Near the Flower Capital's main tower, due to the early suspension of Ghost Island, the plan to set sail and attack Ghost Island was shelved, eliminating the need for ships. Even though Kaido couldn't be defeated, the plan shifted to attacking the Flower Capital, with the goal of first killing Kurozumi Orochi.
Fights were happening above, but there was no idleness below.
The combined forces of the Beast Pirates and Kurozumi Orochi's troops totaled thirty thousand against the rebel samurai's five thousand four hundred. It should have been an overwhelming victory, but the samurai of Wano Country were obviously more elite. On average, one samurai could take down seven Pirates from the Beast Pirates.
The previous casualty ratio had already reached three thousand losses for the Beast Pirates compared to four hundred for the samurai.
Subsequent battles further favored the samurai, as the Gifted, influenced by Tama's Fruit Ability, collectively rebelled, bringing the number to eight thousand, all elite, pushing the battle line forward like a broken bamboo.
At a window position at the top of the main tower, a hand opened the window and glanced outside, "Is the battle situation so dire... I wanted to attend a feast, and it turned into a war, and such a stalemate at that."
The man's face resembled a white mask, one eye black and one white, a scar across the right eye, wearing ear covers like those of a robot, and sporting a light beard.
CP0, Guernica.
Behind him, a burly CP0 holding a long rod with a tribal mask obscuring his face was playing Go with a tall, slender man of the Long-armed Race wearing a white, emotionless mask with dark stripes on the right side.
CP0 Maha, CP0 Joseph.
"However, after Doflamingo's failure, the extremely evil generation that disrupted the trade is bound to have a confrontation with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors," Guernica said.
They were originally here for a transaction.
Lacking Doflamingo as a broker, they had to come to Wano Country in person, to trade directly with Kurozumi Orochi for the Wine Iron Ore weapons and Seastone they needed.
Especially the Seastone...
Although other Seastone exists on the sea, it's too scarce compared to Wano Country, which is considered a primary source of Seastone on the sea.
The weapons made from Wine Iron Ore have a narcotic-like effect, even if they can't kill a high-strength enemy with one slash, they can at least knock them down.
And these items align well with the Government's advocated 'human rights', as it allows the capture and sending to Impel Down.
However, some unexpected events occurred, as Kurozumi Orochi was beheaded by Kaido for being a nuisance.
The entire transaction was completely annulled.
"Damn Kaido, what's his madness at this time, couldn't he control it from behind the scenes?"
Guernica took another sip of wine, "With things like this, wanting to trade with you might be even harder."
Trading with the General of Wano Country, compared to trading with the Four Emperors, is not terribly different, but there's an extra layer of face and negotiation.
When Kurozumi Orochi was present, he did hold some power over domestic affairs.
Now, they are a bit cornered, after all, they can't figure out what kind of person Kaido truly is.
"Even with Sage, we never interacted face-to-face. Kaido is much harder to deal with than Sage."
Guernica poured himself another glass of wine and contradicted his own words, "No, Pirates, none of them are easy to deal with, Sage is the same."
The Government and Disaster Pirates have a contract for transactions, and the human trade is still ongoing, though it's much less than before.
In addition, they also purchased weapons and cannons produced by Sage from the Underworld, and even transformed ships responsible for navigation in the New World into warships.
After all, Water Seven is in the first half of the Grand Line, but the second half, the New World, requires better quality ships.
Especially after Sage devoured their iron mines and shipbuilding grounds, they simply bought them.
After all, it was considered a purchase before, just that one was under control, and the other was not.
As long as they buy a lot and arm themselves in time, it's also okay.
The World Government, with its multiple channels, accounts for half of the world's 20% weapon share.
"Disaster?"
Joseph said, "I heard some news, that Disaster held a grand banquet inviting everyone in his territory, spending more than 40 billion Belly... comparable to the heavenly gold of four nations, and that's just for a banquet, can't imagine how much money that guy really has."
"And also robbed Tesoro..."
Guernica said, "From a Pirate's perspective, that guy can be considered the most successful Pirate, however... this is also good, should it continue as it is, in the end, he is just a pirate, no matter how strong, there will eventually be a day of disappearance."
The World Government does not fear any entity with great influence, they only guard against those who disrupt their rule and stability.
Now, Sage is far from that level.
Back in the day, Rocks, with power greater than Sage, was still defeated, wasn't he?
Guernica looked down, his gaze falling precisely on the battle between Sanji and Queen, smilingly saying:
"Although Kaido is at a disadvantage now, once those capable individuals are free, those samurai will be defeated anyway. Unfortunately, they can't last much longer, but if more forces could be exhausted, it would be even better."
The affairs of Wano Country have nothing to do with them; even if Pirates bash their brains out, it's still their matter.
Moreover... there's no possibility of Kaido losing.
"It's just a farce. If Sage were to attack now, it would be even better. The more chaotic they become, the better it is for both to incur mutual losses."
As Guernica raised his wine glass, his eyes suddenly narrowed. From his perspective, a powerful shell had just appeared, blasting away Sanji and Queen, making them retreat far back.
And the one who launched the shell was...
"Enemy spotted!"
A little freckled girl with pink hair held a small hammer in one hand, aiming at them, showing her tiny tiger teeth and shouting:
"I was just about to fight, only to find worthy enemies to defeat! Great! I want to take you down and make you work for Sage... be my underlings, you know!"
Above, Guernica stood up abruptly, knocking over the wine bottle in front of him, letting the wine splash on his pants legs. He stared intently with his black and white eyes at the familiar pink-haired girl below.
"Blast Hammer?!"
"Nani?!"
The two behind also stopped playing Go and quickly reached the window, looking at the person below.
From this height, only a silhouette could really be seen, one just bigger than a bug, but for them, trained as CP0, their eyesight was still reliable.
"Renedia?"
Joseph said in a deep voice, "She wouldn't be here alone, Sage is here!"
The Disaster Pirates' power is vast, so coming to another Four Emperor's territory is not surprising, including the 'Sword Princess', but one thing is for sure, if there's an extremely dangerous situation, Renedia would never come alone.
This guy is the ammunition cornerstone of the Disaster Pirates!
"Make a call."
Guernica quickly said, "Report to the higher-ups, some unexpected events have occurred... ask whether to prepare!"
Mutual annihilation?
Or... winner takes all?
No matter which, the fight between Sage and Kaido will not be easy!