The moment Kurosaki Rei heard that, his head started aching.
He still wanted to sail the seas and see the world, you know? How did things snowball like this until he was practically tied to the Beasts Pirates?
Black Maria, you set me up…
"Hm… that does sound like a workable plan," Kaido said after a brief thought.
"Kid, didn't you say earlier that reform would be complicated? I'm too lazy to listen to all that. Just go do it. I'll give you two months—I only care about results."
Kaido spoke with a serious expression. It was obvious that if Kurosaki Rei failed to produce something tangible, the consequences wouldn't be pleasant.
Then Kaido turned to Yamato.
"And you, Yamato—didn't you say you wanted to do something meaningful too? From today onward, I'll appoint you as Wano's new shogun. Kurosaki Rei will assist you."
"Kurosaki Rei, that's great!"
Yamato grabbed his arm excitedly. "Now we can actually do something real for the people!"
Kurosaki Rei's face, however, was full of resistance.
"And that's settled," Kaido said decisively.
"I'll arrange a trade and send a batch of grain to you."
With that single sentence, he left Kurosaki Rei zero room to refuse.
"Father, our seastone cuffs haven't been removed yet," Yamato reminded him, lifting her restrained wrists.
"They don't affect daily life, but they're still uncomfortable."
Kaido's gaze swept over both Yamato and Kurosaki Rei before he said in a low voice,
"Given your past records, for the next two months you're forbidden to leave Wano. Once I see the results of your governance, I'll have the cuffs removed."
He then gave Black Maria a look. She understood immediately and smiled at Kurosaki Rei.
"Mr. Rei, don't take it personally. Even when recruiting new companions, there's always a probation period. I'll have your cuffs replaced—something that won't interfere with daily activities."
"I understand," Kurosaki Rei nodded.
"I'll work with Yamato to improve Wano."
Honestly, it didn't matter what kind of cuffs they used—he had the universal key and could unlock them anytime.
Still, Kaido's caution surprised him. Kurosaki Rei had half-expected Kaido to just remove both their restraints outright. Instead, Kaido clearly intended to limit their range of movement—especially preventing them from leaving Wano.
Sure enough, before long, someone brought new restraints. Kurosaki Rei's old shackles were removed and replaced with cuffs similar to Yamato's—just wrist rings, not connected by chains. They didn't hinder movement, but if he left Wano, they would explode.
"Father, how can a shogun wear handcuffs? That's not dignified at all,"
Yamato puffed out her cheeks, clearly dissatisfied, sounding very much like a daughter acting spoiled.
Kaido remained unmoved.
"Authority isn't defined by appearance, Yamato—it's defined by strength and results. If you two do well, the cuffs will come off in two months."
Seeing that Kaido wouldn't budge, Yamato stopped arguing. She'd worn those cuffs for years anyway—two more months didn't really matter.
With the discussion over, Kaido waved them off.
"Go and do what you need to do. The new grain shipment will arrive the morning after tomorrow. Before that, you'll need to secure a legitimate position for the handover."
Yamato froze. She didn't understand what her father meant and instinctively turned to Kurosaki Rei.
Kurosaki Rei paused for half a second—then it clicked.
Kaido has absolutely no intention of killing Orochi himself.
He had turned this into a trial, dumping the problem directly onto Yamato and Kurosaki Rei.
And frankly, the difficulty level was absurd.
Seeing that Kaido had already started drinking again, clearly done with the conversation, Kurosaki Rei and Yamato left the cave and began what would be their own Wano "adventure."
"Kurosaki Rei! I've seen Kurozumi Orochi before—he's super weak!"
Yamato clenched her fists confidently. "We can just kill him tonight!"
Kurosaki Rei didn't even know where to start.
For Yamato, killing Orochi came with zero psychological burden—she'd wanted him dead for a long time. Back when she still called herself Oden, Orochi was already her sworn enemy.
And after hearing Kurosaki Rei's analysis, she now felt that compared to her father, Orochi was far worse—the true cancer of Wano.
"It's not that simple," Kurosaki Rei said, thinking carefully.
"Orochi has several powerful fighters around him. We should enter the capital first and observe the situation."
Kaido's task, Kurosaki Rei realized, wasn't really meant for Yamato—it was meant for him.
Yamato was a Devil Fruit user and her power was partially suppressed by the cuffs, meaning she wasn't the main combatant. Kurosaki Rei, on the other hand, could still use his full strength.
With Kaido's insight, he could easily judge that. This was a test—of Kurosaki Rei's intelligence, capability, and also his bond with Yamato.
And Kurosaki Rei wasn't guessing. His new mission confirmed it.
[Hidden Quest: Kaido's Favor]
Quest Description:
Your governance theories have earned Kaido's preliminary approval. Combined with your close relationship with his daughter Yamato, he has taken a strong interest in you. However, he still intends to test your competence—and the solidity of your friendship with Yamato.
