The Preparations

Wano Country also received this news; however, they did not expect that all their precautions would be in vain.

They never imagined that someone would set their sights on Uso Island. The one who had been secretly targeting Wano Country, believing that the Road Sign Stone Uso Island was well hidden, since there had been no problem with it for so many years.

They received much more detailed information than what was being spread at sea, because the Mink Tribe members had already arrived.

"Clang!" The wine glass fell to the ground, spilling the delicious wine all over the floor.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi stared wide-eyed, standing there dumbfounded. When they came to their senses, their expressions gradually turned ferocious, and a powerful aura emanated from their bodies, with uncontrollable bursts of electricity.

"Kaido, the Kaido!" Nekomamushi roared through gritted teeth; they couldn't accept it.

They thought it was their fellow countrymen from their hometown visiting them in Wano Country, but instead they received such devastating news.

Their homeland was destroyed, more than half of their people were lost, the Mink Tribe's elite fighting force was almost completely wiped out, Road Sign Stone was stolen.

Every piece of news struck them like a Rumble-Rumble Fruit.

The Beasts Pirates invaded Uso Island, causing indelible damage to the Mink Tribe.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were extremely angry, and everyone could feel their chilling aura.

"Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, please return to take charge! Our Duke, the Musketeer Squad, and most of our fighting force have already perished," the Mink Tribe cried out, tears streaming down his face.

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi wanted to agree, but they quickly realized that they were now retainers of Kozuki Oden.

The crisp sound of wooden clogs rang out as Oden slowly descended from the head of the table. "Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, you should go back now. Uso Island needs you more than I do."

Oden's voice rang out, somewhat low and deep. Oden had his head down, the shadows obscuring his eyes, and the air was heavy. The retainers Wano Country could sense that their lord was angry.

"Thank you, my lord!" Oden's understanding moved Nekomamushi and Inuarashi to tears. They bowed their heads and knelt on the ground in gratitude. If Oden had not agreed, they would undoubtedly have been in a dilemma. But Oden had never let them down.

Despite all that he had been through over the years, Oden was essentially a kind person, and the image of the Mink Tribe's hospitality when they arrived at Uso Island involuntarily came to mind.

However, because the Road Sign Stone was targeted, it has led to this tragic situation.

The Mink Tribe is small, numbering only tens of thousands, and it's unknown how long it will take for them to recover.

Oden didn't care why this matter was Oden, because very few people knew about it; even among the Mink Tribe, only a small number knew.

It's very likely that they saw the Mink Tribe's connection to Wano Country and set their sights on the Mink Tribe.

Oden felt somewhat guilty, believing it was his responsibility. Although he had known about the two Road Sign Stone before, he didn't understand their Road Sign Stone. It was only after meeting Roger that he learned what the Road Sign Stone represented.

"Wano Country is officially at war with the Beasts Pirates! We must reclaim the treasures that belong to Wano Country, and at the same time, avenge Wano Country's ally, the Mink Tribe!" Oden gritted his teeth, drawing his beloved sword, which had been silent for a long time, and was about to be stained with blood once again.

Oden understood the importance of the Road Sign Stone, and now the whole world understands it too. How could he allow someone he didn't trust to take it? It had to be taken back.

Just as he had known Roger, he once again entrusted the Road Sign Stone, protected by the Kozuki family, to the person he had been waiting for and who recognized.

This was the mission Oden for himself.

"Yes, my lord!"

There's no need for further doubt; the Road Sign Stone belongs to Wano Country, and since it was taken, there's a reason to take it back.

Wano Country has never been afraid of war, and this is the first time that Wano Country has taken the initiative to wage a war against another country. Oden is the shogun of Wano Country, the master of Wano Country, and his reputation has long been at its peak.

"Nekomamushi, Inuarashi, you two go back and take charge. The Mink Tribe's top combatants are all injured, and they don't need to participate until they recover. The two of you are enough."

Having decided to go to war, an internal meeting was quickly convened to discuss the war.

Oden was acting in the best interests of the Mink Tribe; aside from Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, the rest were basically cannon fodder and wouldn't play much of a role.

