Chapter 454 – Wano 09.

    [Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]

    Third Person POV

    New Word.

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    ...

    Hiyori went to the destroyed castle and found the pirate sitting with his sister, who was eating happily, thrilled to have found clean food there.

    "You shouldn''t eat just anything you find along the way, Lucy," Luffy said to his sister, eating the food left behind by someone who had been in the castle before.

    "Who cares! It''s food, isn''t it?! And it''s delicious!" she said, unconcerned with her brother''s disapproval.

    "Whatever..." Luffy sighed and looked at the two people standing in front of them, waiting. "You can sit on the couch in front of us..." Luffy said, noticing their hesitation due to the almost collapsing ceiling. "Don''t worry about that, I''m holding the castle together so it won''t fall on us," he added calmly, and they nodded before moving toward the couch.

    "That sword..." Denjiro couldn''t help but notice the sword at Luffy''s waist with a trace of astonishment.

    "Enma... I got it from Kozuki Sukiyaki, and it belongs to none other than Hiyori," Luffy admitted.

    "What?!" Hiyori exclaimed, not because of the sword but because of the name she heard.

    "Yes... he''s alive, if you want to know, but he''s been in hiding all these years. Anyway... I''m borrowing this sword, and I''ll return it in the end," Luffy said as his sister continued eating.

    "You won''t be able to defeat Kaido..." Hiyori''s voice was heard, causing even Lucy to stop eating and look at her, while Luffy seemed amused by the statement.

    "And why do you think that?" he asked.

    "Because there''s a prophecy that only when certain people appear will he finally be defeated," she replied.

    "Tell me, Princess Hiyori, what will change when your brother Momonosuke, Kin''emon, Raizo, Kanjuro—who, by the way, is an agent of Orochi and a traitor—show up?" Luffy asked calmly, waiting for her response, while she looked quite shocked by what she heard.

    "You know! Wait, are you saying that Kanjuro is a traitor?!" Denjiro exclaimed, surprised that Luffy knew such an important detail, let alone accusing Kanjuro of being a traitor.

    "..." Hiyori said nothing, just staring at Luffy, wondering if he was lying or something, but he remained silent, keeping an amused glint in his eyes.

    "Anyway, let''s put that information aside... what I want to discuss with you is the future of Wano. Can I return the power of this country to the Kozuki Family?" Luffy asked.

    "Wano belongs by right to the Kozuki Family!" Denjiro immediately replied.

    "Well... I have no problem handing Wano over to them, but will they accept that this country will belong to my territory?" Luffy said.

    "What do you mean by that? Do you intend to become another Kaido?" Hiyori asked, narrowing her eyes at Luffy.

    "I won''t be Kaido, but Wano will need me more than I need you. After all, I could have turned my back and never started this war. I could continue my journey until Kaido came looking for me, and I''d defeat him anyway. Even if Wano is freed from Kaido, it will face a massive food crisis. I''d estimate that 20% of the population will die without external help, not to mention the complete chaos over food, with people robbing and killing each other at that point. Even you Red Scabbards won''t be able to control the entire country," Luffy spoke calmly as Lucy kept eating, but he maintained his sharp gaze on them, listening to his brother.

    "What do you suggest, then? I still don''t believe you''ll defeat Kaido..." Hiyori replied.

    "It''s fine. I don''t need your belief to fight. Lucky me," Luffy said, standing up. He wanted to talk to them a bit more and organize a few things, but it was admittedly a bit disappointing.

    "Let''s go, sister... there''s nothing more for us to do here," he said as Luffy grabbed the remaining food and stuffed it into his mouth.

    "Wait, where are you going?" Hiyori felt a bit lost as he simply walked away. Luffy had planned to assign her to take care of the city, but he gave up on the idea.

    "I''m going to organize my final preparations and find someone to oversee the Flower Capital. Anyway, Denjiro, I''ve spoken to all the Red Scabbards except for Izo, who is outside of Wano. You''re the last. Everyone is heading to Udon to fight Kaido since this may be the final chance to do so. Whether you believe in a prophecy about a boy and a few Red Scabbards magically defeating Kaido or not..." Luffy spoke with a mocking tone, making Hiyori seem frustrated, unable to respond. Luffy knew she would cling to the prophecy no matter what, which was why he sensed her stubbornness and decided not to continue the conversation.

    "..." Denjiro remained silent after hearing those words.

    "Can you at least tell me where my grandfather will be?" Hiyori asked.

    "He''s heading to Udon as well. He''ll fight," Luffy said and continued. "When the battle is over, Enma will be yours again," he said before leaving the castle.

    "Denjiro... do you think Kaido will fall... Orochi is no longer alive..." Hiyori murmured, unsure of what to think, her once unshakable beliefs beginning to falter under her father''s words.

    Of course, Luffy staying there to try and convince her wouldn''t have been very effective given his current attitude. He wasn''t going to waste time persuading someone who, in the end, wouldn''t make a difference to him whether they supported him or not. He was an Emperor of the New World, aiming to dominate all the seas of the world as the supreme king.

    In the end, Denjiro escorted Hiyori out of the castle, which might soon lose the effects of Luffy''s Moa Moa no Mi, and they left while the Straw Hat returned to the crowd, trying to organize the city now without a Shogun.

    "You''ve done a good job..." Luffy commented, looking at all the men captured by the three women while the ship was already visible, flying back toward the capital.

    "What will you do with them, Luffy?" There were at least a thousand men tied up, looking at Luffy in fear.

    "We''ll hold a trial. We have some time while those heading to fight Kaido are gathering in Udon as I instructed," Luffy said, starting to examine the documents Lami had also collected with her Room. Among them were Orochi''s payroll records. He might have been a selfish idiot, but he was clearly organized when it came to maintaining the loyalty of those who served him and avoiding giving out more resources than necessary.

    "Attention, everyone in the Flower Capital..." Luffy began an announcement as everyone, still gathering food, turned to look at him. The Sunny Go landed on the ground at that moment, with several men tied up on the deck. Additional Den Den Mushis were visible, and Hiyori and Denjiro also watched as Luffy distanced himself from the ruined castle.

    "I''m going to start a trial for all those who worked with Kaido. Then, I will execute everyone on his payroll," he announced, leaving everyone stunned.

    With tears streaming down their faces, men were brought before Luffy in front of the crowd, pleading not to be executed. They claimed they had been forced to comply or that their crimes were not so severe.

    "It''s okay. This is a trial. We''ll start it, so relax," Luffy said, placing the first man, sobbing and kneeling, in front of him as he held Enma. One thing was for him not to kill a man in chains, but it was another to execute a death sentence after a fair trial. In that case, the punishment would be delivered by his sword.

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