"I truly can't understand it… What is it that you're really fighting for? To let the people of Wano live happy lives once more? Or to ensure that the Kozuki family line continues on?"
"If it's the former, then even if you're overestimating yourselves, I would still respect every warrior who strives for the sake of the people."
"But if it's the latter…"
"Then all I can say is that what you're doing is no different from Kurozumi Orochi and the Kurozumi clan at all!!!"
Faced with Kin'emon and the others, who wanted to use death to escape responsibility, Red showed not the slightest intention of sparing them with his words.
If their deaths could truly bring the people of Wano a better life, he would never stop them.
But in truth…
What they were doing was nothing more than trying to trade their deaths for a good name after failing and finding themselves powerless to change the outcome.
The moment they cut themselves down here, they would no longer be losers. Instead, they would become tragic heroes who had died for righteousness, only to fall short in the end.
At its core, Wano's defeat had always been caused by the Kozuki family's inaction and disastrous choices.
In terms of strength, even Kozuki Oden had once been someone Kaido was wary of.
In terms of military power, Wano was a nation where all people revered martial strength. Truly top-tier swordsmen might have been rare, but qualified swordsmen? There were plenty to be found everywhere.
If the whole nation had united against the Beasts Pirates, dealing with them would never have been a problem.
And yet, despite having such conditions, Kozuki Oden would rather hand Wano over to the rule of Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi for twenty whole years, waiting for some so-called prophesied moment to arrive…
Instead of personally leading troops and using the power in his hands to fight the enemy.
He enjoyed the treatment of a shogun, yet never bore the responsibility a shogun should have. A man like that simply had no right to be revered as a hero.
"You want to die to atone for your sins and settle everything once and for all? Things in this world aren't that simple."
Using his psychic power, Red controlled the three dejected samurai and forced them back to their feet, but a smile soon appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Besides, who said the Kozuki bloodline has disappeared?"
"They may not know, but Denjiro, you should be very clear about this…"
"Isn't there still one heir left in the Kozuki family!?"
"You…"
Denjiro suddenly raised his head, instantly realizing who the Kozuki descendant Red was referring to.
And yet…
He quickly lifted his gaze, asking in a tone filled with both fear and confusion:
"May I ask… who exactly are you, sir? Why do you know so much about Wano and the Kozuki family?"
As far as he knew, the matter of Kozuki Hiyori should only have been known to him and Kawamatsu.
So why…
In this man's eyes, it was as if nothing was a secret at all?
"Heh heh~ We're the Straw Hat Pirates."
"As for why I know your affairs so well…"
Red gave a mysterious smile, clearly leaving them hanging instead of answering.
"Perhaps you'll find out in the future."
"The Straw Hat Pirates!?"
Denjiro's eyes widened.
Because he had spent so long by Kurozumi Orochi's side, he was not as ignorant of the outside world as ordinary citizens of Wano.
At the very least, he knew that the Straw Hat Pirates were one of the Four Emperors crews, able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Beasts Pirates!
He simply never imagined…
That another Emperor crew could have such a completely different style from Kaido's.
Looking at the Straw Hats, who all seemed as though they were out on vacation, sightseeing and enjoying themselves, and then at the young man before him who looked no older than twenty…
He truly couldn't connect them with a terrifying existence like Kaido.
"Wait… what Kozuki bloodline!?"
"What are you talking about!?"
At that moment, Kin'emon's urgent voice abruptly interrupted the conversation between Denjiro and Red, drawing both their attention back to him.
Denjiro gazed deeply at Red. Realizing that some things could no longer be hidden even if he wanted to, he finally explained to Kin'emon and Raizo:
"Kin'emon, Raizo… after you disappeared, Princess Hiyori also escaped danger under Kawamatsu's protection and hid in the outskirts outside the castle."
"Princess Hiyori!?" Kin'emon and Raizo were both stunned, their faces first filling with visible joy.
But that joy quickly faded again.
"But…"
"Princess Hiyori… is a woman!"
"And what if she is!?"
Just then, Red's voice suddenly rang out:
"Who says a woman can't become shogun!?"
"Or are you saying that you'd rather see the title of Wano's shogun fall into the hands of some other family than let a woman of the Kozuki family inherit it!?"
