Chapter 388: Morning Commotion

Tatsuya stood with his arms crossed, watching the chaotic, bustling scene in the camp below.

Awakened by the sudden commotion outside, Nami and Robin lazily rose from the large, soft bed covered in high-quality animal furs.

The two women casually draped themselves in light, silky robes, concealing their graceful and charming curves.

Rubbing their sleepy eyes, they walked to the window with languid steps.

Leaning against Tatsuya’s broad, sturdy shoulders on either side, they followed his gaze down toward the open clearing of the camp.

In the clearing below, three unfamiliar figures were sprawled unceremoniously on the grass, panting heavily.

They were none other than Kin’emon and Kanjuro, who had been missing for some time, along with the young boy Momonosuke, whom they were tightly shielding in their midst.

They had endured days and nights of arduous climbing up the thick, sturdy legs of the elephant.

Having endured great hardships, they finally climbed, disheveled and covered in dust, onto the cloud-piercing back of the elephant.

The trio’s original plan was to take advantage of the thick morning mist and the sparse crowd in the camp to sneak around the forest and search for their companion, Raizo.

However, man proposes, God disposes.

Just as they poked their heads out of a dense bush, they collided head-on with Zoro, who was doing his morning sword practice in the clearing, and a group of the Mink Tribe passing by with fresh fruit and breakfast.

Upon seeing the large number of the Mink Tribe gathered before them, Kin’emon’s face turned deathly pale, and his forehead was instantly covered in a fine layer of cold sweat.

He knew well that “Drought” Jack had launched a brutal massacre on this island in order to find Raizo.

He feared that this group of the Mink Tribe, having just suffered a catastrophe, would harbor hatred toward samurai because of the Raizo incident.

Once their identities were exposed, the others would definitely draw their blades against them in anger.

In order to hide his identity as a samurai, Kin’emon, in this critical moment, hurriedly began his clumsy performance.

He gestured wildly like a comical monkey.

While speaking in a strange accent, he forced himself to disguise as a lost “monkey Mink Tribe” member, attempting to muddle through.

Kanjuro, standing beside him, followed suit and painted himself to look like a bizarre frog.

This ridiculous sight left Luffy, Usopp, and the others, who had just walked out while yawning, completely bewildered.

“Are these three guys monkeys and a frog that have turned into spirits?”

Usopp remarked while rubbing his chin, the scene being quite comical for a moment.

Just as Kin’emon was sweating profusely and desperately trying to cover his tracks, a steady, powerful sound of footsteps came from behind the crowd.

The crowd parted automatically for the two supreme rulers of Zou.

Duke Inuarashi, the King of Day, and Master Nekomamushi, the King of Night, arrived upon hearing the commotion, supported by their guards.

Seeing these two powerful and majestic kings of the Mink Tribe appear, Kin’emon’s heart instantly sank to the bottom.

He thought his disguise had been seen through, his identity as a samurai exposed, and disaster was imminent.

He gritted his teeth, his hand already quietly resting on the hilt of his sword, even preparing to draw his blade and fight to the death to cover the young master Momonosuke’s escape.

However, a scene occurred that was completely unexpected to all the pirates present.

The two kings of the Mink Tribe, who were usually deeply respected by their people, trembled violently after seeing the little boy behind Kin’emon.

They pushed aside the guards supporting them and walked quickly to the young Momonosuke.

“Thud! Thud!”

The two kings, who had once dominated the New World, fell to their knees without the slightest hesitation.

Ignoring their injuries, their voices choked with emotion:

“Young Master! You have suffered!”

“All members of the Zou Mink Tribe welcome your arrival!”

Following the kneeling of the two kings, all the Mink Tribe members around, regardless of age or gender, also put down the items in their hands in unison and knelt on the ground.

Witnessing this heart-shaking spectacle, and watching the exaggerated expressions of Luffy, Usopp, and the others, whose jaws had dropped in shock.

Kin’emon finally let down all his defenses.

He couldn’t help but wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes and released his grip on the sword hilt.

Kin’emon walked up to the Straw Hat, knelt with his knees together, and bowed solemnly to these benefactors who had saved their lives.

With the dull sound of his forehead hitting the ground, he finally confessed the truth he had hidden for so long:

“My benefactors, I am truly sorry for hiding this until now!”

“Momonosuke is not my son at all.”

“He is the lord of the true ruling family of Wano Country—the Kozuki Clan!”

“He is the only flesh and blood left in this world by the great Lord Kozuki Oden!”

Hearing these words, Momonosuke, who had been timidly hiding behind them, finally puffed out his chest.

He assumed the posture of a superior and nodded slightly to the astonished crowd.

