blogombal Chapter 359 A Single Spark Has Already Started a Prairie Fire
Chapter 359 A Single Spark Has Already Started a Prairie Fire
Wano Country, Rabbit Bowl.
The place called Udon is the largest prison and weapons factory of the Beasts Pirates in Wano Country.
It sits on a desolate and barren land, surrounded by huge, insurmountable walls, ensuring that no one can break in or escape.
There is no food, no water, and no hope here.
Anyone who dares to resist the tyranny of Kaido and Orochi will be sent here to die gradually under torture and pain.
But at this moment, on a small hill outside the rabbit bowl.
Ace and the dog were standing on it.
"Rabbit bowl?"
Ace, who had followed the dog here, was still somewhat confused: "Why did we come here?"
He clenched his fist: "If we're going to deal with Kaido, why don't we just go to Onigashima and take care of that bastard?"
Dog (戌): "
Go directly to the stronghold of one of the Four Emperors and assassinate him.
He realized that Ace, despite his seemingly polite and rational demeanor at first glance, was quite different.
But in reality, this guy's recklessness is in no way inferior to that of his younger brother.
Faced with Ace's questioning gaze, Inugami could only shake his head helplessly before saying, "It's not that simple."
He recalled some information he had recently gathered and said softly, "According to intelligence our organization has recently obtained, there should have been a major internal change within 'Beasts,' and Oni Island should now be under blockade."
"It would be very dangerous to forcibly infiltrate there now—both for us and for the country of Wano."
"change?"
Ace was taken aback when he heard what the dog said.
Then, his expression turned serious: "I have indeed heard Deuce mention that the Beasts Pirates seem to have gained many more Devil Fruit users recently, their weapons manufacturing plant is very active, and the long-vacant position of the High Admiral seems to be..."
"Um."
And the Dog (戌) does not deny it.
He has collected a lot of information recently.
This includes what Ace is saying right now.
First of all, recently all the weapon manufacturing factories in Wano Country have started large-scale weapon production, just as the "Royalists" had said before.
The key point is that the weapons manufactured in these factories are no longer the conventional guns, cannons, swords, and knives, but rather some special "machines." Taking advantage of his position as the regional governor of Kuri, Xu Gou has even seen the finished products of those machines—they are not weapons in the conventional sense, but rather more like "parts" of certain weapons.
The technological components and effects involved are difficult for even those born in the Year of the Dog to understand.
"Assembly line manufacturing model"
After only a cursory glance, the dog knew the answer in its heart.
This manufacturing model is very similar to the "assembly line" he knew before he went through it.
The various factories in Wano Country produce different parts, which are eventually gathered on Onigashima.
Besides these weapon parts, the changes in the Devil Fruit users within the Beasts Pirates are also very obvious, just as Ace said.
According to what Xugou has recently learned, many members of the Beast Pirates in areas such as 119, Hakumai, and Ringo have recently obtained "Devil Fruits".
The one who distributed the fruit was said to be the new leader of the Three Calamities, "Death Calamity," who was stationed on Ghost Island. As for the origin of the fruit, it was a complete mystery, and even the Dog, who was the apparent leader of the Three Calamities, did not know the specifics.
All of this is clearly related to the World Government.
Kaido's cooperation with Im seems to be deeper than he thought, and all the current changes in Wano Country and Onigashima clearly stem from this. Under such circumstances, as Inu-chan said—with all intelligence pointing to the current danger on Onigashima—it is not a rational choice to rashly infiltrate it.
"What does this have to do with Udon? Did you hear that someone in Udon knows about the current situation on Onigashima and wants to rescue him?" Ace still didn't understand after hearing all this.
As mentioned before, Udon itself is a key hub and one of the largest weapons factories of the Beasts Pirates in Wano Country.
This place is also under the highest level of security.
If the attack on Udon is discovered, it will also alert Oni Island.
"No."
