Chapter 128 The Troubles of the Sea Emperor
Oni Island is an island located near Wano Country. Through the thin mist rising from the sea, you can see a giant-like head with sharp, upward-curving horns on both sides. Orange-red flames burn in the skull's dark eye sockets. Through the mist, it seems as if a soul imprisoned here for many years is staring at Violet.
Standing on the wooden boat, Violet's clothes billowed in the wind. She raised her hand to push up her glasses, looking calmly at the island that represented the core of Kaido's rule.
"We've arrived."
Before the pirates on the ship could put down the planks, Timo leaped ashore first, followed closely by Violet, and then the rest of Timo's pirates.
Vera looked around at the location that was gradually being marked on the parchment map.
Oni Island, like its name suggests, exudes a cold, hard, and eerie atmosphere. The temperature here is much lower than in Wano Country, and you can still see unmelted snowdrifts on both sides of the stone steps.
The various buildings and structures on Onigashima exude a blend of the ruggedness of pirates and the exquisite detail of Wano Country. The steps, which appear to be purely hand-carved, are flanked by intricately patterned bamboo lanterns, and fluffy snowflakes settle on the bright red torii gates.
This strangely fragmented yet integrated art style, combined with the dark and cold weather, creates a unique Oni Island style.
Timber, who was at the very front, still had his coat wide open, and even as he exhaled puffs of white mist, he showed no intention of tightening his cloak.
Violet quietly tucked the hot stone into her bosom to keep it warm.
Entering through the giant skull's mouth, one finds a multi-story castle main building, each floor estimated to be over ten meters tall, clearly designed for use by someone like Jhin, whose height far exceeds the average.
The castle's architecture also follows the traditional style of Wano Country, mainly consisting of wooden buildings with upturned eaves, adorned with bridges and greenery. From a visual perspective, it is much better than the desolate scene outside.
After entering, Timo shook off the snow beads stuck to the hem of his cloak and waved for the rest of the pirates behind him to disperse.
The main castle has recreational facilities, including the Hundred Beasts Bath. After their liberation, the pirates shouted excitedly and went to squander the treasure they had obtained after their battle with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Touching the warm stone in her arms, Violet looked enviously at the pirates rushing towards the Hundred Beasts Bath.
That's great, it's so cold, she wants to soak in a hot spring too.
Violet's envious gaze was suddenly blocked by a pair of long legs.
She looked up, following the bright red trousers and straight legs. First, she saw an exaggerated gold belt, like that of a boxing champion, and then an open-fronted style, as if the buttons were contraband, resembling a drawer frame.
Beneath his pale skin was a layer of taut muscles, and faint blue veins on his side undulated gently with his breathing.
The other person had a blue eye-shaped tattoo on their chest, with the words "WHO S WHO" below it.
"It's laughable that the Navy needs to bribe the so-called 'Seven Warlords of the Sea' before daring to set sail in this pirate era. Now even you need someone to accompany you before you dare to meet Governor Kaido, Tekiki?"
"Ha, does a former World Government lackey who got beaten up by Shanks, failed his mission, and slunk to Onigashima seeking refuge dare to say such things, Who's-Who?"
It can be said that those of the same kind understand each other best. Both Timbermaw and Who's-Who could sense the strong ambition in each other, which made the two of them full of gunpowder from the very first meeting. Their mutual dislike intensified after Who's-Who established his own Who's-Who Pirates under the Beasts Pirates.
"Hmm? Look what I found: two passionate young men, and... an adorable child I've never seen before."
A charming young female voice rang out from behind. Vera turned her head in the direction of the voice, but only saw the hem of a gorgeous kimono. Only after tilting her head back high could she see the face of the huge figure that was almost as tall as a building.
The unusually tall woman looked to be no more than twenty years old. She was dressed in the standard geisha attire, with two blooming red flowers adorning her golden hair. Golden and red horns grew from her forehead, and two strands of hair fell down beside the horns, brushing against her slender neck.
“Foz F., Timber, and this one…” She bent down, and a rich scent, reminiscent of brightly colored poisonous spiders in a dense forest, enveloped Violet. “I am Black Maria, little one, who are you?”
"I am Wilson."
“Vilson?” Black Maria raised an eyebrow. “That name doesn’t easily conjure up images of such a beautiful young face as yours.”
“Black Maria.” Unlike the ambitious Who’s-Who and Timberland, Black Maria, who joined the Beasts Pirates earlier and possessed considerable strength, had little interest in the position of a Super-Signature. Therefore, the subtle sense of competition between the two when facing her was much less intense. “Has Jack arrived yet?”
“Jack… poor little Jack, he was badly injured that time he went out.”
"Hmph." Who's Foz chuckled mockingly. "I told you, guys like Doflamingo who will stop at nothing to achieve their goals are not worth trusting."
"And it's too embarrassing. The Flying Son and Doflamingo teamed up, and they couldn't even stop a kid who's not even fifteen years old."
