Chapter 54: The Land of Wano

The islands of the "Grand Line"—the great sea route—are so treacherous to navigate that interaction between them is rare, leading each to develop its own unique civilization.

Though advances in navigation technology have increased contact in recent years, the deeply rooted cultural differences remain vast. Sailors setting foot on an unfamiliar island are often overwhelmed by the unknown—strange objects, animals, food, clothing—everything foreign to their eyes.

This is especially true in the latter half of the sea, the "New World." Among its islands are those unaffiliated with the World Government, places so mysterious that even the government knows nothing of them.

And among these islands of the New World, one stands out—a closed-off nation, both famous and enigmatic.

Pine trees stand defiant against the sea winds, while creatures like lion-dogs (komainu) and giant baboons (hihi), found nowhere else, roam the land.

Wooden structures with tiled roofs, slender pillars, and low ceilings dominate the architecture, built in a distinct style featuring tatami mats, sliding paper doors (shoji), and fusuma partitions. Rowhouses, castles with towering keeps, torii gates (red arches of religious significance), shrines, and temples dot the landscape.

Many famous dishes from the outside world—sushi, tempura, soba noodles—are said to have originated here. The cuisine revolves around rice, emphasizing seasonal ingredients and the natural flavors of the food. Even the alcohol is unique to this land.

And the people? They live and work clad in traditional kimono, garments exclusive to their culture.

The nation’s craftsmen are renowned worldwide for their skill, and it is also the sole producer of "Seastone"—a special mineral that emits sea energy—along with the techniques to shape it.

But above all else, this country is most famous for… its warriors.

The "samurai."

These mighty warriors, permitted to carry swords, are feared across the world. Even the Marineford, a dominant naval power, dares not approach this land.

The surrounding seas rage with violent storms. Waves crash violently, and a single wrong turn into the wrong current can shatter a ship before it even nears the shore.

The country itself is encircled by sheer cliffs, making entry impossible without precise knowledge. A natural fortress.

Yet beyond those cliffs, atop a waterfall, lies the land once called the "Country of Gold"—the Land of Samurai.

"Ten years have passed since that incident… But meeting you in person only confirmed it further. You are the 'Embodiment of Strength'—Kaido."

And so, their former comrade—Kurozumi Higurashi—had appeared before these monsters not long ago and uttered these words:

"And you… are the 'Embodiment of Fear'—Nue."

With her distinctive "Kyokyo-kyo" laugh, Higurashi stood before the grown monsters and made her pitch. The deal had long been set—only the timing had finally arrived.

"Throughout human history… 'strength' has solved every problem in the world. And why not?! Humans are animals!! The strong devour the weak—that is the natural order!!"

The truth of this world—or at least, what they believed to be true. Higurashi, knowing they would embrace this logic, spoke further to the army of terrifying beasts before her.

"And 'fear'… bends all living things to its will. As long as humans are animals, they cannot escape their survival instincts!! Fear of a looming threat drives creatures to fight!! Thus, conflict is humanity’s natural state!!!"

"Damn right!!"

"Mm-hmm, absolutely!!"

The two before her responded with fierce agreement.

In this era where power dictates all—no, in this world—they would act to enforce that truth.

This was the first step.

By luring them to her homeland, Higurashi had taken the first stride toward her ambition—and their vision of the world.

Years later… They had arrived.

"—We're entering… THE LAND OF WANO!!!"

"UOOOOOH!!"

"HYAHAHA!!"

"Lady Nue~~~♡"

Braving the stormy rapids, scaling the waterfall—they had reached the Land of Wano.

A closed-off nation that rejects all outsiders. Here, entry and exit are both illegal—violators face harsh punishment, and the samurai will mobilize to expel any intruders.

Yet here they were—a crew that had arrived. The same kind that had once come to "Kuri" years ago.

Pirates.

"W-What do we do?! Do we report this to the castle?!"

"But… what if they're harmless, like those pirates who came to Kuri before?"

"Right after Lord Sukiyaki's passing… If they can be reasoned with, perhaps…"

The pirates had landed at "Tokage Port", a harbor in "Udon"—one of Wano’s six regions, divided by a great river—under the jurisdiction of the Fugetsu Clan, the ruling daimyo of Udon.

Though Wano’s official port lies only in "Hakumai", this was still a working harbor where fishermen and ama divers toiled under the salty wind.

