Chapter 249: Escape in a Panic

Chapter 249: Escape in a Panic

Charlotte looked at the continuous flow of magma, his brows deeply furrowed.

He hadn't expected his attack to pierce through the volcano. What a mistake!

His gaze fell on Kaido, who lay motionless on the ground, his life or death uncertain. Kaido had taken the full brunt of his attack, using his Haki to defend himself. If he wasn't dead, he was at least gravely injured.

But Charlotte no longer paid attention to him. Instead, he turned his focus to the battlefield.

"Run! The volcano is erupting!"

The residents of the town, those who hadn't fainted, ran for their lives.

Panic spread like wildfire. Even though a large group of armed warriors stood at the city gate, they couldn't stop the people from fleeing.

Faced with a disaster of this magnitude, ordinary people had only one option—run as fast as possible without looking back.

The Shogun's Mansion

"What's going on? What's happening?"

Kurozumi Orochi, still drunk, crawled out from the arms of a courtesan, rubbing his eyes.

He staggered to the door, a frown on his face.

"General! The volcano has erupted! We must escape immediately!"

One of the samurai who had stayed behind in the mansion rushed forward, his face filled with urgency.

"A volcanic eruption? Impossible! That's absurd!"

Kurozumi Orochi scoffed, refusing to believe it.

But when he turned to look outside, his expression froze.

The once-peaceful sacred mountain was spewing thick clouds of volcanic ash into the sky. The entire sky darkened at an alarming speed.

Molten lava rolled down its slopes, consuming everything in its path. Lava bombs erupted from the crater, striking the ground and exploding on impact.

The sight before him was nothing short of apocalyptic.

"Holy mountain! My holy mountain?!"

Kurozumi Orochi stared in disbelief. The mountain that had been peaceful for eight hundred years was now erupting.

"General, we have to go! This place will be destroyed soon!"

A samurai grabbed Orochi and dragged him toward the exit.

"Quick! Bring Little Red! And take Little Blue too!"

Even as he was carried out, Orochi frantically gave orders.

Hearing this, other warriors rushed into his chamber, carrying out two naked women from his bed.

A chaotic group of people ran toward the port, their only hope of survival.

Charlotte's Group—Port No. 3

Charlotte and his team had made it back.

"What happened, Charlotte?"

Elena rushed toward him, worry in her eyes.

"I ran into Kaido and fought him. I accidentally pierced the volcano, and now it's erupting. We can't stay here—we need to leave immediately!"

Charlotte spoke quickly while issuing orders to prepare for departure.

Hearing this, the people around didn't dare waste any time. They rushed back onto the ship and turned it around as fast as they could.

Meanwhile, Jhin had just returned—carrying a new mace in his mouth.

Just as he arrived, he saw a massive energy wave piercing through the sky, striking the volcano.

The next moment, the volcano erupted.

Jhin's pupils shrank in shock.

He immediately increased his speed, flying back toward the battlefield.

The moment he arrived, he saw Charlotte and his crew had already left.

Instead, he saw Quinn, frozen in fear.

"Quinn! Take Big Brother and get out of here!"

Jhin landed, shouting urgently.

"Huh?! Oh—yes, yes, yes!"

Quinn snapped back to reality, his massive brachiosaurus form rushing to where Kaido lay in the rubble.

Without hesitation, he lifted Kaido onto his back and ran toward Udon (Rabbit Bowl).

Kaido was still bleeding heavily, his body in terrible shape.

"So miserable..."

Jhin glanced at the unconscious Kaido. His eyes then darted toward the rapidly approaching lava.

"We need to go! This place will be destroyed soon!"

Jhin followed behind Quinn, leading the surviving Beasts Pirates away.

Everyone fled as the lava consumed the most prosperous city in Wano Country—the Flower Capital.

The once beautiful city, filled with cherry blossoms, was now drowning in lava and ash.

Countless people—those who didn't escape in time or had been knocked unconscious by the battle's Haki—were buried beneath the molten rock.

Rabbit Bowl—Jhin & Quinn's Arrival

Quinn finally arrived at Rabbit Bowl, panting heavily.

Jhin followed closely behind, watching the destruction unfold.

The Flower Capital—just moments ago a thriving city—was now completely gone.

The rolling magma had swallowed everything.

"Th-That's insane!"

Quinn's voice trembled as he stared at the devastation.

"Stop talking! The lava is coming this way!"

Jhin turned, seeing the lava flowing into the river, heating the water until it boiled.

Steam and superheated gases filled the air. The river that once separated them from the disaster had turned into a deadly, molten stream.

"RUN!"

Jhin shouted, and the Beasts Pirates wasted no time in fleeing once again.

Charlotte's Crew—Desperate Escape

At Port No. 3, Charlotte's crew raced against time.

The ship had finally turned around, but lava was already pouring into the river, cutting off their escape route.

If they didn't move fast, they would sink along with the port.

Charlotte, standing at the stern, clenched his fists.

"NO MORE SAILING INTO RIVERS!"

He growled, punching the railing.

This experience had taught him a hard lesson.

Bringing such a massive ship inland was easy—but turning it around in an emergency was a nightmare.

By now, the ship was running at full power.

Below deck, a hundred swordsmen frantically pumped the ship's energy system, pedaling with all their strength to generate electricity.

The engines roared as the ship sped forward, escaping just as the lava reached the water's edge.

Only after they had fully outrun the eruption did Charlotte finally sigh in relief.

Standing at the stern, he glanced back at Wano Country, which was now devastated.

Strangely enough, he felt no guilt.

Instead, there was a faint sense of satisfaction in his heart.

For a brief moment, he even felt joy.

But when he noticed Tianyue Toki's worried expression, he quickly suppressed those thoughts.

He couldn't let anyone notice what he was really thinking.

Setting a New Course

Everyone finally exhaled, relieved that they had escaped the volcanic ash cloud.

Looking at the towering volcano, which was still spewing lava, they knew this was not a place they could stay.

It was only a matter of time before the lava spread even further.

"Head toward Rabbit Bowl!"

Charlotte ordered.

Rabbit Bowl was far from the Flower Capital and had natural barriers like mountains.

More importantly, it was where Kaido's forces were stationed and where seastone was mined.

It was also a much safer place for now.

"Understood, Captain!"

Barrett responded immediately, relaying the order to the crew.

With their next destination set, the ship followed the still-hot river, heading toward Rabbit Bowl.

---

Read up to 20 Chapters ahead on patreon.com/Fanglin

[Please leave a 5 Star review and power stone for this novel]

*Thank you*