After Victory, Undercurrents Surge
Located in the town of Caishin in Hakumai,
This is a small town that survives on the wasteland of the Capital of Flowers. It's not that the townspeople are lazy or unwilling to work; it's just that in Wano Country, which is now largely destroyed, arable land is becoming increasingly scarce, and the wild is teeming with poisonous, mutated creatures. Therefore:
"Last night there was thunder and strong winds, even though it's the 'Fire Festival' that only comes once a year."
"Haha, this means we've survived another year, stop complaining~~"
A group of smiling people, covered in patches, began their work, determined to make ends meet no matter how difficult life was. However, after eating discarded Artificial Devil Fruit to stave off hunger, they were all transformed into pathetic beings capable only of laughter.
"Everyone!!"
"Everyone out, assemble!"
A figure speeding towards them caused a group of emaciated civilians to look up, immediately lower their heads, and step aside, because:
The newcomer was a samurai with a long sword at his waist!
"Old Kang, this is..."
"Is another samurai going to 'test his sword'?"
The so-called "sword testing" was, of course, a newly forged samurai sword used to test its sharpness on a living person, and incidentally, to let the weapon draw blood. — During the twenty years of Kurozumi Orochi's rule, this had become a regular activity for his samurai.
"You all step back, let me go and ask."
An old man with a white polka-dot headscarf covering his hair, wearing tattered patched clothes, and a perpetually laughing expression on his face due to the failure of eating Artificial Devil Fruit, stepped forward. Although his expression was comical and his movements humble, there was not a trace of fear in his eyes, clearly indicating that he had seen many storms.
"My lord, what instructions do you have for me?"
"Listen up, all of you,"
The newcomer exuded a murderous aura and the stench of blood, instilling fear in the people of Caishen Town who dared not approach. The bandages beneath his clothes clearly indicated that he had just been in a fierce battle, causing the man who stepped forward, referred to by the others as 'Old Kang,' to bow even more respectfully, a comical glint in his eyes.
Could it be related to the thunder and strong winds last night?
"I've come to deliver the orders of the new 'Shogun' of Wano Country, Yamato Kozuki!"
"Kurozumi Orochi, who plotted to seize the position of Shogun twenty years ago, is finished. Even Kaido, the captain of the Beasts Pirates who colluded with him, has been defeated..."
???
Are the new general, Yamato Kozuki, Orochi, and Kaido defeated?
Is this some kind of weird, lame joke...?
If it weren't for the katana at his waist, everyone in Caishen Town would have voiced their doubts. However, his next words instantly captured everyone's attention! Because:
"Everyone, bring your bowls and chopsticks to the Capital of Flowers! To celebrate the new general's inauguration, we will be distributing porridge for three days! Let's cheer for the Kozuki Family's benevolence—"
?!
Although everyone's minds were still a bit foggy and couldn't quite process it, the meaning of "free food" in the Capital of Flowers was immediately clear. So, the next step, of course, was:
"Quick! Wake the old man up, at least let him have a warm meal before he dies..."
"Bring your younger siblings along!"
Not enough bowls and chopsticks? We'll use tiles and bamboo sticks—
Everyone sprang into action instantly. Eating is the greatest instinct of all living beings; hunger can drive even the most timid beast mad! If it weren't for the last vestige of humanity still holding onto its principles, cannibalism would have already occurred in Wano Country.
"Sir Samurai,"
Unlike the others whose attention was drawn to the food, the old man named Old Kang stepped forward.
"Yamato Kozuki... could he be a member of the Kozuki Family, the shogun from twenty years ago? But..."
My old friend's family only has a son and a daughter, Toki Kozuki and Hiyori Kozuki, right? Where did this Yamato Kozuki come from?
Don't pry into things you shouldn't know!
The bandaged samurai glanced at the 'overstepping' old man before him. Under any shogun, samurai were always superior to commoners. Moreover, this samurai himself had just been released from Udon prison and then fought a fierce battle all night. He was lucky enough not to be seriously injured, so he was sent out as a messenger.
But:
To be honest, he himself was completely bewildered by last night's battle. Those incredibly powerful, monstrous sea monsters could split the earth and sky, move mountains and islands, and summon wind and rain... After witnessing such a terrifying battle, and seeing that powerful figure calling himself 'Yamato Kozuki' step forward to rule Wano Country, the samurai:
If you say so, then so be it.
"Any doubts can be asked at the general's enthronement ceremony three days from now!"
After speaking, the samurai strode off like the wind to the next village to inform the others. —Because the mutated creatures that were previously the 'mounts' of Wano Country were exclusively for Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido's subordinates, orders now had to be relayed manually. Furthermore:
Given the intensity of the battle last night, the samurai who survived were all fierce men who could easily outrun a thoroughbred horse.
"This is impossible, could that prophecy really be true..."
The comical man, covered in patches and wearing a turban, called "Old Kang," may look wretched, but he was once the "daimyo" of Hakumai Kozuki Yasui! A staunch ally of the Kozuki family, he wouldn't have ended up in this state if it weren't for that scoundrel Kozuki Oden. So:
What exactly happened? Let's go to the Capital of Flowers and find out.
Two days have passed in the blink of an eye.
The entire Wano Country was in an uproar, but the top of the tallest building in the Capital of Flowers, the 'Castle Keep', remained completely silent.
Are they still sleeping?
After this great battle, not to mention the others, even Roman was bedridden for two days for the first time ever. Physically, he could recover with the Life Return, but mentally... first fighting Big Mom, then battling Kaido for half the night, it was safe to say his energy was severely depleted. With Kaido falling, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet fighting force collapsed one after another.
