"Heh, so you have Conqueror's Haki too? I've it as well!"
Bullet, his face a mask of displeasure, smack the guardrail of the ship. He was clearly annoyed that Katakuri had stolen his thunder, but the latter just sat back silently, unfazed.
"Damn, you two are so smug!" Shiryu grumbled. "I don't even have Conqueror Haki!"
"Neither do I, Brother Shiryu," Van Augur chimed in.
"Good man, you really are my brother!" Shiryu said, a grin spreading across his face.
The warship glided to a stop on the coast, and Adrian and his crew stepped onto the shores of Wano Country.
There was no need for Adrian to give instructions. Katakuri pulled a den-den mushi from a unconscious pirate's pocket and dialed.
"Immediately notify Kaido," he said, his voice curt. "Tell him that Emperor Adrian of the Kingdom of Dressrosa has arrived in Wano Country and wants to meet with him personally."
With that, Katakuri hung up the phone.
Adrian nodded in satisfaction. "This will save a lot of trouble," he said. "It'll take a lot of time for them to get here from Onigashima. You guys wait here for the Beasts Pirates. Shiryu and I will go get the sword and be back soon."
"Captain, please take this kid with you," Katakuri said, his gaze fixed on Momonosuke. "If you're not here, I'm afraid Kaido might have other intentions." He then deftly hooked the unconscious Momonosuke onto Shiryu's scabbard.
With himself and Bullet around, rescuing Momonosuke from Kaido wouldn't be a problem. But this kid was the key to their negotiation, and no mistakes could be allowed.
"Alright," Adrian said, his admiration for the thoughtful Katakuri growing by the second. Even if he failed to poach the rest of the Charlotte family in the future, recruiting a subordinate like this was a win in itself.
With a final nod, Adrian and Shiryu disappeared into the dense forest nearby.
Onigashima
When the pirate on the other end of the phone learned that Adrian had arrived in Wano, he immediately reported the situation to [Plague] Queen and [Flame] King.
"Damn it," Queen snarled, a hideous look on his face. "I was just about to settle the score with this kid for hurting Jack last time, and now he's brought himself to our doorstep! He's really asking for death!" While they were all three of the Headliners, Jack was little more than a little brother in front of him and King. Of course, Queen was very upset that someone had bullied his little brother.
"Idiot, don't mess around," King said, a sober contrast to Queen's recklessness. His face mask gave no hint of the cold glare in his eyes. "Adrian has taken over the business of the Joker, and he's here to negotiate a deal for the artificial Devil Fruit SMILE. If you delay this deal, I'll skin you with my own hands!"
"You bastard, do you think I'm afraid of you?" Queen roared, pointing a finger at King's nose. "What about Jack's revenge? That kid cut off his tusks!"
[Drought] Jack, nearby, suddenly burst into tears like a helpless one-ton child. He still hadn't gotten over the trauma of losing his tusks. Now, at the mention of Adrian's name, he instinctively felt fear.
King's face, hidden beneath his mask, softened slightly with a hint of sympathy. Still, he stood his ground. "Let's put Jack's grudge aside for now. Let's confirm the purpose of that kid's trip before we make a decision."
Kuri, Amigasa Village
"Captain, this village seems to have been abandoned for a long time. Are the three famous swords really here?" Shiryu looked around, the entire Village was in a state of disrepair, as if it had been crushed by some giant animal.
"Now the whole of Wano Country, with the exception of the Flower Capital where Kurozumi Orochi resides, has become such a desolate place," Adrian said, a hint of emotion in his voice. "But the retainers loyal to Kozuki Oden are still waiting for their savior to appear."
In a ruthless campaign to eliminate any remnants of the Kozuki clan, Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido had implemented a scorched-earth policy across almost the entire country. Once a rich and self-sufficient land, all that remained was dilapidation and despair.
But even so, the remnants of Kozuki Oden's followers had not given up. One of them was the swordsmith Tenguyama Hitetsu, who held the three great swords: [Enma], [Ame no Habakiri], and the [Nidai Kitetsu].
Even with Amigasa Village destroyed, he remained there, waiting for the day he could hand Kozuki Oden's two blades over to the young master Momonosuke and the princess Kozuki Hiyori.
Adrian had to admire the loyalty of these people. However, these old warriors were not destined to become his subordinates.
"Savior? Is this kid worthy?" Shiryu glanced at Momonosuke, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Stop right there!" a man wearing a long-nosed mask and huge wings suddenly emerged from a tree house nearby. "How did you find this place? Wait a minute, that's..."
When Tengu Hitetsu's eyes fell on the weak figure hanging from Shiryu's scabbard, his pupils shrank. "Is... is that really His Highness Momonosuke?" he exclaimed. "Bastard, hurry up and release His Highness! Let the old man see for himself!"
As he spoke, Tengu Hitetsu drew his sword and rushed toward Shiryu.
"Captain, should I kill him?" Shiryu asked with a grin.
Adrian simply nodded, his expression indifferent. He didn't care about the other man's life or death. With a light step, he moved toward the massive tree house.
"You bastard, what do you want?" Tengu Hitetsu's face turned pale. He abandoned his attack on Shiryu and rushed in front of Adrian.
"It's really here," Adrian said. "In order to protect this house, can you even put the safety of your young master aside?"
"I know that [Enma], [Ame no Habakiri], and the [Nidai Kitetsu] are all in your hands," Adrian said, his voice flat. "I came here to pick up the swords this time."
"Bastard thief! Those are relics left by Daimyo Oden for Prince Momonosuke and Princess Hiyori! Even if the old man dies, you will not succeed!" Tengu Hitetsu's pupils shrank, and he roared even louder.
It wasn't that he didn't want to save Momonosuke, but even without a fight, he could sense that Shiryu was a formidable opponent. If Momonosuke was not rescued, he would have lost the two famous swords entrusted to him by Kozuki Oden in the house.
But what truly shocked Tengu Hitetsu was that this young man, who looked to be no more than twenty, knew the whereabouts of [Enma] and [Ame no Habakiri]. He knew that Daimyo Oden had secretly instructed him to keep them before his execution, and even Kin'emon and the Red Scabbard Nine didn't know about it. How did this man knew?
Regardless, he would never agree to Adrian taking these two swords.
"Just because he's also worthy of using such a famous sword?" A look of disdain flashed in Adrian's eyes. Then, a smirk spread across his face.
"Why don't you die and go tell Kozuki Oden that I'm about to hand his useless son over to his nemesis, Kaido? I believe this kid will come to a bad end soon."
"As for Kozuki Hiyori... for the sake of her reputation as the number one beauty in Wano Country, I will reluctantly accept her as a plaything."
"In that case, shouldn't you hand these two swords over to me?"