I planted a sacred tree in Tokyo.

Chapter 546 The Flames of Destruction

"Luffy, dinner's ready."

On the other side, the navigator girl waved her arms and shouted; then she turned to look at the hillside next to her.

"Would the Cervantes family also like to eat?"

"Thank you."

Roman's figure flashed and he appeared at the foot of the mountain.

The members of Luffy's adventure team were either watching the battle or preparing food: Luffy's 'Eight Gates' was indeed fierce, and once opened, his speed and power would soar; but the consumption was equally terrifying. After each 'opening', he needed to replenish his strength in large quantities. The food expenses for one person accounted for 70% of the adventure team's income.

Therefore, they have cooperated with the Cervantes family extensively: a large number of artificial Devil Fruits ended up in Luffy's stomach.

As for the rest of the Cervantes family? They wouldn't dare sit with the young master.

Even if the young master doesn't mind, they still have to abide by the proper order of seniority.

"Try my new lava barbecue."

The blond-haired chef in a suit carried over a huge plate of roasted meat. The meat was from 'Sea Kings,' a specialty of the non-Libertian Seas. The cooking method utilized the unique fiery lava conditions of the area. This chef had really gone to great lengths for his captain, whose appetite was growing ever larger.

They even developed many extraordinary nutritional supplements, which is why Roman also came to "mooch a meal".

"They're here~~~!"

After deactivating the 'Six Gates' status...

The one-armed boy leaped back, picked up a piece of roasted meat bigger than himself, and started gnawing on it.

"Uncle Red Demon, want a piece?"

In response to Luffy's invitation, the towering lava giant a hundred meters away waved his hand.

This lava giant was clad in Viking armor and wore a pointed helmet, looking like a warrior from mythology, beneath the World Tree: if not for the flames emanating from his body.

"I can't get used to eating your human food—"

After saying this, the giant reached out towards the lava lake beside him;
A large hand scooped up the lava and condensed it into a bull-horn-shaped wine cup: the cup was naturally filled with a bright red liquid.

Glug glug,

The lava giant tilted his head back and drank the liquid in the horn cup in one gulp, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Hahaha~~ This is still the best!"

"Amazing!"

Ruff was genuinely impressed; even he wouldn't dare drink such a liquid that was over a thousand degrees Celsius.

this.
The navigator girl couldn't help but look up at the sky.

The lame joke about "drinking more lava" is a true reflection of reality when it comes to this "Flame Lord" Red Oni.

On the other hand, it's equally incredible that our captain could get along so well with the Fire Lord here: in a physical sense.

"Lord Red Demon,"

While everyone was eating and drinking, Roman looked up and struck up a conversation with the lava giant sitting on the ground.

"Some human nations want to send envoys to pay homage to the 'Duke of the Blazing Sun.' What do you think of this?"

As the young master of the Cervantes family, Roman has no shortage of all kinds of extraordinary resources, and his strength has reached the Tiger level. He has even mastered the Ghost-level attack technique 'Black Flash'. However, his hard strength is not Ghost-level after all, and he does not have the terrifying power of Luffy, who can fight the 'Flame Lord'.

Of course, the two are only competing in strength: this fire lord named 'Red Demon' has not yet used his innate abilities.

When facing a strong opponent, Roman adopted a very humble attitude.

"I?"

The lava giant, sitting on the ground like a small mountain, didn't say "I'll just sit and watch," but instead told the truth:

"I have no opinion."

"But—glug, glug~~"

Using a house-sized bull horn goblet in his hand, the lava giant scooped out another cup of lava and drank it down, then stroked his long beard formed of flames.

"I don't think you can succeed, even though I've only met that person once."

The adult mentioned by the lava giant 'Red Demon' is 'Duke of the Blazing Sun'.

"The adults aren't the type to be easily persuaded."

These fire creatures, born from the aftermath of battle, possess more complete intelligence the higher their level: the 'Fire Lords' at the Ghost level are almost indistinguishable from normal humans—and indeed they are, as their souls were originally 'molded' by someone using the souls of deceased superhumans.

Therefore, each 'Flame Lord' has its own personality. This lava giant called 'Red Oni' clearly has the personality of a bold and forthright warrior.

That's why he and Luffy "made friends through martial arts" and sat down to eat and drink together.

"I see, then—"

Roman nodded; this was all within his expectations.

