Chapter 338: Reiner: You're Looking Down on Me, Aren't You?
The faint yellow light from the small wooden house's window radiated out. Inside, a dozen or so people sat on the floor around a small table.
The flame of the old kerosene lamp on the table flickered, casting their figures onto the walls. The night was deep, and a faint sense of weariness swept over the group.
After being recognized by Kozuki Sukiyaki upon arriving here, and remembering the group's discussion on the way, Kozuki Hiyori had decided to reveal her identity.
In fact.
Even if she hadn't said anything, they had already guessed most of it from Franky's words. There was nothing left to hide.
After everyone was surprised by Hiyori's identity as a princess, Oden's past experiences were also recounted by her and Tenguyama Hitetsu.
More than twenty years ago, after Oden returned from his voyage, he learned that Kurozumi Orochi had usurped the throne and was colluding with Kaido to control Wano Country.
At that time, Oden had tried to start a war but was threatened by Kurozumi Orochi with the lives of the citizens, forcing him to make a five-year agreement.
To protect the people, Oden danced naked in the Flower Capital every day, becoming the 'Foolish Lord' in the mouths of the common people. In secret, Oden did not forget to gather strength.
Until five years later.
Kurozumi Orochi, as expected, violated the agreement and continued to persecute the people, cooperating with Kaido to open factories. Thus, Oden decisively led his gathered forces in a surprise attack on Onigashima.
That battle was world-shaking. At a critical moment, a scheme by Kurozumi Higurashi caused Oden to fall in defeat. He, along with his retainers, was publicly executed by Kaido in the Flower Capital.
At the last moment, Oden had protected his retainers, including Denjiro, and died after leaving behind his treasured swords and a prophecy of Wano Country's opening in twenty years.
Later, Hiyori and the retainers had each gone into hiding, preparing for the final resistance in the present, twenty years later...
Hiyori did not mention a single word about Kozuki Toki using her ability to send Momonosuke and several retainers, including Kin'emon, into the future.
It wasn't that she was wary of Reiner and the others, but Hiyori simply didn't know what their purpose was in coming to Wano Country.
And...
Twenty years had passed, but there was no news of Momonosuke and the others' return...
Worry and a hint of loss appeared in the depths of Hiyori's eyes.
Back then, her mother had entrusted her to Kawamatsu's care, while Momonosuke had gone to the future with Kin'emon and the others. They had been deliberately separated to prevent any accidents during the time travel.
Now it seemed that it was not impossible that they had met with some misfortune.
Now that Kurozumi Orochi was dead, Wano Country would inevitably fall into turmoil. If the prophecy of the country's opening in twenty years was true, the chance to topple Kaido might be this time.
If Momonosuke and Kin'emon and the others did not return, then the responsibility of leading the samurai in rebellion would fall on her alone.
Hiyori had to prepare for the worst.
Twenty years was too long to endure. The samurai could not wait any longer.
Thinking of this, Hiyori's heart grew heavy again.
"So that's how it is. But I really didn't expect that Tengu-uncle was actually your grandfather."
Luffy, while stuffing food into his mouth, asked with a full face:
"So you guys are going to fight Kaido too?"
"Too?"
Hiyori feigned puzzlement and looked at Luffy tentatively:
"By the way, I heard Lord Luffy say you were going to defeat Kaido during the conflict with Kurozumi Orochi. Do you have some grudge?"
Hiyori had long had a faint guess in her heart, but she wasn't sure and had never taken the initiative to mention it.
To tell Reiner and the others so much was also with the intention of borrowing their strength. After all, she had already witnessed the strength of this group.
"Well, not really. We were originally just here to get a Poneglyph from him. But that bastard actually made O-Tama and the others unable to eat their fill, so we'll just beat him up on the way."
Luffy said with an unconcerned, cheerful laugh.
Although these words seemed casual, they were all heartfelt. For him, he really didn't need much of a reason to fight Kaido.
O-Tama was their friend. Helping a friend drive away an enemy was the most worthy reason to make a move.
Reiner also couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
From setting out to sea in a small wooden boat from the East Blue, all the way here, they had already become a Sea Emperor who ruled the seas and was admired by thousands.
Everyone had grown a lot, but Luffy was still the same Luffy.
To put it nicely, he was simple. To put it bluntly, he was a silly fool all day.
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect that we would have a common goal."
Hiyori nodded with a faint smile, but a hint of disappointment flashed in her eyes.
Luffy's words were a bit too casual. They sounded like a joke. Hiyori didn't know Luffy and didn't understand the determination contained within them.
Just for that, it was really hard to regard this group as reliable partners.
They were on a life-and-death mission of revenge. The other's purpose for action seemed to be just to vent their anger for a friend.
