One Piece: Conquering Wanokuni at Start

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Night.

The moonlight spread thin and bright, with stars glittering like jewels scattered across the sky.

Even during the wartime preparations, the Fire Festival retained its status as a grand annual tradition. Held under dazzling fireworks, it was a nationwide spectacle of joy.

But this year was different.

There were no competitions, no invitations extended to outsiders, and no grand tournaments to accompany the celebrations.

With whispers of a massive conflict brewing on the horizon, the absence of the festival's usual pomp drew attention. The undercurrents of tension rippled through the Underworld and even the World Government.

In Wanokuni, however, the festival remained a time of revelry for its residents. Bonfires lit up the night, scattered across towns and villages, where people gathered to drink, dance, and celebrate under the flickering flames. Festival music filled the air, and the aroma of traditional dishes wafted through the streets.

Yet, amidst the jubilant atmosphere, some individuals had more nefarious intentions.

While the majority of Wanokuni celebrated, a group of four figures moved in secret. They avoided the crowds and used the distraction of the festival to approach the forbidden research base.

They had chosen their moment carefully. Through careful observation and whispered rumors, they had learned that security at the base was typically more relaxed during the Fire Festival.

At the entrance to the base, a soldier clad in a special guard uniform awaited them. One of the guards responsible for this high-security zone, stood in the shadows, waiting.

As the four figures approached, the soldier glanced around nervously, feigning ignorance of the situation. After confirming there were no onlookers, he accepted the heavy bribe handed to him in silence.

In exchange, the soldier handed over four sets of guard uniforms, allowing the intruders to blend in.

Once the exchange was complete and the group had slipped inside, the soldier activated his Den Den Mushi and reported, "Master Robin, the infiltrators have been granted access."

Inside the research base, the four intruders roamed cautiously.

Unaware of the trap laid for them, they marveled at the technological wonders around them.

Their awe was matched by relief. As they had hoped, the base appeared nearly empty—its scientists and researchers drawn away by the festivities outside.

"Perfect," one of them whispered. "Less risk of getting caught. Let's move quickly!"

The reminder sent a shiver of urgency through the group. They fanned out, their stolen uniforms helping them blend into the shadows as they searched the facility for their objective.

"We need to find the treasure," another hissed. "If we're caught, Xingba will have us executed!"

At the mention of Xingba, the group paled and hurried their search, fear driving them forward.

But one of them, frustrated by the slow progress, snapped, "Idiots! Do you think something that grants immortality would be lying around in this first room? Look—there's an open door over there!"

Their attention turned to a double alloy door, left ajar. Without a second thought, the four hurried inside.

Around the corner, their surroundings changed.

The stark brightness of the previous rooms gave way to a shadowed chamber dominated by a massive infusion culture device at its center.

They froze, their breath catching as they took in the sight before them.

"What… what is this?!" one of them stammered. "A giant? What's going on here?!"

Suspended inside the enormous cylindrical device was a towering green-haired woman, her body over ten meters in length.

Two of the intruders, unable to resist their curiosity, stepped closer. Their eyes were drawn to a sign attached to the machine.

As one of them began to read the words aloud, their voice trembled.

"Human Giantification Experiment... normal human beings cultivated into giants…"

One of the intruders began to step back, panic overtaking him before he could finish reading the words on the sign. His heart raced with the realization that they had stumbled upon something far beyond their understanding.

"This is… this is too much," he stammered, trembling as if his very presence might awaken a calamity. "We need to leave—pretend we didn't see anything!"

He and his companion hastily retreated, their eyes darting away from the terrifying figure of the green-haired giant woman suspended in the tank.

"Come here! We found it—it's pure gold!"

But before they could celebrate, the metallic clang of something falling to the ground shattered the eerie silence of the research lab.

The two who had been searching for the pure gold suddenly noticed that their two companions, who had been watching the giant, had collapsed to the ground without warning.

Panic set in. There was no sign of anyone else in the room, no clear threat.

Whoosh!

A faint sound sliced through the air.

Before they could react, a crushing blow struck each of their heads like an invisible hammer. Their vision blurred, and they collapsed alongside their fallen comrades.

The room fell silent once more, as if nothing had happened.

The stillness was broken by a faint flicker in the air.

The camouflage shimmered and faded, revealing Baby-5, clad in a sleek combat maid uniform and holding a weapon that still glowed faintly from its activation.

Her expression was one of casual satisfaction as she surveyed the unconscious infiltrators. She stepped over their bodies without a second thought, making her way to the giantification experiment platform.

Baby-5 toggled a control panel, and the potion-like liquid in the infusion tank began to drain. The glowing substance receded to the bottom of the chamber, and the alloy glass casing hissed as it split apart and folded away.

Inside, the green-haired giant woman stirred. She groggily moved her arms to remove the breathing apparatus attached to her face.

Stepping out of the now-empty tank, her frame began to shrink as her transformation faded. Slowly, she returned to her normal size of just over two meters.

"How are you feeling, Sandersonia?" Baby-5 teased, a playful grin on her face.

Sandersonia stretched, rolling her shoulders with an audible crack. "Ugh… it's awful. Soaking in that thing for hours really stiffens you up."

Since Boa Hancock had become the Empress of Amazon Lily, her younger sisters, Sandersonia and Marigold, had followed in her footsteps, dedicating themselves to intense training.

Driven by their past traumas of being captured and their resolve to never feel weak again, the two had embraced Wanokuni's rigorous, systematic, and mechanized training regimens. Their efforts paid off in spades.

Like Hancock, Sandersonia had risen to become one of the three strongest women of Amazon Lily. Her strength now surpassed that of even Wanokuni's Red Scabbards.

Her most significant leap in power came as a reward for her mastery of physical combat and Armament Haki. In recognition of her abilities, Koshiro had gifted her the Mythical Zoan Human-Human Fruit Model Onyudo.

This fruit granted her the enhanced physical traits of the Zoan class, alongside the extraordinary blessings of a mythical beast.

The Onyudo Form, as demonstrated moments ago, allowed her to grow to enormous sizes like before. And this wasn't even the form's full potential.

This advanced power, hidden deep within Wanokuni's restricted zones, remained one of the three abilities Amazon Lily had yet to reveal to the outside world.