Deep Underground! The Burial Site of Pluton!

Ian already knew where Pluton was buried in Wano Country a long time ago.

The Alabasta Poneglyph contains a detailed account of this event.

Now all we need to do is dig up Pluton.

However, digging out that ship buried deep underground is not an easy task.

Simply digging it isn't difficult; Bullet is an expert in this kind of engineering, and he could pull Pluton up from the ground all by himself.

However, the problem is that high walls have been built around Wano Country, creating an inland sea, and the place where Pluton was buried has been submerged by the sea.

So, according to the normal procedure, to dig out Pluton, the high wall must first be destroyed to allow the seawater to overflow.

This is what is known as the opening of the Wano Country.

However, Ian thinks Wano Country is quite good now.

If the high walls are destroyed directly, causing the inner sea to disappear, what will happen to the Fish-Man and mermaids living in it?

Settling hundreds of thousands of Fish-Man and mermaids is no easy task.

Let's talk about that after we've conquered the world.

Moreover, and more importantly, it's not just the seawater that's hindering the excavation work; otherwise, we could have simply had Bullet dive underwater to work.

To prevent Pluton from being dug up by the people of Wano Country later, Joy Boy took a second precaution.

Pluton is buried deep underground in magma.

Theoretically, it would take Zunesha to extinguish the lava before Pluton could be excavated.

So Ian decided to take matters into his own hands.

However, before heading out to excavate Pluton, Ian is currently touring Wano Country with Red-Haired.

"Is this the territory that Oden?"

In Kuri, Ian strolled through the streets of the city with the Red-Haired man.

Was this place as prosperous back then as it is now?

This is a very prosperous city.

Even the Red-Haired, who had traveled all over the country and seen almost every town and city along the coast over the years, had to admit this.

Not only is it vast in area, but it's also bustling inside.

Shops of all kinds lined up one after another, selling so many goods that the Red-Haired was almost dazzled.

It's hard for a commercially prosperous city not to be bustling.

"How could that be?"

Before Ian could speak, Yamato said with a smile, "This used to be just an ordinary, poor town."

"Kozuki Oden was indeed quite strong, but he was probably not suited to governing a country."

Ian said calmly.

Kozuki Oden initially only wanted to be a free adventurer, and he actually did a pretty good job of that.

Kozuki Oden wasn't actually that unlikeable during his adventures at sea.

However, he later became bound by so-called responsibilities and ended up as a clown.

Back then, the Kuri he governed was just so-so, not even reaching the average level of Wano Country; it was barely enough to ensure that the local residents had enough to eat.

"Yes,"

The Red-Haired remarked with a touch of melancholy, "Oden was very powerful, but he was also incredibly stubborn."

Even he had to admit that Oden was more suited to be a pirate; being a king or the like was still too far out of reach for him.

"On the contrary, it's you, Ian,"

The Red-Haired looked around. "They really are respected."

Ian didn't bother to conceal his appearance this time, so as he walked down the street, everyone bowed respectfully to him.

However, Red-Haired could clearly see that the residents' respect did not stem from fear, but from genuine, heartfelt reverence.

Ian has really done a great job governing this country.

If Oden had known the current situation, would he still have fought against the Beasts Pirates, and would he still have died and lost his family as a result?

When Red-Haired thought about doing it, he suddenly felt a little ashamed.

Regardless, Oden's resistance against the invading Beasts Pirates was the right thing to do.

On the contrary, it is this guy who is now colluding with the Beasts Pirates who deserves to be despised.

With a wry smile, the Red-Haired said, "Let's go, there's nothing more to see here. Let's move on to the next place."

Although I feel very sorry for Oden and Lady Toki, I have no other choice now.

The world is calling for Ian.

As a tour guide, Ian naturally didn't care about this.

So Ian then took him to visit the forest in Kuri.

The Tontatta lives there, and they help the Beasts Pirates cultivate Artificial Devil Fruit.

Red-Haired marveled at the Artificial Devil Fruit plantation.