"May I bring people through your territory?"

Since he is called the 'Flame Lord', it is naturally because beings like the 'Red Demon' occupy a large part of the land on 'Sun Island': if you rashly enter their territory, you will be attacked by them; of course, if you are strong enough and have outstanding charisma, you can turn enemies into friends, which is also a skill.

It can be said that they benefited from Luffy's fame.

"can!"

The lava giant readily agreed.

It's fine to let some messengers pass through; they're just messengers.

With the power of that Duke of Flame, how could he possibly be harmed by these humans?

Great, it seems we don't have to take any risks this way.

Roman pushed up his brown sunglasses.
This money is easy to earn.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Melbourne,
As a city with millions of inhabitants, it naturally covers a very large area.

Besides the 'Melbourne city center' in the narrow sense, Melbourne actually has 14 suburbs: just like Tokyo in the past, no matter how much it is looked down upon, are the Adachi Ward, Katsushika Ward, Itabashi Ward, and other 'rural' areas in the Minato Ward not considered part of Tokyo?
It definitely counts!

Similarly, in addition to Melbourne's city center, there are also the suburbs of East Melbourne, South Melbourne, West Melbourne, North Melbourne, as well as the outlying areas such as Carlton, Kensington, Flemington, and Parkville.

These areas are even more prosperous than the city center;
The reason is that the areas developed later were not restricted by a large number of 'historical buildings' like the city center.

Meanwhile, in the 'Carleton' area to the north of the city, negotiations are underway.

This area is known for its numerous Italian restaurants and cafes, as well as its Victorian architecture and tree-lined parks and gardens; in other words, it has a large Italian population.

After losing their government and with many powerful figures fleeing, the remaining Italians carried on their 'fine traditions' and established their own families.

Inside the restaurant, the Italian family members, armed with long and short firearms and dressed in suits and top hats, appeared to be on high alert, their lips pressed tightly together.

Their 'parents' sat at the front, staring sternly at the young people in front of them.

“My Lord, this place will surely be built into a sacred temple.”

Despite the hostile stares around him, the blond young man, Sekus, remained calm and composed.

He still had many old scars on his body, but under the light of his new white shirt, he didn't look disheveled at all; instead, he looked more tough and resolute.

“I come with peace, and if you return peace to me, we are all brothers and sisters, and we will serve the Lord and attend to Him.”

Secus looked around.
As a result, the Italian residents dressed as 'mafia' all looked away.

Finally, Sekus's gaze fell on the middle-aged man in front of him: the leader of the spontaneously formed power in this area, that is, the patriarch of the family.

“If you want war, then I will besiege this city.”

"The Lord has given me this city as my inheritance; yet I shall leave none of the things that have breath in it!"

Even though he was just one person, he directly said, "I have surrounded you."

Despite Secus's audacious words, the Italian men armed with guns dared not make a move.

Because the other party is:
"The extraordinary one".

The middle-aged man confronting Sekus spoke slowly and deliberately.

Deuteronomy chapter 20, verse 10, line 15—

What Secus just said was the original text from the Mosaic Law, which is the word that represents Yahweh declaring war.

"You may slaughter us and burn our homes, but—you must not defile our faith, Lord! Where is the Lord!"

Bang!
As he spoke, the middle-aged man slammed his fist on the wooden table in front of him.

It wasn't just the other party's attitude and behavior of 'following the Lord's command,' but also their dissatisfaction and anger towards 'the Lord'!
Since the arrival of the Extraordinary Ones, monsters and demons have ravaged the island nation, while the gods remain high above, hidden in the shadows. In America, two factions are locked in a fierce struggle, each believing in the "Father of the Sea" and the "Lord of Heaven."
Although the President's faction has repeatedly stated that they believe in the Lord of Armies.

But throughout Europe, no, throughout the world, those with even a modicum of awareness remained silent.

What a joke!
When did Yahweh become so 'trendy,' granting power to make people form 'veteran guilds'?
Moreover, it's full of magicians, vampires, werewolves, black knights, and even cyborgs and virus parasites. It doesn't look like a force under Heaven's control at all.

Moreover, even those 'veterans' were vague when asked about their beliefs, and they didn't know who the true ruler of 'Nightmare Space' was: it must be a very great being, anyway.

others?
I don't care what you have or don't have, I only care about completing tasks!