A crowd had gathered—locals in kimono, some sporting traditional topknots, others armed with swords, be they thugs or samurai. All eyes were fixed on the pirates who had disembarked.

…They didn’t know.

In Wano, a land cut off from the outside world, its people had no way of recognizing the faces of infamous pirates or criminals.

And so, they watched carelessly—unaware that these men… the Beasts Pirates—were a crew so terrifying that one glance would send anyone fleeing in terror.

"Y-You people… who are you?!"

"Hah? Us? Look at us—we’re pirates!!"

"Oi oi, scatter, peasants. Cross us, and you’ll regret it! GYAHHAHA!!"

"Better start sucking up now!! Maybe we’ll go easy on ya later! Hehehe…"

"What did you just say, you bastards?!"

"Silence… They seem like nothing more than beasts. Report this to the castle at once!"

"At your command!!"

The samurai of the Fugetsu Clan, stationed at the port, immediately bristled at the pirates’ vulgar taunts and sneers. The samurai ordered the ninja among them to relay the message, their hands already on their swords.

The tension was explosive.

But then—they saw them.

The leaders of the crew, stepping off the ship. The commanders, the right-hand men.

"Wha… What the hell is that giant?!"

"H-Hey!! That huge swordsman over there… He’s got black wings on his back!! And they’re on fire!!"

"That woman over there... she's carrying a parasol... and...!!"

"What about her!?"

"...She's insanely gorgeous...♡"

"Now’s not the time to be gawking!!!"

"...That girl over there... she's, she's floating... no, flying...!! What's with those wings...?"

"Some kind of yokai...? I can’t believe it...!!"

"T-The last one... that giant guy... is he their leader...? He's ridiculously huge...!!"

The people who caught sight of them at the port all felt the same nameless dread and fear tighten in their chests.All the men were giants, each over five meters tall. The two women, though normal-sized in stature, exuded an aura just as overwhelming, making it clear they were far from ordinary. They had an eerie, otherworldly presence about them.

And their fear was well-founded.No matter how complacent they had grown in peacetime, when a human—or rather, a beast—comes face to face with a predator stronger than themselves, their survival instincts would inevitably scream in warning. Even hardened samurai, or marines who battled monsters in the outside seas, would find it nearly impossible not to feel terror when faced with the elite of the Beasts Pirates.

"This is Wano, huh!! Mwahaha! What a riot, everyone’s got some goofy hairdo goin’ on!!"

"──Look who's talking."

"Hah!? Say that again, you piece of trash!! You think a freak like you's got the right to insult my badass hairstyle!?"

"Shut up, Queen!! Who're you calling a freak, you worthless baggage...!!"

Among them, two giants—one a rotund, blond, braided man with sunglasses and a beard, and the other a swordsman-looking man clad in black with dark wings and flames at his back—started glaring daggers at each other and squabbling.

Seeing this, the tall, well-proportioned beauty with the parasol gave them only a sideways glance, her expression a mix of mild exasperation and indifference.

"Enough already!! Can't you two have a little more self-control?"

"Shut it... or are you picking a fight too?"

"You're the one who picked the fight in the first place, moron!!"

"Haaah!?"

"If you’re gonna fight, don't do it here... geez... Anyway, I'm so thirsty..."

The beauty had tried to stop them, but quickly realized it was pointless and let out a sigh. She glanced up at the sun's position in the sky, her face shadowed with gloomy irritation.

All three, including the two bickering giants, were the top executives of the Beasts Pirates.Except for the woman, the other two were infamous far and wide as notorious criminals.

—Beasts Pirates Lead Performer, "Calamity of War" Joker. Bounty: 200 million berries.

—Beasts Pirates Lead Performer, "Calamity of Plague" Queen. Bounty: 520 million berries.

—Beasts Pirates Lead Performer, "Calamity of Wildfire" King. Bounty: 630 million berries.

Each of them was powerful enough to destroy an entire island singlehandedly—a truly deranged bunch.And yet, even these three who struck fear into others had two people they themselves feared: the beautiful girl flying with strange wings, and the giant with horns.

"Hummm~♪ Wow~ so this is Wano~♪ I love it already!! This place is awesome!! I’m totally a fan!!"

"You’re in a good mood. Find some tasty meat or something?"

"I've always wanted to come here!! I can’t wait to try real sushi, tempura, sukiyaki, and soba~♡ And they all go so well with sake too~♡"

"Sake, huh? Sake's good. Wororororo...!! According to the intel, there are six villages here. Maybe we should w-i-p-e o-n-e o-u-t and take it for ourselves?"

