“Huh? Is it really that hard to get in? Can’t we just sail the ship straight in?”
“Of course not. Can you just sail directly into Marine Headquarters?”
“I probably can.”
Recalling what had happened during the Summit War, Luffy felt that it actually seemed pretty easy, and bluntly choked back Law’s words.
“Isn’t Wano Country still on the sea? What’s stopping us from sailing there?”
According to Luffy’s logic, as long as the destination was an island floating on the sea, he could try sailing there. Ships traveled on water—that was common knowledge even children understood.
“That was because Whitebeard was attacking Marine Headquarters! Try getting in during normal times! Let’s see whether your ship arrives first or the cannonballs do!
After the Summit War, you disappeared for two whole years. During those two years, didn’t you… Oh, sorry, my mistake. I forgot that you really haven’t gathered any intelligence at all.”
Rubbing his temples, Law felt his blood pressure rising again. The average intelligence of the person in front of him seemed lower than that of a beetle. If he wanted Luffy to display normal intelligence, he’d have to rely entirely on luck.
Law’s goal remained clear: he wanted to kill Doflamingo.
After Doflamingo had been taken away, he had completely vanished without a trace. The most likely possibility was that he was on Onigashima.
Doflamingo had only provided part of the benefits enjoyed by the Beasts Pirates. By pirate standards, as long as Law could prove he could offer greater benefits and replace Doflamingo’s former role, the Beasts Pirates wouldn’t care about him.
Recent events, however, had proven that Law had overestimated himself and underestimated the Beasts Pirates. Doflamingo’s disappearance from the seas had caused them no trouble whatsoever. In an incredibly short period of time, they had directly replaced Doflamingo’s position with their own people and had even unified the Underworld of the New World.
No broker?
Easy. From now on, I’m the boss.
Based on Law’s analysis of the current situation, he’d need to create a world-class organization before he could even begin discussing such things.
If Law changed his objective, entering Wano Country would actually be simple. He could find one of the Beasts Pirates’ islands and ask them to pass along a message. Thanks to family connections, he could ultimately get in. However, that might disrupt his future plans.
Even if it worked, Misu or Lami—the people who would bring him into Wano—would be affected as a result. They were the only two people he didn’t want to drag into his affairs, so he chose infiltration instead. The problem was that he had already hit a wall at the very first step.
“Isn’t your ship a submarine? Then why don’t we just go in underwater?”
“That won’t work either. Whether it’s underwater or through the sky, those waters are extremely dangerous. Forget getting inside, just approaching without being discovered would require unbelievable luck.”
“Then how did those two escape from inside? They’re obviously weak.”
Luffy seemed unconvinced by Law’s explanation. Picking his nose, he pointed at Kin’emon and Kanjuro.
“According to what you’re saying, getting out should be just as hard, right? They said they escaped from Kaido’s men. If they managed to get out, then either it isn’t actually that difficult, or… they’re lying!”
Silence fell over the Sunny. Even the tree-sap drink in Heracross’s hand dropped to the deck. This was clearly not the sort of conclusion one would normally expect.
“Are you the type who saves up all your intelligence and uses it at once? Still, he does have a point. How exactly did you two escape?”
Law had been focused on figuring out how to get in. After all, if they couldn’t even enter Wano, there was no point worrying about an escape route.
But after Luffy brought it up, Law suddenly realized the flaw in the situation.
“Because our companions drew their attention away, we seized the opportunity to fly out. We know Wano Country’s terrain better than they do, so finding a chance to take off wasn’t difficult.”
That was Kanjuro’s answer to Law, and it was technically true. However, the only reason they had escaped successfully was because Kaido had ordered it. The aerial forces had deliberately refrained from pursuing them. Because of that, Kanjuro and the others mistakenly believed their escape had been the result of their own efforts.
“Fly? I think you were deliberately let out. But if that’s the case… it doesn’t benefit them at all. Besides, what happened to your secret passage?”
Law wasn’t convinced by the explanation. Among all known pirate crews, the Beasts Pirates possessed the largest number of flying officers. Ever since the Flying Pirates of the Golden Lion had disappeared, the Beasts Pirates had the strongest aerial force on the seas.
Most of their senior officers possessed the ability to fly for extended periods—not merely glide or hover briefly, but truly fly. If they had genuinely wanted to pursue them, there was no way they would have let them escape. And having a secret passage but not using it made little sense as well.
“The secret passage is an internal route within Wano Country. It doesn’t lead to the outside world. Wano has always maintained its isolation policy, so there are no passages connecting it to the outside.”
“Maybe they just wanted to have some fun.”
“Who would do something like that?!”
“Don’t worry about those little details. Just because it’s difficult, does that mean we’re not going?”
Luffy’s words forced Law to accept reality once again. No matter how Kin’emon and Kanjuro had gotten out, they still had to go in.