The only thing that could be considered a divine miracle was the holy sword Durandal in the hands of the English princess.

However, as is well known, English 'Puritanism' and 'traditional' faith are two different things: Puritans insist on 'Scripture alone', oppose the authority of the pope and the episcopal system, and advocate that believers communicate directly with God through the Bible, making them a prime example of 'heretical' faith.

In this situation, it is quite normal that Yahweh, the world's first believer, performed no miracles whatsoever, and the disappointment of countless believers is entirely understandable.

"The Lord is right here; He has descended to earth!"

Sekus stood up, and the 'mafia' members opposite him all stepped back.

"He has sent messengers with divine pronouncements; now, tell me your answer—"

"us,"

The middle-aged man still wanted to project a tough image, but the increasing heat emanating from the blond young man opposite him made him choose:
"I am willing to surrender."

He naturally didn't believe in any 'master,' but the other party's extraordinary power was genuine.

If a real fight breaks out, even if we manage to repel the enemy, the number of casualties is unknown.

Sigh, wanting to remain independent in this chaotic world
Almighty Lord, why have you forsaken your Lamb?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After a few hours,
Sun Island
In the center of this giant island, there is a mountain bathed in flames.

At the summit of the mountain, it resembles a demon king's fortress or a crown in flames; jagged spires pierce the sky, and towering flames blaze wildly. Anyone who witnesses this building immediately understands that this is the residence of its master, the throne of the island's ruler.

Yonghuo Mansion

"Wait! Hold on a minute!"

From the fortress's main hall came terrified pleas for mercy.

“We can offer any deal, no, no, we can worship you as gods—ah!”

"Facing imminent death,"

Wearing a flamboyant blue-green suit, his tie hanging loosely at his chest, and a dark devil's cloak; the white-haired young man in sunglasses loosened his fingers, letting the body of the French diplomat slide down.

"So all you can say is such mediocre words?"

"We are messengers!"

Another diplomat from Sandeuk had cold sweat pouring down his forehead and was trying his best to ease the tension.

"We are not here to fight, but to seek cooperation."

"cooperate?"

The Duke with the ram's head, seated on the throne, chuckled softly.

"You and me?"

".yes,"

San Dezi's diplomat swallowed hard. The unspoken message was clear: Cooperation? You're not worthy of it.

But since we're already here, we have no choice but to bite the bullet and give it a try.

"Faith, power, money, and beautiful women."

His voice trailed off as he spoke, and when he finally arrived at the palace and met the master of the place, San Dezi's diplomats realized that the success rate of this operation was so low, not even three percent as predicted before departure, but zero!
"I don't need your faith, nor do I need anyone's praise."

The Grand Duke on the throne spoke slowly.
"I am the Fire Demon,"

"Born from the ashes of the Creator."

"The flame of the Creator will surely be brought to every corner of this planet—"

"Since you are a follower of that 'god,' why don't you cooperate with us?"

A Bharat diplomat who was kneeling on the ground hurriedly crawled forward.

"We also believe in the 'Amaterasu' sun goddess!"

"His light brought life to the world; he is the mother of all things, the creator."

"Ah,"

The diplomat's praise was interrupted by a chuckle.

"Humans, you are lowly, cunning, and deceitful, yet you do not know the true meaning of power."

Surrounded by several humanoid 'Flame Lords', the Grand Duke of Flame Sun on the throne stood up and spread his right hand.

Light,

The blinding light

Light that ignites everything, burns everything, and destroys everything!
A tiny 'sun' appeared in his palm.

"Does the sun's rays bring life?"

"wrong!"

"Within this light, there is only destruction!"

The Duke, a gentleman with a goat's head, held a miniature sun in front of him, and through his monocle, he saw the reflections of terrified faces.

Under the glare, diplomats from more than a dozen countries on this planet were drenched in sweat and looked like corpses.

"Your planet just happens to be in a 'lucky' position."

"They took a little of the Creator's favor and became complacent."

"I--"

"'Duke of the Blazing Sun' Afrit!"

The gentleman with the ram's head spreads his arms wide, as if embracing the sun.

"May this light and flame be spread to every corner of this planet; may we offer a splendid hymn to our Creator!"

That damn fire madman!
On the other side, Roman, kneeling on one knee, gritted his teeth.

To think that this operation was easy is incredibly stupid.

(End of this chapter)