Chapter 390: The Lord's Sword Swing! The Dragon-Slaying Alliance and Setting Sail

The morning sunlight pierced through the mist, spilling onto the mud-stained grass.

Kin’emon’s sword lay there quietly, its sharp blade glinting with a chilling cold light under the refraction of the sun.

Momonosuke knelt on both knees before the cold sword, his young face covered in tear stains.

Large teardrops fell one after another, splashing onto the muddy ground.

The fear in his heart reached its peak at this moment.

Standing before him was a newly ascended “Emperor of the Sea” who had just struck down a hegemon of the old era and was renowned throughout the world.

To swing a sword at such a superior being with terrifying power would surely result in being killed on the spot.

Moreover, this sword was simply too heavy for him.

It was not just the physical weight of the cold steel, but also the heavy expectations of the hundreds of thousands of people in Wano Country struggling in deep water and scorching fire.

This invisible pressure made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He instinctively turned his head, looking towards Kin’emon behind him with a gaze seeking help.

However, he despairingly discovered that under the invisible, powerful pressure emitted by the Straw Hat, all the retainers were frozen in place, not daring to make any rash moves.

He understood that no one could help him at this moment; he had to face this heavy pressure alone.

Looking at his young master’s helpless gaze, the loyal Kin’emon bit his lip until it bled.

He could no longer suppress the anxiety in his heart and subconsciously took a step forward, wanting to help.

“Clang!”

However, before he could take a second step, a cold scabbard was placed horizontally across his chest.

Zoro held Wado Ichimonji in one hand, blocking Kin’emon’s path like a gate guardian.

Zoro looked at the weeping Momonosuke on the ground and shook his head slightly:

“Samurai, just watch quietly from there.”

“If he doesn’t even have the courage to pick up this sword with his own hands, then he should find a place where no one is and live out his days in wretched survival.”

“Don’t think about any revenge, and don’t come to get involved in the cruelest war on this vast sea.”

Listening to Zoro’s words and looking at Luffy’s deep, calm eyes.

Momonosuke’s body trembled violently. He gritted his teeth, and his mind flashed with those painful memories that kept him awake at night, like a revolving lantern.

He remembered his father, Kozuki Oden, in the boiling oil pot, using his arms, which were cooked to the point of tearing, to forcefully carry all his retainers with his imposing stature.

He remembered the burning Oden Castle, where his mother, Toki, shedding tears before her death, entrusted him with her high hopes in her final words.

“Momonosuke, you must live on; you must become the dawn of Wano Country.”

Under the breathless gaze of everyone, Momonosuke stopped crying.

He slowly extended his small, mud-stained, trembling hands, inch by inch approaching the katana, and finally gripped the cold sword hilt tightly.

“Ahhhhhh—!”

He gritted his teeth, his entire face flushed red.

He raised the katana high up.

Then, he closed his eyes, tears flying along with his shout, and swung the sword fiercely at Luffy in front of him!

Without any suspense, this disorganized slash stopped abruptly in mid-air.

Luffy just casually extended his right hand and easily grabbed the middle of the blade.

Because of the excessive force used in the swing, combined with extreme mental tension, Momonosuke was instantly drained of strength after swinging the sword.

His legs went soft, and he fell backward onto the grass in a sorry state.

He gasped for air, his chest heaving violently, and his whole body was trembling uncontrollably.

But surprisingly, his small, mud-stained hands were still tightly gripping the hilt, with no intention of letting go.

Looking at this wretched little brat.

Luffy put away the serious, intimidating face he had just worn.

He extended his left hand to press down on the Straw Hat on his head, his mouth widening again, revealing that signature bright smile:

“Hehehe, although this sword swing was really terrible, you couldn’t even cut a mosquito. But I saw your determination.”

Luffy let go of the sword and extended his right hand towards Momonosuke, who was sitting on the ground, his eyes full of confidence and light:

“Then, let’s go and beat that guy Kaido to a pulp together!”

Looking at Luffy’s infectious smile and feeling the goodwill released by this young emperor.

Momonosuke’s hanging heart finally dropped.

He immediately wiped the tears off his face hard, revealing a hopeful smile:

“Okay! Lord Luffy!”

“I will follow all your arrangements!”

The surrounding samurai also breathed a sigh of relief, revealing gratified smiles.

But Tatsuya, who had been standing on the side, clearly still had something to say.

He strode with his long legs and slowly walked in front of Momonosuke.

Seeing this terrifying man who had just mercilessly trampled him into the mud walk over.

Momonosuke, like a startled bird, immediately dropped the sword in his hand and covered his head with both hands, afraid that the other party would give him another hard kick.

