After staying on Corca Island for nearly half a month, Kaidou and his crew finally received news from Kurozumi Higurashi. They immediately set sail toward the direction of Wano Country.
As the ship gradually entered Wano's waters, the surrounding environment began to change dramatically. The originally calm sea became turbulent, the current speed increased rapidly, and the sky gradually darkened, with thick clouds pressing down suffocatingly. The entire sea area was shrouded in an oppressive, stifling atmosphere.
"Wororororo! Wano Country? It's finally beginning." Kaidou stood at the bow, tilting his head back to take a large gulp of alcohol before laughing heartily. His signature laughter echoed in the sea breeze, sounding particularly bold.
Behind him, King, Queen, Bullet, Urouge, Moria, and others gathered on the deck, staring intently at the increasingly turbulent currents in the distance. Each wore different expressions, but all carried a degree of gravity.
"The weather in the New World changes way too fast! It was clear and sunny just moments ago, but now it's covered in dark clouds." Moria, visiting the New World for the first time, looked up at the gloomy sky, unable to hide his astonishment.
"Muhahaha, this has nothing to do with the New World's weather!" Queen puffed on his cigar, shaking his plump body proudly. Noticing the puzzled looks from everyone, he continued to explain, "I've heard before that the currents around Wano Country are like this all year round. It's one of the reasons why Wano has been able to maintain its isolation for centuries."
"All year round?!" Not only Moria, but almost everyone who heard this showed shocked expressions. Only Kaidou remained unfazed, a faint smile playing on his lips—as a transmigrator, he naturally knew the real reason behind this phenomenon.
The pirate ship sped forward along the rapid currents, and soon, a towering waterfall reaching into the clouds appeared before them. The waterfall poured down from the clouds, majestic and imposing, like a natural barrier.
"Hey, hey, what's going on here?" a young pirate shouted, eyes wide with disbelief. "There's a waterfall ahead in the current? The water flow completely defies logic!"
But no one answered his question. At this moment, everyone on board was too stunned by the spectacle before them to speak. Even the usually composed Bullet couldn't help but frown: "At this speed, it's impossible to stop the ship..." As he spoke, he instinctively glanced at Kaidou, clearly believing only Kaidou's ability could bring them safely to Wano.
"Boss Kaidou, quickly use your power to make the ship fly! Otherwise, we'll crash into the waterfall!" Queen stomped his feet anxiously, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Wororororo! Don't rush." Kaidou, however, appeared confident. He pointed at the sea surface. "Look, our 'helpers' are here."
Several enormous koi suddenly leaped out of the sea. Their golden-red scales shimmered in the dim light, their slender bodies tracing elegant arcs.
"These are... koi? How can there be koi in the sea?" King narrowed his eyes, his tone filled with confusion.
"In this world, nothing is impossible." Enel clenched his fists excitedly, his eyes gleaming with fanatical light. "Hahaha, this is too interesting!"
"King, have the men prepare ropes to harness these carp," Kaidou commanded calmly. "They'll carry us up the waterfall."
"Understood." King immediately turned and ordered several pirates, "You there, go prepare sturdy ropes at once!"
"Yes, sir!" The designated pirates swiftly ran toward the ship's hold, returning shortly with several ropes as thick as a baby's arm.
Through everyone's coordinated efforts, they successfully harnessed the two largest carp. The carp seemed to understand their mission too, beginning to swim upstream with tremendous effort. Pulled by their astonishing strength, the entire pirate ship actually began climbing up the waterfall!
"Yeehihihihi, truly worthy of the mysterious New World!" Moria danced about excitedly. "To think we'd witness the marvel of a pirate ship scaling a waterfall!"
Fierce winds mixed with spray battered their faces as the ship creaked and groaned from the violent shaking. Everyone clung tightly to nearby fixtures, watching this incredible scene with both tension and excitement.
Soon the pirate ship reached Kuri's Port Ido.
Though called a port, it was actually just an abandoned harbor that barely resembled one anymore.
As the pirate ship arrived, several people from Wano Country 'coincidentally' spotted the vessel docking and hurried toward Oden Castle.
···
While Kaidou's pirate crew was scaling the waterfall by ship, another scene was unfolding within Kuri's Oden Castle in Wano Country.
Kurozumi Kanjuro had painstakingly arranged for all of Kouzuki Oden's retainers to be elsewhere, leaving only the two of them in the spacious room. Kouzuki Oden was intently studying a yellowed sea chart, his eyes shining with longing: "Beyond the sea must exist unimaginable marvels. I truly wish to see them with my own eyes, to have a genuine encounter with the world!"
"Lord Oden, please refrain from such unrealistic talk," Kurozumi Kanjuro said leisurely as he sipped his tea. "The Kuri region cannot do without your governance."
"Damn it! Had I known this would happen, I never should have accepted the daimyo position," Oden grumbled as he grabbed his hair, his face filled with frustration.
Just as the two were conversing, a samurai-attired man hurriedly pushed open the main door: "Lord Oden! Lord Kurozumi! Something terrible has happened!"
"What matter has you so flustered?" Kurozumi Kanjuro frowned, pausing his teacup mid-sip.
"An urgent report just came in - a pirate ship has appeared at Port Ido!" The samurai's forehead beaded with cold sweat, his voice trembling.
"What? Pirates?!" Kurozumi Kanjuro shot to his feet, knocking over the tea set.
In stark contrast to Kanjuro's shock, Kouzuki Oden's tense expression suddenly relaxed as he burst into hearty laughter. Without another word, he grabbed his prized swords "Heavenly Feather Cutter" and "King of Hell" and rushed out the door like a whirlwind.
"Lord Oden! Where are you going?" the samurai called after his retreating figure.
"The port!" Oden's voice echoed from afar as he had already disappeared down the corridor.
After Oden had gone far, Kurozumi Kanjuro immediately regained his composure and issued orders to the samurai present: "Implement martial law in the Kuri region immediately and strictly investigate suspicious individuals. You remain at Oden Castle while I go to assist Lord Oden."
"Understood!" the samurai responded in unison, each taking action. Kurozumi Kanjuro gazed in the direction Oden had departed, a complex expression flashing in his eyes, before quickly following after him.