As the New Year festivities ended, the once-boisterous Kuri grew quiet.
Ayame and Yayoi had rescued their own daughter and sister, respectively. When the assassins returned, they presented their leader's severed head to the public. For the Hakumai, Udon, and Ringo provinces, this New Year had been a nightmare.
With the yakuza boss dead, his subordinates naturally fell into chaos, fighting amongst themselves for power. But these matters were of no concern to Ayame and Yayoi, who were already in Kuri. In fact, they found it rather satisfying.
Now, five-year-old Ayame's daughter, had become the darling of the Daimyo's estate, largely because of Yuriko's fondness for her. Perhaps unable to have a child with Ren, Yuriko had transferred her affection for children onto Ayame's daughter.
By March, word arrived from Shirauo: the hidden port was complete.
In mid-February, Kozuki Oden had returned to Yingxiang Town with his retainers, eager to set sail. Of course, the ship, navigator, and crew were all merely rented from Ren.
The price was the same: Kozuki Oden had to help Ren find the Devil Fruit.
Since he was effectively paying for the ship, Kozuki Oden insisted on refitting it to his liking. Under his direction, the unseemly twin-masted sailboat was born.
The vessel looked just like a ship version of Kozuki Oden, its bow a large black dish, shaped exactly like his hairstyle.
Though Ren disliked Kozuki Oden, the boy was working for him, so Ren didn't skimp on the shipbuilding materials.
The thought of setting sail made Kozuki Oden incredibly excited, and he kept showing up at the Daimyo's estate, only to be turned away each time.
Kin'emon and the others were averse to Oden going to sea, but the situation was irreversible, so they had no choice but to follow.
After all, there was nothing left for them in Wano to miss, save for the warm and welcoming courtesans of Kuri's pleasure district.
"The departure date is set for three days from now, so we need to pack our things quickly," Denjiro said. Normally, the journey from Kuri to Shirauo would take a long time, but that was at a normal pace. If they traveled at full speed, they could reach Shirauo by tomorrow morning.
"We have no luggage to pack! Let's set out now!" Kozuki Oden said impatiently. A ferocious scar was visible on his chest, a recent wound from his challenge to Ren upon returning to Yingxiang Town.
Ren's reputation as the Thunder God had already spread throughout Kuri, and Oden had indeed seen the terrifying thunderclouds in the distant sky near Chinju Forest. He had wanted to test Ren's strength.
The result was being gravely injured by a full-power blow from Ren in his complete state.
His chest bore extensive burns from lightning and a deep gash from a sword's energy, leaving a permanent, unhealed scar. It was the first time he had witnessed Ren's full power, a force comparable to a natural disaster.
Ren's strength had grown immensely since he had first returned to human form.
"After working so hard in Kuri for nearly a year and not saving a single coin, whose fault do you think that is, Lord Oden!" Denjiro snapped angrily. "Even the funds for this voyage were provided by Kuri's Daimyo! On top of that, you challenged the Daimyo and lost, and the treatment cost money!"
"..." Oden awkwardly turned his head away, refusing to look at him.
"My apologies, I didn't expect him to be that strong, it was just like the real God of Thunder." Kozuki Oden recalled the scene. He felt that in terms of Ryuo and swordsmanship alone, he should have been a match for Ren, but that power over lightning was simply terrifying.
"That guy is a monster..." Kin'emon shuddered. Now he no longer wondered how Ren had managed to win Shutenmaru's loyalty.
"There might be even stronger enemies overseas, Lord Oden. Please don't be so reckless anymore." Kanjuro advised.
"I know, I know, you're all so annoying. Let's get going." Oden grumbled. Although he acknowledged Ren's strength, being lectured as if he were completely over his head was starting to annoy him.
"By the way, aren't Izou and Kikunojo going too? The Outer Sea is very dangerous." Kin'emon said worriedly.
At first, those two little brats weren't well-liked, but after all these years, they had grown very close. Kin'emon was worried for their safety.
"There's no one to look after them if they stay." Denjiro said helplessly. "And don't underestimate Izou and Kikunojo, they're not the same people they used to be."
The group set off with just a few changes of clothes.
By noon the next day, Kozuki Oden reached the hidden port.
"A port underground? This is just like that secret passage I found a few years ago," Oden said. "Although this one is much larger."
When Flower Capital suffered a great drought several years ago, he had found a small passage to the sea, but due to his lack of sailing ability, he still couldn't escape.
It was that experience that made him face reality. Without a navigator, even if a ship and port were placed before him, he could never leave Wano.
Inside the underground port, he saw his own ship, the Oden Maru.
The sails were not yet unfurled, but as per Ren's request, it was adorned with a lightning pattern in the shape of three comma-shaped jewels.
Kozuki Oden had originally wanted to use the Kozuki clan's crest. However, only Kanjuro was willing to paint it, and the guy did it on purpose with his left hand, creating something so ugly even Sukiyaki wouldn't recognize it.
Let alone Kozuki Oden, even a dog would have looked down on it.
"Hey, are you my navigator and crew? Since everyone's here, why don't we set sail now?" Oden shouted, seeing many people moving about on the deck of the Oden Maru.
"No, the scheduled departure date is two days from now. We still have a lot of supplies to prepare. We don't want to die from setting sail rashly like this." The navigator, leaning against the rail, immediately retorted upon hearing Oden's words.
"Hey, but I'm the captain, right?"
"Even the captain has to listen to the navigator!"
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