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One Piece: Я владею громом и

молнией

Аниме и комиксы

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Автор:

DaoistAutumn_rain

4.49

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Краткое содержание

Юноша с Земли случайно оказался в королевстве пиратов, где он

участвовал в битвах и рисковал среди бурных морей.

В этом мире не существовало ни легендарной системы, ни

несравненной магии — только громовой плод, дарованная ему сила.

В ту эпоху Четыре Императора все еще плавали на одном корабле, а

неуловимому One Piece еще предстояло утвердить свое господство

над морями.

Морским пехотинцем командовали два чрезвычайно

могущественных адмирала.

Теперь я, Альберт Николас, клянусь вписать свое имя в анналы

истории, распространив его повсюду по бескрайним просторам этого

мира!

Примечание автора [Дайте мне свои камни силы, и я дам вам главы.

Кстати, я оставлю этот LN бесплатным, так что не беспокойтесь]

Я перевожу этот замечательный LN.

Оригинальное название этой серии:

海贼之掌控雷电,

пожалуйста, поддержите оригинального автора

Общая аудитория

The Legend of the Ghost of

Bakura

"Hey, is what you said true?"

Inside a tavern in the town of Bakura, a voice of incredulity suddenly

rang out.

"Of course it's true. My wife's brother's wife's brother's son's friend's

brother is a guard at Lord Kozuki 's estate, and he saw it with his own

eyes.

Apparently, those thieves who broke into Lord Kozuki 's estate were all

under the notorious daimyo, Kozuki Oden, from Kuri."

"That can't be possible. While Kozuki Oden does have a bad reputation,

as the heir to the Wano general, he wouldn't need to resort to such acts,

would he?"

"Heh, even you know about the drama of their father-son estrangement

that ended in reconciliation, allowing Kuri, who once had a special status

in Wano, to come under the general's rule. Maybe it's the general's

arrangement.

It not only gives Oden a lot of prestige but also allows him to use his

powerful force to suppress the cancer that is Kuri in Wano.

Since Kuri came under the general's name, the income of the general's

estate has skyrocketed."

As the customers in the tavern discussed animatedly, a man wearing a

kimono and standing nearly two meters tall approached with a bowl of

sake, curious. "What's this about theft at Lord Kozuki 's estate?"

"It's Boss Guo," the customers greeted Nicholas with a smile. After all,

everyone in Bakura knew Boss Guo of Quint Tavern to be benevolent,

despite the unfortunate incident where his wife was disfigured in a fire

and had to wear a mask daily. Nevertheless, she still occasionally helped

the townsfolk by providing free medical treatment.

"It's impossible not to know; those rascals wouldn't miss out on free

money like that. When they saw those guys take the money from Lord

Kozuki 's estate, they went straight to Flower capital.

First, they bought luxurious clothing from head to toe, and they even

spent a lot of money to replace their weapons. You see, many of the

warriors in Lord Kozuki 's estate haven't changed their weapons for many

years.

And those guys who caused the Mountain God Uprising back then, they

haven't compensated those who lost their homes to the Mountain God

one bit. And that same Mountain God is now under Oden's command in

Kuri. Rascals will always be rascals; they won't think too much, even if

they become warriors."

"Uncle, your appetizers are ready."

At that moment, Katie, dressed in a cute kimono, approached with two

plates of appetizers.

"Eh, Miss Hinata, we didn't order this grilled eel."

Surprised to see the grilled eel on the table, the customers thought there

had been a mistake.

"No, Mr. Inai said since you're regular customers, this grilled eel is on the

house."

Then, the customers followed Katie's gaze and saw Mrs. June nodding

towards them with her mask on.

"She's so kind, our lady."

The customers quickly thanked her.

"Boss, I'm back."

At that moment, Simon, dressed as a waiter, and the towering Vista

returned to the tavern with bags of supplies and ingredients.

After handing a handwritten letter to Issho, Nicholas and his group

settled in Bakura. After all, compared to other places in Wano, Bakura

was more suitable for hiding.

At night, while the tavern's door remained closed, a room deep inside the

tavern was illuminated.

Inside, everyone sat cross-legged on tatami mats.

"Captain, Vista and I went to Flower capital, and it seems the current

Wano general isn't Kozuki Oden anymore. If I'm not mistaken, the current

Kozuki Oden is actually an imposter created by Kurozumi Mochiyo using

his Devil Fruit powers.

And it seems that the current daimyo of Kuri, Kozuki Oden, doesn't seem

to have noticed..."

At this point, Simon, looking perplexed, glanced at Nicholas and said,

"Are they really father and son? How can a father and son not know that

the other is an imposter?"

According to Simon, Oden's displayed strength, even in the New World,

made him a formidable opponent. But for such a powerful person not to

notice his own father being impersonated seemed incredulous.

"Who knows? Perhaps, it's just like his rumoured personality in Wano,

not recognizing his own father is a basic trait."

Nicholas nonchalantly replied. He was only interested in Wano because

he was waiting for someone only Oden could encounter, and he wasn't

particularly interested in other events happening there.

Coincidentally, Nicholas had even seen a Shimotsuki member on one

occasion, a man who bore a striking resemblance to Zoro, which almost

made Nicholas question if he had travelled through time.

...

"Hey, are you sure this is the place?"

In a narrow alley outside the tavern, several men dressed in stealthy

attire were scrutinizing the tavern in the distance.

"How the hell would I know? The boss said this is the place."

The one questioned appeared irritated. He was just a grunt following

orders; whatever his superiors said, he did.

"Should we move now?"

"Let's wait. We'll slip in when those guys in there are asleep."

As the words fell, the men decided to wait a while longer, planning to

sneak in after everyone in the tavern had fallen asleep.

"Yo-ho-ho-ho~"

Just then, a figure cloaked in eerie green dashed past them from the end

of the alley.

"Hey, did you guys hear that?"

The last person in the group, sweating profusely and swallowing hard,

asked anxiously.

"What? What are you on about now?"

The others, annoyed by the sudden question, looked at him with

displeasure.

Seeing that the others seemingly hadn't heard anything, the questioner

suddenly felt the dark alley behind him become eerily sinister.

It was like walking alone at night, feeling someone's gaze from the

shadows.

Summoning his courage to look back, he saw a skull, emanating an eerie

green glow and surrounded by ghostly flames, staring back at him.

"A ghost!"

A piercing scream shattered the silence of the night.

Then, he bypassed the others and bolted towards the main street, as if he

had encountered a ghost.

"What ghost? There's no such thing as ghosts in this world."

Seeing his companion yelling about ghosts and fleeing in panic, the

others scoffed.

"Yeah, where are the ghosts?"

At that moment, the group suddenly heard a voice not belonging to any

of them, and they stiffly turned their necks to look deep into the alley.

"A ghost!"

With that, the legend of the vengeful spirit of a warrior who died unjustly

a century ago and would emerge from the alleys of Bakura at night to

claim the lives of the living began to spread in the town.

Stranded Dick

"Did you guys hear the sound last night?"

The next day, many people in the tavern were enthusiastically discussing

the events of last night. It was evident that many had heard the piercing

scream that cut through the darkness.

"I heard it. It was eerie. I heard it was a few guys who were planning to

steal, but accidentally ran into a ghostly skeleton."

"Heh heh, want to know the details?"

"Do you know?"

Upon hearing this, many turned their attention to the speaker.

The man, feeling proud under the gaze of the others, explained, "Of

course I do. It was my wife's brother-in-law's wife's brother's son's friend's

brother who serves as a guard at Lord Oden's mansion. He told me about

it. Those guys were caught by the patrolling warriors."

"Tell us what happened exactly?"

Many became interested at this point.

"Ahem, let me clear my throat."

The man cleared his throat and tapped the table lightly with the empty

bowl in his hand.

Seeing this, others quickly poured him some more wine.

After taking a sip, the man spoke, "It's similar to what you heard. Indeed,

someone did run into a ghost last night. According to those guys, it was a

half-bodied skeleton, filled with the resentment of death. Flames of the

underworld surrounded him, and anyone touched by them would turn to

ashes. It seems that the skeleton was once a ruthless warrior who died in

battle long ago in Bakura, known as the 'Executioner Slasher'. However,

Lord Oden has already sent for a monk from the great temple in Flower

capital to suppress the evil spirit. It won't be long before it's taken care

of."

After finishing his story, the man took another sip of wine and noticed a

skeleton decoration on the tavern wall.

"Boss Guo, what's that?"

The man looked puzzled as he pointed to the skeleton on the wall.

"Oh, that's just a decoration. My wife uses it to practice bone setting.

After all, only with persistent training can one better help the injured."

Nicolas explained with a smile, looking at the skeleton decoration.

Since their identities were well disguised, even Vista, the small giant,

wasn't too surprising in the world of pirates. However, a talking skeleton

would draw too much attention. After unanimous agreement, Brook

became one of the decorations in the tavern.

Brook readily accepted, especially after Nicholas told him that in his soul

state, he could see all sorts of interesting things in the women's

bathhouse.

Nine miles, the port of Kuri.

A large three-masted ship, resembling a giant white whale, lay stranded

on the beach. The ship's three masts were broken, the sails torn, and the

hull damaged. Clearly, this ship had sustained severe damage while

climbing the waterfall in Wano.

"We did climb the waterfall, but why are there islands and a sea here?"

"It seems someone lives on the island. We don't have to worry too much

about supplies now. I never thought the ship's hold would flood. Most of

our supplies and provisions are unusable."

"Haha, that's my fault. I didn't expect so many reefs in that waterfall."

The navigator said apologetically.

"I'm going to the island to see if there are any settlements and collect

supplies. Anyone want to come with me?"

A voluptuous beauty with blueish hair smiled and asked the others.

"I'll go, I'll go!"

"Me, and me."

"I'm Miss's guard dog."

"I want to go too."

A small guy with a pineapple-like head also raised his hand.

"Little guy, you stay here and help with the ship repairs as an intern.

Going to collect supplies with Miss is not your turn."

"Jozu, what are you talking about! I'm very strong! Don't forget I have the

Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit power of the Undying Bird!"

"Marco, strength? Didn't someone get chased around by a bunch of flame

chickens like little foals last time? The Undying Bird? I think it's more

like a Ground Chicken."

With Jozu's words, everyone burst into laughter.

"You... you..."

Thinking of the embarrassing moment when he was chased around by a

flock of flame eagles, Marco's face turned black, and a bluish-green flame

began to emanate from his body.

"Marco, wipe it off."

A simple-looking guy standing nearby handed Marco a piece of cloth,

indicating he should wipe it off first.

"Thank you, Thatch..."

Before Marco could finish, the simple guy continued, "It smells."

Marco:...

"Haha, that's our esteemed Undying Bird Marco for you. Haha."

Seeing Marco's embarrassment, Jozu laughed again. It seemed that

having an intern on the ship indeed brought a lot more fun.

After wiping his head, Marco looked at Whitebeard with resentment,

"Dad, you must have noticed what happened just now with your

Observation Haki, right? Why didn't you remind me?"

To Marco, it was not just about Jozu and the others not reminding him.

How could even Whitebeard not remind him?

"Marco, people need to grow. Do you expect me to remind you on the

battlefield in the future, my dear son?"

Whitebeard reached out and rubbed Marco's phoenix head, seemingly not

minding the lump of excrement that was just there.

[AN-There's something I need to attend to today, so there are only two

chapters.]

Flower swordmanship

At this moment in Hakumai, Nicholas watched as June held a booklet

printed with Wano Country characters and translated the Wano Country

text on it. In a nearby small box, there were several similar booklets.

These texts were actually quite valuable, considering there were only a

few booklets and each one cost Nicholas a box of gold pieces. But

Nicholas didn't consider them unworthy because most of the content in

these booklets contained the closely guarded secrets of various

swordsmanship and martial arts schools in Wano Country.

If these swordsmanship schools found out, they would likely organize

forces to retaliate against Nicholas. After all, these teachings were the

foundation of their existence. The reason they could dominate over the

common people in Wano Country was because of the powerful

techniques they possessed.

For ordinary citizens in Wano, aspiring to become a warrior was one of

the main paths to elevate their status. Another way was to pledge

allegiance to a daimyo or general, becoming their personal warrior. As

for peasants, they had no chance to become warriors; the cost of learning

swordsmanship and the expenses of a warrior's equipment were beyond

their means.

As for how Nicholas acquired these materials, it was simple. He bought

them from the Flower Capital's military government. As the head of the

most profitable organization in Wano, the military government had

accumulated the secret teachings of various martial arts schools and even

the secret techniques of the families loyal to the Kozuki Clan.

Now that the military government had been infiltrated by Kaido and the

kurozumi clan, they needed ample funds for their plans. So when Simon

approached them in disguise, the two sides quickly reached a cooperation

agreement.

The night when the covert team sent by Kaido was scared away by Brook

in the alley of the tavern, they were there to eliminate Simon and his

group. Facing Simon's extravagant spending, they wanted to eliminate

him to prevent potential future problems.

...

"I never expected these samurai to be so imaginative. Single-sword style,

two-sword style, three-sword style, four-sword style, and even eight-

sword style."

Katie looked at the translated booklets in amazement. For her, her main

focus was swordsmanship, and she never imagined that the samurai of

Wano would be so diverse in their styles.

Single-sword style was the most common on the sea, as it was easy for

beginners to grasp. Two-sword style required more skill but was not

uncommon. Three-sword style was rarer since humans only had two

arms; it was said that one might not encounter a practitioner even among

a hundred swordsmen.

As for the eight-sword style, it seemed that only the Octopus Fishmen of

the Fish-Man race could achieve it. However, according to the eight-

sword style school in Wano, it could be accomplished using special tools,

grasping weapons with various joints of the body, mouth, and hands.

Moreover, when mastered, the moves could be as graceful as a dance,

stunning opponents.

However, Vista just muttered, "All this fancy stuff."

"Regarding swordsmanship, just observe and learn. The top swordsmen

on the sea have all developed their own styles. Merely learning from

others will never lead you to the pinnacle of swordsmanship," Nicholas

said as he tossed a booklet called "Flower Swordsmanship" onto the table.

"Understood, Captain," Katie replied, looking at Nicholas.

When Nicholas turned to Brook, the skeleton was quietly staring at his

own hands, seemingly contemplating life.

"Brook?"

"Oh."

Brook slowly raised his head to meet Nicholas's somewhat puzzled gaze

and said seriously, "Captain, I specialize in the Swift Sword Style. These

things won't affect me. Besides, didn't you already point out my

swordsmanship? It's the Wraith Sword Style!"

"Oh, are you...?"

"Hehehe, I'm just pondering. It seems I can't practice this so-called Ryuo.

After all, I'm just a skeleton now."

Brook laughed.

"Uh..."

Nicholas couldn't help but glance at Brook's well-polished bones, shining

like jade. He fell silent.

Haki was indeed a significant weakness for Brook. Haki was a

manifestation of physical strength, akin to Observation Haki for the mind

and Conqueror's Haki for the soul. Without a physical body, Brook

couldn't use Haki, let alone the advanced form like Ryuo.

"Vista, you should grasp the techniques of Flower sword style and Ryuo

as soon as possible. If you have any questions, you can come to me."

[AN-Now is it official? If You guys were wondering if vista was my OC.]

"Captain, should I change to sword?" Vista inquired

"Though your body size is good for heavy weapons, but I think swords

are more compatible with you. While learning Ryuo you might get to

understand your own sword style, take inspiration from the flower

swordsmanship book I gave you.

Nicholas looked at Vista and said.

"Captain, have you already mastered it!?"

Simon looked at Nicholas incredulously.

Nicholas extended his arm and clenched his fist, enveloping his entire

arm with Ryuo Haki.

"Wow!!!"

Seeing this scene, Simon was utterly incredulous.

After dissipating the Ryuo Haki on his arm, Nicholas said, "Actually, it's

not as complicated as you think. It's like wrapping your body with

Armament Haki, just release it. As long as your Armament Haki reaches a

certain level, mastery is only a matter of time. In fact, you can think of

Ryuo as an armor layer outside the body."

"Is that so? Captain?"

As Vista spoke, Ryuo Haki also enveloped his fist, but unlike Nicholas, his

Ryuo was still unstable.

"That's right. But you need to stabilize it, just like proficiently wrapping

Armament Haki during battles."

Nicholas wasn't surprised by Vista's quick comprehension. After all,

Vista's proficiency in Armament Haki was second only to himself on the

ship.

"Wow!!!" Brook, Katie, and Simon were all dumbfounded as they looked

at Vista, who was smiling foolishly.

They never expected this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes to be this

talented.

Just then, the window of the bar was pushed open, and a majestic falcon

flew in, flapping its wings. However, its two wise eyes reduced its

majesty quite a bit.

"Cough, June. Can't you change its appearance? Maybe give it some

medicine?"

Watching the silly bird constantly bumping its head against June's feet

and cooing, Nicholas couldn't help but speak.

June smiled and rubbed the head of the "Walking Chicken," saying,

"There's nothing I can do. Last time, it drank a potion that could unleash

its potential. Once the effect wore off, it returned to its original state. By

the way, this little one said, there are pirates appearing in Ida Port in

Kuri. It seems their ship has run aground there."

"Captain, should we go check it out?"

Simon eagerly asked, showing that during their time in Hakumai, his

body was getting rusty from lack of action.

"You all stay here and watch over the ship. I'll go take a look."

With that, Nicholas walked out, stepping on his wooden clogs.

Whitebeard vs Oden

"The Land of Nine, Kuri.

Within the Kuri Castle, Kozuki Oden was in the study, perusing various

navigation books.

Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside, with snippets of phrases like

'Ida... pirates... foreigners... stranded at sea' faintly audible.

Upon hearing this, Oden felt a stirring in his DNA, promptly setting down

his books and grabbing his swords, Ame no Habakiri and Enma, before

heading outside.

Soon, Oden spotted someone reporting to the officials in the Kuri Castle.

"What's this about pirates you mentioned just now?"

Oden interjected as soon as he appeared.

The two commoners reporting, visibly trembling before the towering

figure of Oden, hastily responded.

"Oden-sama, it's like this. Today, we were planning to go to the beach to

see if we could find some seafood, but unexpectedly, near Ida Port, we

saw a large ship stranded on the beach. It was evident that the pirates

had encountered a maritime disaster. The ship, comparable to the size of

a castle in Kuri, was stranded there.

And many people disembarked from the ship. We were afraid of being

discovered by them, so we didn't dare linger and immediately came to

report."

