Infinite Anime [149-151] (Patreon)

Chapter 149: Why Not Just Kill Orochi?

Kaido was stunned by Gusion’s words. After thinking it through, he realized Gusion made sense.

Why let Orochi—such a useless fool—run the country?

Orochi wasn’t the legitimate heir of the Kozuki family and wasn’t recognized by the people of Wano. He also wasn’t a competent ruler. Why had Kaido handed the nation over to such an idiot in the first place?

The more Kaido thought about it, the more confused he became. Why hadn’t he realized such an obvious problem before?

He didn’t care much about the people, but he needed them alive to work in his factories. He relied on Wano’s craftsmen to process Seastone and forge weapons. If everyone died and the skills were lost, his factories would be useless.

Orochi was really just an obstacle to Kaido’s ambitions!

His gaze turned dangerous as he looked at Gusion with renewed respect. “You make a good point. So, if we replace Orochi with a better leader, will things improve?”

Gusion hadn’t expected Kaido to be so reasonable, but on reflection, Kaido wasn’t that hard to deal with. Like Yamato, he was quite straightforward—accepting logic when he heard it.

Gusion shook his head. “It’s not that simple. Orochi is a cancer, but a nation’s corruption isn’t due to one person alone. It’s the result of historical accumulation.”

Sitting beside Kaido, Maria also looked at Gusion seriously. She realized she’d underestimated him.

Why hadn’t they thought of the Orochi problem before?

If Gusion knew how highly Maria thought of him, he’d probably be embarrassed—his insights were just cobbled together from a few history books.

He continued, “Orochi and his cronies need to be removed, and the governmental system of Wano should be reformed to prevent corruption and ensure the people’s basic needs. That way, you’ll have a steady supply of skilled labor.”

He knew Kaido didn’t care about people’s happiness, only about whether his factories would have enough workers and profits.

“Reform sounds troublesome. But getting rid of Orochi is simple,” Kaido mused.

“As you say, system reform is complex. In the short term, we just need to kill Orochi and his confidants to shock the lower officials into behaving,” Gusion replied. “But as I said, there’s more to Wano’s problems than just Orochi’s corruption. Let’s talk about us—the Beasts Pirates.”

Kaido frowned, “What’s wrong with us? There’s no corruption in the crew.”

Gusion clarified, “I’m not talking about internal pirate affairs, but about the factories.”

He explained that the Beasts Pirates’ hierarchical structure was well-designed, with various divisions like the All-Stars, Flying Six, Headliners, Gifters, etc.—like a large company. Normally, this could breed corruption, but in the pirate crew, people were united as comrades, and there was no wage system, so corruption was rare.

“Factories?” Kaido’s expression darkened. He would never agree to reform his factories—they brought him high income and strength.

Gusion pressed on, “I asked Yamato. The main factories—weapon factories, Seastone processing, SMILE fruit production—all produce huge amounts of toxic waste, which is dumped directly into the rivers.”

“These pollutants ruin farmland, reduce food production, and worst of all, poison the water supply.”

Kaido wanted to interrupt, but the mention of water made him pause.

Gusion continued, “People can survive hunger for a while, but without clean water, they die quickly. This leads to disease and a loss of labor.”

Maria interjected, “That’s not true. Wano’s rivers are still clear. There’s no disease problem.”

Gusion realized he’d jumped to conclusions based on Yamato’s stories and the manga. Pollution had only been going for eight years; there weren’t enough factories yet to cause severe contamination.

But he quickly added, “Pollution takes time. Drinking contaminated water has subtle long-term effects. Adults may not notice it, but children are especially vulnerable and likely to die young.”

Kaido fell silent, leaving Maria to handle the discussion.

Maria smiled coldly, “Whether kids die doesn’t matter. They’re not immediate labor. As long as adults can work, it’s fine.”

Gusion frowned, recognizing her ruthlessness. “Adults were once children. If you notice the population is dropping, you should realize that with fewer children growing up, labor will soon decrease.”

