I, Uchiha Hikaru, have joined the chat group.

Chapter 162 Are you interested in hearing the story of Yongdaimei?

[Ironhead Kid downloaded the "One Piece" manga/anime volume]

[Yotsuya Miko downloaded it...]

[I've downloaded Oni-hime...]

As several group members began engrossed in reading the comics, the chat group fell silent for a moment.

The only one with nothing to do, Uchiha Hikaru, yawned and shifted his gaze to the other side of the table, where Kohaku was tidying it up: "Kohaku, did Kikyo-san say where she went when she left?"

"...It seems they took Lan and the others to the volcano, saying they wanted to say goodbye to someone."

Amber responded honestly.

"A volcano...?"

Uchiha Hikaru seemed to be deep in thought.

Actually, there are some indigenous people on Penglai Island.

—This was once an island where humans and yokai lived peacefully together, protected by the powerful priestess, Kanade. To isolate herself from outside malice, she used the sacred artifact "Roaring Cauldron" buried within the island's volcano to create a massive barrier that hid and protected Hourai Island. However, the "Four War Gods" eventually managed to infiltrate it. Only a fragment of the priestess's soul remained within the volcano.

Over the previous decades, the "Four Fighting Gods" had almost devoured all the humans and monsters on the island, with only a very few half-demon surviving.

That half-demon child named Lan was one of them.

Therefore, Kikyo must have gone to say goodbye to the spirit of the shrine maiden "Kanahime".

Uchiha Hikaru didn't understand much about the affairs between these shrine maidens, nor did she intend to interfere.

But...

She did have some ideas about this Penglai Island—

"Perhaps we could discuss with Kikyo about rebuilding the barrier on this island and turning it into a safe house in the Inuyasha world..."

Thanks to the efforts of Uchiha Hikaru and his group, the collection of the Shikon Jewel has made significant progress, and it is expected that all the fragments will be collected soon.

Since Kikyo will likely be unable to return to Maple Village after that, it's quite necessary to establish a base in advance to avoid being homeless in the future.

Perfect timing! We can also bring the mother and daughter, Shiori, whom we rescued last time. In the original story, Shiori built a half-demon paradise after growing up, so bringing it up a little earlier doesn't seem inappropriate.

In addition...

When she killed the "Four Gods of War" earlier, Uchiha Hikari also obtained some spoils of war. She plans to go back to Totosai to see if she can upgrade the Dragon Bone Blade.

As Uchiha Hikaru began to list out his action plan for the next stage.

Finally, a few new messages appeared in the chat group.

[Eri: Um, what happened in the group chat? I just woke up and it seems like there are a lot more people in the chat all of a sudden...]

【Eri @ Anonymous: Light?】

[Nameless: Yes, a few new people have arrived. Actually, one of them is from the One Piece world; you should have read that manga. However, she herself hasn't appeared in the current storyline; you've probably only seen her father, Kaido.]

Erii: Kaido? I think I've heard that name before...

[Eri: Turning the pages of a book]

Compared to Erii, who had already read "One Piece" once but didn't remember it clearly, Bulma, Tanjiro, and the others were just starting to get into the series. After flipping through the manga for several hours, they gradually came to their senses and began to exchange and discuss it in the group.

Bulma: Pirates, Marines, the Grand Line... It sounds like a really interesting world! I'd love to go check it out!

[Possessed by Evil Spirits: Can those things called Devil Fruits really grant you all sorts of amazing powers just by eating them? They feel a bit like Imperial Arms, but even more powerful...]

[Tiger of the West: Imperial Arms? What's that?]

[Possessed by Demons: A weapon system made from the body materials of Dangerous and Super Dangerous species. There are forty-eight pieces in total, each possessing incredible properties that grant the wearer immense power, but also place a tremendous burden on the body... My "Possessed by Demons" is one of them.]

Bulma: Huh?

Bulma became curious about Brand's world.

However, since her current focus is mainly on the One Piece world, she hasn't asked too many questions yet.

After discussing "Devil Fruits" and "pirates" for a while, everyone finally turned their attention back to Yamato.

[Bulma: By the way, what's going on between Kaido and Kozuki Oden? Why does Oni-hime, who is clearly a girl, claim to be Kaido's son?]

[Anonymous: That's another story...]

As the only person in the group who knew the truth.

Uchiha Hikaru spent some time giving a brief account of what happened in Wano Country.

As she recounted her story, Yamato finally couldn't hold back any longer.

[Oni-hime: Why do you know so much about Lord Oden?]

[Oni-hime: ...I never imagined my father had done so many despicable things back then, causing a great hero like Lord Oden to meet such a fate.]

[Bulma: Um...it might be a bit presumptuous of me to say this, but if what Hikari said is true, then your father, Kaido, is indeed a bit despicable. But I think that person named Kozuki Oden was also a bit...too naive?]

[Oni-hime: ?]

[Brand: Indeed. For a leader of a nation, possessing such immense power, to not strive for peace through one's own efforts, but instead to place one's hopes on the enemy's empty promises—this behavior is utterly childish and laughable! Only the incompetent fools of the Empire would be so stupid.]

[Oni Princess: What did you say?! Lord Oden wasn't stupid; he was being threatened to protect his people...]

[Brand: Does protecting one's people mean appeasing the enemy? To overthrow a powerful foe, bloodshed and sacrifice are inevitable, and only in this way can true peace be achieved. A false peace obtained by begging the enemy is meaningless.]

"Um……"

It seems that Brand saw his own situation reflected in the events of Wano Country.

The empires in the world of Akame ga Kill! are actually somewhat similar to those in Wano Country.

They were all corrupt officials in power, plotting to seize the country.

That's why Brand joined the revolutionary army and was prepared to die early on.

That's why he was angry at Kozuki Oden, who possessed power comparable to Kaido, yet danced naked for five years.

It looked like an argument was about to break out in the group chat.

As the "elder," Minato Namikaze quickly stepped in to offer advice.

[Yongdai Mei: Now that everyone's joined this chat group, we're all friends, so let's try to stay calm... Mr. Brand, please don't get too worked up. After all, Miss Oni-hime is a girl, and she had such a terrible father and childhood. If she had a choice, I don't think she would want to be born into such an environment.]

【Yongdai Mei @ Anonymous: Miss Guang, why don't you come out and try to persuade them too?】

"..."

Uchiha Hikaru snapped out of his schadenfreude and rubbed his temples with a hint of exasperation.

[Anonymous: I have no intention of commenting on Mr. Oden's actions, but... @OdenHime, would you be interested in hearing the story of Eizou? It's also a story of a leader of a "country" fighting against a powerful foreign enemy.]

(End of this chapter)