After they finished, they anxiously awaited Oden's response. After all,

according to the laws of the Land of Nine, reporting foreign ships to the

local lord promptly would fetch them a handsome reward.

"Alright, I understand. Go to the warehouse later to receive your reward."

The castle official, aware of the two men's intentions, impatiently

dismissed them. Obviously, such commoners didn't warrant much

attention from him.

"Thank you, thank you, my lord."

The two men, accustomed to the official's attitude, kept thanking him

repeatedly.

"Oden..."

Just as the castle official was about to discuss countermeasures with

Oden, he realized that Oden, who had been standing there, had vanished

without a trace.

"What! Oden-sama went to the coast!? Why didn't you stop him? We

must hurry and stop Oden-sama! We must not let Oden-sama come into

contact with those pirates! I'll go after Oden-sama now. You go inform

Ashura Doji and Raizo!"

Upon hearing the castle official's words, Kinemon, the gatekeeper,

immediately set off to intercept Oden. Knowing Oden well, if he couldn't

stop him, Oden would surely demand to accompany those pirates on

their journey. And with Oden's strength, those pirates would hardly be

able to refuse.

"Wait for me, Oden-sama!"

As Kinemon rushed towards Ida Port, he silently prayed in his heart.

"Kinemon, where are you going?"

Just before leaving the castle, Kanjuro shouted at Kinemon, but

obviously, Kinemon had no time for him, merely saying, "Oden-sama is

heading to Ida Port. I need to stop him."

And he continued on his way.

Upon hearing this, Kanjuro's expression changed, and he hurriedly

followed after Kinemon.

"Is Oden-sama going to drive away the pirates on the coast?"

Denjiro couldn't help but ask as he caught up to Kinemon.

"If only he could drive away the pirates."

Kinemon, hearing the rumors about the pirates in Ida Port, felt somewhat

troubled.

"I heard there are pirate ships in Ida Port?"

"Yes, and unlike the previous shipwrecks with casualties, this time the

pirate crew only had their ship stranded."

"And it's said that the stranded ship is as huge as the castle of the Kuri

lord."

"I wonder what fate awaits those pirates this time? After all, this is the

first time under Oden-sama's rule that pirates have landed on Kuri,

right?"

"It should be the same as the practices in other regions, directly

beheading those pirates and putting them on display."

...

"Hey, you guys step back, there's someone formidable coming this way."

Whitebeard's expression suddenly turned serious as he looked towards

the coast, where a huge earth dragon made of smoke and dust was

swiftly approaching.

Along the way, all the trees were being destroyed as if by a fierce beast.

"Is it an enemy?"

Jozu's eyes narrowed, as he used his powers, and the other members of

the Whitebeard Pirates also brandished their weapons. For them, they

feared no enemy.

As Whitebeard and his crew stood ready, a gigantic figure leaped from

the forest on the coast, wielding two swords and swinging towards

Whitebeard.

As Oden swung his swords, Whitebeard also wielded his naginata,

meeting Oden head-on. With the clash of their weapons, the conqueror's

haki emitted by both sides permeated the surroundings, causing several

members of the Whitebeard Pirates to faint from the overwhelming

pressure.

"Is that guy like you, with conqueror's haki just like Dad?"

Marco shielded his eyes with his arm, watching the two figures clash, his

expression serious.

Although he had only recently joined Whitebeard's crew, Marco knew

well that opponents with conqueror's haki were quite formidable.

"That guy is formidable, but Dad isn't using his full strength, otherwise

that guy would have been lying on the ground long ago."

Jozu, keeping an eye on the battlefield, responded, and the other

members of the Whitebeard Pirates nodded in agreement. To them, it

seemed that Whitebeard was wary of the opponent's identity. After all,

the Moby Dick was severely damaged and would require at least a week

for repairs. If the guy in front of them was a big shot on this island,

knocking him down would only lead to more trouble later.

…

"If only you could drive away the pirates."

Kinemon couldn't help but murmur as he observed the confrontation

between the two.

"I am called Kozuki Oden. Although I don't know you, and you don't

know me, please take me aboard your ship!"

Oden, continuing to attack Whitebeard, earnestly spoke.

Upon hearing this, Whitebeard became even more certain that the guy

before him was not in his right mind. Taking such a person aboard his

ship would only spell trouble.

Moreover, for him, the Whitebeard Pirates were gradually becoming like

his family. He wouldn't allow outsiders to disrupt the harmony of his

family.

Facing the strange enemy before him, Whitebeard decided not to hold

back anymore. He used his naginata to block the opponent's attacks while

channeling his conqueror's haki to envelop his left fist.

With a loud thud, Oden was sent flying by Whitebeard's punch.

A familiar feeling

Thrown by Whitebeard's full-force punch, Kozuki Oden crashed onto the

ground in the distance. His vision started to blur, experiencing a

sensation he had never felt before due to the sheer power of the attack.

"Hahaha!"

After a moment, Oden, in a sorry state, lay on the ground and burst into

hearty laughter. This was what he had been tirelessly seeking –

everything in the Land of Wano was just too dull.

"That guy is laughing after getting punched?"

Jozu watched with surprise as Oden, bloodied and seemingly on the

verge of death, laughed heartily.

"Who knows? Maybe that guy's just crazy."

Marco shrugged nonchalantly.

"Damn it!"

Just as Whitebeard was about to return to the Moby Dick, a large group

of people suddenly emerged from the jungle, heading straight for Oden.

"Do you know who this is? This is the Lord of Kuri, the future heir to the

Land of Wano! How dare you attack Lord Kozuki Oden like this!"

Kinemon, brandishing his long sword, expressed his anger.

In their eyes, it was a grave offense to harm a person of Oden's stature.

"Oh, so he's a lord from Kuri."

The members of the Whitebeard Pirates remained indifferent.

Seeing Oden's subordinates berating them, Marco was furious.

"Attacking Lord Oden? Have you no shame!?"

Faced with the accusations from Oden's subordinates, Marco and the

others responded with equal vehemence.

"You dare to attack the Whitebeard Pirates? I'll make you regret it!"

Marco's body ignited with azure flames, his arms taking on the shape of

wings.

"Enough, Kinemon!"

Oden, who had stopped laughing, propped himself up from the ground

and raised his hand to stop Kinemon.

"Oden-sama."

Kinemon looked at the heavily injured Oden with concern, but what no

one noticed was the smile that crept onto Oden's face.

For him, he had waited for this moment for over twenty years. These few

days wouldn't make much of a difference. He would first pacify Kinemon

and the others, and then establish a connection with Whitebeard later.

Once the ship was repaired, everything would be smooth sailing.

"Alright then, when the ship is fixed, we'll leave."

Hearing Oden's words, Whitebeard nodded.

"Hey, Denjiro, post a notice in Kuri's lord's residence recruiting

craftsmen."

After Oden and his entourage departed, Whitebeard sat on a crate,

frowning as he gazed at a distant mountain peak.

"What's wrong, old man? Worried that those guys will cause trouble

secretly? Should I secretly follow them?"

Marco, seeing Inurashi monitoring the Whitebeard Pirates from afar,

thought Whitebeard was concerned that Oden's people might cause

trouble for them.

"Marco, it's not those guys."

Whitebeard shook his head and continued, "During the fight, I felt a

familiar presence nearby, but when I tried to use Observation Haki to

locate them, I got nothing."

"Someone who can evade your Observation Haki?"

Marco was shocked. While Observation Haki might be Whitebeard's

weakest aspect among the three forms of Haki he mastered, even so, it

was Whitebeard. The fact that someone managed to elude his senses was

astonishing.

"Who could it be, then?"

Marco was puzzled. Anyone who could trigger Whitebeard's sense of

familiarity must be a top-tier figure on the seas.

"I feel like it's Thunder Kid, but it's unlikely for him to be here."

Whitebeard was uncertain.

"Thunder Kid? The guy who defeated Charlotte Linlin and Kaido

together? But hasn't he been out of the picture for years?"

Jozu was bewildered. For many aboard Whitebeard's ship, the name

Thunder Kid was unfamiliar. Compared to the prominent figures

dominating the seas currently, that guy was too low-key.

"Let's forget about it. We'll leave when the ship is fixed. Maybe it was just

my imagination."

Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively.

Meanwhile, in the Shogun's Mansion in Flower Capital, a secretive

chamber, a young man with a square face and purple hair knelt on a

tatami mat, facing the Land of Wano's Shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki.

"Who would've thought that Whitebeard would show up in the Land of

Wano?"

Sukiyaki said, his face filled with trepidation.

"Is that guy named Whitebeard very strong?"

The young man asked curiously.

"Hehehe."

Hearing this, Sukiyaki burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest

joke.

"Orochi, it seems that the Land of Wano has limited your perspective.

There are countless powerhouses on the seas, and someone like

Whitebeard, if he wished, could easily annex the entire Land of Wano

and control countless islands under his command."

Sukiyaki paused for a moment. "But this is also an opportunity. If Kozuki

Oden follows Whitebeard to sea, then our plan can proceed even more

smoothly. We can reclaim the ancestral lands of the Kurozumi Clan and

the entire Land of Wano!"

With a wicked smile, Sukiyaki concluded"

Usurpation

"Eh, Kuri is our ancestral land!?"

Orochi looked incredulously at Kozuki Sukiyaki and asked.

"GiaoGiaoGiao~"

Upon hearing Orochi's words, Sukiyaki leaned forward and looked at

Orochi's face. "It seems that the Kozuki Clan has erased many things. Yes,

Kuri was once the fief of our Kurozumi Clan, and your grandfather was

once the lord of Kuri!"

"Kuri! Lord!"

"Just as I've told you before, the Kozuki Clan is guarded by six major

clans: the Shimotsuki Clan, the Kurozumi Clan, the Uzuki Clan, the

Fugetsu Clan, Hitaki clan and the Amatsuki Clan.

These six clans, serving as the lords of Kuri under the Kozuki Clan,

collectively protect the Kozuki Clan in the Flower Capital.

Later, due to the succession crisis in the Kozuki Clan, your grandfather

wanted our Kurozumi Clan to become the general of the Land of

Harmony.

As you know, due to the birth of Kozuki Sukiyaki and our plan being

exposed, the Kurozumi Clan faced destruction. But your existence,

Orochi, saved us from complete annihilation.

This is the will of the heavens, allowing our Kurozumi Clan to launch the

most magnificent revenge against those people!"

Sukiyaki's face showed a hint of fanaticism.

And Orochi's face also became increasingly resentful. It can be said that

in their eyes, all the misfortunes they encountered were brought about by

the Kozuki Clan.

"But what should we do to make Oden follow Whitebeard out to sea?"

Orochi looked at Sukiyaki and asked. After all, their plan to usurp the

throne depended on Oden leaving the Land of Harmony. Otherwise, with

Oden's legitimate heir status and his immense strength, they would have

no chance at all.

"GiaoGiaoGiao~"

After laughing heartily, Sukiyaki looked at Orochi and said, "It's simple.

Oden, that brainless guy, is determined to go to sea. The only obstacle to

his departure is those ruffian warriors under him. After all, in their eyes,

only when Oden ascends to the position of general of the Land of

Harmony can they demonstrate their loyalty and honor, as the title of

general's retainer is very attractive among the warriors of the Land of

Harmony.

So what we need to do is to distract those people from Oden and create

an opportunity for him."

As Sukiyaki spoke, the smile on Orochi's face grew bigger.

"Hahahaha!"

"GiaoGiaoGiao~"

After laughing for a while, the two finally stopped. Sukiyaki looked at

Orochi and asked, "Did you find any clues from the people I asked you to

investigate last time? What are they trying to do by spending so much

money to buy those things?"

Obviously, Orochi, who planned to usurp the throne, was extremely

cautious. After all, if something went wrong with such a major event, it

would be irreversible disaster.

"I investigated it. Those people are a group of wealthy merchants. They

probably bought those things to enhance their own strength. After all,

just like the local tycoons in the Land of Harmony, if you have wealth but

no corresponding strength, you'll only be making wedding clothes for

others."

Orochi said nonchalantly. It can be said that he wouldn't delve into such

matters unless they were related to the major clans of the Land of

Harmony or affected his plan to usurp the throne.

Even if those people really had other intentions, when he became the

general of the Land of Harmony, he could deal with them however he

pleased.

"Anyway, increase your vigilance a bit."

...

Kuri.

"I want to go to sea, I want to have adventures!"

Oden's voice echoed throughout the lord's castle in Kuri.

"This is impossible, as you well know. As the lord of Kuri and the heir to

the Land of Harmony, you are responsible for the future of Kuri and the

Land of Harmony! Other matters can be negotiated, but there is

absolutely no room for negotiation on this matter!"

The warriors led by Kinemon immediately voiced strong opposition.

Later, Oden, along with the Nekomamushi and Inurashi responsible for

supplying Whitebeard, came to the beach at Ida Port.

"Let me go with you on the voyage!"

During dinner, Oden once again earnestly pleaded with the Whitebeard

Pirates.

But Whitebeard took a sip from his jug of sake, looked at the cat and dog

who were chatting with Marco, and directly refused Oden.

"You're not the kind of person who submits to others. Recruiting someone

like you onto the ship would only bring trouble to the team. I've had too

many bad experiences with pirates from previous crews. If you truly want

to go to sea, then go by yourself. I sailed alone when I set out to sea."

"I've tried dozens of times, but all failed. I realized that I have no talent

for sailing at all!"

Oden, rejected, became anxious. If he had to rely on himself to go to sea,

who knows how long it would take?

"Gurararara~"

Whitebeard laughed and said, "What does that have to do with me?

Pirates aren't obliged to help every person who wants to go to sea. If you

want to go to sea, you might as well wait for a pirate crew willing to take

you in!"

"Did those pirates really say that?"

In a dimly lit room in the lord's castle in Kuri at night, a few figures were

discussing something secretly.

"Yes, meow. That big guy rejected Lord Oden's request to go to sea. I

heard it with my own ears, meow."

"Hahaha, that's great!"

"Yes, this should dispel Lord Oden's thoughts of going to sea.

"However, for safety's sake, let's go warn those guys again before going to

the Flower Capital. After all, pirates are lawless fellows, and with Oden's

personality, trouble might happen."

Training

"The New World and the Grand Line are completely different levels."

"In the New World, only those who possess Haki can be considered

qualified to enter the upper echelons. Otherwise, survival in the New

World is impossible."

"At Nicolas's request, Simon, Katie, and the others will be taught by Vista

until they master the advanced techniques of Busoshoku Haki, such as

Ryo."

"Meanwhile, Nicolas spends his days with June, assisting her in her

training, occasionally supervising Simon and the others' practice."

"After all, at over twenty years old, they also want to do things they

enjoy."

"As the days go by."

"Since Nicolas and the others began their training, almost two weeks

have passed."

"Creak—"

On this day, Nicolas, with bruises on his face and neck still showing

traces of red marks, pushed open the door of the room and stepped out.

June followed beside Nicolas, gently supporting him as he moved.

During this time, he had been focusing on helping June develop the

potential of her Mushroom Mushroom Fruit and further explore the

powers of his Thunder Thunder Fruit, paying little attention to the

passage of time.

Perhaps because he was completely immersed in his work, from the

moment he pushed open the door, Nicolas didn't feel like much time had

passed at all. Instead, it felt as if it had only been a day.

"How long have we been inside?"

Nicolas, assisted by June, walked through the corridor and suddenly

asked.

During this time, he had been so focused on helping June that he hadn't

paid much attention to the passage of time.

"Twelve days."

In contrast, June remembered very clearly.

"Really? Almost two weeks."

Nicolas sighed slightly, then turned to look at June and smiled. "You've

worked hard during this time."

"Hmph."

June subconsciously turned her head away, avoiding Nicolas's gaze.

Although they were an old married couple, she still felt a bit shy thinking

about what had happened between them in the room.

Nicolas smiled and withdrew his gaze, looking ahead at the moonlit

corridor, reminiscing about the wonderful experience they had shared.

Later, Nicolas went to check on the progress of the other members'

training, while June returned to her room alone.

Upon returning to her room, instead of heading straight to the bathroom,

June went to the mirror.

She stared at her reflection, her alluring figure, her delicate facial

features resembling those of a fairy queen.

At this moment, she was no longer wearing the protective suit, but her

attention was focused on her purple eyes.

"The color seems to have deepened a bit, and..."

June stared at her eyes intently.

Under the backdrop of her purple pupils, something strange seemed to

appear within her irises.

Those things were very faint in themselves, and combined with the

purple pupils, they were barely noticeable without careful observation.

"This change... is it good or bad?"

June muttered softly to herself.

The change in her eyes was the result of her further mastery of her

abilities with Nicolas's help.

June suddenly smiled, but she wasn't too worried. With Nicolas by her

side, there was no need to worry so much.

After a quick wash, June changed her clothes and quickly styled her hair,

then looked at the sets of protective suits in the wardrobe and finally

picked up the Crow Mask. Although she no longer needed these things,

old habits die hard.

"Is everyone practicing?"

Nicolas followed the breath of his companions and looked into the

distance, "watching" his companions practicing Haki in the distant

mountains and forests.

In the night forest, hardly anyone would dare to enter, as it was too

dangerous.

As Nicolas's gaze swept over, Vista and Simon both sensed his presence.

They immediately looked towards the location of the headquarters.

Vista and Simon's eyes flickered slightly.

"Is it finally done?" Vista and Simon both thought to themselves.

Apparently, they both knew about Nicolas's assistance to June in her

training, so Nicolas's appearance now undoubtedly meant that the

training was complete.

[AN-( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

Their reactions did not attract the attention of Brook and Katie.

After all, with their current observation abilities, they couldn't sense

Nicolas's gaze from afar.

So when Nicolas suddenly appeared next to Vista, it startled Brook.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack! Although I don't have a heart, yo-ho-

ho!"

Brook looked at Nicolas in astonishment, exaggeratingly patting his chest

bone as if he had just had a heart attack.

"Captain, you finally came out! Katie was really worried about you."

Seeing Nicolas's figure, Katie quickly ran over.

"Captain."

Vista and Simon also stopped their practice and looked at Nicolas.

Nicolas surveyed his companions, noticing that they were all practicing

diligently. Clearly, their strength had improved significantly compared to

before.

Especially the freezing aura that had been present in Brook's swift sword

strikes. Nicolas could see it clearly.