"Th-that…"
Red's words instantly left Kin'emon and the others speechless.
The three of them stammered for a long while, yet still couldn't come up with anything to say.
In the end, Red was the one who settled the matter once and for all.
"That's enough. Just because you're loyal and righteous, I gave you a little face, and now you really think you matter that much?"
"You don't seriously think that once Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido are gone, Wano will just be left in your hands to control, do you!?"
Whoosh~
A freezing gust of wind suddenly came from nowhere, instantly cooling the overheated minds of Kin'emon and the other two.
That's right.
Although the young man before them looked far more approachable than Kaido, no matter what, he still represented another Emperor crew.
What say did people like them possibly have?
The only fortunate thing was… the other side did not seem opposed to the Kozuki family retaking control of Wano. In fact, from the sound of it, they even intended to support Princess Hiyori as Wano's new shogun.
After thinking it through from every angle, this already seemed to be the best outcome they could hope for at present.
With that thought, even the grief they felt over their young master's death lessened by several degrees.
The aura of Kin'emon and the others finally subsided, and they showed Red genuine respect.
"In that case, we ask for your support in helping us elevate Princess Kozuki Hiyori to become Wano Country's new shogun!!!"
"Now that's more like it."
Red nodded with a smile, wearing the expression of a teacher pleased that his students could still be taught.
Then he pointed at Kurozumi Orochi's corpse on the ground and said to them:
"Orochi's body should be of quite a bit of help to you."
"You can take it and go find Princess Hiyori, then discuss the matter of succession."
"As for us, there are still some things we need to deal with concerning the remnants of the Beasts Pirates…"
"I can give you seven days."
"No matter what methods or words you use…"
"Seven days from now, I want to speak to an obedient shogun of Wano and discuss business."
"Don't worry. I'm not like Kaido. I don't enjoy seeing people homeless and starving."
"I believe we can find a very pleasant way to cooperate."
"Do you understand everything I just said?"
Under Red's threatening gaze, Kin'emon and the others immediately choked back their emotions.
In the end, they had no choice but to lower their heads and admit:
"We… understand."
…
…
After giving a few brief instructions, Red directly threw the mess that was Wano into Kin'emon and the others' hands.
After all, this was work they would have to do in the future anyway, so it was only right to make them start early.
Later on, Red would surely need to knock some sense into them again. He absolutely could not allow Wano's upper ranks to return to their old ways—ignoring governance and devoting themselves solely to pleasure.
Come to think of it, letting Hiyori, a woman, become Wano's shogun might really be enough to change the nation's atmosphere.
"Finally done talking!"
On the other side, the moment they saw Red return, Luffy and the others immediately gathered around him again, unable to wait any longer.
Usopp asked curiously:
"So? Did those samurai agree to let us expand Wano's mining zones!?"
"Not yet." Red shrugged. "We can talk about that after they've actually regained control of Wano."
"Besides, if even a single Beasts Pirates crew could rule Wano for twenty years with ease, then once they learn the truth about the outside world, I doubt they'll have the courage to refuse us."
"Red, you sound like some big villain from a movie right now~" Chopper suddenly commented from the side.
"Heh, but we are pirates, aren't we!"
"Eh…" Little Chopper blinked in surprise, then nodded blankly. "That's true."
"But it really is a shame."
Watching the many samurai beginning to surrender their weapons under the pressure of Kin'emon and the other three, Zoro could not help but sigh.
"To think that Wano, the country that gave birth to a legendary swordsman like Ryuma, has fallen this far."
"Looks like my hope of crossing blades with great swordsmen here is going to end in disappointment."
Although Zoro had never intended to change swords, he had once felt the sword intent lingering within Shusui.
"Speaking of which…"
As though suddenly remembering something, Red turned to Chopper and asked:
"Chopper, how's your swordsmanship training going now?"
"Ah?" Startled awake, Chopper froze for a moment, but soon answered honestly:
"Zoro said that my understanding of swordsmanship has already surpassed that of an ordinary swordsman. But if I want to become a true master swordsman and make swordsmanship an effective part of my combat strength, I'll still need a long time."
"A swordsman, huh?"