Maria replied, “But our factories still have enough workers. We haven’t been affected.”

Gusion explained, “That’s because it’s mostly children who are dying now. In a few years, you’ll see a cliff-like drop in labor when there are no more young people. Plus, adults are becoming infertile from the pollution. Population decline is just beginning—soon, Wano will be unable to function.”

Maria fell silent, realizing the truth. If adults couldn’t have children, the labor shortage would be catastrophic in just a decade or so.

Kaido asked, “Is he right?”

Maria nodded gravely. “He’s right. We were short-sighted. This must be fixed.”

Kaido agreed, as long as factory production wasn’t affected. Gusion assured him, “It’s not hard to solve. Just dig a canal and send the waste somewhere safe.”

In a world of superhuman power, digging a canal was easy.

Kaido dismissed the idea. “Too much trouble—just dump it into the sea. I’ll have the men do it tomorrow.”

Gusion was speechless. He knew that arguing for environmental protection with Kaido was useless—the man only cared about profits.

So Gusion decided to drop the idea for now and talk to Yamato about it later.

Maria praised Kaido’s wisdom, then suggested, “Since we’re removing Orochi, we need a new leader. Gusion, why don’t you and Yamato try?”

Chapter 150: How Did I Become the Strategist?

Gusion was troubled. He wanted to travel the world, not get tied down by the Beasts Pirates.

Kaido nodded, “Good idea. Brat, you wanted complex reforms? I don’t want to hear it—just do it. Two months. Show results.”

He looked at Yamato. “You wanted to help, right? I’ll appoint you shogun. Gusion will assist you.”

Yamato was thrilled. “Gusion-dono, now we can really help the people!”

Kaido made the decision final. “I’ll arrange a trade to send you grain.”

Yamato reminded him, “Father, we’re still wearing Seastone cuffs.”

Kaido replied, “Since you have a criminal record, you’re banned from leaving Wano for two months. After that, if you succeed, I’ll have them removed.”

Maria added, “It’s just a probation period. I’ll have someone give you new cuffs that won’t affect your daily life.”

Gusion agreed, not caring since he could open any lock with his universal key.

He was surprised by Kaido’s caution—keeping them restricted just in case.

Soon, new cuffs were delivered—like bracelets, not connected, but would explode if they left Wano.

Yamato complained, “How can we rule with handcuffs on?”

Kaido remained firm, “Authority comes from strength, not appearance. If you do well, the cuffs come off in two months.”

The discussion ended with Kaido waving them off. “Get to work. Fresh grain arrives soon. First, arrange the handover.”

Yamato was puzzled, so she turned to Gusion.

He quickly realized that Kaido was leaving the dirty work of killing Orochi to them—a test.

Gusion received a hidden quest:

[Hidden Quest: Kaido’s Favor]

Objective: Gain Kaido’s trust by killing Orochi and helping Yamato become shogun.

Difficulty: Moderate–Deadly

Reward: Kaido’s deep trust and a random Zoan-type Devil Fruit

Penalty: None

[]

The lack of a penalty meant that failure would render him useless anyway.

Kaido wouldn’t punish him, but the mission was extremely risky. Orochi was surrounded by powerful guards, including Kyoshiro. If they attacked, Gusion might be killed instantly.

He couldn’t take the risk of a frontal assault—strategy was needed.

Kaido’s test was to see if Gusion had brains, since Oden had failed to kill Orochi by brute force.

Gusion could refuse and escape, but he cared about his friendship with Yamato and wanted to help Wano.

The quest reward—a Zoan fruit—was very attractive. In the manga, Gusion had considered eating a Zoan fruit for its power.

But for now, he focused on the mission.

A pirate escorted Gusion and Yamato back to Wano with respect, seeing Gusion as an up-and-coming star thanks to his connection with Yamato and Kaido’s favor.

…

On the ship, Gusion relaxed—if he was stuck in Wano, he might as well do a good job. Besides, opportunities here were plentiful.