That should be one of the characteristics of the Yomi Yomi no Mi, being

able to infuse attacks with the power of the afterlife.

With this ability to attack the soul, who knows what Brook's mastery of

the Yomi Yomi no Mi will be like in the future?

Thinking of this, Nicolas shook his head with a wry smile.

"Vista, how are they doing in their training?"

"Hehe, Simon has already mastered the wrapping and release of

Busoshoku Haki, and as for Ryo, he has grasped some initial

understanding. It should take another month or so for him to fully master

it. Katie has already mastered the wrapping of Busoshoku Haki to some

extent and can now maintain the Black Blade state for a short period of

time. She's also doing well with her Kenbunshoku Haki, but it will take

about a year for her to fully master Ryo. As for Blaze, only Miss June can

control it. At this time, I don't know where he is wandering."

Vista then looked at Brook.

"As for Brook's training, there's not much I can do to help. After all, the

development of Devil Fruit abilities mostly depends on the user's own

exploration."

"Well, that's very good."

Nicolas looked at the somewhat embarrassed Katie and Brook.

Given Katie's physical condition, being able to master Busoshoku Haki to

some extent and maintain the Black Blade state for a short time was

already very good. Although it was only a short time for now, with her

physical condition, she had a long way to go in the future.

Of course, this was also thanks to the support of the Freedom Pirates' vast

resources and the guidance of Nicolas and Vista, two masters of Haki.

Departure!

Two days later.

Kuri, Wano Country.

"Whitebeard, sailing out to sea without permission in Wano Country will

be severely punished by law, and as the heir to Kuri and the future

Shogun of Wano, Kozuki Oden must set an example. So, no matter what

Oden-sama says, don't agree to take him out to sea."

Kinemon, dressed in magnificent samurai attire, said solemnly to

Whitebeard.

Next, he, Kanjuro, Ashura Doji, Kawamatsu, Raizo, and others would go

to the Shogun's Mansion in Flower Capital for training. Therefore, they

came again to remind Whitebeard's crew, not trusting them completely.

"Hahaha, it seems we have the same idea. I don't have any intention of

taking Oden with me either."

Whitebeard smiled and fist-bumped Kinemon in agreement. For him,

Kozuki Oden's personality didn't quite fit with the Whitebeard Pirates.

If it were Roger, he would probably have taken Kozuki Oden away

directly. After all, with their personalities, they should get along well.

"Hahaha, there are only five islands in the whole world? Don't talk

nonsense."

Looking at the surprised Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, Marco seemed to

regain his superiority. After all, as an intern on the ship, he had always

been teased by everyone, but he didn't expect to have his day today.

"Eh!!!"

Seeing the astonished Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, Marco felt even

happier.

"Wow, Marco is so amazing! He defeated a giant bird engulfed in flames!

It's unbelievable!"

"Marco is so powerful!"

...

"Oden-sama, where are you going?"

Following closely behind Kozuki Oden, Izo asked. With the repairs of the

Moby Dick nearing completion, and everyone except for the ones going

for training in Flower Capital, Izo was at the point of being overly

protective of Kozuki Oden.

"I'm going to the bathroom. Do you want to come with me? After all, I'm

a big shot. Can't you give me a little freedom?"

Oden said with a frustrated expression.

Feeling that he might have been a bit excessive, Izo said somewhat

embarrassedly, "Please, Oden-sama."

Then, when Oden entered the bathroom, Izo directly leaned against the

side of the bathroom and waited for him. He didn't want to do this, but

he had no choice. With Kinemon, Kanjuro, and the others all going to

Flower Capital for training, there were only himself and Oden left in

Kuri. If something went wrong while assisting Oden, he would probably

have to commit seppuku to apologize.

While Izo was lost in thought, he suddenly felt that something was wrong

in the bathroom. Besides the initial sounds, it had become too quiet now.

"Oden-sama? Are you in there?"

Izo tentatively knocked on the door and asked, but there was no response

from inside.

"Oden-sama?!"

Still no response. Then, Izo directly kicked open the door of the

bathroom, only to find that there was a huge hole cut in the back of the

bathroom, and Oden was nowhere to be seen.

Looking at the night outside the hole and the figure that was about to

disappear, Izo immediately sprinted after him. He knew that Oden was

planning to run away.

Under the cover of night, the Moby Dick of the Whitebeard Pirates slowly

sailed out of Ida Port.

"Although I'm sorry, Oden, we're sailing out to sea under the cover of

night. Boys!"

Whitebeard stood with his naginata on the deck of the Moby Dick,

looking at the gradually disappearing coastline, and spoke.

"Dad, I think Oden is a pretty good guy. Why don't you want to take him

on board?"

"If we're only talking about strength, he would be a great asset, but I

don't want to deal with the trouble he'll cause with his personality if I

agree to take him. And as the daimyo of Kuri and the future heir of

Wano, he has responsibilities to fulfill.

By the way, did you leave the compartment as a token of appreciation?

After all, he helped us repair the Moby Dick and provided us with food

and supplies."

"Don't worry, Dad, I..."

Before Marco could finish his answer, a chain suddenly flew over from a

distance and wrapped around the mast of the Moby Dick.

"Hey, what's that? An enemy attack?"

Marco and the others couldn't help but ask when they saw the sudden

situation.

"Whitebeard, luckily I already secretly found out the time when the ship

was repaired. I didn't expect you to be so ruthless and actually want to

abandon me!"

At the other end of the chain, Kozuki Oden, with his massive figure,

leaped up from the shore and grabbed the chain tightly.

Hearing Oden's misleading words, Whitebeard's forehead was covered

with black lines.

At almost the same time Oden grabbed the chain, Izo also jumped up and

hugged Oden tightly. With the Moby Dick's pulling force, the two of them

rode the waves in the sea.

"What a reckless guy. But this is it, Oden. You should go back and inherit

the position of Shogun!"

Saying this, Marco intended to break the chain wrapped around the mast.

"Wait, Marco, bring the guy lying on his back on his shoulder up here.

Remember, only bring him alone."

"Eh?"

Although he didn't understand, since it was Dad's order, there shouldn't

be a problem. After saying that, Marco directly turned his arms into

phoenix wings and flew towards Izo's position.

Soon, Izo was grabbed by the phoenix claws formed by Marco's feet.

"Hey, first save Oden-sama!!!"

Being grabbed by Marco, Izo looked at Oden in the sea and shouted

angrily.

"You don't seem to understand yet, this is not Wano, but the sea. We

pirates are the freest people on the sea! No one can command us!"

And just when Marco thought his words were very imposing, suddenly a

falcon's cry came from above.

"Screech!"

Hearing this sound, Marco's whole person was horrified. He quickly

turned his head to look around, trying to catch the source of the sound.

Shoo!

Then, the familiar sound came, and Marco immediately flapped his

phoenix wings and maneuvered in the air.

But unfortunately, the bird left a pile of Sh*t on marco's head, Marco's

phoenix brain was hit again, this time it was green, making Marco's head

even more like a pineapple.

"Hahaha!"

Seeing Marco with his unique hairstyle, Izo burst into laughter.

"Marco, wipe it off."

When Marco, carrying Izo, landed on the deck after being hit, Jozu

habitually handed over a towel.

However, Marco did not accept it this time. Instead, he came to Izo's side

with a gloomy face. If this guy hadn't moved around randomly just now,

he would definitely have been able to avoid it.

"What do you want, you bastard!"

Looking at Marco's gloomy face, Izo said fearlessly. In his opinion, even if

he died, he had to maintain the dignity of being a samurai of Kozuki

Oden!

However, unexpectedly, Marco didn't resort to physical violence against

him. Instead, he calmly took off Izo's beloved clothes, wiped his head

casually, rinsed it with water, and continued to wipe the back.

"I'll kill you, you bastard! I'll definitely kill you!"

Seeing his clothes emitting a strange smell, Izo was driven crazy.

At the same time, on the beach in Ida Port, an old man holding a

shamisen gently plucked the strings on his instrument and watched as the

Moby Dick gradually became a small dot, a smile appeared on his face.

At the same time, Nicholas, seeing the returning bird from a distance,

knew that the preliminary plan could be implemented.

Encounter!

Kuri, the castle of the daimyo.

"What! Lord Oden is missing?! And the Whitebeard Pirates, docked at Ida

Port, have set sail?!"

Upon hearing the news of Oden's disappearance and the departure of the

Moby Dick from the Kuri beach, the group returning from Flower Capital

felt a sense of unease.

"Izo is missing too, and even Nekomamushi and Inuarashi are gone."

Kikuzo's eyes welled up with tears out of worry, as he and Izo had always

relied on each other.

"Before considering the worst-case scenario, let's search the entire

country. Right now, all we can do is pray that those damn Whitebeard

guys didn't take Lord Oden with them out to sea!"

Denjiro, the one with the sharpest mind among them, spoke first, though

he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, and yet he had

no clue where to start.

"Dad! Is that guy really okay?! He won't die at sea, will he?" On the deck,

Marco, squatting at the rail, turned to Whitebeard, watching Oden

struggle in the waves.

Oden had been in the sea for almost half the night, and he looked

battered and bruised from crashing into a reef earlier. At a glance, one

might mistake him for some exotic sea creature.

"Don't worry about it. And Marco, notify everyone to prepare for a

banquet. After all, we're setting sail again!" With his naginata in hand

and a bottle of sake, Whitebeard drank heartily, ignoring Oden struggling

in the moonlit sea.

"Hey, Whitebeard, you better pull Oden up soon, or he'll die!! That guy is

supposed to shoulder the hopes of countless people in the future of

Wano!" Bound tightly, Izo watched with anger as Oden struggled in the

sea, shouting furiously at Whitebeard. To him, this was an insult to Oden

and to the whole of Wano!

"Gurrararara!"

Hearing Izo's words, Whitebeard burst into laughter before squatting

down and speaking seriously to the bound Izo.

"Kid, you've seen me refuse him several times, haven't you? But despite

that, that guy is still trying everything to set sail. So, let's abide by the

rules of the sea. Since he's chosen the sea, there's no room for titles

here!!!

I won't let such a dangerous guy just come on board, endangering the

safety of our family. If you can persuade him to give up, then go ahead.

After all, it's not too far to return safely to Wano with Oden's strength.

But you've got three days!"

Then, Whitebeard approached the stern and looked at Oden, who was

struggling in the sea, and spoke.

"Listen, Oden! If you hold onto that iron chain for three days straight, I'll

allow you on board to become one of us!"

"Gurarara!"

"Ha ha! A gentleman's word!"

After taking a deep breath, Oden shouted loudly.

"Of course, a swift horse needs but one whip."

Whitebeard responded loudly. Clearly, Oden's determination to sail at all

costs touched him, and he was willing to give him a chance.

"Dad, a fleet has been spotted in the port side direction!!!" Amidst the

raging storm, as everyone watched Oden struggle in the sea, a lookout's

cry came from the Moby Dick's crow's nest.

Upon hearing the sound, all the members of the Whitebeard Pirates on

board immediately entered high alert. After all, encountering a strange

ship in the New World could mean encountering enemies.

"Captain, a pirate ship has been spotted on the starboard side."

"Open the cannons! Prepare for battle!" Battling at sea required the

utmost care to keep gunpowder dry, especially inside the cannons, which

were covered with oilcloth until it was time for battle.

The lookout kept a close eye on the large ship ahead. As it drew nearer,

the ship's image became clearer, and through the telescope, the lookout

also saw the Whitebeard Jolly Roger flying on the Moby Dick and

Whitebeard himself on board.

"It's Whitebeard!!!"

With a terrified shout from the lookout, everyone on board the ship

immediately went into high alert. After all, encountering Whitebeard in

the New World was enough to intimidate anyone.

Their fleet consisted of medium-sized ships, but they were powerful in

terms of firepower, with each ship equipped with at least thirty cannons

and over a hundred crew members. Ordinary pirate crews wouldn't stand

a chance against them.

But they had no illusions about facing Whitebeard. He was a monster

capable of destroying an entire fleet single-handedly.

"Inform the fleet to change course and avoid them. Our goal this time is

to transport goods. We mustn't engage in conflict with them! If we fail to

deliver the goods on time, the consequences will be no different from

facing Whitebeard's crew head-on!"

With the captain's order, the entire fleet quickly changed formation and

sailed away.

"Dad! They're changing course!" From the mast, the lookout called out to

the Whitebeard crew on deck.

"Should we pursue them, Dad?"

Marco asked Whitebeard, wondering why they didn't plunder the ships

they encountered at sea, which was standard pirate practice.

"Let it go. Since they're avoiding us, we'll stick to our planned course!"

Whitebeard said, and with the storm raging, the two fleets passed each

other.

...

In the castle of Kuri.

"How is it? Any news of Lord Oden or Izo?"

Kanjuurou asked anxiously.

"There's still no news for now. I've asked Lord Yasuie from the Shimotsuki

family, as well as Lord Fugetsu and Lord Tempura, to keep an eye out.

We've also dispatched our men to search every corner of Kuri."

Denjiro looked at everyone and spoke.

"We can't keep waiting like this. You guys stay in Wano. I'll find a way to

get a boat and chase after the Whitebeard Pirates. If Oden is on

Whitebeard's ship, I'll bring him back intact!"

After saying this, Kinemon was about to leave to catch a boat and set sail.

But before he could take a step, he was grabbed by the collar by Denjiro.

"You think things aren't chaotic enough already? How do you plan to sail

out? Haven't you heard what Whitebeard said about the dangers of the

sea outside? Even their huge pirate ship has encountered mishaps at sea.

Do you expect to chase after Oden with a small boat?"

"What do you suggest then!?" Kinemon retorted angrily, pushing Denjiro's

hand away. He was frustrated.

"First, let's return. Then, take care of everything in Kuri. Kuri must not

have any problems before Oden returns. Also, keep an eye on Flower

Capital and any incidents happening in Wano."

Denjiro's glasses gleamed with a sharp light.

"???" Kinemon and the others were puzzled by Denjiro's words.

"I have a feeling that someone in Wano is plotting something behind the

scenes! Anyway, caution is our top priority!"

However, Denjiro didn't elaborate further. He had no evidence; most of it

was just his intuition.

Weapons!

Days later.

A fleet approached the waters outside of Wano Country. If the

Whitebeard Pirates were present, they would have noticed that this fleet

approaching the waters outside of Wano was the same one that had

passed them by in the storm a few days earlier.

"Captain, is our client this time someone important from Wano Country?"

As they waited for the other party to meet them, a curious crew member

asked the captain.

The captain of this ship did not answer directly but gave the crew

member a cold glance.

That one look caused the crew member's expression to change, and he

remained silent, bowing his head quietly.

In their line of work, it was best not to ask questions, especially when it

involved certain important figures. Sometimes, curiosity could truly be

fatal.

"Captain!, they're here."

With the words of the crew member beside him, the leader of this fleet

also picked up a telescope and looked into the distance, seeing a large

ship being pulled by several huge goldfish as it leaped down from the

waterfall of Wano Country.

Soon, it arrived in front of their fleet.

Once the two ships docked together, a person wearing a fox mask leaped

onto the deck from the ship.

"You're quite punctual."

The person with the fox mask looked at the captain in front of him and

spoke.

"That's for sure. After all, our reputation as the top player in the

Underworld relies on word of mouth. If we say three days, it's three days,

no later!"

The captain said proudly. This was also a demonstration of strength. To

be able to prepare so many weapons in a short time and deliver them

within three days spoke volumes.

"Let's check the goods first."

The person with the fox mask said calmly.

"No problem."

As the captain's words fell, two crew members quickly approached with a

wooden crate.

They pried open the crate, revealing rows of brand new flintlock rifles

wrapped in oilcloth inside.

The person with the fox mask casually pulled out a rifle from inside,

briefly inspected it, and tested the feel before tossing it to the captain.

"Not bad."

Then, he waved to the ship behind him, and several masked individuals

from the ship brought down several boxes of gold bars.

"It's all there."

"No need, no need. We trust your reputation."

Seeing the shining gold bars in the boxes under the sunlight, the person

in charge of the fleet smiled like a chrysanthemum.

"Well then, pleasant cooperation. When we need to place another order,

we'll come to you."

"No problem, sir."

With the transaction completed, the ships of both parties left the area.

Subsequently, with the help of several huge goldfish, the ships climbed

up the waterfall, the only passage into Wano Country.

"Captain, I'm back."

By a beach in Hakumai, Simon said to Nicholas, who was sunbathing, as

he placed a stack of newspapers on the table.

Due to Wano's special policies, Nicholas and his crew hadn't had access to

newspapers for a long time.

He wondered if anything significant had happened in the outside world

during this time?

Nicholas reclined on a beach chair, holding a newspaper and reading.

"Everything went smoothly?"

"Smoothly, and those guys seem to want to maintain long-term

cooperation with us. They even sent us an extra ten thousand lead

bullets."

"Well, rest for now. Afterwards, teach those guys the most basic firearms

operation. They can wield hoes and sickles with ease, but handling

firearms might be a bit challenging for them."

"Okay, I'll do it as soon as possible."

Simon said and lay down on the nearby empty beach chair, enjoying the

rare tranquility.

"Oh?"

Glancing over, Nicholas was surprised by the contents of the newspaper.

"The former noble family of the World Nobles, the Donquixote family,

was massacred in the North Sea, with no survivors."

In the World Economic Gazette, Nicholas saw this news and paused. He

knew the true reason for Donquixote's death, but he didn't expect the

World Government to brush it off so easily.

Correspondingly, there appeared a new rookie pirate crew in the North

Sea named the Donquixote Pirates, but this news was quite inconspicuous

compared to others.

"The Giant Warrior Pirates, missing for a hundred years, set sail again.

Captain 'Dory and Brogy'' have bounties of two hundred and fifty million

berries each. Shortly after their departure, they encountered a team of

five hundred professional bounty hunters known as the Giant Hunting

Team. Eventually, 'Dory and Brogy'' joined forces to defeat the bounty

hunters, and none of the bounty hunting team survived."

"Later, the Blood Axe Pirates and the One-eyed Pirates encountered the

Giant Warrior Pirates but were defeated by Dory alone. Both pirate crews

did not survive. Subsequently, they also directly defeated the Marine fleet

that came to besiege them. For a while, they were unrivaled."

Nicholas narrowed his eyes and muttered softly to himself, "Is Roger's

final voyage about to begin? Since it's so lively, why not make your last

voyage even more turbulent?"

With that thought, Nicholas looked down at the Den Den Mushi on the

table.