"Sounds fun, but if we do it now, we might get scolded. Meh, I’m good either way. ──Well, for now, how about we get someone to show us around?"

"Good idea──Oi!!"

"Uh... Y-Yes...!?"

The casual yet dangerous exchange between the two made the samurai and townsfolk grimace. Tension crackled in the air, with hands itching toward sword hilts, ready to strike at any moment.But the two paid it no mind and leisurely called out to the nearest samurai.

Now that they were closer, the samurai could feel even more acutely the terror radiating from the giant man—and the eerie girl who somehow stood alongside him without fear. He answered, trembling.

And then the two said something unbelievable.

"We're here 'cause we got i-n-v-i-t-e-d by the acting shogun, Orochi. So hurry up and guide us."

"Pretty please~♪ Oh, and if you think you wanna pull your swords on us... that's fine too~~ I'll just eat you all up♡"

"W-Wh...What!?"

The samurai of the Fūgetsu Clan and the surrounding townsfolk all gasped."Orochi"—that was the very man who, just recently, had been appointed acting shogun by Kozuki Sukiyaki, to hold power until his son, Kozuki Oden, who was currently abroad, returned home.

In other words, he was currently the highest authority in Wano.──How on earth did he have connections with pirates from overseas? Why had he summoned them?

"C'mon, hurryyy~!! If you don’t, I’m gonna gobble you up~!!"

"…P-Please wait just a moment…!"

"Move it."

"Y-Yes, sir!!"

Pressed by the girl and the giant, the samurai pulled out a "Smashi"—a type of Smart Snail, a domestic communications device—and hurried to confirm the story.He considered the possibility that they were bluffing, but... it felt odd that complete outsiders would even know Orochi’s name.

And more than anything... he simply couldn’t withstand the overwhelming pressure radiating from them.No wonder—these two were monsters even the top executives of the Beasts Pirates couldn’t hope to defeat.

—Beasts Pirates Vice-Captain, "Phantom Beast" Nue. Bounty: 1,080,100,000 berries.

—Beasts Pirates Captain, "King of the Beasts" Kaido. Bounty: 1,511,100,000 berries.

In lands outside Wano, most people who encountered them either fled on sight—or immediately begged for mercy.But the people of Wano had yet to realize the magnitude of what was unfolding before them.

"Haaa... I'm bored while we wait. How about a l-i-t-t-l-e fight to the death?"

"Sounds good. If they don't get confirmation in five minutes, let’s start killing each other!!"

"──Hey!! Hurry it up!! You wanna get roasted, you slowpokes!!!"

"Move it!! Move it!! I’m gonna fire an Excite Bullet right up your ass, dumbass!!"

"I’m warning you now... if this takes more than five minutes... you'll know what real hell looks like...!!"

"U-Understood!!"

They had no way of knowing...That soon, under the hand of the Beasts Pirates, Wano would fall into an endless, unbroken night... just like so many lands overseas already had.

---

The capital of Wano Country. At its center was the "Flower Capital." With its perpetual spring climate and cherry blossoms fluttering through the air, it was the perfect spot for flower-viewing.

From the castle, you could look down on the city’s neat, grid-like streets, almost resembling a textbook example of the jōbō system, creating a perfectly symmetrical view. It was breathtaking. A massive torii gate stood tall among traditional scenes of Japanese-style life—it all screamed "Wano Country." After all, we were inside a castle, inside a proper tenshu tower, sitting atop tatami mats. It felt just right.

"Huff, huff... Mmm! Mmh—♡ Sukiyaki really is delicious! I'm so glad we came!!"

"Yeah, the booze's damn good too. This place ain't half bad."

"Kekekeke... If it pleases you, then we are honored indeed!"

We, the Beasts Pirates, had been invited to a room in the castle, which was also the Shogun’s residence, and were being treated to a modest welcome. Right now, only the higher-ups were here, but downstairs, our men were likely enjoying sake and food as well.

Kaido and I were sipping sake while I sat in front of a bubbling pot of sukiyaki, beating an egg and savoring each bite with delighted little puffs of breath. Chinese cabbage, shirataki noodles, green onions, garland chrysanthemum, tofu, and of course—the meat!! As expected from Wano, every ingredient was top quality and absolutely delicious. It paired perfectly with the sake too. Truly heaven.

