Standing among the crowd, Shimotsuki Yasuie felt a chill creep into his heart after hearing Kurosaki Rei's words.
He realized what the new shogun, Yamato, was trying to do.
It was something far more terrifying than Kurozumi Orochi's brutality.
Yamato intended to truly overturn this country—to completely reshape the people's perception of their ruler.
Sure enough, Kurosaki Rei continued:
"Because Shogun Yamato could not tolerate Orochi's cruelty, she joined hands with me to cut him down.
Because Shogun Yamato cannot bear to see the people suffer, she obtained vast quantities of grain from the Beasts Pirates and distributed it to the populace.
We hope that Wano will no longer know famine, that everyone can eat their fill, dress warmly, and welcome a brighter future."
Kurosaki Rei had no particular talent for speeches. There was no flowery rhetoric in his words—only plain, straightforward language.
But precisely because he spoke so simply, the people of Kuri—largely uneducated—could all understand him.
Those present were deeply moved.
They weren't people of grand ideals or complex thinking. Their logic was simple: the facts were right in front of them.
Back when Kozuki Oden had ruled Kuri as daimyo, he had indeed brought order to the chaotic land—but even then, not everyone could eat their fill or stay warm. Under the Kozuki clan's rule, many regions of Wano were still mired in hardship.
Then came Orochi's reign, which turned Kuri into hell itself.
They had no food, no drink. Eventually, they were reduced to scavenging garbage to survive, never knowing whether they would starve to death the next day.
But now—
The new shogun, Yamato, had personally sent grain, allowing them—at least for a time—to escape hunger.
No matter how one judged the Kozuki clan, compared to Orochi, this was heaven and earth. The difference was obvious without a second thought.
And so, many people fell to their knees, loudly praising Shogun Yamato's name, thanking her for her mercy.
The smoothness of it all exceeded even Kurosaki Rei's expectations.
That said, this wasn't the first time he had seen such a scene.
Before arriving at Ebisu Town in Kuri, he had already passed through many other areas and received reports from other grain-distribution teams.
At his instruction, every delivery officer used the same explanation—the very speech he had just given.
It wasn't that Kurosaki Rei enjoyed "brainwashing" people.
Rather, he understood that a nation's perception of its ruler greatly affected how policies could be implemented.
If the people instinctively believed Yamato was an evil pirate, every decree afterward would face resistance.
But if they came to see the new shogun as a benevolent ruler, they would gratefully cooperate with her governance.
Among the crowd, Yasuie watched as villagers knelt en masse, praising Yamato's virtue. A cold sensation spread through his chest.
He suddenly realized—
This was the true killing blow of an invader.
To truly conquer and rule a country, brute force and terror were never enough.
The real weapon was winning hearts through benevolence.
No matter how "legitimate" Orochi's rise to power had been, the people would never love him. They would always long for the Kozuki rulers.
Because Orochi was too cruel. His reign brought nothing but misery.
But now Yamato seemed poised to practice benevolent rule.
After many years—would the people of Wano still remember the Kozuki clan?
Just look at the villagers kneeling here.
Not everyone in this country was a loyal, iron-willed samurai. Most were ordinary folk.
To commoners, the identity of the ruler truly didn't matter that much. They hated Orochi simply because he made their lives unbearable.
"Move on to the next stop. I'll stay here for a bit."
Kurosaki Rei waved his hand, signaling the grain convoy to continue toward other villages in Kuri.
He had noticed someone interesting here.
One peculiar feature of the Space's detection ability was that it displayed names or titles above targets. When Kurosaki Rei casually checked the oddly dressed man with a headscarf, he was surprised to see the name:
Shimotsuki Yasuie.
Among all the characters in Wano's arc, Yasuie was one of the people Kurosaki Rei admired most.
He was a rare genuinely decent man—someone who truly wanted to do good for the people, and who had earned their love through real achievements as a daimyo.
Unlike Kozuki Oden, whose reputation was bolstered by family prestige, Yasuie was respected because of actual governance.
With Wano in ruins, capable administrators were desperately needed. Kurosaki Rei decided to recruit him.
Relying on just himself and Yamato would be exhausting. Someone like Yasuie—capable, people-oriented, and unlikely to engage in corruption—was the perfect choice.
Seeing Kurosaki Rei walk toward him, Yasuie felt a sense of foreboding. Still, he kept his composure and bowed like the others.
"Thank you for the shogun's generosity. Lord Rei, you've worked hard delivering the grain."
Kurosaki Rei curved his lips into a smile.
"You know who I am?"
Yasuie's heart skipped a beat. He shouldn't have known Kurosaki Rei's identity—after all, Yamato had only taken power days ago, and Kuri was poorly informed.
"I've heard that Shogun Yamato's chief aide bears the surname Rei," Yasuie explained calmly.
"Just now, seeing how respectfully the soldiers treated you, I guessed you might be the Lord Rei everyone's been talking about."
Kurosaki Rei regarded him with a meaningful gaze, then smiled.
"I won't beat around the bush. Shimotsuki Yasuie—come be Kuri's daimyo."
The instant his name was exposed, Yasuie felt his scalp go numb and nearly bolted.
But the second half of Kurosaki Rei's sentence froze him in place.
