One Piece: The Legend of Beasts

A bright moon hung high in the sky, like a flawless jade plate. The cold moonlight sprinkled on Setsu's face like a veil, reflecting her stunned expression at the moment and making that beautiful face even more charming.

"Let me go back to Wano Country?!"

Setsu was stunned for a moment before she reacted. She touched the tip of her nose with her finger, her cheeks slightly red, and she stammered shyly, "Although...although I really want to be a general, but hearing you say that, it still feels a little...a little sudden!"

"Hey, relax! This won't happen overnight!"

Kurotan Higurashi looked around cautiously, making sure no one was paying attention, and said to the girl solemnly, "Before that, I need to tell you everything about your grandfather!"

"grandfather?"

Setsu frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, "I don't have a very deep impression of him. I only know that he committed some crime and was forced to commit suicide, which caused the Kurozumi family to be stigmatized and exiled." She has always been outspoken and said whatever she thought.

"That's not the case! He just lost to the Kozuki clan in a power struggle. What crime can he be charged with?!"

The old woman's voice suddenly became excited, which scared Setsu. "As long as you are at the top, you have the right to decide everything! Even 'guilty' can be turned into 'innocent'!"

Setoorizu pouted and glared at her angrily: "Why are you suddenly so loud!?"

"I'm sorry, but when I think of that hateful thing, the fire of hatred burning in my heart is beyond description!"

Kurozumi Higurashi realized his own gaffe, scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, then coughed twice and said calmly: "The generals of the previous generation of the Kozuki family have never had any offspring, which means they lack a legitimate heir! So the five daimyo who served the Kozuki family began to stir, and everyone was secretly wondering whether they could succeed to the throne!

"While they were immersed in their fantasies, your grandfather had already made preparations! He used poison to kill those clever fools one by one, and disguised their cause of death as 'civil strife'. At the same time, the general became sick due to the successive deaths of the daimyos, and fell ill in bed. It seemed that the position of the next general would fall into the hands of your grandfather!"

Hearing her tell this story, Setsu gritted his teeth slightly, his eyes revealing a more or less expression of disgust, and he felt deeply disgusted with what his grandfather had done.

Kurozumi Higurashi seemed to be immersed in his own thoughts and did not notice the expression on the girl's face. He waved the imperial coin stick in his hand and continued in a hoarse voice: "The original plan was carried out smoothly, but I never expected that the general suddenly gave birth to a successor named Kozuki Sukiyaki!

"As a result, not only did the Kurotan family fail to gain control of the world, but their carefully planned plan was also exposed. Your grandfather was forced to commit suicide, and his noble title was revoked! His status, territory, and city were also taken away! The Kurotan family lost everything!"

At this point, tears rolled down her eyes and she began to cry loudly, as if she had really suffered a great injustice: "In the end, my family was homeless on the streets and despised by others. Like your parents, I was even forced to wander overseas and could not even guarantee a basic living. Life was so hard!"

Setsu's face darkened. Her parents had indeed died of serious illnesses one after another when she was two years old. If she had not been born with extraordinary physical talents, she might have died one day in a place where no one knew.

"Little girl, tell me, you are living in such a difficult situation, and going hungry is a common occurrence, while the ruler who caused you to be like this is now high up in the sky enjoying wealth and glory! Don't you want to tear those damn guys into pieces?"

Kurozumi Higurashi stopped talking and stared at the girl who was looking down in deep thought, eagerly waiting for her answer.

——Yeah! As long as that girl agrees right away, I can take her back to carry out my revenge plan! It just so happens that she has extraordinary force, so it is not difficult to intimidate those unruly people. Unfortunately, the government's batch of weapons is under strict guard, so it is impossible to steal them. I can only go back and find a way to save money to prepare weapons!

——Come on, release the hatred hidden in your heart! Devour all those who persecuted our Black Charcoal Clan without leaving a single one alive!

Seorizu raised his head and blurted out subconsciously: "I don't want it!"

"what?!"

Kurotan Higurashi stared at her with his jaw almost touching the ground. He thought he had misheard until he saw the girl's determined eyes. He realized she was serious and asked in confusion, "What are you talking about? Aren't you going to teach them a lesson?"

Seorizu shook his head and said in a clear voice: "I have never been very smart, but I know that inflicting hatred on others will only bring greater hatred! Besides, it was obviously Grandpa's fault in the first place! Even if I get to the top by such despicable means, I will never be recognized by others!"

"What's impossible? As long as someone sits in the highest position of power, no matter how many faults there are, others can only swallow their anger!"

Kurotan Higurashi became more and more excited as he spoke, and pointed his coin stick at her and asked sternly, "Have you gotten used to living overseas and no longer care about the persecution our family has suffered?!"

"Not at all!"

Setsu did not lose his rhythm because of the old woman's aggressive tone. He put his right hand on his chest and said righteously, "It is precisely to wash away the stigma of my family that I have to work harder to become stronger! After returning to my country, I will become a general in an upright way, gain everyone's recognition, and then eliminate everyone's prejudice against 'Kurotan'! For this reason, I decided to follow those pirates to further understand this vast world!"

"This is the dream I will fulfill even when I am only one breath away from death!"

