One Piece: Lord of the Weather Chapter 68: The First Victory

Deep in the southern forest, the battle was unlike anything the soldiers had ever experienced.

The enemy was not an organized army. There were no ranks. No banners. The enemy appeared from among the trees, fired, then disappeared as if they had never been there. They fired a shot from one direction, and the soldiers would rush there, only to find nothing. Then gunfire would erupt from the opposite side.

The young n knew every tree, every rock, every swamp in this forest. They had lived there since childhood. Their numbers were just under five hundred. They were not an army, but they were desperate and angry. And anger was a deadly weapon if used correctly.

The soldiers were strangers. Their heavy clothing hindered their movent.

The young n attacked from behind trees, fired their shots, then ran to another position. Sotis they retreated to lure the soldiers into a trap. They scattered, then regrouped again.

General Volkan shouted orders, but his voice was lost amid the gunfire and screams of the wounded.

"Advance! Do not retreat! They are just peasants!"

But the peasants were killing his soldiers.

A bullet from behind a tree. A soldier falls. A bullet from atop a small hill. Another soldier screams. An ambush in a narrow valley. Three soldiers die before they understand what happened.

The young n also died. Many. The soldiers' bullets hit them as they ran among the trees. So died instantly. So scread for hours before dying. But every young man who died ant another soldier would die.

The battle lasted nearly an hour. The forest turned into hell. Bullets flew in every direction. The wounded writhed on blood-soaked ground.

When Volkan heard that his losses had exceeded a hundred, he realized he was losing the battle.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

But retreat was not easy. The young n chased them, firing at their backs. The soldiers ran through the mud, fell, got up, fell again.

Volkan mounted his horse. He looked around. He saw his n falling. He saw the peasants with their burning eyes. He knew that if he stayed, he would die.

He had no choice. He left part of his n to cover his retreat, to die to allow him to escape. Those n did not know that their commander had abandoned them. They kept fighting, dying, not knowing they were just a human shield.

At the southern gate, where Volkan thought he was safe, Marco and Shigo appeared.

They were not alone. With them were fifty of Pablo's n. They were not frightened peasants. They were professionals. They had been waiting.

"This is their escape route." Shigo said.

"I know." Marco replied.

The new battle began. It did not last long. Marco was like a hurricane, Shigo was like silent death, and Pablo's n were like a flood. The exhausted, terrified soldiers could not withstand.

Volkan did not understand what was happening, but he decided to retreat.

Eighty more soldiers fell before Volkan could escape with the remaining n.

When he reached the outskirts of the north, he turned to see how many remained with him. He counted them in silence. Only one hundred and nine soldiers. He had co with three hundred, and returned with barely a third.

---

When the south learned that the army had been defeated, that three hundred soldiers had fled and only a hundred remained, that General Volkan was a fugitive, the villages exploded with joy.

There were no grand celebrations. No fireworks. But the elderly wept. Children ran through the streets screaming. The young n who had fought returned with their wounds, their smiles, their eyes shining with hope for the first ti in years.

The peasants who had been afraid, who had hesitated, who had believed the army was invincible, began flocking to the revolutionaries' camps.

"I want to join." said the first.

"I want to fight." said the second.

"I have sons, I have nephews, I will bring them all." said the third.

Hundreds of young n began to flock. The numbers of revolutionaries doubled overnight.

Pablo's forty n organized them, divided them into groups, prepared them for the coming battle.

---

At the headquarters, news of the victory reached Pablo via communication.

One of his forty n was on the line, his voice loud and excited for the first ti in months.

"Pablo! We won! The soldiers fled! The whole south is with us now! Thousands of young n are joining us every hour!"

Pablo smiled. He did not shout for joy, but his eyes glead.

"Well done."

"What about weapons? The number of revolutionaries is doubling, and we don't have enough weapons."

"I will send you what remains of the first batch. The remaining three thousand guns, the swords, and so cannons. Distribute them to the strongest and most trained. The rest will use what is available until the second batch arrives."

He hung up. Then he called Reinold.

The smuggler answered quickly this ti.

"Hello, Pablo."

"I need the second batch of weapons. Quickly."

"The second batch is ready. But it was supposed to be sent after two weeks."

"I need it now. Can you do it, please?"

Reinold was silent for a second. "I will bring it in three days. No more."

"Alright. I will wait."

Pablo hung up. He knew the coming days would be decisive.

---

In the northern palace, Volkan entered the great hall with heavy steps. His face was dusty, his clothes torn, his eyes fearful. He fell to his knees before the king's throne.

Bekori was sitting. He did not shout this ti. He was calm. And that was more terrifying.

"Where are my soldiers?" he asked in a cold voice.

"Your Majesty... we have lost. The revolutionaries are not just peasants. They are organized. They have leaders. They have weapons. And our losses were heavy."

"How many did you lose?"

Volkan hesitated. "I ca with three hundred. Only one hundred and nine remain."

Bekori stood up slowly.

"One hundred and nine? Out of three hundred? Against peasants?"

