Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 347 Jack
"Lord Yasuke, our people have made contact. How are your preparations going?"

In a simple, unassuming attic on the outskirts of Ringo, several men dressed as samurai are gathered around a stove, discussing something with serious expressions.

The charcoal fire in the stove burned intensely, casting a fiery red glow on the faces of these people, making them resemble masked monsters in folk operas.

"I'm almost done here, Kojuro. But what about Kuri..."

The samurai sitting at the head of the table answered.

He was tall and dark-skinned, wearing a set of finely woven bamboo armor and a black lacquered helmet. His appearance completely surpassed that of ordinary warriors.

This person's identity is also not simple; he is the captain of the personal guard squad of Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the daimyo of the Ringo clan.

"[Jiuli]? Is something wrong over there in [Jiuli]?"

The samurai named Kojuro quickly asked.

"Over in Kuri... the samurai under Lord Kozuki Oden have refused to cooperate with our operation."

Yasuke sighed. He remembered that those people had indeed been somewhat tempted, including Kin'emon, who was the leader, but at the last moment they were stopped by a bespectacled brat.

What a bunch of clueless idiots!

"what?!"

"How could they refuse? Have they abandoned their dignity and honor as warriors?"

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the samurai present were filled with righteous indignation and condemned it.

"As retainers of the Kozuki clan, are they really just going to stand by and watch that Orochi usurp the position of Shogun without doing anything?!"

“How shameful!”

"Hmph! Those guys were just a bunch of thugs who used sweet talk to deceive Lord Oden and were promoted to samurai. Now they've just shown their true colors."

"In the end, they were just a group of lowly commoners!"

"These people calling themselves samurai is a disgrace to the samurai!"

"Unforgivable! If these people have even a shred of dignity left, they should immediately commit seppuku to atone for their sins!"

"..."

The disdain and curses at the scene grew louder and louder. Seeing this, Misuke gestured with his hands to signal everyone to be quiet.

"Quiet, gentlemen!"

"Let's not worry about those who have failed the name of the Kozuki family retainers. After all, even without them, we are enough."

As he spoke, he looked at Kojuro across from him again.

"Kojuro, you've contacted everyone at [Nozomi] and [Usadon], right?"

"Yes, a total of sixty people are willing to join."

"It's a pity that the warriors from Lord Kang's side received orders not to participate, otherwise there would have been even more people."

Kojuro said regretfully.

The daimyo of [White Dance], Shimotsuki Yasuie, perhaps having discovered something, issued a clear order a few days ago forbidding his samurai from making any rash moves.

The Yasu family is quite prestigious in Hakumai and even throughout Wano Country, so Kojuro and the others were unable to persuade anyone from there.

"Yes, the Kang family must have their own considerations."

Misuke felt a slight dissatisfaction, but he quickly suppressed it. Although Shimotsuki Yasuie was not the lord he served, the name "Shimotsuki" was not something he could question.

"I have forty men under Lord Ushimaru's command who are willing to respond, plus about a hundred men from [Hanato]... Two hundred samurai in total should be enough."

After all, it was a secret operation organized without the knowledge of anyone, including the lord they served, and two hundred people was the maximum number they could muster.

Although they might be slightly at a disadvantage against the Miwakumi group, which openly numbers five thousand, those two hundred men would be more than enough if they could bypass them and charge straight in to take Orochi's head.

"Have you informed them of the time, location, and code word for the operation?"

"Yes, don't worry. I've already made arrangements with them."

"Three days from now, Orochi will publicly meet with that pirate crew in the Flower Capital. That will be our opportunity."

"At that time, you only need to raise your arm and give the order, and our men, who are lying in ambush among the crowd, will immediately respond and take the giant snake's head!"

Kojuro's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he made a 'cut down' gesture with his hand.

"it is good!"

Upon seeing this, Yasuke excitedly slapped his thigh, as if he could already see the giant serpent's head rolling to the ground. However, he then added:

"Don't let those outsiders escape either; cut off their heads and display them to the public!"

"Humph!"

"Isolation is a national policy left by the first shogun, and all subsequent shoguns have strictly adhered to it. It concerns the very foundation of Wano Country. How dare a mere giant serpent and a group of sea pirates openly violate it!"

"This time, we'll show everyone in Wano Country..."

"Anyone who dares to change the ancestral rules will lose their head!!!"

With that, Yasuke stood up, drew the katana from his waist, and shouted:
"Gentlemen! The rise and fall of our nation hinges on this one battle!"

"The fate of the nation rests on this battle!"
……

Fenrir Island, next to where La lives.

This is the residence that Wright arranged for Sharp, the mermaid. It's a bit far from the Beasts' encampment and the town, making it a rare secluded spot on the island.

