Where did the weapons go?
None of the 800 people present could answer. Facing the empty, frozen world, they knew that this plan had likely failed again.
"Bastard! Don't let me find out who did this!"
The strategist observed the scene closely. There were no signs of damage on the corpses or the ice blocks; the weapons had been stolen a long time ago.
Under Orochi's weapon ban, moving such a large quantity of weapons would be extremely difficult. Even if only one was taken at a time, it would be impossible to transport thousands of prohibited items without leaking a single word.
Gyukimaru guarding the bridge and snatching weapons for thirteen years might be related to this.
After thinking for a while, he said:
"The items might be hidden in Ringo. I suggest we search the surrounding area first."
The leader didn't understand, but still followed his advice.
"Search! Everyone, search carefully for me!"
The 800 people looked at each other, then began searching in the ice and snow.
They didn't spare any movable blocks of ice, explored every accessible ruin, didn't even skip dead tree trunks, and some even fumbled around looking for non-existent mechanisms.
Under such high-density searching, people easily became fatigued.
Fortunately, with 800 people working together, they quickly narrowed down the search range.
Not long after.
"Found it!"
A samurai shouted loudly. The news spread like ants, one after another, and samurai from near and far rushed over with hope in their hearts.
It was a large door leading to a basement. Countless people gathered here and poured inside.
Crowding down the stairs leading underground, they were shocked by the scene before them.
An underground cave!
The four walls and countless wooden racks were filled with swords. It was a dazzling array of at least several thousand blades, resembling a King's Treasury.
Every weapon was polished to a shine and well-maintained; it was clear someone had been taking care of them meticulously for a long time.
The sharp glint of the blades tempted one to touch them, and the moment a finger made contact, it was cut, spilling a trace of crimson blood.
The surrounding samurai were ecstatic, exclaiming over the fine blades.
The basement was quickly packed. Everyone picked out their favorite weapons at will.
Some even came to blows over them, but fortunately, the leader called for a stop.
At this moment, everyone harbored hope, whispering with smiles on their faces.
"With so many weapons, we will have the power to fight when the Kozuki return!"
"I didn't expect such a loophole under the ban. When the time comes, I will give Kaido a fierce surprise!"
"What we need to do now is utilize all the remaining swords to strengthen our army!"
"We will let the pirates know that the samurai of Wano are not to be trifled with!!"
After a burst of cheering, their hearts burned with passion as they held the swords in their arms like treasures.
The strategist interrupted the group of grown men acting coy and said:
"Since we have found the weapons, hurry up and pack them all. We will find a new place to hide them and meet under the bridge in three days!"
"Good!"
"Makes sense!"
Just as spirits were high and they were preparing to pack up and leave, suddenly, a voice came from the top of the stairs.
"I didn't expect you to be here."
Hmm? Who is it!
Everyone's hearts tightened as they turned to look at the entrance.
They heard the rhythmic clack-clack of boots clearly approaching.
The samurai closest to the entrance looked as if he had seen a ghost.
Sweat the size of beans rolled down his face. His mouth was wide open as if he were suffocating, and his legs uncontrollably retreated frantically.
He collapsed into the crowd, completely losing his strength. Falling from his embrace to the ground, he pointed a trembling finger toward the entrance.
The samurai sensed something was wrong, exchanged glances, and raised the swords in their hands.
The sound of boots hitting the ground stopped.
A tall man with black wings on his back entered from the entrance, clutching a white fox in his hand, its life or death unknown.
It was King the Conflagration, dispatched by Kaido!
...
Inside Wano Country.
A newspaper was distributed by the news coo, landing in almost every household.
It recorded the shocking news that Kurozumi Orochi had stepped down and Kaido had become the sole Monarch.
The Red Light District, the Commercial District, Kuri, the Capital.
Although the vast majority of people didn't know what the days ahead would be like, they all smiled at Orochi's downfall.
It wasn't until the samurai of the Patrol Squad knocked on their doors that they retracted their smiles, poking a head out through the crack in the door to ask humbly:
"My Lord, is something wrong?"
"Take them all away!"
The samurai waved his large hand, and the people behind him swarmed forward.
It was too late to close the door now. The wooden doors of these dilapidated houses couldn't withstand a single blow before the well-trained army.
With one kick, the door and the person behind it were sent flying, and several samurai rushed in.
After a bout of smashing and screaming.
The people in the room were all carried out, their faces bruised and swollen, nosebleeds flowing freely.
Except for the Flower Capital, this situation occurred successively in every region. It seemed Kaido wanted to completely empty Wano Country.
Those captured were locked up together.
They were transported to weapon factories and mines in various regions.
To use Kaido's original words:
"Aside from the Flower Capital, factories or mines must be established everywhere in Wano Country. Nothing else needs to exist."
...
Onigashima. Kaido was quietly waiting for good news from King and the Patrol Squad.
Before his eyes, the system panel was slowly decreasing.
Since it dropped below 5%, two decimal places had been added, allowing him to see the speed of the decline more intuitively.
It was dropping slowly now, just reaching 4.82%.
Hearing someone enter from the side, he asked without turning his head:
"Have you packed your things?"
The person who just entered replied, "Um..."
One could hear the worry, nervousness, and lack of confidence.
Bao Huang stood to the side, twisting her body with her head down, her hands clasped behind her back.
Kaido glanced at her in surprise, seeing through her, and said directly:
"Just say it."
"Um... I... I'm a little worried that I can't complete the task you assigned."
Kaido had relieved her of her secretary position and appointed her as the Acting Shogun of Wano, to govern and stabilize the country on Kaido's behalf.
The reason for this lay entirely in her special ability.
Bao Huang, a Flying Squirrel Artificial Devil Fruit user, could share vision and sound with special mechanical mice, and even speak through the sounds emitted by the mechanical mice.
This ability had miraculous effects in surveillance and transmitting information.
It could be said that as long as there were enough mechanical mice, one person could monitor the entire Wano Country.
"Don't be too nervous. I believe in you. Make good use of your talent and report to me if there are any disturbances."
"..."
"Go urge Queen to manufacture his mechanical mouse army earlier. If you have eyes everywhere, you won't feel pressured anymore, right?"
"Thank you, Kaido-sama! I'm going now~~"
After sending the girl away, the numbers on the panel moved again.
This time, they dropped at an extremely fast speed.
Looks like the operation within Wano Country has begun, Kaido thought.
Then, he watched helplessly as the numbers slid down rapidly.
4.51%...
4.13%...
3.89%...
3.00%...
2.56%!
Finally, the proportion of rebels was even lower than 3%!
"Target One: Completely Master Wano Country (Completed)."
"Reward Distributed."