Ren led Kozuki Oden and the others to the back of the hidden harbor. With the help of Ama no Murakumo, he directly carried their ships up into the inland sea.
"You can actually ride on thunderclouds?"
After traveling the seas for so many years, Kozuki Oden still only had a half-baked understanding of Devil Fruits. He had collected quite a few fruits and even fought against many Devil Fruit users.
But at the end of the day, there were no Devil Fruit users on the Roger Pirates' ship.
All he knew was that Ren was the user of the legendary Goro Goro no Mi, and the abilities Ren had demonstrated before him had indeed been the power of lightning.
That was why he assumed the Ama no Murakumo Ren had summoned was some kind of thundercloud, much like the Sphere Clouds of the Grand Line's sky islands.
If Kaido were here instead, he would have easily recognized that Ren was using an entirely different Devil Fruit ability, because Ren's very appearance had changed from before.
Of course, Ren wasn't about to explain any of this to him. He simply escorted them to the shore before speaking.
"This is as far as I'll take you. Kuri won't take you in. I don't want trouble brought to my doorstep."
"Even so, if all of Wano Country falls, do you think Kuri will be spared?" Kin'emon shot back.
He still wanted to pull Ren into their camp. With the backing of Inazuma, things would be much easier for them.
"No. Kaido wouldn't dare, because he doesn't want to make an enemy of me."
Ren was completely unbothered by his words.
"Though he still can't be certain of my identity, let me warn you: don't try to drag me into things in front of Kaido. The moment you do, it means I'll take over Wano Country."
Ren wanted to put an end to any possibility of Kin'emon throwing his name around as a bluff in front of Kaido.
"I actually think that wouldn't be so bad..."
"No, Lord Oden! This country belongs to you!"
Oden had barely muttered that before Kin'emon cut him off.
Kin'emon in this era still had a full head of blonde hair. Unlike in the original story where he had received help from Shimotsuki Yasuie, he had spent years running with pirates instead.
As a result, his temper had become even more like a thug's.
After interrupting Oden, he turned to Ren and said, "We don't need your help to handle things ourselves."
"But you're a daimyo of Wano all the same. You can't contribute nothing at all, can you?"
"If you need military support, go find the leader of the Kanjobugyo in Kuri."
"But let me be clear upfront, the warriors Kuri can lend you won't be any more than what the other districts provide."
Ren only intended to offer a token force as a gesture.
However, his words left Kozuki Oden's wife puzzled.
"You mean, find the Kanjobugyo's leader? Are you not planning to stay in Wano Country?"
This woman was rather perceptive. She already understood that the Kanjobugyo was Kuri's military force.
"That's right. I don't care what becomes of Wano Country. My focus is on overseas Inazuma."
"Even if Kaido eventually strikes at Kuri, I just need to evacuate Kuri's people overseas."
Ren lied smoothly.
But his words convinced Oden and the others completely. Based on Ren's behavior so far, he genuinely seemed to have no interest in Wano Country.
And overseas Inazuma's development far surpassed Wano's.
These people had no idea how precious Wano's two mineral resources were on the open sea, nor did they understand the importance of the ancient ruins beneath Wano's waters.
They truly treated Wano as a backwater, assuming only pirates like Kaido, who couldn't establish a foothold overseas, would set their sights on this place.
"Regardless, thank you for your support."
Oden wasn't particularly upset about Ren offering only minimal help. After all these years, he had long grown accustomed to thinking like a pirate.
Among pirates, no matter how good the relationship between two crews might be, they wouldn't overly interfere in each other's affairs.
Even crews like the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, their first instinct upon meeting was to fight.
"I know you might not be interested in becoming the Shogun of Wano Country, but if I fail, I'm leaving this country in your hands!"
Kozuki Oden's expression turned uncharacteristically serious. He bowed deeply toward Ren, then led his retainers away without looking back.
He walked fast, afraid that Ren would look down on the position of Shogun and refuse him.
Ren watched his departing figure, feeling a twinge of guilt for a moment.
This poor fool had been completely conned by him.
Right now, Oden was like a mark who'd been sold a bill of goods. No matter what his retainers said, he insisted on shoving the bicycle into Ren's hands. All the while declaring that his leg was basically done with bicycles from now on.
What could Ren do but quietly accept the bicycle, prepare a wheelchair, and sell it back to him later?
Still, seeing how pitiful he looked, Ren called out a reminder from afar.
"Aside from Kuri, every district has Orochi and Kaido's spies by now. The daimyo of each region have all been eliminated."
"If you're planning to gather forces, you can contact the yakuza boss Hyogoro in the Flower Capital."
Over the past few years, Orochi and Kaido had joined forces to systematically abolish and crush the daimyo of every district. Those with power had mostly been thrown into the stone quarries, while those without had already been killed.
The few survivors had no choice but to operate in the shadows, quietly amassing strength. According to Ren's intelligence, the daimyo of both the Amatsuki and Fugetsu districts had been slain.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru had been captured after putting up resistance.
Yasuie had hidden his identity and was working alongside the Amatsuki family's tempura daughter to build underground forces. He had little military power himself, but served as a figure of great moral authority.
Under the current circumstances, he still commanded considerable influence.
However, finding them wouldn't be easy for Oden and his group. Going directly to the Flower Capital to seek out Hyogoro would be much faster.
The fact that Hyogoro had managed to protect himself in the Flower Capital under these conditions spoke volumes about his personal prestige and capability.
But before that could happen, Oden and the others, who had already walked some distance, came to a halt.
"Oh no, I shouldn't have left so quickly. At the very least, I should have asked Ren to help look after you all."
Kozuki Oden beat himself up over it. He was referring to his wife and children.
Once they entered the Flower Capital, they might have to face enemies head-on. At that point, Oden had no way to guarantee his family's safety.
"Don't worry, we can entrust the madam to O-Tsuru's care." Kin'emon suddenly remembered he still had a childhood friend and hastily spoke up.
"O-Tsuru is my childhood friend. You also saved her from the mountain god's jaws back then."
"She is absolutely trustworthy!"
"I believe O-Tsuru runs a teahouse on the outskirts of the Flower Capital?" Denjiro also recalled this and nodded in agreement.
"That place is quite remote. Even if someone discovered it, no one would know the madam's connection to Lord Oden."
And so the group headed toward the Flower Capital together.
[
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