right to scold me!"
Kuma and Leo exchanged a look of exasperated defeat.
"Bonney, this is not a game," Kuma said, crouching down, his voice serious. "The Marines are here in force. An Admiral might even join the battle. You..."
"I'm not scared, Dad!" Bonney interrupted. "Besides, Uncle Shane is almost here, right? With him here, we'll definitely win!"
"It's Big Brother!" Mansherry hissed, glaring at Bonney.
"Whatever! I'll call him what I want!"
"You're not allowed to—wait, no, we have to be a united front! No fighting!"
Kuma's eye twitched. He was about to say more, but just then—
"They're here!" Viola's expression changed. She looked up sharply, her Glare-Glare powers activating. Her vision pierced the clouds, focusing on the distant horizon. "Something is coming from the sky, and it's moving incredibly fast! Its shape is..." Her pupils constricted, and she gasped. "How can this be?! The ultimatum isn't over, and the Marines don't need reinforcements yet! Why is he here already?!"
Meanwhile, aboard the Marine fleet's flagship, the senior officers in charge of the operation were gathered on deck, studying the unique country before them.
Its terrain was what made it special. Not counting the isolated island of Green Bit to the north, the entire coastline of Dressrosa was encircled by a massive layer of rock, like a natural fortress. From a military standpoint, it was a defender's dream. Unless they brought the firepower of a Buster Call, the fleet's cannons could do little to threaten the city's core. They would have to launch a direct ground assault.
"You've all seen it," Vice Admiral Momonga said, lowering his spyglass, his brow furrowed. "It's him," he grunted. "No wonder the whole country is still defiant after days of being surrounded. 'The Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma... is still here."
Kuma. Aside from the monster Shane, his was one of the names that had given Marine HQ the biggest headaches in recent years. After the one-man revolution in the Sorbet Kingdom, his bounty had already been 290,000,000 Belly. But after he refused the offer to become a Warlord and then orchestrated the liberation of Dressrosa, that number had more than doubled. His current bounty was exactly 600,000,000 Belly. Even Momonga, who considered himself one of the strongest Vice Admirals, had little confidence he could take down a pirate of that caliber.
That job was left to—Momonga turned and looked at the tall, elegant figure beside him.
"Tch. Why are you looking at me? I was on vacation for barely a few days before they dragged me out here to fight this pain in the ass. This is so annoying," said Admiral candidate Gion, nicknamed "Pink Rabbit." She was leaning listlessly against the railing, one hand propping up her chin, the other tapping the hilt of her famous sword, Konpira.
Her lazy eyes scanned the distant rock wall, and a mocking smile played on her lips. "This whole mess was made by that bastard Doflamingo, and now we have to clean it up... Those old geezers in the World Government sure know how to pick their moments to boss people around."
Old geezers?
Momonga's frown deepened. "Vice Admiral Gion, watch your words."
"Oh, lighten up, Momonga~" Gion waved a dismissive hand. "There are no outsiders here, what's wrong with a little complaining? Besides, this kind of opportunistic bullying isn't something the Marines should be doing, right? King Riku is the legitimate ruler, but now you've got a notorious pirate defending his country while we're playing the role of the bad guys. This whole thing is just... lame."
"..." Momonga was silent for a moment, then said coldly, "These are our orders, Vice Admiral. You are the supreme commander of this operation. War could break out at any moment. I suggest you adopt a more professional attitude."
"Orders?" Gion scoffed, but ultimately just pursed her lips. "Yeah, yeah, orders... A soldier's duty is to follow orders. So, even though I hate it, I have to see this through."
She yawned and turned to head back to her cabin. "Alright, fine. If we have to do this... let's just stick to the plan and get it over with quickly."
Momonga watched her go. "Vice Admiral Gion, where are you going?" he called out, annoyed.
"To take a nap~" Gion waved without looking back, her voice lazy. "It's still the middle of the day. We've got more than ten hours until the deadline. Wake me up when it gets dark—oh, and if Kuma attacks early, be sure to give me a shout."