Assist Yamato in killing Kurozumi Orochi and helping her ascend to the position of Shogun of Wano to earn Kaido's deep trust.
Difficulty: Normal ~ Certain Death
Rewards: Kaido's Favor, a random Zoan-type Devil Fruit
Failure Penalty: None
The lack of a failure penalty probably meant the system assumed that if he failed, punishment would be… unnecessary.
Based on Kurosaki Rei's understanding of Kaido, even if he failed, Kaido likely wouldn't kill him—at most, he'd be disappointed. Still, the process itself was extremely dangerous.
Orochi had many strong fighters around him, including Kyoshiro, a top-tier swordsman and secret traitor. If Orochi were attacked, Kyoshiro might very well step in.
Someone of that level—borderline Flying Six or higher—could kill Kurosaki Rei with a single strike.
Kurosaki Rei had secretly scanned Black Maria before; she was nothing but question marks. That alone proved how massive the gap was.
So killing Orochi couldn't be done head-on. They'd need timing and opportunity.
Kaido's arrangement was clearly meant to see whether Kurosaki Rei truly had brains. After all, Oden had failed to kill Orochi not because he was weak—but because he was reckless and naïve.
Since the penalty was "none," Kurosaki Rei technically could refuse. He still had the option of unlocking his cuffs and running.
But that wasn't his style.
After spending so much time together, he genuinely considered Yamato a friend. And right now, she truly needed help. He wasn't going to abandon her.
Besides, he also wanted—within his ability—to improve this country.
And the quest reward was tempting: a Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
Back when he read One Piece as a kid, Kurosaki Rei thought Logia fruits were unbeatable—intangible, immune to physical attacks, absurdly broken.
Later, even after learning about Haki, he still felt Logias were unfair, since they could elementalize in advance.
But after arriving in the space and seeing later developments, he realized how absurdly valuable Zoans were.
Zoans massively boosted physical stats, and awakened Zoans came with ridiculous recovery—basically built-in "get-up-and-go-again" hacks. Combined with strong Haki, their ceiling was terrifying.
Compared to that, Logias and Paramecias were far more fruit-dependent.
So if Kurosaki Rei ever did eat a Devil Fruit, Zoan—preferably a powerful Mythical Zoan—was his first choice.
Of course, Devil Fruits were bloodline-type items with uncertain ceilings, so unless it was something exceptional, he wasn't planning to eat one anytime soon.
"Princess Yamato, Mr. Rei, please follow me. I'll escort you back to Wano."
A pirate led them onto a ship, speaking respectfully—clearly acting on Kaido's orders.
Kurosaki Rei's status was still awkward. Technically, he was just a former prisoner released from Udon. He hadn't officially joined the Beasts Pirates yet.
And yet, the pirates already treated him with respect.
That meant one of two things:
Either Kaido had already decided to recruit him and told his men to treat Kurosaki Rei well,
—or they were simply treating him with respect because he was Yamato's close friend.
Never underestimate pirates' social awareness. While high-ranking officers often seemed dumb, low-ranking pirates were experts at reading the room. Without personal strength, emotional intelligence was how they survived.
In their eyes, Kurosaki Rei was a rising star.
Yamato's closest friend.
And if—hypothetically—Kaido ever died, Yamato would become the new captain.
And then Kurosaki Rei? A new Calamity, perhaps.
So they were naturally polite.
Once on board, they even brought Kurosaki Rei food and alcohol. He didn't refuse.
He and Yamato sat at the bow, drinking and eating meat while enjoying the sea breeze.
At this point, Kurosaki Rei had come to terms with it.
Since he was already tied to Wano, he might as well do the job properly. If he could truly improve the country, that wouldn't be a bad deed to accumulate.
And honestly, roaming the seas wasn't guaranteed to bring higher returns. Wano was a high-level map with enormous potential rewards. If he climbed into the Beasts Pirates' upper ranks, he'd basically be able to walk sideways in this world.
He hadn't forgotten—this world had hundreds of explorers. They just hadn't met yet.
But the system encouraged killing rival-space explorers. When they did meet, it'd be a fight to the death.
That night, Kurosaki Rei and Yamato landed back in Wano.
"Sailing feels amazing," Yamato said, stretching lazily.
"One day, I really want to go out to sea with you. The outside world must be incredible."
"Let's deal with what's in front of us first," Kurosaki Rei replied.
"There'll be chances later."
Now that Yamato had settled down, if they completed this task properly, they wouldn't even need to escape with the universal key. Maybe they could even leave Wano with the Beasts Pirates' support.
"The Flower Capital is just ahead," Yamato said, pointing toward the brightly lit city.
"Kurosaki Rei, I have a plan to kill Orochi."
Kurosaki Rei suddenly had a bad feeling.
"…What plan?"
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