Double-transformation: I, Sakura Haruno! Will crush the pirates!

"Haha, that's perfect, let's go ashore and gather intelligence before the main army sets off!"

Sakura rested her hand on her chin, a sly glint in her emerald eyes. "The rest of you stay and watch the ship. Ace, you're coming with me."

Ace, who had been watching the show from the sidelines with his knife in hand, suddenly heard his own name called. Under the gaze of the crowd, especially the murderous look in Sakura's eyes, he raised his hand in confusion and pointed at himself.

"I?!"

Chapter 342 Destined Encounter

Kuri in Wano Country, on the outskirts of the village of Umekasa.

"Wow! Komachise, slow down! I'm going to lose you!"

A komainu with golden fur galloped through the mountains and forests, with a petite girl clinging tightly to its fur on its back, struggling to let out a cry.

"Ouch, ouch!"

The komainu carrying her turned around and barked twice, its wagging tail pointing at the wild boar ahead.

It seemed to be complaining to her about how to catch the prey ahead if he couldn't run fast enough.

"That's not how it is, de-yansu!"

As if understanding the komainu's words, the girl said, "What I mean is—there's a cliff ahead!!!"

Upon hearing the girl's words, the arrogant expression on the komainu's face froze, and its four limbs came to an abrupt halt, plowing four deep tracks into the ground.

However, the momentum from running while chasing the prey was too strong, and he carried the wild boar in front of him off the cliff.

"Aaaaaah—!" The girl's scream carried far.

The gusts of air during the descent made it impossible for her to open her eyes. In a daze, the girl actually saw a small fishing boat slowly approaching on the sea below.

Oops!

If Komachise were to smash down, it would definitely damage the ship, and then we'd have to pay a lot of money in compensation. I just prayed to the gods this morning to save up some money!

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!" the girl shouted at the small fishing boat below with all her might.

Upon hearing the sound, the pink-haired girl on the small fishing boat looked up at the sky.

"Wow, what a coincidence!" A smile curved the girl's delicate face as she turned and snapped her fingers. "Save him, Ace!"

"Yes, yes, you really know how to order people around, Sakura-nee!" Ace's tone was frivolous, exuding a cynical air.

He put down the famous sword in his hand and deliberately kicked the small boat hard, causing it to rock from side to side.

Before Sakura could deliver the final blow, he shot into the sky like an arrow, heading straight for the falling pig, dog, and man.

"Hold on tight!" Ace scooped the girl up in mid-air, then kicked the dog and pig in the waist, sending them flying back to shore.

Peng Peng!

With two muffled thuds, the little girl watched as the other party lifted the behemoth, which was three or four times its own size, and sent it flying upwards before finally crashing heavily onto the shore.

Then her own vision spun around, and in the blink of an eye, she was back on the shore.

"Very cool!"

The girl looked up with all her might, her wide purple eyes reflecting Ace's tall figure, and feelings of admiration began to grow within her.

"Alright, your friend has been rescued. Don't be so reckless next time, or no one will come to save you!" Ace reached out and ruffled the girl's hair, his tone gentle.

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a thud behind me.

According to his Observation Haki, the girl was lying face down on the ground, her head buried deep in her hands.

"Hey, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Ace turned back, pulled the girl up, and pressed his hand against her forehead.

"No...no, that..." The girl's eyes were burning, "Big brother, my name is Xiaoyu, please let me be your companion!!!"

"puff!"

Seeing the panic and bewildered look on Ace's face, Sakura, who had been squatting in the tree at some point, couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Sakura! Sister!" The freckled boy gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

To his surprise, Sakura completely ignored him and walked over to Tama, picking her up. "Little one, you have a good eye! This guy is really strong! People in our circle call him Wild Blade to acknowledge his power!"

"As expected!" Xiaoyu's eyes lit up. "From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were no ordinary person!"

Ace was filled with despair and hesitated to speak.

