Super Card System
Chapter 739: The Assassin

“You… you’re not kidding, are you!?”

Ace clutched his head with both hands, somewhat exasperated, and asked Bonney, “Doesn’t that mean that Ian now has the same status as Pops!?”

Marco laughed heartily and said, “That’s right, he’s now the youngest Emperor in history! Pops also marveled about this before.”

Fujitora scratched his head in frustration and said, “It really is a surprise… How come after just a short stay in Wano Country, things have changed again? Am I really old and can’t keep up with the times?”

Izo also laughed, feeling that Fujitora was absolutely right. Before they came to Wano Country, Ian didn’t have any status at all (his Shichibukai title had been revoked). How did he suddenly climb to such a high position in the blink of an eye…? Originally, Izo wanted to express his feelings, but when he saw Ace’s pained expression beside him, he couldn’t help but ask, “Ace, what’s wrong with you?”

Ace pressed his hand against his forehead, groaning for a long time before he asked Ian with a conflicted expression, “Hey, Ian! You don’t also want to become the Pirate King, do you!? I had originally agreed to help Pops become the Pirate King. If you want to be the Pirate King too, who should I help!?”

Ian laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, “Well, you can take your time to figure that out!”

After speaking, he turned around and looked at Saijo Yichi and the chaotic guards behind him, sneering, “Did you hear all that? So, are you sure you want to be our enemy?”

Saijo Yichi’s expression fluctuated, but he stared intently at Ian’s face. He finally matched Ian’s appearance to the photos he had seen in the newspapers before, confirming that it was indeed Ian, the newly crowned Emperor, who had come in person!

As the number one samurai in Wano Country, Saijo Yichi was not only the shogun’s bodyguard but also one of his most trusted confidants. Therefore, he naturally understood the current situation facing Wano Country. He originally thought that the people coming to rescue were just ordinary executives from the Dragon Hunter Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, so Saijo Yichi planned to show up and bring the rescuers to meet his shogun.

But who would have thought that the background of the other party was so significant?

It’s like in a game of ‘Dou Dizhu’ (a Chinese card game similar to ‘Big Two’), when someone plays a low card to test the waters, and the opponent immediately throws down a ‘king bomb’ (the highest possible hand)! One can imagine how depressed Saijo Yichi felt at this moment…

While Saijo Yichi was hesitating about whether to continue with his original plan of inviting Ian, this Emperor, to meet the shogun, more and more Wano Country soldiers who had noticed the commotion at the Heavenly Prison were arriving to provide support. These newly arrived soldiers and samurai didn’t know what had happened. Under the loud shouts and commands of their leaders—some of whom were riding horses, wearing armor, and had banners fluttering behind them—they charged towards this side in a menacing manner, causing a chaotic scene of horses neighing and people shouting.

Saijo Yichi said nothing, but the army kept arriving. In this situation, misunderstandings were inevitable. Ace and Fujitora also put away their earlier smiles, looking seriously at the growing number of enemies before them.

Ace tried to use his Devil Fruit powers, but as flames just started to rise on his body, they were extinguished in a matter of seconds!

It was then that he remembered that the ‘Sea Sponge Worms’ in his body hadn’t been removed yet.

That’s the characteristic of these Sea Sponge Worms: they don’t affect the normal activities of Devil Fruit users, but only when the user tries to activate their abilities do they suddenly act up, making it impossible to continue using their powers.

Of course, they don’t affect the user’s own physical abilities. So after realizing this, Ace clenched his fists, preparing to fight using his physical combat skills. Fujitora did the same, his hand already on the hilt of his sword.

Previously, they were trapped by the spider webs and couldn’t escape, but now that Ian had rescued them, there was no reason to stay. Even though they couldn’t use their Devil Fruit abilities temporarily, following Ian to fight their way out was still no problem.

However, at this moment, with a cold snort from Ian, a wild and powerful Haki burst forth instantly!

Ian rarely used his Conqueror’s Haki, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t improved. The soldiers and samurai of Wano Country guarding Kyoto were different from ordinary pirate underlings; they were elite forces with considerable strength. However, as Ian’s Conqueror’s Haki swept over them, they still fell one by one, foaming at the mouth and fainting. Even the higher-ranked leaders, those wearing armor and riding horses, fell from their mounts under the impact of Ian’s Haki, then were crushed under the horses that also fainted.

Like cutting wheat, the Wano Country soldiers and samurai gathered around the Heavenly Prison fell in large swathes.

The gap in strength between these people and Ian was simply too vast. His current Conqueror’s Haki shockwave couldn’t even be withstood by ordinary swordmasters!

