Since the Beasts Pirates occupied Wano, their standing had also improved.
They had even welcomed their Marine surveillance ship!
The World Government and the Marines could no longer treat the Beasts Pirates as the small fry they once were.
Noro didn't want the location of Zou to be exposed.
"Kru, Leia, you two go deal with the Marine surveillance ship."
Leia was a Tori Tori no Mi, Griffon Vulture Form user, with long silver-white hair, some strands standing up like a griffon vulture's crest, sharp red eyes, and cold, stern features.
She wore a white ruffled shirt, paired with a grey and black asymmetrical skirt, black trousers, and light brown high-heeled boots, the cinched waist highlighting her slender figure.
Her overall style was elegant yet sharp and dashing.
Her brain, however, wasn't quite as sharp.
Noro had discovered her during a patrol of Wano, finding a stranded pirate ship on the coast.
He immediately went down to investigate.
Indeed, the one stranded was this girl. She was the captain of this pirate ship, with a bounty of two hundred and twenty-two million Beli.
Then, this girl got excited when she saw Noro's Tengu Serpent form.
She was a griffon vulture, and a Tengu Serpent was also a snake. If it was a snake, it was under her command. Her long legs immediately kicked towards Noro.
Snap!
Leia was immediately pinned to the ground by Noro.
Leia was unconvinced, and Noro had hurt her. She immediately got angry. Could she endure this grievance? She had just learned her kicking technique.
Yes, no matter how amazing she was, she couldn't overpower Noro.
But she was still unconvinced, vowing that one day she would defeat Noro, that there was no snake a griffon vulture couldn't defeat in the world.
Noro was amused at the time and made a pact with her. He would always welcome her challenge, and she would stay under him as a captain.
This proud griffon vulture agreed, and her pirate crew was also incorporated into Noro's command.
What was even funnier was that this girl also instructed Noro not to be defeated by anyone else, only by her.
Since then, she had challenged Noro again and again.
Repeatedly defeated, repeatedly challenging.
Again and again, she was pinned to the ground by Noro.
But she was very obedient. Any of Noro's orders would be strictly executed.
Leia glared at Noro, then transformed into a griffon vulture and flew with Kru towards the enemy surveillance ship.
The Marines in the surveillance ship were all…
Weak!
Their main purpose was surveillance.
To put it bluntly, they were Marine cannon fodder. The Marine higher-ups wanted to know the movements of the great pirates, so they sent them over.
As for their lives, from the moment they were sent out, the Marines already considered them dead.
How could they possibly monitor great pirates?
Anyway, the Marines' plan was: if you don't attack me, I'll keep following you.
If you attack me, then you've made a move.
Kru and Leia quickly returned.
Leia's high-heeled boots had dark red bloodstains. After giving Noro a deep look, she ran off to train again.
Today's challenge opportunity was used up.
Marine Headquarters soon received news that their surveillance ship had been sunk by the Beasts Pirates.
Noro shook off the Marine surveillance, quickly advancing towards Zou.
After a long journey, Noro finally arrived before Zunesha.
Zunesha was thirty-five thousand meters tall. Even with most of its four legs submerged in the sea, it was still a behemoth.
Noro looked up at Zunesha, feeling a sense of awe.
He completely couldn't understand how thick Jack's head must be to attack Zunesha.
The Tengu Serpent rode the mist, Flame Clouds carrying the fleet towards Zou.
Inside the Mink Tribe's royal palace, young Inuarashi slept on a soft bed, his brows tightly furrowed, cold sweat streaming down, his expression pained, his small hands desperately trying to grasp something, constantly shouting:
"No! No!"
"Run! Run!"
Inuarashi's father, Achi, looked at his son having a nightmare, heartbroken, yet unable to do anything.
Ever since returning from Wano, his son Inuarashi had fallen seriously ill.
He had a high fever for several days that wouldn't subside.
He had been terrified at the time. He only had this one son. If his son died, who would he hand his throne over to?
Achi didn't even bother to deal with state affairs, staying by his son's side day and night for several days without sleep.
Fortunately, in the end, Inuarashi pulled through without any major incident.
But before he could rejoice, Achi found that his son had changed like a dog.
He locked himself in his room all day, not daring to go out, silent and withdrawn. He often saw his son's body trembling violently, cold sweat streaming down.
For two years, nightmares like this in his sleep had never stopped.
Achi truly didn't know what his son had experienced in Wano, why he was so afraid.
He had also tried to ask his child what had happened in Wano.
But as soon as he asked, the child's face would turn pale, his pupils would shrink in terror, shaking his head desperately, shouting:
"Don't kill me!"
"Don't kill me!"
Achi, helpless, had no choice but to give up.
He had also gone to Nekomamushi's child's home, intending to ask for clarification.
After all, these two children had gone to Wano and returned together.
But all he saw was a Nekomamushi who was exactly like his own child.
Nekomamushi's father, Seth, clenched his fists in anger nearby.
Although they couldn't get anything out of the two children, he and Seth understood that a major change must have occurred in Wano.
They had been allied with Wano for hundreds of years and should have wholeheartedly assisted, leading troops to Wano.
But having governed the country for many years, neither of them were fools.
In recent years, although Wano and Zou were one closed off and the other hidden at sea, they had frequent contact.
They both had some understanding of Wano's strength.
If even Wano had fallen, there was no need to mention their Zou. Going would only be sending more heads.
However, this didn't mean that they would give up. For Wano, for the Kozuki Family, their Zou would go through fire and water, no matter the cost.
In these two years, they had already conscripted a large number of troops within the country and began training, hoping that one day, they would lead troops to Wano to assist the Kozuki Family.
Achi sighed lightly, tucking the blanket around Inuarashi, and then instructed the palace maid beside him:
"Watch the prince carefully. If the prince shows any abnormal behavior again, notify this king immediately, understood?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the palace maid responded respectfully.
Achi turned to leave. He still had to sort out state affairs and prepare for tomorrow's transfer of the throne.
He and Nekomamushi's father, Seth, governed in rotation. Tomorrow was Nekomamushi's turn to govern.
As Achi was engrossed in handling state affairs, a dog rushed in, barking loudly:
"Your Majesty, something bad has happened!"
===
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