Chapter 165

Despite Koza not being in Yuba, Vivi and the crew did not give up on stopping the rebellion. But, they first allow themselves a good rest. Meanwhile, Baroque Works' top members meet together in Rain Dinners. They discover that their leader, Mr. 0, is no other than Crocodile. After the initial shock, Crocodile reveals to them his plan to become the ruler of Arabasta, thus creating their own utopia. The plans begin the next morning at 7 AM. Next morning, Toto gives Luffy a precious barrel of oasis water he helped to recover the other night. The Straw Hats then depart for their next destination. But suddenly, Luffy decides to stop moving on.

Operation Utopia

Remembering when Mr. Toto left Yuba, Vivi offers him a tissue and promises to stop the rebellion, the crew then decides to stay the night while Mr. Toto, and Luffy continue to dig for water. Meanwhile, the top brass of Baroque Works meet up, but are awaiting for Mr. 0, suddenly Miss All Sunday shows up and reveals that they are in Rain Dinners, a casino owned by Crocodile. It is also revealed that the leader is Crocodile himself and that he has been there the whole time, which surprises all the members, he then explains his "Utopia" plan. The next day, the Straw Hats are preparing to leave Yuba, and Mr. Toto gives them some water for their journey, but Luffy suddenly decides to quit.

Skill Crane

The Shaman, Ner'zhul: Origin of the Lich King

Just as Ner'zhul and his followers entered the Twisting Nether – the ethereal plane that connects all of the worlds scattered throughout the Great Dark Beyond – they were ambushed by Kil'jaeden and his demonic minions. Kil'jaeden, who had sworn to take vengeance on Ner'zhul for his prideful defiance, tortured the old shaman mercilessly by slowly tearing his body apart piece by piece. Kil'jaeden kept the shaman's spirit alive and intact – leaving Ner'zhul painfully aware of his body’s gross dismemberment. Though Ner'zhul pleaded with the demon to release his spirit and grant him death, the demon grimly replied that the Blood Pact they had made long ago was still binding – and that he would make use of his wayward pawn once again.

Kil'jaeden appeared to the orcs' most respected leader, the elder shaman Ner'zhul, and told him that he would bestow upon the orcs great power and make them the undisputed rulers of their world. He even offered the old shaman untold mystical knowledge if he agreed to bind himself and his people to the Legion's will. Calculating and power hungry by nature, Ner'zhul accepted Kil'jaeden’s offer and made a Blood Pact with the demon. By doing so, Ner'zhul had sealed the orcs' fate and damned them to become the unwitting slaves of the Burning Legion.

As time passed, Kil'jaeden recognized that Ner'zhul did not have the will or the brazen audacity to follow through with his plan of forging the orcs into a bloodthirsty horde. Ner'zhul, realizing that his pact with Kil'jaeden would only lead to his race's annihilation, refused to help the demon any further. Enraged by the shaman's defiance, Kil'jaeden swore to take vengeance upon Ner'zhul, and corrupt the orcs despite him. Kil'jaeden found a new, eager apprentice to lead the orcs on the path to oblivion - Ner'zhul's own nefarious protégé, Gul'dan.

With Kil'jaeden’s help, Gul'dan succeeded where his teacher had faltered. The evil, power-hungry Orc not only abolished the ancient practice of shamanism – which he replaced with the study of demonic Warlock magics – but united the Orc clans into the volatile Horde that Kil'jaeden had envisioned. Ner'zhul, powerless to stop his former apprentice, could only watch as Gul'dan masterfully transformed the orcs into mindless agents of destruction.

Years passed as Ner'zhul brooded silently upon the red world of Draenor. He watched as his people staged the first invasion of Azeroth. He heard the tales of the orcs' Second War against the Alliance of Lordaeron. He bore witness to the treachery and corruption that seemed to be destroying his people from within. Despite Gul'dan's masterminding the Horde's dark destiny, Ner'zhul knew that he himself was responsible for setting it all in motion.

Shortly after the end of the Second War, the news of the Horde's defeat reached the orcs who remained in Draenor. Ner'zhul, knowing that the Horde had failed its mission to conquer Azeroth, feared that Kil'jaeden and the Legion would take dire action against the remaining orcs. To escape Kil'jaeden's imminent wrath, Ner'zhul opened a number of mystical portals that lead to new, unspoiled worlds. The old shaman rallied the remaining orc clans and planned to lead them through one of the portals, and into a new directed destiny.

Before he could execute his plan, Ner'zhul was forced to deal with an Alliance expeditionary force sent to Draenor to destroy the orcs forever. Ner'zhul's loyal clans managed to hold the Alliance forces at bay while the old shaman opened the raging, magical portals. To his horror, Ner'zhul realized that the portals' tremendous energies were beginning to rip the very fabric of Draenor apart. As the Alliance forces pushed the orcs further back into the hellish world, Draenor began to buckle in on itself. Realizing that the battling clans would never reach the portals in time, Ner'zhul selfishly abandoned them and escaped with his elite followers in tow. The evil group of orcs crossed through their chosen portal just as Draenor blew apart in an apocalyptic explosion. The old shaman believed he'd been lucky to escape death... Ironically, he would live to regret his náiveté.

Oda Eiichiro