The moment Ares stepped into the main hall, he saw the daimyō from every region, along with Sukiyaki, sitting upright and waiting for him in solemn silence.
Ares took his seat and cut straight to the point.
"Hey, Sukiyaki. You dragged me here. Say what you want to say."
Sukiyaki's expression sank. A stiff smile forced itself onto his face.
"Ares… Wano's ancestral law has always been to close our borders, to prevent the country from being dragged into war and taken over by outsiders…"
"If you're willing to stop talking about opening Wano, I can appoint you as the daimyō of Kuri."
"I'll even give you Hakumai as well, so you can rule both regions."
"Heh."
Ares let out a cold laugh.
"Didn't I already tell you?"
"If Wano opens its borders, then anyone who dares covet this land… I'll be the one who blocks them."
"What?"
"You don't believe in my strength?"
As he spoke, black lightning erupted from that corded, iron-hard body.
It swept across the hall in an instant.
Cracks spiderwebbed through the floor. The building trembled. Anyone touched by the pressure of his Conqueror's Haki felt their skin sting as if it were being sliced by blades.
Several servants dropped on the spot, fainting where they stood.
Ever since Ares fused his memories, broke away from the Rocks Pirates, formed his own War God Pirates, and became the boss of tens of thousands, then more and more…
the intensity of his Conqueror's Haki had grown by the day.
The moment that Haki was unleashed
the entire hall shook.
No one dared to breathe.
They stared at Ares with widened eyes, as if their souls had been pinned to the floor.
Even Kozuki Oden's face changed violently.
"Ares… this bastard's Conqueror's Haki is terrifying."
"His Haki can actually strike the environment, shock it, destroy it…"
"If he let it pour out without restraint… he could bring the whole building down!"
Compared to Ares, Oden's own Conqueror's felt like a harmless lamb.
Ares's Conqueror's was a beast choosing its prey.
They weren't even in the same league.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's face turned pale, fear clawing at his chest.
"How strong is this guy, really…?"
"This kind of Conqueror's Haki… I've never seen anything like it."
Shimotsuki Yasuie felt the temperature around him drop, an icy chill crawling into his bones.
"Has Wano truly been sealed off for too long…?"
"Why does the gap between us and him feel this enormous…"
"In front of him, it's like the moment I move… I'll die."
Uzumaki Tempura clicked his tongue, dread rising.
"Conqueror's like this… his ambition is definitely not small."
"Otherwise, how could he possess something this terrifying?"
Everyone was shaken by the sheer force of Ares's Conqueror's Haki.
A naked show of dominance.
A straight-up warning.
Sukiyaki knew it better than anyone.
But facing that pressure, that Haki that demanded the world bow…
he was scared.
His face darkened. He set down his cup, his hands trembling slightly, forcing himself to appear calm.
"Ares… everyone has seen your strength."
"But Wano has been coveted before. We've suffered endless turmoil. Our ancestors had no choice…"
"That's why they chose to close the borders."
"If Wano truly opens, countless opportunists will flood in and stir trouble…"
Ares snorted.
"I've already planned for that."
"I'll move in an island and rebuild a new town there, as a buffer zone between the sea and Wano."
"The people of Wano can meet the sea first, learn what the outside world is like. Whether they choose to sail… that will be their own decision."
"And those who remain in Wano… I, Ares, will protect them."
"Our ancestors chose isolation to protect Wano. Their intentions were good."
"But Wano's people shouldn't be locked down by rules and chains."
"They have their own will."
"Only by going out to sea and challenging themselves can they become true strong ones!"
Those words hit Oden straight in the heart.
It was as if Ares had spoken the exact thing Oden had buried inside himself for years.
Oden immediately agreed.
"Ares is right! Closing the borders is fine, but you can't restrict everyone!"
"We should have the right to go out to sea, to temper ourselves, to witness how vast the world truly is!"
The moment Oden spoke
Sukiyaki's fury detonated.
He slammed his palm down onto the low table.
Bang!
"Bastard! Shut your mouth!"
"If I didn't tell you to speak, then keep that mouth of yours closed!"
Oden's "helping outsiders over his own family" only made Sukiyaki angrier.
His son had never once made his life easy. Rebellious since childhood.
Always shouting about going out to sea.
Sea, sea, sea!
He never thought about sharing his father's burdens, never bothered to learn properly, never bothered to inherit the Shogunate.
It was infuriating.
Ares ignored him completely.
His sharp gaze swept across every warrior in the hall, and he spoke without the slightest courtesy.
"Forgive me for being blunt…"
"Every warrior here…"
"is too weak."
"I could defeat all of you by myself."
Silence.
Then
rage erupted.
The warriors in the hall bristled, hands snapping to sword hilts, veins bulging on their foreheads as they glared at Ares like they wanted to tear him apart.
Ares curled his lip in disdain.
"What? Am I wrong?"
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Blades were drawn in unison.
Cold light flashed through the hall.
The atmosphere turned razor-thin, ready to snap.
Sukiyaki hurriedly shouted, "Enough! Stop!"
"My Shogun," Shimotsuki Ushimaru barked, "a warrior's dignity cannot be insulted so easily!"
Shimotsuki Yasuie spoke through clenched teeth.
"Ares looks down on Wano's warriors? Then let him taste what a warrior can do!"
Uzumaki Tempura growled, "We'll gamble our honor on it. We'll fight him!"
Sukiyaki's head throbbed.
He'd been trying to calm them down, and Ares was still fanning the flames.
Ares sneered, mocking them openly.
"You lot?"
"I'll tell you the truth."
"Even if Ryuma came back to life, he'd look down on you descendants."
"Back then, Sword God Ryuma was unrivaled. He made the entire world know the name of Wano's samurai!"
"And you?"
"You rot here, never improving, guarding Wano like it's some glorious cage."
"You think you're impressive."
"I could beat every last one of you with one hand."
Arrogant.
So arrogant it went beyond reason.
It ignited everyone's fury like oil on fire.
They were shaking with rage.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru Ryuma's descendant, with a face that resembled Zoro by seven or eight parts and a head of purple hair roared on the spot.
"Ares! I challenge you to a duel!"
"Count me in!" Shimotsuki Yasuie shouted. "If we don't make you witness a samurai's power today, we will never let this go!"
"Tch "
Ares grinned.
"Just the two of you?"
"I'll be honest…"
"I don't even have the slightest interest in lifting a hand."
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