"If those two keep going at it, there won't be a winner anytime soon. If Jack doesn't return, the Beasts Pirates will definitely send stronger reinforcements—King the Wildfire and Queen the Plague."
Xia Te stood up and began walking deeper into Wano, waving his hand behind him.
"I'll leave this place to you. I'm going to retrieve something."
"Captain… if Kaido shows up…"
Law said cautiously.
At present, the strongest fighters in the Xia Te Pirates were Xia Te and Weevil.
Both possessed strength comparable to Admirals—
but Kaido's reputation was on another level entirely.
It was impossible not to feel uneasy.
"I told you, I have my own way of dealing with it."
Xia Te's tone carried absolute confidence.
Law and the others could only watch as his figure disappeared into the forest.
"You think you can just walk away!?"
In his mammoth form, Jack swung his trunk, kicking up a storm of sand as he tried to chase after Xia Te.
"Eyes forward. I'm your opponent."
Shiryu said coldly, his blade—coated in Armament Haki—slashing across Jack's thick hide again.
Another cut opened.
But clearly, Jack had reached the awakened stage of a Zoan.
His recovery speed was monstrous.
Even though Shiryu held the upper hand, he couldn't finish him quickly.
"Hey! Big chin! Struggling against a beast like that? Want to kneel and beg this god to step in and handle it for you?"
Enel sneered with blatant contempt.
"Shut up! I'll find a chance to kill you sooner or later!"
Shiryu snapped, his face dark.
In truth, the two were evenly matched.
But if both fought Jack, Enel would definitely win faster—
simply because the Rumble-Rumble Fruit gave him overwhelming destructive power.
Kuri — Amigasa Village
Since Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi took control of Wano,
they had turned every region outside the Flower Capital into wasteland.
This village was no exception.
Among all regions, Kuri resisted Orochi's rule the most.
Because it had once been ruled by Kozuki Oden.
Most of the Kozuki remnants were gathered here.
"A stranger's here!"
"Is he one of Kaido or Orochi's men?"
"Don't know… never seen him."
As Xia Te stepped into the village, the impoverished residents—
ragged and starving—
looked at him with a mix of fear and greed.
For them, even a full meal was a luxury.
Any outsider was a potential target for robbery.
Xia Te took out a pouch from his coat and tossed it onto the ground.
Instantly—
gold coins spilled out, glittering.
The villagers' eyes went wide.
"Want it?"
Xia Te asked calmly.
No one answered—
but their wolf-like gazes said everything.
"Tenguyama Hitetsu. Bring him to me, and all of this is yours."
Wano's internal factions were too complicated.
Xia Te couldn't keep track of all the Kozuki retainers—
but one man stood out clearly in his memory:
Tenguyama Hitetsu.
The most renowned swordsmith in Wano.
In his possession were several blades ranked among the 21 Great Grade Swords—
including:
Nidai Kitetsu (Second Generation Kitetsu)Ame no HabakiriEnma
Xia Te's own swords—Oto and Kogarashi—were already at the end of their lifespan.
Getting new blades from Hitetsu was the fastest solution.
Just then—
a man with a large face and a long-nosed tengu mask stepped out from behind the village.
"I am Tenguyama Hitetsu! Outsider—what business do you have with me?"
Xia Te looked up at him.
That mask alone confirmed his identity.
He raised his right hand slightly, palm open in a "hand it over" gesture.
"Give me your swords. Ame no Habakiri, Enma—you've got quite a few fine blades. I happen to need replacements."
Hitetsu's pupils shrank beneath the mask.
"Impossible!"
The two blades left behind by Kozuki Oden—
Ame no Habakiri and Enma—
were meant for his children.
Aside from a few insiders in the Flower Capital, no one should know this.
But there was no time to think.
Those blades could never be handed to a stranger.
"Saving them for Oden's children, are you?"
Xia Te yawned slightly, then smirked.
"Oden's son is nothing but a sniveling brat who cries and gropes women. If you entrust legendary blades to someone like that… even the swords would weep."
Just thinking about Momonosuke made him chuckle.
"You dare!?"
Hitetsu's expression changed drastically.
"You know of Lord Momonosuke? Where is he?!"
"I don't owe you answers."
Xia Te placed his hand lightly on the ground beside him.
His expression turned cold.
"I don't consider myself a good person… but I don't kill needlessly."
A pause.
"But if someone blocks my path—"
"I stop caring whether it's needless or not."
RUMBLE—!!!
In an instant—
the ground beneath Amigasa Village surged upward as if alive.
Like a tidal wave of earth,
rising high into the sky—
ready to swallow the entire village.
"Now."
Xia Te's voice was ice-cold.
"Where are the swords?"
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