HST: Chapter 281/282

Red Force, Red Hair Pirates.

They also received the news that Kaido was defeated by Caelan.

"Kaido has become a joke. He just declared war on Caelan two days ago, and he was defeated so quickly. Hahahaha!"

Yasopp laughed loudly.

"That's right. He was the one who declared war, but he was beaten at home."

"That's so funny, haha!"

On the deck, everyone was laughing and discussing.

It was obvious that Kaido wanted to cause trouble for Caelan, but instead he was attacked by Caelan and defeated within a day.

As one of the Yonko, this was really too embarrassing.

"You are actually mocking a Yonko? His defeat at the hands of Caelan only proves that Caelan is too powerful. It does not mean Kaido is weak."

"They defeated the entire Beasts Pirates in such a short time. If they came to fight us, how long could we last?"

Beckman said calmly, holding his pipe.

The Red Hair Pirates take the elite route, and each crew member has very high quality.

But compared to the Beasts Pirates, they are not much stronger.

If Caelan had won a hard-fought battle against the Beasts Pirates, he still believed they could defeat Caelan.

However, the Beasts Pirates were defeated too easily and fell into Caelan's hands in just one day.

Even when the Beasts Pirates were fighting on home soil, with all the advantages of time and place, they were still defeated so easily.

This meant that there was a huge gap between the Yonko and Caelan, one that was nearly insurmountable.

All of a sudden, everyone who had been laughing could no longer laugh.

Beckman had a point.

The reason Kaido was defeated quickly was not because he was too weak, but because Caelan was too strong.

They could not stop a Caelan like that.

"Didn't we meet that guy once in the East Blue? I think he is quite friendly."

"Besides, with Uta by his side, he should not attack us, right?"

Yasopp said with a smile.

"What Yasopp said makes sense."

Lucky Roux and the others echoed.

When they met in the East Blue, the God Slayer was drinking and chatting with them. Moreover, the princess of the Red Hair Pirates was still with Caelan.

No matter how you looked at it, they would not have to fight Caelan.

"Too naive. If Caelan were a pirate, or even a bounty hunter, you would be right." Beckman smoked his pipe, his gaze distant. "But he is the commander-in-chief of the Neo Navy, a great man who wants to change the world."

"The one we met in the East Blue had not yet established the Neo Navy. For a man with a dream, friendship over drinks is just a way to soften the blow. When the dream is to change the world, friendship over drinks counts even less."

"And Uta, she hates pirates to the core. She will not kill us, but she can put us in jail, right?"

Caelan, who established the Neo Navy, is naturally opposed to pirates, and it is almost impossible for the two to coexist.

Even if they were good pirates under the banner of freedom, they would inevitably confront Caelan.

As for Uta, although she and Shanks reconciled, her hatred for pirates had not diminished at all. Maybe Uta would be the one to urge Caelan to lock them all up.

"Ah… this?"

Yasopp and the others were a little panicked.

They were a little panicked at the thought of facing Caelan, who could take out the Beasts Pirates in one day.

The Neo Navy had become a powerful force that surpassed the Yonko.

As the commander-in-chief of the Neo Navy, Caelan was extremely tough and terrifying.

Kaido provoked him, and on the third day he reached Wano, and the Beasts Pirates became history.

If the Red Hair Pirates blocked Caelan's way, it would not be impossible for him to attack them one day.

They laughed at Kaido, but when the Red Hair Pirates faced Caelan, how much stronger could they be than the Beasts Pirates?

"Shanks, what do you think?"

Beckman looked at Shanks.

Lucky Roux, Yasopp, and the others all looked at Shanks.

Shanks had remained silent since hearing the news.

"If Caelan wants to fight, then fight." Shanks said calmly, with great dominance. "At worst, die."

"Well…"

Everyone was speechless.

This resolve was indeed domineering.

"Shanks, you are the most powerful man in the world. Do you not have confidence?"

Yasopp asked in surprise.

In the past, Shanks had always been confident, no matter the situation.

