Terrifying Disaster

The arrival of the Night Pirates gave hope to the people of Wano Country.

The food was distributed, and although it consisted of only simple bread and a bottle of water, it was considered a precious delicacy by these ordinary residents.

As for canned meat, it should be prioritized for the warriors who exert the most effort and need the most energy replenishment.

The evacuation of 250,000 people took half a day. Meanwhile, large quantities of food were piled up like mountains in Wuren Port, protected by samurai.

During this process, all residents of Hakumai were given food, so at least for the time being, they didn't have to worry about going hungry.

The food supplies on the island warships are enough to last them at least a week, and longer if they can hold out.

During this process, there were many Wano Country residents who wanted to sneak onto the floating Sky Island. Whenever this happened, the Wano Country samurai would deal with them first, without the members of the Night Pirates even having to lift a finger.

The saying goes that in times of chaos, harsh measures are necessary. In such dire circumstances, order is even more crucial, even if it is maintained under the threat of force.

No matter how kind one is in ordinary times, one must not show it at this time, otherwise it may incite a major riot. Once a person succeeds, a large number of people will inevitably follow.

Shimotsuki Ieyasu did not want this to happen; the chaos of these past few days had hardened his heart.

This concerns the future of Wano Country, and the partner is the Night Pirates. At this time, we cannot afford to be underestimated by outsiders.

The island warships continued to take off and fly into the distance.

Leaving behind a group of longing residents of Wano Country.

Shimotsuki Ieyasu breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at all the food, he knew that the situation in Wano Country would be much easier with it, but he still had to keep busy.

The redistribution of food to support other areas without the support of the Night Pirates is necessary; otherwise, we can only watch as the residents of those areas starve to death.

Even worse, they were unable to withstand the Rat Plague and were eaten alive by the Nezumi.

If placed across the entire Wano Country, this amount of food wouldn't last more than a few days; they would have to wait for the next batch of supplies.

He eagerly awaited the arrival of that massive fleet, which not only carried supplies but could also take away a group of Wano Country residents.

Although Hakumai was once quite prosperous, its current population has long exceeded the limits that Hakumai can support, with many living in makeshift, temporary houses on the streets.

The air was filled with a putrid stench.

The pressure on the Daimyo's Mansion was actually greater. The number of samurai was only 20,000, which was originally more, but they had already been sent to other areas for support.

There are too many people, and we can't just ignore them, otherwise it will only lead to a riot.

Before the Night Pirates left, Shimotsuki Ieyasu mentioned that he hoped to provide some medicine to Wano Country to prevent the outbreak and spread of the plague.

Wallace had already agreed to this request. In fact, Kozuki Oden made this request to the Night Pirates after receiving the news from the Whitebeard Pirates.

Medicine will be provided, but preventing an outbreak of plague cannot be solved by a few drugs alone.

It remains to be seen how Wano Country handles the situation.

Clean water is essential, but rivers and forests have become no-go zones infested with Nezumi.

With so many residents of Wano Country gathered together, sharing the same air, how could an epidemic not break out? Medical support can at most suppress the disease and reduce casualties, but it cannot stop the epidemic.

Too many people have been bitten by Nezumi, and too many have died.

The same scene unfolded in Reiko, on the other side of Wano Country, as the floating Sky Island departed.

They also took away more than 200,000 residents of Wano Country, led by one of the Demon Lords, "The Hunter" Rain Gari.

However, Gari's expression as he left was somewhat intriguing.

Although Reiko also had Rat Plague, it was smaller in scale compared to other areas and had many powerful samurai, so the Rat Plague was suppressed immediately after it broke out.

This is also where the largest number of Wano Country residents gather.

However, it is impossible for the Reiko region alone to support so many Wano Country residents, as Reiko's food production is low and it needs to purchase food from other regions.

Under such circumstances, they can only barely hold on.

It would be a big mistake to think that snow and ice can keep out Rat Plague.

A large amount of food would be very attractive to Nezumi. With Gari keen sense of smell, powerful Observation Haki, and ability to perceive emotions, Garr could sense that a large number of Nezumi were lurking underground near the residential area Reiko.

Yes, these Nezumi are digging burrows.