After a moment of contemplation, he dialed several numbers one by

one...

I trust Orochi!

"Ah! Huff, huff, huff~"

Just as Doflamingo was in distress, there suddenly came a rapid gasping

sound from beside him, as if someone had just experienced a terrifying

nightmare.

"Rosinante, another nightmare? Don't worry, I'm here."

Doflamingo looked at Rosinante, who was sleeping on the makeshift bed

in the office, with concern.

"Huff, huff, huff~ It's... it's nothing..."

...

Flower Capital, Wano Country.

"What?! Shogun Sukiyaki is critically ill!?"

"When did this happen!?"

"Shogun Sukiyaki is critically ill, so who will be the next Shogun of Wano

Country?"

"Of course, it will be Lord Kozuki Oden!"

"That guy from Kuri? But all the other daimyos have already arrived, and

what about him? As the son of Shogun Sukiyaki, this is a great

disrespect!"

Originally, the news of Shogun Sukiyaki's critical illness was only

circulating in a small circle, but with the gathering of daimyos from

various regions in the Flower Capital, it seemed that Shogun Sukiyaki's

critical condition was no joke.

"Cough, cough, I want Oden to inherit the position of Shogun of Wano

Country after me..."

Shogun Sukiyaki, lying on his sickbed, looked at the daimyos gathered

around him and spoke.

"Of course, Shogun Sukiyaki."

"Yes, it's only right for Oden to inherit the position of Shogun."

Seeing the daimyos' unanimous agreement, Shogun Sukiyaki's face

showed a hint of difficulty as he continued, "But Oden is not in Wano

Country right now. So, I have found someone. In the time between my

death and Oden's return, I want him to temporarily assume the position

of Shogun. Rest assured, this person is absolutely trustworthy. After all,

he is like a brother to Oden. His name is Orochi.

Orochi, come and meet the daimyos."

As Shogun Sukiyaki spoke, he weakly waved his hand towards a folding

screen beside him.

Then, Kurozumi Orochi respectfully emerged from behind the folding

screen and knelt on the ground, bowing to the daimyos.

"Why is Orochi here!?"

Lord Shimotsuki Yasuie couldn't help but ask, as someone who had

connections with Orochi and Oden, he knew that Oden might help

Orochi, but he would never treat Orochi as a brother.

"Orochi?"

Lord Shimotsuki Ushimaru frowned involuntarily.

And with Ushimaru's question, Lord Hitaki and Lord Tempura also

frowned, apparently, the Kurozumi family had caused quite a bit of

trouble for several decades, after all, in that turmoil, the Kurozumi

family's daimyo had caused heavy losses to several families, and even the

Kurozumi family, which had the fewest people, had been directly

expelled from Wano Country.

Kurozumi Orochi bowed deeply, and then seriously said, "I know that

because of my ancestor's heinous actions, I have caused great harm to all

of you. But please believe me, I am not the same as my ancestor. I will

make amends for the harm caused by my ancestor to all of you!"

"Cough, cough, Orochi, please rise."

Shogun Sukiyaki coughed twice to signal for Orochi to stand up, then he

said to the daimyos around him, "Cough, cough, Orochi is not the same

as his ancestor. He is not the ambitious person from the Kurozumi family

in the past. Moreover, he has performed well during the time he has been

with me. I trust my judgment."

Faced with Shogun Sukiyaki's words, although Lord Shimotsuki Yasuie

had doubts, he couldn't say anything. After all, the authority of the

daimyos in Wano Country was not to be offended.

"Thank you for giving me the opportunity to clear the Kurozumi family's

name. I am willing to serve as a slave to repay Shogun Sukiyaki and Lord

Kozuki Oden, and I will also atone for my ancestor's foolish actions. I will

do my best to prepare for Lord Oden's return and succession.

I only ask to be a puppet during Lord Oden's absence, and I ask all of you

to lend me your support. If I make any transgressions during my

temporary tenure as Shogun, you are free to cut off my head!"

With Orochi's heartfelt words, and Shogun Sukiyaki's guarantee, the

daimyos reluctantly agreed to let Kurozumi Orochi temporarily assume

the position of Shogun of Wano Country after Shogun Sukiyaki's passing.

"What?! Lord Oden said that if he does not return, Kurozumi Orochi will

temporarily assume the position of Shogun after his passing!!?"

When they heard this news, the members of the Kin'emon family were so

shocked that they couldn't close their mouths.

"But we don't know when Lord Oden and my brother will return!"

Kikunojo's delicate face frowned.

"I just feel something's not right. Whether in terms of seniority or

strength, Shogun Sukiyaki should have selected the successor among the

daimyos. Even if he was worried about the daimyos making a move,

there was no need to worry about Lord Shimotsuki Yasuie's prestige in

Wano.

But why did he choose Kurozumi Orochi!? "

Kanjuro frowned.

"Could it be because Kurozumi Orochi poses no threat? After all,

compared to those daimyos, Kurozumi Orochi has no military power at

all, and in terms of prestige, he is not as good as others. His personal

strength is also ordinary. He can be a perfect puppet."

Kawamatsu analyzed.

"But I still feel something's off."

"Why make it so complicated? We just need to keep an eye on Kurozumi

Orochi. When Lord Oden returns, everything will be fine."

Ashura Doji said nonchalantly, stroking the blade of his long knife with

his finger.

For him, as long as Kurozumi Orochi dared to have any bad thoughts

about the position of Shogun, he could just chop him down with one

stroke.

Moreover, Lord Oden's departure was just a whim, and when he got

bored, he would return to Wano Country.

"Why are you silent, Kawamatsu?"

With Kanjuro's words, everyone turned to the quiet Kawamatsu.

"I don't know what to say. All I know is that before Lord Oden returns,

we must protect the Kuri that we have all built together!"

"Yes, we must show Lord Oden a better Kuri when he returns!"

"By the way, I heard that there have been many disturbances in the

Hakumai recently. Should we go and help Lord Yasuie? After all, Lord

Yasuie helped us a lot in the past, and his relationship with Lord Oden is

also very good."

Kin'emon asked Kanjuro, after all, Kanjuro was the intellectual among

them.

Upon hearing Kin'emon's words, Kanjuro adjusted his glasses and said

seriously, "I've also heard about the disturbances in Hakumai. It is said

that a group of peasants gathered to resist the high taxes imposed by the

landlords, but they were quickly suppressed and are now hiding in the

mountains around Hakumai. Since Lord Yasuie has not shown any

intention to intervene, it means that the problem should not be big.

What we need to do now is to manage Kuri well before Lord Oden

returns. Everything else can wait."

Meanwhile, the peasants who had been driven into the mountains around

Hakumai were establishing a base, led by Simon, and began systematic

learning of tactics and firearms operations.

When these people reappear, they will undoubtedly bring about great

changes to Wano Country.

Hunting!

Hakumai, the prestigious mansion of the Shimotsuki family.

"How was the handling of the rebellion in the Ebisu Township, Kibi

Township, and Kuri Township?"

Lord Shimotsuki Yasuie sat upright at the head of the room, looking

down at the group of vassals below.

"My lord, all rebels have been quelled, and the officials from each

township are currently tallying the specific losses and preparing for

reconstruction."

A retainer with patched clothing smiled as he spoke.

The others also smiled, as they believed the insurgents' actions were

futile and the outcome was as expected. The rebels were ultimately

routed by the samurai.

"So, what were the specific reasons for this peasant rebellion? I heard it

was because the local landlords in these three areas raised rents for the

tenants, and the daimyo's administration forcibly requisitioned a

significant amount of newly cultivated land?"

Lord Shimotsuki was evidently dissatisfied with this answer, as it differed

from what he had heard.

"Rumors, all rumors. The rents for tenants in each township are uniform,

and there is absolutely no irregular collection. These are just ungrateful

people spreading lies. Besides, the newly cultivated land belongs to the

Shimotsuki family, as it is reclaimed from Hakumai's land."

"If the land is reclaimed by someone, it belongs to them. We just need to

collect rent."

Lord Shimotsuki stated firmly.

"You are indeed merciful, my lord. We will proceed immediately. Also,

my lord, it has been almost two months since salaries were distributed in

the mansion. Should we address this?"

A retainer looked at Lord Shimotsuki and asked, as the maintenance and

various expenses of such a large mansion required funds.

"I will think of a solution."

Lord Shimotsuki furrowed his brow. Since the mansion was robbed of a

large sum earlier, and subsequently funds were given to the Kin'emon

family, the entire Hakumai mansion had plunged into an economic crisis.

"Then, my lord, we shall take our leave."

"Very well."

The group respectfully exited the mansion. Once they were out of

earshot, their expressions of reverence turned cold.

"Prime Minister, does Lord Shimotsuki suspect something?"

A retainer asked the person who had reported to Lord Shimotsuki earlier.

"Hmph, suspect? What could he possibly suspect, that kind of person? He

dares to think he can coexist equally with those peasants, yet he fails to

see the expenses involved in maintaining such a grand mansion,

including guards and servants. Can his possessions alone sustain it?

Moreover, we, the several major families, have assisted him generation

after generation. Must we also foolishly live like commoners?

By the way, ensure that the nobles in Inahara Township handle their

affairs promptly. If they fail, I don't mind dealing with them!"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Let's head to Flower capital. I heard there's a beautiful courtesan

there."

Afterward, the group changed direction and headed toward Flower

capital.

...

"My lord, we won't have enough food for much longer."

A man dressed in patched clothing and grass shoes respectfully addressed

Nicholas.

In the eyes of these mountain dwellers, Nicholas was akin to their savior.

Not only did he show them the way, but he also taught them how to use

firearms to resist the samurai.

"Don't worry about food. The sea is abundant with resources; it's just a

matter of broadening your horizons beyond Wano."

To address the food shortage, Nicholas personally led the team,

accompanied by the temporary group of peasants totaling less than a

hundred people.

These people were mainly responsible for various tasks on board the ship.

As the sails were raised and several enormous goldfish controlled by June

dove into the water, the massive ship entered full speed, reaching over

eighty kilometers per hour.

This speed was effortless on land but challenging on the sea, where the

waves constantly tossed the ship, making it feel like surfing.

Nicholas placed his hand on the ship's railing, then activated his ability,

creating an invisible barrier around the ship, lifting it from the sea. The

ship's bottom skimmed along the water's surface, and the previously

undulating deck now felt solid like land.

Soon, the people from Wano witnessed a sight they had never seen

before.

A colossal six-eyed flying fish, over three hundred meters long, soared

out of the water like a bird, generating massive splashes, and lunged

towards the ship, seemingly about to swallow it whole. The once

imposing ship appeared small and helpless at that moment.

Before the passengers could panic, a beam of light flashed, and the

enormous six-eyed flying fish was split in half.

Blood and seawater mixed as they fell from the sky, drenching everyone

on the ship from head to toe.

Amatsuki Toki!

And just as the entire ship's crew was shocked by what was happening

before them...

On a distant island in Wano, two unfamiliar ships arrived at the harbor.

"Woman, give up, you can't escape, hahaha!"

"Didn't we agree? We promised to take you to the 'Shogun,' didn't we?"

"Beauty, don't run, we don't want to harm you."

A group of people on the shore shouted at a woman dressed in Wano

attire, relentlessly pursuing her.

Soon, the woman found herself cornered.

Facing the human traffickers closing in on her, she drew the long sword

at her waist.

"You scoundrels are clearly up to no good. I can't believe I fell into your

trap. I was so foolish."

Confronted with the woman's resistance, the human traffickers simply

smiled, seeing her struggle as futile.

Originally, they had planned to go to an island engulfed in war to

purchase slaves, but unexpectedly encountered this naive target on the

way. They knew that such merchandise would be in high demand at the

slave auctions in Sabaody.

"You have the sea behind you; there's nowhere for you to run. And as for

going to Wano, we can convert the room on our ship into Wano for you,

haha!"

Watching the woman, who had nowhere to run, the leader of the

traffickers joked.

However all of a sudden …

"SPLASH"

"Oh my goodness, there's a sea monster!"

"Mommy, help me!"

"Quick, run!"

The monster quickly approached her!

"I heard a woman's cry for help."

...

"So, you're saying you're called 'Amatsuki Toki' and you got tricked by

these guys when you got lost and want to return to Wano?"

"That's right, I came with whitebeard pirates and while I was shopping, I

got lost and was kidnapped by these guys, And to think that the

whitebeard pirates forgot me T-T ."

"What's so great about Wano? The people there are boring, and

everything is so rigid."

Ignoring the latter part and having gradually regained his human form,

Oden complained about Wano, unable to understand why someone

would desperately want to escape from it.

"I've always dreamed of going to Wano. Can you take me there again?"

Toki looked at Oden with hopeful eyes.

However, Oden wore a reluctant expression. After all, he had just

managed to escape. There was no way he would go back, not in this

lifetime!

"By the way, I don't even know your name yet."

Although Oden didn't agree, Toki couldn't help but ask. After all, Oden

had saved his life.

"Kozuki Oden."

As Oden spoke, the atmosphere between them suddenly became tense.

Even Oden, with his thick skin, sensed that something was amiss, while

Toki couldn't help but cover his mouth in shock.

After all, both "Kozuki" and "Amatsuki" were names that ordinary people

in Wano couldn't use. The former belonged to the ruling Kozuki family of

Wano, while the latter was one of the five families loyal to the ruling

lord.

Ordinary people had no right to use such prestigious surnames.

[AN-I have changed toki's circumstances a bit so take it as my

imagination of this story and don't complain that toki was never in

whitebeard ship before meeting oden]

...

Time passed.

Another month went by.

"Lord Simon, we've once again repelled the attacks from those samurai!

However, we're running low on bullets, and many people have been

injured in battle and need medical treatment."

A leader of the Wano resistance army reported to Simon.

"Don't worry about the medicine; we can provide as much as you need."

Simon was about to respond when June, wearing a mask, walked in

seriously and spoke. She then had someone place a box on the ground

behind her.

"The box contains various antibodies, antidotes, hemostatic agents, and

anesthetics. I hope it helps you, but I also hope it doesn't."

Upon opening the box, the resistance leaders found the medicines neatly

arranged on soft cloth wrapped in oiled paper.

Counting them, there was enough medicine to last the resistance army for

months.

"Thank you, Lady Saint."

Several resistance leaders expressed their sincere gratitude. June had

saved many lives among them. Even their wives had learned some basic

medical skills and knowledge of herbs from her, and their children had

the opportunity to learn to read and write, things they could only dream

of before.

"Lady Saint, why are you helping us?"

Thinking about the changes in their lives, someone blurted out the

question to June.

June paused for a moment, then a hint of longing appeared on her fair

face.

"I'm helping you because Nicholas wants to help you."

When it came to Nicholas, June's face lit up with happiness.

"..."

Simon was no longer surprised by this. After all, when he drank with

Vista in private, he had heard Vista mention that within their free pirate

group, June only truly valued Nicholas. The other members were

considered companions, but if June had to choose between them and

Nicholas, her choice would undoubtedly be Nicholas.

...

At a certain town's port on an island in the Grand Line.

A man sat calmly on a wooden crate, reading a newspaper with his head

lowered.

In the center of the newspaper was a photo of Nicholas, Big Mom, and

Kaido on the battlefield of Whole Cake Island.

The local port workers couldn't help but look at the sturdy man with a

sense of astonishment.

This man, like a statue, remained motionless sitting there for about two

hours.

During this time, all he did was read the newspaper.

"Even though he's blind, he's so focused on reading the newspaper, what

a strange fellow."

The workers thought to themselves.

Suddenly, a commotion arose nearby.

"Why would a Marine battleship come to this place?"

"And that looks like... Vice Admiral Dragon's ship!"

"It really is...

Seeing the flagship with its iconic Dragon emblem, the local townsfolk

were suddenly anxious.

For these townsfolk, the least they wanted to see were ships flying pirate

flags or Marine flags.

As for pirates, it went without saying that each visit from these sea

parasites was a disaster for the town's ordinary people. And as for the

Marines, they usually had special supply towns and wouldn't change

easily. Once they arrived unexpectedly, it meant that there might be a

notorious criminal or pirate crew hiding in the town.

Many people couldn't help but look at the sturdy man sitting there for

two hours, reading the newspaper.

Noticing the questioning gazes from all directions, the man remained

unmoved. At the same time, his sightless eyes slowly moved away from

the newspaper and looked towards the approaching warship.

Under the gaze of the townsfolk and alongside Vice Admiral Dragon, the

man walked towards the gangway.

As they stepped onto the gangway together, the crew on deck of the

battleship all stared at the man who walked alongside Vice Admiral

Dragon.

"Who is this man? What's his background, to make Vice Admiral Dragon

personally come to greet him..."

The Marines speculated, their curiosity piqued by the man's mysterious

aura. After all, it was widely assumed that Dragon would be the next

Fleet Admiral, and even the appearance of the two monstrous individuals

who emerged from the training camp only had the potential to become

admirals.

That's why they found it so unbelievable.

Raaaaah!

Since the end of the Totoland Incident, almost 7 years have passed.

However, the turmoil caused by this incident has not subsided over time.

This can be seen from a man holding a headline newspaper.

Through the extensive coverage of the media, Nicholas's powerful

defeating of Big Mom Charlotte Linlin and Kaido was basically spread

throughout the entire Grand Line.

Moreover, with the notorious reputation of Big Mom's pirate crew and

Kaido's frequent escapes from the Marines, the news of Nicholas's

strength was further highlighted.

Although Nicholas's bounty has not changed since the Totland Incident,

and even Nicholas and the entire Freedom Pirate Crew have faded from

public view for more than seven years, his reputation has not diminished

at all.

Such is the pirate world.

To quickly gain fame, fighting against strong opponents is the fastest

way.

And with the activities of the remnants of the Rocks Pirates such as

Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and others on the sea, Nicholas is naturally

mentioned by others.

The hot discussion in the outside world is still ongoing, and Nicholas and

his party are still busy in the Udon District of Wano.

"They are?"

In a stronghold in the mountains, Nicholas stood in front of a prison cell

with a large area, looking through the prison made of centuries-old pine

at about a hundred men inside.

"Yo-ho-ho~"

Brook, who was in charge of guarding these people, smiled first, then

explained, "They are samurai who were captured in battles in the past

two months."

"Oh?"

Nicholas raised an eyebrow, not expecting that these guys, who had only

recently learned to use sickles and hoes, would have such combat power

so quickly.