How vast was Kaido's power? The fear brought by his great strength had dominated the entire Wano Country for more than twenty years. What if the other party flinched at a critical moment, or even suddenly turned against them...
Hiyori sighed inwardly. She clenched her hands under her sleeves, and her gaze secretly glanced at Reiner.
The other was leaning against the window, smoking with boredom, as if he had no interest at all in the experiences she had just recounted.
"Although you are all very strong, Kaido is not to be underestimated. Besides the three [All-Stars] and the six core cadres called the [Tobi Roppo], his subordinates also have hundreds of 'Gifters' led by the 'Shinuchi' and 'Headliners'."
"This is the core combat power of the Beasts Pirates, an army composed entirely of Zoan-type ability users. The total military strength on Onigashima is nearly thirty thousand..."
Hiyori held her hands to her heart, her tone worried.
"You only have a dozen or so people. The disparity in military strength is probably still too great."
"Hee hee hee, it's fine, Hiyori. We're super strong."
Luffy grinned, revealing his large white teeth. He pulled up his sleeve to show off his completely invisible biceps.
"And my companions, they can each take on a thousand soldiers."
"I'm two thousand."
"I'm five thousand."
As his voice fell, a sharp glint flashed in both Zoro's and Sanji's eyes.
"Then I'm ten thousand!"
"Bullshit! Ten thousand people could cut your three swords until their blades are dull! I'm twenty thousand!"
"You couldn't kick 20,000 people even if your legs broke! You stinky cook! You want a fight!"
"Bring it on! Let me test the development of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit on you!"
Veins popped on Sanji's and Zoro's foreheads. They pressed their foreheads together and glared at each other.
"We have guests again. This little wooden house is quite lively tonight."
Reiner, by the window, suddenly spoke.
Just as he finished speaking, two teasing voices came from outside.
"Hey, hey, hey. You make the Beasts Pirates sound so worthless."
"They're a Sea Emperor on par with Kaido now. It's normal for them to talk big."
Two figures came in uninvited from the door. Law, shouldering his cursed sword, Kikoku, had a slight lift at the corner of his mouth:
"We meet again, Straw Hat-ya."
"—Oh! It's Tra-guy and Kid!"
Luffy raised his hand in surprise and greeted them loudly, "What are you guys doing here?"
"We should be the ones asking you that. Why are you in Wano Country?"
Kid's expression was displeased as he gave Luffy a sidelong glance and walked to the table on his own to sit down.
"What's that? We were here first."
Luffy replied, his face unconvinced.
"Hah?!"
Kid grabbed Luffy by the collar, his gritted teeth close to his face:
"Are you kidding me? Of course, we arrived here first!"
"Nonsense! We were here first!"
Luffy grabbed the other's collar in a reverse grip and retorted loudly.
"..."
Law held his forehead, a corner of his mouth twitching. He came to Reiner's side and leaned against the wall, then turned back and said with helplessness and disgust:
"Are you two idiots? What's there to argue about? It's the same whoever was first."
"Shut up! You lower-class pirate!!" × 2
Luffy and Kid spoke in unison, rolling their eyes and glaring at Law.
"..."
These two bastards...!
Law gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, veins suddenly popping on his face.
"These two are...?"
"Oh right, Hiyori. They are Law and Kid. They were called the Worst Generation along with Luffy and Reiner back then. They are also very powerful pirates."
Chopper looked up and introduced them to the puzzled Hiyori.
"Pirates too? The Worst Generation..."
Kozuki Hiyori murmured with curiosity. "Are all pirates like this?"
"What's wrong, Hiyori?"
"It's nothing, Chopper."
Hiyori smiled gently:
"I was too young when I was on Roger's ship and don't have many memories. My only impression of pirates is Kaido, so I've never liked pirates."
"Now that I see this, I suddenly feel that what a person is like has nothing to do with whether they are a pirate or not."
"Hey, what did you just say?"
Hearing this, both Law and Kid were stunned for a moment, looking at Hiyori with disbelief.
"When you were on Roger's ship?"
"The Pirate King, Roger?"
"Never mind that. You few are targeting Kaido this time?"
Reiner suddenly spoke, changing the subject.
Law looked back and nodded:
"Mm. The only two we know of who have a Road Poneglyph are Red-Hair, who wanders the seas, and Kaido, who has a fixed base. Kaido is naturally easier to find."
"That's a real shame. Even if you get the Road Poneglyph, you'll still have to trade with us."
A corner of Zoro's mouth lifted slightly.
However, this time, both Kid's and Law's faces broke into a triumphant grin:
"Unfortunately, that's not needed anymore. We heard from the Zou side that the Kozuki clan of this country has the ability to inscribe and decipher the Poneglyphs."
