Arriving in the Capital of Flowers

As they approached the small temple, the gate suddenly opened, and a strong man wearing a large red tengu mask walked out.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Tenguyama Hitetsu asked coldly. Teach wasn't angry; he smiled and took out two pieces of paper, one a letter of introduction from Oden and the other from Shimotsuki Yasuiie. "My name is Marshall D. Teach. I've come to ask you to help me reforge my sword."

Tenguyama Hitetsu snorted, then took the two letters and read them carefully. After a long while, it was clear that his expression had relaxed considerably, and he was no longer so wary.

"Since you are a friend of Oden and Kanjuro, I will naturally help you. Please come in with me." Tenguyama Hitetsu's tone was much better as he turned and walked into the small temple.

Inside the small temple are two small huts. One is outside, which is where he usually lives, and the other is where he usually makes his castings, inside a hollow in this giant tree. The decorations inside are very simple.

He sat down across from Teach and poured Teach a cup of tea. Since Teach was a guest, and a friend recommended by Oden Shimotsuki Yasuiie, he had to show him the proper etiquette.

"Take out the sword you want to forge, and the materials you've prepared," Tenguyama Hitetsu said to Teach.

Upon hearing this, Teach took out his Purgatory, Thunderclap, and the Dragon Abyss Sword.

Then, he took out a few pieces of thunderstone, as well as the Crimson Refined Heavy Stone that Genryuusai Shigekuni had given him, and some rare ores that he had collected, though not many.

As a swordsmith, Tenguyama Hitetsu could naturally tell that the two swords and the sword were of extremely high quality. However, his eyes soon lit up as he was attracted by the several pieces of ore that Teach had taken out, including thunderstone and Crimson Refined Heavy Stone.

"This sword must have been forged in Wano Country." Tenguyama Hitetsu first picked up the Famous Sword: Purgatory. He saw many of the forging techniques of Wano Country swordsmiths on this sword, as well as the blade patterns and the hilt, which he was very familiar with.

"Yes, this sword is called Purgatory. It was forged in Wano Country. I want to reforge it using this Crimson Refined Heavy Stone, or perhaps some other ore, to make it harder and heavier," Teach said. Then he looked at the Famous Sword Thunderclap beside him. "This sword is called Thunderclap. I want to reforge it using this Thunder Stone to make it harder. Of course, the specific forging method is up to you."

Teach said to Tenguyama Hitetsu agreement. Teach said was similar to his own thoughts Crimson Refined Heavy Stone was an extremely rare mineral, and he had never even heard of this Thunder Stone before. Not only was it incredibly hard, but it also possessed a powerful force.

At first, he was somewhat calm, after all, he had forged so many swords in his life, what kind of swords hadn't he seen? But now his mind seemed to be a little excited, something he only felt when forging the Ame no Habakiri and the Enma. These two famous Famous Sword were undoubtedly good swords. The Purgatory Sword was of slightly lower quality, and the Famous Sword Thunderclap was also slightly inferior to the Purgatory, but with such rare materials, after his reforging, they would definitely be even better.

"I understand. No other requests, right?" Tenguyama Hitetsu asked. "No," Teach shook his head. "Just follow the Wano Country standards, like Oden's."

"And what about this sword?" This time the question was about the Dragon Abyss Sword. "I don't know what the quality of this sword is like, or what materials it's made of. This is Sword of Kingship I found in the ruins of a kingdom. It's very hard and well-preserved." Teach smiled and touched the Dragon Abyss Sword. "I don't know how it was forged, but I hope you can keep it as intact as possible. If you really can't, could you please repair the surface?"

The surface color of the Dragon Abyss Sword has become somewhat dull after hundreds of years of sedimentation, and it needs to be treated.

Compared to Purgatory and Thunderclap, he had the Dragon Abyss Sword with him the longest and was the most comfortable to wield. It was a greatsword that was nearly 1.8 meters long.

The sword had a deep blue blade and a dark purple hilt, colors that Teach liked very much.

"Yes, I understand." Tenguyama Hitetsu nodded, carefully examining the Dragon Abyss Sword, paying attention not to the gem on the hilt, but to the blade itself.

