"Boom!!!"
A massive pillar of flame shot straight up into the sky!
The island trembled, the rocky mountains shattered, and a terrifying shockwave swept across the entire island, even causing towering waves to rise on the sea outside the island.
"Crack!"
Looking at the cracked outer walls of the castle and the completely shattered glass, the Beast Pirates trembled with fear.
What terrifying destructive power this was!
"This is the power of a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, a top-tier force comparable to a natural disaster!"
"It's too terrifying!"
"Can Daichi survive?"
The pirates were terrified, and Yamato was also full of worry. Although she had great confidence in Daichi, the power Fire Fist Ace displayed also exceeded her expectations.
I really want to fight Fire Fist!
Ah, no, Daichi, you have to be okay!
At the center of the battlefield, the massive pillar of flame slowly faded, and within it, a colossal silhouette gradually became clear.
"What is that thing?!"
Yamato's eyes widened.
The enormous figure was comparable to the Giant Race, but from its outline, it was definitely not human. It was more like a dinosaur-like monster.
When the flames dispersed,
A monster covered in crimson armor, with orange-red patterns on its surface, and possessing a giant tail and spikes, appeared in view.
"Rumble!"
The monster took a step forward, and the ground beneath its feet instantly melted into lava.
"Roar!!!"
A roar echoed through the sky!
"Look at the sky!"
The pirates all looked up, and thick dark clouds rapidly dispersed directly above the monster, quickly revealing a clear sky, with sunlight pouring down.
The pirates were amazed.
The environment around Onigashima was harsh, and clear days were rare.
What exactly was happening?
"It's Daichi!"
Yamato's eyes sparkled.
The monster's shell design was extremely similar to Daichi's armored form after his transformation. It was very likely that Daichi had transformed into his complete form.
She just didn't know what exactly the monster in front of her was.
At the center of the battlefield,
As his power gradually stabilized, the lava patterns on Daichi's body gradually faded, eventually returning to their basic black.
At this moment, inside him, the young Groudon had absorbed a large amount of flame power at once, evolving again.
Youthful Stage Groudon!
"Heh, such emptiness."
Daichi slowly returned to his human form, and the power within him weakened accordingly, a feeling of emptiness washing over him.
Although it was just a tiny bit of primal power, probably less than one ten-thousandth of the power of the true primal form, that feeling of being all-powerful utterly fascinated him.
Unfortunately, such opportunities were rare and hard to come by.
As Groudon grew, the energy required for its next evolution would be ten or even a hundred times more than before. Ace's flames alone were completely insufficient. Keeping him around as a portable charger was barely adequate.
However, Ace would rather die than surrender.
Daichi walked up to Ace, looked at the unconscious Ace, and wondered whether he should try saying that phrase when this guy woke up.
"Be my son!"
"Never mind."
Daichi shivered.
He was only 24. It was too early to be a father.
If he really said that, Ace would probably fight him to the death.
This guy still had to take the blame for him.
"Worororo—uh, hehehe!"
Daichi resumed his laughter.
Soon, the pirates swarmed around Daichi, their eyes filled with excitement and admiration.
"Daichi, you've worked hard!"
"Mm."
Daichi nodded slightly, took the coat handed to him by his subordinate, and put it on, then ordered, "Lock Fire Fist in the prison. Don't let him die."
"Yes!"
The pirates carried Fire Fist, proudly puffing out their chests.
A mere Fire Fist, not worth mentioning!
Daichi is awesome!
Win!
At this moment, in the Flower Capital,
Inside Orochi Castle, Shogun Orochi once again summoned the Oniwabanshu.
Shogun Orochi's face was gloomy, and he anxiously drank sake. "The assassination of Kyoshiro must absolutely not be revealed to outsiders."
"We understand."
Fukurokuju nodded seriously.
Kyoshiro's influence was immense, and he had been lurking for fifteen years, having undoubtedly planted countless informants within Orochi Castle.
These days, Shogun Orochi didn't even dare to summon his beloved courtesan Komurasaki, fearing that Kyoshiro might detect something wrong.
Currently, only Shogun Orochi and the Oniwabanshu knew Kyoshiro's true identity. Even the leader of the direct samurai patrol unit had not been informed, let alone other ministers.
Shogun Orochi looked at Fukurokuju, a hint of expectation in his eyes. "Fukurokuju, how confident are you in taking down Kyoshiro?"
"..."
Fukurokuju was silent for several seconds.
"Thirty percent!"
"Why only thirty percent!"
Shogun Orochi was furious.
Thirty percent chance, not even half.
If Kyoshiro escaped, he wouldn't even dare to close his eyes when he slept!
Fukurokuju's expression was serious.
For another target, the Oniwabanshu's strength could easily carry out an assassination, but Kyoshiro was different. That guy's strength was even greater than his, arguably the strongest samurai in Wano Country today!
It would be no easy task to eliminate Kyoshiro.
Fukurokuju said in a deep voice, "Shogun Orochi, please rest assured, with us here, Kyoshiro cannot harm you!"
"That's not what I want to hear!"
Shogun Orochi furiously smashed his cup!
He wanted Kyoshiro dead!
Fukurokuju remained silent.
The greatest difficulty in this assassination was preventing Kyoshiro from escaping, unless there was a strong individual who could directly hold Kyoshiro back.
The problem was, there wasn't one!
The Beast Pirates were on an expedition, and all the strong individuals who could defeat Kyoshiro had left and could not return in a short time.
Given Shogun Orochi's restless state, he clearly couldn't wait that long.
Another method was to dispatch a large number of samurai to surround him, but once samurai were mobilized, Kyoshiro's abilities would surely allow him to catch wind of it.
Kyoshiro was not only powerful but also remarkably intelligent, and his methods were careful, with almost no weaknesses.
Being his enemy was quite terrifying.
After a long silence, Daikoku stepped forward.
"Shogun, I have a suggestion."
"Speak quickly!"
Shogun Orochi was overjoyed at the words.
Daikoku took a deep breath. "We can ask the Beast Pirates' Daichi for help. He and Kaido's daughter can hold Kyoshiro back!"
"Daichi!"
Shogun Orochi gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.
Just hearing that name made him feel uncomfortable all over!
Shogun Orochi's eyes widened in anger. "That scoundrel has cheated me more than once, and the money for suppressing bandits still hasn't been sent. You're telling me to ask him for help?"
"Shogun."
Daikoku was sweating nervously.
He knew that bringing up Daichi would anger Shogun Orochi, but in this matter, Daichi was indeed a powerful asset.
As long as Daichi was willing to assist, eliminating Kyoshiro would be no difficult task.
Moreover…
Daikoku wiped his sweat and said with a forced smile, "Shogun, compared to the troubles Daichi has caused you, I believe eliminating Kyoshiro is more important!"
"..."
Shogun Orochi frowned, thinking seriously.
Daikoku was right. He wanted to eliminate Daichi only because of some financial issues, whereas Kyoshiro represented hatred and a threat to his life!
The priorities were clear at a glance.
Furthermore, Kyoshiro's true identity was discovered by Daichi, so there was no need to worry about the news leaking, and the Beast Pirates' stance was the same as his. Kyoshiro was also a sworn enemy of the Beast Pirates.
The difference was that he couldn't wait.
Shogun Orochi looked at Fukurokuju, seeking his opinion.
Fukurokuju nodded almost imperceptibly.
Of two evils, choose the lesser. Eliminating Kyoshiro was more important.
"Good!"
Shogun Orochi coldly made his decision.
"Daikoku, you personally go to Onigashima!"
"Understood!"