Chapter 129: Ashura Doji

"So, Kozuki Oden hasn't completely cleared Kurazukuri yet?"

"What if I go to Wano Country, defeat Kozuki Oden, and take care of the criminals in Kurazukuri?"

"Then, I restore order in Kurazukuri and become its daimyo. That should work, right?"

Li Yuan's eyes lit up at this idea.

For Li Yuan, the hardest part of ruling Wano Country was not the lack of military strength but finding the right opportunity to take over the country smoothly.

"Do you want to enter Wano Country now?"

Kanjuro asked.

"Why? Is that not possible?"

Li Yuan retorted.

"It's not that it's impossible; it's just too fast. We're not ready yet."

Kanjuro replied.

"You just need to stir up chaos in Wano Country and then cooperate with me to take it."

"I'll go to Wano Country myself to negotiate with the Kurozumi family behind you."

With that, Li Yuan hung up the phone.

"I wonder if Kozuki Oden has become a great swordsman by now."

Li Yuan mused, stroking his chin.

In the original story, Kozuki Oden was killed at 39, and by that time, he was certainly a great swordsman. But right now, he's probably only in his twenties.

"Shakky, help me make two large mirrors. I'm going to enter Wano Country directly."

After hanging up with Kanjuro, Li Yuan prepared to enter Wano Country.

At this time, Kozuki Oden had not yet risen to prominence, making it the perfect opportunity for Li Yuan to enter Wano Country.

"No problem!"

Shakky said, crafting two large mirrors for Li Yuan.

"I'm heading to Wano Country now. If anything comes up, contact me through the mirror or Den Den Mushi."

With that, Li Yuan departed from the Venus Palace, using Moonwalk to fly towards Wano Country.

There was a massive natural barrier ahead of Wano Country, a wall that naturally kept outsiders out, but for Li Yuan, such obstacles were non-existent; flying over was simple.

"Moon Pursuit!!"

With the two large mirrors Shakky gave him, Li Yuan launched himself from Venus Island, stepping into the sky thousands of meters above, flying towards Wano Country.

**Wano Country, Kurazukuri:**

Kurazukuri was the most chaotic, lawless, and crime-ridden place in Wano Country.

Residents here were either impoverished, samurai and other nobility, or criminals who fled here after committing crimes elsewhere in Wano Country.

Upon arriving in Kurazukuri, Li Yuan found a place to set the mirrors and ventured out to see what Kurazukuri was like.

"This place is truly filthy and chaotic with bandits rampant, and no one to govern it—or rather, the ones who run rampant are the so-called rulers here."

After spending a day in Kurazukuri, Li Yuan got a general understanding of the situation.

"Run! The bandits are coming!!"

On Kurazukuri's wealthiest street, over thirty sword-wielding bandits suddenly charged in.

The merchants and shopkeepers, who were previously selling their wares, hurriedly packed up and fled in terror.

"Brothers, go! Grab what you can and run!"

The bandits, numbering over thirty, had a clear objective, targeting food and gold, ignoring small items.

"Time's almost up, let's go!!"

The bandits only looted for less than ten minutes before their leader urged them to flee.

"Interesting, the biggest thugs and bandits in Kurazukuri are led by Ashura Doji."

"According to the Kurozumi family's intelligence, Kozuki Oden hasn't defeated and unified Kurazukuri completely, meaning Ashura Doji hasn't been defeated by him yet."

"These people must be Ashura Doji's bandits."

Li Yuan watched these bandits from the shadows.

Having figured out some things, he followed the bandits until they arrived at a mountain near Kurazukuri.

"We're back, with enough loot to last us half a month."

"Damn that Kozuki Oden, if it weren't for him, we wouldn't be forced to hide on this mountain!"

The bandits, now back at their mountain hideout, spoke loudly.

"As long as you're back. Once the boss finishes his training and defeats Kozuki Oden, we can return to our former glory."

In the mountain hideout, there were over two hundred bandits, many of whom were injured, their bodies covered in bandages.

"Is your boss Ashura Doji?"

Upon arriving at the hideout, Li Yuan emerged from behind. He felt confident he had found the right place, but it seemed Ashura Doji wasn't there.

"Clang!!!"

"Who are you!!!"

