Unaware that he would soon be strung up on a lamppost by his grandfather again, Momonosuke was currently strolling through the streets with his sister, Kozuki Hiyori.
Just then, they spotted Jack and Yamato emerging from the shogunate.
"Ah, sis—mmph!"
Hiyori was about to cheerfully rush over to greet them when Momonosuke suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth and dragged her behind a corner.
"Shh! Promise me you won't make a sound, and I'll let go!"
Momonosuke whispered urgently.
Only after his sister nodded did he release her.
"Ugh... Brother, could you wash your hands after sword practice!?"
"That's not important right now!" Momonosuke waved her off. "Why are those two leaving the shogunate alone? What are they up to?"
"They're just Michael's—er, I mean, Grandfather's subordinates, not his slaves! Is it so strange for them to explore the capital? Aren't we just wandering around too?"
"But we're the children of the shogun of Wano! This is... uh, inspecting the people's conditions! Yeah, inspecting the people's conditions!"
"Wow, the way you try to sound all official with that flimsy excuse... is kinda gross."
"Is that any way to talk to your brother!?" Momonosuke snapped, his face reddening.
"I'm just worried! No matter how you look at it... Yamato is Kaido's daughter!"
Hiyori scratched her cheek.
She knew Kaido had once invaded and enslaved Wano, but she'd been too young to remember much.
By the time she was old enough to understand, Kaido had already been gone for years.
In a way, Hiyori represented the mindset of most of Wano's younger generation—they knew Kaido was terrible and terrifying... but they didn't really know why.
After all, it was all just stories from books and hearsay.
Though Hiyori sometimes found her brother a bit pathetic... he was still family.
Seeing Momonosuke's overly serious expression, she sighed and nodded.
"Fine, what do you want to do?"
"What else can I do but tail them and keep an eye out!?" Momonosuke groaned.
"Not only can't I beat them, but technically, we'd have to call Yamato 'Auntie'!"
"That's amazing—er, I mean, that's too bad."
Hiyori barely stopped herself from cheering.
However, considering Momonosuke finally seemed serious about doing something...
She could cheer later.
Thus, the young lord and princess of Wano stealthily followed Yamato and Jack.
But the two of them genuinely seemed like they were just out to join the excitement.
They aimlessly wandered around the Flower Capital.
By the end, even Momonosuke himself felt like an idiot.
These two were even more like street loafers than he and his sister!
But as evening fell, Yamato and Jack finally took action.
Casually strolling down the road, they suddenly made a sharp turn into... The Overseas Trade Promotion Association.
Momonosuke immediately perked up!
Wasn't this the trade department his mother had established!?
What were they doing here? Could they be planning to interfere with Wano's trade?
Exchanging a glance with Hiyori, Momonosuke hurried after them.
But the moment they stepped inside, two large hands yanked them behind the building.
Crouched and huddled together, Jack and Yamato beside him looked at them with surprise.
"Huh? It's you? I thought it was an enemy," Jack said, blinking before releasing his grip.
Just as Momonosuke was about to speak, rapid footsteps echoed from the front of the building.
Yamato quickly signaled Momonosuke and Hiyori to stay silent.
Using the building as cover, the group peered toward the entrance.
The plump chairman of the Overseas Trade Promotion Association hurried back inside.
"Huh? Chairman Higurashi is back?"
"Shh... keep it down," Yamato nudged Momonosuke. "I'm here on Father's orders to stake out this place!"
"...Grandpa sent you?"
"Heh, what do you think?" Yamato said smugly. "Father suspects this guy is up to no good."
"Chairman Higurashi is suspicious? How could you tell?"
"Oh, Father didn't actually figure it out."
"...Then what's Grandpa's reasoning?"
"Instinct."
"...Impressive." Momonosuke deadpanned.
"More and more, I'm convinced he's my real grandfather... this lazy excuse-making is exactly like Mother."
...
"Dammit! Dammit!"
Kurozumi Higurashi paced back and forth in her office, cursing under her breath.
She never expected that Michael—the man who struck fear across the seas—would appear in Wano!
Most importantly...
The way Michael had looked at her seemed off!
Had she been exposed?
That shouldn't be possible!
Unless she lost consciousness or was submerged in water, her Devil Fruit's transformation ability shouldn't be detectable!
Or was Michael just naturally hostile toward him?
Regardless, the pressure on Kurozumi Higurashi intensified.
But as the mastermind who once overthrew all of Wano, the immense pressure only sharpened her focus.
She pulled out the Den Den Mushi Kaido had given her.
Wano had no native Den Den Mushi—instead, they used special conch shells that functioned similarly.
Thus, in theory, no Black Den Den Mushi existed here to eavesdrop on conversations.
"Purupurupuru, purupurupuru, click..."
"Kurozumi Higurashi, I hope you're bringing me... good news."
"Kaido! Michael! Michael is in Wano Country!"
A single short sentence plunged the other end of the Den Den Mushi into complete silence.
After a long pause, Kaido finally spoke.
It was the voice of someone about to get exactly what they wanted.
"Michael... is in Wano Country?"
"That's... perfect."
With that, he abruptly ended the call.
Kurozumi Higurashi stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi in her hand, then violently smashed it against the ground.
"Damn it! Does Kaido even understand what Michael's presence means!?"
"If he fails to conquer Wano Country, my Kurozumi family's chance to rise again and rule over these lowly commoners will vanish completely!"
"Ah! Why must this world have people like Michael and the Revolutionary Army!?"
"Those damned commoners should just stay obediently beneath the feet of us nobles, shouldn't they?"
After venting her emotions, Kurozumi Higurashi suddenly heard the sound of shattering glass behind her.
Turning around, she saw a tall girl with long, gradient white hair and a pair of crimson demon horns burst through the broken window.
A spiked club came whistling toward her.
"Bastard!"
"Take this from your worker grandpa!"
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