Wano Country.
Since returning from Onigashima, there have been multiple conflicts between Kaido, the "Beast pirates," and Kozuki Oden. However, because Kaido occupied Kibi, Udon, and Ringo, he had considerable strength. Although Oden was individually strong, there was a significant gap in basic military power between them and the alliance of Kaido and Orochi. War wasn't just about soldiers' strength and morale but also about logistics.
Originally, after Kozuki Oden returned to Kuri, the head of the Kozuki clan, Denjiro, attempted to sneak into Ringo to contact several daimyos to form an alliance and attack Kaido and Orochi's alliance from the rear. However, she was outright rejected.
The reason for the rejection was simple: the entire Ringo region couldn't provide enough resources to form an army. Although forcibly collecting resources from the Ringo commoners was possible, despite the rift between Hakumai and Ringo, markets had been established where people from both sides interacted.
Many Ringo residents even migrated to the nearby areas because of this trade zone.
While looting this area or forcibly collecting food from the commoners could gather resources, it would tarnish the reputation of the Kozuki family in Ringo. If their cooperation with Oden to fight Kaido failed, the angry Ringo residents might even desecrate their ancestral graves.
Although Ringo couldn't mobilize large-scale troops, the daimyos, including Oden, stated they could declare war on Kaido and Orochi as a promise of loyalty to the Kozuki family's ancestors.
Without the large forces from Ringo, Oden's strength alone wasn't enough to completely defeat the alliance between Orochi and the Beast Pirates. For a while, the situation in Wano Country became precarious.
Moreover, the main reason was the dramatic changes in Hakumai, making the situation in Wano Country even more unpredictable. The alliance formed by the new classes in Hakumai, led by Vista, mixed everything up. Both Oden in Kuri and Kaido in Onigashima were reluctant to engage fully because they feared that if they both ended up weakened, someone else would take advantage of the situation.
So, except for a few clashes between Oden and Kaido after Oden's return, including directly attacking the Shogun's residence in Flower capital, the two sides entered a ceasefire.
It was said that when Oden left the Shogun's residence, people around went to see the battle scars left behind. It was almost half destroyed, and there were many bodies on the battlefield. Most of these bodies were frostbitten and had faces like demons. Even those who were still alive had frost covering their bodies like demons, and eventually, they were all slaughtered by Oden's guards.
"Denjiro, is the antidote not ready yet!?"
In the mansion of the daimyo of Kuri, Kozuki Oden looked at Denjiro with a solemn expression. Among Oden's retainers, Denjiro was undoubtedly the most charismatic leader.
"Lord Oden, based on the samples and descriptions you brought back, it seems that Kaido and Orochi are in possession of a highly contagious plague. This plague turns the infected into mindless monsters, and once bitten or scratched by these monsters, one becomes infected."
"Although we know it's a plague, unfortunately, Lord Oden, with our current medical capabilities, we are unable to produce a potion to counteract it. Perhaps there might be a cure outside of Wano Country."
Denjiro knelt on the ground, speaking earnestly.
Although Oden was mentally prepared, Denjiro's words still made his expression somewhat unpleasant. Having experienced great adventures, he knew the level of medical care in Wano Country. If someone got sick, they either had to gather some herbs or ask a shrine priest for some amulets. Even in the vast Wano Country, not even a simple surgery could be performed. No, perhaps Hakumai could, as according to the intelligence he had received, it wasn't much different from the other maritime islands he had visited.
"Is there really no way?"
Oden was still unwilling to give up.
"Um, Lord Oden, the situation you described seems to ring a bell. According to the scrolls of the shinobi, a similar virus once broke out somewhere a long time ago. Someone used a special product called 'Shining jewel' to turn all the people on an island into mindless monsters who only knew how to kill. Moreover, if the user of this elixir is powerful enough, they might even gain even greater power, comparable to demons."
"Shining jewel? Is there any record of how to make an antidote?"
Oden hurriedly asked, while Denjiro, Kinemon, and Kikunojo all looked towards Raizo, wanting to know if the scrolls of the shinobi contained any information about the antidote to the Shining jewel. Even if it wasn't the same plague, there might still be valuable references for an antidote, perhaps even one that could counteract the plague that turned people into frost demons.
"Um, no."
Seeing the expectant eyes of everyone, Raizo shrugged helplessly.
Instantly, everyone felt immensely disappointed.
"Lord Oden, with our current strength, it seems difficult to defeat the alliance of Kaido and Orochi and reclaim Flower capital. It might be better to seek help from the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates."
At this moment, Inuarashi suddenly spoke up, apparently realizing that the situation in Wano Country couldn't be solved by Oden alone. Not to mention the monster entrenched in Flower capital, just Kaido alone was not someone they could easily deal with.
"Meow, that's right, Lord Oden, you helped Roger so much, he definitely won't refuse. Moreover, with Lord Oden being on Whitebeard's ship, once Whitebeard hears about the current situation in Wano, he'll definitely come with the Whitebeard Pirates to drive away Kaido."
Nekomamushi also chimed in.
Hearing Nekomamushi and Inuarashi's words, Kin'emon and Raizo, as well as Kikunojo, all looked curiously at Oden. They had also heard from Nekomamushi and Inuarashi about the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates, and they had even witnessed it firsthand. Anyone who could easily defeat Oden must be able to defeat Kaido.
Although they didn't know how strong the Roger Pirates were, being compared to the mighty Whitebeard indicated that they weren't simple.
If they could invite those two powerful pirate crews, they would surely be able to solve the current crisis facing the Kozuki family.
Listening to Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, Kanjuro's expression, full of acting skills, couldn't help but change slightly. After all, unlike the closed-off Kuri, he had obtained a lot of information from Kaido, and it wasn't just becoming the Pirate King like Roger; just the Whitebeard Pirates alone weren't opponents that Kaido and Orochi could resist.
At the same time, Kanjuro also looked towards Oden, wanting to see if he could get some information from his expression.
"I'll consider this matter."
Oden didn't directly agree but frowned.