With the sudden appearance of a massive steel army, the tide of battle shifted dramatically.
At least, that's how it looked to Wendis and Valonar.
"I see now... this must be the power of a Devil Fruit," Wendis muttered, eyes wide.
"Warriors forged entirely from special tals," Valonar added, awe in his voice. "And under complete control—absolutely loyal."
Najenda narrowed her eyes as she watched the army form up. A glint of understanding flashed across her face.
"So this is what you've been hiding."
anwhile, Lu Yu stood calm and motionless. There wasn't even a flicker of concern on his face.
Not awakened, he assessed silently. This isn't so sudden transformation... this army was built up over ti.
Against ordinary forces, it would've been overwhelming.
But this wasn't just any opponent.
This was Lu Yu.
"Oi, oi, oi... You guys sure you're not mistaking who you're up against here?"
He stepped forward, facing the thousands of steel soldiers without a hint of fear.
"You're standing against the Dragon Hunter Pirates!"
"Oh boy... you're a reckless captain," Najenda sighed, arms folded as she walked up beside him. "But there's no way we're just gonna sit back and watch."
With a flash, her Imperial Arms—Susanoo—burst onto the battlefield like a raging titan.
"Brother Lu Yu," Aka said quietly, joining his side. "Looks like it's ti to fight after all."
"I figured we wouldn't have to step in, but guess I was wrong. Letting others dig their own graves really is dangerous."
Next ca Kuina. She drew her sword in one swift motion, her stance screaming readiness.
"For a swordsman, once the sword's drawn, there's no turning back."
"I—I—I... I'm Roelki!" the stamring recruit shouted, moving into formation. "Official crew mber of the Dragon Hunter Pirates!"
Despite his trembling knees, Roelki stood tall. Fear lingered, but his resolve burned hotter.
Valonar's heart pounded as he stared at them. There were only a few standing there... but their presence was overwhelming.
That sa crushing sense of dread—he'd seen it before. Long ago, when his father stood against a monster and lost. That sa hopelessness, that sa despair...
And now—it was his turn to feel it.
"KILL THEM!" he scread. "VALEN!"
Panic. Rage. Trauma. They all ca crashing down, clouding Valonar's thoughts. All he wanted now was blood—every last one of them dead.
All of them. Wiped out.
"Attack!" Valen commanded, raising his hand.
The steel army surged forward, a wave of tal crashing down.
Clang—Clang—Clang!
The thunderous sound of tal-on-tal echoed as the steel soldiers advanced, rigid but powerful.
"They're strong, but slow," Lu Yu muttered. "Their movents can't compare to humans."
"Leave them to !" Najenda said with a smirk. "Fighting armies is what I do best."
"Aka, let's go!"
With Susanoo charging ahead like a mad berserker, Najenda carved a path through the tal army. Each of her steps was a death sentence for those unfortunate enough to stand in her way.
Susanoo's entire purpose was to protect what mattered most—and it did so with ruthless precision. These steel warriors never stood a chance.
"What the hell!?" Valen gasped.
"Who are these people?! That girl's insane!"
He could hardly believe it. These iron soldiers were the ultimate product of ten years of work—an army forged from the best tals collected by Valonar.
And now? They were being dismantled like junk.
"USELESS!" Valonar scread. "Why are you just standing there!? Kill them! I raised you for this!"
But before he could keep ranting, Valen snapped.
"SHUT UP!"
His voice cut through the chaos like a blade. All his years serving Valonar ant nothing now. Not when his own life was on the line.
"Worthless trash like you—"
Schlick!
Before Valonar could react, Valen's arm morphed into a spear and pierced straight through his chest.
"Heh... Didn't you say you'd kill the king?" Valen sneered. "Well, I already did. Now can I go?"
He barely finished his sentence before a shadow passed by.
Schlick.
Blood flicked from Aka's blade as she slid Murasa back into its sheath.
Valen's pupils contracted, and his breath caught.
"Lu Yu's orders were clear," Aka said flatly. "You, the Devil Fruit user... are included."
With that, Valen dropped.
And just like that—so did the steel soldiers.
"So once the user dies, the creations vanish too?" Najenda murmured, taking notes. "Good to know. Definitely useful intel."
As captain of the first division, she had a duty to observe and learn—especially in battles like these.
"Well, looks like it's over," Lu Yu said with a lazy grin, walking forward.
He'd planned to fight, but clearly, there was no need. His crew had handled everything.
They really were monsters—handpicked from across the worlds.
"Mondo! Get to work!"
"R-Right away!" Mondo stamred.
He turned to his pirates.
"Alright, boys! Take Wendis down! The Kingdom of Yacoslan belongs to us now!"
"Kill the guards too!"
"YEAHHHH!"
The pirates still weren't sure what just happened—but orders were orders.
They sward Wendis like locusts. The poor man didn't even get the chance to scream before he was sliced into pieces.
"Boss Mondo, what now?!"
"Are we really... robbing an ally?!"
"This is wild!"
"We're standing in a damn palace, man!"
"This is the Kingdom of Yacoslan!"
They were ecstatic. Shouting, laughing, celebrating their wild luck.
But while they were partying, Mondo and his top officers looked anything but proud.
Instead, they stood stiff, nervous... pale.
Because in Mondo's trembling hand, there was a card.
Not a playing card, not a map.
But an order.
["Temporarily assu the throne of the King of Yacoslan.
Use every resource to build my intelligence station.
Failure = death."]
Just two sentences.
Yet they were more terrifying than anything Mondo had faced.
Because he knew—if he failed, there would be no warnings.
No second chances.
Only death.
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