Kurozumi Orochi stood atop the highest tower in Wano Country, gazing out over the land before him.
A luxurious long-stemmed pipe hung from his mouth as his fingers lightly tapped against it, producing dull knocks.
A trace of impatience flickered in his eyes, mixed with a hint of helplessness.
The breeze swept through his robes. He reached up and touched his chest, where Jin An had left a mark with the Door-Door Fruit. It was like an invisible hand clutching his heart, capable of taking his life at any moment.
"Damn it... Jin An really knows how to toy with people's hearts."
He muttered under his breath. A sinister glint flashed through his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.
It was not as though he had never considered resisting, but against Jin An, he had no choice at all.
More than anyone, he understood that man's terror lay not merely in his strength, but in the inescapable control he held over others.
The war between the World Government and the Neo Marines had now swept across the entire sea like a raging wildfire.
He had never intended to get involved, but his life was in Jin An's hands. Even if he wanted to hide, he could not.
He took a deep drag from his pipe, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and snorted coldly.
"Isn't it just finding something beneath the sea around Wano Country?
Could something this trivial possibly stump me, Kurozumi Orochi?"
His gaze drifted toward the distant sea, and a cold smile curled across his lips.
He had long since taken control of Wano Country, and now he was actively expanding his influence.
Especially those Fish-Men—once forced to scrape out a miserable existence beneath the sea, they had now become his finest tools.
He narrowed his eyes and