"Th-The Straw Hat Pirates!!?"
At that moment, Who's-Who's mouth seemed as though it had been glued shut, and he struggled to force out the identity of the newcomers.
Beside him, Kurozumi Orochi also stood there with his mouth hanging open in shock.
The Pirate Emperor Sovereign—the Straw Hat Pirates, publicly recognized as the strongest organization in the world today!
After all the major incidents they had gone through, many people now believed the Straw Hat Pirates already possessed the power to replace the World Government.
They had clashed head-on with the World Government, causing both it and the Five Elders to suffer defeats in two separate wars. They had crushed the Big Mom Pirates with ease, absorbed the remnants of their old crew, and not long ago, right before the eyes of the entire world, they had consecutively defeated two legendary pirates—the world's greatest swordsman Mihawk, as well as all of Beasts Kaido's top officers.
And more importantly…
It would already be one thing if only the Straw Hat Pirates themselves were monstrously strong.
But under their banner, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet was packed with top-tier powerhouses as well!
The former Seven Warlords of the Sea, Pirate Empress Hancock and Gecko Moria, had both become members of their Grand Fleet.
Even Jinbe, the "Knight of the Sea," had joined the Straw Hat Pirates proper.
With a behemoth like that suddenly appearing right in front of him, forget a Tobiroppo like Who's-Who…
Even if Captain Kaido himself were standing here, wouldn't his heart tremble a little!?
As for Kurozumi Orochi, although he too was terrified, his long period of isolationist rule and lofty status had left him woefully ignorant of the outside world.
After all, he was the sort of fool who dared to suddenly open fire on CP0 despite possessing no real strength whatsoever. There was only so much brainpower one could expect from him.
Of course, it might also just be that Wano Country was a place that produced idiot shoguns in abundance.
Who could blame it, when Wano had originally been modeled after an island nation in the first place~
"Hey! This is the territory of Wano Country! Why are you people here!?"
A wave of sinister aura suddenly erupted from Orochi's body, while his form rapidly swelled within it.
In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a hideous and enormous Yamata no Orochi.
Perhaps because he was the shogun of Wano Country, a faint air of authority actually radiated from him, causing the confidence of the men around him to surge once more.
However, just then…
"Noisy."
Red lifted his brows slightly and cast a casual glance in Orochi's direction.
The next moment…
Boom!!!!!
All eight of Orochi's heads exploded at that instant, as if they had been crushed by some invisible heavy force.
Reeking blood rained down like droplets, splattering across everyone's faces before any of them could even react.
Huh!!!???
The shock was so great that although everyone present had clearly seen what happened with their own eyes, their brains still short-circuited in that very instant, leaving them incapable of thought.
He… he just died like that!?
Kurozumi Orochi, who had ruled Wano Country for decades, had been killed instantly—reduced to nothing more than a glance and a single sentence—and not even left with a complete corpse!?
Once dead, and with his Devil Fruit power gone, Orochi reverted to human form.
Only now, his head was gone, leaving behind nothing but a headless corpse.
Gulp~
Who's-Who and the others all swallowed hard.
Then they saw Red—the man whose gaze meant death—gently drifting down from the sky.
Together with him came the Going Merry.
"So this is Wano Country?! It doesn't really look that different from other places!"
"Idiot, Luffy! Did you forget the giant waterfall we just saw!? This is exactly what they mean by 'You cannot see the true face of Mount Lu because you are in the mountain itself!'"
"Whoa! Usopp, what was that just now!? It sounded amazing!"
"Heh heh, I just plagiarized it from Red."
On the deck of the Going Merry, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were fooling around as usual.
Meanwhile, Zoro and Sanji were both staring intently below.
Only, the focus of their attention was slightly different.
Zoro: "As expected of the homeland of samurai! Are there strong swordsmen everywhere!? I wonder if I'll run into one or two opponents worth testing myself against!?"
Sanji: "Pwah~! A… a big-breasted beauty!!! Such magnificent waves—she could practically rival Nami-swan and Robin-chwan!"
The Straw Hats descended the ship's ladder at an easy pace, almost as though they were out on a picnic, and arrived right in the center of the confrontation.
Red swept his gaze across the surroundings, then finally focused on Yamato and the two people beside her.
A smile appeared on his face as he pointed at the pair, signaling for them to step forward.
"Th-this…"
Who's-Who had long expected the Straw Hat Pirates might come looking for the former remnants of the Beasts Pirates, but he had never imagined the opportunity would arrive so suddenly.