Dog's words were calm: "As long as our attack isn't discovered by Oni Island, it won't be exposed."
"How could that be possible?"
Upon hearing this, Ace frowned: "Udon is directly managed by one of the Three Calamities. According to the rules of the Beasts, the manager of Udon must personally report the situation to the internal communications of Onigashima every three days. Moreover, it is said that there are many procedures to verify one's identity. Even if you can deal with that Calamity, you will definitely be exposed."
"Not to mention that recently, a large number of Beast Pirates members from Onigashima have been dispatched, many of whom are stationed in Udon. The Beast Pirates members in this prison alone number at least 2500!"
It's not hard to tell from his words that although he claimed to have come only for the money, Ace's actions clearly showed that he had long harbored intentions towards Kaido.
At least he was well aware of the many rules governing the Beasts Pirates in Wano Country—and it must be said that those rules were indeed very rigorous and cautious. For example, Udon was once managed by Queen, one of the previous Three Disasters, known as the "Plague," and the rule requiring them to report to Onigashima regularly was also established by him.
This directly determines that even if he is killed and Udon goes out of control, the Beasts Pirates will discover the anomaly within three days at the latest.
But the Dog (戌狗) smiled knowingly.
"That's what makes it interesting."
As Ace said, the loss of control in Udon would be almost impossible to hide from Onigashima under normal circumstances.
However, the Dog heard some interesting news from the previous royalists.
"You're absolutely right. There is indeed an 'insider' in Udon who knows the current situation on Onigashima."
"And I'm certain that if the plan succeeds, she will help us cover up the situation in Udon."
"Who is that guy?"
Ace was naturally curious—what kind of deity was so powerful?
The dog didn't try to hide anything: "It's what you just mentioned, the three major disasters that directly manage Udon. The current 'Ice Disaster'." Ace: "
What nonsense is this guy spouting?
How could the newly appointed Three Calamities possibly help them?
However, Ace thought for a moment and remembered the "flower note" from not long ago: "You mean, that 'Ice Disaster' is also one of your undercover agents?" "No, we don't know her at all yet."
"You mean, the two of us are about to storm into Udon, guarded by over 2000 enemies, defeat the new 'Ice Disaster' under their siege, and then persuade her, whom we've just met, to help us keep the news a secret and, incidentally, provide information about Onigashima?"
That's roughly the idea.
Ace: "
He regretted coming here with the other person—he had never heard of madmen among the twelve constellations before.
To Ace's surprise, the dog even added with great interest, "And to be sure, it wasn't me who rushed in with you."
As he spoke, he slightly raised his gaze and looked towards the distant sky.
Ace instinctively raised his head and looked up at the sky as well.
Then he saw—a beam of fire, shimmering with starlight, rising from the sky.
It kept flashing, as if it were breathing.
But soon, as it drew closer, Ace spotted it.
That thing was indeed breathing—because it was a "person" at all.
He came from the pitch-black night sky, bringing with him a dazzling flame.
The sparks fell and landed on the barren land outside the rabbit bowl.
He flew by.
So on that long-barren land, sparks of fire bloomed like green grass.
"No."
A moment later, Ace was surprised to find that the grass had actually bloomed.
As the flames, like starlight, fell to the earth.
The land, polluted by the weapons manufacturing plant and barren and arid for years, seemed to regain its vitality.
It arose from the growth of green grass and trees.
Although Ace was certain that the pollution hadn't been removed—many blades of grass still bore the marks of their struggle against death—they still surged and throbbed wildly, heads held high.
A moment later.
"Thump!"
The figure wreathed in flames landed in front of Ace.
He was dressed in simple, plain clothes, not luxurious ones at all, with no particular features.
It was as if he were not a top expert on the sea, but an ordinary member of the masses, one of the people in the world.
The only thing that revealed his identity was the mask he wore on his face.
It was a rabbit-head mask.
However, unlike the usual rabbit head masks that give people a feeling of "gentleness" and "docility".
