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Chapter 197 Login
Chapter 197 Login
Rangiku was silent for a second, then smiled.
"Whether it's reliable or not, we should at least give it a try."
Bai Yu then turned around and looked at everyone on the deck.
"Everyone, get ready! We're going to climb the waterfall!"
The Dawn continued its journey.
The giant wall drew closer and closer, so close that the people on the ship could clearly see every crack in the rock face, every protruding rock, and every cluster of plants growing tenaciously in the crevices.
Then they heard the sound of water.
At first, it was just a distant, faint sound, like the rustling of wind through the treetops. But as it drew closer, the sound grew louder, clearer, and more intense.
In the end, the sound turned into a deafening roar, like countless giant beasts roaring at the same time, like the sky cracking open, like the earth trembling.
Bai Yu saw the waterfall.
That's not an ordinary waterfall.
It was a huge, topless curtain of water cascading down from thousands of meters in the sky, stretching across the entire field of vision.
Water cascades down from the top of the cliff with a destructive, irrational force, crashing into the sea and creating a cloud of mist.
The mist covered the entire sea surface, like a white veil hanging down from the sky.
Sunlight shines through the mist, refracting countless rainbows. Arcs of light intertwine, overlap, and separate in the mist, like a huge, flowing, and never-repeating painting.
The Dawn entered the mist zone.
Visibility plummeted, and almost nothing could be seen ahead, only a vast expanse of white.
The mist soaked everyone's clothes, leaving a layer of cold water droplets on their skin.
Kanna excitedly opened her mouth, trying to catch the water.
"Stop drinking!"
Rangiku lifted Kanna down from the railing and wiped the water droplets from her face with her sleeve.
"That's not a good thing anyway!"
Bai Yu's eyes searched through the mist.
Then he saw the carp.
It was a gigantic carp, over ten meters long, covered in golden scales. It leaped out of the water from the bottom of the waterfall, its body tracing a perfect arc in mid-air before plunging headfirst into the waterfall's current, swimming upstream at an incredible speed.
Then came the second, third, and fourth points —
More and more carp leaped out of the water and swam upstream against the flow of the waterfall. Their bodies twisted violently in the water, and each swing could move them several meters upward.
Bai Yu's eyes lit up.
These are them!
"Everyone, hold on tight! We have to catch those carp!"
"What?!"
Rangiku's eyes widened.
"We're going to catch carp?!"
"It's not an arrest!"
Bai Yu corrected him.
"We'll have them carry us up!"
Artoria was the first to react. She rushed to the bow of the ship, her golden hair fluttering in the wind, her gaze fixed on a giant carp that was passing by the ship.
"The power of the Holy Sword cannot be used here."
"But if it's just catching one fish—"
'
She took a deep breath, crouched slightly, and then leaped up.
Her body traced a golden arc in mid-air, landing precisely on the carp's back. The carp sensed something on its back and lashed out with its tail, trying to shake her off, but Artoria's hands gripped the fins like iron clamps, remaining completely still.
"hurry up!"
She turned around and called out.
"The boat must be attached to the carp!"
Bai Yu immediately understood what she meant.
"rope!"
he shouted.
"Tie the boat to the carp!"
Robin and Violet acted simultaneously. Violet's ability allowed her to see through the mist, pinpointing the location of each carp. Robin, on the other hand, used her ability to extend a rope from the boat and precisely loop it around the largest carp.
Kanna broke free from Rangiku's embrace and ran to the ship's side, her little face full of excitement.
"I want to go! I want to go!"
"Don't go!"
Unohana Retsu grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.
"It's safer for you to stay on the ship."
Kanna puffed out her cheeks, but still obediently let Retsu Unohana hold her.
The Dawnbreaker's ropes were firmly tied to the body of a giant carp.
The carp seemed to sense the weight behind it. Its body suddenly sank, but then it unleashed an even stronger force, its tail slapping violently against the water's surface, propelling the Dawnbreaker upwards against the waterfall.
The bow of the Dawn rose, and the entire ship climbed upwards at an almost vertical angle.
Seawater poured down from both sides of the ship, creating a tremendous roar.
Rangiku stood on the deck, one hand holding the mast, the other tightly gripping her Zanpakuto.
"This is absolutely insane!"
She shouted, her voice filled with a wild excitement.
Bai Yu stood at the bow of the boat, gripping the gunwale tightly, letting the icy water lash his face and body.
The ship rocked violently under the impact of the water flow, each swaying seeming to test the ship's limits.
But the power of the carp is far beyond imagination.
Each swing of its wings carried immense power, propelling the Dawn upwards.
The waterfall cascaded down from above, crashing onto the boat and onto everyone, its waters icy cold, but no one felt the chill during this frantic climb.
Excitement.
Only that kind of thrill that pushes you to your limits and makes your heart race.
The carp suddenly accelerated.
It seemed to have seen or sensed something; its tail slapped violently against the water, and its body surged upwards at an astonishing speed.
The Dawn was pulled upwards wildly, and water mist surged in from all sides, enveloping everything in a white chaos.
I could see nothing, hear nothing, only the roar of the water and the beating of my heart.
