And so time quietly moved into the mid-late 1496, Arceus hadn't found a new plate yet.
The World Government also hadn't managed to establish a stable connection with the Hundred Beasts Pirates, they were still purchasing Seastone products from the Black Market.
CP0 had negotiated with the Hundred Beasts Pirates twice, but each time they were led by the nose, leading them to suspect someone in Mary Geoise was deliberately leaking information to interfere with their plans.
This eventually sparked a factional fight. The officials of the World Government had their own allegiances, and dragging their feet on such transactions was a common occurrence.
The Hundred Beasts "inadvertently" revealed some information, and they, too, believed this was a problem, leading to an invisible political struggle on the Red Earth Continent.
Through the World News, the Hundred Beasts Pirates of Wano Kuni had some understanding of significant external events. This year's most arrogant newcomer was someone named Crocodile.
His battle with Bullet and Whitebeard was put on the front page by Morgans, but after challenging Whitebeard and suffering a crushing defeat, he vanished, leaving the New World without his presence for a time.
On Fishman Island, Neptune ascended to become the king of the Dragon Palace Kingdom. In Dressrosa, Kyros achieved an unprecedented 1000 consecutive wins and became head of the kingdom's army at King Riku's invitation.
Meanwhile, off the coast of Wano, the Oro Jackson was approaching.
A while back, the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates met, and Gol D. Roger learned that Kozuki Oden could interpret the Poneglyphs. To find the ultimate destination, he borrowed Oden at his request.
When Oden boarded the ship, his retainers Inuarashi and Nekomamushi also secretly stowed away on Roger's ship, now sailing together on the Oro Jackson.
Earlier, his daughter Kozuki Hiyori was born on the ship.
The reason they came to Wano Kuni was for a Poneglyph. Wano housed a Red Poneglyph, essential for reaching Laugh Tale.
Moreover, his wife Tenzuki Toki had a high fever for unknown reasons, so he decided to leave her in Wano.
Without taking the Hidden Port, the Roger Pirates, led by Kozuki Oden, entered Wano from the waterfall. Under Arceus's control, the current Wano did not become a land full of factories with smoke rising everywhere.
Kozuki Oden noticed some changes but didn't grow suspicious; it was normal for things to change a bit after being away for so many years.
Plus, Roger didn't have much time left, he couldn't afford to linger here. As an heir of the Kozuki family, he naturally knew the Red Poneglyph was under Wano's Inner Sea.
He didn't even use the secret passage to get there, instead using his monster-like physique to dive down and complete the rubbing, then planned to leave his wife and child there upon reaching the shore.
But all this was seen by Setsuna, and from the moment Roger's ship sailed over the waterfall, the information had already reached Arceus and Kaidou.
If Kaidou were alone, he planned to lay low, as he knew Roger's strength, and he wasn't a match for him yet. Moreover, Roger's crew had many strong fighters.
But now, he also had Arceus, meaning even Gol D. Roger wouldn't be able to drive them away, at most leading to a great battle on Wano as the battleground.
However, the Hundred Beasts Pirates' foundation was still unstable, and they had no direct conflict with the Roger Pirates. Recklessly engaging in battle could undo years of effort.
Thus, the Hundred Beasts were merely observing and on alert.
On the coast of Kuri, Kozuki Oden saw his retainers coming to pick him up, though strangely, only Raizo, Kanjuro, and Kikunojo came, and their clothes were tattered.
"Where's Kinemon? Why are only you three here?"
"Lord Oden, Ashura Doji returned to Head Mountain to manage the humans after you left. Denjiro is doing business in the Flower Capital, as for Kinemon..."
Though they wanted to inform him of the events in Wano during this time, Tenzuki Toki stopped them to prevent Oden's plan from being delayed, reassuring him to leave at ease.
And this very carefree person truly left Wano just like that; despite Wano being very different under the management of the Hundred Beasts, he missed the best chance.
...
Besides Tenzuki Toki, or rather Kozuki Toki, since according to the rules of Wano, she should go by Kozuki now, left behind were Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori, with Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, also left by Oden.
Although they were all Oden's retainers, Kozuki Toki didn't know the others. Leaving two acquaintances behind would help her adapt better to the environment.
They watched the Oro Jackson leave Wano and then planned to depart.
As they were still getting acquainted, Setsuna made a call.
"Lord Sacred Beast, the ship has left Wano. Can Setsuna move freely now?"
"What's up?"
"I've run into two acquaintances, and I might have found a way back to Zou." A Life Card leading to Zou is hard to find; at least the Hundred Beasts Pirates hadn't found one over the years.
Seeing Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, Setsuna believed they likely carried a Life Card leading back to Zou.
"Suit yourself, but stay safe."
"Understood."
...
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi were catching up with Raizo about things over the years and planned to take Kozuki Toki and her group back to Oden Castle in Kuri.
Suddenly, Inuarashi's and Nekomamushi's ears perked up; they heard a very familiar voice.
"Inuarashi! Nekomamushi! Long time no see! You actually ended up here?"
"Setsuna?!"
"What are you doing here?"
The population of Zou is small, totaling around twenty thousand for the entire species. Not only people of the same age, but everyone had crossed paths, even if they couldn't name everyone.
Not to mention children of similar age, they were quite familiar. But to Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, Setsuna should be in Zou, nowhere near here.
"Of course, it's because I set sail as well. You two left Zou without a word and didn't even call me!"
"You're too young..." They hadn't seen each other for years, yet, before speaking much, Inuarashi noticed something amiss. Both Raizo and Kikunojo were looking oddly at Setsuna.
"What's wrong with you guys?"
"Do you know this person? She's with the Hundred Beasts Pirates..."