Chapter 167: The Curtain Falls and The Waterfall to Heaven!
The blinding, emerald-green column of light that had pierced the heavens slowly began to dissipate.
It faded into motes of spiritual particles, drifting away like fireflies in the wind, leaving behind a scene of absolute, deathly silence upon the surface of the New World's ocean.
Or rather, what was left of it.
The sea surface, which had been raging with storms just moments ago, was now eerily calm—a calmness born of total annihilation. The water vapor hung thick and heavy in the air, creating a dense, white fog that smelled of ozone and ionized atmosphere.
However, this time, before the Guardian Overseer, Albedo, and the Ice General, Esdeath, could speak or bicker about the results of their devastation, a somewhat languid and satisfied voice leisurely sounded from behind them.
"Heh heh, it's more than perfect."
Suzaku stepped forward, his boots clicking softly against the air as if he were walking on solid ground. He surveyed the destruction with a calm, appreciative gaze.
"I didn't even need to make a move myself; just the few of you were enough to bring one of the Four Emperors, a man who shook the entire New World with his mere name, to such a wretched state. Your performance... it far exceeded my expectations!"
Suzaku's voice!
The effect of those words on Albedo was instantaneous and transformative.
The moment the Succubus heard the voice of her beloved Supreme Being, the tyrannical aura, the murderous intent, and the terrifying pressure that radiated from her black armor vanished without a trace. It was as if the demon had been exorcised, replaced instantly by a lovestruck maiden.
Her beautiful face, which had been twisted in a mask of sadistic glee a second ago, instantly melted into a shy, delicate, and incredibly charming expression.
"Lord Suzaku~!"
She turned around, her massive black wings folding neatly behind her back. Like a young swallow returning to its nest after a long migration, she rushed to Suzaku's side.
Slightly lifting the hem of her white dress, she bowed with elegant grace, her golden eyes glistening with unshed tears of devotion. She spoke in a sweet, trembling tone that dripped with honey.
"Lord Suzaku... I am terribly sorry! This concubine is incompetent! I indulged too much in the battle with the enemy, losing myself in the violence and wasting your precious time. Please, punish me! Do with this useless body as you wish!"
She looked up through her lashes, her cheeks flushed. However, her expression shifted instantly—like a mask snapping into place—when she turned her gaze to the blue-haired woman beside her.
"It's all this crazy woman's fault," she hissed, her voice dropping an octave into pure venom as she glared fiercely at Esdeath. "It was only because she wanted to show off her ridiculous, barbaric strength in front of you that we were delayed for so long! If not for her interference, I would have finished them instantly!"
Esdeath didn't even bother to look at her. The General stood tall, brushing a speck of ice dust from her pristine white uniform. She merely nodded slightly at Suzaku as a respectful greeting, ignoring the Succubus entirely.
A cold, mocking radian curved at the corner of Esdeath's mouth. Her ice-blue eyes held a glimmer of amusement.
"Your speed at changing faces is truly astonishing. One moment a demon, the next a pet. It is quite the spectacle."
"What did you say?!"
Albedo bristled, her wings flaring out again. "You crazy woman who only knows brute force! You're just jealous! You are jealous that Lord Suzaku appreciates this concubine more! Hmph, I understand perfectly. You are envious that I can receive Lord Suzaku's affection and praise while you are just a tool for war!"
"Silence."
"Alright, alright."
Suzaku rubbed his temples, feeling a slight headache coming on from the familiar dynamic. He stepped between them and gently patted Albedo's head, stroking her dark hair like one would comfort a startled, hissing cat.
"The outcome is good, so the process isn't that important. You all performed very well, truly."
He looked out at the empty sea, where the steam was finally clearing to reveal the deep crater in the ocean surface that was slowly refilling with water. His tone was as relaxed as if he had just watched an interesting play at a theater, rather than a clash of titans.
"Besides, why would I blame you? Our target wasn't the Red Hair Pirates anyway!"
Suzaku crossed his arms, a hint of playful mockery entering his voice as he thought about the man known as Shanks.
