"There are rumors… that they flew in from the sky. And Ashura Doji was subdued. Even… even Lord Oden was defeated!!"
Boom!
The moment Kozuki Sukiyaki heard that, it was like a bolt of lightning struck him. His mind went blank.
Even though he had already severed his "father-son relationship" with Kozuki Oden, Sukiyaki knew Oden's swordsmanship was terrifying.
In many regions of Wano, Oden's name carried weight.
And yet…
Oden lost?
Shock flashed through Sukiyaki's eyes. He hurriedly demanded, "Who exactly are these outsiders?!"
"One of them claims to be Tengetsu Ares. He says he's a descendant of the Tengetsu clan. And the people traveling with him… number in the tens of thousands. And…"
"And Tengetsu Ares has declared he wants Wano to open its borders. Right now, every region is in an uproar. Many people who already believed in opening the country have joined him… and they're building a town in Kuri!!!"
Sukiyaki's whole body jerked. His spirit wavered, then his face twisted with fury as he roared, "Wano… Wano must never open its borders!!"
"No matter who it is…"
"I will not allow it!!"
He knew it.
The moment Wano opened its gates, it would invite countless enemies.
And that thing buried deep beneath Wano…
That "Ancient Weapon"…
would stir a sea of blood and fire.
It would plunge Wano into a living hell!
As Wano's Shogun, Sukiyaki could never agree to this. He immediately ordered, "Go. Contact the daimyō of every region. Have them come to the Flower Capital. We'll discuss how to drive these outsiders out!"
"Yes!"
A few hours later, all of Wano's regional daimyō gathered within the Shogun's palace.
Hakumai's daimyō: Fūgetsu Omusubi.
Udon's daimyō: Uzuki Tempura.
Ringo's daimyō: Shimotsuki Ushimaru.
Kibi's daimyō: Shimotsuki Yasuie.
Outside the council hall
Kurozumi Orochi, with his ugly face and massive square jaw, was practically trembling with excitement.
"Wano's being invaded… and even Kozuki Oden couldn't handle it. This is going to spark a war!"
"If I play this right…"
"I might finally shake off this identity."
Serving under Shimotsuki Yasuie as a mere attendant, Orochi had always carried a dream of overturning Wano.
Hearing this news made his blood boil with a strange, eager thrill.
Inside the council hall
Every daimyō wore a grave expression.
Tengetsu Ares was strong. He had tens of thousands with him. He'd subdued Ashura Doji and taken in all of his bandits.
His power was enormous.
No one dared take it lightly.
They sat cross-legged on the floor. Shogun Sukiyaki, face heavy, asked, "Everyone… what do you think of Tengetsu Ares?"
Shimotsuki Ushimaru spoke first. He had purple seaweed-like hair, and his features resembled Zoro by seventy or eighty percent.
"If that man simply wanted to serve as daimyō, then as a descendant of the Tengetsu clan… it isn't impossible."
"But he wants Wano to open its borders. That…"
"We cannot tolerate."
Those words hit exactly what Sukiyaki wanted to hear. He immediately agreed, "Exactly. If Tengetsu Ares insists on opening the country, we must stop him. Otherwise Wano will become what it was centuries ago drawing the attention of the entire world…"
"And then every schemer and vulture will swarm into Wano, dragging our land into chaos!"
Uzuki Tempura frowned deeply, worry written across his face. "Shogun-sama, Tengetsu Ares is extremely powerful. They say he defeated Oden with a single punch. And he has many men along with weapons…"
"If war breaks out, Wano could be swallowed by years of conflict!"
"..."
They argued and debated for a long time. In the end, they reached a decision:
First, gather intelligence on Tengetsu Ares.
Then prepare for a "ninja" assassination plan a decapitation strike.
If Tengetsu Ares was eliminated, his forces would lose their pillar, collapse into disorder, and become far easier to deal with.
...
Kuri.
In just two or three days, with Ashura Doji guiding him, Chinjao finished surveying and mapping the entire region.
Tengetsu Ares, Ashura Doji, Chinjao, Sladar, and Kaido gathered together.
They discussed how to build Kuri from the ground up.
Ares emphasized the most important point: agriculture.
Given their situation, pushing industry or technology was unrealistic.
They could only advance step by step starting with the basics.
Food first.
Then recruit refugees, expand Kuri, and stabilize the population.
Sladar smiled. "Ares, leave the fisheries and port to me. That's my specialty."
Chinjao nodded as well. "I can help with that too."
As the commander of the Happo Navy in Kano Country, he was experienced in these matters.
"Good." Ares nodded. "We'll start with basic structures. Expanding later is fine."
Because he knew what came next.
He would be staying in Wano for a long time.
Maybe years.
Maybe more than a decade.
Construction wasn't something you rushed. Only after the infrastructure was stable would he consider forming an army and security forces.
Right now…
There was simply too much to do.
Chinjao pointed at a section of the map. "This area is best for building the town. And here this is best for agriculture. But for farming to work, we'll need irrigation…"
Major projects.
But luckily, Ares had planned ahead.
He'd taken tens of thousands of slaves from God Valley and made them his people.
And people meant labor.
Ares nodded. "Build housing first. And we must have clean water for everyone. The sewage system must be planned from the beginning, too. No shortcuts."
"..."
They discussed and revised the blueprint again and again, gradually refining their plan for transforming Kuri.
Afterward, Ashura Doji spoke with a stern expression. "Boss Ares, we've recently noticed a lot of unfamiliar faces entering Kuri."
"They don't look like the refugees joining us. Those guys… seem to be probing for information about you."
Kaido bared his teeth in a grin. "Wororororo! Looks like our arrival has made Wano's little bastards nervous."
"Let them investigate," Ares said indifferently. "If they're probing, that means they don't want open war yet."
In the face of absolute strength…
schemes and tricks shattered like glass.
Strength could crush ten thousand techniques.
Ares sneered. "But if they try to sabotage our rebuilding of Kuri…"
"Don't be polite."
"Kill whoever needs killing."
Then Ares looked at Kaido. "Kaido, I'm giving you a task."
"What task?!" Kaido asked, suddenly excited.
Ares grinned. "You'll be responsible for training other members of the War God Pirates. For example, Alber the Wildfire and Kuma. Anyone else who wants to train can join too."
"..."
Kaido had been expecting something major.
And this was it?
His excitement immediately cooled, and he grumbled, "Ares… you want me to teach a bunch of little brats…"
"I'm not interested."
Ares patted his shoulder, voice heavy and sincere. "Kaido. This task is extremely important to us."
"And only you are suited for it."
"You're the best candidate in my eyes."
"There's no replacement."
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