Chapter 235: The Changes in Terra
"The Shimotsuki Family—"
Hearing this, Kuina's brow furrowed slightly. "The family my grandfather came from... which means this blue-haired man is one of his kinsmen?"
Although she was a member of the Shimotsuki family, Kuina didn't know much about the affairs of the Land of Wano, let alone anyone named Shimotsuki Yasuie.
"You know Shimotsuki Kozaburo? How can you prove it?" Kuina asked again, looking at the short man before her.
Hearing this, Shimotsuki Yasuie grinned and began to tell Kuina some stories about Kozaburo, vividly describing all of his good and bad habits.
"..."
As she listened, many dark lines appeared on Kuina's forehead. The stories he told matched some of the things her grandfather had told her, which confirmed that he knew him. However, the parts she had never heard made her break out in a cold sweat, almost shattering the image of her grandfather she held in her heart.
"That's enough! Don't say any more!" If he continued, Kuina wouldn't be able to take it.
Seeing this, Shimotsuki Yasuie roughly understood that when Kozaburo had spoken of himself to his descendants, he had made certain omissions and embellishments. But he didn't mention this again, instead asking the previous question once more.
"Kozaburo, Furiko, and the others who left Wano decades ago... are they well?"
To this, Kuina took a deep breath and told him what he wanted to know. "After they left the Land of Wano, they went to the East Blue and then scattered, blending in. Shimotsuki Kozaburo was my grandfather. He passed away a few years ago. As for Shimotsuki Furiko, I heard my father, Koshiro, mention before I left home that she had passed away long ago. She only has one descendant still living."
Hearing this, Shimotsuki Yasuie was in a daze, as if he were seeing the scene of that group of people secretly leaving so many years ago. "They're... all gone?"
Then, he turned his gaze to Kuina, an unreadable light in his eyes. "You really are Kozaburo's granddaughter! I could tell from the Shimotsuki family crest on your clothes and the Wado Ichimonji just now."
Just then, a series of heavy footsteps sounded to the side. Immediately after, Yelena, completely covered in heavy armor, slowly appeared before the two of them. A hoarse, chilling voice sounded, making Shimotsuki Yasuie shiver.
"What's wrong, Kuina?"
Only then did Kuina remember the purpose of her trip and sincerely apologized. "I'm sorry. I ran into a member of the Shimotsuki family and got delayed."
"The Shimotsuki Family—" Yelena's scarlet eyes flickered and landed on Shimotsuki Yasuie. "Can you confirm his identity? Don't get fooled!"
Kuina nodded and replied in a clear voice, "His name is Shimotsuki Yasuie. He is an old acquaintance of my grandfather."
Terra.
Two years had passed, and in this turbulent era, Terra had undergone a world-shaking transformation. Originally having only the population of the former Dressrosa, in this chaotic time, it had taken in countless homeless people, and its population had multiplied several times over. Even now, with the formation of the Four Emperors, a large number of people still entered Terra every day to settle here.
In these two years, many reckless rookies and hard-headed fools had also tried to overthrow Louis and take the position of a Sea Emperor. Apart from a small portion who had the sense to join the Archangel Pirates after their defeat, all the others had become nourishment for the growth of the Treasure Tree Adam.
No one could say for sure how many people had tried to challenge Louis in these two years. But what everyone could see was that, with the addition of the life force from sea beasts, the Treasure Tree Adam had grown another two thousand meters in these two years. In Hajrudin's and the others' words, this Adam tree already had some of the splendor of its parent, the treasure tree in Elbaf.
Louis, under the persuasion of the others, had also moved his original castle, along with a garden, to a platform that had grown on the Adam tree.
And now, the area of Terra had expanded so much under the efforts of Louis and Hajrudin that even from the top of the former King's Plateau, it was difficult to see the full picture of Terra. To truly see it, one had to ascend to a branch of the Treasure Tree Adam. And that place was the garrison of several divisions of the Archangel Pirates.