Never underestimate the intelligence of animals in this world. Some animals are very human-like; apart from not being able to speak, they are in no way inferior to humans in terms of intelligence.

A large Nezumi population will naturally produce some leaders who are relatively intelligent.

These Nezumi are digging tunnels, planning to launch a surprise attack on the residents of Wano Country.

In Gari's view, Wano Country is being incredibly naive to think they can easily obtain this batch of food.

Like Hakumai, Reiko also temporarily built a large warehouse to store grain, which was covered with a layer of steel to prevent Nezumi attacks.

However, if these Nezumi invade from underground, the so-called defenses will be useless. Even if they react in time, a large portion of the food will be plundered by the Nezumi and wasted.

On the ground, Nezumi kept attacking, attracting the attention of many samurai and ninjas, while underground, a large number of Nezumi were secretly preparing to raid the enemy's home.

That's exactly right; Wano Country hasn't been discovered yet.

Gari had already anticipated this scene.

However, he had no intention of giving any warnings. The Night Pirates had always harbored a hint of malice towards Wano Country, though they appeared somewhat friendly on the surface.

The Night Pirates don't care how many people die in Wano Country; the weaker they are, the better.

The reconstruction work after the disaster still requires a lot of support from the Night Pirates, in addition to the costs and agreements made to obtain their help during the Rat Plague infestation.

At that time, the Night Pirates will be able to control Wano Country through various means, making Wano Country only able to survive by relying on the Night Pirates.

In the future, when dealing with the World Government, they will be able to obtain the support of Wano Country.

At the same time, they acquired this huge Seastone, as well as numerous iron and gold mines.

No matter what the World Government wants to do, Wano Country will ultimately be none of their business, as long as the Night Pirates exist.

Moreover, the Night Pirates have recently discovered a key spy hiding in Wano Country, who may be the culprit behind the Rat Plague infestation.

This was guessed through analysis, and after some investigation, it was finally confirmed.

That famous wealthy merchant from Wano Country controls an important trade related to Seastone, which has inspired many Nezumi. There are very few who have this ability.

Moreover, prior to the Rat Plague infestation, the caravan had exhibited unusual behavior throughout Wano Country.

This wealthy merchant from Wano Country holds a high position in the country and also has a noble background, which is why he was able to grow so rapidly. The time and trajectory of his rise to power are roughly the same as when the World Government started targeting Wano Country.

The more you look at it this way, the greater the likelihood becomes.

The Night Pirates didn't tell Wano Country about this; instead, they had Rediat take action, using his ability to read memories to confirm his identity.

Although not particularly strong, he is a top agent of the World Government. His development of Life Return is not geared towards combat, but rather plays a significant role in infiltration and espionage. He is also incredibly skilled at altering his body.

By Life Return, one can easily change their appearance and body, becoming a completely different person.

In terms of status, they must surpass other agents and be no less capable than some CP0 agents. Even the World Government would give some preferential treatment to those with ability.

More importantly, through his memories, Rediat directly obtained the World Government's complete plan against Wano Country, as well as information on what another top agent, who worked with him both inside and outside the organization, had actually done.

This was a huge surprise to Teach and his team; they hadn't expected the World Government to be so generous.

Teach had no intention of stopping them; he was simply worried about how to weaken Wano Country's power.

Kozuki Oden may have admired Teach Oden's character, but he couldn't appreciate his naiveté.

Now that Kozuki Oden has become the Kozuki Oden of Wano Country, Teach would rather he be dead. Wano Country is too powerful, and it is not good for the Night Pirates.

Teach wouldn't let such a talent slip by easily. As the saying goes, a wise man submits to circumstances, and Rediat immediately seized him. This "Withered Snake" betrayed the World Government without much hesitation, intending to join the Night Pirates.

That's the choice of a smart person, as long as they want to live.

Through his memories, Rediat also discerned what kind of person "Withered Snake" was, and that he did not possess absolute loyalty to the World Government.

If they do not submit, death will be their only fate.

There's no way this "Withered Snake" could be loyal to the Night Pirates; that's just who he is. His submission to the Night Pirates is nothing more than a helpless surrender.

For him, as long as he could stay alive, it didn't matter which faction he worked for.

