Chapter 144: Heightened Alert in the Flower Capital! The Arriving Guests
The next morning.
Lotte took Toki and left the Moby Dick.
They began heading toward the Flower Capital.
As for Whitebeard, he had no intention of getting involved.
After all, neither Wano Country nor the Poneglyphs held any value for him.
Lotte was well aware of this.
Otherwise, in the future, Whitebeard would have claimed at least one of the red Poneglyphs.
The so-called Flower Capital.
It was the most prosperous area in all of Wano Country. The current shogun, Sukiyaki, also resided there.
Lotte and Toki's movements
Naturally alerted the samurai who had already been stationed in the Kuri region long ago.
The Red Scabbard Nine received the news almost immediately.
Their expressions turned grave in an instant.
Izou gripped the report tightly and spoke in a deep voice.
"What exactly is that guy going to the Flower Capital for?!"
"The masked man's strength is unfathomable. If he causes trouble in the most prosperous place like the Flower Capital, the destruction could be massive."
"Even so, we currently have no means to stop him."
At this point.
Izou's face showed helplessness.
Everyone knew that the masked man's strength, from any angle, was already beyond what the Red Scabbard Nine could handle.
Even their lord had been unable to defeat that guy.
If they went up against him, it would just be sending themselves to die.
At this point.
Kin'emon could no longer sit still. He slammed the table and stood up, glaring at the others with anger on his face.
"So are we just supposed to sit here obediently?!"
"I absolutely cannot agree!"
"If that guy makes a move against the shogun, we will all be sinners of Wano Country!"
In his view,
That mysterious masked man was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.
Even his lord Kozuki Oden couldn't defeat him. Everyone knew that while Sukiyaki had been extremely strong in his youth, his strength had declined considerably now.
They couldn't gamble the shogun's safety on the masked man's mood!
Izou quickly tried to dissuade him.
"Don't worry—I've already notified the shogun's residence."
"I've told them to increase security. I also plan to have Ashura and Denjiro head to the Flower Capital together. Their strength, even among us,"
"Is undoubtedly among the very best."
With that.
Izou turned his gaze toward Ashura and Denjiro.
At this moment, Denjiro still wore his long ponytail and black mask, with a samurai sword on his back.
His eyes and ears were long and narrow.
Ashura was still drinking heartily from his gourd of sake, with fluffy pink curly hair. He grinned widely without hesitation and laughed heartily.
"Just leave it to me and Denjiro!"
"If that masked guy dares cause trouble again, this time he'll definitely be left in Wano—no accidents!"
The reason he dared say this
Wasn't because he and Denjiro alone could kill the masked man.
Though Ashura Boy had always been arrogant,
Even their lord Oden had been defeated by that guy. Even if the two of them teamed up, they definitely couldn't take him down.
If the two of them could delay him for even a short while, that would be success.
Everyone knew Wano didn't only have their lord as a strong fighter. Whether it was the daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie—who served the Kozuki family—
Or the one known as the Fierce Blade, Kyoshiro of the Flower Capital.
Both were absolutely top-tier swordsmen!
If that mysterious man really dared to run wild, his only possible fate would be death—there was no second option!
At this moment.
In the shogun's residence at the center of the Flower Capital.
Sukiyaki Kozuki—whom the Red Scabbard Nine were so worried about—was calmly playing shogi with an old man in front of him.
The pieces clicked crisply against the board.
"I never expected that foreign pirate could defeat Oden."
"I heard the masked man is still quite young. The younger generation really is pushing the older one out—we old-timers have to be careful not to get swept away."
"You agree, right, Yasuie?"
Sukiyaki placed a piece and grinned.
He looked up at the old man before him—none other than Shimotsuki Yasuie, the daimyo of Hakumai who had served the Kozuki family for many years.
The moment he learned Lotte was coming.
Shimotsuki Yasuie had acted immediately, arriving at the Flower Capital ahead of time.
To prevent any destruction here.
The Flower Capital was the most critical part of all Wano—it absolutely could not suffer any damage!
Moreover,
The newcomer had already defeated Kozuki Oden first.
Shimotsuki Yasuie knew better than anyone just how strong Oden was.
As one of the rarest sword prodigies in Wano history, at just over twenty years old, he already possessed terrifying power.
Yet even such a genius
Had been defeated by the masked man.
No matter what the newcomer's purpose was, they had to take precautions!
Shimotsuki Yasuie spoke gravely.
"Rest assured, Lord Shogun. No matter what, I won't let any scoundrel get near you. If that guy truly poses a threat,"
"I'll stake this old life to make sure he stays here!"
Sukiyaki shook his head slightly upon hearing this.
"It's best not to act rashly. Keep in mind—this masked man didn't come alone. There's a girl with him wearing Wano-style clothing."
"It doesn't look like they're here to cause trouble."
"Besides, if we really kill that guy, we probably couldn't bear the consequences that would follow."
Sukiyaki was the shogun of all Wano.
Though Wano enforced a closed-country policy, to avoid falling behind the outside world, he had actively gathered a great deal of intelligence.
This naturally included information on the Whitebeard Pirates.
As one of the absolute top pirate crews in the New World, the power of their Tremor-Tremor Fruit was terrifying to an almost absurd degree.
It was said that during a past clash with Garp,
The mere shockwaves had effortlessly destroyed a nearby deserted island.
According to intelligence, the masked man likely had a close connection to the Whitebeard Pirates. If they really provoked Whitebeard into taking action,
Sukiyaki didn't want to see that happen.
"Alright—based on the timing,"
"Our guests should be arriving soon. Let's end this game here."
Sukiyaki chuckled lightly and put away the shogi pieces and board.
Shimotsuki Yasuie stared at the now-empty board.
He was silent for a moment.
If he remembered correctly, he had been one move away from winning that game.
There's a move like this?
--------------------------
You can support me here patreon.com/inkshield
Your support boosts my motivation and confidence, helping me focus and release chapters more consistently.
Every bit of support inspires me to keep creating better content.