Powerful Wano Country

Shimotsuki Ryuya fell to the ground, looking somewhat dazed. Had he failed? Although he had been prepared, he still felt a sense of dejection when he was truly defeated. He had always been undefeated, never losing among his generation, and was the epitome of invincibility.

He also harbored a certain arrogance, confident that he was no weaker than Kozuki Oden, the top monster in Wano Country at the same age.

But now he has actually lost, lost to someone who is about the same age as him.

"Ryuya, he actually lost!" The two samurai watching from the sidelines were extremely shocked. Ryuya was their leader among the younger generation, and yet he had been defeated.

Just then, a hand was extended in front of Ryuya. Upon closer inspection, it was Teach, who had a smile on Teach face. "You're very strong. You're much stronger than me in swordsmanship."

"Are you mocking me?" Long Ye said coldly, somewhat unappreciative.

"How could that be? I'm not a pure swordsman. You're still a bit behind me in other areas. I've trained for much longer than you." Teach saw through Ryuya's thoughts. "My physique is special. I've never been able to sleep since birth, and I still am. So I've devoted all my time to training. With your talent, you'll catch up with me soon, right? You know, to become the strongest swordsman, you can't have any weaknesses."

Upon hearing Teach's words, Shimotsuki Ryuya's pupils contracted, shocked by Teach's physique, but also somewhat relieved. How could a swordsman not have failed? He had long been mentally prepared for such things. Even Shimotsuki Ryoma, the "Sword God" of Wano Country, although he had never been defeated in his life, that was a well-known record, and he had also suffered defeats before he became famous.

Shimotsuki Ryuya couldn't help but chuckle. "It seems my experience isn't enough." He looked at Teach and reached out his hand.

Shimotsuki Ryuya pulled up from the ground by Teach. "Come up with me now, they should all be waiting," Shimotsuki Ryuya said.

The battle had taken a toll on them, but it had no impact on their operations.

Out of respect for the Sword God, one must climb the mountain step by step to reach the summit.

The mountain wasn't very high. Although it was the Ringo Shimotsuki Ryuya and snow was falling heavily, beautiful cherry blossoms were still blooming on the mountain, appearing even more dazzling under the snow.

Only Teach and Shimotsuki Ryuya were on the mountain path; the two samurai hadn't followed. This was an important place in Wano Country, and those without approval couldn't possibly come up here.

"Ryuya, want to join my crew? I'm a pirate, my goal is to become the World's Strongest, and I also want to build the World's Strongest, so I need to recruit powerful companions." Teach laughed, opening his arms wide and looking intently at Shimotsuki Ryuya, who was a step ahead of him. "To improve, you need constant battles. There are many strong people and powerful swordsmen on the high seas. Absorbing their swordsmanship will better promote your own growth."

Shimotsuki Ryuya paused slightly in his forward steps, but quickly recovered. Hearing Teach's words, he felt a slight urge, but quickly regained his composure. "Sorry, I have no intention of leaving Wano Country."

The subtext was rejection, Teach didn't care. How could he agree so easily? It was within Teach's expectations. Someone like Ryu, who also possessed monstrous talent, Teach could already sense the aura emanating from him. In other words, Ryu also had the potential to be a king, that was quite certain, and he wouldn't join him so easily.

Ryuuya is exceptionally talented in swordsmanship. In Teach's eyes, he is even slightly stronger than Kozuki Oden. However, Kozuki Oden possessed a monstrous physique and was born with immense strength, which Ryuuya could not match. It can be said that the two have their own strengths in terms of talent.

Teach will not give up. Staying in Wano Country will eventually limit his progress. When that happens, he will set sail to seek further breakthroughs.

While Wano Country has a strong swordsmanship atmosphere and easily produces powerful swordsmen, to achieve further breakthroughs, one must venture into a wider world. Oden's strength has improved rapidly in the past few years.

Anyway, Teach has already set his sights on Shimotsuki Ryuya, and I believe he will agree someday.

From afar, Teach could see a tall shrine on the mountaintop, its corner peeking out. At the same time, he could sense extremely powerful auras emanating from it. These were all swordsmen, powerful swordsmen, the weakest of whom were at the peak of the Swordmaster Master level.

Unconsciously, it exuded Sword Intent, not something perceived, but rather permeated the air. Unlike the surrounding environment, the mountain peak and the area around the ancestral hall were like springtime, without even snow, as if forming a sword domain, a realm of swords.

