Led by a high-ranking Crimson Empire pirate, the Kurozumi duo smoothly navigated the grand halls of the Royal Palace and successfully met their carefully considered cooperation partner.
The Flame Emperor, Atlas D. York!
He was someone they had thought highly of during their time at Pirate Island Hachinosu, but they had never found the opportunity to approach him. Since then, he had rapidly ascended to become arguably the most powerful man in the world after the fall of Rocks D. Xebec, relying purely on his own monstrous ability and intellect.
Looking at the imposing figure seated on the throne, York's sheer youth deeply astonished the two old schemers.
'If I remember correctly, York is only thirty this year, right?' Kurozumi Higurashi thought, her eyes widening slightly as she felt the suffocating, ambient Haki in the room. 'But his presence and strength have already reached the invincible realm... just like Rocks...'
Higurashi's beady eyes darted around, secretly glancing at the towering Kaido, who was seated cross-legged on the floor to York's left, just beneath the throne.
Compared to the invincible, unfathomable York, she actually heavily preferred Kaido for this plot. After all, Kaido had no true political foundation of his own; to achieve anything on the scale of an Empire, he would need their manipulative help, and the Kurozumi could, in turn, gain a far more equal cooperative status with him.
Unfortunately for Higurashi, reality was cruel. Kaido did not selfishly establish his own independent Pirate Crew after the collapse of the Rocks Pirates; instead, he had sworn unwavering loyalty to York's command. This meant that even if they desperately wanted to manipulate Kaido, they absolutely couldn't bypass York.
"Kurozumi Higurashi, Kurozumi Semimaru... offer our humblest greetings to His Majesty York!"
The Kurozumi duo were very sensible and acutely aware of the power dynamic. Apart from the brief, calculating glance they gave Kaido when they first entered the hall, they immediately knelt on one knee, bowing their heads to show absolute humility to the Emperor.
York raised his hand casually, allowing them to stand. He leaned forward and asked directly, "I heard from my port guards that you came to me to discuss a cooperation? What kind of cooperation?"
Kurozumi Higurashi stood up, looking up at York on his throne. She had already meticulously prepared her negotiation speech on the long voyage here. Seeing York being so blunt, she immediately launched into her pitch.
"Six years have passed since the apocalyptic incident at God Valley, Your Majesty, and the remnants of the Rocks Pirates are gradually carving up the world."
Higurashi spread her hands. "Golden Lion Shiki, Whitebeard, BIG MOM, and of course, you, Emperor York! However... although in terms of individual, god-like strength you can currently overpower the other three, in terms of sheer global influence and total military numbers, the current Crimson Empire cannot yet create an insurmountable gap."
"Giao-giao-giao-giao!"
After a series of strange, grating laughs, Higurashi lowered her voice into a conspiratorial whisper. "I know that with your boundless ambition, you surely aren't satisfied with merely being on equal footing with those other three. You are the man who truly inherited the absolute will of Rocks D. Xebec! So, I have a proposition!"
"Giao-giao-giao!" Higurashi continued, "The rapid expansion of military power cannot be done without weapons! And the raw materials for manufacturing weapons cannot be secured without massive iron ore reserves!"
"My homeland, Wano Country, is a rich, isolated land with incredibly abundant mineral resources and world-class sword-forging techniques! In addition to that... Wano also possesses the world's absolute largest Seastone vein! This is a geopolitical treasure trove that you won't find a second of anywhere else in the entire world!!"
York sat calmly on his throne, quietly watching Higurashi's passionate, desperate speech.
After finishing her grand pitch, the old hag bowed slightly to York.
"My Kurozumi clan is willing to become a loyal vassal of the Crimson Empire! We will build a massive weapons factory for His Majesty York in Wano, and provide a continuous, heavily discounted supply of premium weapons and Seastone!"
"In return, we have only one request!" Higurashi's eyes burned with venomous hatred. "We hope His Majesty York can deploy his Legions to help us drive out the evil Kozuki clan! We need your military backing to support the Kurozumi clan in claiming our rightful place as the Shogun of Wano!"
After speaking, Kurozumi Higurashi remained in a deep bow, and Kurozumi Semimaru beside her also bent deeply at the waist.
