The bamboo forest was deep and secluded, its paths winding.
When the warm sunlight spilled over Shiimi's mountains, Tsugikuni Yoriichi woke from his sleep, rose to his feet, and stepped out of his crude shelter.
He had not been in a hurry to travel yesterday. After reaching this bamboo forest, he had used the materials at hand to build a simple shelter and spent the night out in the woods.
Yoriichi actually enjoyed the feeling of having the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed.
For far too long, too many things had bound his hands and feet. It had been a very long time since he had lived this kind of life for himself.
This trip to Wano Country had also allowed Yoriichi to rediscover the comfort of living in seclusion.
After stretching beneath the sunlight, Yoriichi followed the winding path down the mountain. More than ten minutes later, he stopped beside a stream.
Clear spring water flowed down from the mountains. He scooped up a handful and washed his face, and the bone-chilling coolness immediately refreshed him.
After briefly washing up with the spring water, Yoriichi followed the direction indicated by his Observation Haki and headed toward Kuri.
However, Yoriichi picked up his pace considerably today. He was deeply interested in this isolated Wano Country and planned to spend several days touring the entire nation.
He had already seen the prosperity of the Flower Capital. He had even caught a glimpse of the darkness buried beneath that prosperity.
But the Flower Capital was not Kozuki Oden's true territory. Kuri was his foundation.
The state of life among Kuri's people could truly reflect Kozuki Oden's ability to govern. Or rather, their living conditions would determine how Yoriichi treated Kozuki Oden from now on.
In less than