"The Hundred Beasts Pirates..."
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi have been sailing with Kozuki Oden abroad for years, leaving their marks on both Whitebeard's and Roger's ships.
Although no news comes out of Wano Kuni, the Hundred Beasts Pirates are already quite well-known in the outside world.
Compared to the Whitebeard Pirates, the Flying Sky Pirates still lack some depth as legendary great pirates, but they are also a force that cannot be ignored.
They naturally heard of the Hundred Beasts' reputation, but they didn't expect the Hundred Beasts Pirates to be in Wano Kuni. In other countries, encountering pirates domestically is not unusual, it's even quite common.
But this is the closed-off nation of Wano Kuni. Even those who have never left the country, like Raizo, know about the Hundred Beasts Pirates, indicating how long the Hundred Beasts Pirates have been staying here.
And pirates can't simply stay in a country for a long time without reason. Such a situation in Wano Kuni only means one thing: that the Hundred Beasts Pirates have taken this place as their territory.
To Oden's household attendants, Kozuki Oden is the person destined to inherit the title of General of Wano Kuni, so the actions of the Hundred Beasts Pirates are undoubtedly adversarial toward Kozuki Oden.
"Setsuna, have you really joined the Hundred Beasts Pirates?"
Inuarashi didn't see the pirate flag symbol on her, so he held onto a glimmer of hope, as these household attendants of Oden had a mindset of blind loyalty.
In the original timeline, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi could hand the throne directly to Carrot after Kaidou was defeated, as they believed their lord's country was far more important than their own.
As for the symbol, it was a result of information disparity; the representation of identity in the Hundred Beasts Pirates wasn't just the skull flag symbolizing Kaidou, the Arceus Thousand Cosmos Bracelet symbol also held the same meaning.
The clothing of Setsuna, Zeraora, and Shaina all bore the insignia of the Thousand Cosmos Bracelet.
Similar situations aren't unheard of; within the Whitebeard Pirates, a cross with a crescent moon often symbolized their identity. However, the case of the Hundred Beasts, where two symbols represented two individuals, was quite rare.
Inuarashi, unaware of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, hoped this was a misunderstanding, but he was disappointed.
"Yes, it's been almost five years now, probably a few months after leaving Zou.
After you two ran away, Duke Hichugiskhan was very angry, and I only found a chance to run away two years later, then...."
"Have you forgotten the alliance between Zou and Wano Kuni?"
She originally wanted to share her experiences over the past two years with them, but Nekomamushi interrupted her.
"You annoying cat, interrupting others is not a good habit."
The relationship between her and Nekomamushi wasn't exactly bad, but they often quarreled, with Inuarashi usually mediating between them.
But upon meeting, he spoke to her with such a tone, as if she had done something terribly wrong, which made her really annoyed, so she retorted.
"If you're talking about that so-called ancient alliance, what then?"
"So what? Meow... We have an alliance with the Kozuki Family. By plundering here with them, you're violating that alliance!"
"Firstly, I recall it being an alliance between the Fluffy Kingdom and Wano Kuni, not an individual-to-individual alliance. Secondly, since coming here, we've been developing, not plundering!
Don't slap labels on me right away!"
Most of Zou's residents have heard of this alliance, but a national alliance has limited impact on individuals, and many in Zou just regard it as a legend.
Being a closed-off nation and another on the back of a giant elephant, with minimal external interaction, Zou and Wano Kuni have had no contact for hundreds of years, so Setsuna never took it seriously.
Nekomamushi's attitude of treating it as a divine decree and his moral high ground reproach deeply irked her.
The joy of reunion was almost instantly swept away, with both sides seeming ready to fight, but as always, Inuarashi intervened.
"You two, enough!"
"It was this annoying cat who started it."
"Who told you to join that Hundred Beasts Pirates."
"Do I need to report to you where I go? Do you think you're Duke of Zou! Even Duke Hichugiskhan wouldn't interfere with others' decisions!"
The two were about to quarrel again, but Kozuki Toki's coughing interrupted them. She had returned home due to illness and hadn't fully recovered yet, feeling unwell after being in the sea breeze for so long.
"Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, let's take Madam and the young master and lady back first."
Since Setsuna was also a member of the Hundred Beasts Pirates, Oden's household attendants had nothing to say to her and left with Kozuki Toki.
Kozuki Toki had been forcing herself to allow Kozuki Oden to do what he wanted, and at this moment, her mind, feverish and dizzy, didn't prevent what was happening here.
Facing their kin and companions, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi chose their companions. They all left, and continuing to stay could lead Setsuna and Nekomamushi to fight.
"Sorry, Setsuna, let's talk another day." With that, Inuarashi also pulled Nekomamushi away.
...
In the evening, Setsuna returned sullenly to Peach Blossom Spring Farm. Initially happy to see two former companions, she ended up fuming.
This farm is located in Kuri, and leaving it unguarded is concerning. Babanuki and Mandfeish are outstanding among ordinary cadres; not every member of the Hundred Beasts Pirates in Wano Kuni matches their level.
Babanuki is now guarding the mining site, and Mandfeish is exploring underwater ruins, so the farm was left to Zeraora. Additionally, he could promptly check on Miltank's status since the Pokémon language is universal.
Zeraora moved here, so naturally, Setsuna followed. When she returned, Zeraora had just finished training for the day.
"What happened? Didn't you meet two acquaintances? Why didn't you bring them over, did you have a quarrel?"
"A bit... that Nekomamushi's still as unreasonable as ever. Truly the most annoying creature... Oh, not you, Zeraora, I mean that stinky Nekomamushi..."
Nekomamushi's words made her so angry that she forgot Zeraora was also among the cats. After explaining, she rushed to her room to open her diary.
[October 17, 1496
It's all Nekomamushi's fault, making me embarrassed in front of Zeraora. This grudge, I'll remember it...]