Most of the Marine officers following Orion had taken seats on the baboons, while the others excitedly rode the komainu instead.
This was their first time following Orion at such close proximity and naturally, they didn't miss the chance to show off.
They kept striking poses as if taking commemorative photos with Orion and Gion, acting even more smug like they'd eaten nine meals a day with the Fleet Admiral.
The soldiers crammed onto the baboons watched with a mix of envy and resentment.
"Hey, hey, that's enough already!"
"I really want to punch them!"
"Waaah, I want to be by the Fleet Admiral's side too!"
"Haha, then hurry up and train to become an admiral! Once you're an admiral, you can stay with the Fleet Admiral anytime!"
"Baboon, charge! Overtake that komainu up ahead!"
The baboon carrying a large group of people was suffering in silence.
It wasn't that it didn't dare to chase after the komainu—it was just carrying too many people!
More importantly, standing atop the komainu ahead was a powerful human it feared.
Even if it weren't weighed down by passengers, it wouldn't dare to overtake the komainu at this moment.
For a brief instant, the baboon even felt a twinge of envy towards the komainu—how fortunate it was to serve as that formidable human's mount.
If it could become that powerful man's steed, it wouldn't matter if it had to carry a mountain on its back—it would still sprint without hesitation.
On komainu's back, Orion's eyes narrowed slightly as he used his Observation Haki, enhanced to its peak by the system, to monitor the entire land of Wano.
He remarked with surprise.
"It's been three days since we left Mariejois and Sakazuki still hasn't resolved Wano's troubles?"
"Huh?" Gion blinked in confusion. "What did you hear, Fleet Admiral?"
"There's a battle happening in the Flower Capital!"
After observing the events unfolding in the Flower Capital through his Observation Haki, Orion chuckled and shook his head.
"So it's Yamato, brainwashed by Kozuki Oden's journal!"
"Kozuki Oden? Yamato?" Gion was bewildered once more.
"You didn't know? It seems the Marine's intelligence efforts in Wano haven't been very successful over the years."
Gion laughed awkwardly. "Since Wano isn't a member of the World Government, the Marine isn't responsible for anything that happens there. That's why we've never gathered much intel. However, Mariejois has been sending agents—especially CP0—to infiltrate Wano for years. Their espionage operations to open Wano's borders and bring it into the World Government have never stopped!"
Then, her tone shifted as she looked at Orion with curiosity.
"But how does the Fleet Admiral know so much about Wano? Have you been making moves there all this time?"
Orion smiled and nodded but offered no further explanation.
He couldn't explain—as a transmigrator, his knowledge wasn't limited to Wano.
He had a general understanding of everything that had happened in the Grand Line, as well as events that would unfold over the next six or seven years.
Seeing Gion's keen interest in Wano, Orion withdrew his Observation Haki, ending his surveillance of the country.
"Fleet Admiral, could you tell us about the Land of Wano?"
At that moment, an officer sitting behind Orion and Gion cautiously spoke up.
"For a country to become this desolate, it can't be just because of the Beasts Pirates occupying it!"
Hearing this, the other officers, including Gion, all looked at Orion with eager anticipation.
"You all want to hear about it?"
Orion glanced back at them with a warm smile and nodded.
"Very well, since you're all interested, I'll tell you about this isolationist country!"
"Since its founding, the Land of Wano has been ruled by the Kozuki Clan, also known as the Stonemason Family. The Poneglyphs originated from this family—they could not only inscribe them but also decipher the ancient script!"
"Of course, none of that is important!"
"What matters is that during the Kozuki Clan's rule, this country developed extremely severe feudalistic ideologies, so deeply ingrained they became fundamental. This is perfectly symbolize by the actions of Kozuki Oden, the clan's last heir!"
An officer couldn't help but ask: "Kozuki Oden? Was he a terrible person, Fleet Admiral?"
"Not exactly terrible," Orion waved his hand with a smile.
"Because the entire Land of Wano, from top to bottom, had fundamentally twisted values, so 'terrible' doesn't quite describe it."
The officer was puzzled "Huh? What do you mean?"
"How to explain this..." Orion thought for a moment before continuing.
"Let me tell you about another shogun of Wano, and you'll understand!"
"This shogun was Kurozumi Orochi. About twenty or thirty years ago, the Kurozumi Clan committed treason, and the young Orochi was hunted by the Kozuki Clan. He eventually took refuge with Shimotsuki Yasuie, becoming his servant to survive."
"After securing his life under Yasuie's protection, Orochi learned many things about Wano through another elder of the Kurozumi Clan, which bred resentment. He found Wano's system of succession deeply unjust, especially after witnessing Kozuki Oden openly abducting women in the streets while the people dared not resist. This convinced him the country was beyond salvation!"
"So he decided it was time to overthrow this corrupt nation. He began gathering forces, first by stealing Yasuie's treasures. Not only that, he even went to Kozuki Oden to borrow money—and succeeded!"
"Later, with the secret help of Kurozumi Semimaru, Orochi became a subordinate of the shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki."
"Not long after, Sukiyaki fell gravely ill and was on the verge of death. To Orochi's shock, the heir Kozuki Oden abandoned Wano outright and set sail to become a pirate!"
The moment these words were spoken, the previously enthralled Marine officers all looked up sharply, their eyes flashing with cold fury as they exclaimed in unison.
"A pirate? Kozuki Oden was a pirate?"
Gion, standing beside Orion, explained.
"After leaving Wano, Kozuki Oden not only joined the Whitebeard Pirates but was later joined Roger Pirates and reach Laugh Tale! Don't underestimate him—his strength was immense. The permanent scar on Kaido's body was left by him!"
Hearing this, one of the officers indignantly said.
"With such formidable strength, how could he let Wano Country fall into the hands of criminals? This nation is truly unfortunate to have such a ruler!"
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