Pirates: My crew is the heroine of the 3D zone

“Don’t wander around the camp,” 2B said coldly to Xiaoyu. “If you have anything to do, tell us first.”

"I'm sorry!" Xiaoyu bowed deeply. "I feel ashamed if I don't repay the Captain for all the food he has provided!"

"The captain is busy. Just tell us if there's any information you need to share... How much do you know about Wano Country right now?"

"Yes! I will answer all your questions to repay your great kindness!"

Xiaoyu made no attempt to hide anything and recounted everything she knew about the current situation in Wano Country.

The information provided by Morgans is largely accurate. Kaido built a factory in Wano Country and indiscriminately discharged wastewater into the land, polluting the soil and water environment. This made it impossible for civilians to farm, and even obtaining clean drinking water became a luxury. They could only scavenge for food and were constantly hungry.

Meanwhile, the current shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi, is even more reckless and greedy, controlling all the resources needed for daily life in the country. He cooperates with Kaido to implement a high-pressure rule in Wano Country, exterminating anyone who dares to disobey him.

"Faced with the oppression of Kaido and Orochi, don't you people of Wano Country think of doing anything?" Mai Shiranui, who was listening in, couldn't help but ask.

"Of course!" Tama clenched her fist. "If we just wait another year, once they return, we'll definitely be able to drive Kaido and Orochi out of Wano Country!"

"them?"

When asked, Xiaoyu pursed her lips and shook her head, refusing, "That statement violates the laws of the Kingdom of Harmony. If I were to say such a thing, it would surely cause trouble for you foreign dignitaries."

"Trouble? I'm not afraid of trouble at all."

Chen Yong'an, who had finished getting ready, walked over, followed by Tifa and Laura, whose cheeks were still flushed and whose hair was slightly disheveled. They had clearly just had a deep and intense conversation.

"Or rather, we are the troublemakers. Just tell me directly what's wrong."

Hearing Chen Yong'an say this, Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment before saying, "Since Captain has asked, then I will not hide anything. The people I am talking about are the Kozuki clan who ruled Wano Country nineteen years ago!"

As soon as Xiaoyu finished speaking, Mai Shiranui couldn't help but burst out laughing and said, "Are you talking about Kozuki Oden, who was made a fool of and danced for five years?"

“Don’t mention that name,” Chen Yong’an tapped Mai Shiranui, “Don’t utter that unlucky name.”

Seeing the reactions of Mai Shiranui and Chen Yong'an, Xiaoyu glanced around at the other people on the ship, all of whom looked as if they had heard a funny joke.

Xiaoyu immediately understood their attitude towards the Kozuki clan. Ignoring the kindness of Chen Yong'an who had treated her to dinner earlier, she loudly retorted, "The name Kozuki Oden is not unlucky! He was a great and revered hero! And the people of Wano Country have been waiting for the return of the Kozuki clan. Only they can save Wano Country!"

“I don’t deny Kozuki Oden’s place in the hearts of the people of Wano Country,” Chen Yong’an said, ruffling Xiaoyu’s hair. But after doing so, he felt it was a bit too greasy, so he wiped it off on her clothes without leaving a trace.

"But you must know who caused Wano Country's current predicament. Every step the Kozuki family has taken, every wrong decision they have made, has pushed this country into an abyss of no return."

This outcome cannot be achieved by simply sacrificing yourself and turning a blind eye, as if nothing happened. After all, it is countless ordinary people like you who suffer in this world.

Even if the Kozuki family's rule ends, they leave you with a prophecy that they will return twenty years later to save Wano Country from its suffering, causing you to give up resistance and obediently be oppressed and exploited by Kaido and Orochi.

Therefore, in my opinion, the Kozuki family has absolutely no right to rule Wano Country.

"That's not true at all!"

Xiaoyu, whose faith was wavering, shouted loudly, "As a foreigner, you have no idea about the Kozuki clan!"

