Chapter Twenty-Six: This Is Too Much! Big Brother Is Coming!

Somewhere on the front lines of the Land of Endless War.

The ceaseless conflict continued to rage, and the front lines remained engulfed in flames. Yet, in this narrow mountain pass, unknown to anyone, the leaders of both warring factions were holding a clandestine meeting. Neither side had brought many men, only a few trusted guards. Although the atmosphere was tense—both sides itching to pull their guns and turn the other into a sieve—they both struggled to maintain restraint. This meeting concerned their mutual interests.

"I think we can skip the pleasantries," the leader of one side began, leaning against the rock wall with a furrowed brow, drawing deeply from his cigarette. His tone was heavy. "If we don't resolve that monster, this country will never know peace."

"We are in complete agreement on that," the leader of the other side, a relatively well-dressed man, nodded solemnly. "He simply wants to see this war drag on indefinitely. Until he is satisfied, none of us can achieve victory."

"However, even if we combine our forces, we could never defeat him!" the man with the cigarette exhaled a ring of smoke. "For six years, his puppets have crushed every pirate crew that approached this country with ease, including many notorious pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million! Not to mention, he has a monster like Bullet under his command!"

"Do not worry about that," the well-dressed man said. "He has been staying in our territory, so we have observed him more closely. He has been deliberately hiding information, warning us that he would never allow word of his presence to leak."

"Oh?" The man with the cigarette's eyes brightened.

"When the Rocks Pirates split up, the parting was far from amicable, and there has been constant friction between them over the past two years. I suspect that if those monsters find out his whereabouts, they won't sit idly by!" The well-dressed man’s voice turned cold. "Not to mention the Marines! Six years ago, his bounty jumped by seven hundred million in one go! He must have done something that makes the World Government hate him to the core!"

"Exactly!" the man with the cigarette nodded repeatedly. "What we cannot do, we shall leave to those who can!" He continued, "And what we must do is seize this opportunity to drive him and his people out of this country!"

"Indeed! Now, let us discuss the specific plan."

"A plan? The plan is that you all die!"

A cold voice descended from above. The people gathered in the secret meeting were startled and instinctively looked up. A figure plummeted from the cliff, causing the earth to tremble and dust to billow.

"Master Loa says he has been betrayed!"

A youth with long, golden hair, young yet physically tall and robust, looked coldly at the group.

The well-dressed man turned deathly pale, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Bu—Bu—Bullet! Wait! You were born in this country! Gray was my old subordinate! I even held you when you were a child!"

"I only obey Master Loa's orders!" Bullet sneered.

As for Gray? That man never did realize his ambition of becoming king; he had been killed by this very man standing before them.

Soon, in his private estate, Loa met the two main leaders, who were trembling and slumped on the floor like piles of rotting meat.

"To think you would leak my whereabouts!" Loa, a handsome, tall, and slender youth in ornate clothing, was furious. "How wicked! How could you be so evil? Now my peaceful life has been ruined!"

The well-dressed man wept, pointing at his companion. "I—I was bewitched by this man! Master Loa, please, you must believe me! I will never dare to do it again! Please forgive me just this once!"

"Forgive?" Loa let out a hum. "How can one forgive those who would betray even a youth as young as me?"

The well-dressed man was left completely stunned.

"Hahahaha! What is there to say now!" The other leader laughed out loud. Knowing he was doomed, he found a sudden surge of courage. "Loa! You piece of trash! You just wanted to keep this country in eternal chaos so you could control it, didn't you?"

"I tell you! One day, someone will stand up in this country and make you pay for your blood debt!"

"What are you talking about?" Loa asked, surprised. "You started the war, you killed the people; how can you blame me?"

The man's impassioned fervor suddenly choked off.

"Years ago, you all knelt and begged for my help, and I truly helped when you needed it," Loa sighed. "What exactly did I do wrong to make you hate me so much? Saving you from peril multiple times wasn't enough? You really are greedy."

He felt deeply aggrieved. Without him, the war would have continued anyway. He had only eliminated the influence he brought with him; how did he become the great villain?

"..." The man was speechless.

The well-dressed man suddenly wailed, "We were wrong! We were wrong! You are a monster who feeds on human suffering! We should never have submitted to you in the first place!"

"Such ugly words." Loa scolded them. "You do wrong, and then you insult people? You are truly hopeless. People as ungrateful as you only make bread more expensive just by living! Bullet!"

Bullet dragged the two men, who were weeping and laughing, away.

"Master Loa," Dylan said calmly. "The news has already spread through the underworld. There is no possibility of intercepting it. What should we do?"

"All good things must come to an end; it is time to say goodbye," Loa sighed. "Truly, this is what it means to be unable to leave one’s homeland, right?"

He had stayed in this country for a full six years! Only one year less than at Hachinosu Island. Moreover, the black energy he had absorbed here was far more than at Hachinosu, and the vengeful spirits he had collected were even more numerous! Loa felt that, compared to Hachinosu, this place was his true home.

Those two bastards! To think they would force a thirteen-year-old boy to leave his home—who else deserved to die if they didn't?

"Sigh, that's why I say, if only all the countries in the world were like this one." Loa sighed again. "Forget it, Dylan, pack up. Get ready to leave."

If he didn't leave now, several aunts and uncles would surely come knocking. Not to mention the World Government; six years ago at God Valley, he had wiped out hundreds of Celestial Dragons in one go. He might have even wiped out the wife and children of the Moon-Head. It wouldn't be impossible for the Holy Knights to be dispatched directly.

He had to slip away.

Loa’s estimation was spot on. After the news spread, the monsters all reacted.

In the New World:
"Gahahahaha! I knew that brat was still alive! The Land of Endless War, is it?"
"Mamamama! Katakuri! Let's go! Time to go pick up your good brother!"

In Mary Geoise:
"That great sinner is still alive? Send Garp! He must die!"

And what even Loa hadn't anticipated was that, in the sky above the coastal waters of the Land of Endless War:
"Urorororo! To think you were so close! Loa! I'm coming for you!!"