It is worth noting that although the samurai in Wano are uneven in

strength, being a samurai means that these people can basically handle

weapons. When facing ordinary people, they can even easily handle ten

or even a hundred opponents.

Simon, who was with Nicholas, looked at Nicholas with a speechless

expression, implying, "Ahem, although there are swordsmen among the

samurai in Wano, they are all important figures. These samurai, although

their strength is good, are just ordinary people. It is already fortunate for

them not to be killed by random gunfire when facing a systematic

firearms unit."

Although firearms are like toys for strong individuals, the damage they

can cause to the human body is still terrifying.

Nicholas suddenly understood the meaning behind Simon's words.

Indeed, he had subconsciously ignored this point while engaging with

strong opponents on the sea, just as ordinary soldiers in the Marines

appear like ants in front of top-tier opponents.

However, if they encounter ordinary pirates with better equipment and

more coordinated attacks, the relaxed offensive and defensive style of the

Marines undoubtedly resembles the Grim Reaper.

"How do you plan to deal with these guys?"

Nicholas asked Simon while looking at the samurai.

"We originally planned to see if we could pull them into the resistance

army. After all, as samurai, they can better infiltrate the enemy's ranks.

But unfortunately, none of these people are willing. For them, their

samurai spirit does not allow them to betray their lord and allegiance.

And in their eyes, it seems that we are opposing the entire Wano."

Simon shrugged helplessly.

"It's a pity... Since they have no value, just get rid of them directly.

Brook, it's a good opportunity to verify your Devil Fruit ability."

Nicholas said calmly.

Brook raised his staff-sword and looked at the samurai in the prison cell

with a calm gaze. For him, killing was not much of a psychological

burden, as he had been the former pirate of the Rumbar pirates and had

acted as a deputy captain.

There was a slow sound of the staff-sword being drawn from its sheath.

Hearing the sound of the staff-sword being drawn, the samurai in the

prison cell trembled violently. They all looked up in horror at Brook, who

was slowly unsheathing the staff-sword, as if they smelled the breath of

death, and the skeletal Brook seemed to be a messenger from the

underworld.

Nicholas suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on Brook's arm,

which was about to draw the sword.

Brook looked at Nicholas with confusion.

"Do you really understand the consequences of death?"

...

Half an hour later.

Dozens of dazed samurai followed Simon out of the prison.

Looking at their appearance, they looked as if they had just experienced a

nightmare.

In the prison cell.

Nicholas looked at the bodies of the samurai on the ground, covered in

ice chips, murmuring to himself, "Does the aura of the soul-soul Devil

Fruit cause this freezing effect? Or is it freezing the soul itself?"

"Brook."

"Captain."

Upon hearing Nicholas's words, Brook looked at Nicholas involuntarily.

"Are the souls of these guys really sent to the Underworld?"

Nicholas was curious about the mysterious Underworld.

"...I'm not sure, but after these people were killed, something did

disappear from inside their bodies."

Brook touched his skull with some hesitation.

…

Several days later.

In the training ground in the forest.

Several wounded members of the resistance lay on the ground, looking

quite miserable.

Opposite them were the samurai from before. At this point, their injuries

had mostly healed, indicating careful treatment.

Seeing the injured people moaning on the ground, the samurai felt quite

satisfied. Although they couldn't kill them, giving these guys a lesson was

still no problem.

At the beginning, these samurai also thought about escaping. After all,

they had witnessed the situation in the prison cell, and in their eyes,

these sinners who associated with demons would definitely be punished

by the heavens. As long as they could bring back the news, they would

definitely receive a big reward.

In one night, these samurai staged a riot. However, before they could

cause any chaos, they were forcefully suppressed by the resistance army,

which had been on guard against them all along.

In the end, out of the dozens of samurai, only these few lucky ones

remained.

They were surrounded by the despised commoners, trying to uphold their

samurai spirit and fight against the enemy. But in the end, what they

heard was the sentence, "God bless America, Raaaaahh. 🦅🦅"

Then came a barrage of gunfire.

[AN- Its just a joke 😂😂😂]

…

In a room at the center of the stronghold.

Nicholas sat in a chair, manipulating thousands of lightning balls to

constantly move and even form various shapes.

While accumulating strength for the future, Nicholas also didn't intend to

neglect his own strength.

After all, in this world where power belongs to oneself, the stronger, the

better.

The Goro Goro no Mi, as well as more potential to be developed, is just

the beginning.

He would make good use of this time to further enhance the abilities of

the Goro Goro no Mi.

Uprising!

In the second year of Oden's departure, Shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki officially

passed away.

In the same year, Kurozumi Orochi temporarily took over the position of

Shogun in Wano Country.

After assuming the role of Shogun, Kurozumi Orochi did not show any

great ambitions. Everything was done by the book, and he even actively

sought advice from various daimyos, quickly gaining their approval.

The daimyos gradually began to overlook their surveillance of the Flower

Capital.

Meanwhile, the Rebellion grew rapidly, with many towns and villages

falling.

Those who called themselves rebels raised the status of women, allowed

them to establish their own organizations, liberated tenant farmers to

form agricultural associations, and enacted the "Agricultural Association

Law" to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of farmers. Through the

"Land Reform Law," all the land seized from local strongmen and temples

was distributed to landless farmers, marking the first time in many

generations that many people owned their own land.

Even many farmers, upon hearing about what was happening in the

rebel-controlled areas, could not contain themselves. In fact, there were

reports of tenant farmers fleeing with their families to the rebel-

controlled areas.

The rebels ravaged the Flower Capital, shaking various towns and the

capital.

At the same time, the Lord of the Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie, with the

assistance of his staff and the powerful families of various towns, raised a

force of over two thousand warriors to suppress them.

Dozens of miles from the rebel stronghold of Hakumai Town, on a plain,

the force led by Shimotsuki Yasuie was stationed. Many of the warriors

were relatively relaxed, thinking that those rebels had not truly

experienced the terror of warriors and believed that acquiring firearms

from outside Wano would be enough to turn the tide.

For powerful warriors like them, those firearms were just toys. This time,

in addition to the swordsmen who accompanied the suppression of the

rebels, there were also several swordsmen.

"Gentlemen, is there really no room for negotiation?"

On the open ground, Shimotsuki Yasuie, dressed in samurai armor,

looked around at the serious faces and spoke earnestly.

"Lord Yasuie, since those people have rebelled once, even if we give them

a chance, they will surely rebel again in the future. Therefore, we must

kill these rebels completely, otherwise, it will sow the seeds of rebellion

in their hearts."

The Left Minister among his aides spoke solemnly.

And others echoed his sentiments.

Seeing this scene, Shimotsuki Yasuie didn't know what to say. After

hearing about the rebellion in many places, he was completely baffled.

He couldn't imagine where those oppressed tenants got the courage to

rebel.

Later, he made special inquiries about the various policies implemented

by the rebels in the areas they occupied. Finally, he found that what they

were doing was unsolvable. Just distributing land to the farmers who had

been tenants of local strongmen for generations would make them follow

the rebels wholeheartedly.

Shimotsuki Yasuie also considered learning from their various measures.

After all, in his view, once these measures were implemented, there was

no doubt that the Flower Capital could be built into a better place.

However, he was strongly opposed by the warrior forces under him.

Because if he did so, it would undoubtedly mean giving up their interests

to those inferior people, which they could not accept.

Even they united and forced Shimotsuki Yasuie to launch this suppression

against the rebels.

"There are about 2000 of them..."

Nicholas's eyes flickered with red light as he calmly stared at the fortified

camp in the distance.

In fact, when Shimotsuki Yasuie's army appeared hundreds of miles away

from Hakumai, someone in the information they provided, including

Shimotsuki Yasuie, and the warrior families under Shimotsuki Yasuie's

command, had a considerable force of over 2000.

But even without intelligence, Nicholas could accurately judge from the

information feedback of Kenbunshoku Haki.

In the distant camp, there were about 2076 troops stationed, including

about a hundred and thirty warhorses.

For Nicholas, dealing with enemies of this size, if he wanted to, he could

easily resolve it with a single thunderous blow and not waste much time.

But since he planned to occupy Wano for a long time, he had to consider

more things, such as letting his followers personally defeat these nobles

who had always been high above them!

Only in this way could their confidence be enhanced, and they slowly

develop the consciousness of being human beings.

Thinking of this, Nicholas pointed to the camp in the distance surrounded

by various warrior family emblems, and said to the leaders of the rebels

beside him with an unwavering tone, "Have you seen those people down

there? They've come this time to take back your land, kill you all, turn

your wives into their private property again, and turn your children into

slaves for their families for generations.

In this war, we will only help you stop the swordsmen in the enemy's

camp. The rest of the warriors are up to you to deal with. If you win, you

can survive as human beings. If you lose, you will return to the life worse

than livestock."

"Lord Nicholas, rest assured! We will defend everything we have to the

death!"

"If they want to take everything from us, then they have to kill us first!"

All the rebel leaders can be said to have red eyes. Having experienced a

life as true human beings, they would never willingly return to being

slaves of those people, even if they died.

"Then go and prepare, use weapons to defend everything you have."

"Yes!"

With Nicholas's words, these people all began to return to their respective

teams for pre-battle mobilization.

"Captain, can we just take out those swordsmen in the camp?" Vista

asked, holding two beautiful swords and looking at the camp of warriors

in the distance. For him, a camp without top-notch warriors was

something he could destroy in less than five minutes.

"No."

Hearing Nicholas's words, Simon, Vista, Brook, and even Katie were

stunned, all looking at Nicholas.

"You don't need to deal with them. Just hold them back. Also, take care

of Katie more during the battle. Although she is also considered a

Zanbato Swordsman, she lacks a lot of combat experience."

"Captain, Katie can handle it!"

Hearing Nicholas's words, Katie immediately became a bit unhappy.

Almost every time there was a battle, Captain and the others treated her

like a child.

"Yeah, Katie can handle it."

June reached out and patted Katie's head, comforting her like a child.

"Sister June, patting my head won't make me grow taller!"

...

On the other hand, while Shimotsuki Yasuie and his warriors were

sharpening their blades, and the rebels were mobilizing for battle.

Shimotsuki Yasuie, who was resting on a mat, suddenly woke up.

Because just now, it seemed like he saw the annihilation of the warrior

army, and even the entire Wano Country was engulfed in flames.

"What's wrong, Lord Yasuie?"

Shimotsuki Yasuie's sudden wake-up call made the inner courtier, who

was dozing off, suddenly tremble, and he woke up instantly, looking at

Shimotsuki Yasuie with a nervous face.

"It's nothing, just had a nightmare. By the way, when is the attack going

to happen?"

Shimotsuki Yasuie waved his hand to indicate that there was no problem,

picked up the tea and took a sip, and then asked casually.

Unilateral Massacre!

At noon on the second day, the samurai assembled and moved forward in

formation.

In the distance ahead, scattered figures began to appear.

"Enemy scouts spotted!"

With a warning, several samurai on horseback immediately charged

towards the enemy, even mocking them as they rode.

These peasants were indeed peasants; their scouts didn't even have

horses. Were they planning to outrun mounted scouts with their own

legs?

Soon these mounted scouts reached the enemy, even able to faintly see

the expressions on their faces.

The samurai drew their swords, intending to split their enemies in half

with the help of their horses. They could even see the calm faces of their

foes.

"Wait, no sign of panic?"

Before he could comprehend, there was a "bang," and the foremost

samurai's head burst into a spray of blood, even splattering his comrades

behind him. He fell like a bird shot from the sky, kicking up dust as he

hit the ground.

"Firearms! It's firearms!"

"Damn it, everyone, scatter! Scatter!"

Seeing their comrade fall without warning, the other scouts panicked. It

was no longer about killing all the enemy scouts; it was about reaching

them and taking their heads before being gunned down.

Some clever samurai even crouched low on their horses to avoid being

hit by stray bullets.

"So that's the power of firearms? Truly terrifying."

In the distance, Left minister watched as several scouts fell before making

contact, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"It's okay, their bullets miss sometimes. As long as we get close, we're

stronger! Charge, for the honor of the samurai!" The samurai scout,

seeing the enemy reloading, raised his sword high, encouraging his

comrades.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

Continuous gunfire erupted.

After this round of shooting, the samurai scouts were upon the enemy.

As one samurai scout charged towards an enemy soldier, he realized the

man's eyes were filled with mockery.

As he looked around in confusion, he realized he was alone; his comrades

had fallen, and their horses paced calmly nearby.

"Can we really win?"

Before he could process this thought, he was shot in the head, a stark

reminder that war knows no mercy.

With the scouts annihilated, the samurai army began to move.

Simultaneously, the militia in the distance also formed up to meet them.

The real battle was about to begin.

With the annihilation of the samurai scouts, the lower-ranking samurai

hadn't yet grasped the severity of the situation. But some astute

individuals were beginning to realize something was amiss.

According to their initial assessment, the enemy should have been in a

panic upon seeing their plight.

But now, not only did the enemy not flee, they were slowly approaching,

exuding an aura that only a powerful army could possess.

But how could this be? Just a while ago, these people were nothing more

than inferior individuals.

The lower-ranking samurai were eager for battle, believing that as long

as their skilled swordsmen intervened, the enemy would surely collapse.

Indeed, as the second round of gunfire began, several figures leaped into

the air from the samurai camp. With a flash of blades, they sliced

through all the bullets, leaving behind explosions of smoke.

After cutting down the bullets, these swordsmen charged straight towards

the militia. They aimed to eliminate them before they could cause more

casualties.

All the militia stood ready, seemingly surprised that the swordsmen who

had cut the bullets were coming for them.

As the distance closed, the impending approach of the enemy made the

samurai even more uneasy. However, they gritted their teeth, raised their

swords, and charged forward, with the other samurai shouting

encouragement behind them.

But just as they reached fifty meters from the enemy, they were stunned

by what they saw.

Three hundred militia stood in neat rows, with their rifles aimed directly

at them. The first row crouched, while the second stood, all aiming their

rifles.

Hundreds of black muzzles were pointed at them. In almost the next

moment, the samurai were sprayed with countless blood blossoms as

bullets rained down on them. The samurai who had just charged forward

fell to the ground.

Even the swordsmen struggled to protect themselves.

Behind them, more samurai continued to charge, but the militia calmly

holstered their guns and walked away without a backward glance.

One samurai who hadn't died lifted his head, seeing another group of

militia taking their positions, crouching and aiming their rifles at the

oncoming second wave of samurai. In less than a second, they fired

again, completing the second volley...

And the powerful swordsmen were too preoccupied with the skilled

fighters among the militia to make a difference.

"No, stop it! Stop it!"

Left minister, witnessing the first volley, was dumbfounded. When their

skilled swordsmen were easily blocked by the enemy, he realized the

severity of the situation.

Initially, they thought that the enemy, upon seeing their plight, would

panic.

But now, not only did the enemy not flee, they were slowly approaching,

exuding an aura that only a powerful army could possess.

But how could this be? Just a while ago, these people were nothing more

than inferior individuals.

Zou!

Long ago, Wano Country was a powerful nation with incredibly rich

mineral resources.

Back then, Wano was abundant with gold, earning it the nickname

"Golden Country" among people.

However, that was many centuries ago.

Today, the visible amount of gold in Wano is scarce.

But hidden beneath the earth's surface, Wano possesses surprisingly

abundant gold and other mineral resources.

Even after Kaido made Wano his base of operations several years ago, the

mining of Wano's mineral resources never ceased.

After more than a decade of mining, Wano's mineral resources remained

plentiful, seemingly inexhaustible.

In addition to the ore known as "Sake Iron" used to manufacture

weapons, the renowned Sea Prism Stone, capable of countering Devil

Fruit users, is also mined from Wano.

Through Sea Prism Stone, Kaido even conducted business with the World

Government.

This is one of the reasons why Nicolas wanted to occupy Wano -

controlling the Sea Prism Stone resources undoubtedly grants significant

influence.

After the complete conquest of Hakumai, Nicolas chose not to launch

attacks on other regions or the Flower Capital immediately. Instead, he

chose to destroy bridges and roads leading to other regions, isolating

Hakumai from the rest of Wano. He needed time to fully integrate

Hakumai into his control.

On this day, the Sea Sovereign floated in the sky.

Suddenly, a colossal entity appeared on the sea not far away, gently

dissipating the clouds and mist around it with a light breeze.

"What, what is that?!"

Simon pointed at the distant colossal entity, astonished.

Brook's mouth also hung open, stunned.

It was enormous, incredibly massive! Words could hardly describe its

size. At a glance, it resembled a mountain, sending shivers down one's

spine and causing adrenaline to surge.

Watching the colossal Zou, Nicolas observed with awe, but quickly

regained his composure.

"Phew!"

"What in the world is that thing? How could it be so massive!"

Brook's eyes were filled with shock. He had never seen such a behemoth.

"Is it a Sea King?"

Vista also stared at the slowly moving behemoth in the distance, equally

astonished.

Such a colossal entity, the visual impact was unimaginable.

Even compared to giant Sea Kings, it seemed much larger.

"It's Zou Island!"

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice.

"Island?!"

Brook was puzzled. He closely observed and faintly discerned forests,

lakes, and even buildings on the back of the behemoth, indicating the

presence of towns.

"Are there towns on the back of that giant creature?!"

Nicolas shook his head. "To be precise, this colossal creature is carrying a

burden!"

Upon closer observation, Brook and the others realized that the

behemoth's form was that of a giant elephant.

Now, observing the giant elephant up close, they noticed its sluggish

reaction and slow movements.

It seemed that the long years of traveling the seas had dulled its senses

almost completely.

"An ancient giant elephant that has survived for over a thousand years."

Nicolas murmured.

Seeing the giant elephant in person was far more awe-inspiring than

watching it in animation. His mind was filled with countless thoughts.

Over a thousand years ago, such massive creatures existed. What

mysterious being or power sealed this ancient giant elephant, turning it

into an island and obedient to human commands?

The existence of this ancient giant elephant made Nicolas even more

wary of this world. After all, being able to control such a massive

creature even after thousands of years was not something that could be

achieved solely through the power of Devil Fruits.

"Nicolas, does Zou Island have the Mink Tribe you mentioned?"

Standing beside Nicolas, June looked at the distant giant creature and

spoke in a serious tone.

"Yes, and when you see them, you'll be amazed. The Mink Tribe is as

unique a race as the Fish-Men."

Thinking of the various animal forms within the Mink Tribe and their

ability to transform into powerful Su long only during the full moon,

Nicolas became quite interested.