The more he looked, the brighter his eyes became. He couldn't help but exclaim, "This is undoubtedly the work of a master swordsmith! The craftsmanship is exquisite, and if I'm not mistaken, the materials are deep-sea meteorite iron and Zichen gold. These are both extremely rare ores. Deep-sea meteorite iron is formed when a meteorite falls into the deep sea and is forged under immense water pressure for countless years. Zichen gold is also a type of meteorite. This is undoubtedly a masterpiece!"

"This sword is already perfect. I can't make any more changes. I just need to fix the surface," Tenguyama Hitetsu said.

"Alright, how long will it take? I have important things to take care of." Teach handed him the three weapons, feeling somewhat pleased. The Dragon Abyss Sword was good as it was; there was no need to change it.

"Hmm, about half a month. These two swords will take a bit longer, but this sword won't take long. You can come and pick it up from me then." Tenguyama Hitetsu said to Teach, taking the two swords and the sword, and entered the inner room. This was undoubtedly a forging room, a place specifically for forging weapons. As soon as the door opened, Teach could feel the heat inside, which was much higher than outside.

Tenguyama Hitetsu was quite pleased. He couldn't wait to forge two more precious swords. Although it was just a reforging, not the forging itself, reforging was actually more difficult than forging. It could easily break if he wasn't careful. But with his forging skills, he was confident that he would succeed. These two swords would be reborn in his hands, undergo a transformation, and reach a higher level.

Teach watched as he entered the forge and closed the door, and couldn't help but smile wryly. He had been ignored, but he also had a task to complete.

In Wano Country, there are many strange beasts, including kappa, not to mention others.

With these mythical beasts, even without Den Den Mushi communication devices), messages still travel very quickly. Shimotsuki Yasuiie a particularly tamed bird to deliver messages, inviting the Daimyo to a banquet hosted by the Shimotsuki Yasuiie. All the other Daimyo received the invitations, and to avoid suspicion, even Orochi received a copy.

However, Orochi and these Daimyo were not on good terms to begin with. These Daimyo were loyal to the Kozuki Clan, Kozuki Sukiyaki and Kozuki Oden, not Orochi. If it weren't for Kozuki Sukiyaki's orders, they would not have recognized Shogun Orochi. Now, Orochi was merely the acting shogun.

As expected, the Orochi disagreed. In the Capital of Flowers, in the Orochi's palace, holding the letter delivered by a bird, the Orochi gritted his teeth, crumpled the letter into a ball, and then tore it into shreds, scattering the fragments on the ground.

"Damn it, are you planning to mock me later? You actually invited me? I'm not going!" Kurozumi Orochi roared.

The man below trembled with fear as he looked at Orochi. "But... but these are invitations from the other Daimyo! If we refuse..." He trailed off, but Orochi's sharp gaze made him shrink back, lower his head, and whisper, "Wouldn't that be inappropriate?"

The Orochi's eyes grew increasingly dangerous. Under the room's lights, Orochi body gradually changed, and a huge shadow appeared on the wall, with snake heads staring intently at the person reporting in front of it.

This is Orochi's power: Zoan - Mythical Zoan, Snake-Snake Fruit, Yamata no Orochi Form. The person being stared at by Orochi had their mouth agape, their body trembling, covered in cold sweat from fear. One of the snake heads in the middle spoke, uttering Orochi's voice, "I've been too busy with other matters to attend the banquet, is that alright?"

The man was so terrified that he could only nod blankly. "Then what are you waiting for? What are you doing here?" the Orochi roared.

Startled by the Orochi's roar, he turned around and frantically ran outside, crying, "Yes, yes, Shogun Orochi."

He ran out the door and closed it behind him. There were many samurai outside, all from the general's mansion. "How terrifying, Shogun Orochi," they whispered among themselves upon seeing the man who had run out.

"Hmm, I wish Lord Sukiyaki were still the Shogun. When will Oden return?!"

At this moment, they were all reminiscing about the time when Kozuki Sukiyaki was the shogun, and they also longed for the return of Kozuki Oden.

Compared to the terrifying rule of the Orochi, the Kozuki Clan's approachable nature is much more appealing.

"Damn it! Once that guy is dead, I'll become a true general, and then all of you traitors will be executed." Kurozumi Orochi naturally didn't dare say these words aloud, as many people outside disobeyed his orders, fearing eavesdroppers.