"Yes." Inuarashi and the other nodded. They knew that revenge required strength; without sufficient strength, it would only lead to their deaths. Besides, although the Mink Tribe had the desire for revenge, they did not have the power to do so.

"Next, we need to address the issue of the war with the Beasts Pirates. The Beasts Pirates are still a large area of sea away from us; that is, the Night Pirates."

A sea chart of the New World lay before them, marking out the Night Pirates, the Beasts Pirates, and Wano Country.

"The Night Pirates can't bypass them, otherwise they'd have to take a long detour. A war that spans such a long distance is very disadvantageous for us. We've previously relied on our geographical advantage for defense, but this is the first time we've initiated a war, and it's very unfamiliar to us."

"Currently, the Night Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates are at war. The Night Sea Domain doesn't refuse entry to outside forces. Given our cooperation with the Night Pirates, and our relationship with their executive Hunter Night Pirates Gari, they shouldn't refuse our request to pass through the Night Sea Domain to the Beasts Pirates' territory."

When talking about the Whitebeard Pirates, Oden paused, but as an Oden, he also considered many things, and he could distinguish between public and private matters.

He not only owes Teach gratitude, but also needs the Night Pirates now, so not helping each other is the best option for him.

"The most important thing is the Beasts Pirates. We need to gather intelligence on Beasts Pirates to prepare for the war." Of course, Oden also had another thought in mind: to relieve the pressure on the Whitebeard Pirates through this battle.

After all, the Beasts Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were at war, and as for the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Night Pirates, he neither wanted to participate nor could he do anything about it.

Wano Country began to stir. Under Oden's orders, Wano Country's actions were noticed by many forces. Before long, the true inside story about how the Beasts Pirates obtained the Road Sign Stone was revealed: the Beasts Pirates obtained the Road Sign Stone from Uso Island.

The World Economic News broke the news, along with pictures of the damaged Uso Island, which also included information about the Mink Tribe's relationship with Wano Country.

After the Beasts Pirates obtained the Road Sign Stone, the World Economic News began using its intelligence network to investigate, uncovering the inside story in just a few days, demonstrating the formidable intelligence capabilities of the World Economic News.

Combined with the Wano Country and the deliberate dissemination by the World Economic News, the news that Wano Country would go to war with the Beasts Pirates spread throughout the world in a short period of time.

Morgans thrives on chaos, and this is exactly what he wants to see, even openly promoting it.

Such a war was expected by many, since Wano Country would not be willing to give up, and the Beasts Pirates would not hand over the Road Sign Stone, so war was bound to break out.

The two forces instantly became one of the focal points of the New World, even overshadowing the war between the Night Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates.

A rapidly growing pirate crew with the title of "Sea Emperor," a samurai nation with a deep-rooted history, and the legendary samurai Kozuki Oden, one of the world's top warriors—their clash is more captivating than any other war.

Although the war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Night Pirates was equally noteworthy, neither side's top fighters made a move.

It's inevitable that Wano Country and the Beasts Pirates will go to war. Whether it's protecting their spoils or reclaiming the Road Sign Stone, the top fighters from both sides will likely take action, which naturally elevates the scale of this war to a new level.

The Night Palace.

"News from Wano Country?"

"That's right, hopefully we can let them pass," Rediat laughed. "They also need the Night Pirates to provide them with the supplies they need for the war."

"They should know that we are at war with the Whitebeard Pirates." Being at war already puts a lot of pressure on logistics, let alone having to support another force.

"That's a good idea. They must have made some sacrifices as well, right?"

Teach understood Oden's request very well. Of course, one reason was related to the Beasts Pirates, which was to ensure they had more sufficient and timely logistical support.

This would put more pressure on the Night Pirates' logistics, potentially giving the Whitebeard Pirates an advantage.

The entire Night Pirates is more than capable of supporting a war with ten times the number of troops.

Oden miscalculated.

"That's right." Rediat also saw through Wano Country's scheme, and like Teach, he didn't care. The Night Pirates' war potential was beyond the imagination of other forces.

