Assassins

In the slightly yellow and scorched forest, huge shadows swooped down from the sky.

"Is this, really, Wano?" Hiyori murmured as she jumped off Minos' back and looked at the scene around her.

This neglected and withered scene is so much different from her impression of Wano Country.

"From the sky just now, this place, I think, is the Hakumai area where the daimyo Shimotsuki once ruled." Gion said as she wrapped her arms around her head and put her fingers against her delicate chin.

"Kawamatsu-san, here ..." Longinus was about to seek advice from his guide when he found a guide, lying on his back on the ground with his eyes in an unconscious face, looking played out.

"Uncle Kawamatsu, pulled yourself together! Are you going to be even better than me and Gion-san?" Hiyori said with puffed cheeks.

Kawamatsu wants to cry, which can compare?

Anyway, he never wants to hug a thigh again!

After calming down, Kawamatsu then forcefully stood up, "Yes, this is definitely Hakumai, I just saw in the sky, there is a port not far away, and the only port of the Wano Country, the Habu Port, is located in the Hakumai area!"

"According to information, Kuri was abandoned and is now a gathering place for the poor and mountain bandits. Udon serves as a prison and quarry that holds most of the prisoners and Flower Capital is the capital of the Wano Country and one of the most powerful places for Kurozumi Orochi."

Longinus methodically analyzed, "Ringo latter is the cemetery and graveyard, is the land of the Gecko Pirates; Kibi became a ruin, but there seems to be a lot of signs of resistance activity. As for Hakumai, it is now an arsenal and a port taken over by the Hundred Beasts Pirates."

"And Kaido, on the other hand, is on a small island called Onigashima near Wano."

A moment of silence before Kawamatsu asked in surprise, "That Gecko Pirates, is actually a powerful force that can compete with the Beasts Pirates?"

"It's just a game in Kaido's eyes." Longinus shook his head, "Now the ones fighting with the Gecko pirates are actually his men named Jack the Drought."

"In other words, just a third of the power of the Hundred Beasts Pirates will be able to suppress the Gecko Pirates, and when Kaido gets tired of watching this game himself, that will be the time for them to send the curtain down."

"So that's how it is!" Kawamatsu did not underestimate whatever Gecko Pirates, having experienced that disaster, knows that even a third of the Beasts Pirates' battle power is overwhelmingly strong.

"There are Enma Shrine after Hakumai next to, Flower Capital, Udon..." Little Loli counted with her hands, "Why don't we go to Udon first to save Gion sister's father?"

"No, now is not the time." Gion calmly shook her head, "I first need to make sure that my father is alive and well, and secondly, I need to know about Daimyo prisons, whether or not they will be held in tighter confinement at this level."

"Well, that makes sense." The little loli nodded, "In case we go to Udon and don't find anyone, that would reveal our whereabouts!"

"So where do we go first?" Kawamatsu asked.

"Let's go to Flower Capital first!" Gion said solemnly, "That's the best informed place after all!"

"Wait, wait!" Kawamatsu stopped with a fumbling hand, "That's the enemy's home base!"

"Although it is generally impossible for people in the Wano to have access to the portraits of Vice-Admiral Longinus and Rear Admiral Gion, and Her Highness Hiyori's figure has changed a lot, ..."

"Oh! I see!" Hiyori dawned on him, "It's Uncle Kawamatsu you're the easiest to recognize, so ... why don't you just wait for us here?"

"... is not!" Kawamatsu explained in a deflated voice, "I was trying to say that all three of you are so outstanding in your appearance and temperament that you can easily be noticed."

"Huh? It seems to be like this!" The little loli said innocently, "Especially when standing with you, Uncle Kawamatsu, it's more obvious!"

Kawamatsu took a deep breath and forcibly reassured himself, "I am not ugly, what I represent is actually the normal standard of this world!"

"In fact, the appearance are okay, a makeup can be solved, the key still lies in the aura of the individual." Kawamatsu quietly continued, "This is especially important for you, Vice Admiral Longinus, your body is reflected as a warrior, so obvious, even walking straight, where ordinary people will walk like this?"

"Also, the eyes."

"Your eyes are sometimes so gentle that you want to blend in, but sometimes they're so overpowering that a warrior like me wouldn't dare look you in the eye."

"But either way, it's not something that ordinary people should have, and in case it's noticed, it's likely to be the biggest problem in this operation!"

"The eyes?" Longinus pondered for a moment, controlling the muscles in the corners of his eyes to relax and allow the focused gaze to soften as sporadically as possible.

Then, the straightened back also slackened slightly.

"Is this okay?"

"This ..." Kawamatsu could not help but stare, this noble young master who looked vain-eyed and casual in form, was the severe and upright Vice Admiral Longinus?

"Well, the world of geniuses is really not something I can understand. When Shinobi or Raizo taught me the techniques of Ninjutsu, I studied for most of the year!" Kawamatsu bleeped in a small voice.

The three of them dressed up and quickly infiltrated the Flower Capital.

It must say that the three people's posture and shape, that is, after makeup, also attracted a lot of people's attention.

The good thing is, the guard "Inomatsu" seems to be a relatively weak samurai, plus the young master "Oda" financially powerful influence, it allows the four people into the Flower Capital without any danger.

"Hey! Why are you carrying the basket?"

"My Lord, I'm here to buy vegetables!"

"Buying food? I think it's a secret fugitive, right?"

"It' s wrong! How can I possibly fit people in one basket?"

"Who knows if you're a ninja, take it away from me!"

Sitting in the private room of the wine shop, Longinus' gang watched the chaos outside and couldn't help but frown and ask, "Is this just in time for martial law?"

"Doesn't look like much." Kawamatsu shook his head and beckoned a waiter, "We just came back from a merchant run in Hakumai and saw the whole city under martial law, do you know what's going on?"

"Samurai-sama, this I dare not ..." the waiter looked at the silver stuffed into his hands, the words changed abruptly, "do not tell you."

"Hehehe! Actually, it's like this." He lowered his voice and said, " Shogun-sama was assassinated again a few days ago again, so he was furious and ordered that the fugitive must be caught this time."

"Assassination?" Several people exclaimed.

"Again? More than once Kurozumi Orochi has been assassinated? Was it the same group that assassinated him?" Longinus noticed another point, but he did not ask it directly, but sighed sideways, "The assassins are too bold, I've almost forgotten, how many times has the Shogun been assassinated?"

"Who says it isn't!" The attendant felt the same way, "How could I have imagined that someone would dare to assassinate Shogun-sama four times!"

"However, he should be dead this time!"

"I heard that the three disasters under Shogun-sama have taken a shot at it!"

Published in Qidian, June 23, 2019