"Start the lottery!"
Yuno thought silently. The icon he had just selected flashed briefly.
At first, nothing happened on the panel. But the next moment, an icon in the [Special] branch began to glow.
Clicking on it, Yuno read the name of the skill:
"Shun Kō?"
His eyebrows shot up—this skill?!
[Shun Kō (瞬閧)]: A high-level combat technique that combines Kidō and Hakuda. The user envelops their back and shoulders in highly compressed and concentrated Kidō, which then detonates to merge spiritual energy and physical attacks into one cohesive, devastating form of combat.
Yuno recognized the technique instantly, even without reading the description.
In the world of Bleach, this technique was created by Shihōin Yoruichi, former Commander of the Onmitsukidō and former Captain of the 2nd Division. It was so overwhelmingly powerful that it could rival the destructive force of a Bankai.
In fact, Yoruichi's Shun Kō had multiple stages, with later evolutions—such as her Raijin Shun Kō form—taking on an elemental thunder-based aspect. Each form exponentially increased her speed and striking power.
It was a terrifyingly powerful combat technique.
Yuno hadn't expected to draw something so rare.
And being in the [Special Category] branch made sense. Shun Kō was a hybrid—it didn't fit cleanly into the [Zanjutsu], [Hakuda], [Hohō], or [Kidō] branches. It was a rare synthesis of disciplines.
Just like when he had previously acquired [Zangetsu], Yuno resisted the urge to activate it immediately. He was running on empty after the recent battles. Using a technique that detonated spiritual energy around one's body could be fatal in such a state.
He'd test it later—when it was safe.
After scanning the area and finding no additional clues, Yuno disappeared in a flash of Shunpo.
…
Moments after Yuno left, another group arrived.
It was the Marines.
Leading them was Commander Yara, head of the naval base on the island.
His expression was grim. He hadn't heard from Bruner, the agent he sent to monitor the Orleans family, in a long while. And now, the deafening silence—paired with the earlier commotion—left him uneasy. He had decided to personally investigate.
When he arrived at the scene, his eyes widened in shock.
Corpses lay everywhere—nearly all of them Marines.
Yara's expression darkened.
He had sent Bruner—a Grand Line veteran, albeit a corrupt one—to test the strength of Orleans, the head of the Orleans family. While Orleans was influential in the underworld, Yara knew he wasn't strong enough to defeat Bruner.
Which meant… someone else was here.
A soldier ran over, visibly shaken.
"Sir! We found a body… split clean in half. And…" The marine hesitated, voice trembling. "There's a trench—over 100 meters long—cut right into the earth. I think… I think it was made by a sword slash!"
Yara's eyes widened.
"A sword slash?! A hundred meters long?"
He rushed over and saw it with his own eyes—a deep, straight gash gouged into the ground as if cleaved by divine wrath.
And beside it, the body.
Yara's face twisted in disbelief.
"'Fast-Hand' Lawrence?!"
The infamous pirate, with a 40 million berry bounty, lay dead—cleaved in two. In the North Blue, Lawrence was a name that silenced crying children. Few Marines dared to even speak his name without caution.
And now, he had been butchered—by a single swing of a sword!
"Who… who did this?"
This wasn't Orleans. No underworld thug could perform such a feat.
The gully in the earth… the clean cut through Lawrence's body…
Someone else had arrived on this island.
Someone terrifying.
Even a pirate with a 40 million berry bounty had perished here!
In Paradise, a bounty of 40 million was considered formidable—a true menace of the seas...
"Notify everyone! Full alert—monitor all movements on the island!"
"And someone clear this area. Gather all available intelligence!"
Yara's tone was calm, his expression stern. He radiated a fearless composure that made the surrounding marines breathe easier. This was a commander. Unshaken in the face of carnage. Even with a pirate slain on their soil, he stood his ground. Unflinching.
It was no wonder he led this base.
But none of the marines knew... that Yara was panicking inside.
Whoever had the strength to kill Lawrence was beyond anything their naval forces could handle. He had every reason to panic.
But he couldn't show it.
As the highest-ranking officer on Donzik Island, he didn't have the luxury of fear. If he lost his nerve, the entire base would collapse.
"Sir!"
A marine rushed over, saluting.
"We've discovered a collapsed laboratory beneath the Orleans family compound!"
Yara's eyes narrowed. "Take me there."
The compound had been cleared out. In the rubble, the lab was exposed—hidden beneath the Orleans estate.
Most of it was wrecked. Whatever was useful had clearly been taken, and what remained was deliberately destroyed.
Still, some equipment survived. But it wasn't the machines that made Yara's expression darken.
It was the symbol etched into the wall:
"66."
"Germa 66... The Vinsmoke family."
Yara's jaw tightened.
So the intel was accurate—the Orleans family really had ties to the Vinsmokes. Or more than that... they were the Vinsmokes' foothold on Donzik Island.
"Damn it..."
Then, like a thunderclap, a thought struck Yara.
A secret lab tied to Germa 66... looted.
Lawrence and Bruner—both dead.
This wasn't a coincidence. This was part of a chain of events.
His mind raced, piecing everything together:
"Lawrence must have come looking for this lab."
"He clashed with the Orleans family—and Bruner's forces were drawn into the crossfire."
"No... It couldn't have been just Lawrence. There had to be others."
And now the lab is in ruins... the Orleans family is annihilated...
That could only mean Lawrence's group won—and escaped with something valuable.
Something that belonged to the Vinsmokes.
And the Vinsmoke family would never tolerate such theft. If something of theirs was stolen, they'd come down like a storm.
They might already be on their way.
"This is bad...!"
Yara's face turned ashen. Cold sweat beaded on his brow.
The more he thought about it, the more everything clicked into place.
If he was right...
Donzik Island was about to become a battlefield.