Kurozumi Orochi waited for that opportune moment, not expecting it to take several months.
In the early months of 1496, although the climate was stable, Ringo had become even colder due to seasonal changes.
Some of the wounded samurai from last year's quarry battle didn't survive the harsh winter.
Now, several months later, they faced another困境—their food was running out.
"The remaining food will only last another month. Someone must go to Kuri to bring back the next batch of supplies."
Shimotsuki Yasuie said with a dark expression.
Actually, a batch of supplies from Kuri had already arrived before this.
That batch had been brought by samurai who came from Kuri in advance.
It was with those supplies that they had barely made it through the last few months of the previous year.
Transporting supplies wasn't a simple matter.
Especially after the quarry was attacked, every region now had Beast Pirates and Orochi's men guarding it.
Large quantities of goods weren't easy to transport.
"Let me go. My ninjutsu can store any object in scrolls."
Raizo volunteered.
His ability was indeed convenient for this kind of strategic transport.
However, a single scroll couldn't hold that much food.
To transport all those supplies, they would probably need quite a few scrolls.
"Good, I'll leave this to you, Raizo."
Shimotsuki Yasuie also breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether it was people or ninjutsu, this ability was truly convenient.
After all, even the clothes they were wearing now had been created by Kin'emon.
Otherwise, even more people would have frozen to death during this time.
Speaking of this, Ren couldn't figure out how exactly Kin'emon had managed to eat the Fuku Fuku no Mi.
"Sending Raizo alone is still a bit dangerous. I'll go with him."
Kozuki Oden thought for a moment, then stood up and said.
He hadn't seen his wife and children for several months.
He couldn't say he wasn't worried.
Even if no one knew their identities, a mother and children living alone in the wilderness—there was always the fear of accidents.
The others didn't think much of it either.
In fact, they felt it was necessary.
After all, this concerned the lives of hundreds of people.
No amount of caution was too much.
And so, Kozuki Oden took Raizo and headed for Kuri.
Traveling quickly on horseback, they could arrive in just a few days as long as they avoided the guards.
Oden didn't go directly to Flower Capital.
Instead, he planned to first get food from Kuri, then bring some food to find them.
The two made their way through Kibi, advancing continuously.
The sight of Kibi was even more tragic than Ringo.
Previously, Kibi had been called the most desolate place in Wano.
Actually, that was somewhat undeserved.
The climate and environment here were actually fine.
There was just a lot of undeveloped land.
But now it had truly become desolate.
—Chimneys billowing thick smoke, blackened rivers, forests almost completely cut down, and withered vegetation everywhere...
Animal carcasses were scattered across the fields, emitting the stench of decay.
The two of them hid their figures, crouching on rocky outcrops as they watched the thin, emaciated people walking back and forth.
A few years ago, Kaido, who hadn't dared to make a move on Kuri, had set up factories in this place.
"The air stinks!"
Raizo stuffed two green onions into his large nostrils, trying to block the foul smell.
"Are these all factories run by those Beast Pirates guys?"
"Damn Kaido!"
Kozuki Oden's eyes were practically blazing with fire.
He didn't fully understand how serious the consequences of environmental destruction were.
But just seeing the people of Wano being oppressed like walking corpses was enough to make him furious!
"Destroying these factories is one of our tasks!"
Raizo said in a strange tone.
Because of the green onions stuck in his nose, his voice sounded odd.
But what he said made a lot of sense.
Why did Kaido develop factories so vigorously?
Simply put, because it benefited him.
Whatever the factories produced—weapons or anything else—could all contribute to the growth of the Beast Pirates.
If they destroyed this place, it would be equivalent to cutting off one of Kaido's income sources.
It might even prevent the Beast Pirates from supplying goods they had agreed to deliver to other forces.
That would cause trouble for the Beast Pirates in the outside world.
The two noted this as a strategic objective in their minds.
Then they passed through Kibi and arrived at the border with Kuri.
Kuri's security was even tighter than Kaido and Orochi's.
At the border, there was a watchtower at regular intervals.
In the sky, reconnaissance machines codenamed "Petrels" flew by from time to time.
Right now, Oden was just grateful that Ren hadn't sold these machines to others.
Otherwise, hiding themselves would have become even more difficult.
At the same time, they noticed that many bright red torii gates had appeared throughout Kuri.
These torii gates varied in height.
Some stood upright on official roads, while others leaned crookedly on mountaintops.
"What are those?"
He asked puzzledly.
Of course, he recognized torii gates.
But there were so many of them!
Thinking back, he hadn't noticed this the last time he returned to Kuri.
But Kozuki Oden could at least be certain that ten years ago, Kuri definitely didn't have these.
But he didn't pay much attention to it.
After all, they were just torii gates.
Building a lot of them served no purpose.
Did they really think passing through a torii gate would lead to a god's dwelling?
How could that be possible?
He scoffed at the idea, not knowing that the reality was actually quite similar.
In fact, those torii gates had been created by Ren using his awakened Door-Door Fruit.
Using this ability, he had created torii gates and established a world within the doors.
Then he flipped the inside and outside of the doors.
The real Kuri had actually been hidden in another dimension by the power of the torii gates.
What they were seeing now was merely a mirror image.
This was made possible largely with Saya's help.
After eating the Phantom Fruit, she had developed it with great dedication.
Haki wasn't her strength, so she had spent essentially double the time developing her Devil Fruit abilities.
Of course, not everything was a mirror image.
The current Kuri was completely an illusion combining the real and the virtual.
Although Haki could cancel out some Devil Fruit abilities, Ren's own Haki was also at the pinnacle.
So even someone with powerful Haki would have a hard time noticing anything wrong immediately.
At most, staying for a long time might give them a vague sense of something being off.
Even Kaido and Oden were the same.
A brief stay would almost certainly not reveal any anomalies.
Let alone shattering this illusion.
It wasn't that it couldn't be done.
But it would take quite a lot of time.
[
Dear Readers,
I am currently posting two chapters every day across two active fictions, along with bonus releases and extra chapters. The workload is steady, and I am putting in the effort to keep the schedule consistent for everyone.
Right now, my financial situation is not great. Patreon support is what keeps this translation work sustainable. If you have been following the stories and want to help, joining a tier makes a direct difference.
Here is what membership offers:
Adventurer — $3 per month
10 chapters in advance for all of my works
Warrior — $7 per month
20 chapters in advance for all of my works
Immortal — $10 per month (Highlighted Tier)
30 chapters in advance for all of my works
Access to character images
Important note: Subscribing through the Apple App adds an extra 30 percent fee (Apple/Patreon policy). Subscribe through your browser to avoid the extra charge. Apple also processes payments very late (2 to 3 months), which makes it much harder for me to receive money quickly after you subscribe.
If you can support, it would genuinely help me continue the daily releases and early access content. If you cannot, reading and sharing the work is also appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Patreon: patreon.com/anish_44
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/anish_44
]