Although Teach's swordsmanship level was not high, he could still feel the rich swordsmanship atmosphere here. Practicing swordsmanship here would be much faster than in other places, both in terms of comprehension and progress.

This place was formed later in life, which is what Teach. How long would it take to form such a large area of sword domain? And how many sword masters have been born in Wano Country over the past few hundred years?

The formation of a sword domain requires a seed, a starting point. Teach didn't need to guess what that starting point was; a name popped into his mind: Shimotsuki Ryoma, the Sword God of Wano Country.

Being called Sword God is important because protecting Wano Country's attacks is crucial, but in this world where strength reigns supreme, absolute power—power that commands the respect of everyone—is even more essential.

Even in death, Ryoma's Sword Intent remained, and with the nourishment of the swordsmanship of these powerful swordsmen who had guarded the shrine for hundreds of years, it gradually formed such a domain, similar to the domain of Devil Fruit Awakening.

There is no doubt that Dragon Slayer Swordsman, the Ryoma, is the pinnacle of swordsmanship. Even Teach finds it hard to imagine what level he has reached. There should be some records of him in Wano Country.

On the mountain, the powerful Sword Intent and aura of the Great Swordmaster advanced step by step, but the pressure on them grew heavier and heavier. Teach knew that this was the final test. The final test would not be a battle, but rather reaching the summit and gaining the approval of these powerful swordsmen.

Normally, to go up the mountain, one needs at least the qualifications of a quasi -Great Swordmaster, or for a contemporary general to come in person, which requires using Sword Intent to resist Sword Intent.

Teach's Sword Intent was clearly insufficient. After a slight struggle, the pressure on his body increased dramatically, even surpassing that of Shimotsuki Ryuya. However, Dragon also had a very difficult time. Before he could pass this test, he could not go up the mountain and could only stay at the foot of the mountain or halfway up the mountain.

However, Teach was more than just a swordsman. An invisible aura erupted from him, spreading outwards and rushing towards the mountaintop, resisting and impacting. The Sword Intent that had been constantly suppressed stood up with the help of Conqueror's Haki.

Teach's sudden burst of talent surprised the people on the mountain. They hadn't expected that Teach, at such a young age, had already Awakening such aptitude. Combined with his Sword Intent, he already had the ability to climb to the top of the mountain.

Meanwhile, Shimotsuki Ryuya, who was standing to the side, had been defeated by Teach earlier but had since let it go. However, he was still somewhat unwilling to accept it, especially as he watched Teach unleash an aura that surpassed his own.

His Conqueror's Haki was already on the verge of Awakening, and Teach 'Teach Haki greatly increased the pressure on him, both mentally and physically. Driven by intense resentment, Shimotsuki Ryuya Awakening under Teach's stimulation, continuously releasing the aura of his newly Awakening Conqueror's Haki. However, he was unable to control it, as it not only impacted Teach's Haki but also the powerful Sword Intent on the mountain.

Teach was somewhat surprised by Shimotsuki Ryuya's breakthrough, but it was also within his expectations. With his talent, Awakening was only a matter of time, and he was just one step ahead.

Teach successfully reached the summit and saw the centuries-old shrine dedicated to the Sword God, as well as the powerful swordsmen before him.

Shimotsuki Ryuya followed closely behind, but upon reaching the summit, he stumbled and collapsed unconscious to the ground. His mental energy was severely depleted. He had just Awakening Conqueror's Haki, and like Luffy and others who had just Awakening, it was released unconsciously and instantaneously, unable to sustain. However, Shimotsuki Ryuya been forcibly maintaining the release of Conqueror's Haki in order to catch up with Teach and reach the summit.

Such a huge drain on his energy would require at least two or three days of sleep to replenish the mental strength that Tiron had expended.

Like Teach, although he hasn't Awakening his Conqueror's Haki for long, he has naturally strong mental strength. Through continuous efforts, his mental strength is also growing rapidly. With his understanding of Conqueror's Haki, he was able to master it quickly and release it continuously.

Erik, on the other hand, was already very strong, and his mental strength was naturally not weak either. Once his Conqueror's Haki Awakening, it had already reached a relatively strong level.

Although it wasn't outwardly apparent, Teach felt immense pressure. There were dozens of people on the mountaintop, and his previous perceptions hadn't been accurate; he had no idea what they were. Furthermore, the sword domain had slightly affected his Observation Haki.

