One Piece: Start by Rebuilding Kuri

Compared to other countries in the world of pirates, the Land of Wano is quite vast. Otherwise, Oden's journey around the country wouldn't have taken two years.

Dan wasn't in a hurry either, taking his time as he traveled. After leaving Hakumai and passing through Udon, it took him about half a month in total.

Between the different regions, there were some samurai stationed as guards. These individuals weren't particularly strong; their main role was to register the information of those passing through.

In this era, the Land of Wano wasn't yet in complete chaos. While there weren't major conflicts between the daimyos of the various regions, they weren't exactly united either. Naturally, they didn't want their people migrating en masse to other regions, nor did they want to accept refugees from other areas. These samurai essentially functioned as gatekeepers.

As Dan and Yukiko approached nonchalantly, the guards immediately became alert.

It wasn't that migration between regions was entirely forbidden to retain population. Moving to the Flower Capital was common, and even migrating to Ringo or Kibi was understandable. However, the guards had never seen anyone heading to Kuri.

In Kuri, aside from those born there—unfortunate souls—the only people who went there were usually fugitives on the run.

After all, it was a lawless zone. Even if escaping there was tough, at least it meant evading capture by the authorities. But if they were fugitives, one would expect them to sneak away under the cover of night. Why would they boldly cross the bridge in broad daylight?

"That guy looks young and well-dressed. Maybe he's planning to go to Kibi and is just passing through Kuri?" one of the samurai whispered.

"Passing through Kuri? That's insane! Even if someone wanted to pass through, a normal person would go through the Flower Capital. It's closer and safer. Besides, Udon and Kibi are already connected," the other samurai shook his head.

As they spoke, Dan and Yukiko approached.

Dan wasn't worried about anyone checking his identity. When Orochi served as a servant in the Kozuki household, he could do more than just steal a little money. Now that Dan's strength had grown, the Kozuki family found many uses for him, so he had access to a lot of resources.

Dan handed over a document, and the two samurai glanced at it before returning it and stepping aside.

All the paperwork was in order. No matter how suspicious they were, they didn't dare stop Dan.

"Let's go, Yukiko," Dan said, glancing around. The bridge seemed sturdy, and everything looked far from the dilapidated and desolate state he had seen in the anime. This made sense, as it wasn't forty years later.

Kozuki Sukiyaki might have been incompetent, but at least he wasn't cruel. Even if he spent his days indulging in the Flower Capital, it wasn't a big deal for the country. Even if countless poor people were starving on the streets, it didn't affect the prosperity of the upper-class nobles in the Flower Capital.

Dan and Yukiko crossed the long bridge. When they reached the center, Dan caught sight of the barren land of Kuri.

In truth, Kuri's natural environment wasn't the worst among the regions of Wano. At least it wasn't as desolate as Udon or Kibi, nor as cold as Ringo. Kuri's climate maintained a summer-like scenery year-round, with plenty of sunlight. The only downside was the unpredictable weather, alternating between heavy rains and droughts.

Agriculture in Wano still relied heavily on the weather. In such a climate, crops like rice could be harvested three or even four times a year. If they could overcome the droughts and floods, the yields would undoubtedly be high. Unfortunately, Kuri was a lawless land overrun with ronin and bandits.

The people who lived there struggled to grow crops, only to have most of their harvest stolen.

Amidst the chaos, even if the weather was favorable, there was no way for the region to develop.

Kuri still had some villages and villagers. While the ronin were murderers and criminals elsewhere, here they generally avoided killing the villagers. The population was already sparse, with the majority being criminals. If the farmers died out, who would grow the food for them to steal?

If those people died, where would they find women to capture and exploit?

Compared to the prosperous Hakumai, Kuri looked like a living hell.

The criminals didn't engage in any productive work. They all fled here, and no matter how wealthy someone was, their resources would eventually be plundered, let alone the poor. So, they not only robbed the poor but also fought among themselves.

When these people clashed, it was no child's play. Once swords were drawn, the loser rarely escaped with their life. As a result, the plains of Kuri were littered with corpses.

Rotting bodies were covered in maggots, and the air was filled with a foul stench.

Yukiko pinched her nose in disgust, carefully stepping around the corpses.

Her reaction was justified. These exposed corpses could easily spread diseases like plagues. Dan, however, wasn't concerned. The Yamata no Orochi spirit he had absorbed granted him some control over plagues.

Still, the sight and smell were enough to make him step aside.

Aside from this, there was another reason for Kuri's desolation.

The starving people had resorted to eating grass roots and anything else they could find. Over time, the vegetation in the area had dwindled, exacerbating the imbalance in rainfall.

Addressing this issue would be complicated, but for Dan, it wasn't difficult.

Once he fully mastered the powers of the Okuchi no Makami Devil Fruit, he could freeze the heavy rains during the wet season and store the ice underground, melting it during the dry season. If necessary, he could even transport snow from Ringo.

Melted snow was also an important water source.

In truth, the people of Wano had wasted a treasure trove of a land. If properly developed, this area could produce an abundance of food for the entire country. The same could be said for Kibi, which was considered the most barren region.

"This place... it's like a living hell," Yukiko muttered, staying close behind Dan.

Although she had been poor before, she had lived in Hakumai. Even if she couldn't afford food and her family was deep in debt, the worst fate she could imagine was being sold to a brothel. For the people living in Kuri, however, even life in a brothel might seem like paradise.

"This is the current state of the Land of Wano. Beneath the surface prosperity, the people are suffering immensely," Dan said, shaking his head.

It wasn't just Kuri. Was there no darkness beneath the prosperity of the Flower Capital?

The country's prosperity was reserved for the upper class. Even the lowest-ranking samurai belonged to a completely different social stratum than the farmers.

"I believe Dan-sama will change this country!" Yukiko said, one hand still pinching her nose, the other clenched into a small fist, full of determination.

"Don't make me out to be some great savior. All I want is to rule," Dan replied, rolling his eyes.