Teach and his group didn't care. To them, such people were easier to control, at least they wouldn't secretly provide intelligence to the World Government.

The Withered Snake also did not want this mission to fail, after all, so much time and effort had been put in.

Even after a successful mission, the World Government will reward them with precious Devil Fruit.

After learning that the Night Pirates would not stop the World Government's plan, Withered Snake breathed a sigh of relief and even agreed to help the Night Pirates subdue the Evil Worm.

It's better for him to be acquainted with the Evil Worm and submit to the Night Pirates together than for him to be alone.

The two of them were more effective.

From the Withered Snake, the Night Pirates also learned about an important hideout located outside the Capital of Flowers.

The Night Pirates refused to interfere with the World Government's plans, allowing them to continue developing as they were.

The World Government is waiting, Night Pirates are waiting too—waiting for Kozuki Oden to die.

The eruption of the Grawlin Plant would kill an ordinary person instantly, but a monster like Kozuki Oden, whose lifespan is unknown, is unlikely to die instantly.

Similarly, he also had many retainers and powerful warriors under his protection.

Hakumai and Reiko gathered many residents of Wano Country, Capital of Flowers still has quite a few.

This is the heart of Wano Country and needs to be protected. Moreover, there are many important things here, including the Road Sign Stone.

They knew that this Rat Plague was likely caused by the World Government, bringing such a great disaster to Wano Country.

Samurai are also stubborn, and precisely because they know the World Government's goals, they cannot allow the World Government's objectives to be easily achieved.

While battling the Rat Plague, the guards on the Road Sign Stone beneath the General's Mansion have been significantly strengthened.

At the same time, as the center of Wano Country, the Capital of Flowers is geographically connected to various regions and plays an important role as a central hub.

Whether it's the transfer of people or the transfer of supplies, it all needs to pass through the Capital of Flowers, after all, there are still many Wano Country residents waiting for rescue.

The Capital of Flowers has always been an important area, and due to its suitable climate, it has suffered from Rat Plague infestation. However, under the leadership of Kozuki Oden, the rats have never been evacuated.

As a spiritual symbol with hundreds of years of history, the Capital of Flowers also very important. It has ruled Wano Country for so many years and served as the residence of the Wano Country Shogun.

No samurai was willing to abandon the Capital of Flowers.

The severity of the Rat Plague infestation has not decreased; on the contrary, it has worsened.

The dead Nezumi were only a small fraction of the enormous number.

The Rat Plague infestation affects not only the residents of Wano Country, but also many other creatures living there, who are also an important part of the Wano Country.

In Wano Country, nearly 70% of the area is plagued by Rat Plague, and Nezumi numbers will only grow larger over time.

The frenzied Nezumi devour everything in their path; they eat not only grains, but also flowers, grass, and trees—nothing escapes their jaws.

The quantity was too large, the demand was also high, and in the past there was also the covert support of the World Government. "Withered Snake" himself, as a wealthy merchant in Wano Country, secretly purchased grain and used Wano Country's grain to feed these Nezumi.

It was precisely because of this that Wano Country was experiencing a food shortage. Its reserves were already limited, and coupled with the invading Nezumi, famine spread throughout Wano Country in a short period of time.

Flesh and blood, rice and noodles are what these Nezumi crave most.

But when something is lacking, nothing else will be spared.

These Nezumi have been genetically modified, making them more ferocious in every way compared to ordinary Nezumi, even in size.

Compared to locusts, these Nezumi are far more terrifying, with a wider diet, and they even eat people; they are also highly aggressive.

Even before the plague arrived, the Rat Plague was already terrifying, to a degree that even the World Government probably couldn't have imagined; it was truly a natural disaster.

If you look at it from above, you'll see that in some areas of Wano Country, there are no Nezumi left. The Nezumi have basically eaten everything edible in those places.

All that remained was a wasteland.

Even for the sake of survival, these Nezumi will follow their instincts and constantly move towards areas with high population density, because there is food there.

The supplies delivered by the Night Pirates, including a large amount of food and their lingering scent, will only attract these Nezumi closer to attack.

Even if it's man-made, this is a terrifying natural disaster, a biological catastrophe. Can Wano Country withstand it?

Survival is simple, but eradication is difficult.