York looked down at them calmly. His tone was casual, acting as if the legendary Wano Country was of no major concern to him.
"Your plan is quite clever, Higurashi. You want me to send my troops, spend my Empire's blood, and exert massive military effort to conquer Wano... and after all the heavy lifting is done, you want me to hand you the political throne of the country essentially for free."
York smirked. "Why go through all this diplomatic trouble? Can't I just occupy the country directly and violently? Just like the Hart and Clandia provinces I conquered earlier, my own people know perfectly well how to build weapons factories."
Hearing this entirely logical counter-argument, Kurozumi Higurashi did not panic. Instead, she remained incredibly confident in her trump card.
"Giao-giao-giao! Wano Country is fundamentally different, Your Majesty!"
Higurashi began to explain the cultural reality of the isolated nation. "The people of that country are rigid, honor-bound, and impossibly stubborn. They are extremely resistant to outsiders. Even if His Majesty York wiped out the Kozuki clan with absolute power, the samurai would never recognize a foreign pirate's rule. They would only launch endless, bloody, suicidal rebellions."
"Even if it were my Kurozumi clan taking the throne, it would require a highly complex, psychological, and covert operation to make them barely accept our rule from the shadows."
Higurashi looked up, her veiled threat clear. "So, His Majesty York, Wano Country is not as simple to annex as the weak nations of the West Blue. You probably don't want to spend the majority of your military energy and resources indefinitely suppressing endless samurai rebellions, do you?"
York's face remained completely stoic, but he couldn't help but want to laugh internally.
The people of Wano Country wouldn't accept my rule and would constantly rebel? York thought, amused.
He looked at Kurozumi Higurashi and asked with a hint of playfulness, "According to you, the only viable way for me to smoothly occupy Wano's resources is to cooperate with your Kurozumi clan?"
"It's not quite that extreme!!" Higurashi quickly interrupted, backpedaling slightly to avoid insulting the Emperor. "It's just that cooperating with us requires the absolute least cost in blood and treasure! But of course, if His Majesty York doesn't care about the cost, no matter how stubborn Wano is, they would eventually be crushed beneath your feet!"
"Hehehe." York chuckled softly. "I like to hear that."
Then, he turned his gaze to Kaido and Dragon, who were seated on his left and right below the dais.
"You both heard Kurozumi Higurashi. Wano Country is indeed a highly strategic location, and securing its Seastone will indeed be extremely helpful for the next stage of our Empire's development. Tell me your tactical opinions. Should we cooperate with them?"
Kaido and Dragon exchanged a brief glance. Dragon nodded, gesturing for the Vanguard Commander to speak first.
Kaido grinned, revealing his sharp teeth. "My suggestion is to fight! Regardless of whether Wano has rich iron ore or what their sword-forging techniques are like, the mere fact that it possesses the world's largest Seastone vein makes it absolutely worth our occupation!"
York looked at Dragon. The Revolutionary-minded strategist also nodded slightly.
"My tactical suggestion is also cooperation, Captain. However, before officially committing our Legions to this alliance, I think we should first conduct a thorough infiltration of Wano to see if its geography and military strength are truly as special as she claims."
York nodded in approval. After a moment of thought, he rendered his verdict. "Since you both suggest moving on Wano, I will follow your advice."
"But as Dragon astutely pointed out, pre-war intelligence gathering is paramount! As the ancient saying goes: Know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated!"
York stood up. "How about this. You two will be directly responsible for the initial reconnaissance of Wano! It's been a long time since you two have been out on the field together, so this is an excellent opportunity to stretch your legs and have some fun."
Kaido and Dragon were both momentarily stunned by the direct assignment, then both smiled.
Kaido chuckled, his massive hand gripping his kanabo. "Uorororo! Fieldwork? It really has been a long time since I've been out to crack some skulls!"
Dragon's attitude was much more serious, adjusting his cloak. "I guarantee the intelligence mission will be completed flawlessly, Your Majesty."
Leaving the Kurozumi duo to rest after hosting them in the palace for a night, Kaido and Dragon immediately began their logistical preparations for the covert voyage.
