[V3] - Chapter 62. The Final End
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Very soon, the event organized by the Yuto Group finally arrived.
Countless maritime forces poured into Wano Country to take part.
Among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, aside from those newly appointed or those recently eliminated by the Ninja World Trade Organization, the remaining five were all present.
At that moment, the five Warlords sat together, staring down at the scene below with expressionless faces.
If not for the World Government's orders, the Warlords of the Sea would never have bothered to show up at some so-called "competition."
"Fufufufufufu!" Donquixote Doflamingo, dressed in his pink feathered coat and cropped trousers, looked down with a twisted grin. "What a spectacle of revelry and song! But…" He paused, then burst into laughter. "This time, I doubt the Yuto Group's event will go as planned!"
The Marines. The Pirates.
Almost every major power of the seas was gathered here.
On the surface, it seemed like a grand, lively event.
But…
Something felt undeniably off.
Yet the Yuto Group acted as if none of this existed, continuing to run its event without the slightest hint of hesitation.
Were they fools?
Impossible.
These were the people who had wiped out the Beasts Pirates—they could not possibly be fools.
It was the Yuto Group's absolute confidence on display.
Recalling how he'd recently attempted to partner with the Yuto Group—only to be rejected—Doflamingo's expression darkened, though the corners of his lips curled faintly. "How interesting. Facing so many forces at once… I wonder where exactly the Yuto Group's confidence comes from!"
But when his words fell, the other Warlords remained silent. Some wore blank looks; others bore faint smirks. They simply watched in silence.
Only Jinbei of the Sun Pirates, though outwardly expressionless, was inwardly brimming with anxiety.
Yet at this moment, he couldn't find any chance to make contact with the Yuto Group.
He knew perfectly well—
The Marine Admirals were watching from nearby.
In the end, he could only sigh helplessly, teeth clenched.
[So be it! If things go wrong, for the sake of my principles, I'll simply have to help the Yuto Group when the time comes.]
At that moment, some clueless individuals shrank back in shock as they noticed the dense masses of Marines.
The Fleet Admiral. The Marine Hero. The three Admirals. The Marine officers…
The Marines had deployed more than half their entire force. What were they planning?
Was this event truly so important?
Important enough to bring out all three Marine Admirals at once?
Impossible.
Could something massive be about to happen?
Even Sabo, the Revolutionary Army's number two, hidden in the shadows, looked uneasy as he observed the scene.
By this time, he had already regained his memories.
Ever since seeing that advertisement filmed by Ace, his memories had come flooding back.
But upon learning that Ace hadn't turned to piracy, and had instead chosen to work in a factory, Sabo had been utterly dumbfounded.
It was unthinkable.
As Ace's brother, he knew better than anyone what was in Ace's heart.
Ace yearned for freedom—there was no way he'd willingly choose factory work.
And so, carrying his doubts—and his longing to see Ace again—he had brought the Revolutionary Army to join the event.
But now…
It was clear that something was very wrong with this event hosted by the Yuto Group.
Sabo lowered the brim of his hat, glanced at the Marines holding their positions without moving, and after a moment's thought, lowered his voice and instructed his nearby comrades, "Hide your identities well. The moment anything seems off, withdraw immediately!"
This trip to Wano Country…
It was merely a spur-of-the-moment decision, not an official Revolutionary Army mission.
He couldn't afford to let his personal affairs endanger his comrades.
Yet the atmosphere surrounding this event…
Had been tense from the start.
Once all the various factions had arrived, the tension only deepened. What had initially seemed like a simple event hosted by the Yuto Group now felt to everyone present as if something monumental was about to erupt.
So the question was…
Would the Yuto Group really continue as planned?
Just as doubt spread among the gathered crowd—
The representative from the Yuto Group finally stepped forward.
All eyes turned toward the man in a formal suit, who was smiling calmly at the crowd—Uchiha Yuto.
This was…
The man who had destroyed the Beasts Pirates.
Although public rumor claimed it was a little girl named Uchiha Yumi who had defeated the Beasts Pirates, everyone knew full well—that was merely a father avenging his daughter.
And so, the true focus of everyone's attention was Uchiha Yuto—not some little girl.
"Welcome, everyone, to the event hosted by the Yuto Group!" Yuto called out, scanning the dense sea of spectators and participants. He paused for a moment when he spotted the Buggy Pirates—the Delivery Team.
He hadn't expected the "Lucky" Clown Emperor himself to show up.
Compared to the Marines, this guy surprised him even more.
Who knew—perhaps the one who'd seize the chaos and emerge victorious would be him.
The future legend of food delivery.
The Delivery Emperor—Buggy?!
Of course, after a moment, Yuto dismissed the thought.
After all, no matter who ultimately won the championship, the Yuto Group wouldn't lose out.
The advertisement had already been a massive success.
