The legend of “Oden’s ghost” gradually became a well-known supernatural event in Wano Country. Besides Kozuki Hiyori, the more familiar people are with Oden, the more they find this incident plausible.
After Kozuki Oden concluded his bizarre adventures, his goal was to improve Wano Country. Although it has not yet fully opened its borders, Wano Country was immeasurably better than it had been a decade ago.
Reasonable industrialization didn’t harm the environment; instead, it greatly improved the quality of life. Moreover, with the help of the Pokémon—those scientifically inexplicable creatures—Wano Country had genuinely embarked on a path of green development.
After the New Year Festival, the year was now 1517, a pivotal moment for Wano Country. Because this was the year they gained a changed Shogun.
The new Shogun was no longer a mere puppet who rubber-stamped decisions. She even started offering constructive opinions—though these ideas were not particularly welcome to those still clinging to the prophecy.
Denjiro even once hinted at this to Hiyori, but her response left him speechless.
【 I don’t want to be framed as a criminal for no reason, nor do I want to be killed inexplicably.】
At the same time, the traditions of Wano Country were changing. The country’s isolation had led to unique customs, including their beliefs in various deities. Originally, the religious development in Wano Country did not lead to a singular belief system.
The local deities, although not as prominent as the emerging Pokémon, are still considered “orthodox.” However, this year, Kozuki Hiyori initiated sweeping reforms. Even the shrine behind the Shogun’s palace was replaced with a statue of Arceus.
The assassination attempt firmly placed her at odds with the conservative faction, and her apathetic heart turned to revenge. Since they didn’t want her to live, she had no intention of letting them live comfortably either.
……
“Lord Sacred Beast, look—there are more pilgrims now.”
At the highest floor of Sky Island above Wano Country, Arceus and Shayna stood overlooking Mt. Fuji’s summit. They could also see many Wano citizens climbing the mountain.
Arceus had originally come to check on the living environment of Altaria but to his surprise, he noticed some changes.
“Your decision was indeed correct. Ever since the New Year Festival, Kozuki Hiyori has transitioned from passive cooperation to actively taking the lead. Even Alber mentioned that things have been much smoother lately.”
Surrounded by uninhabited areas, the only ones who could hear their conversation were the nearby Altaria and Swablu, so Shayna spoke freely. [TN: Mentioning Alber’s name.]
“Is that so…”
Arceus offered no particular comment. He had only intended to conduct a trial, but the results were unexpectedly spectacular. Initially, most pilgrims were young people, but thanks to the Shogun’s words, even hesitant elders began to change.
They had long been torn between reality and tradition. Now, with the Shogun’s statement, everything made sense. This was also why maintaining even a puppet regime was crucial— the Shogun’s influence over Wano Country was profound.
Arceus was no devil. As long as no one crossed his bottom line, he leaned toward benevolence and preferred to avoid bloody purges.
He had expected this transformation to take longer, but unexpectedly, it happened much earlier. According to the information compiled by King, Kozuki Hiyori even suggested redefining Wano Country’s royal system and establishing a divine right of kings system.
However, it’s a bit too early to do that. The current changes are already significant, and many things need to be done gradually.
The current Wano Country has a very unique political system. It’s similar to a confessional state, but the religion is not the actual ruler. The combination of divine authority and actual royal power is so harmonious that you can’t find another example of it anywhere in the sea.
“Shayna, tell Misu to tone it down. There’s no point in stirring up so much commotion in Wano Country all the time.”
When it came to religious matters, Misu was always involved. Though she was officially a nun, her actions were more akin to that of a pope.
“Understood.”
In the past, Arceus didn’t have much to say about these issues, but his advice this time made Shayna pause. But after a moment, she understood his reasoning.
The purpose of the Arceus Cult wasn’t to amass faith but to recruit people to search for the Plates. Having spent so many years in Wano Country, it was already confirmed that no other Plates were here.
Thus, large-scale actions within Wano Country brought diminishing returns. It was better to accelerate missionary work elsewhere, encouraging followers to seek out more information about the Plates. This, ultimately, was what mattered to Arceus.
Previously, Misu had mentioned that Tiger had been spreading the teachings during his travels, but with little success. Few people were inclined to listen to a Fish-Man preach sermons. Misu herself had been considering leaving Wano Country for some time, and it seemed now was the right moment to do so.
Meanwhile, Pokémon continued to thrive and reproduce. The Millennial Dragon population has also seen an increase in new hatchlings. Farfetch’d can be seen in the sky, training by flying with a large leek tied to their back as a weight.
When holding the leeks in their hands, the weight would unbalance them, making flight impossible. While they appeared to be ordinary leeks, their density was extraordinary—so heavy that even Ash Ketchum would need both hands to lift one, highlighting just how heavy they were.
Elsewhere, Tinkaton spent its days locked in battles of wit and strength against Bisharp and Corviknight, Mareanie nibbled on nearby coral, while Magikarp were splashing around in the sea. The officers were carrying out missions in various seas, and during this process, they were also doing different things according to their own preferences.
The passage of time hadn’t changed the fundamental nature of the seas. It remained an era of turbulence. A new year heralded new beginnings, but it also meant crossing paths with more pirates.
Time flew by, and in a matter of months, both the Marines and the pirates had recruited fresh faces into their ranks. At Sabaody Archipelago, a new wave of rookies also arrived.
A brand-new pirate flag fluttered atop the mast, its design featuring a skull on a background of spade. Above the skull, there were two designs with completely opposite expressions, as well as a fire emblem.
This year’s Super Rookie, Fire Fist Ace, had completed the first half of journey and reached the gateway to the New World.
“Hey, Ace! We’re almost at Sabaody Archipelago!”
“Really? Finally! Let’s push through and charge straight into the New World!” Ace, standing at the bow of the ship, was brimming with confidence and excitement for the future.
But before he could shout out his next objective, his crew promptly poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. To enter the New World, we’ll need to coat the ship and pass through Fish-Man Island. That’ll take at least three days.”
The speaker was Skull, a self-proclaimed pirate enthusiast and collector of skull-themed merchandise. Having traveled to countless ports around the world on various ships, Skull played a significant role in the Spade Pirates’ ability to reach this place…
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