She wanted to explode at this master who loved to watch the drama unfold, but she was too afraid of her tyranny to take any action.

In the end, all they could do was watch helplessly as a great pirate bragged about himself to the skies, and a young girl looked at him with increasing longing.

—For some reason, it feels... kind of good?

"Alright, Sister Ying, stop joking around. This child is only four years old, right? You really want her to come with us on this sea voyage?"

Ace's words angered Xiaoyu, who raised her fists and protested, "Big brother, don't look down on me just because I'm young!"

Sakura, who was holding her, chimed in, "That's right, I was only six years old when I went to sea!"

Then the two of them opened their big, watery eyes and glared at Ace with accusatory looks, as if to say: How can you judge a book by its cover!

"Fine, you're the captain, you decide." Ace, exhausted from Sakura's antics, shrugged and gave up.

"Oh my, big sister, you're actually big brother's captain!"

Xiaoyu opened her mouth wide and turned her head toward Xiaoying, who was hugging her.

From the moment she first saw the two, Tama had already guessed from Sakura's black trench coat and the stockings covering her long, beautiful legs that they were pirates from overseas.

However, what she didn't expect was that such a beautiful and charming older sister was actually the one in charge!

Although her chest is a bit flat, it's a little uncomfortable.

"I have a feeling you're thinking about something really rude!" Sakura reached out and pinched Tama's cheek.

Xiaoyu responded with a cute smile, and said indistinctly, "Then, big sister, can I join you?"

Her persistence, however, piqued Ace's interest.

So the freckled boy stepped forward, looked up at Xiaoyu who was being held in his arms, and asked curiously, "Can you tell me why you insist on joining us?"

Hearing this, Xiaoyu lowered her head, a look of desolation in her eyes: "If I become a pirate like you, I will steal food for everyone in the village! That way, we won't have to go hungry every day while weaving straw hats! And we won't have to be bullied by the pirates and Orochi who occupy this country!"

“…” Ace opened his mouth, speechless with shock at the girl’s determination.

Putting aside the flaws in Tama's simple thinking, what truly puzzled Ace was that Wano Country, where everyone was working hard for tomorrow yet still couldn't fill their stomachs!

A girl who could have had a normal life was forced to yearn to become a cannibalistic machine of scum at sea.

This made Ace, who came from the Goa Kingdom and thought that the Goa nobles were the worst of the worst, have his perception of the world completely refreshed once again.

"Can't you just leave this village?"

Ace swallowed hard, unaware that his voice had become somewhat hoarse.

“It’s impossible. All the strong and healthy people have run into the mountains and become bandits. All that’s left in the village are the old, weak, women and children!” Xiaoyu shook her head gently at Ace.

Not just Amigasa Village, but basically the entire Wano Country is in this situation.

One group were those who joined the Orochi Shogunate in the capital, another group were those who rebelled against Orochi and were thrown into Udon Prison, yet another group became outlaws, and the last group were those who joined the Hundred Beasts.

The able-bodied young people who support the operation of the entire national machine are divided into four groups in this way. As for the elderly, weak, women and children, it is self-evident what their fate will be in this place where there has been a tradition of "aunties living together" since ancient times.

"So? What are your thoughts on this country?" Sakura put Tama down and looked at him calmly.

Ace's eyebrows trembled as he began to speak, "Sakura-nee, I..."

Chapter 343 The Great Serpent's Fear!

"Sister Sakura, I don't know..." The boy took a deep breath and then sighed.

He didn't know how to save the people here, how to take action, or what kind of future he should bring to this country.

To be honest, he was born in the Goa Kingdom's junkyard and grew up in the decadent world of pirates.

Having spent years in hell, Ace had no idea how to create a beautiful world; after all, one cannot imagine something one has never seen.

But the instinct he developed from being influenced by Garp since childhood, which allows him to distinguish right from wrong and good from evil, tells him that something is wrong!

"Then use your eyes to observe slowly and summarize gradually!" Sakura raised her hand and ruffled Ace's hair.