The girl's voice was sonorous and powerful, as if every word contained endless power. Her light red pupils flickered with a determined light, causing Heitan Rimu to stand there in a daze, motionless, like a wooden sculpture.

After a while, the old woman twitched her lips and sneered disapprovingly: "Oh my! Being too naive is not a good thing. This is a life-and-death war for power. There is no point in discussing illusory dreams!"

"That has nothing to do with me."

Setoori rejected the other party's point of view and said seriously, "No matter what kind of obstacles I encounter, I will never give up!"

Kurotan Higurashi's face turned livid, and he stared at her for a long time without blinking. Suddenly, he sighed and murmured, "I understand. If that is your choice, I have no right to interfere in your life."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned around tremblingly, picked up the cloth bag on the ground, and walked towards the island step by step.

"Hey? Grandma, where are you going?"

The girl's caring greeting came from behind. Heitan Rimu kept walking and answered without turning his head, "Of course I'm going back to the boat to rest. What can I, an old woman with no strength, do?

"I forgot to remind you, don't tell anyone else about our meeting tonight. If those pirates find out, I'm afraid I'll be killed."

"Do not worry!"

The girl patted her chest and said with a smile, "Although I don't like you very much, you are still one of my few relatives. I will never let you be killed!"

"You little bitch, you really can't talk."

Kurozumi Higurashi put on a sour face, said nothing more, and continued to walk forward. Setoori stood on the shore and waved goodbye to her until the old woman's hunched back was no longer visible.

"Okay, let's have a few more drinks!"

The girl sat cross-legged and poured the wine from the bottle into the glass, then drank it all in one gulp, letting out a sigh of enjoyment towards the full moon.

After continuing this action for fifty rounds, she finally could not hold on any longer and fell backwards, lying on her back in a "big" shape on the ground, with her eyes closed. A thick layer of dizziness appeared on her pretty face, saliva flowed from the corners of her mouth, and her chest rose and fell gently. She fell into a sleep without knowing it.

After confirming that no one was following him, Kurotan Higurashi hurriedly hid behind a huge, intact rock, sat on the ground with his back against the rock, staring with his eyes wide open and gasping for breath.

——Ha! Ha! I didn't expect that girl to be so stubborn. She said she wanted to be recognized. It's ridiculous! But it's not easy to confront her directly. I'm no match for her!

——Fortunately, these things were not shown to her, otherwise she might have revealed them directly to Rocks!

The old woman looked towards the opening of the bag for a moment. In addition to the 100,000 Baileys stolen on the road, there were three devil fruits of different shapes.

She tied the bag tightly with a rope, and a sinister smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

——Nah! That's all, she's just a kid from a separated family! I might as well go back to my country and try my luck. Maybe I can meet someone more suitable than her! Before that, there's one more thing I have to do!

She took out a Den Den Mushi from her body, stretched out her withered right hand and wiped it across her wrinkled face...

"Admiral Ski, are you sure you want to do this?"

On a small boat docked at the coast, a pirate stood at the stern and asked hesitantly to the blond man at the bow with his back to him.

"It's just a temporary trip. I'll be back soon after I finish my business."

Shiki turned his head slightly, no expression could be seen on his rough face, and the cigar in his mouth was shaking slightly, "It is said that Wano Country is rich in seastone. As long as I can get more of that stuff, Rocks will be convinced."

"But, I heard that the terrain of Wano Country is dangerous, and many ships that want to land there eventually disappear. Not to mention this small boat, our main ship may not be able to get in!"

"Don't worry. When I was young, one of my subordinates sneaked into Wano Country to gather intelligence. He didn't tell anyone except me for fear of leaking secrets. Now he has become an official of high status there. We can use this opportunity to ask him to let us in!"

Shiki said proudly, "Considering that they have adopted a policy of isolation, we might be intercepted if we fly there directly using our ability. As long as we choose the right ocean current, we can enter the country smoothly without being noticed by others!"

"Oh! As expected of Admiral Shiki!"

"Let me, the infallible master, take the helm!"

"I've long wanted to see the land of warriors!"

The pirates of the former Hiku Pirates have always been extremely respectful to the admiral, and when they heard his orders, they perked up and ran to their posts. Only Shiki kept looking up at the moonlit night sky, with a cunning light in his eyes.

——Oh my! These idiots are easier to fool than I thought! The idea of ​​sending a trusted official to infiltrate is just something I made up. I have already tampered with this ship before anyone knew about it. It is not difficult to climb the waterfall!

——I will kill all of you as soon as I return to my country! Back then, I was the private pharmacist of that dead man, and even after so much time, I have never lost my skills!

"Ah, that's right."

Shiki coughed twice, turned around and said coldly to all the crew members, "Don't let anyone except us know that I'm going to Wano Country. It will be meaningless if Rocks finds out. Just in case, let's install a Horned Den Den Mushi on the ship."

The pirates looked at each other in bewilderment, not understanding why the admiral, who had always acted recklessly, suddenly became so cautious. However, they were terrified at the thought of the consequences of disobeying the admiral's orders, and they could only respond in unison, "Yes!"

Late at night, with only the faint sound of waves on the silent coast, a small boat quietly left the shore and moved quickly and steadily on the sea. Without anyone noticing, the boat gradually moved away from Baihu Island, became smaller and smaller on the sea, and finally disappeared into the vast night.