"And I also just heard that that old man is the only one in the Kozuki family now who can read the ancient text."
Law's teasing gaze was fixed on Kozuki Sukiyaki. A transparent dome of his ability retracted back into his palm.
"Eavesdropping on others' conversations is not something to be proud of."
Reiner's eyes hardened as he gave him a sidelong glance. He instantly understood his actions. The other had probably overheard a lot of their conversation here.
"Sorry, sorry. Don't be angry, Reiner-ya. We're not here to fight you. At least not now."
Law waved his hand and smiled nonchalantly.
"I don't have any strange ideas about this country. Don't worry, I won't leak any secrets. I came over to give you a heads-up. We'll probably be opponents this time."
"Eh?"
Hearing these words, the others were a little stunned for a moment, but then they immediately reacted.
They were all pirates, and it was a competitive relationship. They each had their own goals.
At the very least, out of consideration for their past friendship, the other had come over in advance to greet them instead of playing dirty tricks behind their backs. This was also the code of honor of pirates.
"Mm. I understand."
There was no ripple in Luffy's eyes. He nodded with a faint smile. This was him accepting the challenge in advance.
"Besides the two of us, Captain Bege and Captain Hawkins are also with us. And the Mink Tribe from Zou."
"Originally, we were planning to launch a general attack on the day of the Fire Festival. But now that you've stirred things up, the security in Wano Country will definitely be much tighter. Our plan will probably have to be moved up."
Law looked at Luffy with a disdainful expression. Luffy just chuckled. Law then continued:
"Anyway, we've brought the message. We're even for what happened just now."
"It's about what he said."
Bang!
Kid slammed his hands heavily on the table, his expression fierce as he stared at Luffy:
"If you dare to get in our way, we'll take you all out together! We absolutely won't let you get the first move again this time!"
"Who's afraid of you, spiky-head! Bring it on!"
Bang!
Luffy slammed his large hand, his head bumping against the other as he shouted, not to be outdone.
"Who are you calling spiky-head, you bastard!"
"I'm talking about you! Bleh, bleh, bleh~"
"You idiot rubber man! You want a fight!"
"Bring it on!"
The two of them started fighting at the drop of a hat.
They didn't chat much after that. Law and Kid quickly returned to the Flower Capital after delivering their message.
Looking at the two departing figures under the moonlight, Reiner's fingers tapped a slow rhythm on the window. The other is so righteous. It makes me embarrassed to take them down on the spot.
Relying on the vast gangster forces and the firepower of the Big Father, Bege's role was probably to deal with the grunts. Reiner didn't know how Hawkins had gotten hooked up with them, but there was nothing to worry about with those two.
The main ones were still Kid and Law.
Reiner admitted that they had some strength. In the original story, by relying on their ability usage and coordination, they had eventually taken down Big Mom together. They were not opponents that could be dealt with in a few moves.
Finding an opening in a chaotic battle was Law's specialty. They couldn't be taken too lightly.
Since the other had already come over to state their position, then the situation of a three-way battle for supremacy was very clear.
Regarding this, everyone also had various expressions, and the atmosphere in the room became heavy for a moment.
Especially Hiyori, Denjiro, and Sukiyaki, their brows were tightly furrowed.
They had received too much information in a short period of time, and their brains were a little unable to process it all.
From an ordinary night to the assassination of Kurozumi Orochi...
...to meeting the Straw Hat crew, who had a tangled connection with the two pirate crews that her father had been on...
...the battle to defeat Kaido, or rather, the battle for supremacy between several pirate forces, was about to be fought in Wano Country...
...the Poneglyph, and Zou...
The wind and rain were coming; a storm was imminent.
"Will Inuarashi and Nekomamushi and the others also come to Wano Country..."
Kozuki Sukiyaki took out a Vivre Card from his pocket.
Zou would issue Zunesha's Vivre Card to specific people. As an allied country, the Kozuki family and the several daimyo families naturally had them.
"Will Momonosuke and the others come with them..."
Kozuki Sukiyaki murmured, his gaze unfocused, not knowing what he was thinking.
Being here, he was completely unable to get any news from overseas. The only hope he could think of for Momonosuke and the others' return could only be placed on this allied country.
On the other hand, Kozuki Hiyori and Denjiro exchanged a tacit look. Their gazes both fell on Reiner and Luffy. Besides paying attention to Kin'emon and the others, they had also noticed another piece of information.
That was what Kid and Law had said when they appeared. Only then did they realize with disbelief that this group of just over ten people...
...was actually a sea overlord on par with the Beasts Pirates?!!
(End of chapter)
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