In the end, the scene became utterly silent, as if the previous cacophony of horses and people had never happened. The only enemy still standing on the scene was Saijo Yichi…

Bonney, standing behind everyone, was so shocked by this scene that she covered her mouth. It was her first time witnessing what Conqueror’s Haki was…

As for Fujitora and the others, they marveled at Ian’s current control over his Conqueror’s Haki. He had precisely targeted only the fan-shaped area in front; those of them standing behind didn’t feel his Haki at all…

“Let’s go!” Ian glanced at Saijo Yichi opposite him, waved his hand, and called everyone to leave.

Saijo Yichi slowly sheathed his sword and stepped aside. He understood that relying on himself alone, he couldn’t stop Ian.

Knocking down all the soldiers and samurai present had expressed Ian’s intent: it was a form of venting his anger, showing his dissatisfaction with the shogun of Wano Country… Given that, how could he possibly accept the invitation to meet the shogun?

The group followed Ian as they walked forward. When Fujitora passed by Saijo Yichi, he opened his mouth as if wanting to say something, but in the end, perhaps thinking better of it, he changed his words and said, “My friend, I am leaving. If fate allows, we shall meet again!”

Saijo Yichi said nothing, merely nodded sadly, watching Fujitora leave.

They had jumped over the wall when they came, so naturally, they couldn’t do the same when leaving. However, as Ian and the others stepped over the bodies of the unconscious samurai and were about to pass through the gate of the Heavenly Prison to leave, a sudden change occurred!

In the direction of the distant Tenshukaku (the shogun’s castle), a burst of fire suddenly erupted!

The firelight suddenly illuminated the moonlit night, instantly catching everyone’s attention. As they looked up, the sound of an explosion followed.

From where Ian and the others stood, they could see flames and black smoke rising from a window in the upper levels of the Tenshukaku. At the moment when everyone looked up, their peripheral vision caught a swift and agile black shadow leaping out from the site of the explosion. That swift shadow seemed to be gliding through the air, heading into the darkness of the night.

This sudden explosion left Ian and the others momentarily stunned, but behind them, Saijo Yichi’s face turned pale!

“Not good! Lord Shogun is in danger!”

He shouted this in panic, then exerted force with his feet, leaping onto the rooftop and sprinting towards the Tenshukaku like an arrow leaving the bowstring.

At the entrance of the Heavenly Prison, Ian and his companions looked at each other in confusion.

The shogun of Wano Country had been assassinated!?

As if to confirm their thoughts, alarm bells soon rang from the Tenshukaku. In the distance, panicked voices could be heard. It seemed that the guards of the Tenshukaku were in complete disarray…

“Ian!” Fujitora suddenly spoke. “Hurry and follow! Go after that shadow!”

“Hmm? Chase the assassin?” Ian asked in confusion. “We’re about to leave; why get involved?”

“No!” Fujitora shook his head. “I suspect someone is trying to stir up trouble in Wano Country. The internal strife has already claimed the life of a daimyo; we can’t let more incidents happen. After all, this is my homeland…”

“Alright, I understand!” Ian also empathized with Fujitora’s feelings. He immediately unfolded his Flame Wings and took to the sky, saying to the others, “I’ll go after the assassin first; you all catch up later!”

Fujitora nodded. “Don’t worry; we’ll be right behind you!”

With that, Ian turned and quickly flew in the direction the black shadow had left.

As he flew, Ian pondered the identity of this assassin.

His first thought was that the assassin might be a surviving retainer of the Kozuki family, coming specifically to assassinate the shogun to avenge their fallen lord, Kozuki Oden. But Fujitora’s earlier words made Ian realize that things might not be so simple.

Fujitora and the others came to Wano Country this time to help the Kozuki family, so they naturally knew the current situation of the Kozuki family. If Fujitora believed that the avenger was not a retainer of the Kozuki family, then it definitely wasn’t!

Ian pursued the assassin from the sky, while on the ground, Fujitora and the others were running at full speed, following Ian’s figure ahead.

What they didn’t know was that at this very same moment, on the night-shrouded Whole Cake Island, a strangely shaped ship was arriving.

Crocodile, Robin, Enel, and Reiju were all waiting by the shore. Seeing the flag on the ship, Crocodile couldn’t help but say in confusion, “Gekko Moria… It really is that bastard’s ship! When I received the contact earlier, I thought he was joking. I didn’t expect he actually came…”

“What is he here for?” Reiju asked with folded arms, also puzzled.

Crocodile displayed a mocking smile and said, “Who knows? But once he lands, we’ll find out, won’t we?”

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