"I am not afraid of fighting Caelan, but if I say I have the confidence to defeat someone who defeated Kaido in one day, then I am not the most domineering man. I would be the most arrogant fool."

Shanks freely admitted that he had no confidence.

Defeating Kaido, another Yonko, within one day was something Shanks could not do, not even close.

Being domineering at this time would not be dominance, it would be stupidity.

"However, no matter how powerful Caelan is, it has nothing to do with us for the time being."

Shanks said calmly, "What I have to do now is go to Marine Headquarters to rescue Captain Roger's son."

After saying this, Shanks ignored everyone's reactions and leaned on the railing to think.

Before the Whitebeard Pirates were defeated at Marine Headquarters, the Beasts Pirates were gone first.

During this month, the world had changed dramatically. Two of the once high-ranking Yonko were about to perish, and the Pirate King's bloodline was also about to come to an end.

It seemed that the era of pirates was coming to an end.

According to Captain Roger's will, this era should have been the era of pirates.

Nika was not the protagonist of the era, nor was Captain Roger's bloodline.

No matter how you looked at it, this era seemed like Caelan's one-man show, like his era alone.

To be honest, he was a little confused about this great pirate era.

Shanks looked out at the sea, confusion in his eyes.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 282: Rotten Criteria Not Allowed In

Flower Capital, the former shogun's residence.

This was originally Kurozumi Orochi's home, and it was taken over by Caelan yesterday.

After killing the foolish samurai attached to the Kurozumi family and a few loyal retainers, the remaining maids and servants all became obedient.

They were just conscripted laborers forced by the Kurozumi family, and could not be called loyal to Orochi at all.

Moreover, since Kurozumi Orochi often liked to kill people for fun, they felt his death was a good thing.

Today, a group of uninvited guests arrived at the shogun's mansion.

A white-haired samurai came to visit, leading more than a dozen beautiful girls dressed in kimonos.

It was Denjiro, under the alias Kyoshiro, and Kozuki Hiyori, under the alias Komurasaki. To ensure the success of the seduction, Denjiro brought all the most beautiful girls from his brothel.

Denjiro and Kozuki Hiyori looked at the Azure Dragon still hovering over the shogun's mansion with fear and awe.

They knew that it was Kaido, formerly one of the Yonko, the ruler who once dominated the seas.

He was also the one who killed Kozuki Oden, the true enemy of the Kozuki family.

However, they had been unable to fight back no matter what they tried, and could only pin their hopes on their future allies.

Unexpectedly, he was defeated by Caelan within one day and became Caelan's mount, obediently guarding the residence.

Under such a stark contrast, the two felt that Caelan was unfathomable, and that they absolutely could not reclaim Wano by force.

"Please inform your lord that I would like to present beauties to Caelan-sama."

Denjiro spoke politely to the guard at the door.

He recognized the guard. He had once been a servant in the Kurozumi household.

He used to be responsible for sweeping the steps and had no status at all.

However, such a servant was not killed by Caelan, and now he had become a guard at the shogun's mansion.

It seemed that Caelan was not bloodthirsty, and their plan might really work.

"This… I will go and report it."

The guard did not dare to delay and immediately entered the mansion to report.

He was a civilian forced by Orochi, and Caelan had casually appointed him to guard the gate of the shogun's mansion. However, he knew his own limits and only dared to keep the door, not doing anything else, afraid of dying like yesterday's samurai.

He had also seen Kyoshiro, a samurai who ran the largest brothel in the Flower Capital and controlled countless beauties.

During Kurozumi Orochi's time, Kyoshiro was an honored guest of the shogun's mansion.

Now that he had brought so many beauties, he would probably become Lord Caelan's honored guest.

"You mean, a pimp with a bunch of bitches is coming to visit me?"

Hearing the servant's report, Caelan laughed contemptuously.

How could he not know this so-called Kyoshiro?

Most likely he wanted to get information from him.

"Caelan-sama, they are not whores, they are geisha."

