One Piece: Ascending the Divine Path

Two figures flew across the sky, their speed soaring so high that even a falcon could not keep up with them.

call!

A strong wind blew in, and Kozuki Sukiyaki could barely open her eyes.

If it weren't for an invisible giant hand holding his body, he would probably have been blown away by the gale long ago.

Kozuki Sukiyaki carefully observed the back of the man who seemed to be standing on an invisible platform, her heart filled with doubt.

Who exactly is this man?

Even Kurozumi Orochi might not know that I'm still alive! Let alone that I'm living in seclusion in Amigasa Village! How did this guy just come knocking on my door?

Moreover, if Hiyori is still alive, she must be living under an assumed name. How did this man know that?

But Kozuki Sukiyaki didn't dare ask.

At least for now, this man is not one of Kaido's men.

Kozuki Sukiyaki calmed her chaotic thoughts slightly and subconsciously looked down.

What he saw was the vast plain at the border of Jiuli and Huazhidu, and on the plain, factories belching thick smoke.

Kozuki Sukiyaki's pupils twitched slightly.

Below, rivers have dried up, fields are barren, forests are lifeless, villages are in ruins, and vast areas are deserted.

An indescribable sorrow welled up in her chest, causing a stinging sensation in her nose, which finally turned into hot tears that flowed from her eyes.

While they were hiding away to escape reality, what kind of damage did those scumbags do to this country?

  

Do you like it?

Knight noticed the old man's sorrow and said with interest, "You and your foolish son deserve half the credit, don't you?"

The victim-blaming argument is undoubtedly a shameless one.

But even so, Kozuki Oden was just too stupid.

Damn it, he managed to turn a huge advantage into a complete rout.

If Kaido had asked just a few more questions when he returned to Wano Country with the Roger Pirates, he would have been finished.

After the Roger Pirates disbanded, he returned to Wano Country and, upon learning of the situation, went to find Whitebeard. Wano Country was safe and sound.

When Moria returns to Wano Country to fight in order to protect his family and friends, he will bring Wano Country's samurai into the battle, and his chances of winning are very high.

Even when they finally realized they had been tricked and resolved to kill Kaido, instead of carrying out his idiotic decapitation operation, they might not have lost if they had joined forces with the samurai daimyo of Wano Country to fight Kaido.

Damn it, if Kaido makes just one wrong move, he'll be kicked out of Wano Country.

Kozuki Oden was a good person, but Knight felt that he might have been a complete scoundrel, and that the current situation in Wano Country was much better.

I can only talk about the diversity of human beings.

"..."

Knight's sarcastic remarks made Kozuki Sukiyaki bite her lip so hard it almost bled.

Yes, this man is right. He trusted Orochi, and Oden failed to protect the country...

"Let's stop lamenting the passing of spring and the coming of autumn."

Knight asked a crucial question: "Where is Hades buried?"

"...!"

Therefore, Kozuki Sukiyaki really couldn't care less about being sentimental or melancholic.

He looked up in disbelief at Knight's retreating figure.

Hades?

Why would this man ask such a question?

The existence of Hades should be the ultimate secret of this country!

How did he know that?

"Hmm? So you just stop answering difficult questions?"

Knight smirked. "But you don't have that right."

"Think of your granddaughter. Do you want me to tell Kaido about her?"

"you……"

Kozuki Sukiyaki clenched her fists immediately.

What a despicable man!

But since it concerned his granddaughter, he could only honestly answer, "I don't know either. I only know that the weapon called Hades is buried underground in Wano Country."

"As for the specific location, the message passed down from our ancestors is that when Wano Country opens its borders, Pluto will naturally appear."

"Tsk."

Knight clicked his tongue slightly in surprise.

In the end, do we still have to take over Wano Country?

Never mind, let's take it slow.

Hmm, we can also find time to get the Hades blueprints from Water 7.

Wano Country has a vast territory, much larger than the Kingdom of Dynas.

But it was no problem at all with Knight's lightning speed, and before long the two had arrived in the skies above the Flower Capital.

This is a fairly large city, but most of the houses are low-rise wooden dwellings.

However, while the rest of Wano Country was in ruins, this city remained prosperous.

Upon arriving above the city, the first thing that catches the eye is naturally the castle tower built on a large tree in the city center, which is the residence of Kurozumi Orochi.

Knight wasn't interested in that fool who wasted a Mythical Beast for the time being, so he landed in a small alley with Kozuki Sukiyaki.

Kozuki Sukiyaki sighed silently at that moment.

The City of Flowers, how many years has it been since I last returned?

"Hey, answer me!"

Knight, carrying Kozuki Sukiyaki, walked out of the alley and randomly pulled someone aside to ask, "Where is that woman named Komurasaki?"

The man who had been held back by Knight was initially annoyed, but upon hearing Knight's words, his face lit up instantly. "You're here for Komurasaki too? Hahaha, that's right! That woman is the most popular geisha lately! Everyone says she'll be the new courtesan! Even General Orochi invited her to the next banquet!"

"But buddy, you should give up. Countless people come here every day, but Little Purple doesn't even glance at them. Only those who pay a hefty price can hear her play music, and that's just music!"

"So, where is she?"

Knight asked.

"Brother, I accept your feelings. She's right here—"

This kind person enthusiastically gave directions.