To him, the Mink Tribe was akin to the Beastmen race from Western

fantasy worlds in his previous life, possessing human-level intelligence

yet having the bodies of beasts, making them a perfect race.

As they approached the ancient giant creature, Brook and the others felt

a bit nervous.

After all, such a colossal creature exuded tremendous power just from its

appearance.

"What is that...?!"

In the town of the Mink Tribe, a young feline Mink looked on in utter

terror at the Sea Sovereign floating above.

At the same time, the Sea Sovereign slowly entered a relatively calm area

of the sea. As Nicolas and the others disembarked, they beheld a whole

new world.

"This...!"

"It's a fantastical kingdom!"

On the back of the giant elephant, seemingly isolated from the rest of the

world for a long time, they could see many plants and animals that had

disappeared from the outside world.

What's more incredible was that they felt no vibration beneath their feet,

as if they were standing on solid ground rather than the back of a giant

elephant.

It was stable, without any undulations.

"It's humans!"

"What are you people? What are you doing here?"

Suddenly, a group of Mink warriors emerged from the surrounding

woods, blocking their path vigilantly.

As members of the adventurer group, they were naturally elite warriors

of the Mink Tribe, possessing formidable strength.

But for Nicolas and his crew, they were just that. Even on a full moon

night, these Mink would hardly pose a threat to Nicolas and his crew.

"Mink warriors, greetings. Allow me to introduce myself."

Nicolas smiled and said.

"I am Nicolas, captain of the Freedom Pirates. And these are my

crewmates! We come from Wano Country."

He gestured to the other pirates behind him and displayed the crest of

the Kozuki Family.

"Pirates! And that crest... I seem to have seen it before."

"Right, I remember now. Our ancestors recorded that this crest is related

to our Mink Tribe like brothers!"

Hearing this, the Mink people became curious. After all, Zou had been

almost isolated from the outside world, and they were curious about the

intentions of these outsiders. Moreover, the ancient record of the Mink

Tribe being brothers with the Kozuki Family was a long-standing

tradition.

"Pedro, you're still practicing swordsmanship. Why not join the

celebration? Those are friends from Wano Country, and you need to learn

to socialize."

A Mink carrying a jug of wine approached. His face was flushed from

drinking.

"I'm not of age yet, I don't drink!"

Pedro replied coldly.

"Hahaha, let me tell you, today's wine was brought by those friends from

Wano Country. It tastes different from the wine in our Furry Republic,

very mellow. If you don't drink, you'll regret it."

With the mention of the wine jug, the man raised it and took another big

sip.

"Phew! Not drinking! I must maintain a strong physique to become a

member of the Adventurer Group. Alcohol will erode my body."

Pedro coldly replied, turning back to his sword training.

Don Chinjao!

At the banquet, the Hitsugisukan also occasionally toasted with Nicholas.

"Ah, Cat Viper and Dog Storm really don't let people rest assured. When

we heard the news that those two set sail on a small boat, we were

worried for quite a while. We even suspected that they might have

perished at sea. But those two little fellows actually managed to arrive at

Wano by chance."

The Hitsugisukan raised his wine bowl and took a hearty drink, clearly

happy to hear the news of Dog Storm and Cat Viper's safety.

After the toast, Nicholas turned to the Hitsugisukan and said, "We came

here this time hoping to obtain a copy of the historical text. We hope that

the Hitsugisukan can help us."

For Nicholas, he actually knew that the historical text of the Mink Tribe

was in the Whale Forest. However, he wouldn't reveal this directly

because he wanted to gather more information from the Hitsugisukan .

"Oh? No problem. According to the records, the dawn of the world is

approaching. Have you, in Wano, made preparations to welcome the

founding of your nation?" The Hitsugisukan , seemingly unsurprised,

regarded the historical text as not particularly precious.

"The dawn of the world?" Nicholas asked with some confusion. He had

seen the term "dawn of the world" multiple times in manga, whether it

was the promised one awaited by Fish-Man Island or later when Pedero

sacrificed fifty years of his life in the Grand Line just to see the dawn of

the world arrive.

It seemed that the dawn of the world was recorded among many races

related to Joy Boy.

"Yes, the dawn of the world. According to the legends left by our

ancestors, when the drums sound, the warriors of the past will respond to

the call and gather under the banner of the legendary figure. At that

time, we will once again wage war against the shadows that shroud the

world, thus bringing true peace to the entire world. At that time, our

Mink Tribe will also no longer be confined to Zou for generations, and we

will gain true freedom!" The Hitsugisukan spoke with longing.

"Nicholas! Finally found you, bastard. Have you decided how you want to

die? You scum!"

Just as Nicholas was about to continue questioning, a burly man with an

oval-shaped head walked over from a distance, followed by a group of

fierce-looking pirates. They were none other than the Eight-Treasure

Water Army, the legitimate pirates of the Kano Country in the West Sea.

All the Minks at the banquet stood up and looked in the direction of the

voice. They knew that if the enemy could appear here, it meant that their

external defenses had been breached.

"Hey hey, who is that guy with the oval-shaped head? How did he find

his way here?" Many Minks whispered to each other. Initially, it was

quite normal for outsiders to stray into Zou. After all, Zou roamed the

seas day and night, and although it didn't have a fixed route, it inevitably

encountered some pirate ships during its journey.

But now, these suddenly appearing pirates seemed to know Nicholas and

his crew. Moreover, the relationship between the two sides didn't seem to

be good, which made the Minks feel wary.

"That's the leader of the Eight-Treasure Water Army, Don Chinjao, or

rather, because of his strange cone-shaped head, he's called Chinjao the

drill." Simon explained patiently. After all, he had personally participated

in the destruction of the Kano Country's navy in the West blue Sea.

"Don Chinjao?" Many Minks were puzzled by his strange appearance.

"He's called Don Chinjao because of his unique cone-shaped head,

coupled with his formidable Haki. There's hardly any enemy who can

withstand his attacks." Simon continued patiently.

"Conical head? His head... doesn't look anything like a cone, does it?"

Simon "..."

"His head was flattened by a powerful person with a punch." Nicholas

explained from the side.

"Haha... Hahaha! Flattened head, that's really hilarious!" Many young

Minks couldn't help laughing when they heard this.

"You damn brat, have you laughed enough?" Chinjao's roar, accompanied

by the intimidating aura, made many Minks bristle, but surprisingly,

none of them fainted.

Nicholas also noticed this situation. He could only say that in this world,

besides humans, other races more or less had some racial bonuses. Giants

had strength and physique, Dwarves had explosiveness and speed, Fish-

Men, Longarms, Longlegs...

For Chinjao, the reason why he chose to find Nicholas was largely

because he realized his own weakness during the battle with Garp. Once

a leading figure in the Kano Country's Eight-Treasure Water Army,

Chinjao, as one of the top fighters of the Kano Country, was full of

confidence. But not long ago, during the battle with Garp, he was directly

punched in the head, flattening his once proud conical head.

One could say that Garp's punch made him doubt his own life. Moreover,

if facing the monsters standing with Garp, wouldn't it be the same as

saying that he himself was weak? In that case, wouldn't he be unable to

avenge his son?

And as he grew older, the hope of revenge would only become more and

more distant.

So Chinjao made up his mind. No matter what, he had to find Nicholas

for revenge, even if the final result was death.

"Bastard brat, what kind of look is that in your eyes? Do you not believe

that I will...?"

"Are you done with your nonsense?" Nicholas' cold voice interrupted him.

"What?" Chinjao was a bit confused. Wasn't trash-talking before a fight a

standard procedure?

"After you're done with your nonsense, it's time for you to go to hell!"

Nicholas' pupils flickered, and then a thunderbolt, several tens of meters

thick, slashed toward Chinjao's head from above.

"You damn brat, you're really... really underestimating me!" The thunder

dissipated, and Chinjao trembled with anger. The black Haki covering his

body quickly faded away, and at the same time, an unusual smell

emanated from his body.

The intense pain coursing through his body, along with Nicholas'

indifferent gaze, ignited Chinjao's fighting spirit.

He leaped into the air, then reversed his body

Chinjao f@cking dies!

Chinjao twitched at the corner of his mouth, while at the same time, he

secretly resolved to make this ignorant kid know how tough he was.

After all, for Chinjao, even when strong individuals are opposed to each

other, they often have a mutual respect.

And the attitude of the other party right now only proves one thing, that

in his heart, he doesn't consider himself worthy of equal interaction with

him. This is unforgivable.

However, Nicholas seemed to have no intention of wasting words with

him at all. He immediately sent several thunderbolts one after another

towards him, while at the same time, hundreds of floating wine iron

beads appeared around him, continuously shooting towards him.

Facing Nicholas's attack, Chinjao's eyes narrowed, and a tremendously

fierce aura suddenly burst out of him, surging in all directions.

As he erupted with the Conqueror's Haki, the vital points of Chinjao's

body were quickly wrapped in dark Armament Haki, and then he swiftly

charged towards Nicholas.

His rich combat experience told him that when facing such a natural

opponent, the best way was to quickly approach them and then suppress

them with Armament Haki and martial arts.

"Haha! ... Ah!"

Chinjao was laughing savagely as he charged towards Nicholas, but

suddenly he was struck by lightning. The paralysis effect of the thunder

directly immobilized him, and he was hit by dozens of thunderbolts one

after another, making Chinjao feel like his body was hotter than a

burning iron, and he was in excruciating pain, as if someone had put him

in an oven.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard by consecutive blows, Chinjao couldn't help but cry out

in pain. He realized that if this continued, he would die. So he forcefully

lifted his right foot and stomped fiercely on the ground.

With tremendous force, the ground beneath Chinjao's feet collapsed

instantly, and at the same time, lightning from above also smashed him

into the ground.

When the lightning disappeared, there was only a ruin where Chinjao

had stood, and Chinjao's figure was nowhere to be seen.

Just as everyone was looking around for Chinjao's figure, the ground

under Nicholas's feet suddenly collapsed, and then a pair of palms

covered with Armament Haki, like a fan, firmly grasped Nicholas's legs.

"I've got you!"

Looking at Nicholas caught by himself, Chinjao's face showed a sinister

smile. Once a Devil Fruit user was captured by Armament Haki, it was his

turn next!

"Have you ever been kicked by lightning?"

Just as Chinjao was about to grab the two legs and tear apart the little

brat in front of him who didn't know his own strength, a voice suddenly

came from behind him, causing him to freeze.

"When did you...!"

Then, in Chinjao's peripheral vision, Nicholas appeared in the sky behind

him, and the Nicholas in his hand also began to dissipate into lightning.

At the same time, Nicholas appeared behind him, and his right leg,

surging with lightning, suddenly kicked out, directly hitting Chinjao's

spine. Even though he had formed armor with Armament Haki on his

back at the last moment, he was still kicked away like a soccer ball,

bouncing several times on the ground before finally crashing into an

ancient building.

Nicholas did not follow up, as the feeling of the kick just now made him

realize that Chinjao's spine had been shattered, and Chinjao was now

basically a useless person.

"You're truly a terrifying guy!" Feeling the excruciating pain coming from

his back and the numbness in his lower body, Chinjao said with dread.

With the medical skills of the One Piece world and the magical Devil

Fruit abilities, a broken spine was not impossible to treat, but the premise

was that the enemy would give him a chance.

"Truly terrifying! But..." Chinjao said, covering his entire body with

Armament Haki, even giving up defense on other parts of his body.

With a fierce roar, he suddenly pushed himself up with both hands,

giving himself a huge thrust, and then reversed his body in mid-air. The

Armament Haki wrapped around his head, making it pitch black. The

shockwaves of the Eight Blows Fist were completely concentrated on the

flat top of his head, as he plummeted towards Nicholas.

"My dignity will not allow you to trample upon it!"

"Eight Blows Fist's secret technique, Unwoven Dragon · Unwoven Nail!"

The Eight Blows Fist was originally a powerful martial art that combined

offense and defense, and Chinjao now abandoned his defense,

concentrating all his strength on a single point on his head.

For Chinjao, this was his strongest moment, but also his weakest

moment!

Facing Chinjao's desperate blow, Nicholas's expression remained calm.

His Observation Haki radiated silently, capturing every movement of

Chinjao, then he disappeared completely in front of Chinjao.

Boom!

Moo!

The earth kept trembling and tearing apart. Chinjao's final blow missed,

unstoppable as it was, piercing through the earth all the way to the body

of the main elephant, causing a huge explosion.

Even the sluggish nerves of the main elephant reacted to Chinjao's blow.

And when the smoke cleared, a huge pit appeared where Chinjao had

struck. Chinjao, lying in the center of the pit, could still be seen below,

and above him, one could even see the pink muscle texture of the main

elephant.

As Chinjao lay in the pit, his head felt dizzy, as if there was a buzzing

noise constantly ringing in his ears.

The once hardest part of his body, his skull, was now full of cracks, and

his lower body, which was not covered with Armament Haki, was now

hanging on a nearby building.

In contrast, Nicholas, not only had a calm aura and a steady posture, but

there wasn't even a trace of damage to his clothes.

Anyone with discerning eyes could see that this was an unequal battle.

It could be said that Nicholas, with his Observation Haki surpassing

Chinjao, faced Chinjao's attack as if he were playing with a child, as no

matter how powerful the attack was, it would miss.

"You bastard!"

Looking at Nicholas towering over him at the edge of the pit, Chinjao

spat out blood containing fragments of his internal organs from his

mouth, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

"Is this your final words?"

As Nicholas spoke, he flicked his right thumb, and a wine iron bead the

size of a fingernail pierced through Chinjao's skull, the leader of the Eight

Treasure Water Navy, a key figure among the Twelve Pillars.

Looking at Chinjao's head hanging limply and his internal organs spilling

out, he was definitely dead beyond death!

There was silence in the arena, especially among the Eight Treasure

Water Navy who had come with Chinjao. No one dared to believe that

Chinjao, who had once roamed the seas and even contended with Roger,

Garp, would die like this.

"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. How could Chinjao, who is so

powerful, die like this?"

"Impossible!"

Faced with the unbelieving Eight Treasure Water Navy, Nicholas chose

not to take action, but instead looked towards Hitsugisukan.

And the Hitsugisukan gestured to the furry tribe warriors beside him.

The furry tribe warriors who received the order quickly took out their

weapons and began to kill the Eight Treasure navy

[AN- The eight treasure marines was supposed to be 'Happo navy'

according to the one piece cannon, but this sounded better so I modified

a bit.]

Shiki's fury!

As the Minks wiped out all of the Eight-Treasure Water Army and cleared

the battlefield, Nicholas approached Hitsugisukan .

"You must have realized by now that we are not members of the Kozuki

Family, right?"

"Is it really that important whether you're from the Kozuki Family or not?

Since you've managed to reach here and even mentioned the relationship

between the Kozuki and the Minks, it means you already know that thing

is in Zou. Moreover..."

Hitsugisukan 's gaze turned towards where the Sea sovereign that was

parked as he chuckled, "Those hermits who've isolated themselves for

hundreds of years can't produce something like that, can they? And, most

importantly, you're quite powerful, strong enough that all the warriors of

the Furry Kingdom combined may not be your match. So, is it necessary

to sacrifice lives needlessly?

I am the king elected by all the citizens of the Furry Kingdom. As a king,

I am responsible to all my citizens!

Moreover, that thing only becomes useful when all four pieces are

gathered, right? Since the Kozuki couldn't even hold onto the piece they

had, why should we sacrifice the lives of our citizens? Although I also

look forward to seeing the dawn of the world, it's only meaningful if all

the citizens of the Furry Kingdom witness it together."

Upon hearing the words of Hitsugisukan , Nicholas fell silent,

acknowledging that compared to his successor, Inurashi "Dog Hurricane"

and Nekomamushi "Cat Viper", this one was a qualified king.

"Don't worry, once we obtain the true historical texts, we'll leave."

For Nicholas, there were two pieces of historical texts he could acquire

now: one from the Whale Forest in Zou, and the other from the current

Undersea Dragon Palace. As for the one from Wano Country, it was only

a matter of time, but the trickier one was the piece in Big Mom's

possession, as Nicholas wasn't sure when she had obtained it.

"Thank you, sir."

...

In an unknown sea area, thousands of meters above the sky.

Islands floated in the air, surrounded by clouds, exuding a unique charm

under the sunlight.

It was a scene that ordinary people would find hard to imagine, gigantic

islands floating thousands of meters above the ground.

At the center of the most prominent medium-sized island stood a

magnificent group of buildings.

"Damn it, how is this possible? How could Roger...!"

Inside the palace, numerous prominent pirates sat cross-legged on the

ground, and at the top sat a man with thick golden hair, resembling a

lion's mane, staring at the intelligence in his hand, smashing the table

beside him with a punch.

Yes, this man was Shiki, a great pirate who rivaled Gol D. Roger and

Edward Newgate, known as the Golden Lion.

A man who dominated the skies.

"This can't be true."

Looking at the intelligence in his hand, veins popped on Shiki's forehead.

"Captain, what's happening?"

Pirates below couldn't help but ask, seeing Shiki's rage.

After all, not long ago, Shiki had started sending people to secretly gather

certain information after receiving a mysterious call.

And what he held in his hand now was the intelligence that had been

returned.

"Is it true? I will confirm it myself! Everyone, prepare to set sail, find me

Roger's location!"

Tearing up the intelligence in his hand, Shiki's face was filled with anger,

and his eyes were full of ferocity, his golden hair even fluttering without

any wind, indicating his extreme rage.

...

On the sea surface, gunfire roared, and the pungent smell of gunpowder

made it hard to breathe.

"The deck's been hit, repair it quickly!"

"Counterattack, counterattack now!"

"Damn it, is that guy Shiki out of his mind!?"

"That guy has always been crazy!"

"Gaban, go watch the stern, don't let those guys steal from our behind!"

"Shanks, take Buggy and get into the cabin. We don't have time to look

after you in this level of battle!"

"Hahaha, all hands of the Flying Fleet, mobilize! Shiki really knows how

to make a grand move! Divine departure!"

The voices resounded on the deck of the Oro Jackson, almost entirely

filled with pirates under Shiki's banner.

This was a large-scale fleet, with a total of fifty to sixty ships of various

sizes, all angrily pouring their firepower towards the central Oro Jackson,

but facing the overwhelming elites of the Roger Pirates, their attacks

were almost ineffective. Since the start of the battle, they had already lost

several ships.