"..."
On a branch of the Treasure Tree Adam, the 18-year-old Louis walked at an unhurried pace. Beside him, a giant dog several meters tall followed closely, its tongue lolling out.
About a year ago, the legend of the Buccaneer race, Holden, had finally passed away. This old man, who was over a hundred years old, had finally seen the flourishing Terra, the union of many races, the resurgence of the Buccaneers, and Louis, who was becoming a myth. Before his death, he had taught Louis the internal destruction of Armament Haki, which Louis had not been too concerned about before, and had told him everything he knew.
That day, besides surprise, Louis had felt more speechless than anything. That guy Holden had really, equally, hidden things from everyone. He had hidden the matter of the Buccaneer race from the young people. He had hidden the matter of Nika from the middle-aged people who knew they were Buccaneers. He had even hidden from his companions that he had secretly left behind matters related to Nika. And then, decades later, he had pretended not to know when Louis had asked him several times. It was a mystery how he had managed to keep so many secrets.
Afterward, under Louis's "you were just pretending all along, weren't you" gaze, Holden had entrusted the dog he had raised in his later years to him.
That day, the "old muscle-head" had come in a hurry and had left in a hurry. From then on, the giant dog that had followed Holden had stayed by Louis's side.
After a long while, Louis stopped on a branch of the Adam tree, stood tall, and quietly looked down at everything on the land of Terra. His increasingly astonishing Observation Haki instantly spread out, and at a speed that surpassed sound by an unknown amount, it covered the entire continent. In an instant, the words of countless people, and the fluctuations and contents of Den Den Mushis, were transmitted to his brain.
Louis slowly closed his eyes. Immediately after, a series of thunderclaps sounded in the clear sky. In that instant, one after another, dazzling bolts of lightning fell from the sky, landing in every corner of the island and blasting to death the personnel that Louis had identified.
And this change, after causing a brief commotion, was stopped by a group of pirates who were already used to it. They dragged the charred corpses away. This situation happened from time to time. Originally, they had been quite panicked about it. But when they learned that these were all spies, they no longer worried about being struck by lightning themselves.
Besides spies, no one was afraid of the lightning that fell from the Archangel. It was said that he was an omniscient being who could identify all those with ill intentions.
In a tavern on the second floor in a distant area, several of the Archangel's allied captains were gathered. When they saw the dozens of lightning bolts fall, gloating smiles appeared on their faces.
"So many stray fish this time!"
"I can already imagine how the Commander will curse those guys who are in charge of clearing out the spies!"
"They'll probably be sent to the First Division to study under that woman!"
"That would be very unlucky."
In a cake shop in the streets, a woman with pink hair, thick lips, and an Abnormal Titan-like appearance looked at the corpse being dragged past her door. Certain unpleasant memories came to mind, and she pursed her lips. But soon, a rough voice sounded, making her snap back to her senses.
"Boss! A signature chiffon cake!"
"Coming right up—"
In the nearby streets, there seemed to be no shortage of similar dessert shops.
On a branch of the Adam tree.
Louis slowly opened his eyes and glanced at Uta, who had appeared at some point and was sitting on the giant dog's head, nibbling on a pastry. "Aren't you preparing for your third concert?"
To this, Uta, while eating her pastry, casually waved her hand. "Morgans said that the World Government is intentionally obstructing the broadcast of my singing voice to the first half. He's still trying to find a way. He told me not to be in a hurry, so I came to find you!"
After finishing the pastry in her hand and wiping her fair, slender hands clean, Uta complained again. "And the World Government is saying again that my ability can absorb people's souls into another world through the Den Den Mushi and kill everyone in the world! That's clearly the ability of the Sing-Sing Fruit! How could I possibly do that!"
To this, Louis gave Uta a deep look. In fact, in her Harpy form, Uta could do something similar. Although it wasn't as ridiculous as the Sing-Sing Fruit, a second-tier level of illusion was no problem.
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