Chapter 439: Arrival at the Shimotsuki Village
Chapter 439: Arrival at the Shimotsuki Village
"Captain!!!!"
Witnessing this scene, the other pirates behind them couldn't help but reveal their shock and disbelief.
Their eyes, fixed on Kyoshiro, held a hint of incredulity. Wasn't this man with the black-rimmed glasses supposed to be weak?
"Damn..."
"You dare..."
Shock quickly turned into rage.
A group of over a dozen pirates, huddled not far away, wore furious expressions. Some drew their swords, while others brandished pistols and flintlocks, aiming directly at Kyoshiro.
But in the next moment, Kyoshiro's gaze shifted towards them, and a chilly gleam flashed in his half-lidded eyes.
Whoosh!!!
Kyoshiro's figure flickered, and he instantly closed the distance of several meters, surging into the midst of the pirates.
In the clashing of sword lights, to the amazement of Zoro and Kuina, the group of pirates crumpled to the ground in an instant!
Kyoshiro's swordsmanship wasn't exceptionally high.
However, as the rightful heir to Shimotsuki Kozaburo's legacy, his skill was near the level of a swordsmaster, making it easy for him to dispatch these pirates with bounties of several million berries.
"Father..."
After the brief moment of astonishment, Kuina heaved a sigh of relief and rushed towards Kyoshiro. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Kyoshiro replied, shaking his head. He returned the Wado Ichimonji to Kuina and said, "But things will get tricky from now on. By taking them out, we've incurred the wrath of the Golden Lion Pirates..."
"It shouldn't be a problem, right, Master? You're so strong; you can take down the Golden Lion Pirates too, can't you?" Zoro asked, picking up his sword and approaching them.
Kyoshiro gave a bitter laugh. "No, it's not that simple, Zoro... The Golden Lion is in a whole different league from these guys..."
As the inheritor of Shimotsuki Kozaburo's legacy, while he might not be at the pinnacle of swordsmanship, his understanding went beyond the East Blue. He knew that these vast seas were home to countless formidable powerhouses.
The Golden Lion was one of them!
About two years ago, the Golden Lion, operating in the East Blue, had intimidated nearly every notable pirate crew in the entire sea.
Currently, the Golden Lion had established the Flying Pirates, an extraordinarily vast organization with a membership exceeding ten thousand pirates!
It could be said that the entire East Blue trembled at the might of the Golden Lion.
Because his father, Kozaburo, originated from the Land of Wano in the New World, Kyoshiro was keenly aware of just how terrifying the Golden Lion was—a figure whose reputation rivaled that of Whitebeard and the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
"Kuina, Zoro, go notify everyone in the village to evacuate immediately," Kyoshiro said after a brief moment of contemplation. "The Flying Pirates are a ruthless bunch. Once they learn about what happened here, they'll surely raze this place to the ground."
Zoro and Kuina exchanged glances, both of them inhaling sharply as they realized the gravity of the situation from Kyoshiro's demeanor. They acknowledged his instruction and immediately sprinted towards the village.
After a moment of reflection, Kyoshiro returned to the village as well, heading back to his dojo and entering a courtyard.
"Father," Kyoshiro addressed the half-black, half-white-haired elder sitting in the courtyard, recounting the events that had just transpired.
The elder was none other than his father, Shimotsuki Kozaburo, one of the top craftsmen from the Land of Wano and the creator of the two famous blades—the Wado Ichimonji and the Yubashiri—wielded by Kuina and Roronoa Zoro.
"It seems our only option is to leave," Kozaburo said with a resigned smile after hearing Kyoshiro's account. "Looks like we couldn't avoid it after all."
The Golden Lion's Flying Pirates currently reigned over the East Blue, wreaking havoc across countless islands.
"Given the Golden Lion's style of handling things, he'll definitely come for revenge soon. That man is far beyond even me."
"Looks like we have no choice but to abandon the dojo here..."
Hearing his father Kozaburo's words, Kyoshiro's expression remained unchanged, and he finally sighed in resignation.
To spare the innocent villagers from getting caught in the crossfire, Kyoshiro took responsibility for killing some of the Golden Lion's pirates.
Upon learning that Kyoshiro from the Isshin Dojo had killed some of Golden Lion's men, the entire Shimotsuki Village was thrown into a state of shock!
Fearing the Golden Lion's formidable reputation, countless villagers began to flee in the dead of night.
Not just the residents of Shimotsuki Village, but also those from neighboring villages, upon receiving the news, were struck with terror and made haste to escape.
In the current East Blue, the name of the Golden Lion resonated with terrifying intensity. Nations destroyed by him numbered in the several!
Under his command was a massive fleet of over ten thousand pirates! To the pirates and powers on the Grand Line, ten thousand pirates from the East Blue might be considered a ragtag bunch not worth a second thought, but to the civilians of the East Blue, this number was a cause for sheer dread!
Here in the East Blue, numbers carried more weight than tales of individual strength. In just two short days, the civilian population of the entire island had dwindled to a mere fraction.
Only those from the Isshin Dojo, including Kyoshiro, Kuina, and Zoro, remained temporarily.
Not far from Shimotsuki Village, on the seaside, a medium-sized sailboat was docked. It was a vessel prepared by the Isshin Dojo.
"If I become the world's strongest..." Zoro muttered to himself as he stood by the shore, gazing at the distant, shimmering sea, "...then even a pirate crew of ten thousand wouldn't be something to fear, right?"
Kuina exhaled and replied, "Definitely."
She turned to look behind her and said, "Father and the others aren't here yet. Let's board the ship for now."
"Okay."
Zoro nodded, ready to follow Kuina onto the ship.
Just then, his eyes widened as he noticed something in the distance, his expression filled with surprise.
"Kuina! Look over there!"
Kuina immediately followed Zoro's gaze and saw a dark silhouette emerging from the far-off sea, gradually coming into focus.
It was a large sailboat!
"Is... that the Flying Pirates? How did they get here so fast?"
A thin layer of cold sweat formed on Kuina's forehead, and her eyes widened in alarm as she pulled out a telescope to get a better view.
However, after observing for a moment, her expression froze momentarily.
She lowered the telescope and stopped Zoro, who was about to run off to inform Kyoshiro and the others, "Zoro, wait. That doesn't seem to be the Golden Lion's pirate ship."
Having pored over numerous newspapers about the Golden Lion's Flying Pirates in the past two days, she could recognize their emblem.
The emblem on the approaching large sailboat's sail was not that of the Golden Lion's Flying Pirates.
Nor was it the typical Jolly Roger flag associated with pirates.
It was a symbol she had never seen before—a pair of wings, half-black and half-white, overlapping each other.
Anyone from the second half of the Grand Line, the New World, would recognize this symbol and exclaim in shock, identifying the faction it belonged to.
For it was none other than...
One of the Four Emperors who ruled over the New World—the most terrifying, fearsome, and formidable existence among them, the man closest to attaining godhood,
the Traveler!
(End of Chapter)
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