Mariejois was now under martial law, and any unidentified ships approaching would be immediately sunk. The CP0 agent had stolen a pirate ship; although he wisely replaced its flag, he was still attacked.
He had no idea why, but every Den Den Mushi around him inexplicably malfunctioned. One even died right in his hands.
When he tried using signal flags, the flagpole would inexplicably snap. When he attempted hand signals, he would inexplicably run into sea fog. And just as he was about to abandon ship and make a quick landing, he was attacked by Akainu.
His orders were to eliminate any suspicious vessels and ensure the absolute security of Mariejois. Therefore, his actions against the CP0 agent were entirely in line with his orders.
...
"Mr. Tesoro, that guy is dead. As for the cause of death... I have no idea."
The luck of the Luck-Luck Fruit is borrowed. While it could be consumed, if the original owner of the luck died before it ran out, then the luck that Baccarat had taken would also vanish.
She hadn't even used the luck she had stolen from that CP0 agent, yet the stored luck suddenly disappeared. There was only one possible explanation—the provider of that luck was dead.
The Luck-Luck Fruit was a peculiar Devil Fruit that followed a certain conservation law. For someone to have good fortune, another must suffer misfortune. Now that the unfortunate person was gone, the luck naturally dissipated as well.
She had tried similar experiments before, but never on such a large scale. This level of death-inducing bad luck wasn't something that could be achieved with just a simple touch—it required prolonged contact.
Its practical value in combat was limited, but for assassination, this ability was top-tier.
The follow-up investigation of the death of the CP0 agent left the World Government utterly perplexed. They refused to believe it had nothing to do with Tesoro, yet the direct cause of death was Akainu. Furthermore, the investigators found no evidence of foul play.
If they had to come up with a reason, it was simply bad luck. They couldn't fathom how someone could possibly be this unlucky.
If this really was Tesoro's doing, they almost wanted to invite him over to give them a lesson—this was the perfect assassination.
Even veteran CP0 agents wouldn't dare claim they could execute it so flawlessly.
No one knew exactly what had happened on Tesoro's end. Meanwhile, another CP0 agent, who had been carrying out a mission near Stella, also suddenly vanished—eliminated by none other than those two Dragonite.
In response, Tesoro was visibly furious. This prompted the World Government to make slight adjustments to their subsequent policies, preparing for the changes that lay ahead.
The seas had been anything but peaceful lately. Across all Four Seas, numerous new pirates had emerged, and the situation in the New World was becoming increasingly bizarre.
According to Marine intelligence agents, shortly after Kaido and Red-Hair finished their meeting, Shanks seemed to have tried contacting Whitebeard. They suspected that the Emperors of the Sea were scheming something big.
It wasn't just the Marines— even Charlotte Linlin was puzzled. Whatever those three men were planning, it seemed to completely exclude her.
...
The upheaval in the outside world didn't affect the stronghold of the Four Emperors.
Whitebeard's homeland remained as peaceful as ever. Charlotte Linlin's eating disorder hadn't flared up recently, and there were no riots on Whole Cake Island. Meanwhile, Shanks continued his routine of hosting banquets and protecting his large number of weak subordinate crews.
There were also notable changes within Wano Country. For instance, King and Delia had gradually started taking on different missions.
As Kozuki Hiyori's mindset shifted, the roles of Delia and King were becoming somewhat redundant. Nowadays, Greninja alone was enough to handle affairs within the Flower Capital's palace.
King hadn't been seen here in quite some time, which was a relief for Kozuki Hiyori. Back then, King had frightened her more than once—his mask had become synonymous with terror in her eyes.
Delia, on the other hand, hadn't gone anywhere. She was waiting for an express delivery.
"Thanks. When you have some free time, I'll treat you to a meal."
Receiving the package from Dragonite, Delia instinctively made a promise to treat it and casually added another note to her ledger.
Her ledger was rather unique. Most people's ledgers only recorded past debts, but Delia's also included people she planned to borrow money from—essentially an unconventional form of "getting an advance".
Ever since Dragonite Post had been introduced within the Beasts Pirates, Delia had become its most frequent customer. Her unlimited black card had been a tremendous help, at the very least making her life significantly more comfortable.
This time, her package contained a large amount of camping gear—she was planning to go outside for a vacation soon.
As a veteran debtor, Delia rarely took time off because every time she had free time, she ended up spending money. Too many vacations could disrupt the balance of her cycle of borrowing and repaying. The last time she managed to clear it was when she found the plate and received a massive bonus.
Although she wasn't someone who could save money, she was currently in a relatively good financial position. It was the perfect time to grab Okiku and go out to have some fun.
....
"Lady Hiyori, I will be leaving Wano Country for a while. Please take care of yourself."
Inside the Flower Capital's palace, Kikunojo was bidding farewell to Kozuki Hiyori. This was part of an earlier agreement—Delia had promised to look after Kozuki Hiyori while she climbed the sacred mountain, and in return, Kikunojo had offered certain concessions. However, Delia had yet to cash in on them, waiting for the right moment to make use of them.
Recently, with no new missions assigned to her, she had decided to take a proper vacation. So, it was the perfect opportunity to finally redeem the favor Kikunojo owed her. To her, this was also a chance to strengthen their bond.
Traveling together, just the two of them, was bound to lead to some interesting things.
"Go on, there's no need to report such trivial matters to me."
Since she had already "given up", Kozuki Hiyori was indifferent to these matters, simply enjoying the conveniences that come with her status as Shogun.
"Oh, by the way, here are some things I've put together. Since you're going out to have fun, take a look at it first."
After a moment of thought, Kozuki Hiyori handed Kikunojo a book that resembled a travel guide. As her mindset shifted, the Beasts Pirates had gradually loosened their restrictions on her, allowing her to gain more knowledge about the outside world—including knowledge of various famous tourist islands.
These were places she had been planning to visit, but as the Shogun of Wano Country, even if the Beasts Pirates no longer confined her, it was not that easy for her to travel willfully. Upon hearing that Kikunojo was about to set out, she figured she might as well have him scout them for her.
"Understood! Thank you for your concern. I'll be sure to take note of these places."
Deep down, his loyalty to the Kozuki clan remained unwavering. In his eyes, receiving this special travel guide was practically a "gift from his lord."
After he packed his bags, he was promptly dragged away by Delia, leaving Wano Country behind as the two embarked on their own special trip...
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