In her opinion, it would be better for anyone to take over Wano Country than to hand it over to the 'Three Generations of Kozuki'.

At least the powerful figures in the outer seas are genuinely contemplating the matter of governance, rather than acting like the political creatures of this nation, constantly thinking about succession and vying for power.

Moreover, from another perspective, strong individuals with a strong sense of protection and domineering presence are surprisingly well-suited for governance, such as Ace or Yamato.

Without outside interference, their own beliefs will urge them to take action and do things that benefit the people.

If one day they betray their ideals, a decline in strength and a sudden change in appearance will quickly alert their supporters, allowing them to make timely adjustments.

'They're practically born to be tools!'

The girl's emerald eyes scrutinized Ace with ill intent, as if she were examining some rare treasure.

Ace felt a chill run down his spine under her gaze, rubbing the goosebumps on his arms and taking several steps back.

"Big brother, big sister, what are you talking about?"

Confused by their conversation, Xiaoyu hugged Xiaoying's leg in bewilderment.

"It's nothing, just take us to see your village."

Sakura opened her palm and gently took Tama's hand. "While you're at it, go roast this prey. Didn't you say the villagers haven't had a proper meal in a long time?"

"Yes!"

Xiaoyu's eyes lit up when she heard this!

She risked bringing Komachise out hunting just so she could bring back some food, didn't she?

Because Ace had captured this thing, and the two of them were her saviors, Xiaoyu didn't dare to speak up.

But now that Sakura has permission, things are different. This is what my big sister told me to eat!

So the excited girl directed Komachiyo to gather hemp grass from the surrounding area and weave a makeshift net to trap the prey so that Komachiyo could carry it in its mouth.

She then climbed onto Komachise's back and called to Sakura and Ace, "Big sister, big brother, come on up, I'll take you to the village!"

Once the two of them had climbed onto Komachise's back, Tama directed the giant Komakenji to drag their prey away in a cloud of dust.

.

.

On the other side, in Wano Country, the Flower Capital.

Amidst the elegant gray buildings, the Tian Shou Pavilion stands atop a small hill, a timeless monument to the city and a testament to the exalted status of those who rule this land.

Deep within the Tian Shou Pavilion, amidst its intricate network of pavilions and towers, a burly, bald, purple-haired man smashed a cup on the ground.

"Damn it, is there still no news from Kaido?"

The black charcoal serpent's eyes were bloodshot, and its sharp voice trembled with fear.

Having lost Kaido, a powerful protector of the nation, he lived in constant fear, believing that Kozuki and Akazaya Nine could gather samurai in Wano Country at any moment to overthrow him.

Therefore, before this, many residential areas in Wano Country had already been massacred by him due to some trivial disturbances.

In any case, people are essentially no different from weeds; once you kill one generation, another will grow back. Kurozumi Orochi doesn't care about the decline in the population.

A shadow flickered outside the room door as Fukurokuju, the captain of the Orochi Oniwabanshu, arrived at the corridor.

Knowing he couldn't anger Orochi at this time, he went along with Orochi's wishes and said, "Your Highness, the leader of the Myō-ō has already stated in previous communications that he will return soon with strong reinforcements."

"Not fast enough! I want him back in Wano Country immediately!!!"

Kurozumi Orochi shouted angrily, "In the end, it's all because of that useless guy who was defeated overseas! What's the point of us producing so many weapons and equipment for him every year?!"

Seeing that he had started to act unreasonably, Fu Lu Shou shut his mouth and knelt on one knee outside without saying a word.

"Fu Lu Shou! Fu Lu Shou! Why won't you speak? Are you betraying me?!"

A dangerous aura emanated from the room. The giant serpent's massive body twisted and turned, transforming into a terrifying figure with eight heads. It smashed through the Japanese-style door, blocking all of Fukurokuju's escape routes.

His cold gaze was fixed on Fu Lu Shou, leaving him in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat.

What can I say? What else can I say?