He could only shout it out in his heart.

Behind Kurozumi Orochi stood an old man, Kurozumi Kabuto its Skin, a user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, possessing absolute defense.

Kurozumi Orochi is a crucial part of the Kurozumi Family's revival and revenge against the Kozuki Clan, so it cannot afford to go wrong. Therefore, Kurozumi Semimaru is in charge of planning and executing the operation, while Hagiri is there to protect Kurozumi Orochi closely.

Back then, the Kurozumi Clan was exiled overseas. After the Rocks Pirates were destroyed, they wandered the seas for several years before finally returning to Wano Country. By then, not many people remembered the Kurozumi Family or even knew that such a family had ever existed.

After some time, they finally found the two orphans of the Kurozumi Clan, gave them power, and began planning the revival of the Kurozumi Clan. Now, they are almost successful, but this is also the time when they are most likely to fail.

"Orochi, you must learn to think like a monarch. You must be patient. You've been patient for so many years, what's a little more patience? In the end, the entire Wano Country will be yours, and it will all belong to his family." Although Kurozumi Kabuto was always a silent old man, he would enlighten and remind Kurozumi Orochi at crucial moments.

Hearing his words, Orochi nodded, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm not angry, I'm not angry!" Then he smiled and said, "It won't be long before the entire Wano Country is mine." He spoke with great confidence.

Kurozumi Orochi is a coward. Just as Shimotsuki Yasuiie predicted, Orochi will not attend this banquet. Although he gave this reason, everyone knows very well that Wano Country is gradually splitting into two parts: one is the lineage of the Daimyo is loyal to Kozuki, and the other is Orochi's lineage.

Although Orochi has recruited many ninjas and samurai in the past two years Capital of Flowers still favors Kozuki, and most of the people in the Shogun's mansion are loyal to Kozuki. The people he recruited are far weaker in terms of strength, but they are still a considerable force.

Orochi would have had a few more years to develop and gradually take control of the Shogun's Mansion and the Capital of Flowers. These Daimyo, bound by Kozuki Sukiyaki's orders, would not openly rebel against Orochi; at most, they would simply disobey Orochi commands.

But now, a tight net is gradually forming, surrounding Orochi. He is unaware that Oden is about to return, bringing with him the powerful Whitebeard Pirates. If anything goes wrong, the Whitebeard Pirates will also intervene. Before absolute power, everything is meaningless.

All that's needed is for Oden to return. With the people's support and absolute strength, no matter how much Kurozumi Orochi resists, it will be useless.

Teach has now arrived in the Capital of Flowers and is seeing Capital of Flowers scenery. As expected of the most prosperous place in Wano Country, the environment is extremely beautiful, with beautiful pink cherry blossoms everywhere. The streets are bustling with people.

Teach now needs to find out where Kozuki Sukiyaki is. He is no longer the shogun of Wano Country. He has realized that with Orochi's current power, it is impossible for him to imprison Kozuki Sukiyaki. Kozuki Sukiyaki is undoubtedly a strong person, otherwise he could not have raised such a monster son.

Therefore, Kozuki Sukiyaki should now be in the Kozuki Clan's territory, under the protection of various powerful samurai. Orochi is waiting for Kozuki Sukiyaki to die, and to make him die, as if from illness, he must poison him, continuously poisoning him with poison that Wano Country cannot cure, which is poison from the outside world.

Moreover, that person must be someone close to Kozuki Sukiyaki, which only Kurozumi Semimaru, the Devil Fruit User, could do. After Kozuki Sukiyaki, she could directly transform into Kozuki Sukiyaki's appearance and pass the position of Shogun of Wano Country to Kurozumi Orochi, making Kurozumi Orochi a full Shogun instead of the acting Shogun.

After a few inquiries, Teach found the Kozuki Clan's ancestral home in the Capital of Flowers. Kurozumi Orochi, as the acting shogun, now only held a small portion of the power, and some important matters still required Kozuki Sukiyaki's personal handling.

This is why Orochi is not recognized by the merchants, politicians, and commoners of Wano Country and the Shogun's Mansion. They are all waiting for Kozuki Oden to return, because the position of the next Shogun of Wano Country has already been confirmed as Kozuki Oden, and Kozuki Oden has already gained the recognition of the Daimyo Wano Country.