"Captain, the Roger Pirates' defense is too strong, we can't break

through!"

Anxious voices echoed from one of the ships in the middle.

"Continue the attack, that guy Roger must die in my hands! Let him

submit!"

A man with lion-like golden hair, sitting in the middle of the deck, looked

at the distant battlefield like a general, exuding an aura of majesty and

dominance.

"Yes, sir!"

The pirates gritted their teeth and responded loudly, but they felt

helpless.

The Roger Pirates were not ordinary enemies. Even their ordinary crew

members were enough to match the captains on their ships.

To break through their defense line and launch an attack was an

extremely difficult task.

They also had to beware of the counterattacks from the Roger Pirates at

any time. However, Shiki had long established his authority in the Flying

Fleet, and they had no choice but to obey.

Sweeping his gaze over the battlefield ahead, watching the cannonballs

falling into the sea, causing waves, and the burning and sinking ships,

Shiki's face was dignified, his eyes full of anger.

Originally, on the sea, there was a tripartite balance between

Whitebeard, Roger, and him. The three of them propped up this entire

era.

Nicholas, Charlotte Linlin, and even the emerging Beast pirates were not

enough to compete with the three of them in his eyes.

But gradually, Shiki realized that Whitebeard's goal was just to turn his

pirate crew into a big family, without any ambition to dominate, and the

same went for Roger, who just wanted to explore the undiscovered things

on the sea, similarly lacking any ambition to dominate.

Looking at it this way, his ambition to see the birth of the king of the sea

among the three of them seemed foolish.

Moreover, the person he had considered his lifelong enemy, Roger, was

actually on his deathbed, which made Shiki even more furious.

If he didn't defeat Roger and Whitebeard, then even if he became the

king of the sea, he would feel like it was something bestowed upon him

by others.

"Roger! I will definitely defeat you with my own hands! Make you

submit!"

With a deep voice echoing, Shiki's presence surged, rushing towards the

sea ahead, and for a moment, the wind and clouds changed, ripples

appeared in the space, and the sea surged with monstrous waves.

The Flying Fleet pirates all widened their eyes, shocked by this powerful

presence, their minds trembling.

"Hahaha, Shiki, haven't you woken up yet!?"

With laughter echoing, four equally powerful auras emanated from the

Oro Jackson.

"Hey, Buggy, wake up!"

Feeling the overwhelming will outside the cabin, Shanks sweated

profusely, trying to wake up his comrade, who was rolling his eyes and

fainting with a white nose, inside.

Respective paths!

"At Marineford, due to the conflict between the Roger Pirates and the

Golden Lion Flying Pirates, the Marines have also become more vigilant.

After all, a clash between such powerful pirate crews could easily

escalate into a large-scale battle that affects the entire New World. In

such a scenario, island factions allied with either the Roger or the Golden

Lion crew might clash. Even individuals like Whitebeard Edward

Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, who recently escaped from a Marine

research facility, the elusive Thunder God Nicholas, and ambitious

pirates might all get involved, so the Marines must be prepared to

prevent the most dangerous outcomes.

"Isn't this good? Let them kill each other."

Admiral Zephyr, draped in a Marine cloak, sat on the sofa and said

coldly, showing disgust toward pirates after the events a few years ago.

"Indeed, pirates killing each other could benefit us, but we must prevent

the emergence of a single dominant force in the chaos. The reason why

pirates cannot confront the Marines directly is because of their disarray

and mutual hostility. Even the former Pirate King, Rocks, couldn't gather

all the pirates. If a figure capable of commanding the New World pirates

were to emerge, it would be a disaster for the entire world."

Admiral Sengoku spoke solemnly.

"Sengoku is right. What we want is a stable sea. After years of

consolidation, the Marines have almost completely controlled the Four

Blues and the first half of the Grand Line. Now we just need an

opportunity. When the pirates in the New World exhaust each other and

are vulnerable, we'll sweep them all away!"

As the Chief of Staff of the Marines and the person in charge of clearing

the North Blue, Tsuru, was quite satisfied with the suggestion made by

Dragon. With the Marines' large-scale actions, the number of pirates has

significantly decreased, and there has been a noticeable improvement in

security throughout the Four Blues.

"By the way, Garp, where's Dragon?"

Sengoku looked at Garp and asked.

"Huh? I don't know where that kid is. I haven't contacted him in almost

half a year."

Garp, who was sleeping, was awakened and responded dazedly.

"You fool, don't you even know where your son is!?"

Upon hearing this, Sengoku's forehead bulged with veins. Obviously, he

was worried about Dragon, as it's not common for a Marine Vice Admiral

to disappear for extended periods, even though he reports to

headquarters regularly. Moreover, with a code name, he was practically

the guaranteed next candidate for Admiral. Being so inactive didn't seem

right.

"Never mind, that kid has his own mind. Anyway, I can't control him

anymore. Oh, I heard that those kids from the training camp are about to

graduate. Send some of them to me. I'll take them to the New World to

liven things up a bit."

Garp said with a smile to Sengoku.

"Get lost. The guy you brought back last time is already assigned to your

ship. Also, Tsuru, I'll have Issho report to your side soon."

Compared to his attitude towards Garp, Sengoku's tone towards Tsuru

was much milder.

"Oh, is that the blind swordsman Issho who already has a reputation at

Marine Headquarters?"

Tsuru asked with interest.

Sengoku nodded: "That's the result of discussions between Zephyr and

me. Issho is a man filled with justice and compassion for the weak, even

though he's blind. His unwavering commitment to justice is undeniable.

However, precisely because of this, I hope you can take him under your

wing and nurture him."

"I see, I understand."

Tsuru nodded, showing that she understood. Although Sengoku and

Zephyr didn't explicitly say it, it was evident from their expressions that

they wanted to protect the young man named Issho. After all, individuals

full of passion for justice often tend to question it after witnessing certain

things.

"Alright, let's discuss the most important matter today, which is how we

should deal with the Roger Pirates. I believe you've all seen the

intelligence."

As they mentioned the intelligence, the expressions of everyone present

became serious, even Garp's demeanor became solemn.

"We've seen it. It's hard to imagine that such a powerful man will soon

meet his end."

Zephyr tapped the table lightly with his fingers, feeling nostalgic. They,

including Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, had all dealt with Roger multiple

times. Even Dragon had formulated several plans against the Roger

Pirates. Now, suddenly receiving news that their old adversary would

soon meet his end felt surreal.

"What's your opinion, Tsuru?"

Sengoku looked at Tsuru and asked.

"The dissolution of the Roger Pirates is foreseeable, so the threat they

pose to the Marines in the future is almost negligible. We don't need to

go all out against them. After all, adversaries pushed to the brink are

capable of unimaginable acts.

Knowing Roger's character, he wouldn't directly attack a nation, but not

long ago, he did. And that nation, which lost all its military forces, was

annexed by another country a week later.

My suggestion is, we continue the pursuit of Roger, but don't push him

too hard. Our focus should mainly be on the Whitebeard Pirates and the

Golden Lion Pirates!"

After finishing, Tsuru paused, pondered for a moment, and then frowned:

"And, expedite the collection of intelligence on the Beast Pirates by the

Marine Intelligence Department and the Cipher Pol Department. I have a

feeling that someone like Nicholas, who suddenly went silent, is

definitely plotting something."

While the high-ranking Marines were discussing, on a hill behind the

Marine training camp not far from Marine Headquarters, Issho sat cross-

legged on a rock, overlooking the bustling port with numerous warships.

"Dragon-san, you're here."

Without turning his head, Issho spoke, and behind him, in the empty

space, Dragon's figure appeared.

"You have sharp perception, Issho-sama."

Dragon, looking at Issho's back, showed his trademark smile.

"It seems that what Nicholas said is true. Dragon-san has already made a

decision."

Issho sighed.

Dragon also stepped forward and stood beside Issho, looking at the

imposing Marine Headquarters in the distance.

"The Marine's ideology conflicts with mine, and I cannot change the

Marines or this world within it.

This world shouldn't be like this, so Issho-sama, would you be willing to

help me? Let's change this world together!"

Dragon extended an invitation to Issho.

"Dragon-san, when Nicholas recommended me to join the Marines, he

told me that I could see the essence of this world more clearly. Now, I

have indeed seen many unpleasant things, but I have also seen many

shining aspects within the Marines. So, I will continue to stay in the

Marines and try to change it from inside."

Issho spoke in a solemn tone. In the Marines, he saw individuals

oppressing ordinary people and colluding with pirates, but he also saw

Marines fighting to protect ordinary people against pirates, even though

they were weaker. Seeing someone so weak but still daring to stand up to

the powerful was admirable.

"Then, let's hope for a better future for both of us, Issho-sama."

As he finished speaking, Dragon's figure had disappeared.

"Hopefully, we will see the dawn of a new world, because the time before

dawn is the darkest and most chaotic."

After speaking softly, Issho got up, picked up his sword cane, tapped the

ground, and walked down the mountain towards the base.

Orochi's haterade!

"This is the main text of history? The text is really strange."

In Hakumai...

Nicholas and others, who obtained the main text of history from Zou,

gathered around the table, staring blankly at the historical text on the

table.

Strictly speaking, among the entire Freemen Pirates, only June and Katie

are cultured individuals, and Nicholas can be considered half due to his

background. As for Vista, Simon, and Brook, they are three illiterates.

It's fine to let them fight, but asking them to study historical texts is no

different from killing them.

"These words should be from a thousand years ago, and there is no

resemblance to the current common language."

June frowned and said, obviously, the so-called historical text should be

an ancient script. Under normal circumstances, based on some historical

documents and records, one can try to deduce its meaning using the

current language.

However, with the existence of a hundred-year gap, not only did

historical documents have gaps, but the same script also had gaps. Unless

someone has been preserving various materials from the past, or

analyzing them from historical ruins, it is difficult to decipher the

meaning of these words.

"Captain, can I make a copy for research?"

June looked at Nicholas and asked. Although she and Nicholas had a

good relationship, asking directly, Nicholas would surely agree, but they

are still a group.

"You can just take it, anyway, we can't understand it."

Nicholas waved his hand.

On the other side, in the Flower Capital, various daimyos from the capital

gathered.

"Everyone, you must be aware of what happened in Hakumai, right? How

do you view this?"

Dressed in gorgeous attire, Kurozumi Orochi sat on the Shogun's seat,

looking at the daimyos from various regions and asked.

Obviously, this was the result of his discussions with Kurozumi Higurashi

and Kurozumi Semimaru. Although they already have a certain amount

of hidden power, they are preparing for the future. They cannot use it to

suppress Hakumai.

"Now that Hakumai has cut off its ties with other regions, we temporarily

do not know the situation inside Hakumai. Moreover, the enemy has

amassed a large number of troops in the areas bordering each region.

Without a large number of troops, it is impossible to break through. In

addition, according to the intelligence we received, Daimyo Shimotsuki

Yasuie has been captured, and his samurai forces have been wiped out.

Moreover, those thieves have redistributed the land, dividing the wealth

accumulated by countless generations of samurai. This has caused all the

common people in Hakumai to lean toward them. If we go to war with

Hakumai, we will not only face those rebels, but also the common people

on the land of Hakumai."

The daimyo of Kibi spoke solemnly. Obviously, the rebellion in Hakumai

had completely caught them off guard.

"So, how many troops can each daimyo mobilize?"

Kurozumi Orochi looked at everyone, obviously, in his opinion, this is the

best opportunity to weaken the strength of these daimyos. Whether it's

them or both sides of Hakumai, the more losses they suffer, the more

advantageous it is for him.

"We, the Ringo, have a harsh environment, and we can mobilize a total of

two hundred samurai."

Shimotsuki Ushimaru spoke.

"We, the Udon, can mobilize three hundred samurai and provide

weapons."

"We, the Kibi, can mobilize one hundred samurai."

…

Hearing these words, Kurozumi Orochi's face slowly became numb. It

only adds up to a thousand people. It is impossible to expect these people

to recapture Hakumai. After all, more than two thousand samurai under

Daimyo Shimotsuki Yasuie were wiped out.

"Is it that at this time, you still want to preserve your strength? Are you

just going to watch those rebels plague Wano in the future!?"

Facing the instigation of Orochi, everyone remained unmoved, and even

Denjiro had time to calculate how many days it would take to complete

the construction of the Kirisuna reservoir.

In the end, this conversation ended without agreement.

"Damn it! Damn it!"

Back in the bedroom, Orochi directly threw various porcelain items on

the ground, venting his anger.

And beside him, the face of a courtier changed for a while, revealing the

face of Kurozumi Higurashi.

"Is the venting enough?"

Kurozumi Higurashi looked at Orochi and asked.

"Those guys are really unreasonable!!!"

The calmed down Orochi said with a fierce look.

"Is it that you haven't noticed that those guys are unwilling to use all

their troops just to guard against you? After all, the black history of the

Kurozumi family is deeply ingrained in their hearts."

Kurozumi Higurashi's face turned gloomy.

"What should we do then? If we wait for Oden to come back, we will lose

the position of Shogun that we have worked so hard to obtain!!!"

Orochi was extremely irritable. It can be said that before Oden returns,

weakening the strength of various daimyos in Wano, coupled with the

power he has secretly accumulated, may still be able to resist Oden and

finally seize the position of Shogun in Wano.

But now, those guys have chosen to preserve their strength. Once Oden

returns, as long as he calls for support, there will be a large number of

supporters. By then, he will just have to step down dejectedly.

"And, my revenge is not yet complete!!! The hatred of those Kurozumi

who were beaten, thrown into the river, beheaded, and burned alive is all

on me!"

Orochi roared in anger, for him, the parents burned to death in the fire,

the playmates who were beaten, thrown into the river and laughed at by

those righteous people, are his eternal shadows.

For him, the position of Shogun in Wano is not so important, what is

important is to retaliate against this country!

Even because of the excitement of emotions, several snake heads began

to emerge from his collar.

And Kurozumi Higurashi looked at the snake heads on Orochi's body,

feeling a bit panicked for a while.

"In that case, in order to completely seize Wano and retaliate against this

country, we just need to lure that guy here. After all, at this time, he is

eager for a territory that can provide a large amount of resources to

develop his forces."

Kurozumi Higurashi said with a sinister smile.

"Who?"

All sixteen eyes of Orochi stared at Kurozumi Higurashi.

...

"Kaido, where are we going next?"

In a luxurious building full of Nordic style, Kaido was sitting on the sofa,

drinking wine leisurely.

And beside him, a young man with black wings, brown skin, and white

hair was looking at him and asking.

Around the two of them, there were scattered corpses all over the

ground, obviously they were unwelcome visitors.

"Gulp Gulp Gulp!"

After drinking heavily, Kaido looked at the young man in front of him

and said, "King, next, we need to recruit soldiers and expand our

strength, then launch a grand war that will shock the world. What that

guy Rocks couldn't achieve, I will do!

But it's really interesting, you Moon Tribe remnants once considered

yourselves gods, but now you've become pitiful test subjects, with even

your former dwelling places invaded by others. It's truly pathetic."

"Gods? They were just some arrogant fellows who called themselves that.

Just like those pigs in Mary Geoise now, not just anyone can bear the

title of god. But they're all just a bunch of..."

"Bururu... Bururu... Bururu..."

Just as King was about to speak, the Den Den Mushi on Kaido's waist

began to ring.

Kaido Enters the Country of

Peace!

The climate in the New World is capricious and ever-changing, but this

capricious and ever-changing weather doesn't seem to affect the islands

of the New World.

Even if there is an impact, compared to the exaggerated natural

phenomena at sea, the islands are much milder, seemingly due to the

magnetic field carried by the islands mediating such harsh weather.

At this moment, outside of the Land of Wano, dark clouds covered the

sky, fierce winds blew, stirring up terrifying waves, and fist-sized

downpours relentlessly hammered into the sea.

Meanwhile, on the tumultuous sea, a massive pirate ship bobbed up and

down with the waves.

"Hey, what's going on? Why did the weather suddenly become so

terrible?"

"I have no idea, according to the forecast, the weather shouldn't be like

this!"

"How much longer until we reach the nearest island?"

"According to the compass, we'll be there soon! Once we enter the

harbor, we'll be safe."

Suddenly.

All the pirates on this pirate ship suddenly felt a palpitation. As seasoned

pirates who have navigated the New World, these people almost

simultaneously had a slight change in their gaze, quickly gripping the

hilts of the long swords hanging from their waists, then abruptly looking

up at the night sky where the disturbance originated.

Almost at the same time.

Accompanied by a lightning bolt illuminating the night sky.

What they saw was a blue dragon meandering through the night sky,

stepping on flames.

"That's... a dragon!?"

Looking at the giant dragon appearing in the night sky, the members of

the pirate crew were dumbfounded.

Clearly, they couldn't fathom why such a legendary creature would

appear here.

In the night sky.

The dragon seemed to have noticed them, its cold eyes scanning towards

the sea, and soon the gazes of both sides met in the air.

Facing the oppressive aura emanating from this terrifying creature, many

pirates couldn't help but swallow hard, and their muscles trembled

uncontrollably.

At that moment.

Boom!

Without warning, a thick purple lightning bolt flashed out of the clouds,

striking towards the direction where the pirates were.

In an instant, the pirate crew, along with the pirate ship, were engulfed

in dazzling purple lightning.

"Kaido!"

Just as the dragon was about to leave, a roar suddenly came from the

direction of the pirate ship, and a red light shot up from the ship.

Apparently, there were survivors from the previous strike, and they

recognized Kaido.

In the night sky.

Kaido, in dragon form, immediately sensed the commotion on the sea

surface.

With fierce and indifferent eyes, a disdainful expression appeared on his

face.

Faced with such a furious attack.

Kaido could easily dodge by twisting his body, but there was no need.

Boom!

The attack struck Kaido's dragon body.

Then, the shockwaves dispersed.

This seemingly fierce attack did not cause any harm to Kaido, not even

leaving a trace of damage.

"What a joke..."

The person on the pirate ship whose upper body had turned into a

cannon couldn't believe it. This attack was almost his strongest.

The dragon-shaped Kaido lowered his head and looked down at the

cannon-man, saying coldly, "Huh, your attack is far inferior to that guy

from VegaPunk!"

Thinking of VegaPunk's methods, Kaido felt his body starting to ache

faintly.

Pain, it's too painful!

Then, with a massive sweep of his dragon body, Kaido released a series of

long wind blades, flying towards the pirate ship below.