"If anyone's to blame, it's themselves. They really think of themselves as the 'police' of this vast sea, wanting to meddle in everything to maintain some fragile 'balance'."
Suzaku's eyes narrowed slightly.
"When those ugly nobles of various countries oppressed the common people, why didn't I see him intervene? When the World Government erased islands from the map, where was his 'justice'? He only knows how to rely on his reputation, asking others to 'give him face' all day long. What a pity..."
He chuckled low in his throat, a flicker of disdain shining in his eyes.
"Today, he finally understood that not everyone falls for his tricks. Not everyone cares about the balance of powers. He's not qualified to cause us trouble, and his 'face' holds no value here."
"Hmph, exactly! They're just a bunch of overestimating clowns. Lord Suzaku doesn't need to bother with such riffraff."
Albedo immediately chimed in, seizing the opportunity to agree with her master. A sweet and charming smile bloomed on her face again, radiant enough to outshine the sun.
"Now that we've dealt with them, they won't interfere with Lord Suzaku's affairs anymore! We have crushed their spirit!"
Esdeath scoffed audibly at Albedo's exaggerated expression of adoration. She adjusted her cap, turning her back to the group to return to the massive black ship, the Pola, waiting in the distance.
"Boring. If there are no more strong enemies, I'm returning to the ship."
"What do you mean, you crazy woman! I am speaking to Lord Suzaku!"
"Lord Ulquiorra, aren't you leaving yet?"
Just as Albedo was about to flare up and potentially start a second round of combat with Esdeath, Rem's clear, somewhat curious voice interrupted the tension.
Only then did everyone notice that Ulquiorra Cifer was still standing there, hovering silently above the waves.
His hands were in his pockets, his white coat fluttering gently in the residual wind. His pale green eyes, devoid of emotional fluctuation, were fixed intently on the specific area of the sea that had been hit directly by his Cero Oscuras.
He didn't turn back to look at Rem or Suzaku, merely stating a fact in his flat, unperturbed tone.
"The enemy has not been completely eliminated."
"What?"
At these words, even Esdeath, who had taken a few steps away, stopped in her tracks. She spun around, a hint of morbid excitement and bloodlust flashing instantly in her eyes.
"Not dead?"
Albedo was instantly enraged, feeling her competence had been questioned. "What? That damned bug! His vitality is truly tenacious! To survive that combined assault... Watch me go down there and crush them into dust myself!"
With that, her dark wings expanded to their full span, black feathers shedding into the air. She crouched, ready to dive bomb the ocean and deliver the final blow herself.
At the same time Ulquiorra spoke, Suzaku's gaze also precisely locked onto the distant sea. His enhanced perception pierced through the rolling waves and the floating debris.
There, a tiny black speck struggled to surface amidst the turbulent whitecaps.
It was Red-Haired Shanks.
He looked terrible. His clothes were tattered, burnt by the spiritual pressure. Blood streamed from his forehead, blinding one eye. Yet, with his one remaining arm, he desperately dragged two unconscious companions—the ship's doctor, Hongō, and the navigator, Building Snake (Gobu).
Shanks looked up at the sky for a fraction of a second, his eyes locking with Suzaku's across the distance. There was no anger, only a deep, terrified realization of the gap in power.
He took a deep breath, filling his lungs, and then plunged back underwater without hesitation, disappearing from everyone's sight under the cover of the dark, churning seawater.
However, Suzaku's gaze did not follow Shanks into the depths. Instead, it slowly moved upward, toward the clouds.
It was drawn to a huge bird fleeing frantically in the sky, flapping its wings as if its life depended on it.
That was... a News Coo!
The bird clutched a camera around its neck, having likely captured every second of the humiliating defeat of an Emperor.
A meaningful smile curved on Suzaku's lips.
[System Notification: Potential Legend Point Harvest Detected. Source: Global Reputation Shock.]
"Never mind, Albedo."
He raised his hand, placing it in front of Albedo, stopping the Overseer who was about to launch herself into the ocean.
