Fourteen years ago, the great battle in the Flower Capital changed everything in Wano Country. Since then, Wano Country has entered a period of rapid development.
Kozuki Hiyori’s puppet regime made most people abandon resistance, and the tangible benefits gradually made them accept their current life.
The prophecy left by Kozuki Toki before her disappearance is gradually being forgotten, and there are fewer and fewer people who care about it anymore.
There weren’t many people sitting around the table, and they all looked rather old. They refused to accept the changes brought by the Beasts Pirates, stubbornly living as they did in the past. With low crop yields, they needed to work harder just to fill their stomachs, which made them look older.
“Does assassinating Shogun Hiyori… really mean anything?”
“She’s not Shogun! Have you ever seen a Shogun willingly become the enemy’s puppet?! If she had any dignity, she would have taken her own life long ago! More and more people are forgetting everything.
Only by killing her, by stripping the Beasts Pirates of their legitimacy, can we awaken the people of Wano Country and give them the courage to resist, to challenge their rule in the future, and to provide Lord Momonosuke with enough soldiers!
Even if Lord Oden were alive, he would never want to see things as they are now.”
The leader of the group continued to push his agenda, painting Kozuki Hiyori as a despicable villain.
“But… isn’t our enemy Kaido? Shouldn’t we be focusing on overthrowing him? Maybe Lady Hiyori has no choice but to do it—after all, even Lord Oden is dead. What else could she do…?”
“Don’t call her ‘Lady’! That woman doesn’t deserve such respect!”
The true problem facing Wano Country was the Beasts Pirates who were stationed here. He knew this well. If they could drive the Beasts Pirates away, it would be far more meaningful than assassinating Kozuki Hiyori. But the problem was, he couldn’t do it.
Kaido’s strength and Kozuki Hiyori’s strength were worlds apart. Even with countless people protecting her, she was still far easier to deal with than the near-invincible Kaido.
Assassinate Kaido?
If he were capable of that, he wouldn’t be confined to this small, broken hut, plotting in secret.
The reason they decided to assassinate Kozuki Hiyori was that they felt they had to do something. In the current Wano Country, a person might not know the Shogun’s name, but they would certainly have heard of the Beasts Pirates. This situation was exactly what they weren’t willing to see.
Various things were pushing them to act, including a framed photo placed at an empty seat on the table, showing a person who had recently passed away.
Not long ago, a seriously ill old man had been brought to the Beasts Pirates’ Pokémon Center.
He hadn’t wanted to go there, but his children, against his wishes, had forcibly taken him to the Beasts Pirates’ Pokémon Center.
After a series of tests, the doctors concluded it was too late.
Conventional methods were ineffective, so they suggested the family go climb Mt. Fuji and use the healing spring water at the summit for treatment.
In other countries, this would just be a way of offering psychological comfort. But in Wano Country, it is a power beyond human strength. As long as there is perseverance, accomplishing this is not difficult. Yet the patient resolutely refused, and in the end, he passed away.
This served as a wake-up call for the group—they were old now, and if they kept waiting, even if someone did come, they might not be able to hold their weapons anymore.
Queen also played a major role in this. The nationwide identity checks, with random inspections occurring regularly, made them suspicious that Queen was on guard against them.
A person’s perspective limits many things. While their understanding of Oden is that he was very strong, they don’t know just how strong. For example, a farmer in the mountains might think that an emperor lives by farming with a golden hoe and eat white steamed buns every day.
They have a simple logic: when a person is killed, they die. So, Queen must also be worried about getting assassinated by them.
In reality, they were only half right. Queen did fear assassination, but not from them. These people could attack him for three days straight, and he’d probably regenerate faster than they could hurt him.
“Think carefully—can you really afford to wait any longer? People have already nearly forgotten the Kozuki name. What do you think things will look like in another six years? Can you even imagine?”
“With just us… there’s no way we’d be able to get into the Flower Capital’s palace.”
The fact that they had gathered here meant they all had their own beliefs, and that belief had been to drive out Kaido. But now it had turned into a plan to assassinate Kozuki Hiyori, which made many of them hesitate.
However, they still thought the other was right, so they only voiced their concerns rather than walking away.
“This is our chance. In a few days, the New Year Festival will take place. The Beasts Pirates will be celebrating in Onigashima, leaving Wano Country. Kozuki Hiyori will participate in the celebrations within Wano Country. This is our opportunity!”
For over a decade, peace had reigned, and security around the Shogun was no longer as strict as it had been during the Kurozumi rebellion. Compared to infiltrating the palace, it would certainly be easier to take action during the celebration.
But he could see that many people were still afraid. He’d laid out the logic, and now he started playing on their emotions.
“We all grew up together. Remember the courage test we used to do when we were kids? People fear because they care too much about themselves. So, empty your mind and give it your all—Sunacchi!”
A Wano Country tradition: throw away your name and wits, and fight like beasts. At this moment, these words were uttered once more.
“Sunacchi!”
“Sunacchi!”
Similar voices successively rang out within the room, eventually turning into a uniform shout. With everyone’s support, a plan began to take shape.
However, the people discussing the plan did not notice that an unusual frog was hanging upside down on the eaves outside.
This frog was, of course, Greninja, the Pokémon responsible for ninja activities in Wano Country.
The Beasts Pirates now enforced a non-oppressive rule; as long as one didn’t explicitly rebel, one’s safety wasn’t at risk. Although these people hadn’t acted, they were under close surveillance.
Each of their gatherings was already under the Beasts Pirates’ watch. They had been behaving suspiciously recently, so Greninja had been monitoring them.
Not long after they dispersed, Greninja left as well.
He didn’t return to the Flower Capital but instead slipped through the night straight to Onigashima.
…
“Lord Arceus, that’s the situation. These people haven’t appreciated your mercy. Do you need me to handle it?”
Greninja’s fingers slid across his tongue, clearly indicating his intentions. These ninjas were experts in assassination, and if Arceus gave the order, they could disappear before the New Year Festival, and no one would suspect a thing.
“No need. Just keep the situation under control. Let that little girl understand that, in the current Wano Country, we’re the ones who want her safe the most.”
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