Unlike in the game, the combat capabilities of the Defender, Striker, Scout, and Cruiser were no stronger than those of a Ruin Guard.
In the game, due to version updates, newly introduced monsters often far surpassed their predecessors in either mechanics or health pools.
But in reality, the Ruin Guard and these four types of autonomous machines were made from the same materials and employed very similar technology. Aside from their differing performance specs, there wasn't much difference between them at all.
However, the Defender, Striker, Scout, and Cruiser still had a second generation that hadn't yet been put on the market.
The second generation of these four autonomous machines featured a far more crucial core component. This allowed them to recombine through a merging mechanism into an entirely new autonomous machine — the Perpetual Mechanical Array!
Compared to the four separate autonomous machines, the Perpetual Mechanical Array's technology was far more advanced. Research on the Enkanomiya side was still stuck on this, and it seemed unlikely to make an appearance anytime soon.
Besides these four types, Ren also planned to introduce the Ruin Drake — Earthcrawler into the market.
The Ruin Drake's technological level was roughly on par with the Ruin Guard. Whether it entered the market sooner or later didn't really make a difference. On the other hand, the Ruin Hunter — which had been developed years earlier — was something Ren deliberately kept under wraps.
After all, air supremacy was incredibly valuable!
Why was the Flying Pirates so troublesome to deal with?
Aside from Shiki himself being powerful enough, the most critical factor was that this pirate crew could fly!
Ordinary pirates or Marines, even those who had mastered Geppo, couldn't match the Flying Pirates' aerial agility. But the Ruin Hunter possessed formidable anti-air capabilities.
...
Wano Country.
After Kurozumi Orochi assumed the position of acting Shogun, the lives of Wano's citizens — at least those in the Flower Capital — seemed completely unchanged. The samurai nobles gradually realized that Orochi had no intention of encroaching on their interests, and over time they grew increasingly accustomed to this acting Shogun.
In the shadows, however, Orochi and Kurozumi Higurashi had secretly joined forces. Not only had they reclaimed the various powers that rightfully belonged to the "Shogun," they had even quietly replaced a number of people behind the scenes.
Take, for instance, the regions of Hakumai, Udon, Kibi, and Ringo. The yakuza factions in these four regions had been covertly reshuffled several times over. If someone were to investigate deliberately, they would discover that the current yakuza bosses of all four regions appeared to hail from a new organization called the "Arataki Gang."
Although Kuri had no yakuza, Ren had never underestimated the yakuza's influence in Wano.
At their peak, the yakuza could even sway the decisions of a region's daimyo. The yakuza didn't just wield a certain degree of military force — they also controlled numerous industries.
In both economic and military terms, they were a force that couldn't be ignored.
Now the yakuza bosses of every region were members of the Arataki Gang. These were all Ren's people. The proposal to replace the original yakuza bosses through power struggles came from Yayoi and Ayame.
In practice, they had also provided considerable covert assistance. With this force under his control, Kurozumi Orochi had gained no small amount of confidence. At the very least, he could suppress dissenting voices to a significant degree.
From now on, even if the daimyo of each region had objections to his rule, they probably wouldn't have the spare capacity to oppose him.
Only the Flower Capital's yakuza boss, Hyogoro, had he not dared to touch rashly. The man commanded great respect, and his strength was formidable — an ordinary person simply couldn't replace him.
But this was enough.
"The time is almost ripe." Kurozumi Orochi stood inside the Shogun's mansion, gazing at the massive cherry blossom tree that bloomed year-round in the Flower Capital, and at the prosperous scene within the city. Hatred burned in his eyes.
He had never forgotten the discrimination and injustice he had suffered as a child. The Flower Capital's prosperous appearance only filled his heart with boundless fury.
Since those who tormented him believed he should bear the sins of his predecessors, then so be it — he'd give them exactly what they wanted!
Kurozumi Orochi's lips curled into a cold smile as his gaze shifted to the distance.
By now, Kurozumi Orochi had fully seized control of the Shogun's Oniwabanshu. Those ninjas weren't particularly capable, but they were efficient when it came to dirty work.
These people were hardly worth mentioning. Even without them, Ren would have assigned some Sea Beast warriors to assist Orochi. What truly mattered was that he had taken command of the Shogun's army.
This was the only force worth deploying.
Next...
"Kozuki..."
Kozuki Sukiyaki was already dead. Now it was your turn — Kozuki Oden!
Kurozumi Orochi could barely contain his eagerness to see every member of the Kozuki clan die before his eyes. But during this time, he had also been closely monitoring Kozuki Oden's movements overseas. He knew that man was currently traveling with a powerful pirate crew.
Openly opposing them was clearly unwise.
According to Lord Ren, that pirate crew was extremely powerful — they even possessed the might to destroy an entire nation!
"We can't oppose them openly. We can only find an opportunity to lure Kozuki Oden back to Wano alone," Kurozumi Higurashi said.
As long as Kozuki Oden returned alone — or at most with only his retainers — they would have ways to ensure he could never leave this country again.
That way, Kozuki Oden would be completely isolated and without support.
"Just be patient for now. Their journey will eventually reach its end." Kurozumi Orochi suppressed the turmoil in his heart, and his entire demeanor returned to calm.
The current Orochi was a world apart from his original-story counterpart. Even his capacity for patience went far beyond mere surface-level restraint.
He knew that Kozuki Oden would return to this country sooner or later. Until then, he simply needed to keep amassing power and preparing for that moment.
"Higurashi, Wano's situation no longer requires your strength. Find the right moment to set sail and make contact with the one Lord Ren spoke of — Kaido," Kurozumi Orochi said.
Though his current strength far exceeded the original story's, Orochi still hadn't abandoned the idea of finding an outside ally.
"I'll get in touch with Kuri and tell them to be extra careful and not expose Lord Ren's identity," Orochi arranged these matters, then continued. "Has all the equipment and supplies on Onigashima been cleared out?"
"That place was emptied out a long time ago," Kurozumi Higurashi nodded.
"Good. After you make contact with this Kaido, tell him we're willing to offer an island as his base. According to intelligence, that fellow doesn't exactly have a solid foothold overseas either."
Kaido's strength wasn't lacking — it was just that there were simply too many monsters in the New World right now. He had yet to reach his peak power, making it extremely difficult to gain ground in that landscape.
Unlike Wang Zhi and Silver Axe, who had each built up a loyal following of subordinates back when they served on Rocks's ship. Kaido was starting entirely from scratch.
If he had a stronghold and some support, he surely wouldn't refuse.
Of course, Orochi had no genuine intention of allying with him — it was merely a temporary arrangement to exploit him. In Orochi's eyes, Kaido was destined to die in the end.
Word was that Kaido had recently even provoked Lord Ren! This was the perfect setup — let Kozuki Oden and Kaido destroy each other while he reaped the benefits.
[
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