"Tama!"
At that moment, a loud shout comes from the distance.
When the two looked up, they saw a man with a long nose, a red mask, and wings on his back rushing toward them.
He is Tenguyama Hitetsu, a master blacksmith who created Sandai Kitetsu. But in fact, he is the former Wanokuni Shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki, the father of Kozuki Oden. He was put in prison by Kurozumi Orochi and escaped after the death of Oden. Knowing the country has fallen under Orochi and Kaido rule, he's put his hope into the 20-year prophecy and eagerly waits for his grandson, Kozuki Momonosuke to take back Wano.
But just before reaching them, he came to a sudden halt.
Then he looked at Ace, his expression filled with surprise.
"It's been a while, Hitetsu-san!"
Ace greeted with a warm smile.
"Master, Ace is back…"
Tama lifted her head weakly, a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Are you really back?"
Tenguyama Hitetsu woke up in surprise, finding it a bit hard to believe.
Even though Ace had vowed before that he would return to this country and make sure that everyone here could eat their fill without any worries.
But no one knew for sure whether this would come to pass.
"Absolutely!"
"I haven't forgotten the promise I made that day!"
Ace chuckled and then suddenly remembered something. He turned to Whitebeard with haste: "This is my Oyaji– Whitebeard!"
"Whitebeard?"
Tenguyama Hitetsu took a look at Whitebeard, and then his expression changed. "Let's leave this place for now, and I'll fill you in on what's been happening in Wanokuni"
With that said, he signaled for them to follow and then turned to leave.
The three of them swiftly arrived at a small house, where Tama took some medicine and began to recover gradually.
"Uncle Hitetsu, what happened to Wanokuni?"
Ace couldn't contain his curiosity and asked eagerly.
"It's Kaido and Orochi!"
Tenguyama Hitetsu let out a deep sigh: "Just a day ago, Orochi and Kaido issued an evacuation order, calling all their strong combatant and magic users to leave. They also spread the news that the world's most wicked pirate group, the Whitebeard Pirates, was planning to attack Wanokuni and slaughter everyone. The people here didn't know the real story, so they've been hiding in their homes"
"Brother Ace is not a bad person!"
Tama shouted with anger.
"Guurarara~"
"No wonder, that kid Kaido has gathered all his forces"
Whitebeard said with a calm smile.
He understood that the 'magic users' referred to the capable individuals from the Beast Pirates.
However, Wanokuni has always been an isolated country. Many people here are unfamiliar with Devil Fruits abilities, so they often think that people who have strange abilities as magic user
"That kid Kaido?"
Tenguyama Hitetsu trembled all over.
Kaido has a fearsome reputation in Wanokuni, and he's an existence even the Shogun Kurozumi Orochi fears.
It was the first time he heard someone refer to Kaido as a 'kid'
"Don't worry, Pops is the strongest man in the world. The former Kozuki Oden, Daimyo of Kuri was a division commander on Pops's ship"
"This time, Pops has come to Wanokuni to start a war against Kaido!"
Ace chuckled.
"What? A war against Kaido?"
Tenguyama Hitetsu heard this almost screaming frantically and jumped to his feet. He looked at Whitebeard with horror on his face.
He's not one of the Nine Red Scabbards, and Wanokuni has been isolated for as long as he can remember.
So, he doesn't know anything about the outside world beyond Wano.
In the eyes of Wanokuni people, Kaido is the strongest existence in the world.
For this very reason, the people are inclined to believe the rumors about the Whitebeard Pirates being the most wicked pirates in the world, coming to Wanokuni to slaughter everyone.
"Is Uncle Whitebeard stronger than Kaido?"
Tama asked with curiosity.
"Hahahaha~"
"Of course, Pops is known as the King of the World. The reason Kaido called back those magic users is because he's afraid of Pops's attack"
"Tama, remember, Pops is the strongest man in the world. No one can defeat him!"
Ace said, patting Tama's head and laughed.
"Amazing!"
Tama looked at Whitebeard with admiration and then clenched her fist. "Once I become a great ninja, can I join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
She asked with enthusiasm.
"Of course!"
Ace nodded without any hesitation.
"That's great!"
Tama raised her hand and cheered loudly, filling the house with her joyful laughter like silver bells.
"The King of the World, the man who made Kaido tremble!"
In contrast to Tama's innocence, Tenguyama Hitetsu understood the weight of these words, and he looked at Whitebeard with astonishment in his eyes.
"Bulu bulu bulu~"
Just then, the Den-Den Mushi in Whitebeard's pocket began to ring.
"Hmm?"
Whitebeard retrieved the Den-Den Mushi and discovered it was a message from Marco, so he quickly answered the call.
"Oyaji, where are you right now? Izou and I have arrived on the island with Issho, and we're planning to search for Oden's retainers to bring them into our group"
Marco's voice came through.
"Oden's retainers?"
Whitebeard thought about the Nine Red Scabbards.
Among them, Kinemon, Kanjuro, Kiku, and Raizo have traversed time and space. As for Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, it's uncertain whether they are in Zou or not.
But apart from these few people.
Kawamatsu, Ashura Doji, and Denjiro are currently in Wanokuni.
And these three remain as the strongest members among the Nine Red Scabbards.
Their participation in this war would indeed be a significant help.
With this in mind, Whitebeard spoke into the Den-Den Mushi: "I'm currently in Okobore Town. You can come here to find me."
"Okobore Town?"
Marco was surprised.
Although he had been to Wanokuni before, he hadn't come across it at that time.
But he didn't think on it too much. Since it's a small town in Kuri, he figured it should be easy to find.
After conveying the message, he hung up the Den-den Mushi.
In just twenty minutes, Marco and the other two had arrived.
"Izou, tell me what you think?"
Whitebeard said.
"Oyaji, even though Lord Oden has passed away, there are still many formidable retainers and still loyal to lord Oden who are active in Wanokuni"
"So, I want to gather these people and have them join us!"
Izou stated with determination in his voice.
"Then, how should we go about gathering them?"
Whitebeard didn't reject the idea.
"I haven't been to Wanokuni in a long time, so I don't know where those people are. However, I don't believe Kaido will release them easily. We could start by going to the prison; we might find one of them there"
Izou calmly analyzed.
"In that case, we should head to the excavation sites in Udon or Kibi first"
Ace suggested.
Ace had been here before and was familiar with the situation in this country.
Given their objective of finding a prisoner, these two locations were their best starting points.
"Guurarara~"
"Then let's get started!"
Whitebeard nodded in agreement.
"Izou, he's returned, and the Whitebeard Pirates are searching for us!"
Shinobu, who had been concealed in the shadows, couldn't contain her excitement.
Then she silently slipped away, intending to inform Ashura Doji of this matter.
.
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TO BE CONTINUE
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