Chapter 13 The New Wano
A year passed as Ragnar, Yamato, and Hiyori trained with each other. Their strength grew, yet Hiyori still lagged behind.
Her strength was above Jack, Ulti, and Page One, yet she was not the equal of Ragnar and Yamato.
Maria had officially become Ragnar's secretary. Her job was to help him with paperwork and other things. Yet even she had to practice in the hellish training with Ulti and the others.
Ulti gritted her teeth in anger.
"Damn it! Maria and Jack have Devil Fruits, that's unfair!" she shouted while strangling Page One.
Ragnar felt pity looking at Page One.
His eyes turned toward Yamato as he sighed in relief.
At least she wasn't as violent as Ulti.
Ragnar decided not to irritate her today.
"Well, stop complaining and train harder."
He pointed at Hiyori, who was training as sweat dropped from her cute face.
"Devil Fruits aren't everything. You need a strong spirit to become strong."
Ulti released Page One and huffed.
Poor Page One was foaming from his mouth.
Everyone looked at him pitifully.
"Then I will train more!" Ulti shouted and looked at Page One.
Her face went pale.
"Pay-pay—"
She grabbed him and started shaking him.
"Pay-pay! What happened?! Answer me!"
Page One's eyes were spinning from all the shaking.
Ulti grew irritated from the lack of response and slammed her iron fist of love on his head angrily.
"Damn it! I'm asking you to answer me!" she shouted.
Her eyes watered.
"Waaaa! Pay-pay doesn't like his sister anymore! He won't even answer me!"
Ragnar and the others shuddered.
Damn, something is wrong with this girl.
Ragnar had enough.
He walked over and slammed his fist on Ulti's head.
"Owww!"
She clutched her head as tears formed in her eyes.
Ragnar picked up Page One and handed him to Maria, who took him to see a medic.
Ragnar and the others turned toward Ulti.
"Stop doing that. If you keep doing that—"
Ulti turned toward Hiyori.
She also shook her head.
"Ulti, you need to control yourself. You can't always beat poor Page One like that."
Yamato nodded.
"Yeah, that's not cool at all."
Even she wasn't this violent with Ragnar.
Even though Ragnar was more mischievous than Page One.
Even after all the pranks he pulled on her.
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became.
Just then Kaido walked in.
"Wororororo! You brats done playing? Now it's time for real training. Ragnar, Yamato, and Hiyori, come to the rooftop."
Everyone turned toward him.
Ragnar had a very bad feeling.
But looking at Yamato and Hiyori, who were ready to fight, he sighed helplessly.
The four of them arrived on the rooftop of Onigashima.
Ragnar rolled his sleeves.
Yamato rested Takeru on her shoulder.
Hiyori had a wooden sword at her waist.
Kaido drank as he waved at them lazily.
All three of them charged forward.
Kaido picked up his kanabo and started his special Kaido teaching lessons.
Soon all three were lying with injuries all over them.
Hiyori wanted to curse Kaido, but she didn't even have the strength to open her mouth.
If not for Ragnar and Yamato lying with even more injuries than her, she would have suspected Kaido was targeting her.
From that day onward started Kaido's special training.
Ulti, Page One, and Jack froze when they saw their injuries.
A chill ran down their spines.
Maria was busy looking after them.
On Amazon Lily, Hancock walked to her room after training with the Kuja warriors.
Her eyes landed on the pink heart-shaped fruit.
"Why are Mythical Zoans so rare?"
She was the number one genius of Kuja.
Her strength was growing rapidly.
At only thirteen, she had mastered Observation Haki and awakened her Conqueror's Haki.
Yet she felt left behind.
Ragnar and Yamato were three years younger than her, yet stronger than her.
She wanted to grow stronger.
To become their equal and stand with them.
Memories of Ragnar calling her wife appeared in her mind as her cheeks turned red.
She shook her head violently.
"What am I thinking? That bastard didn't even say goodbye to me."
Remembering that, she couldn't help but pout.
"Stupid Ragnar."
Just then her sisters came.
"Big sis, let's go eat!" Sonia shouted.
"Yeah, food is ready! Come quickly!" Mari's voice followed.
"Coming!" Hancock shouted as she walked away.
Yet what she didn't notice was the small snake-like patterns appearing on the Mero Mero no Mi.
On Onigashima in Kaido's throne room, Kaido sat drinking as King and Queen stood in front of him.
King looked at the documents in his hands.
"The weapon factories are working better than before. Even after paying the salaries young master promised, we still have more money remaining than expected."
"And there are many new people wanting to join the Beast Pirates. Many have good talent. The hidden samurai are growing silent. The mountain bandits led by Asura are acting less."
King finished his report.
"Tsk, because of my great invention, the pollution problem of the weapon factories is solved. The farmland is producing more, and with those tiny people brought by young master and young lady, the forests are becoming richer."
Queen started.
"With those Tontatta tribe specialties in cultivating plants and animals, many rare herbs and trees are growing in the forests. And on young master's suggestion, they have even started Den Den Mushi farming."
Queen grew excited just thinking about it.
Den Den Mushi were rare.
Each one cost nearly 50,000 berries, with video transponders costing even more.
No one knew how to breed them.
But now they knew.
Once they had a large amount of snails, Queen could equip them and the profits coming from it would be his achievement.
Just imagining the surprising amount of money this business could bring made Queen grin like a fool.
"Wororororo! As expected of my son!"
Kaido laughed, clearly in a good mood.
Though he looked and acted like a brute, his mind was sharp.
He understood everything.
Ragnar had produced the promised amount of money, and now with this new Den Den Mushi business, the profits would be off the charts.
In Wano, in one of the hidden bases of the samurai, Asura looked outside.
Wano had changed so much in just a year that he had a hard time believing it was still Wano.
People worked and laughed.
Everyone had enough to eat.
People lived happily.
The once barren land had started growing plants thanks to the new Shogun.
With his ability to control weather, he became a god in Wano's people's hearts.
And with Princess Hiyori with him, even he felt like he had no reason to resist.
He had long stopped causing trouble.
"Looks like the era of Kozuki is truly over."
He sighed.
"Don't you think?"
A woman in a pink ninja uniform appeared.
"Asura-dono, you have seen it with your own eyes. Even Princess Hiyori is with Shogun Ragnar supporting him."
Asura sighed.
"You are right, Shinobu, but Kaido is still the one who killed Oden. That fact can never be changed."
Shinobu nodded.
"Yeah, but Shogun Ragnar is different from Kaido. And even Princess Hiyori is supporting him. So why must you keep blaming a kid for his father's actions?"
"What do you want me to do?" Asura asked while looking at her.
Shinobu smiled.
"I'm here to ask you to join the Shadow Guards. A separate squad like Oniwabanshu, working directly under Shogun Ragnar."
Asura looked at her in disbelief.
"I'm already part of it. Even Denjiro joined after Princess Hiyori talked with him," Shinobu said as Asura froze in disbelief.
"Wh-what?"
Shinobu nodded.
"Yes. Even Lord Hyogoro had surrendered and we're giving their position of Daimyo back to them by Shogun Ragnar."
"I—I need time to think about it," Asura muttered.
Shinobu nodded and walked away.