After all, Ian told him that although they were Artificial Devil Fruit, because of the special materials used, the power these fakes could provide might not be inferior to that of real Zoan Devil Fruit.

After a moment of surprise, Ian took the Red-Haired to Udon and showed him around the mines there.

The sheer size of the Seastone mine greatly surprised Red-Haired.

He had never seen so much Seastone in his entire life.

He was also quite concerned about the miners working in these mines.

All the miners looked exhausted because the work was extremely strenuous.

Even when visiting the mines, Red-Haired secretly felt sorry for the miners.

However, these miners, despite their exhaustion, often wore hopeful smiles on their faces.

Red-Haired soon learned that, in return for their intense work, these miners also received high wages, even more than those working in factories.

The Beasts Pirates never forced them to work in the mines; they were simply attracted by the high wages.

Red-Haired smiled and praised Ian's generosity.

But Ian said, "Wealth is only wealth when it circulates. I prefer to put wealth into the pockets of the people rather than hide it in my own treasury."

"After all, no matter how much they spend, the wealth ultimately circulates in my hands."

Red-Haired didn't quite understand the concept Ian was referring to, but he appreciated Ian's explanation.

Allowing citizens to possess wealth—no matter how you look at it, that can't be a bad thing, right?

Next Ian and Yamato, as hosts, took Red-Haired on a tour of the country's various regions.

Finally, they arrived at the heart of the country, the Flower Capital, or rather, its original heart.

After all, Ian, the great King of Wano Country, hardly ever spent time in this city, instead lingering on Onigashima.

Although this city is no longer the political center of Wano Country, it still retains its titles as the economic and cultural center.

The city has expanded many times over since then, and the original low-rise wooden buildings have gradually been replaced by high-rise buildings.

The bustling scene was so captivating that the Red-Haired could hardly look away.

"This must be the most prosperous city in the world, right?"

The Red-Haired couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.

At least he had never seen a more prosperous city than this one.

Then Ian led him to the heart of the Flower Capital, to the castle tower built atop a giant tree.

"Lord Ian!"

The high-ranking officials of Wano Country knelt neatly outside the castle tower, awaiting Ian's arrival.

These officials hadn't seen Ian in a long time, to be honest.

Or, to be more precise, Ian became the King of Wano Country at the age of eight, and it has been fifteen years since then. In these fifteen years, he has hardly spent any time in this castle tower, and the officials who govern this country have rarely had the opportunity to meet him.

Ian has always governed Wano Country remotely.

Anyway, with the ninja legion led by Fukurokuju helping him monitor the officials, he wasn't worried about those guys having any ulterior motives.

Many of the officials kneeling there were seeing Ian for the first time.

The Red-Haired smiled slightly.

This was the first time he had truly realized the power Ian wielded.

His power extends beyond Wano Country; it encompasses the entire New World.

Ian ignored the officials and led the Red-Haired straight into the secret passage of the castle tower, heading downhill.

"There are places like this?"

The Red-Haired looked out of the window on the wall below the stairs with some surprise.

Outside the glass window is a deep sea, and looking down into the ocean, you can see some buildings buried deep underwater.

"Wano Country didn't look like this more than 800 years ago."

Ian casually remarked, "Joy Boy built high walls around Wano Country, blocking the outflow of mountains and rivers, eventually forming an inland sea that submerged the original land of Wano Country."

"So, the current territory was actually newly opened up later?"

Red-Haired exclaimed in surprise, "And what we see before us, submerged by the sea, is the town that was originally Wano Country more than 800 years ago."

"The so-called opening of Wano Country is to destroy those walls, so that communication between this country and the outside world can be unimpeded, and at the same time, the true appearance of Wano Country will be revealed."

Ian said.

"So,"

The Red-Haired said somewhat seriously, "What are we here for?"

"Originally, to dig that thing out, we needed to open Wano Country to the world first,"

Ian said, "And we'll also need the giant elephant's help."