Li Yuan's voice immediately caught the attention of all the bandits in the hideout. They drew their swords and watched him vigilantly.

They felt a deadly threat emanating from this man, even though he was just standing there, the pressure was immense.

"That must be Ashura Doji."

With his Observation Haki, Li Yuan sensed the presence of a swordsman on the other side of the mountain.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

The bandits asked again, seeing that Li Yuan wasn't answering.

"Hmm?"

Li Yuan still didn't answer. Instead, his Conqueror's Haki burst forth, a majestic aura rising to the sky, enveloping the entire mountain.

Suddenly, the mountain was covered in crimson lightning, as if a level ten gale had swept through, sending leaves flying everywhere.

"This can't be!!!"

The bandits in the hideout suddenly felt an overwhelming spiritual pressure on their heads, causing unbearable headaches, even dropping their swords.

Li Yuan's Conqueror's Haki was controlled with precision, rendering the bandits powerless without knocking them unconscious.

"Strong one!!"

"Something's wrong, it's coming from the hideout!"

On the other side of the mountain, Ashura Doji, who was training, sensed Li Yuan's Conqueror's Haki. His expression changed, and he rushed towards the hideout.

Before long, Ashura Doji arrived at the hideout, seeing his subordinates struggling on the ground and Li Yuan exuding powerful sword intent.

Seeing Ashura Doji, Li Yuan smiled slightly.

Ashura Doji was tall and heavyset, with fluffy pink curls styled into a topknot.

He wore a light purple kimono with yellow floral patterns, draped open to reveal his chest, with purple tattoos on his arms and chest.

A yellow sash was tied around his waist, and he carried a gourd engraved with the character "ten."

"Boss, we embarrassed you!!!"

The subordinates, seeing Ashura Doji, felt both excited and ashamed, having fallen without even encountering the enemy.

"Who are you, and what do you want here?"

Ashura Doji, relieved that his subordinates were unharmed, looked at Li Yuan seriously.

The swordsmanship of this man before him was terrifyingly strong, with an intense sword aura that even Kozuki Oden, who had defeated him before, didn't possess!

"My name is Li Yuan. I want to unify Kurazukuri and develop it as my territory."

"I heard you're the strongest force in Kurazukuri. I'm here to subdue you and have you work for me!"

Li Yuan stated his intentions candidly. Samurai were a stubborn and persistent lot, but if defeated and won over the right way, they would offer their loyalty.

"Impossible, we will never submit to anyone!!"

Before Ashura Doji could speak, one of his subordinates shouted.

"In the face of absolute power, nothing is insurmountable."

"You don't want to fight me here, do you? Then come with me and show me the strength of Kurazukuri's strongest monster!"

Ignoring the shouting subordinate, Li Yuan spoke to Ashura Doji, then turned and walked down the mountain.

"You stay here and wait for my return."

Ashura Doji instructed his subordinates, following Li Yuan down the mountain.

At the base of the mountain, Li Yuan stopped, and Ashura Doji halted fifty meters away.

"You're not from Wano Country?"

Ashura Doji asked seriously.

"No, I'm not from Wano, but I will be its ruler in the future."

"I'm from overseas, and all the waters and islands near Wano are my territory. Naturally, I will conquer Wano."

Li Yuan didn't hide anything from Ashura Doji; in his eyes, Ashura Doji was already one of his men.

"I respect strength. Let's see if your sword is strong enough!!!"

Ashura Doji's ambition flared upon hearing Li Yuan's words.

As the strongest monster in Kurazukuri, he was only eighteen, soon to be nineteen, at the height of his ambition.

Even though Kozuki Oden had defeated him once, he had escaped Oden's blade with his own strength.

He believed that with more training, he would soon surpass Kozuki Oden.

Hearing that Li Yuan claimed all territories around Wano, his ambition to break free from Wano was completely ignited.

In Wano, he had challenged other regional lords, knew their strength, and understood Wano's limitations.

To advance further and become stronger, overseas was the best choice.

"Come on, I'll show you if my sword can subdue you."

Li Yuan didn't use the Seven Star Sword; instead, he drew the Butō Yōzai.

Even without releasing its fearsome killing intent, Ashura Doji seemed to see a hell full of slaughter, where endless demons were trapped within this sword.

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