Red looked Chopper up and down and muttered thoughtfully to himself:
"His swordsmanship level is still a bit lacking, but with Little Chopper's physique now, it shouldn't be too much of a problem."
A thought flashed through his mind, and an inexplicable smile suddenly curved on his lips.
By coincidence, Little Chopper also used a dual-sword style, just like Kozuki Oden.
Later, maybe he could see if he could directly ask for Oden's two beloved blades—Ame no Habakiri and Enma—and give them to Chopper as his swords.
Although those two blades were only Great Grade Meito, under Oden's cultivation, their quality had already come infinitely close to the level of Supreme Grade Meito.
If they were to become Little Chopper's weapons, they would suit him perfectly.
…
…
Two hours later.
Wano Country, Onigashima, within the Beasts Pirates' headquarters.
Looking at a basket full of Devil Fruits that had yet to be distributed, all of the Straw Hats revealed looks of great interest.
Especially after they learned from Who's-Who that these Devil Fruits had been funded by the World Government and given to Kaido so he could use them against the Straw Hats, everyone's expressions became even more colorful.
Just for the sake of these ordinary Zoan Fruits, Kaido had thrown away the cooperative relationship he had worked so hard to build with the Straw Hat Pirates…
It was hard to say whether he should be called ambitious, or simply incapable of judging the situation.
"Usopp, pack these Devil Fruits up."
"The Straw Hat Grand Fleet has expanded by quite a bit lately anyway, so let's treat these as rewards for capable people when the time comes."
"Nami, I'll leave this matter to you."
"Yesss, yesss~"
Nami raised her hand weakly.
Ever since the Straw Hat Pirates gained their own territory and forces, the workload of the Straw Hat crew's grand accountant had increased exponentially.
It was true that she loved money, and she had never imagined that one day she would be managing assets worth hundreds of billions…
But watching those assets being spent so casually by Red and the others was like someone tearing flesh right out of her own waist pouch. It made her heart ache.
Wasn't this exactly the case? The moment Red opened his mouth, Devil Fruits worth nearly ten billion were just handed out as prizes to members of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
"All right, all right."
Seeing Nami's limp and lifeless look, Red raised the corner of his lips and suddenly said:
"I've got a good job for you~"
"Who's-Who, have someone go with Nami in a bit and calculate exactly how many assets the Beasts Pirates still have under them…"
"If you don't like spending money, then surely stealing someone else's money should make you happy, right?"
"Heehee~"
Just as expected, the moment Red finished speaking, a golden gleam instantly flashed through Nami's eyes.
Like a face-changing performer in Sichuan opera, she broke into a radiant smile on the spot. "I knew Red treats people the best!"
"Oh, cut it out~"
Red laughed teasingly, then became serious again.
"All right, the priority now is to find the Road Poneglyph as quickly as possible."
"Don't forget what our real business is today!"
"Who's-Who, lead the way!!!"
"Yes, sir!!!"
Who's-Who immediately snapped to attention and responded with the seriousness of a fresh recruit before leading Red and the others deeper toward the most mysterious area.
That place had once been forbidden ground for the Beasts Pirates. Only Kaido and the three All-Stars had ever been allowed to enter.
And during Kaido's long disappearance, Who's-Who had once secretly infiltrated the restricted area, so he knew what was stored there.
Before long, a completely crimson Poneglyph appeared before the Straw Hats.
Looking at the ancient Road Poneglyph before them, every member of the Straw Hat crew became solemn, each revealing a different expression.
Robin walked straight up to it and began deciphering the text carved into its surface.
"How nice~"
Luffy pressed down the straw hat on his head, his eyes flickering.
Seeing this, Red immediately teased him:
"Looks like somebody just got one step closer to becoming Pirate King~"
"Yeah." Luffy did not turn his head, but an incomparably bright smile suddenly spread across his face as he said:
"But… our voyage has only just begun, hasn't it!?"
"Of course!"
Red replied with a smile.
The rest of the Straw Hats stood behind the two captain-and-vice-captain figures, watching their backs, and their hearts could not help but surge with emotion.
That's right…
At some point, becoming Pirate King had seemingly ceased to be the true focus of their journey.
Pirate King was merely the starting point of the Straw Hat Pirates.
As for where their final destination lay, perhaps only the gods could know.
(End of Chapter)