After docking, Yamato stretched. “Sailing is so nice. One day, let’s explore the world together, Gusion-dono!”

“Let’s handle this first. There’ll be time for adventures later,” Gusion replied.

Yamato pointed to the city lights. “That’s the Flower Capital. I have a plan to kill Orochi.”

“What plan?”

Gusion was skeptical.

Chapter 151: You Shouldn’t Be This Smart

Yamato beamed, “I heard Orochi loves watching courtesans dance. I’ll disguise myself as a dancer and assassinate him.”

Gusion was shocked—not at the plan’s foolishness, but at Yamato’s unexpected cunning. The plan sounded plausible at first.

“Good idea—but not practical,” Gusion pointed at Yamato’s horns and white hair. “You’re too recognizable. Orochi knows you.”

“Don’t worry, I can disguise myself!” Yamato tied her hair into pigtails and made a funny face. “See? Completely different!”

Gusion almost laughed. In the world of One Piece, even obvious disguises sometimes worked.

Still, he vetoed the plan. “Let’s not risk it. If we alert Orochi, it’ll be hard to get another chance.”

Yamato was disappointed. “Then what should we do?”

“Let’s visit him openly,” Gusion said. “A formal visit.”

“Eh? Aren’t we supposed to sneak up on him?”

Gusion explained, “A formal visit lowers his guard. We can assess the situation and maybe find an opportunity. You’re officially the Oni Princess now—he’ll welcome you. We can bypass Orochi’s ninja guards.”

Yamato clapped, “Amazing, Gusion-dono! I forgot I have status now.”

“Exactly. We’ll just announce ourselves at the Flower Capital.”

He had thought this through. Orochi was weak but very paranoid, with layers of ninja guards. If they tried anything suspicious, the ninjas would warn Orochi.

But if they visited openly, Orochi wouldn’t be suspicious—he’d always trusted Kaido’s family.

However, there was still Orochi’s final defense: Semimaru, the Barrier-Barrier Fruit user. Semimaru’s defense was nearly invincible—Oden himself couldn’t break through.

Gusion recalled from the manga that the barrier could be bypassed if you waited for a lapse in attention or simply surrounded Orochi and Semimaru, cutting off their supplies until they starved.

But for now, Gusion just needed to get close to Orochi by bypassing the ninja.

Yamato soon got distracted by food stalls in the city. Gusion reminded her, “Don’t forget our mission. We’re here to meet the shogun and discuss grain shipments.”

He made this up, knowing they were being watched. His words would reach Orochi and make their intentions seem genuine.

Yamato almost gave away the truth, but caught herself and stuffed her mouth with candied apples, playing along.

Gusion paid for the snacks with gold from his storage, as Yamato had no money.

He looked at the bustling city—wealthy people everywhere, while the poor starved outside.

Suddenly, a ninja appeared. “Are you Young Master Yamato?”

Before Yamato could answer, Gusion stepped forward, “Mind your words. This is Kaido’s daughter, the Beasts Pirates’ Oni Princess. Calling her a man is disrespectful.”

Yamato played along, “My father sent me to discuss important matters with the shogun, but we haven’t been received.”

The ninja broke out in a cold sweat. He’d been sent to invite them, but realized he’d made a grave mistake by being informal.

Gusion mediated, “Let’s let him lead us. The matter at hand is important.”

This display of status would make Orochi more convinced their intentions were friendly, and likely reduce surveillance.

Soon, the ninja led them to the shogun’s palace—a rare high-rise tower in Wano.

…

Inside, Gusion listened to the sounds of revelry—Orochi was partying as usual.

The old steward greeted them politely, making excuses for Orochi.

Gusion scanned the area for threats. There were no obvious powerful enemies, but he was sure the ninja boss Fukurokuju was lurking nearby.

At the top floor, they found Orochi in the aftermath of a wild party, surrounded by fleeing courtesans.