Chapter 182: Intrigue in Hinomoto

"You are the Ruler of Day. Shouldn't you be sleeping at this time?" Laskey crossed his arms over his chest and looked disdainfully at the newly arrived golden monkey.

The Golden Monkey sneered. "Hehe, you guys are so noisy that you woke me up. I might as well stay up all night and meet you rude outsiders!"

Meanwhile...

Thousands of World Government Air Force soldiers, led by their officers, were engaged in a pitched battle near the gates of Mokomo Dukedom against the Musketeers and Guardians.

...

Two days later.

On the moon, Imu received the final report from the Five Elders.

They reported that the Mink tribe had been subdued. However, the two rulers, the Golden Monkey and the Night Monkey, had resisted fiercely. Laskey decided it would be difficult to capture them alive, so he killed them, also suffering significant injuries in the process.

The Five Elders asked for instructions on how to handle the remaining Minks and what to do with Zou.

"A pity. They were two high-level combat forces. However, without them, most of the Minks will be easier to subdue."

Imu pondered for a moment and then wrote down his orders.

That is, find a forested area near the army headquarters on the Red Earth Continent to settle the Mink Tribe, and then let Princess Otohime go there to give them a speech. Then the Minks will be integrated into the army.

"As for Zou..."

Imu frowned, thinking about how to control the gigantic creature.

"It seems I will need special methods to control him, even if they are coercive."

A hint of coldness flashed in Imu's eyes.

Zunesha's size alone has great strategic value. It can be said that it is a biological giant battleship that can be used on land, sea and air.

Imu put aside the topic of Zunesha for the moment until a way to control him could be found, then picked up the following report. Upon reading it, he was stunned.

"Revolutionary Army?"

"How is this possible? I have already held down Dragon, so where did the Revolutionary Army come from? And they are inciting the people to overthrow the king."

At that moment, Imu wondered if fate really existed. If so, it would be something truly disturbing.

"Huh?"

The report also mentioned that the Dragon Police Department was the first to have contact with the revolutionary army, but they did not immediately report it. This information was discovered by Cipher Pol.

Imu began to doubt and worry. The thought of fate that was hovering around him made him wonder if Dragon was returning to his old path.

While he understood the importance of trusting his men, he also knew that sometimes he had to be cautious.

"Let's let Cipher Pol investigate who these revolutionaries are and watch Dragon for a while longer."

Imu sighed to himself.

At least now that he was aware of their existence, he wouldn't ignore the revolutionary army like the original Imu did in the One Piece Series, allowing them to grow and become stronger.

The three worlds with the Starfish World as the core have entered a period of relatively stable development, mainly because the Starfish World is absorbing and seizing the resources of the Kabane World and the Demon Slayer World.

...

Kabane World.

With the hard work of Cipher Pol, there is no resistance force anymore. Even those hiding in the mountains and forests have been found and eliminated one by one.

Bullet, for his part, continued to lead new army recruits in search of places with large concentrations of Kabane, carrying out bloody military training.

It can be said that his contribution to the army headquarters is quite large, and basically all the army has to go through him.

Meanwhile, in the territory of Hinomoto, metal resources such as gold, iron, and the metal unique to this world, steam metal, are mined in large quantities.

This steam metal has the property of converting into metallic vapor under gunpowder explosions and improving the penetration capacity.

All of this creates a lot of jobs, of course, the World Government guarantees the necessary equipment and living conditions, and working hours are not long. If someone gets sick or injured, there are hospitals to treat them.

Overall, although the work was arduous, the citizens of Hinomoto did not feel exploited or enslaved. On the contrary, they felt gratitude and support towards the World Government.

Living without the constant fear of the Kabane, in spacious houses, without worrying about food, seemed like a dream paradise.

Therefore, they responded positively to the changes brought by the World Government.

At the same time, many people now know that Shogun Ayame's wife, Kurusu, was rewarded with a secret treasure called the Devil Fruit by the World Government, and also possessed extraordinary power like a god.

It was said that with a simple movement of his hand, he could cut human bodies and entire houses into pieces.

