Hearing Kozuki Oden's words, Kozuki Sukiyaki immediately flew into a rage.
The matter of the Shimotsuki Family hadn't been resolved yet, and this foolish son of his actually wanted to join in the chaos.
"Take him away and lock him up!!"
"Under no circumstances is he to be released before those people from the Outer Seas leave!"
Kozuki Sukiyaki cursed loudly; this son was only eight years old, wouldn't going out to sea just be seeking death?!
Furthermore, as the only son of the Kozuki Family, Oden had not yet finished learning the ancient script and stonemasonry techniques; he absolutely could not leave.
Otherwise, future descendants of the Kozuki Family wouldn't even be able to read the poneglyphs, nor would they know the techniques for processing and engraving Sea Stone.
"Yes, General!"
The samurai and ninjas of the Oniwabanshu directly forced Kozuki Oden away.
"Old man, you can't do this! You don't dare to go to sea, but you can't stop us from going..."
Kozuki Oden struggled desperately, but in the end, he was still locked up; the guards were even tripled to ensure Oden had no chance of escaping.
As Oden's voice faded, Sukiyaki fell into deep thought.
Was that Outer Sea Emperor named Gu Yue Fang Huo really here for the Sea Stone?
He wondered if the surname Gu Yue had any connection to Wano Country?
If this Sacred Ancient Moon Empire was not a Affiliated Kingdom under the World Government, perhaps they could establish contact.
But if the Sacred Ancient Moon Empire was a Affiliated Kingdom, then Sukiyaki would certainly continue to strengthen the isolationist policy.
People from the Outer Seas would be strictly forbidden from entering, and Wano subjects who went out to sea would not be allowed to return.
This was the mission the Kozuki Family had guarded for generations: protecting Pluton and the Road Poneglyph.
Kozuki Sukiyaki quickly used a communication Den Den Mushi to instruct the samurai and ninjas in Shimotsuki Castle to rapidly investigate intelligence on the Sacred Ancient Moon Empire and Gu Yue Fang Huo.
---
On the other side, in Shimotsuki Castle.
Fang Huo learned that Shimotsuki Ushimaru kept a Komagitsune named 'Onimaru'.
This Komagitsune was already 19 years old, only a year younger than Shimotsuki Ushimaru, and had been raised by his side since childhood.
This clever Komagitsune was even called a partner by Shimotsuki Ushimaru, rather than a pet.
Whether for hunting or leading the way, Onimaru was an excellent companion.
Fang Huo knew that in the future, this Komagitsune would be the lucky fox that ate the Zoan Type, Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Onyudo, allowing it to transform into the warrior monk, Gyukimaru.
But currently, this Komagitsune clearly had not obtained that Mythical Zoan ability yet.
After all, Fang Huo's Soul Fire did not sense the attraction of a Devil Fruit ability from Onimaru.
However, this Komagitsune actually lived until the time Straw Hat Luffy landed in Wano Country, living for a full 69 years.
Fang Huo didn't know if this was the natural lifespan of a Komagitsune or a lifespan extension brought about by the Onyudo ability.
Fang Huo inquired about the normal lifespan of a Komagitsune.
He learned that the normal lifespan of a Komagitsune was generally about three times that of an ordinary fox, with the longest living up to 45 years.
This made it clear to Fang Huo that the Mythical Zoan Onyudo ability indeed possessed some life-extending power, allowing the Komagitsune to have a lifespan exceeding its racial limits.
Even the ordinary Human-Human Fruit seemed to have a life-extending function for animals.
Reindeer generally only have a twenty-year lifespan, but after Chopper ate the Human-Human Fruit, he was still equivalent to a teenage form at seventeen, clearly not the elderly form of a reindeer.
He should have a lifespan similar to a human's.
Fortunately, when humans eat Zoan Type fruits, this effect doesn't seem to occur.
Otherwise, wouldn't most ordinary Zoan Type ability users become short-lived?
Whereas Mythical Zoans can turn the user into a long-lived species.
It seems this life-extending ability is still like Schrödinger's cat.
It exists when it wants to, and doesn't when it doesn't.
---
Knowing that Onimaru had not yet eaten the Onyudo fruit,
Fang Huo took advantage of the time when Udon was mining Sea Stone at full capacity to first search for this Mythical Zoan fruit in Ringo.
While he was at it, he visited the Northern Cemetery in Ringo to see the grave of Shimotsuki Ryuma.
He wanted to see if he could develop another rare alloy through the black blade shusui, to serve as a reference for forging brand-new weapons.
If he had the chance, Fang Huo also wanted to study the two cursed blades in Kozuki Sukiyaki's possession: the Nidai Kitetsu and enma.
Studying these special ores and metals could contribute to Fang Huo's alloy business.
Also, since Shinobu hadn't even been born yet, he didn't know which district the Ripe-Ripe Fruit was in.
This ability is very useful in certain special scenarios.
As for the Mythical Zoan, Okuchi no Makami Fruit eaten by Yamato, he didn't know where Beast Kaido had snatched it from.
However, since the Okuchi no Makami is the guardian deity of Wano Country, that fruit should be within Wano.
After all, according to island characteristics, certain special Devil Fruits generally only respawn in certain kingdoms.
Like Alabasta's guardian deities, the Jackal and the Falcon, they have always respawned in Alabasta, almost becoming the inherited abilities of the Nefertari family.
According to the rule that the appearance of Devil Fruits in the devil fruit encyclopedia basically doesn't change,
This indicates that Devil Fruits might only respawn in the same type of fruit.
A banana-shaped Zoan Giraffe Fruit certainly won't respawn as a pineapple, pear, or cherry type... The twin-cherry-shaped Love-Love Fruit certainly won't respawn as a banana.
Otherwise, the devil fruit encyclopedia would have no reference value at all.
Therefore, certain Devil Fruit abilities will only respawn on specific fruits unique to certain kingdoms and islands.
---
As for Wano's unique Haki technique, Ryuo, Fang Huo and the others had already learned it from Fūgetsu Kisaburō.
So there was no need to waste extra time learning this Haki technique.
In the following weeks,
Besides using the communication transponder snail to call the Udon Sea Stone mine and customize various shapes of Sea Stone weapons, Fang Huo, the big client,
Simply took Charlotte Linlin, Shimotsuki Furiko, and the others to tour and wander around the Ringo District, searching for the Mythical Zoan Onyudo fruit along the way.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru and Onimaru's hunting grounds and the Northern Cemetery were the primary areas Fang Huo searched.
After all, Onimaru generally moved within these few areas.
As for whether Onimaru could live past the natural lifespan of 45 without the Onyudo ability, Fang Huo couldn't be bothered to think about it.
It would indeed be a pity if a Mythical Zoan fruit was eaten by this Komagitsune with ordinary aptitude.
Speaking of which, Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru, whom Fang Huo had subdued, had also been searching for Devil Fruits in the Outer Seas.
They had long ago identified the appearance of Wano's destructive deity fruit, the Yamata no Orochi.
That kind of eight-leaf fruit was a fruit unique to Wano Country and its nearby islands.
They believed the Yamata no Orochi fruit should be on one of these islands.
They had already searched several islands; if they hadn't been suddenly tricked by Golden Lion Shiki and ended up at Egghead Island as Fang Huo's Blood Servants,
These two siblings would likely have found this Mythical Zoan fruit representing destruction within a few more years.
They believed only this fruit's power could allow the Kurozumi Family to truly replace the Kozuki Family, restore the glory of the Kurozumi Family, and become the true General of Wano Country.