Everyone looked curiously at this little boy of noble status; no one expected that this seemingly timid brat carried the fate of a country on his shoulders.

At this moment, Tatsuya, accompanied by Nami and Robin who were now fully dressed, slowly walked down the wooden stairs of the treehouse and arrived at the center of the clearing where everyone had gathered.

Seeing Tatsuya and the others arrive, Kin’emon remained kneeling on the ground.

He looked up and, with tears streaming down his face, recounted the horrific tragedy that had befallen Wano Country.

“That despicable villain Orochi, who usurped the throne, colluded in secret with the Four Emperors ‘of the Beasts’ Kaido.”

“They used every insidious and vicious method to kill the highly respected Lord Kozuki Oden, who should have become the Shogun.”

“Now, that once beautiful and prosperous land, the country that opened its borders, has been transformed into a massive weapons factory.”

“The clear rivers are polluted by toxic gas, the fertile land has become barren, and innocent people are dying in pain from hunger and despair every day…”

After hearing this heavy history, young Momonosuke seemed to be infected by the atmosphere.

He immediately turned around and knelt straight before Luffy and Tatsuya.

He pressed his forehead tightly against the cold ground and began to wail, his voice filled with grief, indignation, and pleading:

“Lord Luffy! Lord Tatsuya!”

“I want to defeat Kaido! I want to avenge my father!”

“Please lend me your strength! Please help Wano Country!”

This tragic and tear-jerking scene moved many of the surrounding Mink Tribe members to tears.

However, his tragic act was not yet over.

Momonosuke’s gaze, which had been filled with tears, unconsciously drifted the moment he lifted his head.

His eyes fell upon the young, beautiful, and scantily clad female Mink Tribe members, greedily scanning their shapely curves.

Subsequently, his gaze was like a magnet, fixated squarely on Nami and Robin, who were standing behind Tatsuya with their incredibly hot figures.

Momonosuke, who a second ago was crying bitterly and bearing the weight of national hatred and family vendettas, suddenly had eyes that became hollow and dull, and his cheeks flushed with an abnormal crimson.

A strand of crystal-clear drool even uncontrollably leaked from the corner of his mouth, and his face was full of lecherous expressions.

Tatsuya, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly lost the calm expression on his face.

He walked forward expressionlessly, his movements as fast as lightning.

Tatsuya, without the slightest hesitation, lifted his right foot, clad in a black military boot, and unceremoniously stomped on Momonosuke’s head, which was styled in a samurai topknot.

“Bang!”

With a dull thud, Tatsuya slammed Momonosuke’s entire face deep into the moist soil.

“Waaahhh—!”

Momonosuke let out a miserable howl under the heavy military boot.

The sudden sharp pain and humiliation made him struggle wildly on the ground, using both his hands and feet.

His hands clawed aimlessly at the surrounding turf, stirring up dust, but he could not budge the iron-like foot on his head in the slightest.

Tatsuya looked down from above at the boy wriggling like mud beneath his feet, his deep eyes devoid of even a shred of pity.

“If this is the resolve you have as the lord of a country.”

“To prevent Wano Country from being ruined by a good-for-nothing like you after it is restored.”

“I think executing you right now would be a very good method.”

This scene happened so fast that it instantly stunned everyone present.

The members of the Straw Hat were all standing there, somewhat at a loss.

They completely failed to understand why their Vice Captain, who was usually smiling, would suddenly perform such a brutal act against a seemingly powerless little boy.

Luffy blinked his clear eyes, looked at Momonosuke struggling desperately in the mud, and then looked up at the expressionless Tatsuya.

He finally reached out to hold his Straw Hat, lowered the brim, and did not intervene.

On the other side, Duke Inuarashi, Master Nekomamushi, as well as Kin’emon, Kanjuro, and the others were all looking completely dazed.

Their jaws were slightly agape, their minds blank.

It seemed they had not yet recovered from the massive shock of seeing their noble young master being stomped into the mud by a pirate as if he were a stink bug.

After a moment of suffocating silence.

The loyal Kin’emon and Kanjuro suddenly reacted.

Seeing their lord suffer such a great humiliation, both of their eyes instantly turned bloodshot and red.

“Clang! Clang!”

Accompanied by two crisp sounds of metal leaving their scabbards, Kin’emon and Kanjuro drew their samurai swords from their waists without hesitation.

The sharp tips of the blades glinted with a cold light, pointing directly at the motionless Tatsuya.

Kin’emon let out a roar filled with grief and rage:

“Lord Tatsuya! What are you doing!”

“He is just a child who doesn’t understand anything, please do not humiliate our lord like this!”