"However, I think the situation in Wano Country is fine as it is now, and there's no need to change it suddenly. Besides, I don't have the ability to control that elephant, so,"

"We'll just have to figure it out ourselves."

That thing? Which thing?

The Red-Haired's expression suddenly froze.

"Ian ..."

He didn't quite understand.

"Arrive."

At the very bottom of this secret passage, Ian stopped.

The Road Poneglyph of Wano Country are displayed here.

However, this is not Ian's final destination this time.

We need to go further down the line.

"So it was here all along?"

Yamato opened her mouth; she truly hadn't expected this.

"I was quite surprised when I first found out."

Ian stamped his foot. "But it's definitely down here."

Who would have thought? Not only is there a Road Poneglyph hidden here, but Pluton is actually located directly beneath it.

"..."

The Red-Haired didn't say anything; he probably realized that Ian had come looking for something.

So it was originally in Wano Country?

"So, how do we get it out?"

Yamato blinked. "Shouldn't we bring Bullet back?"

"It's very simple,"

Ian said, "Yamato, freeze the entire ocean below."

"Simple and straightforward."

Yamato didn't hesitate much, immediately entering beastman mode and pulling out the spiked club from his back.

The snow-white, crystalline spiked club was raised high, and Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki were simultaneously poured into the iron rod.

The next instant, Yamato slammed the iron bar down onto the ground below.

"Extreme Ice Eight Trigrams!"

The ground below instantly shattered, revealing a huge hole.

But before the seawater could even surge in through the hole, it was instantly frozen into ice.

"Nailed it!"

Yamato rubbed his little nose, "From here, all the seawater is frozen!"

Ian had no doubt about this, of course. Yamato's strength was now far superior to Aokiji's, so it was only natural that he could do such a thing.

"Then, please follow me."

Ian casually pulled him onto his shoulder.

Surtur, who had been perched on his shoulder disguised as a doll, suddenly transformed into a gigantic, scarlet giant.

Ian leaped lightly and landed on the fire giant's shoulder, then Surtur stepped forward and stood on the ice block below the hole.

Then, his body plummeted straight down.

The ice formed from frozen seawater could not stop him from falling; it was as if he were passing through air, leaving only a wide passage.

Not even a trace of water vapor remained; everything was completely destroyed.

"What a terrifying ability!"

The Red-Haired sighed sincerely.

He still remembered the time when Ian fought the Golden Lion; back then, Ian's red flames were already so powerful that even the Golden Lion could hardly withstand them.

"Wait for me! Ian!"

Yamato and stepped forward, jumping directly into the huge passage that Ian had created.

The fire giant landed directly on the seabed below, and the seabed silt, which had become soft from years of being soaked in seawater, hardened from the high temperature generated by its fall.

However, this hardness only lasted for a moment. The ground was instantly destroyed the instant Surtur's feet touched the ground.

Another passage was opened, and Ian followed Surtur as they plummeted downwards once more.

Downwards, downwards, ever downwards.

Ian's Observation Haki had already penetrated the earth's layers, reaching even deeper underground.

He had already sensed the enormous space that existed deep underground below.

The proper road leading there isn't here, of course, but it's too much trouble, so Ian simply forged his own path.

After a while, the darkness disappeared, and Ian found himself falling into a huge space.

A dark red light emanated from below.

Surtur reverted to his golden giant form, spreading his arms wide.

"Wow!"

Yamato joyfully plummeted from above, landing directly on the Titan's left hand, and using it to bounce to Ian's side.

The girl clung to Ian's arm, peering down in surprise.

"Another sea."

Below was an ocean of lava.

An intensely hot aura rose upwards, seemingly threatening to evaporate everything.

"It's so hot!"

When the Red-Haired landed on the fire giant's arm, he was already sweating profusely. "Should I not have gotten down?"

"Don't you want to see the legendary Ancient Weapon as soon as possible?"

Ian lowered his head, his Observation Haki already locking onto the colossal creature buried beneath the magma.

"As expected?"

The Red-Haired sighed.

It really is Pluton.

"Go, Surtur, go and retrieve that thing."