Half a year passed as swiftly as a white steed glimpsed through a crack—here and gone in an instant. This brief span felt both disorientingly short and yet long enough to reshape the memories of many. During this time, the Kuri region of Wano Country was undergoing earth-shattering changes.
With the weapons factories established by Kaido beginning large-scale recruitment, the living conditions in Kuri improved significantly. The factories adopted a "996" work system. Though the hours were long, the generous salaries caused the standard of living for the local residents to rise sharply. This change drove a wave of consumption throughout the region. Shops sprang up, markets flourished, and Kuri presented a scene of bustling prosperity.
Amidst such prosperity, people gradually forgot the former daimyo, Kozuki Oden. Kaido's name began to take deep root in the hearts of the people of Kuri. However, not all news was good.
The health of Wano's Shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki, deteriorated day by day. Over the past half year, he had been frequently ill, and the country's finest doctors were at a loss. Daimyos from various regions offered precious medicinal herbs, but they could never curb the trend of the Shogun's worsening condition.
Kaido's announcement that he would purchase Devil Fruits for one hundred platinum set off a treasure-hunting craze throughout Wano Country.
From Kuri to all of Wano, countless people, clutching the dream of striking it rich overnight, searched everywhere for the legendary Devil Fruits. Over those six months, almost the entire country was turned upside down. But the rarity of Devil Fruits meant the vast majority returned empty-handed. Only a very few lucky ones had their wish granted.
That day, a thin mist shrouded Oden Castle. A middle-aged man in a traditional kimono cautiously approached the castle gate. His steps were exceptionally wary; he would stop every few paces to glance left and right. His kimono was clean and tidy, though somewhat faded, with a few inconspicuous patches at the sleeves.
"Halt! What is your business?" the samurai guard before the gate barked sharply, his long spear slightly raised.
The middle-aged man was startled by the sudden demand, his whole body trembling as he nearly collapsed to the ground. "I... I'm here to claim the bounty," he stammered in reply, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. Fine beads of sweat had already broken out on his forehead.
"Claim the bounty?" The lead samurai eyed him suspiciously up and down, then his eyes suddenly lit up. "You found a Devil Fruit?" The samurai's voice rose several notches, drawing curious looks from the other guards.
"Y... yes." The man nodded nervously, his hands unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothes, his knuckles white from the force. His gaze was shifty, never daring to meet the samurai's eyes.
"Show it." The samurai commanded, his tone brooking no argument. He took a step forward, his tall frame casting a shadow over the man.
"You... what are you going to do?" The man retreated two steps on guard, a flicker of panic in his eyes. His right hand instinctively pressed against his chest, as if something important was hidden there.
The samurai snorted coldly. "I'm doing you a favor. Before, there were people who tried to cheat Lord Kaido with fake fruits. They were all executed." He made a slicing motion across his neck. "The scene... tsk tsk..."
"Mine is absolutely real!" the man hurriedly protested, his voice turning shrill with agitation. His face grew even paler, beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolling down his cheeks.
Just then, a low voice came from behind the man. "You have a Devil Fruit?"
The man whirled around to see a tall figure with black wings sprouting from his back, shrouded entirely in dark clothing, staring at him. The man's eyes gleamed with a dangerous light from within the shadow of his hood, like a beast lying in wait in the dark night.
"Lord King!" The guard samurai immediately saluted respectfully, their voices in unison.
"You have a Devil Fruit?" King ignored the samurai, confirming again with the middle-aged man. His voice wasn't loud, yet it was clearly heard by everyone present.
The man trembled all over, almost unable to stand steady. Trembling with fear, he pulled a fruit with spiral patterns from his breast pocket. The fruit gleamed with a strange luster under the sunlight—a genuine Devil Fruit. His movements were careful, as if afraid he might drop the fruit with a single slip.
King took the fruit, his slender fingers lightly tracing the patterns on its surface. After a careful inspection, he gave a slight nod. "It is indeed a Devil Fruit. Follow me to claim your reward." His voice remained calm, yet carried an irresistible authority.
"Really?! Thank you, Lord King!" The man bowed excitedly in gratitude, his voice trembling slightly with exhilaration. A glint of shrewdness, almost imperceptible, flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced again by his previous submissive demeanor.
King observed the man impassively. Though he appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary man of average ability on the surface, King's keen sense of smell detected the mixed scent of over a dozen different types of blood on him—a detail an ordinary person could hardly notice, and only King's Devil Fruit ability allowed him to discover it.
Passing through several heavy iron doors, they arrived at the finance office. A few oil lamps lit the room, their dim, yellowish light casting flickering shadows on the walls. King gave a brief order to the staff: "Give him five hundred platinum."
"As you command, Lord King." The finance officer immediately acknowledged, deftly preparing the bounty. The room was filled only with the crisp clinking of coins and the man's rapid breathing.
When the man received the heavy money bag, his hands were trembling slightly. He bowed deeply to King once more, then quickly left the finance office.
After obtaining the Devil Fruit, King headed directly towards Kaido's location. At this time, Kaido was usually training in the training room.
Kaido was engaged in high-intensity physical training while wearing high-purity seastone wrist cuffs. Sweat streamed down his brawny muscles continuously, forming a puddle on the ground. After half a year of acclimatization, the Governor of the Beasts Pirates had significantly improved his resistance to seastone. From initially struggling even to stand when using low-purity seastone, to now needing high-purity seastone to feel its suppressive effect—this progress surprised even himself.
When King pushed open the training room door, Kaido was lying on his back on the floor, catching his breath. "King, what is it?" he asked, panting.
"Big Brother Kaido, someone came to exchange a Devil Fruit for the bounty. I brought the fruit on my way." King respectfully presented an exquisite wooden box.
Hearing this, Kaido immediately sat up, all traces of fatigue vanishing. He took the box and examined it carefully, excitement sparkling in his eyes. "Not easy at all. Over the past half year, including those collected from the Flower Capital side, we've only gotten five Devil Fruits in total. It seems Wano's stock is indeed running low."
Over these six months, three groups of people had come with Devil Fruits to exchange for the bounty, and the Flower Capital had contributed two. These fruits were: the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Daidarabotchi; the Zoan Type, Ordinary Model: Tiger; the Juku Juku no Mi; the Maki Maki no Mi; and this newly acquired fruit.
"According to the Devil Fruit encyclopedia Queen compiled, this one should be the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Wild Boar," King added in a timely manner.
Kaido nodded in satisfaction. "Store the fruit properly. Send it to the storage room at the Onigashima Base later."
"Understood. It just so happens the base construction there is nearing completion. I'll go check on the progress while I'm at it." King carefully put away the wooden box.
"Mhm, be quick." Kaido stood up, stretching his limbs as a reminder. "The plan for the Kingdom of Flowers is about to commence."
"It's finally starting?" King's tone held anticipation.
"Yeah, it's finally starting." Kaido's expression suddenly darkened, his fist unconsciously clenching. "Those useless fools! With no obstacles in their way, they actually dragged it out for so long! King, notify Bullet and the others on your way to begin the operation immediately."
Within the training room, Kaido's roar echoed for a long time.
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!