"Sigh, there are still so many troublesome things that need their handling..."
Marco glanced at Luffy, Ace, and Roman lying on the tatami mat. Yamato for Yamato, whose Zoan strength allowed her to step in as 'Shogun' Wano Country, the other three, facing Kaido's power, had simply slept soundly until now. However:
Now is not the time to sleep.
After the victory, it's time to divide the spoils. The Straw Hat crew might only need a grand feast, but what about the Whitebeard Pirates? What about the samurai of Wano Country? They can't just say that after everyone has sweated, bled, and even suffered heavy casualties, they can have a big meal, laugh it off, and then go home.
In that case, several factions might start fighting on the spot!
After Kaido's defeat, Yamato took the lead in gathering the remaining forces of the Beasts Pirates: the All-Stars were determined to fight to the death, and among the Six Commanders, only "Red Flag" X Drake expressed his willingness to join them. However, Drake actually had a Marine spy in him... Therefore, the Beasts Pirates are now practically defunct and extremely weak.
As for the power of Wano Country... after being ravaged by Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido for twenty years, its strength has also declined significantly, with only the Red Scabbards able to hold its own. Although they have now gathered all the samurai of Wano Country, they are still roughly on par with the weakened Beasts Pirates.
Currently, it seems the Whitebeard Pirates are the strongest. Although many of their commanders fell in the battle, they suffered no casualties and will be fine again after a few days of rest! Plus, Ace gained a lot of 'experience' in the battle against Kaido, so who knows what will happen when he wakes up:
He was about to truly step into the realm of the 'Four Emperors'!
Then there's the Straw Hat crew, the smallest in number but possessing the most high-level combat power. Because the Bad People have explicitly stated that Roman is their leader and that they will follow Roman orders in everything, this has made the situation in Wano Country quite complicated.
Undercurrents are swirling!
Below the towering Castle Keep:
"Wano Country belongs to us Wano Country; we have no need for outsiders to interfere. — Who spread this nonsense?"
Flower Capital Hyogoro glanced at the four yakuza bosses from Wano Country in front of him. Although his body had turned into a short old man, his aura was as imposing as ever!
"Without the help of the Straw Hat Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, the Bad People, the Heart Pirates, and other people from the outer seas, could we have defeated Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido?! Such words have spread so quickly in the Capital of Flowers, do you dare say that no one is pulling strings behind the scenes?"
The four underworld bosses looked at each other, and finally, it was Linghou's boss, 'Evening Face' Adie spoke apologetically:
"This is what we both agree on,"
?!
"You? You've completely abandoned the code of samurai!!"
Facing the enraged Hyogoro, on the other side, Kibi's leader, Mitahei, sighed. Because Kibi had Zhonghua Town, he was the strongest and suffered the least damage, but:
"To be fair, Boss Leopard."
"Hyougoro of the Flower" is the nickname of Flower Capital Hyogoro. As a person in the "underworld", he naturally uses his nickname as a title of respect.
"The harm that the people of the outer seas have caused us over the past twenty years... let's not even mention it. Even now, with the help of other benefactors from the outer seas, we have overthrown the rule of Kurozumi Orochi, but who can guarantee that they won't become the next Kaido?"
When Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido wiped out the Kozuki Family, the Wano Country watched with indifference. On one hand, Oden's foolish "dance to save people" had completely eroded his prestige as shogun; on the other hand, most of the samurai in Wano Country saw it as just a change of shogun.
However, the destruction and oppression that followed over the next twenty years left everyone filled with regret. Therefore:
"We spread these rumors. If they really are the second Kaido, then we'd rather fight to the death right now!"
"If it turns out that we were the ones who acted like villains, then we are willing to commit seppuku in front of our benefactors!"
"Defeating the 'Four Emperors' is difficult,"
In a room not far away, three CP0 elites sat on tatami mats, playing chess and chatting.
"But securing your position as one of the Four Emperors is even more difficult!"
Now that Kaido has been dethroned, who should claim the biggest piece of the "cake" in this battle: the title of one of the Four Emperors?
Is it Luffy, the Straw Hat crew captain who rose to prominence and defeated countless powerful figures to enter the New World?
Or was it Ace, the second captain of the old Whitebeard Pirates?
Or perhaps he conspired with outsiders to overthrow his own father, Yamato Kozuki?
CP0 considers all three to be ambitious individuals!
He rose from humble beginnings, conquering and defeating many powerful figures to gain power, and now he has set his sights on the Four Emperors.
A group that patiently lay low, resisting the Blackbeard Pirates' invasion while stabilizing the Whitebeard Pirates and accumulating strength, before launching a full-scale attack on Kaido in an attempt to make a comeback;
The last one is even more impressive. Unable to wait for his own old man to die, he joined forces with outsiders to mourn him, not only becoming the new captain of the Beasts Pirates as he wished, but also calling himself 'Kozuki,' intending to bring Wano Country under his control...
As a prestigious intelligence agency, CP0 has numerous spies even in Wano Country, and two years should have been enough time for them to gather a great deal of intelligence. However, due to their subjective biases and the low rank of their spies, their assessments of Luffy, Ace, Yamato were completely off-track.
"Young people these days are truly terrifying."
The CP0 leader, wearing Byakugan mask, couldn't help but sigh. Compared to these ruthless and daring 'pirates,' the conventional Marines were lacking in magnanimity; no wonder the turmoil on the high seas showed no signs of abating. However:
"Even these three, how can they possibly compare to Lord Saint Roman?"
"They never dreamed that their every move was actually being planned by the adults."
I wonder what kind of expressions these guys will have when they're no longer of any use and Saint Roman takes care of them? It's something to look forward to!