Arceus's Pirate Journey

Chapter 290: Chapter 289: Designer Kurozumi Orochi Is Struggling to Balance Combat Power

At this moment, a small wooden courtyard in Hakumai was engulfed in raging flames, and even the nearby houses were affected. From the flying fireworks, it was evident that this was a fireworks workshop explosion caused by mishandling.

Although there were several inland rivers in Wano Kuni, there were no fire hydrants or pipes. The current method of firefighting still relied on a water relay, with bucket after bucket of river water being passed along by nearby residents to the fire scene.

Regardless of familiarity, locals would do their best to help extinguish the fire when it broke out, especially neighbors in the vicinity. If the flames were left unchecked, the wooden houses here could easily catch fire and spread.

They could ignore other people’s houses, but they had to at least figure out a way to protect the safety of their own homes.

”How did this happen! You’ve been doing this for years, how could you still be so careless!”

While passing water buckets, they also complained. Those errant fireworks didn’t listen, and some households had already been affected, though the flames were small and had been extinguished in time.

”Exactly, how could you make such a basic mistake after so many years?”

The family whose house caught fire had been making fireworks for many years without any incident until now when one happened, it was a big one.

”I didn’t want this either! It just went wrong when testing a new formula. I didn’t expect things to become so unstable after adding those things.”

There were still burn marks on his chest, but at this moment he couldn’t worry about that. Putting out the fire was the most important thing. If it continued to burn, he would have nothing left.

Just then, the screeching of brakes suddenly came from the back, followed by the cries of the Squirtle.

”Squirtle!”

Two fire engines arrived at the scene of the incident. The Squirtle Fire Brigade was not the same as a conventional fire brigade; their operations were narrower, only handling general fire issues.

The relatively primitive developmental environment of Wano Kuni provided convenience for the Squirtles. The causes of fires here were not complex, with no oil depot explosions or similar situations, and the flames could usually be extinguished with water.

Water-type Pokemon had unscientific water storage organs with huge capacity, and they possessed the power to convert their physical strength into water, as well as control the water in nature and other miraculous powers.

The siren from Rotom caught their attention, and then they saw a group of blue turtles rushing over. This was the first official appearance of the Squirtle Fire Brigade, and their small figures spewed water several times their own size.

Under the suppression of a dozen Squirtles, the flames that were originally burning were instantly contained, and as the Squirtles steadily advanced, the fire began to be gradually brought under control.

”These... what are these?”

”They must be raised by those Hundred Beasts people. Like those strange bulls, they are all miraculous creatures.”

Some of the Squirtles had the Hundred Beasts Pirates flag painted on their shells, which directly indicated their ownership. He initially wanted to describe them as strange, but seeing the Squirtles fighting the fire, he changed to another descriptor.

In any case, these Squirtles helped them out a lot. The Squirtles didn’t arrive in time, but at least they helped save some of their property.

Under the suppression of the Squirtles’ Water Gun, some charred pillars were also exposed. But since the fire started in the courtyard, some things inside the house remained intact, which was a blessing in disguise.

The Squirtles’ line continued to advance, and most of the open flames were extinguished. Now they were continuing to spray water on areas that were still smoking.

However, the owner of the house couldn’t help it. Seeing some items inside, he thought for a moment and rushed over, with no one around able to stop him.

”Hey! Where are you going? It’s dangerous, come back!”

No one knew what the situation was inside those charred pillars, and rushing in like that was putting money before life.

However, he ultimately couldn’t get inside, as two Squirtles tackled him, and after that, the beam collapsed under the weight it couldn’t bear.

”Thank you...”

”Squirtle Squirtle.”

After the disaster relief ended, although he lost most of his house, because Wano Kuni’s currency was metal, his savings were not lost, and building a house outside the Flower Capital wasn’t very expensive.

Although it was painful, it wasn’t to the point of being ruinous. And all of this was witnessed by Kozuki Oden as he passed by.

He was there to find Shimotsuki Yasuie, and after discovering the smoke, he came over and saw the Squirtles fighting the fire. For a moment, he fell once again into a phase of reflective thinking.

As the Squirtles, looking like they were on a picnic, passed by him holding small dried fish, he remained in this state of contemplation. The daily changes happening in Wano Kuni made him waver internally.

This wasn’t the first time he felt such uncertainty. Meanwhile, Kurozumi Orochi and Shimotsuki Yasuie were having a conversation.

After years of preparation, Shimotsuki Yasuie had gathered an army of 2000 samurais. In terms of numbers, he believed it was enough, but in Orochi’s view, it was far from sufficient.

Besides the Hundred Beasts Pirates, he was most informed about external events. Considering the current development of the Hundred Beasts, they needed not just numbers but also high-end combat power.

Kozuki Oden himself was a combat strength as well, and in their eyes, he was the only one who could face Kaidou. But the current Hundred Beasts Pirates didn’t just have Kaidou.

”Lord Yasuie, these are the current high-level officials of the Hundred Beasts Pirates stationed in Wano Kuni. These three are the high-level officials known as the ’Three Disasters’ under his command.”

The wanted posters of King, Queen, and Olga were laid in front of Shimotsuki Yasuie by Orochi.

”In the outside seas, a bounty can roughly indicate a person’s strength, and these three are formidable opponents.”

Worried that Shimotsuki Yasuie might not understand, Kurozumi Orochi specifically explained the significance of the bounty to him, and he had more wanted posters than just these three.

”These two, while not bearing the title of disaster, are equally high-ranking officials in the Hundred Beasts Pirates, comparable to the Three Disasters.”

This time, it was Shaina and Zeraora’s wanted posters. Kurozumi Orochi calculated that relying on a single Kozuki Oden was simply not enough to balance the combat power.

”Additionally, there is this ability user, also known as the Demon Mage. Although he never shows himself in human form, he is the other foundation of the Hundred Beasts.”

This time, it was Arceus’s wanted poster, representing the most challenging combat power within the Hundred Beasts.

”And this isn’t everything, Lord Yasuie. Do you now understand how difficult the situation is?”