"…Lord Rei, what did you just say?"
He wondered if he had misheard.
Not only did the man who knew his true identity not intend to kill him as a Kozuki remnant—he was inviting him to take office?
"I said, please become Kuri's daimyo," Kurosaki Rei repeated.
"Or if you prefer, you can return to Hakumai as its daimyo instead."
This time, Yasuie was certain he hadn't misheard.
His face filled with confusion.
"Lord Rei, since you know who I am, you should also know that I am a retainer of the Kozuki clan. I will never serve pirates like you. If you intend to arrest me, you may do so now."
"Tsk. Truly loyal."
Kurosaki Rei didn't sound displeased.
"I don't dislike loyal people. But Yasuie—have you ever considered this? Dying is easy. But once you're dead, you can do nothing.
You won't be able to help the people you care about live better lives.
And you won't be able to keep the baby in your arms alive."
Kurosaki Rei glanced at the infant.
He had been puzzled earlier—O-Toko seemed far too young in the original story. If she was already born now, she should be twelve by the time Luffy arrived.
The only explanation he could think of was malnutrition stunting her growth.
"You—"
Yasuie bristled when Kurosaki Rei mentioned the baby. He wanted to retort, but couldn't find the words.
Kurosaki Rei was right.
He wanted to do something for this country. And dead men could do nothing.
"Yasuie," Kurosaki Rei asked calmly, changing tack,
"are you loyal to the Kozuki clan—or loyal to the people of this land?"
This time, Yasuie fell silent.
He understood the implication.
If he was loyal to the Kozuki clan, he should commit seppuku right now.
But if he was loyal to the people, he should seriously consider Kurosaki Rei's offer—becoming daimyo and benefiting the land.
"…Are you serious?" Yasuie asked at last, meeting Kurosaki Rei's eyes.
"About which part?"
"About what you said earlier—that Shogun Yamato wants the people of this country to eat their fill, stay warm, and live good lives. Is that truly sincere?
Or is it just something you say in front of the people so they won't resist the new shogun's rule?"
Yasuie's tone was solemn.
"Of course it's sincere," Kurosaki Rei replied with a smile.
"Otherwise, this kind of show would be far too expensive. If we only wanted to look benevolent, tossing a single sack of rice here would've been enough for villagers to think the new shogun was decent."
"But we distributed enough food for an adult to eat for a full month. That's proof enough that we want people to eat their fill—and to live."
Yasuie pondered this.
If the authorities sent grain like this everywhere, the cost would indeed be enormous.
Without genuine intent to reform the country, such spending made no sense.
Perhaps Kurosaki Rei wasn't lying.
Regardless of their original motives, at this moment, they truly seemed to be making the country better.
Still… if he joined them, wouldn't that be betrayal?
Yasuie hesitated deeply.
Seeing his inner struggle, Kurosaki Rei delivered the final push:
"I studied your record, Yasuie. I thought you were someone who put the people's happiness above reputation.
But now it seems—even you can't escape the shackles of your name."
He continued coolly:
"Between being labeled 'disloyal' and the people's well-being—which truly matters more to you?"
Yasuie wavered.
He suddenly felt hypocritical.
He had once lectured Kozuki Oden, telling him to focus on serving the people rather than caring about appearances—to judge success by how well the people lived.
Yet now, because of his loyalty to the Kozuki clan, he was about to abandon a chance to save the people from suffering.
It was shameful.
"…I agree," Yasuie said at last, resolve firming.
"Please allow me to become Kuri's daimyo."
He decided to stop waiting for a miracle twelve years in the future.
He would focus on the present—and do whatever he could for Wano's people now.
"Not going back to Hakumai?" Kurosaki Rei asked with a smile.
Yasuie shook his head.
"No. Hakumai is far better off than Kuri. This place needs a reliable daimyo."
Back when he governed Hakumai, he had done so well that even now—despite Wano's chaos—the people there could still barely fill their stomachs, avoiding large-scale famine.
Kurosaki Rei grasped Yasuie's hand.
"Then I'll leave Kuri to you. Let's create a better Wano together."
Yasuie's emotions were complicated.
He had boarded a pirate ship now. If members of the Kozuki clan ever returned in the future, they would surely curse him as a traitor.
But for now, he only knew one thing—
He couldn't bear to watch Wano continue rotting away.
He wanted to save more lives.
"By the way, Lord Rei," Yasuie added, curiosity surfacing,
"since I've agreed to join you… may I ask about your future plans?"
He gestured at the villagers holding their grain.
"Even if the Beasts Pirates are wealthy and can import food from overseas, they can't feed Wano indefinitely. After this month, these people can't just keep scavenging trash, can they?"
Kurosaki Rei looked at him with clear appreciation.
Rare, he thought. Someone in the One Piece world who actually thinks ahead.
"Of course not," Kurosaki Rei replied.
"People who do nothing but eat and drink are just livestock. They must create value—for the Beasts Pirates and for this country."
Yasuie frowned slightly.
"What do you intend for them to do?"
"Build factories. Receive training. After training, they'll work in those factories."
Kurosaki Rei explained calmly.
"We'll pay wages according to their abilities. And as Wano's food market stabilizes, those wages will be enough for every family to eat their fill—perhaps even with surplus."
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