Although both monstrous commanders could technically fly using their respective abilities, the Kurozumi duo could not. They obviously couldn't just abandon their two native guides and head straight for Wano blind.
Preparations were quickly completed, and the two commanders directly boarded the Kurozumi clan's specialized covert ship and set sail into the treacherous New World.
In a flash, ten days passed.
Guided by the specific, erratic magnetic pull of the Eternal Pose in Higurashi's hand, the vessel successfully arrived at the violent, chaotic offshore waters surrounding Wano Country.
The wind howled like banshees, lightning violently flashed, thunder roared continuously in the darkened sky, and the sea was a churning, turbulent nightmare of lethal whirlpools. The impossibly harsh natural environment immediately gave Kaido and Dragon a rude, physical awakening to the reality of Wano's isolation.
"Uorororo! Wano Country is actually surrounded by such a hellish environment?" Kaido laughed over the roaring wind.
Higurashi shouted back from the helm, "Only the outer sea environment is this harsh! The interior of Wano, above the cliffs, is a rare, perfectly temperate and fertile land!"
Before long, guided by Higurashi's familiar, highly specific route through the currents, Kaido and the others successfully bypassed the lethal, ship-breaking reefs and arrived at the base of a colossal waterfall.
A massive, roaring waterfall descended from the heavens, flanked on all sides by towering, sheer rock cliffs that seemed completely endless—the legendary Walls of Sighing. If not for the incorrect color of the rock, Kaido and Dragon would have almost thought they had accidentally arrived back at the Red Line.
"Giao-giao-giao!" Higurashi cackled over the roar of the water. "This is the absolute protective wall built by the ancient ancestors of Wano to resist foreign enemies! The real Wano Country is located at the very top of this great waterfall!"
Kaido nodded slightly, stepping up to the bow. He directly transformed, his body violently expanding into his massive, mythological Azure Dragon form.
Thick, fiery purple Flame Clouds were released from his massive dragon claws, tightly coiling entirely around the wooden hull of the Kurozumi ship. As Kaido's serpentine dragon body rapidly ascended into the sky, the ship was effortlessly ripped from the water and rose into the air alongside him.
Tracing the sheer vertical source of the great waterfall, and effortlessly climbing over Wano's towering outer mountain wall, the previously harsh, apocalyptic weather instantly vanished, replaced by clear, bright, beautiful skies.
Ahead of them was a massive, pristine lake—or rather, a vast inland sea—situated thousands of meters above sea level. A massive, lethal whirlpool slowly rotated at the very source of the waterfall they had just bypassed. If Kaido and the others had attempted to ascend the waterfall via normal, risky navigation with the giant carp, they would have likely fallen into crisis due to this massive whirlpool trap immediately upon cresting the falls.
Fortunately, Kaido's god-like flight allowed him to completely bypass the traps of nature.
Looking out into the distance across the calm inland sea, the distinct, beautiful outline of a massive island nation was faintly visible. It was a place of gentle breezes, cherry blossoms, and bright sunshine, truly seeming like a rich, secluded, utopian paradise.
"Let's not enter the main mainland of Wano just yet! Our secret base is in that direction!" Higurashi pointed to the opposite side of the inland sea.
Because of its close proximity, a general, highly ominous outline could be vaguely seen rising from the mist. It was an island shaped exactly like the colossal skull of some ancient, demonic giant.
"That's Onigashima," Higurashi said, her eyes gleaming. "We'll establish our forward base there first!"
Kaido did not refuse. Carrying the ship securely within his Flame Clouds, he flew directly across the water to Onigashima, landing the vessel smoothly at a hidden port showing distinct signs of artificial, secret construction.
Splash!
As the ship gently entered the water of the hidden cove, Kurozumi Higurashi and Semimaru both breathed a massive sigh of relief. Being controlled by a Yonko Commander's ability and flying thousands of meters in the sky was incredibly unnerving for the old schemers. Now back on the solid sea, their racing hearts settled.
Disembarking from the ship, Kaido shifted back into his towering human form, his boots hitting the rocky dock.
He looked up at the huge, hollow skull mountain looming before him. The two massive, upward-curving demonic horns jutting out on either side of the mountain gave him an incredibly strange, almost primal feeling of familiarity.
