One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

With his speed, Wright traversed a considerable distance and eventually arrived at a small, inhabited village.

On his way, he encountered various plants and animals, yet they all seemed sickly or frail.

"Where is this?"

Wright observed the villagers from a distance.

Poverty, ruin, famine—these were the first impressions the village gave him.

And then there was… sorrow.

Indeed, the entire village appeared to be shrouded in an overwhelming sense of grief. With his heightened perception, Wright could faintly hear weeping emanating from the dilapidated houses.

"This doesn't seem like a place suitable for openly gathering information—villages like these are bound to be extremely wary of outsiders."

Concealing his presence, Wright activated his Observation Haki.

"Orochi," "factory," "pollution," "Kaido," "death"…

Wright's expression grew increasingly grim.

"Ebisu Town!"

His attention was drawn to a man in the village—a round-faced figure wearing a headscarf, his hair tied in a topknot. The man was energetically performing a drum act, attempting to bring some semblance of joy to the people around him.

"It's him…"

"Hey, everyone!"

Tonoyasu played his taiko drum with spirited enthusiasm, despite the lackluster nature of his performance. "Let's try to stay happy today!"

"If we must endure each day, whether in sorrow or joy, don't you think our departed loved ones would want us to face life with a smile?"

"Ugh… Tonoyasu, thank you…"

"Tonoyasu, just a little food is enough for us. My child, Toko, is still young; she must eat to survive!"

"Yes, Tonoyasu, we can bear the hardship, but the children must have something to eat!"

"Tonoyasu, you work so hard… but we can't see any hope in this."

"Orochi's factories are increasing, and there's almost nothing left in the wild to eat!"

"Even the water isn't drinkable anymore!"

"Young men are taken to the factories… we, the old, sick, and weak, wouldn't have survived without you, Tonoyasu…"

Wright sighed deeply and withdrew his Observation Haki. Any further eavesdropping, and he feared he wouldn't be able to restrain himself from cutting down Kurozumi Orochi right here and now.

Initially, Wright had no plans to meet this man—someone even his master, Koushirou, might not know was a distant relative.

The plot of Wano that Wright was familiar with ended when the Kouzuki clan's samurai stormed Onigashima, leading to Kaido slaying Orochi.

Beyond that, Wright knew little of the deeper secrets, which was precisely why he had to prepare in advance.

The Daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie, and the Daimyo of Ringo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru—strictly speaking, Koushirou's family branch was likely descended from the swordsmen of Ringo.

After all, Shimotsuki Ryuma, the "Sword God" of Wano, hailed from Ringo, and the Shimotsuki family of Ringo was renowned as a clan of swordsmen.

However, the Shimotsuki branch in Ringo had been wiped out, leaving the Hakumai branch of the Shimotsuki family as the only surviving relatives of Koushirou's bloodline.

Originally, Wright had planned to meet the Shimotsuki family on a future visit to Wano—when Kuina had grown stronger.

But fate worked in strange ways. Despite Wano's vast coastline, he had somehow ended up in Hakumai and had encountered this man…

It seemed his plans needed some adjustments.

Tonoyasu bid farewell to the villagers and returned to his home—a small, shabby straw hut.

Lowering his head, he sighed softly. The ever-smiling Tonoyasu finally allowed a trace of fatigue to show on his face.

But the expression vanished as quickly as it appeared. When he looked up again, he was once more the man who brought joy to others.

"Toko, Daddy's home! I managed to get some clean rice today…"

Pushing open the door, Tonoyasu immediately broke into a cold sweat—a stranger was sitting in his house!

"Toko!"

His eyes darted to his daughter—a young girl perched on the stranger's shoulder, laughing gleefully.

Relieved, Tonoyasu closed the door and turned to face the man with a serious expression. "Who are you? Why have you come to this broken place of mine?"

As the former Daimyo of Hakumai, he knew precisely what could and could not be done in such a situation.

At least the man hadn't harmed Toko.

Wright turned around, gently lifting Toko off his shoulder and handing her to Tonoyasu.

Tonoyasu rushed forward, taking his daughter and softly comforting her until she quieted down.

The stranger's first words, however, caused Tonoyasu's pupils to constrict.

"Lord Yasuie, you've worked hard."

"!"

Tonoyasu—Shimotsuki Yasuie—slowly raised his head. "I am Tonoyasu of Ebisu Town…"

"The Daimyo of Hakumai, Yasuie, is long dead!"

"I understand, Lord Shimotsuki Yasuie."

"…"

Shimotsuki Yasuie sighed deeply. "Who are you, really? What is your purpose in coming here?"

In the current state of Wano, how could there still be someone who recognized him?

"Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, Wright. Greetings, Lord Yasuie."

"Marine Headquarters!?"

Yasuie naturally understood the weight of those words—the significance of "Marine Headquarters" and the rank of Vice Admiral.

"This… is an answer I never expected to hear!"

Yasuie scrutinized Wright carefully. Though dressed simply like a wandering swordsman, the faint aura of authority emanating from him was unmistakable.

He was indeed a man of great power and high status.

"Very well, official introductions aside…"

Wright locked eyes with Yasuie. "Do you know of Shimotsuki Koushirou?"

"!"

Yasuie's eyes widened in shock. "Koushirou! What is he to you? Is he still alive?"

"My master is Koushirou—though he never told me his family name."

Wright smiled. "But both Shimotsuki Village and the crest on my master's robes confirm the truth—even though I've never met my grandmaster."

"And… my master's heirloom sword, the Wado Ichimonji—though it's not in my possession."

"…"

Yasuie remained silent for a long time before breaking into a soft, almost bitter laugh, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

"Koushirou… I see. There's no mistaking it."

"My Shimotsuki family… has not perished after all! Ha… hahaha…"

Wright watched quietly as Yasuie, even in his joy, struggled to restrain himself from laughing too loudly.

Finally, after Yasuie had composed himself, Wright spoke again.

"Allow me to reintroduce myself."

"Wright, a disciple of Koushirou at the Isshin Dojo in Shimotsuki Village, greets you, Lord Yasuie."

"Good, good, good!"

Yasuie had no reason to doubt Wright's words.

To recount such an intricate tale, with details only he himself would remember from over forty years ago—it couldn't possibly be false.

"This visit was made without my master's knowledge. As for your identity, I learned of it through other channels."

"My purpose here is to make preparations."

"To weaken Kaido's influence as much as possible in the coming years."

"So that when the day foretold by Wano's prophecy arrives…"

"We can utterly annihilate Kaido!"

"The prophecy…" Yasuie hesitated. "That's merely a legend!"

"But one you all firmly believe in, don't you?"

Wright smiled faintly. "The prophecy is real."

"In eight years, the 'Nine Red Scabbards' will return."

"The decisive battle with Kaido will take place then!"

"Until that day comes, you must be fully prepared!"

"We need to strike with overwhelming force!"

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