But right after that, he heard Red take the initiative and say:
"I know who you are… Kaido's daughter, Yamato. And Tobiroppo Who's-Who."
"Looks like what remains of the Beasts Pirates has fallen into your hands."
"I-I'm not Kaido's daughter!!!"
Still not fully recovered from the shock of Momonosuke's death, Yamato instinctively snapped back upon hearing that title.
But immediately afterward, Who's-Who tugged and dragged her over in front of Red.
"S-Straw Hat Pirates… what are you doing in Wano Country?!"
Summoning all the courage he had, Who's-Who forced himself to adopt the dignity expected of a former Emperor crew member and questioned Red.
Unfortunately, his tone—and the utterly undisguised posture suggesting he was ready to turn and flee at any second—made it impossible for him to sound imposing.
"We?"
Red grinned, paying no attention at all to his awkward manner as he replied directly:
"We're here to take over Wano Country, of course!"
"Now that the Beasts Pirates no longer exist, Wano naturally belongs to whoever is capable enough to claim it."
"What? Do you have a problem with that!?"
"N-No! Not at all… hehe…"
Who could have imagined that the usually ferocious Who's-Who would reveal such a fawning smile at a moment like this?
It couldn't be helped.
He might have been far stronger than Kurozumi Orochi, but if the other side could kill all eight of Orochi's lives with a single look, then naturally he could kill him with a single look too.
Now that he had already betrayed Kaido and paid such a price to get this far, he certainly had no intention of throwing his life away here for nothing.
His answer caused a satisfied smile to appear on Red's face.
"Mm~ not bad."
"I can tell you're someone worth cultivating."
"If you perform well, I might even let you take up some official positions in Wano Country."
He had served as a dog of the World Government, led his own small crew, and later acted as a gatekeeper for an Emperor's pirate crew…
Though Who's-Who might be the sort of opportunist who served whoever benefited him most, he undeniably had quite a bit of ability.
Whether it was the underworld or the proper world, he had his hands in both, and he also possessed a certain degree of management skill. He was absolutely someone who could be useful in domestic administration.
As for his loyalty, Red wasn't worried about that in the slightest.
He had offended the World Government, and now he had effectively half-betrayed the Beasts Pirates as well…
The world was vast, yet there were very few places left where he could truly belong.
And on top of that, Who's-Who was a man with powerful ambition and desire. Otherwise, once he confirmed Kaido and the others were not coming back, he would never have immediately thought of using the Beasts Pirates' remaining power to seize Wano Country for himself…
And once a person has desires, they become very easy to control.
At least in Red's eyes, what he could offer Who's-Who would not merely satisfy his ambitions—it would stuff him until he burst.
Of course, more importantly…
Who's-Who was a man who loved feline creatures to an extreme degree. Even the pirate crew that had once served under him included two catgirls with alluring, curvaceous figures!!!
What kind of bad person could a man who likes catgirls possibly be!?
"Th-this…"
Who's-Who froze.
Naturally, he understood the recruitment intent behind Red's words.
It was just that everything had happened too suddenly, and besides, the Straw Hat Pirates were nominally the enemy of the Beasts Pirates. If word got out, he would inevitably be mocked by the world.
Yet just as he hesitantly raised his head, he abruptly met a pair of incomparably cold eyes, sending a chill shooting down his spine.
He immediately changed his tone:
"It would be my honor, Lord Red!"
Hooo~
The icy, bone-piercing chill vanished in an instant, replaced by the warmth of a spring breeze after surviving disaster.
Life and death truly hung on a single thought.
Just not his own.
"Mm~" Red nodded.
But right then, Yamato suddenly spoke up from the side:
"Hold it!"
"What do you mean by that!? Are you saying you want to forcibly seize Wano Country!?"
"Forcibly seize it?"
Red immediately gave Yamato an amused glance when he heard that.
"Is Wano Country currently some occupied land with an owner? How is there any talk of 'forcibly seizing' it?"
"O-Of course it has an owner." Yamato hesitated, but still declared under Who's-Who's gaze, which looked at her as if she were an idiot:
"The shogun of Wano Country should have been Kozuki Oden!"
"Oh? Then where is Kozuki Oden now?" Red continued.
Yamato answered blankly, "Kozuki Oden is already dead… so… so I'm going to become Wano Country's shogun! I'm going to become the new Kozuki Oden!!!"
"Uh…" Sweating coldly, Who's-Who abruptly interjected, "This… Lord Red, Young Master Yamato has had some problems with her head ever since she was little. Please, don't stoop to her level."
"And also… although Young Master Yamato is Captain Kaido's offspring, she has been at odds with her father since birth and has never joined the Beasts Pirates!"
