Panic-Stricken King

The cold, hard handwriting on the paper, each word like a sharp, icy needle, pierced deep into my eyes.

The fingertips gripping the rolled-up paper tightened suddenly, the knuckles turning bluish-white.

Beneath that face, which was always covered by a mask and usually expressionless, those eyes, which had witnessed countless battles and long since become as calm as a still well, were now surging with an extremely rare tremor and melancholy.

The entire intelligence room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the deathly silence lasted for several breaths.

Jin suddenly raised his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over his two direct subordinates beside him. His cold, hard voice was devoid of any emotion, yet it conveyed an unyielding and resolute determination. "Block the news. Execute immediately."

"From this moment forward, sever all external communications with Onigashima and block all signal links. Seal off all checkpoints and sea routes leading out of the island. Without my personal order, no person or vessel may set foot on Onigashima even a step."

He narrowed his eyes slightly and uttered the strictest ironclad rule. "This order is of the highest priority. Anyone who leaks secrets or leaves their post without authorization will be executed without mercy."

One of his subordinates, not daring to delay, turned and rushed out of the room to relay the lockdown order to various locations.

Just as the remaining person was about to step back, Jin suddenly grabbed his wrist.

He lowered his voice, suppressing the heavy emotions in his chest, and continued to plan his next move, "Go and inform Queen to personally lead an army to occupy all the core towns of Wano Country."

"Double the street patrol force, keep a close watch on the movements of all samurai within the territory, and all underground intelligence channels. Not a single word of the battle situation at Coral Port or the news of Governor Kaido's disappearance is allowed to reach Wano Country."

The subordinate nodded heavily, acknowledged the order, and left. The sound of his hurried footsteps gradually faded into the distance in the narrow corridor, eventually disappearing completely.

In the vast intelligence room, only Jin remained standing once again.

He knew better than anyone else that the Beasts Pirates had been stationed in Wano Country for ten years not because of submission and loyalty, but because of utter fear.

The samurai of Wano Country had endured and lay low for many years, their hearts filled with resentment from oppression, and they had never truly submitted to Kaido's rule.

The reason they have remained law-abiding and dared not cause trouble all these years is because the awe-inspiring power of the Azure Dragon Overlord is like a sword hanging overhead, suppressing everyone's ambition and restlessness.

But now, Kaido been defeated and fallen into the sea, his fate unknown.

Even if it's just a temporary loss of contact, once the news leaks and reaches Wano Country, those samurai who have been lying low for ten years will surely rise up in rebellion instantly, and the entire country will be completely out of control in a moment.

The wavering pirate crews within Onigashima, the underground information brokers thriving in Wano Country, the various bounty hunters roaming the ports... any tiny opening could ignite the entire situation.

He must plug all the loopholes and nip any signs of unrest in the bud.

After a long silence, Jin gazed at the deep night outside the window and murmured to himself, his tone carrying a hint of earnestness that even he himself didn't realize. "Boss, you absolutely cannot die."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked outside. His steps remained steady and orderly, maintaining Jin's usual restrained demeanor, but his speed was more than twice as fast as usual.

He had to go to Coral Port himself.

He personally confirmed Kaido's fate and whereabouts, and personally measured the terrifying strength of the man named Madara Uchiha, which was capable of overturning the balance of power among the Four Emperors.

During his absence, all defenses of Onigashima and Wano Country had to be entrusted to Queen.

Thinking of this, Jin felt a mix of emotions and added casually, "That guy is usually playful and lazy, addicted to experiments, and seems the most unreliable."

But looking at the entire Beasts Pirates crew, apart from me and the boss, only he can temporarily keep those unruly pirates in check."

"Hopefully he won't be hiding in the lab fiddling with poison gas and neglecting his duties again."

A whispered warning, laced with a chilling edge, followed. "If this ruins the overall situation, when I return, I will personally drag him out of the lab and hold him accountable."

He hurried to the edge of the cliff at Onigashima pier, where a fierce sea breeze howled and whipped his robes around him.

Jin paused, taking one last look back towards Wano Country before taking off.

The entire country was shrouded in thick, gray smoke from industrial chimneys. The night was deep, with the lights of thousands of homes flickering in and out, seemingly peaceful and calm, but beneath the surface, turbulent currents were surging.

Countless samurai hid in the dark alleys, silently sharpening their blades, accumulating a decade's worth of pent-up rebellion.

He knew all too well how fragile this peace was.

I must find the answer before everything completely spirals out of control.

Whether it's finding Kaido alive or bringing back Kaido remains, the Beasts Pirates need a resolution, and their two crumbling territories need reassurance.

Without a moment's hesitation, Jin spread his enormous wings and suddenly soared into the air, breaking through layers of clouds and transforming into a swift black shadow, speeding towards the distant Coral Port.

Mary Geoise, Room of Authority.

A thin battle report of Coral Port lay flat in the center of the long table. The paper was as light as a feather, yet it was like a cold, short blade pressed firmly against the heart of every person in the highest position present, making it hard for them to breathe.

The Five Elders had been silent for a long time.

Looking at the situation in recent years, there are very few instances that could cause them to collectively fall silent and remain speechless for a long time.

The last time was Summit War, Uchiha Natsu a single sword strike, instantly killing the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Steel Bone Kong.

That battle overturned the balance of power at sea and disrupted the World Government's 800-year-old rule.

But no one expected that, after several years, it would be the Uchiha Clan that would once again put them in such a stalemate.

This time, however, the one who made the move was not Natsu, who had long been regarded as the greatest threat to the world, but a completely unfamiliar name that was outside the world's intelligence system— Madara Uchiha.

In the deathly silent hall, the Five Elders wielding swords were the first to break the silence.

He reached out and took the battle report again, his fingertips slowly tracing the words on the paper, reading it carefully word by word, as if trying to dig out a flaw from the cold intelligence.

His hoarse, aged voice echoed through the empty, solemn hall, carrying with it an undisguised astonishment.

"Madara Uchiha... who exactly is he? And where did he appear from?"

No one could answer his question.

Intelligence agencies worked through the night to access all databases worldwide, only to find a complete blank.

There is no birth history, no past traces, no bounty records, and not even the slightest trace of combat can be found.

This person seemed to appear out of nowhere, leaving no trace.

Yet this stranger, who seemed to spring from a stone, revealed his full power for the first time in the world and crushed Kaido, Four Emperors who had dominated the New World for many years, with a single sword strike.