Although the Sky Empire's army caused quite a stir on Onigashima and in the Flower Capital.
However, the common people of Wano Country seemed indifferent, even apathetic.
After all, the Beasts Pirates, along with Kurozumi Orochi's subordinates, had made a mess of Wano Country. The massive arms factories in various places not only polluted the land but also exploited the young and able-bodied laborers among the common people.
This is another reason why the remnants of the Kozuki faction were able to make a comeback later.
In Noah's eyes, Kurozumi Orochi was the biggest idiot of all.
Your Kurozumi Clan was persecuted by the Kozuki Clan, so there's nothing wrong with you killing the Kozuki Clan.
But you persecute even ordinary people and deliberately pollute the land, causing people to turn against you and public resentment to boil over. You've completely squandered a winning hand.
I really can't understand Kurozumi Orochi's thought process.
Shiki, along with Blazing Sun, Robin, and others, took full control of the Flower Capital.
Meanwhile, Mary, along with the Inspection Department, secretly helped screen the remaining personnel from the original Orochi Group, including soldiers, Oniwaban, and Miyauchiban.
Noah was also in the Flower Capital at this time.
He came to retrieve the Devil Fruit, and also to use those valuable materials to create new Apostle.
The Devil Fruits of Kurozumi Orochi and Kurozumi Semimaru were directly recycled, and they obtained the reborn Yamata no Orochi Fruit and Barrier-Barrier Fruit. These two people had no value for modification.
Next up were Kaido Yamato, two Mythical Zoan, both physically powerful enough that Noah showed them no mercy and transformed them into Apostle.
[ The Empress: Yamato ( Okuchi no Makami Fruit )]
[ The Hierophant: Kaido ( Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon )]
The reason he didn't hesitate to modify Yamato was because the other party was a die-hard fan of Kozuki Oden. Even if he could appease him temporarily, there was still a lot of uncertainty about the future, and he might even turn against him when dealing with the remnants of the Kozuki faction.
Noah had no confidence in changing this kind of brainwashed fan through ideology, nor did he want to waste time. He would directly transform them into Apostle to eliminate any future trouble.
The same logic applies to Kaido; it's virtually impossible for him to be reformed through thought or to submit.
Even if being transformed into Apostle would prevent the two from using Conqueror's Haki, they would still be an Admiral- level or Yonko Vice-President-level assistant.
He then proceeded to modify six more characters: Jhin, Queen, Jack, Black Maria, Who's Foz F., and Seki.
However, only Jhin and Black Maria became Apostle of the Major Arcana Deck; the other four were Apostle of the Minor Arcana Deck.
[ The Moon: Ash ( Pteranodon Fruit )]
[ The High Priestess: Black Maria ( Rosamygale Fruit )]
As for Ulti and Page One, although they both ate the fruit, they were 8 and 6 years old respectively, so their thinking could still be reformed.
Next, Noah modified the captured Kyoshiro and gave him the Yamata no Orochi Fruit.
[ Judgment: Kyoshiro ( Yamata no Orochi Fruit )]
At this point, Noah's Major Arcana Deck has collected all 16 Apostle, leaving only 6 slots available.
The Fool, the Lovers, the Wheel of Fortune, the Hanged Man, the Tower, and the Star are still missing.
After Noah finished modifying the Apostle, he took Kaido, Yamato, King, Queen, Jack, and Kyoshiro with him.
The remaining members are Black Maria, Seki, and Foz-Foe.
In addition to the Daz, Wyper, Hermit, Blazing Sun, and Robin originally intended for Shiki.
The core leadership of the entire Sky Empire is now in place.
Having taken control of the Flower Capital and Onigashima, Shiki, with Mary's cooperation, swiftly purged the criminal members of the Beasts Pirates and the Orochi Group.
These people were not wasted.
The stronger ones were used as experimental subjects, while the less powerful ones were sent to the Rum Kingdom, to be given to Law and Barton for organ transplants, blood draws, and finally their life force was drained.
In total, Barton harvested the life force of more than 30,000 villains, and his life force reserves, which had previously been used up by more than half, surged once again.
It's clear that the ordinary members of the Beasts Pirates were mostly notorious villains, and apart from a few children like Ulti, the rest were all dealt with.
On the Orochi Group's side, there are also more than 8,000 thugs.
After more than a month of purges and subsequent recruitment, the Sky Empire only managed to acquire about 20,000 troops in Wano Country, and these were just ordinary, average-sized soldiers.
Of course, Shiki didn't pay much attention to the more than 20,000 ordinary soldiers. He only used these people to participate in maintaining order and stability. The real fighting would still rely on the more than 1,000 people brought by the Noah Family.
In an effort to win over the people, Shiki immediately launched a work-for-relief program the moment he took control of the Flower Capital.
After more than a month of work-for-relief efforts.
Those commoners who were in extreme poverty had basically obtained enough food to eat, which is why the Sky Empire was able to recruit more than 20,000 people in the Flower Capital.
As time went on, the Sky Empire's control over Wano Country grew stronger and deeper.
Robin, who was in charge of intelligence work, was reporting to Shiki on the various intelligence she had secretly collected over the past month.
"... The above describes the current state of the underground forces within Wano Country."
"Five gangs! Three black market merchants! Seventeen large-scale bandit groups! Thirty-nine noble families! Hahaha... Excellent, this kind of rotten stuff should be swept into the dustbin of history." The Noah Family behind Shiki has money, resources, and power; they don't need to compromise with these forces at all.
" Robin, I'll leave this to you and Blazing Sun. Let's start with the gangsters and illegal businessmen."
"I understand." Robin nodded. She was never a naive person. Having seen too much darkness, she yearned for light while also finding it even more intolerable to evil.
Especially after she understood the Five Volumes on Slaying Dragons and through continuous investigation, she discovered that, compared to gangsters, pirates, and bandits, unscrupulous merchants and nobles were the true root of evil.
It was these unscrupulous merchants and nobles who caused the poverty of the common people, which led many to choose to take risks.
Pirates, gangsters, and bandits must be killed.
Unscrupulous merchants, nobles, and kings must be eliminated.
Otherwise, the world will not fundamentally change.
Robin and Blazing Sun, along with their elite members, swiftly launched an attack on the gangsters of Flower Capital, detaining them all regardless of whether they were innocent or not.
Anyway, once Mary examines them, they'll immediately reveal whether they're human or ghost.
Shiki wasn't idle either; he was searching for the remnants of the Kozuki clan hidden in Wano Country, as well as any possible Devil Fruit.
The first target that Shiki had his eye on.
He was naturally the arrogant Ashura Doji.
Although this guy was very strong, unfortunately he encountered Shiki, who had no martial ethics. He was directly beaten and taken away, and the bandits were also imprisoned.
Shiki then marched on Kuri Castle and captured all the thugs that Kozuki Oden had recruited.
As for the other daimyo, Shiki was very grateful to Orochi and Kaido for resolving these troubles.
Now only Shimotsuki Yasuie remains, barely clinging to life.
And the cowardly Kozuki Sukiyaki hiding in the Amigasa Village, and Kozuki Hiyori working as a geisha in a brothel.
As long as these people are dealt with, even if the remnants of the Kozuki faction return from time travel in the future, they won't be able to cause any trouble.