"The daimyo of Kuri set sail with Kozuki Oden, but it seems they parted ways later," Kurozumi Orochi said.
He knew he couldn't hide this from Ren forever given his current fame, so he had to make Kaido feel the other party wouldn't oppose him.
"...Set sail with Kozuki Oden?" Kaido's expression darkened, clearly recalling Ren who had appeared on Pirate Island alongside Kozuki Oden.
The ruler of Inazuma, a powerful warrior known as the Lightning God.
If possible, he'd rather not provoke that person.
"From your expression, you seem to know that person?" Kurozumi Orochi asked knowingly, but before Kaido could answer, he continued, "However, the daimyo of Kuri hasn't returned to Wano Country since leaving."
"What's that guy's name?" Kaido asked cautiously.
Based on Orochi's response, he was already considering giving up on this country.
Kaido wasn't afraid of Ren, but opposing him clearly wasn't a wise choice right now. Inazuma's influence was enormous now.
Although they weren't keen on expanding territory, their business spread across the seas.
Both the Navy and pirates rarely dared to disrespect Inazuma.
Let alone now, Kaido felt that even if he had comparable strength to Ren in a few years, he still wouldn't be willing to provoke him.
"I think his name was... Ren," Kurozumi Orochi said, noticing Kaido's expression darken. "But this person seems to dislike Wano's isolationist atmosphere, which is why he left the country."
"In my view, this country has become too decayed. However, only this way can I rule better, isn't that right?"
Hearing that Ren hadn't returned to Wano Country in a long time, Kaido felt he might still have a chance.
If that Ren had truly given up on this place, he could still try to develop it here.
And this possibility was quite large. After all, the overseas "Inazuma" was clearly where he truly operated.
As for Kaido, as long as he could hold on in the early stages, even if Ren planned to return later, he would have enough confidence.
But before that, he wanted to test the relationship between Ren and Kozuki Oden. After all, he was going to help Kurozumi Orochi deal with Kozuki Oden.
"You said he left with that Kozuki Oden, so does that mean they had a good relationship?"
"A good relationship? It's more accurate to say they had a terrible one," Kurozumi Orochi sneered.
"That Kozuki Oden was still serving labor in Kuri before setting sail! In this country, the only one who dared to look down on the noble Kozuki Oden was probably him alone."
Kaido fell silent for a moment, his mind weighing whether to take this risk.
But letting go of this opportunity now felt like a waste to him.
The closed-off Wano Country was a natural development incubator for Kaido, like a huge hotbed.
If he gave up on this place, it would be hard to find a new one.
Seeing his hesitation, Kurozumi Orochi continued to persuade him, saying that Ren had poor relations with the other regions, and even described Kuri's past situation.
Most of it was true, though some things were hidden.
In Orochi's words, it became a place completely separate from Wano Country.
"I think even if the other regions eventually unite with Kuri to deal with us, Kuri won't actually send a large number of troops."
This way, Kaido felt he could take the gamble.
He had nothing to lose anyway, so losing would just mean leaving. He believed that even if he wasn't Ren's match, he couldn't be killed by him.
Besides, if he avoided Kuri while implementing his plan, things would be even better.
"The Flower Capital is ahead."
Kaido turned at the sound, his eyes landing on the giant cherry blossom tree.
Nearly everyone visiting the Flower Capital for the first time was captivated by that tree.
Despite his rough appearance, Kaido was actually quite meticulous in some aspects. Honestly, he didn't mind such a beautiful scene.
"What a fine country," he remarked, his resolve to claim this country growing stronger.
'First, ally with Kurozumi Orochi to eliminate all opposing forces outside Kuri, then eliminate Kozuki Oden, and finally take out Orochi to conquer Wano Country alone!'
This was the plan Kaido had formulated in his mind.
As for Kuri, he had no intention of giving it up. Once the previous plan was complete, his own power would be fully formed, and he wouldn't fear Inazuma's influence.
Of course, avoiding conflict would be ideal.
Kaido's best outcome would be trading the people of Kuri to Ren, who was already overseas.
Unexpected friction might occur later, but that was a problem for another time.
After entering the Flower Capital's boundaries, Kaido and his group immediately attracted countless gazes.
Partly due to Kurozumi Orochi's status, and partly because of Kaido's abnormal size.
Wano Country wasn't short of tall men, but they were usually just over two meters. A giant like Kaido, standing over seven meters tall, was a rare sight.
With Kaido's arrival, the situation in Kuri had changed as well.
Ayame, Yayoi, and Nanatsuki remaining in Kuri were now at the peak of combat power. Their individual strength rivaled that of the daimyos from other regions, and together, even Kaido couldn't defeat them quickly.
Even so, Kuri remained on high alert.
At Kuri's borders, numerous autonomous machines were deployed for reconnaissance, and in addition to these machines, the animals controlled by Sayori were also part of the defense.
"Hey, things feel really tense lately," Buggy said, wearing training gear. His lower body stood straight while his head floated separately, turning to look behind him. "The recent training load has increased quite a bit."
"We still have to fight that snow leopard later," Enel sighed.
A while ago, Sayori had sent a batch of wild beasts to the training camp as training targets for the samurai. The two of them had been assigned to a very noisy snow leopard.
As they spoke, the leopard continued to howl.
"Shut up, you noisy snow leopard!" Buggy roared.
[
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