It is said to be the most famous tourist attraction in the city of flowers.

Upon hearing this, Kozuki Sukiyaki, who was standing behind Knight, changed his expression beneath the mask.

Is that little purple one Hiyori?

The daughter of the Kozuki family, reduced to a geisha?

Overwhelmed with remorse, he almost wept again.

Kozuki Sukiyaki, look what you've done!

After saying goodbye to the kind passerby, Knight, feeling dejected, slowly made his way to the pleasure village.

There's no rush. It's still early, not the time to do bad things yet.

Moreover, it's quite amusing to see Kozuki Sukiyaki looking anxious.

After strolling around the Flower City for a while and having something to eat to replenish their energy, Knight and his companion finally arrived at the gate of the pleasure quarters as night fell.

The lights were on full display; it was the peak business period for this industry.

Heavily made-up prostitutes solicited customers outside the door, while men of all kinds came and went.

Such sounds could still be heard coming from inside the gate.

"Where is Xiao Zi? I need to see Xiao Zi!"

"I've already spent so much money, why did she suddenly disappear? Is it because I'm broke?!"

"Little Purple, hehe, my Little Purple..."

Oh, so the big star of the sex industry says so.

How are we supposed to find her?

The face beneath the Kozuki Sukiyaki mask was slightly flushed.

He was nothing like his foolish son, who had never been to such a place before.

Even though he was there to find his relatives, he still felt somewhat awkward.

Knight smiled, grabbed Kozuki Sukiyaki's shoulder, and in the next instant, the two of them soared into the sky. Their speed was so fast that even with people coming and going around them, no one noticed them at all. They just felt a blur before their eyes, and then the two of them disappeared.

The two landed directly on You Guo's roof.

According to convention, the higher the rank of a geisha, the higher the place they should live, right?

At this moment, in a room on the top floor of Youguo.

"Little Purple, are you sure you want to accept Orochi's invitation?"

A man sat cross-legged on a soft cushion, his hands on his knees, his fingers gripping the hem of his kimono so tightly they almost tore the soft fabric apart.

The man had light blue hair, which was tied into a huge bun on top of his head and hung forward like a fluffy tail.

Anyone who has lived in the Flower Capital for a while knows this man: Kyoshiro Nemuro, the head of the Kyoshiro family, a famous ronin leader in the Flower Capital, who has now even accepted General Orochi's invitation to become the general's bodyguard.

But at this moment, the ronin leader, who always presented himself as a dissolute figure, opened his narrow eyes wide and looked eagerly at the woman in front of him.

The woman knelt on a cushion, lightly strumming a shamisen.

She wore a gorgeous kimono, and her beautiful emerald-colored hair was styled into an intricate updo, adorned with tortoiseshell and gold and silver hairpins.

She was a young, but exceptionally beautiful woman.

The woman lowered her eyes, strumming her shamisen as she slowly spoke, "This is a good opportunity to get close to Orochi, and besides, as a geisha, I can't disobey the shogun's orders, can I?"

"But, Komurasaki, no, Lady Hiyori!"

Kyoshiro, formerly a retainer of Kozuki Oden, said through gritted teeth in a low voice, "That despicable and shameless man Orochi is not the kind of guest you usually entertain. He will definitely not be satisfied with just listening to you play the zither and sing!"

"I will do my best to deal with him."

The woman winked playfully. "Besides, isn't Mr. Denjiro here? And—"

She paused, her eyes darkening. "You are enduring such humiliation, and the entire Wano Country is suffering. As the daughter of Kozuki Oden, a daughter of a samurai family, how can I not even bear this much shame?"

"..."

Looking at the woman's calm face, Denjiro opened his mouth, but didn't know what else to say.

"Wow, what an impressive level of awareness."

The paper door to the room was suddenly pulled open, and a voice filled with interest came through.

"Who?"

Denjiro's expression suddenly changed.

Did you hear me?

shit!

We have to get rid of this guy!

Fortunately, he came secretly; otherwise, the trouble would have been even greater after the murder!

His hand was already on the hilt of the sword at his waist, ready to draw it in the next instant.

but.

Knight looked at the two panicked people in the room and simply smiled. "How would you rate your granddaughter's determination, Kozuki Sukiyaki?"

Denjiro, who was about to draw his sword and slash someone, was stunned. He looked up at Knight in astonishment, and then at the guy behind Knight who was taking off his mask.

The tengu mask was removed from his face, and Kozuki Sukiyaki finally revealed his true appearance. "I heard everything, it was Denjiro and Hiyori, right?"

When Denjiro saw his face clearly, his pupils dilated in shock.

"Hiyori has never seen me before, but Denjiro, you must have seen me when you came to the Flower Capital with Oden, right?"

Kozuki Sukiyaki glanced at her bewildered granddaughter, then at Denjiro, whose appearance had changed drastically since their first meeting.

"Sukiyaki...sir..."

Denjiro's voice was weak and his lips were trembling, "You, you're still alive?"

The true shogun of Wano Country is still alive!?

"yes--"

Komurasaki Hiyori, in a similarly confused voice, asked, "Grandfather?"

"Yes, it's him."

Knight placed a hand on Kozuki Sukiyaki's shoulder. "Hiyori, you don't want anything to happen to your grandfather, do you?"

"Huh?"