We owed our thanks to the ones treating us. Standing before us were an old hag from our former crew, Kurozumi Higurashi, a geezer dressed as a biwa priest strumming a biwa, Kurozumi Semimaru, and—

"So you’re the Beasts Pirates...!! Glad you made it!! Welcome!!"

The man who welcomed us into the castle with open arms—the acting Shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi. That’s right. After hearing that preparations were finally ready, we’d come to Wano to set up our base—and to help seize the country.

Orochi—small in stature but taller than he first appeared, and with a shady, petty-looking air—was in a jubilant mood. But despite appearances, he harbored some seriously dark ambitions. In other words, just our type. Kaido, too, was happily drinking.

"Wo-ro-ro-ro... Acting Shogun, huh. But if you’ve climbed that high already, isn’t the conquest pretty much done? Just declare yourself Shogun and order everyone around."

"!! Ah... that would be ideal, but... it’s not that simple!! Even if I became Shogun, there still aren't enough samurai willing to follow me!! The daimyos and gang leaders from each region, who knows what they’d do... and more than that..."

"Kekeke... That’s right!! First, we must display overwhelming fear and power!! We must make them believe that the mighty pirate Kaido stands behind the Kurozumi clan!!"

"Expanding weapon factories, forcing the men of the villages into labor... only strength can make that possible. If they rebel, everything will go up in smoke..."

Orochi, Higurashi, and Semimaru each took turns explaining the current situation and their progress in taking over Wano. —Oh, and by the way, there were no ninja lurking around. I checked with Observation Haki and scared off a few just to be safe. In a place like this, even the walls and sliding doors could have eyes and ears—and don’t even get me started on the ceiling. You never knew who might be listening, so I made sure only we would hear this.

Apparently, the plan had been in motion for over ten years, back when Kaido and I were still apprentices in the Rocks Pirates. Higurashi and Semimaru had given Orochi the power and knowledge he needed to claim Wano.

The power being a Devil Fruit—the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Mythical Zoan model: Yamata no Orochi. I felt a little kinship there, considering I could summon snakes too.

The knowledge being the scheme itself—to infiltrate Wano’s core, join forces with us, and seize the nation.

Orochi had once been a lowly servant for the Shimotsuki clan, daimyo of the Hakumai region. He stole money in secret, borrowed heavily from a certain someone, and had Wano’s craftsmen produce weapons. By offering those weapons to us, he successfully formed an alliance. Honestly, the weapons’ quality alone made it worth partnering up.

Later, thanks to Higurashi’s Mane Mane no Mi powers, he infiltrated the Flower Capital’s Shogun family, assassinated the Shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki in secret, and had Higurashi impersonate Sukiyaki to stage a grand act. They spread the story that Sukiyaki had fallen gravely ill and appointed Orochi as acting Shogun until the heir returned. Poor Sukiyaki... But setting that aside, sukiyaki really is delicious. No hidden meaning there. Yum yum.

Still, we had questions of our own. Kaido, swigging sake, asked Orochi and the others,

"Sounds like a pain in the ass. Why didn’t you call us in sooner? With powers like that, you could’ve grabbed the throne way earlier."

"We had to deal with the heir first...!! As long as he’s alive, we can't move forward... That bastard’s completely insane...!!"

"Kekeke!! Exactly!! That man... if not for Kozuki Oden, this takeover would’ve been finished long ago!! His strength is monstrous... You must never underestimate him... When Whitebeard himself came to this country, we were terrified—but he took Oden away with him!! Kekekeke... I’m almost grateful to him now!!"

"Good thing Oden turned out to be a crazy fool who didn’t care about the country. Otherwise, this would’ve been way messier... Hopefully he just keeps living the pirate life and dies out there somewhere..."

"Huh!? You’re telling me he's sailing with Newgate!?"

Kaido was visibly shocked at those words. Well, Whitebeard was a former comrade of ours too. We even lost to him once.

Amidst this, "Joker"—that is, Stussy—filled us in. …By the way, she was already a full-fledged member of our crew, having exchanged sakazuki cups with us. Neither her subordinates nor the World Government had caught onto her true allegiance, thanks to my own manipulation abilities. She sometimes wore a mask just to be safe, but here in Wano, where information barely leaks, she didn’t even bother hiding her face.

