Even with Kanjuro’s disguise concealing him, Kin’emon’s fury was impossible to hide. Kozuki Toki had only sent a handful of them twenty years into the future; everyone else had remained behind.
Twenty years was enough time for Wano Country to become completely different. Aside from a few areas deliberately preserved, there was almost nothing left of the original Wano. And it wasn’t only the people that had changed—the land itself had changed as well.
Kozuki Toki’s Devil Fruit ability was unknown to outsiders. Only Oden and his retainers knew of it, so no one else had any idea that these people had arrived in the present from twenty years ago.
Although wanted posters for Kin’emon and the others could still be found throughout Wano Country, most people believed they were long dead. Their bounties remained only because no one had ever found their bodies.
Wano Country wasn’t that large. Surviving openly as an enemy here for twenty years was simply impossible. Even the earlier arson incident had been dismissed by most locals as a case of mistaken identity involving two people who merely looked alike.
After all, how could someone’s appearance remain completely unchanged over the course of twenty years?
“Those b*stards… those pirates actually…”
Kin’emon seemed to have forgotten their original plan. Many people tell others to endure it or give things up, but that’s only because those things aren’t happening to them personally.
The civil unrest Hiyori had experienced back then was much the same. People merely felt that, as Oden’s daughter, she lacked integrity and wanted to use other people’s lives to realize her own sense of righteousness.
Oden’s retainers were different. At the very least, they possessed genuine conviction and were all prepared to die for Oden. Yet when Kin’emon discovered what seemed to be a green hat sitting on his head, even he completely lost it. [TN: Wearing a green hat means getting cuckolded]
Weapons weren’t forbidden in Wano Country, and it wasn’t unusual to see people carrying swords in public. So, Kin’emon still had his pair of swords hanging at his waist.
At this moment, his fists were clenched tightly, and his arms were almost involuntarily reaching for the hilts.
“Kin’emon, calm down. You still don’t know what’s really going on. If I remember correctly, O-Tsuru runs a teahouse, right? Maybe that’s just a customer. Lowering herself a little to attract business is unavoidable…”
Kanjuro had a bad feeling about this, but he still tried to comfort Kin’emon.
“Right… you’re right. There’s no way O-Tsuru would abandon me…”
Kin’emon muttered to himself. It sounded like he was responding to Kanjuro, but it was more like he was trying to reassure himself.
From this distance, they could see the shop operating, but only that. Hearing what was being said inside was impossible.
Meanwhile, inside the shop ahead, O-Tsuru had already finished tidying up the shop and was preparing to close for the day.
It was no longer the teahouse it had been twenty years ago. After several expansions, it had become an izakaya.
There was no way O-Tsuru could have accomplished that alone. She had never possessed much wealth, and most of her income back then had gone toward supporting Kin’emon and the others. The reason the place had become what it was today was because of another man – Poker.
Beasts Pirates Numbers — No. 43.
“O-Tsuru, did you pack everything up for me? I probably won’t be coming back for a while.”
“It’s all packed. Is there some new operation?”
“Same as always, just on a larger scale this time. Even the officers have received deployment orders. Business has been pretty good these past few days, hasn’t it?”
“Not bad. Quite a few of the newcomers to Onigashima came here after hearing about the place.”
“Naturally. The guy responsible for showing them around Wano Country used to sail on the same ship as me. He’ll at least do me that favor.”
There was nothing particularly special about Poker and O-Tsuru’s conversation. That was because they had already been together for five years.
Yes, only five years. After Kin’emon and the others vanished without a trace, O-Tsuru had not immediately given up on him. Instead, she had waited for fifteen full years, hoping to witness a miracle.
And during those fifteen years, she personally witnessed the transformation and development of Wano Country.
Within Wano Country’s towering walls, development in every region had long stagnated. Kuri, in particular, had once been the country’s most lawless area. Oden had been celebrated by the people of Wano because he used force to end that chaos and rebuild Kuri.
Of course, in the original timeline, Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido deserved much of the credit for this comparison. If not for their destructive style of development that completely disregarded the lives of others, the old Wano wouldn’t have seemed nearly as wonderful by comparison.
However, the current scene was completely different. Arceus’s development efforts far surpassed theirs.
A broad highway stretched across Wano, connecting several regions of the country. Tall utility poles and concrete streetlights lined both sides. These seemingly ordinary facilities inspired awe at the achievements of human civilization.
Electricity generated by groups of Electivire and Mareep was transmitted throughout Wano Country through specialized converters. Rotom also traveled through the electrical currents, using them for high-speed movement.
Following the highway, one could see changes brought about everywhere by Pokémon. Besides the original quarry, several factories had risen within the Udon region.
Galarian Weezing absorbed industrial waste gas from the sky, while Alolan Muk decomposed toxic waste, turning pollution from the factories into nourishment.
Continuing along the highway would lead to Hakumai, where upscale residential districts and office buildings stood alongside bustling commercial streets that rivaled those of the Flower Capital.
Humans were not the only inhabitants here; it was also a gathering place for Pokémon. Groups of Pokémon had long since blended into the human populace, becoming an indispensable part of this place.
One could see Chansey waving their arms while haggling with merchants, Squirtle practicing the accuracy of their Water Gun, and Machamp carrying massive loads as part of their physical training.
Dragonite would occasionally transport packaged deliveries to destinations around the world, while Pokémon Centers sometimes received all sorts of unusual patients.
These Pokémon were an important part of modern Wano Country, but they were not everything. From the skies above to the depths underground, traces of Pokémon could be found everywhere.
The resource investments of the Beasts Pirates had transformed this area into Wano Country’s new center. Although the Shogun’s residence and the economic heart remained in the Flower Capital, Hakumai was the first region to receive orders from Onigashima.
As a result, the local people also enjoyed this prosperity. In the center of Hakumai stood a building with a somewhat ancient architectural style, yet everyone knew it.
It was a monastery of the Arceus Cult. The enormous Thousand Arms atop its roof stood tall through wind and rain alike and had long become one of the region’s landmarks.
For present-day Wano Country, religious faith had become an indispensable part of daily life.
Beside the monastery flowed a small stream. Its waters were crystal clear, revealing the riverbed below. Sunlight reflected off the pebbles beneath the surface, and the interwoven stones swayed gently with the current.
Following the stream upstream, one would eventually see traces of ice forming upon its surface, marking the arrival at Ringo. The region still maintained its year-round snowy landscape. To prevent heavy snowfall from crushing them, the buildings here were constructed with curved roofs.
However, since the Beasts Pirates had taken control of the region, there had no longer been cases of people freezing to death or suffering frostbite. Carkol swayed their bodies as they transported coal, and occasionally one can even spot Snover climbing down from Mt. Fuji to wander about here.
Following the footprints left behind by the Snover upstream, the Flower Capital soon came into view. Towering Mt. Fuji had become a sacred land, while Altaria flying among the clouds looked down upon the land below.
Finally, after crossing Kibi’s vast grasslands, one’s gaze would return to Kuri.
As long as people did not openly oppose the Beasts Pirates, the Beasts Pirates took no action against them. The lives of ordinary locals had not been negatively affected; instead, they experienced the conveniences the Beasts Pirates brought. That was why the younger generation admired the Beasts Pirates even more.
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