The existence of Kurusu not only earned the respect of the citizens, but also ensured that officials in Kongoukaku followed Yomogawa Ayame's orders without hesitation.

From this point of view, he has indeed become an important support for his wife.

However...

It seemed like he didn't have much time left. With each use of the Devil Fruit's power, his body became weaker, and the muscles and bones in his arms became more fragile.

Furthermore, every time he used his power, he felt an insatiable hunger. No matter how much he ate, he always felt hungry.

This had turned him from a robust and brave warrior into someone who spent most of his time bedridden, dependent on medication and food.

"Senior Director Lanord, please, please save Kurusu!"

In desperation, Ayame found Lanord, who had been promoted to director of the Kabane World branch of the World Government.

Without hesitation, upon meeting him, she knelt on the tatami, performing a deep bow. Because she could feel that if this continued, Kurusu would die soon.

Lanord narrowed his eyes and examined the beautiful Ayame's body, then said in a calm tone. "He suffers because the bodies of the people of this world are too fragile to withstand the wear and tear of using the powers of a Devil Fruit."

"To help him, I have two options."

"Wonderful!" Ayame raised her head in excitement, her face shining with hope.

Her white skin, her slender and elegant figure, and her delicate beauty made Lanord feel tempted. But on the surface, he still looked serious and businesslike.

"The first option is to turn him into a Kabaneri. This way, his constitution will improve, and with enough human blood, he should be able to withstand the use of the Devil Fruit."

"Oh, this..." Ayame showed an awkward expression. "And the second option?"

"The second option is to bring highly nutritious foods from the Starfish World, such as Sea Kings meat. This would solve your nutrition problem."

"That's it, that's what we need!" Ayame bowed her head again, sincerely pleading. "Please help us. If it's about money, we can buy whatever is needed."

"The question is why the World Government should specially send these foods here. Kurusu is not worthy of doing so, let alone for me to report it personally." Lanord said meaningfully. "After all, he's not the Shogun, right?"

"So what should we do? What does it take to get this help?"

"All of Hinomoto's resources are already in their hands." Ayame said, biting her lip in a hint of anger.

"This requires us to communicate well with each other. What else could you offer me?" Lanord smiled insinuatingly.

"What do you mean by that?" Ayame widened her eyes in disbelief.

Lanord displayed disgusting greed at this moment.

"If you want my help, you'll have to give me what you can offer and what I desire, right?" Lanord laughed coldly.

"What do you want?" Ayame slowly stood up, her teeth clenched.

Ayame's enraged expression only made Lanord desire her even more. He was enjoying this whole situation. The feeling of power was too addictive.

"You..."

"So that's it...?" Ayame sighed in disappointment. Although she was young and kind, she was neither naive nor ignorant.

"If you want to save your husband's life, you can start undressing." Lanord said with a confident smile, raising his chin. "After that, I promise to keep the secret and provide you with enough high-energy food."

"No, thanks." Ayame's face showed a cold expression that was filled with disgust for Lanord, and at the same time, her impression of the World Government plummeted. Then she turned to leave the office.

Seeing Ayame's reaction, Lanord just asked in an indifferent tone: "Don't you want to save your husband?"

"Kurisu is a samurai. I believe he would never want to sell his dignity in exchange for his life. As his wife, I will never do anything to humiliate him!" Ayame spoke firmly, without turning around. "You have underestimated Kurusu and me too much."

After saying that, under Lanord's vicious eyes, she left without hesitation. Even though her heart was suffering great pain at this moment, she still stubbornly did not want to show weakness.

"How dare you, a humble extraterrestrial, speak to me like that!" Lanord stood up in a fury and kicked the tea table in front of him, scattering the cups across the floor.

But he was afraid of Ayame's identity as the Shogun and did not dare to harm her, otherwise the matter would get out of control and attract the attention of the people above, and nothing good would happen.

He had really underestimated Ayame.

Although she seemed like a fragile and gentle girl, deep down she was an expert in kendo and kyudo, brave and concerned about her people, a competent leader.

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