Summoner in One Piece

The night passed in a deceptive calm. Outside Tonryuu's walls, Erza and Akane's two patrol units, now augmented by the 100 former rogue soldiers who had sworn allegiance to Alex, rested in their secluded camps. Inside the city, the barracks lay quiet, the soldiers within unaware of the insidious agents introduced into their meals. General Ren, confident in his perceived upper hand, slept soundly in his quarters.

The morning of the fourth day dawned, a soft, hazy light filtering into the barracks. As the soldiers began to stir and prepare for their morning duties, a subtle unease settled over the courtyard. First, it was just a few yawns that seemed too deep, a few stretches that ended in a wince. Then, a growing number of men complained of a strange sluggishness, a heavy lethargy that clung to their limbs. Their movements became sluggish, their minds foggy. Conversations dwindled into mumbled complaints. It wasn't a sudden, dramatic collapse, but a creeping, pervasive weakness that slowly, inexorably, sapped their strength.

General Ren, in his private quarters within the administrative building, began to feel it too. A dull ache in his head, a leaden feeling in his muscles. He dismissed it as fatigue from the march, but as he stepped out into the barracks courtyard, the sight of his men, usually bustling with disciplined energy, now moving like sleepwalkers, sent a cold dread through him. He saw some of Alex's men, also moving slowly, but the sheer scale of the incapacitation among his own troops was alarming. This was no mere fatigue.

A flicker of suspicion, then a surge of panic, ignited in Ren's eyes. He had been tricked. Ho Kaku's message... it was a lie, a lure. He looked around wildly, his gaze falling on Alex, who stood calmly nearby, observing the scene with a knowing, almost sympathetic, expression.

"You!" Ren roared, a sudden burst of adrenaline fighting through the poison's grip. He lunged for his sword, but his movements were clumsy, uncoordinated. "This is treason! What have you done?!"

Alex merely shook his head. "Your treachery, General, has been unveiled. Ho Kaku is already secured. Your rogue army, your raids on Qin villages, your alliance with bandits at the iron mine – all of it is known."

Ren, seeing his game was truly up and his men were useless, abandoned his weapon. He was a cornered viper. With a desperate, animalistic cry, he turned and bolted, attempting a frantic escape. He knew the city's labyrinthine back alleys, the hidden passages. His mind, though clouded by the poison, raced for a way out, a path to the outer walls.

"He's fleeing!" Kaelen bellowed, already moving to intercept.

Alex, with Kaelen and his remaining elite guard, immediately gave chase. The pursuit was tense. Ren, despite his weakening state, moved with a desperate cunning, weaving through the barracks, bursting out into the city streets. He was aiming for the western gate, the quickest route out of Tonryuu. Alex and Kaelen, though unhindered by the poison, had to navigate the awakening city, avoiding alarming the populace while keeping the rogue general in sight.

Just as Ren, gasping for breath, reached the western gate, his heart pounding with a desperate hope, a new sound filled the air: the rhythmic thud of hundreds of marching feet. From the road leading back to Tonryuu, two disciplined columns of soldiers emerged, their banners snapping in the morning breeze. It was Erza and Akane, leading their combined forces.

They had timed their return perfectly. As Ren stumbled towards the gate, Erza's unit, having taken the more direct route, appeared first, blocking his path. Akane's unit, having circled around, began to close in from the flank, cutting off any alternative escape.

Ren skidded to a halt, his eyes wide with a dawning, terrible realization. He was utterly surrounded. His escape was futile. He saw Erza, her poleaxe gleaming, and Akane, her sword already drawn, their faces grim and determined. Behind them, his own former soldiers, now under their command, stood ready.

"General Ren," Erza announced, her voice calm and authoritative. "Your escape is over. Surrender now, and you will be treated fairly."

Ren looked from Erza to Akane, then to Alex, who had now caught up, his expression resolute. The poison continued its slow, inexorable work, his body trembling with weakness. He had gambled, and he had lost everything. With a guttural roar of frustration and defeat, General Ren finally collapsed to his knees, utterly defeated.

Alex's forces moved in swiftly. Ren was secured, bound, and led away to the dungeon, joining Ho Kaku and his cronies. The city barracks, now filled with incapacitated soldiers, were quickly and quietly secured by Kaelen and the remaining elite guard. The coup was complete. Tonryuu was truly Alex's.