Chapter 717: No Reason
“It seems the Whitebeard Pirates have already gotten word?”
Ian, not standing on ceremony, casually greeted Marco, Vista, Jozu, and the others as he walked over and sat down beside Whitebeard, speaking up.
“Yeah, we got word!” Whitebeard glanced down at him, took another swig of sake, and said, “But how did you, kid, find out?”
“A supernova named Red Flag Drake told me. I saved him before,” Ian explained. “But since he’s now part of the Beast Pirates, I wasn’t sure if his info was reliable. Plus, I didn’t expect Ace to go to Wano too, so I figured I’d come here and talk it over with you.”
“Ace went with Izo!” Whitebeard said. “Izo is from Wano. Even though he doesn’t use a sword, he’s still a samurai. Both Izo and Fujitora are rare people from Wano willing to open their eyes and see the world… The three of them were supposed to look out for each other and be fine, but I underestimated Wano’s strength. They actually got captured…”
Marco interjected, “Ian, even if you hadn’t come, Dad was planning to send someone to notify you. The Whitebeard Pirates are already preparing to move!”
“Hold your horses!” Ian gestured downward with his hand. “Actually, before I came here, I had someone do a divination. Ace and the others are imprisoned, but they’re unharmed. Strangely, the result told me that if we go rescue them, it’ll be easy to bring them back.”
“Divination, huh…” Whitebeard stroked his chin, about to say, “You believe in that stuff?” But then he remembered there was a fish-man on Fish-Man Island who was also skilled in divination. Jinbe had mentioned him before, saying he’d never been wrong. So Whitebeard held his tongue and instead pondered Ian’s words carefully.
After a moment, Whitebeard suddenly snorted coldly. “I get it! Hmph, looks like the shogun of Wano is worried about more people meddling in their country’s affairs!”
“Oh, how so?” Ian asked.
“Let’s just say, your news about taking down Big Mom and becoming a Yonko couldn’t have come at a better time!” Whitebeard tilted his head back, downed the last of his sake, tossed the flask onto the deck, wiped the liquor from his beard, and let out a hearty “Gurarara” laugh. “Because they’re scared. Wano is one of the few strong nations in the New World, but facing two Yonko as enemies at once? They can’t predict how that’ll end!”
“This civil strife in Wano is mainly a power struggle between the conservative and progressive factions!” Whitebeard explained. “Wano has long pursued a policy of isolation, relying on its powerful samurai forces to maintain a detached status in the New World. It never joined the World Government as a member nation, nor did it accept any Yonko’s protection. But with the Great Pirate Era, more and more people inside the country want to interact with the outside world. Those people are the so-called progressive faction!”
“The most representative figure of the progressive faction is probably Kozuki Oden. Over twenty years ago, he even completed the final journey with Roger!” Whitebeard said with a hint of nostalgia. “I met that man too. He was one of the daimyo of Kuri in Wano. He once invited me and Roger to set foot on Wano’s shores and see the sights under his rule. After Roger died, the Whitebeard Pirates and the Kozuki family kept in touch. Ace, after joining me, also visited Wano once…”
“The Kozuki family has always been dedicated to opening Wano’s borders and strengthening ties with the world, but…” Whitebeard’s expression darkened. “Such actions naturally drew hostility from the conservative faction. The shogun of Wano is the progressive faction’s biggest enemy. Originally, these progressive-minded people were just a small minority, unable to stir up much trouble. But as time passed, their numbers grew, leading to serious ideological conflicts with the conservatives!”