This was an event destined to be etched into the history of the seas.
So many factions were here—practically every power on the seas had shown up.
Even before it began, the event was already firmly engraved in everyone's memory.
Yet whether it could proceed smoothly… even Yuto himself wasn't certain anymore.
He glanced at the Marines, surprised they hadn't acted immediately. Then, after a few more brief remarks, he raised his hand grandly and announced the start of the event—
The Delivery Survival Competition!
Of course, it was a competition… to deliver food.
Yet getting those deliveries safely into customers' hands was far from simple.
Being a delivery worker was an extremely high-risk job.
But—
Just as Yuto finished speaking…
Before the delivery workers could even move—
"Take action!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku suddenly bellowed. "Order the warships to open fire!"
As his shout echoed out—
While the crowd was still frozen in bewilderment—
The Marine officers leapt to their feet, swiftly pulled out their Den Den Mushi, and barked low-voiced orders into their transceivers: "Open fire!"
And as their words fell—
Open fire?!
The pirates nearby couldn't help but overhear the simultaneous orders from so many Marine officers.
No one had expected…
The Marines were truly here to declare war!
And they were actually planning to bombard Wano Country directly?!
This was…
A Buster Call.
A Buster Call executed jointly by the Fleet Admiral, the Marine Hero, and the Three Admirals?!
As they stared at the grim-faced Marines rising to their feet, panic spread across the pirates' faces.
This was bad.
Were they all about to be wiped out as well?!
But by now, it was already too late.
The moment the order was given, Marine bombardment was supposed to rain down over all of Wano Country—
Huh?
It's been a while now.
Why hasn't the Marine artillery started firing?
What was going on?
Could this have all been a bluff?!
Everyone was stunned yet again. Nobody tried to run this time—instead, they all turned their eyes upward toward the imposing Marines towering above them.
Where were the cannons?
Why wasn't there any fire?
Yet at that very moment—
"…."
The Marines themselves looked bewildered.
Their plan had been to issue a single command, unleash the thunder of cannons, and then rush forward under the cover of artillery fire to execute justice against the Yuto Group.
But now…
What was happening?
Had the warships failed to receive the order?
Their momentum crumbled in an instant.
The Marine officers exchanged anxious glances, then turned as one to look at Sengoku.
"Keep firing!" Sengoku's eyelid twitched, but he retained the authority of a Fleet Admiral as he barked, "Hurry up! Contact the warships and initiate the bombardment!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marines quickly pulled out their Den Den Mushi again and redialed, their voices turning cold as they spoke: "Open fire!"
But just as they were about to hang up—
Suddenly—
A strange voice came crackling through the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "Hello! Your warships have already returned to port! They can't fire anymore~"
"?!"
Returned to port?
The Marines froze for an instant—then their expressions changed as realization dawned.
Something had gone very wrong with the warships.
They all turned to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, whose face darkened. He hadn't expected that the Marine warships, which had been fine just yesterday, would suddenly run into trouble overnight.
What had happened?
Why hadn't they received any word about this at all?
As expected…
They had underestimated the Yuto Group.
Without the support of Marine artillery, purging Wano Country would become far more troublesome.
But at that moment…
There was no time left to think.
They couldn't afford to hesitate any longer.
"Attack!" Sengoku roared, surging forward. "For justice!"
"For justice!"
All the Marine officers ceased worrying about the warships and charged ahead. Even the Seven Warlords of the Sea had no choice but to join the charge at this point.
War had begun.
The terrifying momentum of so many Marine officers charging at once left the onlookers frozen in shock.
The delivery men who were supposed to compete simply stood there, staring blankly at the unfolding chaos.
What was happening?
Was the competition still going on or not?
Was it all over, just like that?!
No—that couldn't be!
Now was the time to run for their lives.
Panic-stricken, they were about to flee when—
"The competition will continue!"
A calm voice suddenly echoed from above.
Everyone froze in place.
They all turned toward the direction of the voice.
And at that moment—
Several figures radiating overwhelming auras appeared around them.
They were—
The powerful figures who had been shaking the seas in recent times:
Uchiha Setsuna.
Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Obito.
Hyuga Hiashi.
Orochimaru.
Jiraiya.
Senju Tobirama.
Hiruzen Sarutobi.
Mitokado Homura.
…
And the leader of the Root Group—Shimura Danzo. And the leader of the Yuto Group—Uchiha Yuto.
No wonder the Yuto Group hadn't seemed nervous at all.
They had been fully prepared from the start.
"Tsk… I'd hoped to just run my business in peace!" Yuto sighed, then smiled as he gazed at everyone in front of him. "I didn't expect… that you lot really weren't here for a team-building retreat."
And as his words fell—
One giant figure after another shot into the sky, looming over the Marine officers below, who stared up with horrified eyes.
It was as though those towering presences were silently asking—
So… do you really want to fight?