There were too many wind blades, completely sealing off any space for

evasion.

And the speed was extremely fast, arriving in front of the cannon-man in

the blink of an eye.

"Hmm? This guy!"

The cannon-man's heart trembled, quickly transforming his upper body

into a Gatling form, and solidifying his Armament Haki, covering his

body. Bullets shot out like raindrops, aiming at the oncoming wind

blades.

He didn't even think about dodging the wind blades. Once a Devil Fruit

user lost their footing on the sea, there was only one way to go.

So he only thought about using his powerful firepower to forcibly offset

the wind blades, thus neutralizing this formidable attack.

But—

As his bullets hit the wind blades, he realized how naive he was.

"This power, this intensity, this sharpness..."

Only to see the wind blades pierce through the barrage and cut into the

cannon-man's body.

Swoosh!

In the pouring rain, limbs and innards mixed with a large amount of

blood splattered into the air.

The captain of the Weapons Pirates, with a shocked expression, dropped

his head, still wearing an incredulous look even as his head fell to the

ground.

This... was an absolute disparity.

"Lord Kaido, aren't we supposed to expand our influence? That guy has

some strength, why not recruit him?"

Looking at the sinking ship below, a pteranodon, with wings burning in

flames, flapped its wings beside Kaido and asked.

The reason why the members of the Weapons Pirates didn't notice this

winged dragon earlier was that compared to Kaido's huge dragon body,

this winged dragon was too small.

"Unfortunately, he's not an animal-type. We're forming a pirate crew

consisting entirely of animal-type Devil Fruit users. Alright, King, let's

hurry up and head to the Land of Wano. I can't wait to see my territory."

Said Kaido confidently, according to the information provided by King,

the only thing to be feared in the Land of Wano right now was the

renowned Kin'emon, while the other so-called samurai were all inferior in

Kaido's eyes.

Unrivaled Power!

"Lord Kaido, those samurais are quite troublesome."

Watching Kaido's confident demeanor, Kurozumi Orochi couldn't help but

speak up. At this point, Kaido was his last hope for revenge against Wano

Country. If Kaido couldn't suppress Wano Country, then his good days

were likely numbered.

"Samurais?"

Kaido shook his head disdainfully. If those samurais were truly

formidable, Wano Country wouldn't have remained closed off for so long.

"Don't underestimate those samurais, Lord Kaido. Take the renowned

name in Ringo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, for example. His ancestor,

Shimotsuki Ryuma, is said to have beheaded a divine dragon in the skies

of Wano. It's said that at that time, the divine dragon was directly

decapitated, and its blood stained the land of Wano."

Kurozumi Orochi spoke with a fawning smile.

"What did you say?!"

With Kurozumi Orochi's words, Kaido erupted in fury.

If what was said was true, then the previous user of the Fish-Fish Fruit,

Mythical Zoan, Dragon Form, had been beheaded in Wano. This was a

disgrace for Kaido as a fellow Devil Fruit user.

Subsequently, a strong wind swept through the room, and Kaido's body

began to transform into a dragon. He flew out of the window,

transforming into a massive dragon in the sky, heading towards Ringo.

"Lord Kaido!"

Seeing this, King followed suit, leaping out of the window and

transforming into his toothless-winged dragon form to chase after Kaido.

"Hahaha, it seems that Kaido is also a simple-minded fellow."

Watching Kaido and King disappear into the distance, Kurozumi Orochi

let out a strange laugh.

"Dum dum~"

Accompanied by the sound of musical instruments, Kurozumi Higurashi

approached Orochi, watching the dragon in the sky and King chasing

after him, and said, "That's because of confidence in one's own strength.

If you, Lord Orochi, had the power of the top-tier figures on the sea, you

could easily take over Wano Country."

"Lord, can we just sit idly by while Hakumai falls? Lord Yasuie is a

member of the Shimotsuki clan after all!"

"Exactly, we can't just stand by and watch."

Inside the mansion of the Ringo Daimyo, several samurais spoke

earnestly to Shimotsuki Ushimaru sitting at the head. However,

Shimotsuki Ushimaru just picked up his sake gourd, took a few sips,

wiped his mouth, and looked at them.

Seeing Shimotsuki Ushimaru's actions, all the samurais quieted down.

"Ever since the Shimotsuki clan became the daimyo of Hakumai, they've

cut off ties with the Shimotsuki clan of Ringo. Don't forget, if it weren't

for the poisoning of the Kozuki clan by the Kurozumi clan, the daimyo of

Hakumai wouldn't have fallen to the Shimotsuki clan!"

The fact that the Shimotsuki clan could hold the positions of daimyo in

both Hakumai and Ringo might make it seem like they were second only

to the Kozuki clan in terms of strength. But the forced departure of

Shimotsuki Kōsaburo from Wano was a huge blow to the Shimotsuki

clan. Only the samurais understood the immense value of a master

swordsmith like Kōsaburo, who could have attracted countless samurais

to join the Shimotsuki clan by forging exceptional swords.

At that moment, a strong wind arose outside, and the samurais inside the

room sensed something amiss. Shimotsuki Ushimaru was the first to grab

his sword and rush to the rooftop.

Then, figures appeared from all around, all facing upwards.

"That's... a dragon?!"

Seeing the dragon in the night sky, many samurais were filled with fear.

Shimotsuki Ushimaru, on the other hand, had a sudden palpitation in his

heart and shivered all over. As someone who had heard stories of his

ancestors slaying dragons since childhood, he knew how terrifying these

mythical creatures were.

But as someone who aspired to surpass his ancestors, he saw an

opportunity right before him.

As the massive dragon's cold eyes swept over the ground, they met

Shimotsuki Ushimaru's trembling figure.

He could tell that the opponent was not afraid, but excited.

Clang!

Shimotsuki Ushimaru drew his sword in a swift motion.

Veins popped on his forehead.

"Dual Sword Style: Great Dragon Whirlwind!"

Shimotsuki Ushimaru swung his sword with all his might, unleashing a

massive tornado of sword energy towards the dragon in the sky.

In the night sky, Kaido, transformed into a dragon, noticed the

approaching tornado of sword energy. He looked down at Shimotsuki

Ushimaru, wearing a cold smirk.

"Is this all you've got?"

This result left Shimotsuki Ushimaru incredulous, and the surrounding

samurais were equally shocked.

Kaido's dragon body, unaffected by the seemingly powerful Dual Sword

Style Great Dragon Whirlwind, didn't sustain any damage, not even a

scratch. If anything, his scales gleamed brighter after the attack, as if

they had received a polish.

The outcome left Shimotsuki Ushimaru incredulous, and the surrounding

samurais were equally astonished.

Dragon-form Kaido looked down at Shimotsuki Ushimaru, nostrils

spewing out sparks, and coldly said, "Ohohoho~ So this is the descendant

of the dragon-slaying warrior from years past. Quite disappointing. It

seems that what your ancestors slew was nothing but a pseudo-dragon

with an empty reputation."

"Do not tarnish the name of our ancestors! Follow me, everyone, let's slay

the dragon!"

As soon as the words fell, Shimotsuki Ushimaru and the surrounding

samurais directly shot up from the ground, wielding their blades as they

charged towards Kaido in the sky.

Meanwhile, the serpentine dragon body of Kaido, swirling in the night

sky, resembled a tangible spiral cyclone.

Dragon Cyclone: Demolition gust!

As the massive dragon body rotated, it released numerous elongated

wind blades, assaulting the samurais below.

The quantity of wind blades was too many, completely sealing off any

space for evasion.

And their speed was extremely fast, reaching the samurais in the blink of

an eye.

The continuous onslaught of wind blades slashed at the samurais.

Hiss!

Limbs and arms mixed with a large amount of blood were splattered onto

the ground.

The long sword held by severed arms fell from the sky, embedding itself

into the ground, emitting a faint, mournful cry.

Shimotsuki Ushimaru looked around at the hellish scene, his companions'

blood splattering on his face, turning his vision crimson.

"Ancestor…"

At this moment, Shimotsuki Ushimaru looked at the figure of Kaido in

the sky, and the unmatched power, unable to help but mutter to himself.

Only by facing such an opponent firsthand could one truly feel the

strength of Shimotsuki Ryuma back then.

Then, Shimotsuki Ushimaru once again raised his sword and charged

towards Kaido. After all, he was the descendant of Shimotsuki Ryuma

and couldn't afford to disgrace his ancestors!

"You are weak..."

Seeing Shimotsuki Ushimaru on the rooftop not far away, panting heavily

with dual swords in hand, Kaido felt somewhat bored.

If the opponent's strength was just a bit higher, perhaps they could have

pierced through his defense.

But after so long of stretching his muscles, he was getting impatient.

He didn't feel like wasting any more time here. With that in mind, Kaido

opened his dragon mouth and began to brew a scorching dragon breath.

Dragons Breath!

The scorching flames erupted from his dragon mouth, aiming to engulf

Shimotsuki Ushimaru below.

At that moment, a white figure flashed in and stood before the

approaching flames.

The white figure raised his right hand, facing the incoming scorching

breath head-on.

Boom!!!

The scorching flames clashed violently with the white figure in mid-air,

scattering into all directions. Small flames fell to the ground like a grand

fireworks display.

After a moment.

As the flames dissipated, the scene in the sky was revealed.

"Nicholas!!!"

High above, facing the sudden appearance of the figure, Kaido roared in

anger.

And Nicholas, surrounded by crackling purple-black lightning, hovered in

the air, looking down coldly at the dragon-shaped Kaido.

"Kaido."

Kaido's dragon face was filled with cold killing intent as he sneered,

"Ohoho... I never thought I'd encounter you here. Do you know how

much I've missed you?! Albert Nicholas!"

In response, a Z-shaped lightning crackled with a dazzling purple-black

light.

It was Nicholas's newly developed technique, Z-Flash.

A lightning attack with penetrating properties, it sliced through the air in

a Z-shape, hitting Kaido squarely in the jaw.

The force of the attack lifted the front half of Kaido's dragon body high

into the air, and the scales on his jaw shattered into pieces.

"Is this all you've got?"

Seeing Shimotsuki Ushimaru on the rooftop not far away, gripping his

two swords and panting heavily, Kaido felt a bit disappointed.

If the opponent's strength was just a bit higher, perhaps they could have

pierced through his defense.

But after so long of stretching his muscles, he was getting impatient.

He didn't feel like wasting any more time here. With that in mind, Kaido

opened his dragon mouth and began to brew a scorching dragon breath.

Heat Breath!

The scorching flames erupted from his dragon mouth, aiming to engulf

Shimotsuki Ushimaru below.

At that moment, a white figure flashed in and stood before the

approaching flames.

The white figure raised his right hand, facing the incoming scorching

breath head-on.

Boom!!!

The scorching flames clashed violently with the white figure in midair,

scattering into all directions. Small flames fell to the ground like a grand

fireworks display.

After a moment.

As the flames dissipated, the scene in the sky was revealed.

"Nicholas!!!"

High above, facing the sudden appearance of the figure, Kaido roared in

anger.

And Nicholas, surrounded by crackling purple-black lightning, hovered in

the air, looking down coldly at the dragon-shaped Kaido.

"Kaido."

Kaido's dragon face was filled with cold killing intent as he sneered,

"Ohoho... I never thought I'd encounter you here. Do you know how

much I've missed you?! Albert Nicholas!"

In response, a Z-shaped lightning crackled with a dazzling purple-black

light.

It was Nicholas's newly developed technique, Z-Flash.

A lightning attack with penetrating properties, it sliced through the air in

a Z-shape, hitting Kaido squarely in the jaw.

The force of the attack lifted the front half of Kaido's dragon body high

into the air, and the scales on his jaw shattered into pieces.

"With a body this massive, what use do you have other than bullying

those weaker than yourself?"

Nicholas raised his hand, and around him, numerous iron sand particles

floated in the air, indicating his intention to unleash the Railgun.

"Immortality? Just watch and learn, did you really take your fragile

scales seriously?"

[AN-This chapter took way too long to edit and presentable, so please

show your support]

Kaido's miserable life!

Lying horizontally in the sky, the giant dragon was an unbeatable sky

monster for the weak. But for strong individuals like Nicholas, it was just

that.

Moreover, due to its size, it was almost a huge living target.

After firing off a Z-Flash, Nicholas didn't stop there. He directly reached

out towards Kaido, who was rolling backward, unleashing more iron sand

bullets ignited in the air.

Accompanied by sharp whistles, streaks of fire tore through the air,

illuminating the night sky.

Facing the massive body in the air, there was no need to adjust angles to

ensure accuracy.

Just as Kaido barely steadied himself, brilliant light beams rushed

towards him, and the next moment, dozens of blood holes appeared on

his dragon body, shattered scales and blood flowing down to the ground.

The raging power and the intense pain coursing through his body made

Kaido's dragon face contort slightly.

"This feeling..."

In a daze, Kaido's mind flashed with the images of several figures

wearing white coats.

Without much thought, dozens more iron sand bullets flew towards him,

pounding against his grim dragon head.

Seeing the battered Kaido in the air, Nicholas chose not to continue

attacking but simply stared at him.

Regardless, being hailed as one of the Four Emperors, Kaido undoubtedly

had immense potential among the few in the world.

Nicholas stood there quietly, watching Kaido roaring in pain in the

distance.

Faced with this scene, deep within King's heart, a long-lost sense of

despair surged up.

However.

Even though he saw no opportunity, it didn't mean he would sit back and

do nothing.

Since he chose to follow Big Brother Kaido.

Even if it meant death, he would help Big Brother Kaido deal with the

opponent.

A glint of observation Haki suddenly appeared in King's eyes.

From Nicholas's appearance to his action, in King's view, there was no

possibility of negotiation between the two sides.

This was an enemy relationship.

So—

King, who had been inactive from the beginning, suddenly made a move.

Without any hesitation or fear of Nicholas's strength and reputation.

The black wings on his back suddenly closed, and his massive body, like

a projectile, shot straight towards Nicholas.

Just as he approached Nicholas, he transformed back into human form,

and the samurai sword gripped tightly in his hand, like his shoulders,

also ignited into flames.

"Flame!"

King, who appeared in front of Nicholas in an instant, unleashed the full

power of Busoshoku Haki and his Lunaria tribe's strength, swinging the

samurai sword enveloped in flames downwards at Nicholas.

Nicholas stared at the flaming sword coming straight at him, his eyes

reflecting a sharp strike and King's determined gaze.

As the attack neared, aiming directly at Nicholas's vitals.

But Nicholas remained unmoved, just calmly watching the flaming sword

approach.

Then—

A large black hand suddenly shot out from behind Nicholas, directly

grabbing King's face.

Seeing the large black hand appearing behind him, King's pupils

constricted, instinctively reaching for his sword to defend.

However—

The next moment, the hand seized his face, forcibly pulling him from the

air and slamming him to the ground.

Nicholas looked at King, who was suppressed by Vista, calmly stating:

"Alber? Didn't your old man tell you about my identity!?"

[AN-King's real name is Alber if anyone was wondering. And he is

different from the lunarian in rocks's crew]

"..."

Silenced by Vista's suppression, King remained silent, his body got tense

as he tried to break free from Vista's restraint. But for the still somewhat

inexperienced youth, Vista was clearly not someone he could contend

with.

Meanwhile.

Shocked, Ushimaru looked at King being suppressed by Vista and the

massive dragon rolling in the air. In a moment of confusion, he seemed to

find Wano Country becoming very unfamiliar. As one of Wano Country's

top-tier fighters, he appeared weak in front of these people.

Attacking the enemy with all his might, only to have his moves

effortlessly blocked by the enemy, unable to penetrate even the

opponent's scales.

But in front of that person, the sky-roaming dragon's scales seemed as

fragile as paper. The man surrounded by lightning, the massive dragon

swimming in the air, and the man with flames burning on his body, it

was like a scene of mythical gods fighting.

"So strong!"

Ushimaru murmured to himself.

Although both sides had only briefly engaged in battle, Ushimaru deeply

realized the gap in strength between himself and them.

"Thunder Emperor!"

"Quiet down, it's our boss's fight, what are you panicking about? And

according to our seniority, you should call us uncles, understand?"

Facing King's resistance, Vista scolded him and directly slapped him on

the head with a ryuo palm.

And at this moment, the still young King, facing Vista, could only stare at

him with stubborn eyes.

"Kaido..."

Nicholas looked up at the rapidly rolling black clouds in the distance.

The sudden change in the sky seemed to reflect Kaido's current mood.

Even the seemingly insane Kaido, after being repeatedly struck head-on,

was likely to be angry, not to mention the current Kaido, who had not yet

been tormented by Vegapunk properly.

After all, mad scientists and the like were very likely to leave

psychological trauma.

In the sky, Kaido's dragon body swirled, and the muscles of his body also

writhed. Countless deformed iron sand bullets were squeezed out of his

body, and the wounds that had been opened began to slowly heal along

with the muscle movement.

It could be said that Kaido's Immortality was somewhat exaggerated, but

the title of Strongest Creature still had some truth to it. For such a guy

who awakened his Devil Fruit and had a monstrous physique, if he

couldn't be taken out in one shot, even if he was severely injured, he

could quickly recover from his injuries with his terrifying physique.

This, as someone who had fought many monsters, Nicholas knew very

well.

"Kaido's words... there's some use to them, but it's also a headache..."

Nicholas looked at the sky-blue dragon that had returned to human form,

its bloodied wounds now barely visible. He held a intimidating wolf-

tooth club in his hand, crackling with red electrical arcs.

Obviously, upon reverting to human form, Kaido immediately employed

Haoshoku Haki, after all, he could handle small fry as he pleased.

But Kaido knew that Nicholas was not among them; this was an opponent

who could kill him if he wasn't careful.

"Last time I bled... when was it? Ohohoho, Nicholas, our old grudges, I'm

going to settle them with you today."

Kaido raised the purple lightning-wreathed wolf-tooth club, assuming the

stance of Thunder bagua.

His eyes full of ferocity, crimson light shining in them.

An aura as fierce as a wild beast, unbridled, radiated from him, blowing

the surrounding ground debris towards the distance.

Nicholas narrowed his eyes.

"It seems that Vega Punk's care for you isn't enough. Next time we meet, I

should give him some advice."

HearingNicholas' words, Kaido's rough face was a little stunned at first,

and then suddenly became furious.

[AN- sometimes i feel bad about how much Kaido has suffered, and our

mc wants him to suffer more 🥹]

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