The rain had stopped right on time. As Kuzan returned to the small alley, he saw a group of people and Mightyena standing somewhat awkwardly around the ice sculpture.
Kuzan's ice was exceptionally hard. Despite being washed over by the rain for so long, there was no sign of it melting. Instead, the ice chunks had only expanded in size.
"Mr. Kuzan, could I trouble you to thaw this guy out? We need to take him to face punishment."
Ordinary citizens might not recognize Kuzan, but members of the Beasts Pirates would never forget this face.
"Punishment? I thought you only had the death penalty."
"Mr. Kuzan, you jest. We have a complete legal system, and to be honest, sometimes the death penalty is actually too merciful for certain b*stards."
"Can I come and see for myself?"
"Well, this…"
If it were anywhere else, they would have no issue letting Kuzan come along. But this man was being sent to the Udon Quarry. No one there could keep Kuzan in check. Even with large quantities of Seastone weapons and Rock-type Pokémon with special attributes*, Kuzan would still be troublesome. [TN: Like Seastone Pokemon]
They were worried that Kuzan might stir up trouble there. Wano Country's military might was sufficient to suppress the aftermath, but they too would have to take responsibility for being the cause of this.
"It's fine, bring him there. If anything happens, I'll take the blame."
"Yes, Oni Princess!"
Yamato had already left the hot springs. The scouts she had stationed outside informed her that Kaido was busy exchanging insights with Queen and wouldn't have time to look for her anytime soon.
This information, passed on by the Blissey through the Beautifly, was absolutely reliable in Yamato's eyes. That was why she left after the rain stopped, and just so happened to pass by here.
With Yamato's guarantee, they no longer had any worries, and carried the man off in the direction of Udon.
Even though Kuzan had thawed him out, he didn't immediately regain consciousness. Not everyone had the monstrous physique that allowed them to awaken instantly after being frozen.
At Udon, Kuzan saw the place in Wano Country that most resembled a pirate nation.
Guards stood above, watching the surroundings, while those inside worked non-stop under their coercion.
"Babanuki! Come out and take him in. Delivering another piece of trash!"
Inside the Udon Quarry, Babanuki, who was in his Slaking form, shuddered and reverted to human form before walking toward the gate.
Having had his ability for so many years, Babanuki had further mastered the Slaking ability. Besides the convenient Switch Mode for battle, he had also discovered an extra benefit.
If he rested while transformed, the quality of his sleep would skyrocket.
No matter the environment, he could fall asleep the moment he lay down, without ever waking up with a stiff neck.
After waking, he would feel refreshed, all fatigue swept away—an essential remedy for anyone who wanted to slack off.
"Oni Princess, why have you personally come?"
"I just came along with him to take a look. Don't mind us, just carry on as usual."
Yamato pointed to Kuzan behind her. Besides keeping her eyes on him, she also wanted to continue with her Ice Substitute plan. Kaido had absolutely no interest in Kuzan, which made her feel like a failure.
She had worked so hard to come up with this plan, only for Kaido not to take the bait.
Until Queen couldn't hold on anymore, Yamato was safe. Bringing Kuzan along was just a double safeguard, preventing Kuzan from causing trouble while also guarding against a surprise attack from Kaido.
The rest of the process was simple: life imprisonment.
The man claimed he had merely lost control under the influence of alcohol, that he hadn't meant it, but instead of reducing his sentence, the excuse only made it worse. In this place, the least believable words one could utter were "I lost control under the influence of alcohol."
Kaido was an example—his so-called drunken outbursts were complete nonsense. It could only be said that he already had those thoughts when sober, and being drunk just gave him the excuse to act on them without restraint.
At the end of the day, the Beasts Pirates were a mixture of theocracy and human rule. Beyond the actual laws and regulations, personal emotions could also influence the judgment.
Yamato despised this kind of person, and using drunkenness as an excuse only made her loathe him more.
Seeing that the young miss was displeased, Babanuki naturally handled the matter with the harshest possible standards.
And right then, Kuzan noticed a very familiar Pokémon - Croagunk.
He watched as a line of Croagunk marched past the man from behind. Each one jabbed him hard as they passed, injecting venom into his body through the poisonous stings on their fingertips.
When diluted, the venom was a fine medicine for treating back pain. But a large dose injected into the waist was something else entirely. Croagunk's venom wasn't fatal, but it could paralyze nerves.
That queue of Croagunk injections just now was enough to permanently eliminate the very root of his "crime weapon."
"You, with your naive and carefree personality, can actually stomach watching this?" [TN: The word for naive used here can also mean innocent.]
"Why wouldn't I? No one here is innocent, either they committed crimes, or they invaded our territory. Every single one of them deserves what they get. And wait a second, who are you calling naive! You'd better explain yourself clearly!"
"My mistake, I misspoke. But it was meant to describe your pure-heartedness, your straightforward nature. It was meant as a compliment."
"I don't believe you! Are you trying to pick a fight with me?!"
In that moment, the blood of Kaido within Yamato seemed to awaken, her entire bearing suggesting she was ready to fight Kuzan on the spot.
And at the same time, similar situations were unfolding on other islands.
In the front stretch of the New World, on Mandrell's territory, the rumble of cannons echoed across the island as coastal defense cannons unleashed their firepower on enemies daring to provoke them.
There was nothing unusual about this. Start with a barrage of firepower; if the artillery can't take down the enemy, then Genesect will step in. If the enemy can even defeat Genesect, they'll have to face Mandrell himself.
But the biggest issue was the one operating the artillery.
It wasn't some veteran gunner; it was Mandrell's daughter, Maylo, who was only seven years old. Even Mandrell himself had no idea why his daughter liked this so much.
"Area B3! Fire!"
"Nyuunnnn, understood."
Maylo raised a large telescope to track the position of the pirate ship ahead, then passed her orders to Hachi beside her.
The nearby areas had already been mapped out, and the cannon data had been adjusted. As long as the area was confirmed, the angles could be adjusted quickly.
With his six arms, Hachi swiftly worked the cannon's mechanisms, alone performing tasks that normally required three people—adjusting the angle, loading ammunition, and firing.
Watching the exploding blasts of cannonfire, Maylo's eyes shone with excitement, as if she was thoroughly enjoying the moment.
Mandrell, however, felt entirely different. The gaze of Rusalka on his back made him feel like needles were pricking his skin.
"Mandrell, is there anything you want to say?"
"No…. I don't know either. I have no idea when Maylo started liking this sort of thing."
Mandrell didn't think there was anything wrong with his parenting, and Maylo had always behaved normally, but this year, she had suddenly awakened to this new interest.
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