However, at this moment, Ada Wong's eyes narrowed, and she quickly drew the pistol from her tactical sling, flicked her arm stylishly, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"boom!"

A loud bang, like a thunderclap from a clear sky, drew everyone's attention.

In the air, a bat-man flapped its wings, the bowstring in its hand still trembling slightly.

Without a doubt, Ada Wong's bullet just now collided with the arrow fired by the Bat-Man!

"Squeak squeak squeak!!"

The bat-man grinned as he looked at the crowd on the beach. "They're really audacious! They've been talking about 'Moonlight' all along, they really don't respect the laws of Wano Country at all!"

Upon seeing the other person's appearance, Xiaoyu felt her legs go weak. "This is... a Gifter?"

Chapter 678: Heading to the Flower Capital

"A Gifter?" The angel gazed at the bat-man flapping its wings in the air. "Is it a user of an artificial Devil Fruit? It feels very different from ordinary Zoan-type abilities... the animal parts seem like a forced fit, lacking any aesthetic appeal when combined with the human body." (The last two lines appear to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated text.)

"You're facing imminent disaster and you're still criticizing others," the bat-man shouted arrogantly. "Illegal smuggling and discussing the Kozuki clan in private—I advise you to just submit and you'll suffer less!"

“It’s so noisy,” Ada Wong said with disgust, tossing the sniper rifle beside her to Laura. “Shoot him down.”

"Yes!"

Laura accepted the mission with a serious expression. These days, she had been either learning to decipher the Poneglyphs with Nico Robin and researching the history of this world, or learning Haki, physical skills, and the use of firearms from Ada Wong.

Now that she needs to lend a hand, it is only right and duty she should do so!

She skillfully pulled out the magazine, glanced at it, and after discovering it was sea stone ammunition, replaced it with her own special all-steel ammunition, loaded the sniper rifle, and set it up for aiming.

When the bat-man saw the gun barrel pointed at him from the black hole, he immediately sensed a dangerous aura. His bowstring twitched rapidly, and he fired several arrows at once, shouting, "You dare to resist? Your crime is compounded!!"

Faced with the Bat-Man's arrows, which were covered in Armament Haki and possessed immense destructive power capable of easily shattering rocks, Ada Wong quickly pulled the trigger a few more times, using bullets also covered in Armament Haki to collide with and neutralize the arrows, causing them to explode in mid-air.

Almost at the same moment, Laura also pulled the trigger of her sniper rifle.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the 7.62mm special bullet, imbued with Devil Fruit power, was fired and instantly struck the Bat-Man in the chest!

Even a full-steel special sniper bullet would be difficult to completely penetrate a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user with a powerful physique without Armament Haki covering it!

But what Lara wanted wasn't to penetrate, but for the Batman's body to collapse.

—Devil Fruit abilities need to be used frequently to improve!

The power caused the area around the bullet hole, which was only as thick as a finger, to collapse, with flesh twisting, squeezing, and colliding, eventually creating a hole the size of a noodle bowl that ran through the bat-man's chest from front to back!

The bat-man looked down at the hole in his chest, and finally fell helplessly from the sky, crashing onto the beach and kicking up a cloud of sand.

Dead beyond dead.

Ada Wong looked at Tama, who was staring in disbelief, and laughed, "You know what? In this world, there aren't many people who would dare to attack us. Even if Kaido himself came, he would have to think twice before attacking us."

“This is the downside of isolationism,” Laura said, switching the sniper rifle magazine back. “Being unaware of changes in the external situation and unable to keep up with external developments offers no benefit other than consolidating the rule of those in power.”

"What a mess the Kozuki clan made," Chen Yong'an patted Xiaoyu's head, then instructed Shiranui Mai to take the bat-man's corpse to a distant place and burn it to destroy the evidence.

After the little incident with the Bat-Man ended, everyone went about their business as usual, enjoying the sun and beach without a care in the world, completely ignoring the "major event" of killing the Beast Pirates' "Giver".

It was as if they had just killed an ordinary pirate who wasn't even wanted.