"Wano Country couldn't afford that many Beli, so they used an equivalent amount of Seastone as the trade, along with fine swords forged in Wano Country."

The Night Pirates would certainly reap a lot of benefits from such a transaction, but Wano Country is not short of Seastone at all.

The two sides have a certain share in the trade of Seastone, Wano Country will not give up so much profit for the Night Pirates to mine at will, so a certain amount is limited.

Since Wano Country has made such a request, Teach naturally wouldn't disagree.

"Then it's agreed. The Night Pirates will provide logistical support to Wano Country."

"Also, inform the Beasts Pirates of this."

Wano Country can be considered a partner of the Night Pirates, since they are not enemies. Wano Country is also an important trading partner for the Night Pirates, from which they obtain a great deal of profit.

Many of the external resources for Wano Country are provided by the Dark Night Thieves, though Wano Country may not know this.

However, the Beasts Pirates are also strategic partners of the Night Pirates, in their strategy against the Whitebeard Pirates.

Their hostility did not affect the cooperation between the Night Pirates and them; people are selfish.

Teach of the Night Pirates didn't care about their war; their main opponent now was the Whitebeard Pirates, and he was content as long as their goals were achieved.

Moreover, Teach was not optimistic about the war in Wano Country, even though Wano Country was very powerful and its overall strength was even greater than that of the Beasts Pirates.

However, Wano Country cannot send out all its forces, as its homeland needs strong protection.

At the same time, Wano Country is not good at naval warfare, or has little experience with it. Although the times have not changed, guns and cannons are still the mainstream of the sea.

By launching an offensive, Wano Country essentially relinquished its geographical advantage, while the Beasts Pirates gained a defensive advantage.

The Beasts Pirates' firepower is among the best in the New World. Having previously annexed a kingdom with excellent artillery manufacturing technology and possessing top scientists like Queen, they naturally have formidable firepower.

This is also Wano Country's weakness: a zero industrial base and extremely low productivity compared to the outside world. However, the continuous sale of Wano Country's fine samurai swords is a major source of income for Wano Country's foreign trade.

However, it would be difficult to sustain a prolonged war, and it could even put a lot of pressure on the lives of the domestic residents, so the help of the Night Pirates is needed.

This is also a form of mutual checks and balances. If the Night Pirates were to suddenly blockade the logistics supply to Wano Country, it would inevitably deal a huge blow to Wano Country, causing severe damage.

Wano Country will also target the Night Pirates, inflicting heavy losses on Night Pirates.

It's not worth it at all. Destroying Wano Country wouldn't bring much benefit to the Night Pirates. Besides, they can't destroy it, and there's no potential hostility between them. Although on the surface, the existence of Wano Country seems to hinder the Night Pirates' continued eastward expansion.

This war will not last long. According to Teach and his group's prediction, Wano Country will retreat once the losses reach a certain level or once they see no hope.

After all, while the Road Sign Stone are important, they are not as valuable as the lives of the people of Wano Country.

Soon, the Beasts Pirates obtained information from the Night Pirates.

"Wano Country will reach the Beasts Sea in the shortest possible time via the Night Sea Domain. At the same time, the Night Pirates will also provide logistical support to Wano Country."

Jin quietly read the message sent from the Night Pirates.

"What's wrong? Does this mean the Night Pirates are going to become our enemies?" Krell asked, puzzled. He couldn't figure out why the Night Pirates had sent them this message.

If the intention is to be enemies, then why tell them this information in the first place?

"Of course not. Our war won't affect the Night Pirates. The Whitebeard Pirates are their primary target." King shook his head. "There's no reason for them to offend us for the sake of Wano Country, and it's impossible for them to do so."

"There must have been some kind of deal involved."

Kaido, seated at the head of the table, was drinking large gulps of fine wine.

"Oh ho ho ho ho! Teach, it seems you have a lot of confidence in us!" Kaido laughed loudly.

Then he stood up, laughing excitedly, "Get ready for war with Wano Country! I want to taste just how sharp that samurai's sword is!"