Wano, Kuri, Okobore Town.
After days of gloomy clouds, the sun peeked through, shining equally on this land and its numb people.
A day in Okobore Town began by breathing factory-polluted air and drinking the last clean river water—enough to lift one's spirits.
Since the rivers and fields were polluted, this land had barely produced any food for two years. Combined with Orochi's dislike of Kuri, trash was all dumped nearby.
Whether this was fortune or misfortune, the villagers lost farming as a means but found a new way: scavenging.
They searched the Flower Capital's trash for leftovers and usable items, then resold them elsewhere.
In this poor village, a man with a headscarf carried a baby on his back. Though exhausted, he wore a radiant smile.
Last night, he heard that the tyrant Orochi had been slain—the man he hated most—so he was happy.
But with Orochi dead, Yamato, Kaido's daughter, became shogun. This dampened his joy, and he worried about Wano's future.
Still, he believed that no matter how hard things got, there was light ahead—just as he'd been healed in despair by a little girl's warmth.
He brought the baby girl to his front, her innocent smile and chubby mouth bubbling as she reached for his face, making him smile more.
"Mr. Yasuie, who's that?"
A villager asked, seeing him with the baby.
"A child I found on the road. Poor thing, probably abandoned by her parents."
Yasuie explained. He'd lost his wife early, never remarried, and after Kaido's invasion and Orochi's coup, he'd hidden in Kuri.
"Aww~"
The baby cooed, drawing Yasuie's attention.
He'd found her crying in the mountains, clearly abandoned as her family couldn't feed her but couldn't bear to harm her. Drawn by her cries, Yasuie found her, and when she saw him, she stopped crying and smiled, soothing his heart.
Despite his own hunger, he resolved to raise her.
"Mr. Yasuie, isn't this reckless? We can't even feed ourselves, let alone a child."
The villager advised.
"Better to leave her where you found her—maybe someone else will adopt her."
Yasuie shook his head. Sending her back would be a death sentence—few in Wano had enough food, and the rich in the capital would never adopt a stranger's child.
The villager, seeing he couldn't persuade Yasuie, left to start scavenging.
Yasuie watched the villagers and felt sad. Scavenging couldn't last. The land would only get poorer, and disease would spread, reducing the village to hundreds or even dozens in time.
He saw this as a microcosm of Wano's future. Even better-off regions would eventually face decline.
He felt powerless, longing to help his people but lacking the strength.
He'd once pinned his hopes on Oden, but the flamboyant lord failed, and Wano remained in misery.
Yasuie decided to try changing things himself, but with no power or influence, revealing his identity would mean execution.
Now, hearing Orochi was dead and Yamato shogun, his sadness deepened. Wano's dignity was trampled.
At least Orochi had used some trickery to claim power, acting as regent. But Yamato? They just killed Orochi and seized the throne.
And the reason given?
Orochi's rebellion.
Such sorrow is hard for anyone but true patriots to grasp.
It was as if the country was a plaything, its leadership decided on a whim.
On the way home, Yasuie even considered ending his own life.
But when he found the crying baby, he realized that even the poorest land could bloom again, and even a suffering country has new life.
To protect such innocent smiles, he resolved to keep fighting—even if he had to become a bandit to help the poor.
Lost in thought, he heard a commotion at the village entrance and went to see what was happening.
Villagers rushed by, calling,
"Mr. Yasuie, the officials are handing out food for disaster relief—hurry!"
Yasuie was stunned—had he misheard?
Food for famine relief from the government? Since Orochi's rise, taxes had soared and all produce went to him, sold at exorbitant prices, squeezing the people dry.
Such a person would never give food to the starving. And the new shogun was a pirate, Kaido's daughter—shouldn't she be even more brutal?
Confused, Yasuie joined the crowd. When he saw the long line of food wagons, he was shocked.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen so much food—let alone food sent by the government for the starving.
"Line up! No fighting! Everyone gets their share: ten kilos of rice per adult, a bag of soy products, two fruits, a piece of dried meat. Children get half."
The man at the front barked.
Yasuie recognized him as one of the Beasts Pirates' Advisor—Gusion, the shogun's right hand.
That such a powerful figure would personally deliver famine relief?
And the rations—ten kilos of rice plus extras per person! Not even in his days as Hakumai daimyo had he seen such generosity.
Yasuie suspected some massive plot behind this.
But the baby's cries interrupted him. He needed rice to make porridge for her.
The villagers, however, were simply overjoyed. Hearing the generous terms, they lined up obediently, not daring to cause trouble.
Some doubted it was real, but seeing others get their full rations, they joined the line.
When Yasuie's turn came, Gusion glanced at the baby and told the soldier,
"He has a child; give him an extra half portion."
Yasuie accepted the food with mixed feelings.
"Thank you, sir."
There were only about one or two thousand people in Okobore Town; food was soon distributed.
As the grateful villagers knelt in thanks, Gusion asked,
"Do you know who gave you this food?"
Many looked puzzled, unaware of the political changes.
"Wano has changed. Orochi is dead. The new shogun is Yamato, daughter of Kaido."
Gusion continued,
"Remember, this food was obtained by Shogun Yamato from the Beasts Pirates. She didn't keep it for herself or sell it at high prices; she shared it with you."
"Do you know why?"
Most villagers were baffled—they hadn't even heard of the coup, nor understood why a pirate shogun would feed them.