"There is also the most beautiful girl in Wano, the oiran Komurasaki."

The servant could not help but correct him.

Especially Oiran Komurasaki. She was a goddess in his heart.

As soon as he spoke, cold sweat broke out.

The man in front of him was a god who rode a dragon and a demon king who killed decisively.

He wanted to slap himself twice. How dare he contradict Caelan?

"Geisha, aren't they still whores?"

Caelan said disdainfully.

"You are right." The servant agreed respectfully, then asked cautiously, "Then should I send them away?"

Caelan tapped the table and thought for a moment.

The servant had just mentioned that the oiran Komurasaki was here, so he naturally knew that this was Kozuki Hiyori.

Although she was brainless and loved to stir up trouble, she was very pretty.

"Let those who are still virgins in, and send the others away, including the men."

Caelan looked at the servant and gave his order.

He was a thief, but he had no interest in playing with used goods.

If Kozuki Hiyori was really a working girl, there was no need to let her in.

"Yes, Caelan-sama."

The servant withdrew respectfully.

…

"Caelan-sama has ordered that virgins may enter, and all others are to be driven away."

The servant relayed this to Denjiro and the geisha.

"What?"

Denjiro was stunned.

Among the twelve beauties he brought, only Chiyo was still a virgin. She was a newcomer he had just recruited. He only brought her because she was pretty and needed to fill the numbers.

If these geisha together were sugar-coated bullets, then Chiyo was pure sugar.

Aside from her, only Kozuki Hiyori remained a virgin under his protection.

He could not accept Caelan's request that instantly screened out eleven of their spies.

"These are geisha. They are very clean."

Denjiro tried to argue.

The servant also thought these geisha were good, but Caelan's orders could not be disobeyed. "I will be blunt. Caelan-sama said they are all whores, and only virgins are allowed in."

Upon hearing this, many geisha looked displeased.

They were goddesses in the hearts of countless people in Wano. People could not wait to kneel and lick their feet. No one had ever called them whores.

Kozuki Hiyori was even more ashamed and angry.

She had not even entered the shogun's mansion yet and had already been humiliated like this.

She was a courtesan, and an unmarried one at that. How could she be called a whore?

She was the most beautiful woman in Wano, admired by countless people.

She wanted to meet Caelan and use her charm to make him submit.

"Komurasaki, let us go back."

Denjiro sighed.

It was too dangerous to let Kozuki Hiyori gather intelligence alone without support.

"No, I must serve Caelan-sama."

Kozuki Hiyori winked at Denjiro.

Now that the time had come, she could not abandon the mission.

She wanted to contribute to the revival of the Kozuki family, and she wanted Caelan to take back the insult of calling her a bitch.

"Since you admire Caelan-sama so much, then go."

Seeing Hiyori's determination, Denjiro had no choice but to conceal her identity.

Then he said to the servant, "Oiran Komurasaki and this Miss Chiyo meet the requirements. Let me take them to see Caelan-sama."

He was still worried about letting Kozuki Hiyori go alone, so he found an excuse to let Chiyo accompany her.

"No. Caelan-sama said men cannot enter."

The servant rejected Denjiro's request.

"…"

Denjiro was speechless.

Everything at the shogun's mansion today had gone differently than planned.

Not only were the eleven prepared spies eliminated at the door, he could not even meet Caelan.

He felt that Caelan had seen through their plan, yet they clearly had not been exposed.

"After you enter, you must ensure your own safety, then serve Caelan-sama well."

Denjiro spoke to Chiyo and Kozuki Hiyori.

He was naturally reminding Hiyori to be careful and to pay attention to gathering intelligence.

"I understand. I will take good care of Caelan-sama."

Kozuki Hiyori said she understood.

Chiyo knew nothing and only nodded blankly.

Kozuki Hiyori walked into the shogun's mansion with her head held high, as if going to battle.

Chiyo followed nervously behind her, like a frightened rabbit.

(To be continued.)