Gathering Intelligence

The next day.

As dawn broke, Akuta emerged from the forest where he was hiding.

A night's rest restored his physical strength to its peak, although through his Information Network, he barely knew what had happened in Wano Country.

However, Akuta currently knows absolutely no specific information!

We know absolutely nothing about the whereabouts of Kaido's pirate crew, or the number of them in different areas.

It's impossible for Akuta to run into the street and shout that he wants to fight Kaido; that would be too arrogant.

Therefore, it is still very necessary to ask a local for information.

Let's find a living person and ask them about the situation first.

Akuta lowered his body and walked down the mountain path.

To avoid accidentally stumbling into Kaido's territory, Akuta was quite cautious as he moved, always trying to secure a high vantage point first to get a clear view and confirm that there were no pirate flags ahead before proceeding.

However, this efficiency was indeed a bit slow. Akuta walked until it was almost dark, but he still hadn't seen a single person!

He even started to wonder if he had wandered into a no-man's land!

"Such a big island, how come there's not a single person in sight?"

"Where are the people? Surely Kaido couldn't have killed them all?"

Just as Akuta was preparing to find a place to eat since things had come to this, a wisp of smoke suddenly rose from the distant mountaintop!

"Holy crap, there's smoke!"

Akuta's eyes lit up.

Smoke from a cooking fire means someone is cooking; someone cooking means someone is there; and if someone is there, he can gather information!

Thinking of this, Akuta didn't delay any longer and immediately and carefully made his way towards the direction of the cooking smoke.

After passing through a sparse grove of trees, a small village came into view.

Akuta didn't rush forward, but observed from a distance for a long time first.

There was neither a pirate flag nor the Beasts Pirates' insignia in the village, and no pirates were standing guard at the village entrance.

"It looks like an ordinary village."

After confirming that it was safe, Akuta walked towards the village with peace of mind.

He straightened his clothes and put on the kindest smile he could muster.

He spoke to an old man who was resting at the village entrance:

"Hello, sir! I'd like to ask about..."

However, to Akuta's surprise, as soon as he entered the village, before he could even finish speaking, the other party's expression changed drastically and he shouted.

"There are pirates!!!"

The old man screamed in terror and scrambled toward the village.

Akuta's smile froze.

No, wait!

Before he could explain, a commotion of footsteps erupted in the village, and a group of people took off running.

Perhaps it was because he saw that Akuta was alone, and also because he didn't seem inclined to pursue.

A dozen or so daring farmers stopped and stood at a distance, holding hoes, sickles, and other implements, confronting Akuta.

Suppressing the fear in their eyes, they mustered their courage and shouted in the direction of the Akuta:

"Out-of-towners! Get out of Wano Country!"

"You're not welcome here!"

"Pirates! Get out of here right now, or we'll attack!"

Looking at the menacing villagers before him, Akuta felt a sense of admiration.

Just because he didn't pursue, did he choose to risk his life by breathing on the enemy?

As expected of people from Wano Country, I acknowledge your purity!

Hearing the other person call him a "pirate," Akuta looked down at his clothes.

These clothes from modern civilization are very different from the traditional clothing of Wano Country, and it's immediately obvious that Akuta is not a local.

Furthermore, Wano Country is a closed country, and outsiders generally do not come here.

Besides Kaido of the Beasts, there have been no other outsiders recently.

It's only natural that the villagers would admit their mistake.

Akuta sighed helplessly, then put on a kind smile again and spread his hands to indicate that he was a good person.

"Fellow villagers, don't be afraid, I'm a good person! I'm here to help you!"

However, despite Akuta speaking, the villagers showed no trust whatsoever.

Because of Kaido's presence, they still looked at Akuta with wary expressions, naturally regarding him as a pirate.

Just then, a childish voice suddenly rang out.

"Bad people, get out of Wano Country!"

The next moment, a stone flew out from the crowd and smashed straight at Akuta's head.

"Kotaro! Stop!"

The villagers' expressions changed drastically. Some tried to stop it from happening, but it was too late.

Everyone watched in horror as the stone flew toward the Akuta, as if they would witness the "pirate" unleashing a furious killing spree at any moment.

However, the expected scene did not appear.

Suddenly, the shadow beneath Akuta's feet rose up, transforming into a pitch-black hand that steadily caught the thrown stone.

The entire village fell silent instantly.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the writhing shadow beside Akuta.

A farmer pointed at the shadow, his voice trembling with disbelief.

"This... this is... the Shadow-Shadow Fruit?!"

Akuta paused for a moment, then nodded:

"Yes, this is the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. You've seen it before?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the villagers reacted more intensely than he had expected.

"It really is the Shadow-Shadow Fruit!"

"Impossible! Isn't the Shadow-Shadow Fruit Moria's?!"

"Wasn't Lord Moria killed in battle? How come he's here?"

"Idiot, someone else must have eaten the fruit!"

At this moment, a farmer stared at the Akuta with a look of doubt in his eyes and spoke cautiously.

"May I ask, sir, how did you obtain the Shadow-Shadow Fruit?"

Akuta was secretly delighted.

Were these people Moria's fellow countrymen?

From their words, it's clear that they not only knew Moria, but also held him in high esteem.

Akuta made a sad expression on his face, lowered his head and slowly spoke.

"I am not Moria."

He slightly altered his origin story, changing it from falling from the sky to an accidental fall into the sea.

He was rescued by Moria while adrift at sea. Later, Moria, still unable to let go of the people of Ringo in his last moments, entrusted the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to him, pleading with him to save Wano Country in his place. At that moment, suppressed sobs echoed through the village.

"Lord Moriah... still can't do it?"

A villager's voice trembled, and tears streamed down his face.

Immediately afterwards, one villager after another knelt down in grief, looking extremely sad.

A moment later, an elderly man with white hair slowly stood up and bowed deeply to Akuta.

"Young man, since you are Lord Moria's successor, you are the benefactor of us survivors of Ringo."

"Please forgive me for my rudeness earlier!"

"Hey, hey, hey! No, no, no!" Akuta hurriedly waved his hands.

Led by the old man, the villagers expressed their gratitude to Akuta.

Afterwards, the villagers led Akuta to the largest house in the village and served him coarse tea and simple rice balls.

Although the food was simple, every grain of rice was filled with the villagers' sincerity.

While eating his rice ball, Akuta inquired about the current situation in Wano Country from the white-haired old man.

"Fellow countryman, how's the situation in Wano Country right now?"

"Do you guys know anything about that bastard Kaido?"