Based on their conversation, Tama became increasingly certain that they were important figures from the outer seas, and definitely not foreigners who had stumbled into Wano Country by accident.

However, because they didn't say anything, Tama couldn't find out their purpose in coming to Wano Country.

It's inextricably linked to Kaido at least.

Xiaoyu's speculation about the others' intentions didn't last long. After all, she was just a child, and she was quickly drawn to the girls playing happily on the beach, joining in the fun.

Because of Xiaoyu's presence, Chen Yong'an became unusually serious and refrained from his reckless behavior on the beach, which involved attacking and seizing territory.

Meanwhile, as time passed, news reached the ears of "Shinpu" stationed in Kuriboro Town that the Bat-Man, who had gone out to scout, could no longer be contacted.

Every Gifter with artificial Devil Fruit abilities is a valuable asset to the Beasts Pirates. The disappearance of a Gifter is no small matter, especially in this "peaceful" era when there are no external enemies.

The sudden disappearance of the giver usually means only one thing: that he has been attacked.

Mountain bandit gangs roaming Wano Country, or foreign pirate groups that have secretly infiltrated Wano Country.

As for defecting, that's something no pirate who knows how terrifying Kaido is would ever do.

Therefore, all the pirates in Boro Town except for those of true fighting level immediately came out in full force to conduct a large-scale search within a hundred miles, determined to find them alive or dead.

Three hours after dealing with the Bat-Man, as evening approached and dinner was being prepared on the ship, the auxiliary aircraft suddenly sounded an alarm.

Auxiliary machine A: "Alert, detected..."

“Understood,” 2B, who was sharing the radar detection results with the auxiliary machine, stood up. “I’ll take care of these small fry.”

“Let Lara handle the minions,” Chen Yong’an said, enjoying Hancock’s lap pillow and being fed. “Give them some practice, but don’t underestimate them. After all, Wano Country has impressive seastone processing technology.”

“Understood, I’ll be careful,” Laura said, picking up her gear and turning to leave the camp.

Of course, Chen Yong'an wasn't completely at ease leaving Laura alone. He gave 2B a look, and the latter understood and immediately followed.

Although the Beasts Pirates came with great force, they were at most a dozen or so "Waiters" who didn't even have artificial Devil Fruits, and a few "Gifters" who had eaten artificial Devil Fruits. They were dealt with in just a moment, leaving deep pits or holes the size of noodle bowls on their bodies.

"Who is your leader? What is your purpose?" 2B drew her White Promise, now stained black with her domineering aura, and pointed it at a small fry who had wet his pants in fear. "Tell me and I'll give you a quick death. Otherwise, I'll let you experience what it's like to be sashimi."

After saying that, 2B swung his greatsword, and a uniquely shaped welcoming pine tree next to him was transformed into countless pieces, each as thin as a cicada's wing, demonstrating his superb swordsmanship.

This move terrified the other party, who immediately confessed everything.

"Boro Town... is it just for hunting down enemies who invaded Wano Country?" 2B kept her promise and finished off the last henchman with one strike. "I didn't expect it to attract the attention of the Beast Pirates. This is a bit troublesome."

"What should we do?" Laura asked.

"Let Yong'an decide... These lizards look good, we can use them as mounts. Let's take them with us and go back."

2B and Laura returned to the camp with about ten lizards that the Beast Pirates had used as mounts, and told Chen Yong'an all the information they had just extracted from the henchmen.

"I was originally planning to wait until Inuarashi and the others arrived before taking any action, but now it seems our identities are bound to be exposed... Let's go to the Flower Capital for a stroll later, Uta, wouldn't you like to let your singing voice spread throughout the entire Wano Country?"

Chapter 679: The Concert in the City of Flowers

After dinner, leave Angel, Laura, and Hancock behind on the Lexington to protect the ship and deal with any enemies who dare to offend them.

The rest of the group rode the lizards they had found to the capital of Wano Country, the Flower Capital.