Even if there was something suspicious about the two of them, it wasn’t something he needed to focus on.
“So, how exactly are we getting in? What’s your plan, Tra-guy?”
“We’ll fly in too. Doesn’t your ship fly? My ability can perform spatial substitution. First we’ll use your ship to get close, then have this guy draw a bird that can fly into the range of my ability. After that, I’ll teleport us directly inside.
We need to finish all of this before entering Wano’s territorial waters. That’s the safest approach.”
Law’s intention was to use Coup de Burst to advance a certain distance, then rely on a bird drawn by Kanjuro for further movement. The sky was heavily overcast, as if a torrential rain could break at any moment.
Such weather was a perfect opportunity for infiltration, but it also meant that the bird Kanjuro drew could dissolve in the rain at any time. They couldn’t rely on it to carry them for long and would need to use Coup de Burst to break through.
“But if we do that, won’t the ship be unable to get in?”
“Exactly. From this point on, we’ll have to split up. Afterward, someone will need to keep sailing your ship. That group should be much safer than the team entering Wano Country.”
The Straw Hat crew didn’t object to Law’s proposal. Even if they wanted to, they had no real reason to. In the end, Nami, Franky, Chopper, and Brook were chosen to remain aboard the Sunny rather than follow the main group.
The navigator and shipwright would help ensure the Sunny’s safety, while Chopper and Brook were left behind because their appearances were too distinctive and would easily attract attention.
Usopp tried to stay on the ship as well, but his request was rejected.
“Actually, I just remembered, I caught a disease that kills you if you enter Wano Country. I think I should stay with Nami and the others.”
“Oh, cut it out. Aren’t you a brave warrior of the sea? Then get ready and come with us! Franky, how are the preparations?”
“SUUUUPER perfect! Cola energy transfer complete! This time I loaded in even more cola, so overloading the system will definitely let us fly farther! Hold on tight, everyone!”
BOOM!
The Polar Tang submerged into the deep sea and began circling around, while the Sunny shot from the sea into the sky amid a chorus of screams.
After a burst of acceleration…
“We’re starting to descend! It’s time for you guys to go!”
“Leave it to me.”
Kanjuro drew a gigantic bird. Thanks to his superb drawing skill, the lifelike bird quickly rose from the deck and carried the group into the sky.
Before long, they were approaching Wano Country, and its outline became increasingly clear.
Although Wano possessed a controllable climate thanks to Pokémon intervention, it did not completely eliminate natural weather phenomena. This torrential rain was proof of that.
“This is bad… it’s starting to rain.”
Feeling raindrops striking his face, Kanjuro was overcome by an ominous premonition.
Rumble!
A bolt of lightning illuminated the pitch-black night sky, and the rain began pelting down. Countless raindrops struck the bird Kanjuro had drawn, and its vivid feathers began changing back into ink.
“Hey! We should be close enough now, right?! The ink bird’s about to melt!”
“Close enough. I’ve happened to gain some new insights recently. ROOM!”
A massive spherical space enveloped the surrounding area. With a wave of Law’s fingers, most of the group vanished from the Sunny. In their place appeared rocks and leaves, making it seem that they had successfully entered Wano Country.
However, Nami, Franky, and the others had no time to worry about the rest.
Their danger wasn’t over yet. Whether the Sunny could land safely during such a torrential storm was a serious challenge in itself.
“So… this is inside Wano Country?”
“Yeah. It looks like Kuri. We’ve finally returned.”
Night had already fallen, and nobody was out in the storm. Using the flashes of lightning for illumination, Kin’emon examined the surrounding area and roughly confirmed their location.
“Alright, first I’ll get everyone a change of clothes. Wano Country’s style is quite different from the outside world. Dressed like this, you’ll stand out too much.”
Kin’emon picked up a few leaves from the ground and placed them on everyone’s heads, beginning their disguise. He was the user of the Garb-Garb Fruit, which allowed him to change other people’s clothing according to his imagination.
There were even rumors that he had awakened the Garb-Garb Fruit and obtained some kind of Resurrection Armor, considering how absurdly unscientific Kin’emon’s health bar seemed to be. [TN: In Honor of Kings, the Resurrection Armor is actually called Sage’s Sanctuary, and it’s a powerful defensive item that allows a hero to revive after dying.]
“This is Kuri, this is the Flower Capital, and the prison is in Udon. Lord Momonosuke is being held here. If your grandfather was captured too, then he’s definitely here as well.”
Kin’emon drew a map on the ground and further explained the situation in Wano. However, Luffy and the others planned to gather information first rather than charge in recklessly.
Before splitting up, they needed to find a temporary base. Wandering the streets on a stormy night would make anyone look insane, and since they were already in the mountains, they headed deeper into the forest together.
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