Ch 24: Wano Country

Chapter 24: Wano Country

Ayaan quickly began searching for other members of the Spade Pirates on the beach and aboard the pirate ship.

Within the crew, Ayaan's physical strength ranked just below Ace's. And because he possessed chakra, the weakening effects of seawater on him were much lighter. As a result, he was the first to recover and get moving.

After Ayaan pulled Ace out of the sea, the latter quickly regained his strength. Most of the other Spade Pirates had been inside the cabin during the incident and were not seriously injured.

Of course, exhaustion and general weakness were still inevitable.

"By the way, where are we?" a frustrated Deuce asked once everyone had regrouped.

Ayaan looked around carefully, especially at the coast. From just a few dozen meters away, one could see endless, raging sea currents. The entire island looked as if it were being held aloft by the swirling waters.

This distinctive feature was all too familiar.

Ayaan hadn't expected the Spade Pirates to arrive here before encountering the Red-Hair Pirates.

"This should be Wano Country—the base of the infamous Beasts Pirate."

"Wano Country?"

"The base of the Beasts Pirates?"

The crew exchanged puzzled looks. They hadn't expected to land here of all places, missing both Red-Hair and Whitebeard, only to stumble into the territory of the Beasts Pirates.

"So that guy, Kaido, is here too? Perfect! Before dealing with Whitebeard, we'll get some practice with Kaido first," Ace declared boldly, pressing down on his hat.

Ayaan sighed internally. He was already used to Ace's overflowing confidence. Fortunately, according to the timeline of the original story, Kaido should currently be out on an expedition with most of his top executives. So, there wasn't much risk of them running into him directly.

In truth, Ace couldn't even defeat Yamato. Let's not forget—Yamato managed to fight Ace to a draw even while wearing seastone handcuffs!

Yamato's talent might not necessarily surpass Ace's, but the real gap between them was in combat experience and mindset.

Yamato had been beaten by Kaido since childhood. Ace, on the other hand, had been trained by his grandfather, Garp. But Garp, despite his harsh methods, never truly used his full strength on him.

Just then, a noise came from the distance. A group of people appeared, clearly dressed in the unique style of Wano Country. They approached cautiously.

Ayaan took a quick glance. Their clothes were tattered, their faces pale, and their expressions full of fear. They held makeshift weapons—hoes, sticks, broken farming tools—but it was clear they were terrified.

"Pirates! They're pirates!"

"What are they doing here? Are they going to loot us?"

"I won't let you! Damn pirates!"

Ayaan rolled his eyes. Seriously? What can we even loot from you? Your rags? Some old thatch?

"This is a pain. Ace, calm them down, will you?"

Ace grinned, tipping his hat up slightly.

"Don't worry."

Suddenly, a powerful aura burst out from him, washing over the villagers. All of them collapsed instantly, unconscious.

Ayaan raised an eyebrow. "Conqueror's Haki on them? Isn't that overkill? I just meant to scare them a little with your Mera Mera no Mi abilities."

Ace laughed. "It's faster this way, isn't it? But… these villagers really are living rough lives."

Ayaan nodded. Wano's people weren't just struggling—they were suffering.

In the New World, most territories were under the control of the Four Emperors. But among them, Kaido's rule was the harshest.

Even in Charlotte Linlin's Totto Land, people at least lived comfortably despite the soul tax. Whitebeard and Red-Hair's territories fared even better—the civilians lived almost peaceful lives.

Kaido, however, was a warmonger. He didn't care about sustainability. If it weren't for the superhuman vitality of people in the One Piece world, Wano's citizens would have long perished.

"Let's wake them up and get some information. Hopefully, they're calmer now."

…

In the run-down Amigasa Village, the elderly village chief was recounting their hardships to Ace. His voice trembled, and his tale was long-winded, meandering, and filled with sorrow.

"So, if we kill Kaido, Wano will go back to normal, right?" Ace interrupted, tired of the old man's rambling.

"Kaido… No, no… Not even the samurai could defeat him," the chief muttered, shaking his head.

Ace shrugged off the man's fear. Instead of arguing, he shifted the topic. "Then how about we kill Kurozumi Orochi? Isn't he part of the reason Wano is like this?"

"Orochi-sama? No! Wano cannot be without a shōgun!" the chief said, shaking his head violently.

Ayaan rolled his eyes. Yeah, that's not brainwashing at all…

Seeing the old man's reaction, Ace didn't push the issue. After all, if the people of Wano weren't willing to resist Orochi, why should he care as an outsider?

But when he looked at the villagers—pale, thin, frail—his heart softened.

"Ayaan, how much food do we have on the ship?"

Ayaan thought for a moment. "Enough for two weeks, I think. What? Planning to play the hero again, Captain?"

Ace scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "It's within our ability to help, right?"

"Then think carefully," Ayaan said, folding his arms. "I've checked. Most of Wano's land is polluted beyond use. Forests are rare, and wild plants and animals are often toxic. Thanks to the whirlpool barrier, even the sea has few edible creatures."

"In other words, this country is practically unsustainable. There's nothing here."

Ace smiled confidently. "Yeah, but Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido's men still have to eat, right? That means they're hiding unpolluted land and food stores. That's where we'll take from."

"Ha! So you really are planning to fight Kaido before going after Whitebeard. That sounds exactly like something you'd say, Captain," Ayaan said with mock exasperation.

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