Wano Country, Rabbit Well. Kozuki Hiyori led three thousand members of the Shrine Maiden Squad as they arrived swiftly by sailboat at the entrance of the prisoner quarry. The towering steel gate loomed before them, its imposing height a silent testament to the fortress it guarded. Eneru, commander of the Shrine Maiden Squad, stood at the forefront. His white robes fluttered slightly, and his brown wings stretched wide as he surveyed the barrier blocking their path.
He turned to Hiyori, his voice calm but edged with concern. "Lady Hiyori, the quarry is sealed by a heavy iron gate. Our troops' weapons won't be enough to breach it from the front."
Hiyori's response was steady, her tone carrying quiet authority. "Leave it to me." Without hesitation, she activated her transformations—first into a vampire, then into a Nue human-beast hybrid. Her aquamarine eyes shifted to a blood-red hue, and arcs of blue-white electricity crackled around her body. Brown fur spread across her skin, a black snake tail emerged from her back, and smoky black clouds coiled around her shoulders.
In one fluid motion, she drew Enma from her waist. Eneru barely registered the movement before three black sword lights sliced through the air. The heavy metal gate groaned, then collapsed inward with a deafening crash, leaving a quadrilateral opening in its wake.
Hiyori raised Enma, pointing it toward the quarry entrance. Her voice rang out, clear and commanding. "Attack! In the name of the Kozuki family, we rescue our loyal retainers persecuted by the Beasts Pirates."
"Yes!" The unified shout of three thousand voices echoed across the battlefield.
Eneru led the charge, his squad pouring into the quarry. Inside, the Beasts Pirates were caught off guard. With most of their high-ranking cadres stationed in Flower Capital, the defenders here were no match for Hiyori's forces. The battle ended swiftly, the Shrine Maiden Squad overwhelming their opponents with ease.
The quarry held over a thousand prisoners—some former retainers of the Kozuki family, others notorious Supernovas of the pirate world. Hiyori moved methodically, verifying identities before granting freedom. She had no intention of releasing everyone indiscriminately. Wano's current instability demanded precision, not chaos.
As she oversaw the operation, a voice called out from one of the cells—familiar yet distant. "Lady Hiyori... is it really you?"
Her heart skipped a beat. She hurried to the cell door, her steps quickening. Inside, she saw a green-skinned Fishman with red fins, his hands and feet shackled. Recognition dawned on her face, and a smile broke through.
"Kawamatsu? Is that you? Why are you here?"
He chuckled, his voice warm despite his predicament. "Haha! I was captured by Orochi years ago and tossed into this quarry. I never thought I'd see you again, Lady Hiyori. And look at you—you've grown so much stronger."
His contentment was palpable, even through the bars of his cell.
Meanwhile, in Wano's Flower Capital, the situation was escalating. The skies churned with dark clouds, lightning splitting the air as thunder rumbled ominously. WM-1 and WM-2 model robots marched through the streets, their glowing red eyes scanning the area. Their pre-recorded warnings boomed across the city.
"Warning! Warning! We are armed forces assisting the Kozuki clan in reclaiming Wano Country. Residents, lay down your weapons, raise your hands, and follow instructions. Anyone holding weapons will be executed on sight. Do not act irrationally."
Behind the robots, members of the Kuja Pirates and the Shrine Maiden Squad herded the compliant residents toward designated open areas for centralized control.
Under the sky covered by dark clouds, with lightning and thunder, the city of Flower Capital braced for the storm of change.
However, not all members of the Beasts Pirates chose to surrender obediently. Some who were confident in their own strength and felt they could break out and leave Flower Capital did not lay down their weapons but chose to resist and fight. In response, the robots, upon seeing these individuals, would not hesitate for even a second and would directly open fire on them.
Artillery fire and shouts of killing sporadically sounded. Without high-level command and coordination, the Beasts Pirates did not cause much of a ripple of resistance. After two to three hours of armed suppression by the Umbrella Corporation, over a hundred thousand people gathered bustlingly in the central square of Flower Capital.
Among them, besides the small fry of the Beasts Pirates, there were also elderly, children, and women. Among these people, the vast majority were family members of Beasts Pirates members. Even those who were not family members had various entangled relationships with the Beasts Pirates. Besides Flower Capital, this type of people also existed in places like Kuri.
The total number is estimated to be two to three hundred thousand, making them the most troublesome issue and hidden danger for the Umbrella Corporation's subsequent security management. Wind Moon Pavilion.
By the balcony of the third-floor private room, Sephiroth leaned against the railing, looking at the residents of Wano Country being driven towards the square by members of the Kuja Pirates below. He said with a sigh:
"Speaking of which, over ten years have passed, and I didn't expect this place to still be here!"
Hearing this, Black Maria, who was kneeling behind him and brewing tea with a tea set, smiled slightly and echoed:
"Yes! After we withdrew from Wano Country, the Beasts Pirates took over here... The cycle of karma is good; now it's time for you, Master, to take over Wano Country."
While the two were talking, there were over ten members of the Shrine Maiden Squad downstairs, quickly cleaning the bloodstains on the floor and walls with mops and rags, and also dragging the corpses of Beasts Pirates members outside for unified disposal. Bururu! Bururu! Bururu~! The sudden sound of a den den mushi ringing in his clothes pocket interrupted Sephiroth's sighing.
He casually picked up the receiver and chose to connect. Immediately, Kozuki Hiyori's gentle voice came from the den den mushi. "Master, the Rabbit Well Quarry is now under my control. Next, I plan to divide the troops to control the nearby weapon factories..." "Well done! Next, if you encounter trouble that you cannot solve, remember to report to me." Sephiroth said with a light chuckle. "Mhm!
I understand!" After simply reporting the completion of the task, Kozuki Hiyori did not continue chatting and directly hung up the phone, hurrying to other areas. "Oh right, how is Drake? Is he dead?" Sephiroth turned his head to look at Black Maria beside him.
Two or three hours ago, the unlucky Marine undercover agent Drake was directly struck by Marie Gold's wide-range lightning attack, leaving him critically injured. Sephiroth pulled him out from the ruins of the Generals Mansion. Besides that, the other three survivors were Page One, Ulti, and Sasaki. Including Drake, all the guys who survived were Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit users.
As for Kaido's three subordinates, there was nothing to say. Sephiroth directly killed them one by one with his sword and took their Devil Fruits. As for taking these people in for his own use... Sephiroth had no such idea at all. These few people were neither powerful characters nor did they have any special talents, and they were also Kaido's subordinates.
He now had plenty of talented subordinates, so why bother taking them in...? Black Maria first placed a cup of steaming hot tea in front of Sephiroth before speaking:
"The Life Strengthening Agent injection stabilized his lightning-strike injuries temporarily. All his vital signs are back to normal now. He should wake up by tomorrow."
Sephiroth gave a slight nod. He lifted the teacup to his lips and sipped. "Good. Assign someone to watch him—make sure he doesn't escape."
Marie Gold's aerial lightning strike blanketed Wano Country, providing decisive support. With her assistance, Hancock, Sandersonia, Kuina, and the others swiftly executed Sephiroth's prearranged plan. They secured control of Wano's villages and towns with ease, establishing temporary order.
Next, the Umbrella Corporation will carry out security control for a long time, maintaining stability until Kozuki Hiyori fully assumes command of Wano Country. Only when a new, stable internal order is firmly in place will the Umbrella Corporation gradually withdraw its forces.