Now that he saw it with his own eyes, Teach realized how terrifying the hidden power was and how powerful Wano Country. Among the dozens of people in front of him, there were eight Great Swordmaster, and the rest were all powerful swordsmen at the peak of their Swordmaster. However, he did not sense any swordsmanship experts like Genryuusai Shigekuni, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Wano Country has many powerful swordsmen. In addition to the Great Swordmaster here, there are also several Great Swordmaster hidden in the Daimyo's Daimyo's Mansion in Hakumai. Shimotsuki Yasuiie himself is a Great Swordmaster.

The Kozuki Clan's territory is home to Kozuki Sukiyaki, who is naturally a Great Swordmaster, and several others are also secretly hidden there.

As for the other Daimyo's Mansion, needless to say, to become Daimyo, one not only needs to gain the approval of the people, but also cannot be weak, otherwise one cannot subdue those powerful samurai. Among the other Daimyo, Shimotsuki Gyumaru is definitely Great Swordmaster, and the rest are at least peak-level Swordmaster.

Wano Country has a deep foundation, and even after being suppressed by Orochi for so many years, it still harbors many powerful individuals.

Now is the peak of Wano Country, before it begins to decline. Great Swordmaster, rarely seen in the outside world, are numerous in Wano Country, along with countless other powerful swordsmen and Swordmaster.

Teach couldn't help but admire Kaido. How did he manage to take over such a powerful Wano Country? Although Orochi secretly helped him, it was also because Kozuki Oden was too naive and easily believed Orochi and Kaido's deception. He didn't want Wano Country to fall into war and wanted to take all the blame himself.

If he correctly recognizes his own power, the power of Wano Country, and with his prestige, he could easily kill Orochi and drive Kaido out of Wano Country with a wave of his hand.

It's important to understand that it took Kaido and Orochi over a decade to completely dominate Wano Country. After Oden's death, without a leader, the remaining Daimyo rebelled and were eliminated one by one by Kaido and Orochi. They squandered a perfectly good hand of cards.

Then there's Moria, who secretly infiltrated this place after being defeated by Kaido, stealing Wano Country's National Treasure and the corpse of "Sword God" Ryoma. It seems Moria's strength is not weak either; with his abilities, he was able to steal the National Treasure and the corpse from so many powerful swordsmen.

All the swordsmen in front of him were looking at Teach, and Shimotsuki Ryuya fell to the ground. One of the swordsmen helped him up and then led him to a stone bed where he lay down.

"Young man, what brings you here?" one of the elders asked Teach.

"Alright, I was sent by the former general Kozuki Sukiyaki. This is his sword, which he gave me as a token. He sent me here to give you this letter." Teach nodded. He didn't dare to be presumptuous with this group of big shots in front of him, so he took out the letter that Kozuki Sukiyaki had given him from his pocket.

Although I know the specifics very well and can tell them, the letter Kozuki Sukiyaki is more convincing, as it bears the seal that only the Kozuki Family can possess.

He took the letter from Teach, opened it, and saw that even a strong person like him could see very well from afar.

They carefully read the entire letter, but the air seemed to freeze. The more they read, the angrier the elders and powerful swordsmen became. They never expected that such a thing would happen in Wano Country in just a few short years.

"How foolish! To be deceived by such sorcery and even allow a member of the Kurozumi Clan to become acting general!" one of the elders said angrily. Judging from his clothing, which bore the crest of the Kozuki Clan, he was clearly a senior member of the Kozuki Clan.

"The Kurozumi Clan is still up to no good. After that incident, the then-Shogun of Wano Country was merciful and spared their lives, only exiling them. I didn't expect them to come out and commit evil again." Another old man sneered, "This time, we can't let the Kurozumi Clan get away with it."

"Well, we old guys will take action this time." The decision was made in just a few words.

The letter outlined the Kurozumi Clan's plans over the past few years, the current situation in Wano Country, and their upcoming actions. They simply needed to leverage their strength.

The Kurozumi Clan is also one of the five great clans. Although they have been exterminated for many years, they still possess immense power. Decades ago, they were not killed but merely exiled. With the help of Kurozumi Orochi, they have now mostly returned.

To avoid significant losses in Wano Country, and given the possibility that the Kurozumi Clan may possess some hidden power, it is necessary to enlist the help of these powerful swordsmanship masters.