Chapter 726: The Ninja Village
From Marco’s description, Ian understood what he meant. These seemingly strange “monsters” were actually just rare birds and exotic beasts. However, because the Wano Country had closed itself off from the world, its people had little exposure, leading them to view these rare creatures as monsters—even inventing legends about them.
This world was full of bizarre and peculiar creatures, and Ian had seen many during his years at sea. So even if he suddenly encountered some creature he had never seen before, he would only feel a sense of novelty, not mistake it for a monster. This was true not just for him but for anyone sailing the seas—it was the fundamental difference in perception between outsiders and the people of Wano.
As they spoke, the three approached the edge of the island and began to descend, landing on a relatively flat spot on a seaside cliff.
The people of Wano were highly xenophobic. Under the policy of national isolation, the country had no large ports because it did not welcome outsiders. At the same time, its own people rarely ventured out to sea.
Of course, since they lived by the sea, seafood was an important food source, so Wano did have fishermen. However, these fishermen generally did not stray too far from the island. First, the country’s laws forbade it, and second, venturing too far was dangerous. The sea was not only unpredictable in weather but also home to ferocious Sea Kings. A small fishing boat could not withstand any storm.
Marco was the guide, having visited the country before. After landing, he told Ian that they should first find a fishing village near the coast to ask around and confirm where they had landed.
During the descent, Marco had taken advantage of the height to survey the surroundings. He vaguely spotted what seemed to be a village to the north, so he planned to head there first.
Bonney immediately grew frustrated. “Didn’t you say you’ve been here before? Why do you still need to ask for directions!?”
Marco spread his hands. “No choice. Sailing routes and flying routes are completely different. Flying lets you go in a straight line, but sailing requires detouring around islands and reefs. Besides, when the Whitebeard Pirates landed in Wano, we only set foot in the ‘Kuri’ region ruled by the Kozuki Family. We never went anywhere else!”
“So now we need to figure out how far we are from ‘Kuri’ and which direction to head, right?” Ian asked.
Marco nodded. That was exactly what he meant.
“Then why not just fly straight to the village?” Bonney asked, puzzled. “Why land and walk?”
“The people of Wano have a very low tolerance for new things,” Marco said with a smile. “If we just fly in, they might shoot us with arrows! It’s best to avoid that trouble.”
Ian was also a bit confused. “If that’s the case, wouldn’t walking into the village cause the same problem? We clearly look like outsiders!”
“There’s no helping it,” Marco said. “I thought about getting some Wano-style clothes first, but then I realized the men here all wear topknots, and women have to wear masks when they go out. There’s no way we’re doing that!”
Damn! Ian couldn’t help but reach up and touch his own hair, thinking that if he had to change his ponytail into a topknot like a sky-piercing braid, he’d rather die!
“Oh my god!” Bonney was stunned. The more Marco described it, the more she felt the people of Wano were like country bumpkins! Women had to wear masks just to go out?!
“So no matter how we disguise ourselves, our demeanor will still be vastly different from the people of Wano. Since that’s the case, we might as well just go in as we are,” Marco said. “But that means the locals will definitely be wary of us…”
“Let them be wary,” Ian said helplessly. “As long as we get directions, we’ll just fly straight there!”
After deciding, the three began moving through the forest toward the small village to the north.
Along the way, Ian saw many strange creatures in the forest. These forest dwellers were not afraid of humans. The weaker ones simply watched them curiously, while the more aggressive ones even tried to attack them. Unfortunately, none of them succeeded.
Bonney noticed a type of squirrel that could puff up its body like a balloon and thought it was cute, so she wanted to catch one. But Marco stopped her. “Don’t do that. The people of Wano call these rare beasts ‘monsters,’ but they don’t fear them—they worship them! So don’t go catching any of them. You never know if the one you grab is one of their revered creatures. Many pirates who came to Wano in the past caused conflicts by catching these rare beasts, which made the locals hostile.”
Hearing this, Bonney gave up the idea. The three continued through the forest, knocking out any aggressive creatures they encountered.
Just as they were nearing the village, Ian suddenly heard a strange bird call echoing through the forest. At first, there was only one call, but soon, similar calls came from farther away, one after another, as if responding to each other.
Marco heard it too and his expression changed. “That’s… an alarm signal!? There are lookouts in this village!?”
Before he finished speaking, the trees around them began to shake. Several figures leaped from branch to branch, and within moments, the three found themselves surrounded by dozens of people!
These people were all perched in the trees, looking down at them. They wore tight black outfits, their heads wrapped in cloth, and their faces covered with masks, leaving only their eyes visible.
At their waists, each carried a short blade.
Ninjas? That was Ian’s first thought. These black-clad figures looked exactly like the ninjas he remembered!
Marco also noticed them and muttered in surprise, “What’s going on? Is this village not a fishing village!? Why are there so many ninjas!?”
Ian wore a similarly strange expression. He heard Marco’s words clearly. If it wasn’t a fishing village and there were so many ninjas, could this be the legendary Ninja Village!?
Hey, which unit are you from!? The Hidden Leaf Village or the Hidden Mist Village!?
For a moment, Ian felt like he had traveled to the world of Naruto…
This really felt like the wrong genre…
Before Ian could finish his thoughts, one of the ninjas in the trees spoke. “Who goes there!? Why do you trespass into the forbidden grounds!?”
That was roughly the meaning. Ian found their tone odd. Normally, wouldn’t they ask, “Who are you?”
Because of his relationship with Fujitora, Ian had often heard similar phrasing, like using “this one” to refer to oneself. But since joining the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Fujitora had used such language less frequently, gradually correcting his speech habits.
Ian had never dealt with the people of Wano before, so he looked to Marco to answer.
Marco looked up at the ninjas. “Don’t misunderstand. We’re from overseas. We didn’t know this was forbidden ground. We just saw a village here and wanted to ask for directions!”
The ninjas could tell the three were outsiders. However, they also noticed the tattoos on Ian’s arm and Marco’s chest.
Marco’s chest tattoo was unremarkable, but Ian’s arm tattoo—the mark of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, a skull of a dragon pierced by a sword—immediately caught their attention. The ninja who had spoken earlier exclaimed, “Pirates!?”
Generally, any tattoo with a skull pattern was associated with pirates. That was common knowledge.
And once the ninjas identified Ian as a pirate, the three quickly learned exactly how the people of this country felt about pirates.
“Get out! Wano does not welcome the likes of you!”
The lead ninja shouted, and the others immediately drew their short blades.
The gleaming blades and hostile stares made it clear that the people of Wano’s hatred for pirates was no joke.
Ian glanced at Marco, asking with his eyes what they should do. Should they fight?
Marco hesitated. He had been to Wano before, but he had only interacted with the Kozuki Family. He had never dealt with other regions.
Because of his good relationship with the Kozuki Family, Marco had a relatively favorable impression of the people of Wano. But these ninjas were far more hostile than he remembered.
Moreover, the ninja class in Wano, like the samurai class, served the country’s Shogun or feudal lords like the Daimyo. Since this was a ninja village, it likely meant there was a powerful figure behind it…
Ian noticed Marco’s hesitation and immediately understood his thoughts.
But Ian had no connection to the people of Wano. He was only here to find Fujitora and Ace as quickly as possible and take them back.
Anyone who stood in his way was an enemy in his eyes!
So he didn’t care about the consequences. He drew the Thousand Cherry Blossoms and the Black Wing Demon from his waist!
The sound of blades being drawn triggered the ninjas’ reflexes. The moment Ian’s sword left its sheath, a hail of shuriken flew toward the three of them!