Tatsuya stopped and looked down at the trembling little brat from above:

“An alliance is fine; since the Captain has agreed, I naturally have no objection.”

“However, there are some rules we must set beforehand.”

Tatsuya raised his right hand, his fingertips rubbing gently in the air, and instantly a flash of black-red lightning filled with the aura of destruction flickered.

“From now on, put away all those messy thoughts of yours.”

“If you make me feel even the slightest bit displeased…”

Tatsuya leaned down slightly: “I guarantee that before Kaido dies, your head will be gone first. Do you understand?”

Facing this blatant death threat, Momonosuke was so scared that he nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

Nami and Robin, standing in the back, looked at each other, their bright eyes full of unconcealable smiles.

After admonishing Momonosuke, Tatsuya straightened up.

His gaze swept vaguely over Kanjuro, who was standing silently on the side.

Kanjuro keenly noticed this cold gaze, and his heart was suddenly terrified.

He thought that Tatsuya was holding a grudge about him drawing his sword earlier and was preparing to find an opportunity to take revenge on him.

The cold sweat on his back instantly soaked through his wide kimono.

He could only lower his head with a guilty conscience, not daring to have any eye contact with Tatsuya again.

After the disturbance subsided, everyone collected their feelings and returned to the spacious camp arranged by the Mink Tribe.

In the council hall, Nami laid out a detailed, hand-drawn nautical chart of Wano Country on the large wooden table.

Kin’emon stood by the table with a solemn expression and began to explain in detail to the Straw Hat the complex terrain of Wano Country and the simple troop intelligence of the current shogun, Orochi.

After hearing the disparity in military strength, the meeting fell into a brief period of contemplation.

To ensure that this war of revenge, which concerned the survival of the country, was foolproof, Master Nekomamushi took a sharp puff from his pipe and decided on the spot to set sail immediately.

He was going to find his old acquaintances who had fought side by side with him in the past—the “Whitebeard Pirates”—to join this battle as powerful external reinforcements.

When Luffy heard the name “Whitebeard Pirates,” he immediately thought of his brother, Ace.

He patted Master Nekomamushi on the shoulder with a big smile and loudly requested:

“Master Nekomamushi!”

“If you see Ace, please take the opportunity to convey our current situation to him!”

“Tell him I’ve already beaten one of the Four Emperors!”

“I’m going to be the Pirate King! Hehehe!”

Master Nekomamushi tapped his pipe on the corner of the table and immediately nodded seriously in agreement.

Meanwhile, Duke Inuarashi stated that Zou had suffered heavy damage in this catastrophe.

He would lead the Musketeers to stay on the island to rebuild their home while letting the warriors rest and recuperate.

After everything was settled, they would act as the most solid backup force and then rush to Wano Country to follow up on the war situation.

The war council proceeded to the end.

Because the biggest variable—the Four Emperor Big Mom—had already been crippled in advance, and the Totto Land Fleet had also been routed.

The current Straw Hat had absolutely no need to split their forces to go to Cake Island to rescue Sanji like in the original story.

Luffy pressed his hands on the table, his eyes burning with intense fighting spirit, and excitedly announced his battle strategy loudly:

“No need for that much trouble! We’ll all go together! We’ll strike straight through Wano Country from the front!”

Everything was ready.

A few hours later, all the Mink Tribe gathered on the steep cliff at the edge of the elephant’s leg.

They waved the weapons and flowers in their hands, seeing off this allied army that had saved them and was about to head to the center of the New World to change the world’s landscape.

Wanda, Carrot, and several other Mink Tribe girls stood at the very front, their eyes slightly red, waving goodbye to their benefactors on the sea with reluctance.

Accompanied by a huge splash, the thousand sunny and the Heart Pirates’ Polar Tang landed together on the turbulent sea.

The two pirate ships hoisted their full sails, riding the wind and waves, and sailed side by side towards the unknown sea.

Kin’emon and the other samurai stood at the edge of the deck, looking back at the giant elephant Zou, which was getting further and further away in the clouds and mist.

Thinking of the hardships along the way and the powerful support they had received, everyone felt mixed emotions, filled with hope for the future.

Luffy, like an agile monkey, jumped onto the special lion-head seat at the bow of the thousand sunny in a few leaps.

He sat cross-legged, letting the fierce and salty sea breeze blow against his signature red vest.

He extended his hand, pressing tightly on the Straw Hat on his head, facing the violent wind and waves ahead.

“Set sail! Boys! Full speed ahead!”

“Target! Wano Country!”