“This time, Wano’s civil war broke out because the shogun realized the progressive faction had grown to a point where suppression was unavoidable. And coincidentally, the Beast Pirates, who had been harassing Wano all along, suddenly changed their strategy. So the shogun chose to cooperate with that bastard Kaido, using the Beast Pirates’ strength to crush the progressive faction led by the Kozuki family…”
Whitebeard sighed. “Ace and Izo went to Wano and must have contacted the Kozuki family. No wonder the shogun sees them as enemies. Fujitora’s probably the same—he’s a wandering samurai, likely viewed as part of the progressive faction too. You see, under the isolation policy, no one from Wano is allowed to leave the country…”
Whitebeard pointed at Ian. “Out of respect for the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace and Izo might survive, but Fujitora’s fate is uncertain. The shogun might even execute him! But after you became a Yonko, the situation changed completely. Fujitora is your first mate, which means if they touch him, you’ll definitely storm Wano, right!?”
Ian nodded. That was a given!
“I reckon this crackdown on the progressive faction hasn’t been easy for the shogun either!” Whitebeard mused. “If the progressive faction hadn’t reached a stalemate with the conservatives, the shogun wouldn’t have needed Kaido’s help. Under those circumstances, if they also provoked two Yonko crews—the Whitebeard Pirates and the Dragon Hunter Pirates—he’d lose control!”
With Whitebeard, who knew something about Wano’s internal affairs, laying it out like this, Ian finally understood.
“So the divination was right!” Ian said thoughtfully. “They’ve borrowed the Beast Pirates’ strength, but the shogun can’t fully trust Kaido either. Even if Kaido wants to kill Ace and Fujitora, the shogun would resist that pressure and forbid it… If both our crews demand Wano release them, the shogun will likely go along with it and hand them back, right?”
“Yes!” Whitebeard nodded. “But he’ll probably set conditions, forbidding anyone from our crews to set foot in Wano again. That way, we’d have no excuse to meddle in Wano’s civil war. We’d just have to watch…”
Whitebeard sighed again. “Alas, that means Kozuki Oden and his family are in grave danger!”
“Why do you say that?” Ian asked, puzzled. “If they’re targeting the Kozuki family, and you’re friends with them, why can’t we step in?”
“Because it’s Wano’s internal affairs, understand?” Whitebeard shot him a glare. “If the shogun uses that as an excuse to sway the entire nation, we wouldn’t help the Kozuki family—we might end up harming them!”
“Then why can the shogun borrow Kaido’s power!?” Ian asked, confused. “Doesn’t that mean the Beast Pirates are meddling in Wano’s internal affairs too?”
“Different status!” Whitebeard said. “Let me put it this way: The shogun of Wano can borrow anyone’s power—Kaido’s, Big Mom’s, yours, or mine. That’s fine, because he’s the supreme ruler of Wano, the shogun! He holds the moral high ground! He can do anything, but his subjects cannot! Right now, it’s still a struggle between conservatives and progressives, a political conflict. But if a subject borrows outside power, it becomes outright rebellion!”
“At that point, the Kozuki family would be despised by all of Wano!”
Ian felt a bit dizzy. How did that logic work!?
“Wano is a country with a strict hierarchy…” Whitebeard sighed. “So unless the Kozuki family has made up their minds and asked for my help, I can only send troops to support them. But even then, if they can’t win the people’s understanding, even if I help them overthrow the current shogun, their rule would lack legitimacy!”
“This is too complicated!” Ian grumbled. “Why not just use Kaido as an excuse to take him down? Without Kaido’s support, let them fight it out among themselves!”
“But it’s probably too late!” Whitebeard said regretfully. “Ace and Fujitora being captured means the progressive faction has likely already lost. Kozuki Oden is probably in the shogun’s hands. Ace and the others couldn’t save the Kozuki family…”
Ian sighed in frustration, took off his hat, ran a hand through his hair, and stood up. “What a pain. Forget it. It’s none of my business anyway. I just need to go and bring Ace, Fujitora, and the other guy back!”
Thinking about it, that was the case. Aside from Fujitora, Ian’s Dragon Hunter Pirates had little connection to Wano. Even if they fought until their brains spilled out, it had nothing to do with Ian. Why bother worrying about it? If anyone should worry, it should be Whitebeard, right?
With all that free time, he might as well figure out how to get his hands on Kaido’s Road Poneglyph…