Chapter 1179: Now, I Am the General

Chapter 1179 -1160: Now, I Am the General

“I… I don’t know, Lord Queen just mentioned discovering Kozuki Momonosuke, and didn’t elaborate on anything else. He must be on Ghost Island.”

Queen’s communication with the General wasn’t reporting; it was notification.

If the report were meant for Kaidou or Arceus, he could time it to the second, appearing exactly when needed.

Kozuki Hiyori was different; Queen merely mentioned it casually when notifying Hotei to conduct a search.

“Kozuki Momonosuke… Has it really been 20 years? Time truly flies, Kawamatsu.”

“Lady Hiyori, I’m here.”

“Go tell Denjiro and Kikunojo that my dear brother is here, or rather, has come back. Anyway, have them go to Ghost Island and meet the son of our father.”

Saying this, Kozuki Hiyori took the lead in leaving, seemingly anxious about the matter.

Twenty years is a long time, causing her a great deal of torment and leading to shifts in her attitude on many issues.

The good news is that she’s quite free in Wano Kuni, except for having real authority only within the palace, keeping face outside, with no one stopping her wherever she goes.

Regular trips abroad have shown her more than any past General has seen, even more than Kozuki Oden, though he was never officially inaugurated as General, so he doesn’t count.

Under Kozuki Hiyori’s orders, the palace in the Flower Capital was bustling again, not because she was heading out, but due to the name Kozuki Momonosuke.

Many attendants in the palace were in their thirties and forties, with many of them being branches of the Kurozumi Family, remembering those past events more vividly.

“Did you hear? The prophecy left by Lady Toki wasn’t false; Kozuki Momonosuke and Oden’s attendants have appeared again.”

“Don’t talk nonsense, where did you hear this news?”

“From the General’s maid. I also heard her say that the General deliberately leaked this news.”

“Forget it, what does it have to do with us? No matter who becomes General, isn’t it all the same? Life is good now.”

Similar discussions echoed throughout various corners of the palace, but the attitudes were mostly the same, with no indication of anyone responding to Momonosuke and his group.

In the original timeline, Wano Kuni was already devastated by Kurozumi Orochi’s persecution and Kaidou’s exploitation, with the Flower Capital enjoying prosperity while the villages outside were filled with starvation.

The rebels were intimidated by force, not daring to act; after discovering Momonosuke, the surviving supporters of the Kozuki Family worked together secretly to help them escape the country.

Now things are different. Kaidou doesn’t care; as long as Wano Kuni can supply weapons, train soldiers, and provide special commodities for Hundred Beasts Fruit, he doesn’t concern himself with the conditions here.

Arceus has his own rules, with Pokemon integrating into Wano Kuni, and within the closed-loop economy, everything in Wano Kuni is intricately linked to Hundred Beasts. Even a blind person could sense these changes in daily life.

Moreover, the range of the closed-loop economy’s influence extends beyond just Hundred Beasts’ special commodities.

Medical, public opinion, religion, salt and iron, from the major aspects of life, death, and disease to the minor aspects of grass and trees, everything is tied to Hundred Beasts.

The older generation still remembers these matters, while those born within this 20-year period don’t know who this so-called Momonosuke is, only seeing someone disrupt their lives.

The entire region of Kuri began undergoing a major search, disrupting the pace of quite a few people’s lives.

Many stuck on both sides of the blockade were already swearing, but the outside world remained unaware of who caused such a commotion, so they didn’t name names.

As Kuri’s major search unfolded, Denjiro and Kikunojo also received the news passed on by Kawamatsu.

“Kawamatsu, what did you say?!”

“I said, Lord Momonosuke has appeared and has been captured. Lady Hiyori wants to take us to meet him.”

There was a hint of helplessness in Kawamatsu’s tone; those who held the deepest memories of those 20 years were people like them, but no one wished to mention it, hoping for Momonosuke to leave smoothly.

They witnessed Wano Kuni’s development and observed its changes. Now, wanting to drive Kaidou away is tantamount to opposing Hundred Beasts, as they must first consider whether the ordinary citizens of Wano Kuni are willing to accept it.

Originally, Momonosuke had a cohort of die-hard loyalists, but those people performed inexplicable actions years ago, even attempting to assassinate Kozuki Hiyori, not only jeopardizing themselves but also pushing Hiyori ahead.

Kawamatsu wasn’t sure what Hiyori might do upon seeing Momonosuke.

Momonosuke escaping would be the best outcome, with everyone going their separate ways from then on. However, they were uncharacteristically inefficient, and if Kawamatsu’s guess was correct, the signal flare just now was linked to this matter.

From his sighting of that strange signal flare to receiving news of Momonosuke’s capture, it was all within less than half an hour.

“Denjiro, I remind you, stay calm. You don’t have the ability to take Lord Momonosuke away; even adding myself and Aka Jiro, the three of us can’t make it off Ghost Island, let alone….”

Kawamatsu didn’t complete his sentence, as the situation was a bit complicated. He was unsure of Kikunojo’s stance, but Kawamatsu had a very conflicted question.

If Hundred Beasts wanted to execute Momonosuke, they could strive for it, fulfilling their duty as household attendants.

But under current circumstances, Hundred Beasts might not care, but Hiyori cannot be ruled out.