Chapter 140: Kozuki Hiyori

"Damn Kaido, damn Orochi! They turned Wano Country into such a scourge!"

The situation in Wano Country was dire. Sewage discharge had polluted the rivers, rendering the surrounding land unusable for agriculture and poisoning the environment.

In the Original Story, Zoro himself had been slightly affected after unknowingly consuming poisoned meat from these very sources. The entire country was shrouded in a miasma.

"The only remaining piece of unspoiled land is the Flower Capital,"

"Orochi and his supporters live there, while those who oppose him are banished to other regions and forced into slave labor."

Luo Ning shook his head. Kozuki Oden's naivety, bordering on stupidity, had been his downfall. He had trusted Orochi, who spent years eliminating most of Oden's followers before Oden finally decided to resist.

This marked the utter collapse of Kaido's character. Initially portrayed as a tough guy, what had become of him? While the Smiley user wasn't directly sent by him, he had turned a blind eye to their actions. He only killed the Devil Fruit user as an afterthought and approached Kozuki Oden to discuss it, but during the Oden incident itself, he showed no other reaction.

Kaido creates the impression of being all bark and no bite, a flimsy gatekeeper compared to the true villain, Kurozumi Orochi. He's a hypocrite who doesn't even hold a candle to a real bad guy.

The Wano Country arc suffers from the most heinous character failures in the series. What happened? The designs feel awkward and miss the mark – Momonosuke, Kaido, Kozuki Oden, all these characters are strange and don't compare to those from earlier arcs.

"Alright, let's not get emotional here. Look, there's the Flower Capital up ahead!"

Following Luo Ning's words, everyone laid eyes on the Flower Capital. It was a stark contrast to the outside world – a beautiful city with a pristine environment, a world away from the desolate areas they had just traversed.

"Such a beautiful place tarnished by a filthy ruler!"

Marco and the others, while impressed by the city's beauty, felt a surge of disgust knowing a giant snake resided there.

"There's no point in dwelling on it now. Let's find Hiyori. I know where she is!"

Luo Ning had multiple ways to locate Kozuki Hiyori. The simplest and most convenient option was the compass in his possession. Alternatively, they could ask someone about the whereabouts of the oiran Kozuki Hiyori.

Hiyori had become an oiran, using her status to swindle men out of money. This money, in turn, was used to buy food for people in other regions struggling under Orochi's rule. It was her way of helping those in need.

This responsibility should have fallen on Momonosuke's shoulders, but the boy was consumed by nothing but lust. It's natural for men to be attracted to women, as long as it doesn't cloud their judgment. There's a time and place for everything.

Momonosuke doesn't have his priorities straight at all.

Luo Ning used the compass to locate Kozuki Hiyori, and the group snuck through the streets in such a way that no one could see them. To be honest, this group was too conspicuous, especially Whitebeard. A few meters tall, he was a mobile mansion in this setting.

During their journey, Luo Ning explained Kozuki Hiyori's current situation.

"It seems Hiyori has truly accomplished a lot!" Whitebeard felt emotional after learning what Hiyori had been through.

Kozuki Hiyori could have grown up carefree under the protection of others, but she chose to take on some of the responsibility. In Luo Ning's opinion, this was a very good thing.

She also knew how to protect herself. She exploited Orochi's infatuation with her to prevent others from harming her, and used it to her advantage every time. This was another way Kozuki Hiyori demonstrated her resourcefulness. Otherwise, she could have been easily eliminated. She's undeniably very capable.

As night fell and Kozuki Hiyori was about to rest, a group of people suddenly appeared right in front of her, nearly scaring her to death.

"Y-you... Father Whitebeard!"

Seeing the group, Kozuki Hiyori's surprise turned to astonishment, and then she blurted out, calling Whitebeard "Father Whitebeard."

Luo Ning found the name a little odd, but it was indeed what Kozuki Oden called Whitebeard back then - "Whitebeard," not "Father Whitebeard." Their relationship was more like brothers than father and son.

Whitebeard used to call Kozuki Oden brother instead of son. For Whitebeard, who likes to adopt sons, it is indeed a bit strange to have a younger brother.

"It's been a long time, Hiyori. I'm truly sorry I couldn't reach Oden in time!"

Whitebeard felt helpless. As long as Kaido could be killed, he wouldn't have remained silent. Now he felt a pang of regret. After all, he was a man of great loyalty.

"No, no, Father Whitebeard. After all, this is Wano Country's internal conflict, and Kaido's influence is too strong!"

Hiyori and Marco were also well aware that Whitebeard couldn't kill Kaido, so he couldn't truly help. Additionally, Kozuki Oden never sought Whitebeard's assistance.

"Regardless, now that we're here, Kaido and Orochi will pay!"

Marco and the others clenched their fists in determination.

"If you want to act, do it swiftly. Now that you've found the key player, all you need to do is kill Orochi. Kozuki Hiyori can then take over and use her position to eliminate all of Orochi's followers!"

"While Kaido has some minions here, it won't matter. As long as you can contain them, attacking Kaido won't be a problem!"

Previously, they were afraid Kaido would take hostages and threaten them. Now that they had no such worries and Kozuki Hiyori was in place, they could launch a direct attack.