Instead, that guy used the names and reputations of these two to make a name for himself, and even took the opportunity to go from an insignificant nobody to a Shichibukai.
Black Maria: "Jack came back badly injured... He's not an easy guy to deal with."
Her youth was both the reason she was underestimated before she became famous and the reason she became so fearsome after demonstrating her strength in a head-on battle.
Being too young means that she has not fully developed her own abilities, and she lacks experience and trustworthy subordinates or partners.
Being too young means that the Seven Warlords of the Sea are just the starting point of her life.
Moreover... Black Maria, who was closer to Kaido, learned that King and Doflamingo's probing attack seemed to stem from their suspicion that Violet was the real mastermind behind Whitebeard's healing.
Although it's unknown what conclusion they ultimately reached, this at least proves that Violet had a good personal relationship with Whitebeard and had the Whitebeard Pirates backing her up.
Black Maria sighed inwardly for a moment, then shared another piece of information with the two of them.
"Hanafuda is back too."
Who's Who: "I originally thought that at least one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was Hanafuda."
Hanafuda is a powerful and well-known pirate who rose to fame early on. He is a famous pirate in the New World, and his forces have occupied many islands.
He and Kaido were not in a superior-subordinate relationship. They clashed many times in the process of fighting for territory. However, Hanafuda and Kaido became friends after fighting. Their hobbies and personalities were quite similar, so much so that they developed a camaraderie while fighting and formed an alliance.
Even Hanafuda's two children were left on Onigashima by Kaido, who entrusted them to Black Maria's care.
Black Maria suspects that the main reason Hanafuda was outmaneuvered in the final selection of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was that news of Hanafuda's alliance with Lord Kaido was leaked.
Dealing with the Beasts Pirates is already troublesome enough. If Hanafuda becomes a Shichibukai with various privileges personally recognized by the World Government and the Navy, then the future development of this alliance will be too unpredictable.
The risk-averse Navy and World Government would certainly not want to see that scene.
Hanafuda and Kaido were well aware of this matter, but pirates are not creatures of reason. Even someone like Violet, who only had one famous battle and whose territory and subordinate fleets were unclear, became a Shichibukai. So Hanafuda, who did not obtain this title, had to find another way to demonstrate his strength.
Black Maria led the group toward Kaido's location.
[You've found a clue]
Huh? What?
Violet, who was holding her breath as she made her way through a group of drunken pirates, looked up in confusion upon hearing the notification. She had spotted a clue... What clue...?
Violet's gaze fell on a wine barrel that was as tall as her not far away. Compared to its group of crooked and tangled wine barrels scattered everywhere, this barrel that stood straight in the corner was rather suspicious.
Violet casually stroked "The Call of the Tentacles," and a tentacle as thick as two fingers grew out from the corner behind the barrel. After twitching twice, it stuck to the barrel and pushed forward forcefully.
With a bang, the barrel fell to the ground and rolled around, attracting everyone's attention.
Black Maria chuckled as she looked at the barrel: "Looks like everyone's been under a lot of pressure lately. My travels have been quite lively too."
Foz-Fur: "Tch."
No one paid much attention to this little incident, except for Violet, who was closest to the barrel when it fell over.
The moment the barrel fell, besides the loud thud, she distinctly heard a small gasp.
[You've got a clue: the one playing hide-and-seek isn't necessarily the cat.]
With Whitebeard and Big Mom's crew watching them from the sidelines, the Beasts Pirates, still in their expansion phase, didn't have any strange rules. Kaido simply met them in a large room on Onigashima.
Black Maria opened the paper door first, and Jhin and Quinn were already standing on either side of the room.
And what they were protecting was the legendary Kaido—like an immovable king or a demon from hell, with bulging muscles and messy black hair. Beneath his high brow bones were deep and fierce eyes that could involuntarily instill fear in anyone who glanced at him.
He held a wine jug in his hand, taking sips of wine continuously. The entire room was filled with an extremely strong smell of alcohol, making one worry that he might get drunk with just one deep breath.
"call--"
Kaido put the gourd aside and casually wiped the wine stains from the corner of his mouth in a very rough manner.
"I called you here for two things."
"First of all, the remnants of Kozuki Oden's faction have become active again. If you see them anywhere, arrest them. I don't care whether they live or die, but Jin is quite interested in some things they know."
"The second thing is that my stupid son has disappeared."
Kaido spoke casually, as if he were saying, "My nail clippers have gone missing."
"If you see him, seize him and bring him to me."
My son's rebellion breaks my heart!
[Mission Description: Even the greatest pirates have their troubles. Please help Kaido resolve his family conflicts and strained parent-child relationship, which are causing him a lot of headaches.]
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Author's Note: Who was the most disastrous maritime emperor in educating his descendants? [Stand-up rabbit head emoji]
It seems like everyone's about evenly matched. [Rabbit head with upright ears]
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