Chapter 733: Reappearing in the World
Saying this, he glanced at Marco and said, "I heard that the Kozuki Family and the Whitebeard Pirates have a connection... but you’ve come too late."
"Our information was delayed!" Marco spread his hands and said, "At first, only the Whitebeard Pirates’ Second Division Commander Ace and Sixteenth Division Commander Izou came to Wano Country. We thought it was just a simple internal conflict, but no one expected the Kozuki Family to be involved in this..."
Hidoki nodded and said, "Right now, most of the outsiders who came to help the Kozuki Family have been captured in the punitive campaign. According to the information I’ve received, some were directly executed by the Beast Pirates, but a portion are indeed being held prisoner!"
"Oh!? So where exactly are they being held?" Ian pressed further, "And is Kaido still in Wano Country?"
This was why Ian, despite having Ace’s Vivre Card, still decided to find someone to ask about the situation first. While the Vivre Card could lead Ian to Ace’s location, who knew what kind of guards were stationed at their prison?
Remember, the Beast Pirates knew the identities of both Ace and Fujitora. If they set a trap after capturing them, waiting for Ian and the others to walk right into it, that would be disastrous!
If Kaido himself was lying in wait, wouldn’t Ian have to fight him first!?
Of course, according to Hogkin’s divination, Ian’s journey would go smoothly, meaning the chances of encountering Kaido were low. But even if he didn’t run into Kaido, what if the Shogun of Wano sent troops to guard Ace and the others? These things were unpredictable...
Hearing Ian’s question, Hidoki shook his head and said, "Don’t rush. Actually, you’ve arrived at just the right time. I’ve just obtained the most accurate information."
Hidoki picked up his teacup, took a sip, and continued, "The Kozuki Family has been completely defeated in this battle. Their castle’s keep was burned down, and the family head, Oden, was captured. It’s said he stayed behind to be caught so his retainers could escape. Unfortunately, though the Shogun didn’t kill him, he handed him over to Kaido! That was about five days ago."
"But for some reason, Kaido kept Oden alive for five days, seemingly interrogating him about something. I don’t know if he got anything out of him, but last night, Oden was killed by Kaido!" Hidoki’s face showed regret and anger as he spoke.
"As for the outsiders who helped the Kozuki Family fight, Kaido originally planned to execute them all... but later, the Shogun took some of them away!" Hidoki looked at Ian and the others and said, "I was puzzled about why the Shogun did that, but after seeing you, I finally understand. He’s probably afraid of provoking two more Emperors!"
Ian nodded. He thought the same way. Kaido, that madman, was unpredictable, but as long as the Shogun of Wano had any sense, he wouldn’t dare to casually touch members of the Dragon Hunter Pirates or the Whitebeard Pirates!
Unless he was tired of living!
This was also why Ian wasn’t too worried about Ace and Fujitora’s situation. That was the deterrent power of the Four Emperors!
"So, Ace, Fujitora, and Izou were taken by the Shogun?" Ian asked.
"Yes! The Shogun got them back from Kaido and is currently holding them in the capital. As for the exact location, it’s probably in the main prison!" Hidoki said. "As for Kaido himself, for some reason, he actually left Wano Country!"
"Hmm? He left?" Ian was stunned. This seemed different from what he remembered.
In the original history, after Kaido killed the Kozuki Family head, he seemed to stay in Wano Country. Could it be that because of his own interference, things had deviated again?
That didn’t seem right. Since Kaido had discovered Ace and Fujitora, how could he not guess that the Dragon Hunter Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates would come to rescue them? With his madman personality, he’d probably be eager to wait for another fight with Ian and Whitebeard. Why would he just leave?
Could it be that he actually got some information out of Kozuki Oden and left because of that?
As Ian was speculating, Hidoki continued, "It’s not just Kaido who left. Two of his Three Calamities also went with him. ‘Jack the Drought’ and ‘Jin the Military Calamity’ are still in the capital, but only ‘Queen the Plague’ remains."
"Only one left? The Beast Pirates are almost fully deployed!" Marco said in confusion. "What happened?"
Ian could guess that Jack the Drought had probably gone to hunt down the Kozuki Family retainers who escaped, along with the heir, Momonosuke. But as for the unfamiliar ‘Jin the Military Calamity’ and Kaido himself leaving, Ian had no idea.
"The information was relayed by a ninja from my family!" Hidoki said regretfully. "Unfortunately, he was severely injured when he returned. Regarding this part of the intelligence, he only managed to say that someone called ‘Heavenly Yaksha’ had appeared, seemingly to deliver a message to Kaido and the others. Before I could ask who that was, he breathed his last..."
"Heavenly Yaksha!? ... Doflamingo!?" Ian understood, but he became even more confused. "He appeared too? To deliver a message? What kind of message?"
Just then, a sudden purr-purr sound echoed in the room.
The ninjas on guard all froze, standing up to find the source of the noise. Nea and Hidoki also looked around curiously.
Then, they saw Ian pull a ringing Den Den Mushi out of his pocket.
"What... what is that? A snail?" Nea asked curiously.
"Oh, this is a Den Den Mushi!" Ian replied with a smile. "A very unique creature that can communicate with people far away. Speaking of which, it seems Wano Country doesn’t have these..."
"I’ve seen outsiders use them before..." Hidoki said, but his eyes were still fixed on the Den Den Mushi in Ian’s hand.
Not just him, but even the ninjas were the same. Ian had no choice but to answer the call under the gaze of a group of curious children.
"Hey, is this Ian? Hey... hey... can you hear me clearly?" When the Den Den Mushi opened its mouth and spoke, Princess Nea’s eyes sparkled.
But Ian and Marco’s expressions turned serious, because the caller was actually Whitebeard Old Man himself!
This Den Den Mushi was a specially reinforced version. Due to the great distance and the harsh weather in the New World, ordinary Den Den Mushi would have their signals disrupted. That was why Ace and Fujitora hadn’t brought any with them. But this time, when Ian and Marco came, the Whitebeard Pirates had specially obtained this signal-boosted version for them to carry.
Now, Old Man was finally calling...
"It’s me!" Ian answered, holding the receiver. "I can hear you clearly. Go ahead, Old Man."
"Have you arrived at Wano Country? How’s the situation? Are you alright?" Whitebeard asked over the phone.
"We’re fine. Everything’s going smoothly. Just wait; it won’t be long before we bring Ace and the others back!" Ian said.
"Good!" Whitebeard said. "But if possible, hurry up."
"Did something happen?" Ian exchanged a glance with Marco and asked.
"It’s not a big deal... but..." Whitebeard hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "It’s the Soul Fruit! BIGMOM’s Soul Fruit has reappeared in the world!"
"What... what!?" Ian was stunned by this news and asked in disbelief, "Old Man, say that again. What was it?"
"You heard me right! It’s BIGMOM’s Soul Fruit!" Whitebeard said. "After you killed BIGMOM, the Soul Fruit was reborn, but no one expected this Demon Fruit to reappear before the world so quickly..."
A flash of insight struck Ian’s mind, and he thought of Doflamingo’s appearance!
Damn! Could it be that Doflamingo came to Wano Country just to inform Kaido of this news!? And Kaido suddenly leaving Wano Country—was it because of this Soul Fruit?