Just then—
The sky was abruptly illuminated by a blinding golden light. A lazy voice drifted down from the clouds. "Ten hours, you say? Hmmm... I don't think we'll have to wait that long."
The golden light coalesced into a tall, thin figure who landed gracefully on the deck.
Kizaru, wearing his signature tinted sunglasses, put his hands in his pockets and slowly looked up at the rock wall. "That little punk isn't here yet, is he...? Looks like I made it in time after all."
"Admiral Borsalino!" Momonga immediately saluted.
Gion, who was about to enter her cabin, stopped and turned around, a slight frown on her face. "Hey, hey, Borsalino, what are you doing here? I thought I was in charge of this operation."
"There's been a change of plans," Kizaru said with a lazy smile, holding up a hand. "Normally, a place like Dressrosa wouldn't require my personal attention. But our intelligence department received some... concerning news today. It couldn't be ignored..."
"What news?"
"Shane has made his move," Kizaru said languidly. "As you know, that 'World's Greatest Swordsman' now gets the same level of surveillance as a Yonko. Our observation ships finally spotted him changing course. He's heading back this way at high speed. His target... is this very island."
"Shane?!"
The name silenced the deck. Momonga and the other Vice Admirals paled, exchanging nervous glances. Cold sweat dripped down their temples. No wonder Admiral Kizaru came personally. What was supposed to be a simple mission to deal with a rebellious kingdom has now drawn the attention of that monster?
Only Gion's eyes lit up. She instinctively gripped the hilt of Konpira.
"Ooh!" she said excitedly. "Does that mean I can ignore the Dressrosa guys? I'm much more interested in him!"
"No can do," Kizaru said, wagging a finger. "He, of course, is my opponent. But, Gion, your sword won't be bored. Your mission is to hold off that rather skilled female swordmaster in his crew."
"Kuina?" Gion frowned, considering. "She's no Shane... but she's still a decent opponent. Fine, I'll accept. But Borsalino, what about the Tyrant, Kuma? Who's dealing with him?" Momonga probably wasn't strong enough...
"You don't need to worry about that," Kizaru said, looking back the way he had come with a cheerful smile. "I brought an ally with me... though this one is quite arrogant. Insisted on flying here himself. But as expected... lightning is still no match for light. He's a bit slow..."
Before he finished speaking, the sky darkened, and lightning flashed.
BOOM!
A massive pillar of violet-blue lightning slammed down onto the deck, forcing the nearby Marines to scramble back in panic. The deck was scorched black. As the electricity dissipated, a tall man with extremely long earlobes appeared before them.
He was bare-chested, floating a few feet off the ground, a ring of thunder drums on his back. He held a golden staff and looked down on everyone with an air of cold, arrogant disdain.
"Mortals. Are you the ones who summoned a god? Seeking a god's aid?" Enel said, cleaning out his ear, his voice lazy and filled with undisguised impatience.
Momonga's face turned livid. He'd heard that this new Warlord, recruited by Admiral Aokiji, had apparently fallen from the sky and wasn't all there in the head. But to hear such nonsense firsthand... He was about to retort, but Kizaru raised a hand with a lazy smile.
"Yeees~? What's this? Watch your tone. This is our important ally. Mr. Enel, look up there. Among the Dressrosa rebels, there's a troublesome fellow named Bartholomew Kuma. We'll be counting on you to handle him."
"Hmph. I told you to call me God," Enel grumbled, glaring at Kizaru. But he closed his eyes, and his Observation Haki instantly blanketed the entire island, locking onto Kuma.
"His presence is indeed strong. On a completely different level from the other insects on this island," he said, a smirk beginning to form on his lips. But then, his expression tightened. "Wait... no! There are many strong presences approaching! And the most terrifying one among them... is on a level that even a god such as myself must look up to..."
Hm? Is there? I don't feel anything.
Kizaru gave him a strange look, but then his own face changed. He whipped his head around to look in a specific direction—
He saw a familiar ship, jets of flame blasting from its stern, practically flying across the surface of the sea as it approached at incredible speed. Kizaru's pupils contracted.