"They were not just peasants, Your Majesty. They were—"

"Silence!"

Bekori's scream made the hall tremble.

"I gave you an army. I gave you weapons. I gave you a chance. And instead of burning the south, you co defeated, a loser, and you dare stand before ?"

Bekori drew his sword from his waist.

"I will execute you now."

Volkan cowered. He dared not speak.

But one of the elderly nobles stepped forward. It was the sa one who had advised the king earlier.

"Your Majesty... you cannot execute him."

Bekori looked at him with red eyes. "Why?"

"Volkan is a competent commander. He has experience. If you execute him now, you will need weeks to appoint a new commander. And the revolutionaries will not wait."

A senior officer also intervened. "Your Majesty, the noble is right. Killing Volkan now is a gift to the revolutionaries. We will lose one of our best commanders, and they will exploit that."

Bekori was silent. The sword was still in his hand. He was thinking.

Then he returned it to its sheath.

"I will give you a second chance."

Volkan breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Don't thank yet. I will prepare an army of a thousand soldiers for you. I will give you six days to prepare them. Then you will go to the south to crush this trivial rebellion."

He looked at Volkan with cold eyes.

"And if you fail this ti... I will execute you. No one will intercede for you. No one will show you rcy. I will kill you with my own hands."

Volkan trembled. "I will not fail, Your Majesty. I swear to you."

"Go. Do not return except with victory."

Volkan left, trembling. He knew his life was now hanging by a thread.

---

At the headquarters, Jinny was sitting in her room. She was happy. The victory in the south made her feel sothing she hadn't felt in a long ti. Hope. Perhaps joy. She smiled alone in the darkness, rembering the faces of the poor whom Kuma had treated, who had been dying of hunger and disease, and who were now fighting for their freedom.

Suddenly, one of the devices she used for eavesdropping began to speak. A conversation between two well-known nobles.

When she heard the content of their conversation, her eyes widened. The thousand soldiers. The six days. It was bad news, but not surprising.

She stood up from her bed. She walked to the mirror.

She stopped.

She was wearing her clothes. They were not ordinary clothes. She was wearing a sheer black silk nightgown, almost completely transparent, reaching only to mid-thigh. The gown was very tight, to the point of tracing every curve of her body. It accentuated her chest, her slender waist, her rounded buttocks. Over it, she wore a thin, transparent silk robe, which hid nothing, but rather heightened the scene's allure. Her long pink hair cascaded over her shoulders, so strands disappearing between the folds of the gown.

She knew she was being bold. She knew any man who saw her would lose his mind. She knew Pablo would be aroused.

She thought for a mont about changing her clothes. About wearing sothing more modest.

Then she changed her mind.

"Let him enjoy the view." she whispered to herself. "It's a reward for his victory."

She was rationalizing. She didn't yet know that she was enjoying it too.

She left her room. She walked through the corridor. The n looked at her. They stopped talking. They opened their mouths. They didn't whistle this ti. They were too stunned.

She reached Pablo's room. She didn't knock. She entered directly.

Pablo was sitting on his bed, reading a book about the history of the South Blue. When she entered, he raised his head.

He froze. His heart stopped for a mont. The book almost fell from his hand.

She stood there in the dim candlelight, wearing that transparent gown and thin robe. The light rays passed through them, tracing shadows of her body on the wall behind her. Her pink hair touched her shoulders, its strands swaying with every slight movent.

His body heated. He felt heat flooding his body. His eyes widened, then narrowed with desire.

He put the book aside. He rose from his bed and stepped toward her.

"Jinny..." he whispered. His voice was husky.

"I ca to tell you sothing important."

"Go ahead. My heart, my mind, and my body are in your hands."

"The king will prepare an army of a thousand soldiers. He will attack the south in six days."

Pablo's gaze changed for a mont. It beca sharp.

"Six days?"

"Yes. Volkan will lead it. The king gave him one last chance. If he fails, he will execute him."

"Alright, we will prepare for this."

"How?"

"I have my plan."

He took another step closer. He could sll her perfu. He could feel the warmth of her body.

"Pablo, this is not the ti—"

"I have a question."

"What?"

"If I want to confuse the king and the army... where should I strike?"

She looked at him. She knew he was trying to change the subject. She knew he was trying to harass her. But she didn't mind.

"There is a large warehouse. It's located north of the capital."

"What does it contain?"

"Half of the kingdom's weapons stockpile. Guns, cannons, gunpowder, ammunition."

"How many guards?"

"It used to be about two hundred soldiers. But after your recent operations, the king doubled the guard. There could be four hundred, or more."

Pablo was silent. He was thinking. But his eyes were still on her body.

"If I can steal it... or even burn it... you will confuse the king and the entire army. They will have no ammunition to face the revolutionaries."

Pablo smiled a slow smile.

"Thank you, Jinny. This is golden information."

"Don't thank . Just succeed in this revolution."

"I will win it. But let say sothing..."

"What?"

"You, in this outfit... make a man want to win all the wars in a single night."

Jinny shook her head. But she smiled. A small smile that Pablo had never seen.