On his rabbit-head mask, beneath a crimson base, there are gold accents, like the most dazzling stars in the world.
All these external conditions point in the same direction.
He is the highest-ranking official among the twelve constellations.
"Rabbit of the Rabbit"
As he said this, he extended his hand to Ace.
"Ace, Portgas D. Ace."
Ace instinctively reached out and shook hands with the other person.
In his heart, he finally understood what Xu Gou had just said: "You are the... colleague that Mr. Xu Gou mentioned?" He vaguely remembered that Xu Gou had mentioned before that he had extended the invitation on behalf of one of his colleagues, who was also a person like Ace.
At this moment, Ace realized the problem.
What kind of people are they referring to as "the same kind of people"?
Ace's intuition told him so.
"You also want to...save this country?"
He instinctively looked at the green grass growing under the burning flames not far away.
"To be precise"
After hearing Ace's description, Rabbit shook her head.
"What I want to save is all the oppressed people in the world."
At first glance, the two seem to be no different.
But Ace instinctively recalled a scene he and his two sworn brothers had witnessed when they were children.
The country known as the "Kingdom of Goa," ruled by nobles and oppressors, was clearly not worth saving.
But the ordinary people at the bottom of society are pitiful people who deserve to be saved.
"Are you really one of the Twelve Zodiacs, and not a member of the Revolutionary Army?"
Ace had this thought subconsciously, but then he realized that the question seemed a bit impolite.
However, Rabbit (卯兔) clearly doesn't care about this.
He simply smiled and said, "It's not only the revolutionaries who have the resolve to 'save the weak and break their chains.'"
"Overthrowing the tyranny of this world is not something that can be accomplished by one or two people, or by one or two organizations." "I am not a member of the Revolutionary Army, but I think I can be considered a...revolutionary."
Upon hearing this, Ace's face showed a rare moment of blankness.
"Alright, that's enough of the small talk."
At that moment, Xu Gou interrupted their conversation with a smile. They had more important things to do here, and now was clearly not the time for pleasantries.
"Next, I'll leave it to you, Rabbit."
"I'm just a fox-tail clone here, and Hua Zha can't stay away from Jiuli for too long, otherwise she'll be suspected... I'll go back and prepare for the next 'plan'."
He said that.
Their words seemed to indicate that they had no doubt that the Rabbit could occupy the Rabbit Bowl and complete tonight's plan.
As the words fell, the figure of the Dog slowly transformed back into the shape of a flower, and then decisively turned and left.
Ace only came to his senses after seeing the dog leave.
"Mr. Rabbit, what should we do next... wait, before that, please put out those flames quickly, otherwise the guards of Rabbit Bowl might discover us before we begin our operation."
He was about to ask Mao Tu about his next plans when he suddenly realized something.
The flames that the Rabbit had lit on the ground when it fell from the sky were quite conspicuous in the dark night sky and could easily be spotted by the Rabbit's guards.
Unlike Ace's anxiety, Rabbit laughed heartily.
"No, Mr. Ace."
He turned to Ace: "The operation has begun."
After saying that, his gaze seemed to turn to the huge prison in front of him.
"There are many oppressed people there who yearn for freedom."
"They did not resist simply because they did not see the 'beacon' of resistance, no one raised their arms in a 'roar' of anger, and no one saw 'hope' in the darkness."
He said that.
As Rabbit spoke, the flames burning on the ground behind him didn't dim; instead, they shone even brighter. Ace could even clearly see flames burrowing into the ground, seemingly becoming the breath of the earth, spreading in all directions. They were gradually converging towards Rabbit Bowl.
The next moment.
"ⅠⅠ"
Ace then saw that inside the rabbit bowl, there seemed to be flames rising...
It's as if this confirms what the Rabbit said at this moment.
"And now, I will light the torch, I will roar, I will bring hope."
He opened his arms.
And in front of him.
A single spark has already ignited a prairie fire.