It felt as if this brutal, skeletal place should be his absolute home.
Shaking his head slightly, discarding such unrealistic, sentimental thoughts, he and Dragon followed Kurozumi Higurashi deep into the dark interior of the hollow skull.
The interior of the cavernous mountain was incredibly spacious, with only a few simple stone houses built in the middle. A small handful of people with distinctive purple hair, dressed similarly to the Kurozumi duo, were moving in and out of the shadows.
"The elders have returned?!"
"Lady Higurashi!! Lord Semimaru!!"
The return of the Kurozumi leaders caused a small, desperate commotion among the surviving clan members hiding in the skull. After some quick, emotional greetings, the duo obtained the absolute latest intelligence regarding Wano's political climate.
It was largely consistent with the smuggled letters they had received back at Winner Island.
Kozuki Oden had successfully tamed the lawless region of Kuri and was now its respected Daimyo. He was deeply loved by the common people, and his once-ragged retainers were diligently studying etiquette, devouring books, and training relentlessly, preparing for Oden's inevitable future succession as the Shogun of Wano.
In addition, the two deep-cover spies the Kurozumi had arranged beforehand—Kurozumi Kanjuro and Kurozumi Orochi—were also progressing incredibly smoothly in their respective sabotages.
Kanjuro had gained the absolute, blind trust of Kozuki Oden. Playing his role perfectly, he currently held a crucial, highly trusted position among Oden's inner circle of retainers.
Orochi was still working as a lowly servant under the Daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie. However, his manipulative relationship with Oden was also quite good. He routinely borrowed massive sums of money from the naive Oden, and even frequently stole gold from Yasuie's vaults, brilliantly framing Oden for the thefts to ruin the Kozuki reputation while simultaneously accumulating massive development funds for the Kurozumi clan's revenge.
After hearing this comprehensive intelligence report, Kaido couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"Uororororo! It seems you rats really made a lot of meticulous preparations! It feels like even if we didn't come to back you up, you still had a remarkably good chance of completing your political coup!"
"Giao-giao-giao! You're entirely wrong about that, Kaido!" Higurashi smiled grimly. "Without your Empire's raw military aid, our covert machinations alone would absolutely not be able to succeed!"
"Kozuki Oden's raw martial power is simply far too monstrous! He is truly, undeniably invincible in Wano!" Higurashi gritted her teeth. "No matter how perfect our Kurozumi clan's assassination plans are, they would be effortlessly physically destroyed in the face of his world-class swordsmanship! That's exactly why we had to seek you out as our external sword!"
Kaido's reptilian eyes narrowed dangerously upon hearing this.
"You said he's invincible?!" Kaido growled, gripping his kanabo.
"Giao-giao! That's exactly right! He is the absolute strongest samurai of this era! I'd wager even you might not be able to consistently win against him in a straight duel right now."
"Uororororo! Interesting!" Kaido rolled his neck, cracking his knuckles as absolute, bloodthirsty battle intent surged in his eyes.
Just then, Dragon, who had been silently assessing the island's strategic value, spoke up.
"Kaido. We are here strictly to investigate Wano's defenses and resources this time. Do not let your obsession with fighting delay or compromise our intelligence mission!"
"Uorororo, don't worry, Dragon. I know exactly what I'm doing!" Kaido smirked.
Dragon stared at the towering Oni in absolute silence for a few seconds. Feeling that Kaido's verbal assurance wasn't very credible in the slightest, Dragon proposed a tactical shift.
"How about this. We split into two separate units," Dragon ordered.
"Kaido, you will investigate overtly. You will actively challenge the famed samurai of Wano under the guise of an invading, foreign pirate, physically testing their overall military strength and Oden's response time."
Dragon pulled his dark hood over his head. "I will investigate completely covertly. I will disguise myself as a local ronin and visit the various mainland regions to see exactly what is so geopolitically special about this country, and assess the true sentiment of the common people."
Hearing this violent proposal, Kaido's eyes lit up with sheer joy.
"A brilliant suggestion, Dragon! I'll gladly follow your lead on this one!!"
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