In the backyard, two cradles, one large and one small, were placed side by side, the warm sunlight shining down on the two babies inside who were fast asleep, having eaten and drunk their fill…

The babies all had faint smiles on their faces, and the warm environment seemed to make their hazy dreams even sweeter.

"Hmm"

"Hmm↓"

"Hey~ do you think... we might have been switched at birth, Boss Kaido?"

Osei lifted Kaido's fair-skinned daughter from the cradle... She looked at her from left to right, and then asked in a doubtful tone.

This pretty little girl doesn't look like the kind of child that rough man like Kaido could have!
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh! I didn't hold the wrong baby, that's my son." Kaido said with certainty, sitting cross-legged on the lawn in the yard, looking at the two babies.

This house has been temporarily expanded to accommodate Mrs. Sharp's size, making it much larger than Osei's house next door, but it still cannot accommodate Kaido's size.

So he could only come over for a quick hug during the afternoon when the children were sunbathing in the yard.

However, most of the time he's like someone who's drunk forget-me-not milk, basically forgetting about this. It was Ossie who dragged him along today.

"Huh? Isn't it a daughter?"

Upon hearing Kaido's reply, Osei took another closer look at the child she had lifted up.
That's right, it's a penisless one.

"it's the same."

The child's father was indifferent. He didn't care much whether the child was a boy or a girl; he planned to raise him as a son anyway.

"But the kid you brought back... not bad, he's quite strong."

Kaido looked at the burly child in the other cradle and nodded...

He grew to like the child more and more the more he looked at him.

That's great... She's so young and already has such a fierce look on her face; she's definitely not going to be a coward in the future.

"Does this kid have a name yet?"

Kaido asked.

"Huh? Your name?"

Ossie put the child back in her arms and then walked to another cradle.

Looking at the baby, whose muscles were already showing, and the golden feather left behind by Bulfat that had been hanging around the baby's neck, she spoke:

"As for the name..."

What do you think of Jack?

"..."

Kaido remained silent for a moment after hearing the name Osei mentioned...

【JACK】—This was originally the code name given to Bourfat, symbolizing his identity as the 【Big Signboard】.

Ossie suggested giving this name to the baby in front of her, the meaning of which was self-evident.

but……

“Ossie, you understand the rules of the beasts, the position of [Grand Signboard] can't be given to…”

"It doesn't matter."

Ossie lowered her head and pinched the baby's face in the cradle.

The two people's conversation had woken him up sometime earlier, but he didn't cry or fuss. Instead, he stared at the little red thing in front of him with his round eyes, looking curiously at it.

"As for the 'big signboard' thing, if this kid wants it in the future, let him get it through his own abilities; if he doesn't want it, then forget it."

"It doesn't even matter if he doesn't want to be a pirate..."

Watching the baby's little hands already restlessly grabbing at his own loose strands of hair and stuffing them into his mouth, Ossie said gently:
“I named him ‘Jack’ simply because it was the name Uncle Bourfat left him…that’s all.”

"..."

"Ok."

Since Osei had said so, Kaido could only nod. However, the three spots for the top three generals now needed to be filled...

He looked at Ossie.

"So, what about the remaining space for this large billboard—?"

"I do not want."

"..."

"Give it to whomever you want."

……

The country of peace.

Just as Yasuke and the others were gathering together to instill the spirit of Wano Country, another group of people had already quietly set foot on the land of Ringo.

"Ouch~ It's so cold! I'm freezing!"

Wearing a short-sleeved jacket, Tao Long rubbed his exposed arms, shivering as he complained:
"The weather was nice in [Ximei] and [Udon] when I went there before, and it was even springtime in [Huadu] when we just passed by. Why is it snowing in this godforsaken place that's just across the river?!"

Tao Long stomped his feet and complained, while a pirate behind him stepped forward and draped a fur coat over him.

"Lord Taolong, it's cold, please put on a coat."

"Ah, thanks."

After moving the golden feather that symbolized his identity from his chest to his collar, and confirming that he could still be seen at first glance, Taolong tightened the bright yellow fur coat he was wearing.

He thanked them and then looked at the group behind him.

Jhin's direct forces numbered three hundred men. If he were to divide them in half, that would be one hundred and fifty men... but now there are only a little over one hundred and thirty men left.

"Speaking of which, those samurai were really skilled. Not only were their swordsmanship superb, but they all possessed Armament Haki."

After spending several days, Tōrō, based on the location information provided by the Oniwabanshu, wiped out a wave of samurai who were planning to cause trouble.

Aside from Orochi, the samurai of the Flower Capital, preventing them from interfering, the people Misuke and the others gathered at [Nozomi] and [Udon] have all been taken by Toto.

"Alright, according to the information provided by that masked guy, the last group of people should be hiding up ahead."

"Once we deal with these people, our mission will be complete."

"Boss Kaido and the others should be here soon, everyone give it your all!"

(End of this chapter)