At Lance's command, the refugees—though unsure of his intentions—reluctantly stepped behind him, nudged along by Rebecca and Baby-5.
Then, Lance knelt down and placed his hand on the ground, his eyes suddenly flashing.
[Iwa Iwa: Reconstruction] (Rock-Rock: Reconstruction)
The earth surged and trembled. The entire ruined town began to shake as rubble shifted. All the survivors of Angel Town stood frozen in shock.
Buildings rose from the ground like sprouts after a spring rain—homes, shops, the clocktower—all emerging as if by magic, spreading out from the plaza in every direction.
The town, which had been reduced to ash and ruin by Jack the Drought and the Beasts Pirates, had transformed in mere moments from a hellscape… into a paradise.
The ruins vanished without a trace. A brand-new town stood tall in their place.
Roughly a minute later, as the newly sculpted dove of peace statue ascended in the middle of the square, Lance stood up and calmly retracted his hand.
"Am I dreaming? Angel Town is back!"
"It's not exactly the same as before… but it looks even better now! Look at all those tall buildings!"
The survivors burst into shouts of amazement.
To people from a remote town, the ability to destroy a place in an instant wasn't too surprising—after all, the New World was crawling with monsters.
But to rebuild an entire town—better than it had ever been—in under a minute? That was unthinkable.
"Benefactor-sama! You're amazing!"
Rebecca's face turned bright red with excitement. Her smile lit up like sunshine.
"Lance, you're drenched in sweat! Let me wipe you down."
Baby-5 noticed Lance's sweat-soaked body and quickly pulled out a towel to help him dry off.
Lance raised his hand to stop her. Instantly, bandages flew from his body and wrapped him tightly, forming a mummy-like silhouette. Then, another bandaged figure appeared beside him. Its wrappings unraveled to reveal Lance once again—completely clean, without a drop of sweat or fatigue.
"W-What kind of magic is that…?"
The refugees were stunned yet again.
Rebecca and Baby-5, however, weren't surprised. This wasn't new to them.
During their time on the ship, Lance would often go through intense training. He'd end up soaked in sweat and breathing heavily—only to shed a bandaged clone and emerge completely refreshed, like nothing happened.
"Didn't expect rebuilding Angel Town to be more exhausting than my battle with Doflamingo…"
Lance thought to himself.
He had modeled the architecture after Dressrosa's style. With his Iwa Iwa no Mi (Rock-Rock Fruit), he assumed it would be easy. But in reality, carefully molding the entire town required intense focus and drained a lot of stamina.
Angel Town wasn't small either—by rough estimate, it covered at least ten square kilometers. Constructing that many buildings in under a minute was something only Lance could manage. Even someone like Pica might have struggled.
"But at least now, I have a hometown in this world."
A silent thought echoed in Lance's heart.
A hometown meant something to anchor him. A place worth returning to.
The crowd erupted in cheers, flooding into the new homes with tears in their eyes. People who had been hiding in the outskirts rushed back to town, overwhelmed with gratitude for Lance.
"Alright, I'm not here to bask in your thanks."
"Tell me—after Jack the Drought left here, where did he go?"
Lance's voice turned cold.
His visit had two purposes: see if Angel Town could move him emotionally—and more importantly, track Jack and the Beasts Pirates.
"Sir, we don't know exactly where they went," an elder replied. "After they destroyed the town, they looted everything of value and set sail. We only survived by hiding in the mountains."
"But… I heard there's a town nearby called Kokapiro. It's under the Beasts Pirates' flag. Jack's men control it, and it's become a bustling trade town. A lot of people go there every year."
"Is Jack the Drought there?"
Lance's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
"I… I'm not sure, sir."
"Alright. That's enough. You can go."
Lance lit a cigarette. He had already made up his mind.
Whether Jack was there or not didn't matter. If the Beasts Pirates had a base in that town, there was bound to be useful intel.
Once a lively and peaceful town, everything changed when the Beasts Pirates saw its potential for profit. They raised their flag and claimed it for themselves.
Unless the town handed over massive tributes every year, they'd be punished brutally.
Since then, Beasts Pirates roamed freely—arrogant and unchecked. With the power of a Yonko behind them, even the Navy dared not interfere.
Kokapiro still looked glamorous on the surface, but the harmony it once had… was long gone.
"What a flashy little pleasure city this is."
Lance walked calmly through the bustling streets of Kokapiro, brushing shoulders with the crowd. Rebecca and Baby-5 followed behind, his gaze sweeping over the gaudy, golden buildings on both sides.
"Tonight… everything changes hands."
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