Nuomen is an ancient folk tradition from Karl's previous life's homeland, dating back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties, used in ancient times for sacrificial rituals and expelling evil.
When people are in trouble, there is Nuo; when the Nuo dance begins, all illnesses vanish!
Some ancients also believed that Nuo was a vessel for deities and a medium for communication between humans and gods; wearing a Nuomen allowed one to look directly at the gods.
Nuo, a benevolent human act, Nuo opera, a demon-exorcist dancing with gods.
Nuo mask: without the mask, a human; with the mask, a god.
Later, it spread to the Land of the Rising Sun and developed into the Hannya mask.
(Those interested can learn more about it.)
Seeing Karl remain silent for a long time, Yamato grew a little anxious; this was something she had painstakingly chosen.
"Karl, don't you think this mask is very beautiful!"
Hearing this, Karl finally snapped out of it, looked at the Hannya mask Yamato held, picked it up, and tossed it aside.
"Yamato, this isn't beautiful, it's too ugly. I'll make you a much prettier one."
Yamato, who was initially sad that Karl had thrown her mask, instantly brightened up when she heard Karl was going to make her a better one.
"You promise, right? If it's not prettier, I'll be angry."
As she spoke, Yamato even waved her little fists, looking incredibly adorable.
One has to admit, Yamato, untouched by Kozuki Oden's diary, is truly adorable!
Karl couldn't help but playfully ruffle the adorable Yamato, just like petting a cat.
"I'll give it to you tonight; I still have to train today."
"Karl, why do you have to train every day? Can't you just play with Yamato?"
Currently, Yamato is just a child; all she does is eat and play. For her, training is still too early, and being alone is indeed quite boring.
"I need to become stronger so I can protect Yamato," Karl explained.
The Beasts Kindergarten hasn't been established yet, so it's just Karl and Yamato as the two children.
If he trains, Yamato will be alone, but there's nothing he can do about it. Without becoming stronger, how can he gain a foothold in the vast sea?
Suddenly, Karl thought of someone. It was currently 1496, the year Kozuki Hiyori was born.
The Roger Pirates arrived at Laugh Tale in 1497, meaning Kozuki Oden would return once in between and leave his wife and children behind.
"Hehehe, I'll abduct Hiyori then to keep Yamato company."
As for Momonosuke... Karl suddenly had an evil idea... Karl found a person who made Hannya masks and drew the Nuomen from his memory, asking him to make it according to that design.
The man readily agreed; he couldn't refuse. He had personally witnessed an ice dragon descend before him and transform into a human.
Furthermore, rumors of giant dragons in Wano Country had spread from the Flower Capital.
Karl was in a great mood; there were good people in Wano Country. When he custom-ordered a mask, the person not only didn't charge him extra but made it for free.
If only all the people of Wano Country were like this.
After completing all this, Karl began his new day of training. Besides the necessary daily physical training, there was also swordsmanship training.
King couldn't always be there to guide him; he also had his own matters to attend to.
So, after teaching Karl some simple sword-fighting techniques, he left. Everything depended on Karl's own efforts!
Soon, the day quietly passed, and Karl, dragging his tired body, went to retrieve the masks.
Seeing Karl arrive, the man was extremely respectful, almost kneeling.
"My lord, the masks you requested are ready."
The man was terrified, fearing that this giant dragon who could transform into a human would get upset and eat him.
Karl took the two masks the man handed him and looked at them.
"Not bad. You said this morning that you wouldn't charge for them, so I can leave now."
Karl confirmed again.
"No charge, no charge. These masks are my offering to you. If you still want masks, I have more here. Take whichever one you like."
How could he dare to ask for money? He just wanted to send this great deity away as quickly as possible.
"Alright then."
With that, Karl transformed into a dragon and flew away. He didn't care for the other masks.
Seeing this great deity finally leave, the man breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time, a strong resentment towards the current Shogun, Orochi, welled up in his heart.
The news that Kaido had been appointed Protector Deity by Orochi had spread throughout Wano Country in the past two days, along with the scene of three dragons soaring in the Flower Capital.
This made all the people of Wano Country uneasy and also puzzled as to why Kozuki Sukiyaki would hand over the position of Shogun to Orochi.
The Daimyo in other regions also sensed that something was amiss, but due to their status, they could only accept it.
All they could do was wait!
Wait for Kozuki Oden to return and assume the position of Shogun. At that time, no matter how unwilling Orochi was, Kozuki Oden was, after all, the legitimate heir.
The news they knew was that Kozuki Sukiyaki had abdicated due to health reasons, and the position of Shogun was temporarily held by Orochi, to be inherited by Kozuki Oden upon his return.
If Orochi refused to step down then, they would have a reason to follow Kozuki Oden in subjugating Orochi. As for the evil dragon Kaido, who was appointed Protector Deity, they firmly believed that with Kozuki Oden's strength, he could definitely re-enact Shimotsuki Ryuma's legendary dragon-slaying feat.
It wasn't that the Kurozumi siblings didn't want Kozuki Sukiyaki to directly pass the position to Orochi; if they had done so, the Daimyo would have been the first to object, because the Kozuki family had always been the leaders of Wano Country.
For 800 years, countless people had tried to overthrow the Kozuki family and take power themselves, but all had ended in failure.
Every member of the Kozuki family was extraordinary, as if they possessed some magic, and no matter what they did, people followed them.
It's ridiculous! Even the original protagonist, Monkey D. Luffy, was assimilated. In Alabasta, Luffy said that in war, there would inevitably be sacrifices, but after learning about Oden's deeds, Luffy felt that Oden was a true man.
It's preposterous!!!
Back to Karl's side.
After getting the masks, Karl returned to his room.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw the white-haired loli, Yamato, already there, looking at him eagerly.
"Yamato, don't you think this mask is even prettier than your one from yesterday?"
Karl took out the mask. Compared to the plain Hannya mask, the Nuomen was more intricate and had a diverse color scheme.
"Wow! So, so beautiful, Karl, can I have this mask?"
With just one glance, Yamato was captivated by the mask in Karl's hand.
Karl was also quite surprised when he first got it, not expecting it to be made so well.
For these two masks, the man had spent the entire day carving, fearing that if anything wasn't done well, his life would be forfeit. So, how could it not be good?
Unlike the eerie and terrifying Hannya, the Nuomen appeared more solemn and majestic. (Pictures to follow)
Looking at Yamato, who was captivated by the Nuomen, Karl thought, "Can a small Land of the Rising Sun's accumulated cultural heritage of thousands of years compare to this?"
Yamato lovingly played with the mask in her hand, looking it over from all angles, liking it more and more, so she simply put it on.
"Yamato, I didn't lie to you, did I? You've got the item, so can you leave now? I'm going to sleep."
Karl rubbed his aching arms and started to shoo her away.
"We can sleep together!"
Seeing Karl trying to send her away, Yamato was clearly unhappy and insisted on staying to sleep with Karl.
"Then you have to promise not to drool in your sleep. If you drool in your sleep again, I think Yamato still remembers how it felt this morning, hehehe."
Hearing this, Yamato shivered, remembering her morning ordeal; that morning was truly terrifying.
Yamato covered her mouth and nodded vigorously. She never wanted to experience that morning's events a second