"Not long ago, a samurai named Kozuki Oden was reported in the newspapers as having joined Whitebeard’s crew. His bounty poster was printed too. Supposedly, he was made captain of the Second Division—one of five divisions."

"If he’s that strong and riding with Whitebeard, fat chance of him dying anytime soon. Whitebeard’s not the type to let his crew die easy. Looks like it’ll be tough for us to make a move too. Too bad."

"Exactly... Ideally, he’d just stay away, but that's unlikely!! He’s coming back!! He has the province of Kuri, the land he built with his own hands—and powerful retainers who are just as troublesome!!"

"Kuri?"

"Sounds like a tasty name."

"...Nue-san, could you maybe step away from the food?"

Queen chimed in with an awkward look on his face. —Well, enough messing around. I shared the information with Kaido and the others too.

Apparently, Kuri used to be ruled by the Kurozumi clan, but after their downfall, the shogunate abandoned the region, leaving it neglected. Over time, it turned into a lawless wasteland. It was already a place where exiled criminals and ronin gathered, but as long as the Kurozumi clan held power, it barely maintained some semblance of a village.

However, a young Oden took on the rogues, united them, and breathed life into the land, turning Kuri into a thriving village. Because of this, Sukiyaki eventually revoked Oden's disownment and granted him the title of Daimyo of Kuri. His retainers were all colorful, rough-edged samurai who had rallied to his side, many of them far from ordinary.

"Hmm... but if that's all it is, it's no big deal. Should we just crush them quickly?"

"Not yet. We can still make use of the daimyo’s influence...!! We’ll need manpower to build weapon factories too...!! First, we should build up our strength and military alongside them, and wait for the perfect time to strike!!"

"Oden is highly respected, even now, and beloved by samurai and common folk across the country. We shouldn't abandon the pretense that we’re just standing in for him until he returns... not yet."

"Yeah. That’s why we need your strength...!! I want you to drive fear into their hearts...!!"

The old hag, the old man, and Orochi all voiced their opinions, pleading with us.

Honestly, that kind of job was child’s play. If we really wanted to, we could turn the whole country into hell right this second. ...But making enemies of every samurai would be wildly inefficient. After all, this country is going to become our turf soon. Wiping it out completely wouldn’t be in our best interest.

"──Then leave it to me... Kaido-san. I’ll personally gauge the strength of these samurai."

"Oi oi, with your flames, you’ll just burn all the buildings down for no reason!! I’ll be the one to sow real terror—nice and exciting!!"

"Everyone’s so eager... I mean, I’ll do it if you tell me to, but what’s the plan?"

The three top officers each insisted that they should handle it. It was reassuring. I couldn’t help but smile. With them, I had no doubt they could create a beautiful nightmare that would strike fear into anyone’s heart.

But hey, we were in Wano, after all. Here, it had to be—

"Alright alright!! I'll do it~~~!!! I wanna scare people toooo!!!"

"──Then Nue, you take the towns. I’ll handle the samurai in the castle."

"Heyyy!!! That’s not fair, you two!!"

"Pipe down, Queen. Kaido-san and Nue-san's wishes take priority."

"Then maybe I'll focus on the spies hiding in this country... the ninjas. Fufufu... I wonder what tricks they'll try to pull♡"

"…Tch. Fine. I’ll settle for another job then—still, this meat’s delicious... What kind of meat is this?"

"Oh, that’s s-u-k-i-y-a-k-i meat!! It's yummy, right~♡"

"I mean, Nue-san, I know it’s sukiyaki meat ‘cause we’re eating sukiyaki but... wait, hold up—what?!"

Each of us wore wicked grins, fired up for the domination and scheming awaiting us in this new land. We stuffed ourselves with food and booze, then rose to our feet.

"Alright, you bastards...!!! Let’s show this country what real pirates’ terror looks like!!!"

"Wait, Kaido-san, at least let me confirm what kind of meat—"

"Alright, let’s goooo!!! Time for my yokai debut in Wano!!! I’m gonna give it extra effort today!!!"

"No one's listening to me!!!"

"Maybe it’s better if you don’t know."

"Hmph... enough talk. Let’s move."

"I’ll send out a decree right away, leave it to me!!"

"Nikyokyokyokyo!! You lot are as reliable as ever!!"

"This is the opening act..."

The sound of Semimaru's biwa echoed through the hall. And so—together with Kurozumi Orochi and the Kurozumi clan, we set out to invade Wano Country.