"Lord Suzaku? Why stop me?"
"Our goal is Wano Country, not him," Suzaku said leisurely, his voice carrying the confidence of a ruler who knows he has already won the war. "Save your strength to deal with Kaido, the 'Strongest Creature' entrenched there. That will be a more entertaining hunt."
"As for Red Hair... let him fend for himself. On the vast sea, without a ship, dragging wounded men... maybe he'll just perish at sea. No need to waste effort looking for him there!"
He glanced at the News Coo flying further and further away, shrinking into a dot on the horizon. A plan was already forming in his mind.
If he killed Shanks here, the news might be suppressed or confused. But if the news spreads that the Suzaku Pirates utterly decimated the Red Hair Pirates and left them for dead?
"The big news of almost wiping out a Yonko pirate crew... Heh heh, tomorrow the whole world will tremble for us. This wave of Legend Points will probably be too much to handle."
"If his luck is good enough not to perish in this vast sea, then we'll play with him again next time. Consider it... mercy born of arrogance."
Suzaku withdrew his gaze, making a final decision. He turned his back on the scene of the victory.
"Let's go. Don't waste time in this place. We're continuing our journey."
"Yes, Lord Suzaku! This concubine obeys!"
Albedo instantly put away all her killing intent. If Suzaku said to leave, she would leave. She obediently followed behind Suzaku, casting one last disdainful look at the ocean.
The group grandly returned aboard the massive Pola.
The futuristic ironclad ship hummed with power. As they landed on the deck, what awaited them was a thunderous cheer and adoration from the Mink Tribe warriors and Nami.
"That was incredible!"
"Lord Suzaku is invincible!"
Under Nami's precise guidance with the triple-needle Log Pose, the massive Pola once again rode the wind and waves. Its engines roared, cutting through the calm waters and leaving the defeat of the Emperor far behind in its wake.
They sailed at full speed towards their final destination.
Time passed. The celebration on the deck eventually quieted down as the atmosphere of the New World began to shift.
After an unknown period, the climate of the surrounding sea began to turn strange.
The originally clear sky was covered by oppressive, ink-wash-like dark clouds that swirled in unnatural patterns. They looked less like clouds and more like thick strokes of calligraphy ink painted onto the sky.
The air was filled with a damp and heavy atmosphere, pressing down on the chest. The ocean currents became turbulent and chaotic, with whirlpools forming and vanishing spontaneously.
"We're here..."
Nami stood at the helm, holding the Log Pose tightly in her hand. She watched its frantically shaking needle, which was pointing distinctly upward.
She then looked up at the astonishing sight ahead, her mouth falling open, muttering to herself.
"My god..."
At the edge of their vision appeared a giant waterfall, as if pouring down directly from heaven itself!
The waterfall's breadth and grandeur were unimaginable. It stood like a colossal barrier between heaven and earth, dividing the island from the sea. It wasn't just a river; it was a wall of water stretching endlessly to the left and right.
Massive torrents of water plummeted from high in the sky with thunderous force, crashing into the sea below. The impact stirred up a perpetual, dense white fog and created monstrous waves that rocked even the sturdy Pola.
Rumble... Rumble...
The sound was deafening, a constant roar of nature's power.
Even more incredible was that within those heaven-defying currents, amidst the crushing weight of the falling water, there were giant carp—bright orange and gold—vigorously flapping their tails. They were defying gravity, trying to swim upstream and climb that impossible celestial ladder!
"Lord Suzaku... the Log Pose shows... Wano Country seems to be above that waterfall..."
Nami's face was pale, devoid of blood. She looked at the wondrous and terrifying sight before her in disbelief. Her navigational knowledge told her this was suicide.
She swallowed hard, the sound audible in the sudden quiet on the deck. She turned her head and looked at the waterfall with the eyes of someone seeing a monster, asking a question that everyone present—seeing this illogical geography for the first time—wanted to ask.
"Um... Lord Suzaku... with such a high waterfall, how do people up there... usually come down?"
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