"Her words do not represent the words or attitude of the Beasts Pirates!!!"
Only an hour earlier, Who's-Who had been begging Yamato to don the yellow robe and take the throne, but in this moment, he decisively chose to distance himself from her at lightning speed.
There was a world of difference between humoring a fool to keep them happy and actually working together with one.
"How interesting~"
Red chuckled softly, yet instead said in a serious tone:
"But as I understand it, the most glorious and correct moment in Kozuki Oden's life… wasn't when he served as the shogun of Wano Country."
"It was when he sailed out to sea and became a pirate under someone else's command, wasn't it?"
"You've heard Oden's story too!?"
For the first time, Yamato heard someone discussing Kozuki Oden with her, and her eyes immediately lit up as her emotions surged.
Red smiled and nodded. "I know a little."
In an instant, Yamato forgot the unpleasantness she had just experienced with Red. Her entire mind was swallowed by those four words: Kozuki Oden.
"That's right! According to Kozuki Oden's journal, the only time his life was truly at its most glorious was when he was out on the sea!"
"So I'm going to do the same as him—go out to sea, become a famous pirate, and make my name known across the world!!!"
She really was easy to fool~
Looking at Yamato, who was even easier to read than Shirahoshi, the mermaid princess, Red found the whole thing rather bizarre.
Shirahoshi was gullible because of her circumstances—she had suffered since childhood, had little worldly experience, and lacked any sense of security—but that did not mean she was incapable of thinking.
Yamato, on the other hand, had completely and utterly been molded into the shape of Kozuki Oden.
At this point, unless someone used hypnosis or rebuilt her personality from the ground up, she probably couldn't be fixed no matter how much one tried.
But there was no need for that anyway.
Idiots had their uses too.
Not to mention Yamato was an idiot carrying treasure.
Whether it was the bloodline she had inherited from Kaido or the Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit ability she possessed, both held definite value.
"If you want to go to sea and become a pirate, then I do happen to have a pretty good suggestion."
Red continued to coax Yamato, but he did not linger on the topic.
Instead, he looked past her to the rear.
Not far behind Yamato, Kin'emon and the other two had already been fed Super Potion by Chopper and the others, and their bodies had recovered enough mobility to move again.
Only…
"Young Lord Momonosuke!!!"
"My lord! Wake up, Young Lord!!!"
"Th-this can't be right! The Kozuki clan can't possibly disappear from history just like this! That's not what the prophecy said!?"
Three ghostly wails of grief suddenly rang out behind Yamato.
Kin'emon and the other two were gathered around Momonosuke's corpse—his eyes still open in death—crying bitterly.
And in the depths of their despair, the three abruptly drew the blades at their waists and aimed them at their own stomachs.
"Now that Young Lord Momonosuke is dead, we no longer have the face to continue living."
"Lord Oden, your incompetent retainers are coming to accompany you!!!"
The moment those words fell, Kin'emon and the others did not hesitate in the slightest. They immediately moved to perform seppuku once again.
But just as their blades were about to pierce their skin, an invisible force suddenly restrained their bodies, stopping them from moving any further.
"Hey, don't waste my Super Potion~"
Lowering his arm, Red strode up to the three men. After glancing at Momonosuke's corpse, he said disdainfully:
"So what if one brat died? Is that really worth crying like the sky is falling?"
"Or are you actually telling me you expected that guy to restore the glory of the Kozuki clan and lead all of you?"
"Don't make me laugh!!!"
"If that's true, then not only are you a bunch of trash—you're a bunch of brainless trash too!!!"
Red mocked Kin'emon and the others without reservation.
And this, more than anything else after learning Wano's storyline, was what disgusted him the most.
As though once a prophecy had been received, it automatically became an unchangeable reality.
Even though they possessed no real power, even though they faced enemies of that level, they would still rather drag the entire Mink Tribe down to the grave with them than disobey what the prophecy declared.
In the original storyline, if Luffy and the Straw Hat crew had not appeared, what could the people of Wano possibly have accomplished on their own?
In the end, after reaping all the benefits, they never even mentioned the Straw Hat Pirates, and instead let Momonosuke strut about arrogantly.
But it didn't matter.
Because in this world's Wano Country, those disgusting things would never happen again.
"Y-You… who are you!? Why are you saying such things about us!?"
Kin'emon and the others, who had only just crossed over, looked utterly bewildered.
"Why?" Red let out a mocking laugh. "Because your lives are so cheap that I couldn't help but tell a few truths~"
(End of Chapter)