Chapter 128: After the Battle: New Alliances and Unfolding Plans

“Kehahaha!”

“Anyone who wants to join my crew, gather over here!”

Now that the fighting was over, it was time for crew recruitment.

Golden Lion couldn’t have been happier about it. He wanted as many loyal men under him as possible.

John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and the other division captains jumped down and started gathering new crewmates for themselves.

“Karl, my friend, I’m heading down too.”

Newgate had his eye on a few promising recruits. After a quick word with Karl, he leaped down as well.

Karl and Linlin exchanged a knowing look. A smile passed between them before they followed suit.

Linlin went searching for the ones she’d already picked out.

Karl, on the other hand, headed straight toward Kaze Tsuki Yaya.

“I’m Karl. I’m sure you’ve heard of me. Interested in joining my crew?”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya stared up at the towering figure before him, momentarily stunned.

He hadn’t expected Karl to be so true to the bounty posters—he had to be well over eight meters tall.

“Captain Karl, nice to meet you. I’m Kaze Tsuki Yaya.”

“Smart choice.”

Karl hadn’t expected him to agree so quickly.

The truth was, Kaze Tsuki Yaya could sense that, despite Karl’s friendly smile, there was something terrifying lurking just beneath the surface.

And he was right—if Kaze Tsuki Yaya had refused him, Karl wouldn’t have stayed so polite.

Things easily could have turned nasty.

“Kehahaha!”

“I’ll be off, then!”

Karl’s attention was drawn to Golden Lion.

Golden Lion stood atop a massive wooden plank.

With hundreds of new crewmates behind him, he soared into the sky, heading for his base.

The other captains also finished making their selections and began moving toward the inner city.

Karl looked back and caught a glimpse of Captain Rocks, his figure gradually fading atop the high platform.

“Let’s go. Time to head back to our base.”

Karl chuckled softly, grabbed Kaze Tsuki Yaya, and took off toward their base.

“Your name’s Kaze Tsuki Yaya, right?”

Several hours passed.

After dinner, Karl summoned Kaze Tsuki Yaya to the main hall.

Karl and Linlin sat at the center of the hall, while below, Krell, Perospero, and the others watched.

“Lord Karl, Lady Charlotte Linlin, my name is Kaze Tsuki Yaya.”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya still had no idea why Karl had called him here. Was there some special reason?

“Are you from Wano?”

Karl got straight to the point.

“That’s right. I come from Wano.”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya’s heart skipped a beat. Had he told Lord Karl where he was from?

But listening to Karl, it was almost like he just knew—like he was totally sure.

“Isn’t Wano supposed to be closed off from the world?”

“Mind telling us why you left Wano?”

Honestly, Karl was curious about what drove a samurai from Wano to leave in the first place.

As far as he remembered, there was no mention of Kaze Tsuki Yaya in the original story. He probably didn’t survive the New World.

Even during Kurozumi Orochi’s rule, no one from the Tsuki family ever left Wano.

Most likely they went into hiding, or their clan got wiped out.

There was also the even more tragic Amatsuki clan—they never showed up again.

“I left to track down the elder of the Shimotsuki clan.”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya kept things vague. He had no intention of revealing his true goal.

“Shimotsuki Kozaburo?”

Karl frowned. Had Kozaburo already left Wano by then?

All he recalled was that Shimotsuki Koushirou was from Shimotsuki Village in East Blue.

But when exactly had Kozaburo set out to sea? Karl wasn’t sure.

“Lord Karl, you know the elder of the Shimotsuki clan, Shimotsuki Kozaburo?”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya couldn’t hide his surprise.

He never imagined Karl would know Kozaburo personally.

“If I’m not mistaken, he should be in East Blue right now. Why are you looking for him?”

From what Karl remembered, after arriving in Shimotsuki Village, East Blue, Kozaburo never really went anywhere else.

He even had Shimotsuki Koushirou there and mentored Zoro.

“The Tsuki, Amatsuki, and Shimotsuki clans of Wano have been feuding. We need someone respected to return and take charge.”

“Knowing where the old man is—that’s the best news I could hope for.”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya never thought Karl would really know Shimotsuki Kozaburo’s whereabouts.

“But don’t get too excited just yet.”

“What do you mean?”

Karl’s sudden change in tone caught Kaze Tsuki Yaya off guard.

“How does your clan feel about opening up Wano to the world?”

Karl didn’t come right out with his intention; he decided to probe first.

But from what he remembered, only the Kozuki Oden generation truly wanted Wano to open its borders.

“Lord Karl, how do you even know about this?”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya’s expression darkened. He couldn’t believe Karl knew the situation in Wano.

Wano had been isolated from the world for years, long forgotten by the wider sea.

“Let’s just say, I’ve taken a liking to Wano.”

“So whether you want to find Kozaburo, or whether Wano is planning to open up, I’ll be taking that land for myself.”

It was clear from Karl’s words—the people in Wano didn’t agree on what should be done about opening the country.

The upper echelons there really were united. No wonder Kaido lost so badly.

But actually taking over Wano for good… that’d still take serious effort.

“Lord Karl, Wano has been sealed off for ages!”

“It’s not that nobody’s tried to open it, but none have ever succeeded.”

As one of the younger generation, Kaze Tsuki Yaya longed for Wano to open its borders too.

He’d seen the wonders of the outside world. Compared to all of that, Wano felt stuffy, even rotten.

“The only reason you’ve failed is because you’re not strong enough yet.”

“With overwhelming strength, opening the country is as easy as speaking the words.”

Karl’s eyes darkened, a subtle pressure spreading from him.

“Don’t bother the old man anymore. Take me to Wano. Your family squabbles mean nothing to me.”

Beneath Karl’s imposing aura, Kaze Tsuki Yaya really had to think things through.

Honestly, there wasn’t anyone who could settle their clan disputes anyway.

Pinning hopes on the old man from the Shimotsuki clan never made any sense.

And even if he found him, there was no guarantee the old man would return.

“No problem, Lord Karl.”

“I can take you there. Just promise me you won’t take it out on the people who live on the island.”

Kaze Tsuki Yaya had no objections. Still, he had to say something—since Wano’s people weren’t exactly friendly to outsiders.

“Mama mama mama!”

“Who would have thought we’d get news on Wano so soon?”

Karl had already filled Charlotte Linlin in on everything about Wano.

Even just the thought of Seastone was enough to get both of them excited.

Not to mention Wano also had eleven Devil Fruits.

“If I remember right, the Zoan mythical serpent fruit—the Yamata no Orochi form—is in the hands of the Kurozumi siblings.”

Karl let his overwhelming presence fade, then turned back, pondering how to extract the power of Devil Fruits.

Honestly, the power of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit was pretty impressive too.

“Mama mama mama!”

“You mean the siblings who just joined the Rocks Pirates?”

“That’s right. They’re the ones.”