As they embarked on their journey, the moonlight was already dim, revealing the desolate and barren landscape of Wano Country.

There were no farmlands, no fruit trees, and not even a single insect chirping.

There was only a large expanse of land and a few withered trees.

Seeing the scene before them, Xiaoyu, the guide, explained: "Because of the sewage and black smoke discharged from the factory, the environment is polluted and the land can no longer be cultivated. The people living nearby can only survive by picking up garbage and are starving."

"They won't even let people have enough to eat, it's just too much!" Tifa said indignantly. Although she had lived a poor life before coming to this world, at least the Shinra that ruled that city did not deliberately let the common people living in the slums go hungry, nor did they pollute water resources at will.

"Pirates are the most despicable things in the world," Uta said angrily. The Beasts Pirates perfectly fit her stereotype of pirates!

"Among pirates, there are both despicable and admirable individuals," Tama didn't condemn all pirates outright. "If we just wait another year, and as long as the Kozuki clan returns, I believe Wano Country will definitely return to its former happy life where everyone can eat their fill!"

“A happy life is something you have to fight for yourself,” Chen Yong’an glanced at Xiaoyu. “A happy life obtained by relying on others is fragile and will be lost sooner or later.”

"Yong'an," Tifa glared at Chen Yong'an, "Don't be so serious with children."

"This is reality; promises that aren't even worthless can't solve any problems."

"Brother, you don't understand the Kozuki clan at all!"

"You're using that unlucky name again. Do you want to cause us trouble again?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu quickly covered her mouth, because if it weren't for her, she wouldn't have attracted the attack from Kaido's subordinates.

I feel deeply ashamed. You Lin, I Lin, I, you empty, you Lin, are you here...

“Don’t mention the name of the Light Moon Clan in front of Yong’an again,” Mona, who was riding a lizard with Xiaoyu, tugged at Xiaoyu’s soft, dumpling-like face. “He doesn’t like incompetent and foolish rulers.”

"Why?" Xiaoyu asked.

“Because of aversion to stupidity,” Ada Wong explained, “Kozuki Oden was just too stupid.”

“Alright, you guys,” Chen Yong’an said, “let’s skip this topic and talk about something else.”

The group exchanged glances and stopped mentioning that unlucky name. They started chatting with Xiaoyu about the magnificent adventures on the open sea, and how each island had its own unique culture and geography, which made Xiaoyu yearn for it.

Bored, Uta practiced her singing to prepare for her upcoming task.

The group chatted and sang their way along, riding their lizards for several hours, and finally arrived at the capital of Wano Country, the Flower Capital, in the early hours of the morning.

Like most cities of this era, the Flower Capital was under a curfew and was a dark and quiet place, with only a few lights still lit in the lord's castle built among the crescent-shaped cherry blossom trees.

It's like a demon king's castle in a dungeon.

“It’s so quiet,” Uta said. “Isn’t it a bad idea to sing at this hour and wake people up from their dreams?”

“If you feel it’s not a good time now, you can wait until morning,” Chen Yong’an said. “It’s up to you to decide.”

Uta thought for a moment, then a vibrant smile, full of energy and a desire to cause a ruckus, finally bloomed on her face. She said, "Let's do it now! Let's make the name 'Bitterness Overwhelms' resound throughout Wano Country!"

The other members of the band, who had endured so much hardship, exchanged glances, smiled, and began preparing for their first performance in Wano Country.

"Ding~"

A sound of plucking a string suddenly echoed in the Flower Capital, causing many lightly sleeping civilians and samurai to blink, and alerting the ninjas and soldiers guarding the castle.

What's that sound coming from so late?

"Ding~"

After a brief moment of calm, the sound of strings being plucked resumed, this time more urgent and accompanied by electronic vibrations. This woke the sleeping civilians and samurai, and made the conscious ninjas and soldiers grip their weapons tightly.

Then the mix of guitar, bass, drums and keyboard is combined to form a complete piece of music.