Then, suddenly everything disappeared.
The mist dissipated.
The roar subsided.
The Dawn burst forth from the waterfall as if it had emerged from a long tunnel, entering a completely new world.
Bai Yu opened his eyes.
He saw a completely different world.
Before me lay a vast inland sea, its surface as calm as a mirror, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. The sea was surrounded by towering mountains, their peaks capped with white snow that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight.
The outer edge of the inland sea is an island, covered with dense forests and rolling hills.
Looking out from the harbor into the depths of the island, one can see a towering mountain in the distance, its peak partially hidden by a thin layer of clouds.
"This is it—"
Bai Yu muttered to himself.
"The Country of War"
Robin's voice came from behind him.
She appeared beside him without him noticing, holding the book in her hands, its pages rustling in the wind. But her eyes weren't on the book; instead, they were fixed on the world before her.
Her eyes reflected the entire inner sea.
"We've arrived."
Bai Yu said.
Robin nodded.
"We've arrived."
The Dawn slowly sailed into the port.
The water was so calm it looked like a dream.
The carp seemed to have completed their mission. They loosened their ropes, flicked their tails, and disappeared into the water, leaving only ripples spreading across the surface.
The water in the inland sea is deep blue, deeper, bluer, and calmer than the outer sea.
Some unidentified flower petals floated on the water, pink, white, and pale purple, as if someone had scattered them from the sky.
Wano Country is a huge island, its outline particularly clear in the sunlight.
Bai Yu remembered what Shanks had said.
The different regions of Wano Country each have their own distinct seasons, which is what makes this place so unique.
Autumn in Jiuli, winter in Linghou, and spring in the Flower Capital.
The same country, the same island, yet different seasons are embraced by ocean currents.
Just like this world, under the same sky, some people live in spring, and some people live in winter.
Robin stood beside Bai Yu, looking at the scene before him, and remained silent for a long time.
"What are you thinking about?" Bai Yu asked.
Robin paused for three seconds, then said, "I'm wondering what Wano Country was like eight hundred years ago."
"Eight hundred years ago?"
Bai Yu raised an eyebrow.
"It is said that Wano Country was not like this 800 years ago."
Robin said the voice was very low, as if he were talking to himself.
"What we see now is the rebuilt Wano Country."
"reconstruction?"
Robin nodded.
"Yes, reconstruction, that's the theory, but we need to verify it."
"But I don't know if this claim is true."
Robin shook his head.
"There is no record of this in history."
Artoria gazed at the tranquil inland sea before her, wondering what this country had experienced eight hundred years ago.
Eight hundred years.
Those people have long since turned to dust, but the nation they built still stands here, and Britain—
Bai Yu turned to look at everyone: "We need to find a place to land."
He pointed in the direction of the island.
"That port there."
Violet followed his gaze and nodded.
"Blade Dance Port, a port town in the Hakumai region, is one of the few ports in Wano Country."
"Let's go there."
Bai Yu said.
"Once we get there, we'll decide what to do next."
The Dawnbreaker changed direction and headed towards Blade Dance Port.
The closer you get to the island, the more ships there are on the sea. But they are neither merchant ships nor fishing boats; they are small, dilapidated boats piled high with fishing nets and baskets, their hulls mottled and corroded by the seawater.
Artoria frowned as she looked at the ships.
"Something doesn't look right about these ships."
she says.
"Their hulls are too light and their waterline is too shallow, unlike what a normal fishing boat should have."
The fishing nets on the boat were tattered and torn, not like they were used regularly.
Xin Baiyu followed her gaze and narrowed her eyes.
"You mean these ships are used for camouflage?"
Artoria did not answer directly, but her silence spoke volumes.
Bai Yu smiled.
"interesting."
The Dawn slowly entered Blade Dance Port.
The port was much smaller than Bai Yu had imagined, with only a few simple docks, a few dilapidated wooden houses, and a small path leading into the island. There were also very few people on the port, with only a few people in kimonos standing not far away, watching the unfamiliar ship with wary eyes.
Bai Yu waved his hand.
"Let's go down."
The Dawn's anchor was dropped into the water with a dull thud.
Bai Yu was the first to jump off the ship and land on the dock.
Others jumped off the boat one after another.
Violet walked over to Bai Yu and said in a low voice, "Someone is watching us."
"I know."
Bai Yu said, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Let them see."
Robin was the last to disembark from the ship, still holding the book in her hand, but her eyes weren't on the book; instead, she was observing everything around her.
Her gaze settled on a person standing not far away.
It was a middle-aged man wearing a kimono, thin, with wrinkles on his face that looked like they were carved by a knife, and he held a samurai sword in his hand.
Robin's eyes lit up.
"This is what a samurai is like."
She said softly.
Bai Yu followed her gaze and saw the man, as well as the knife in his hand.
Bai Yu walked towards the man.
When the man saw Bai Yu approaching, his body tensed up noticeably, and he gripped the knife tightly, seemingly very nervous.
"Hello there."
Bai Yu said.
"My name is Bai Yu. We are from outside and mean no harm."
The silence lasted for a long time.
Then, the man finally spoke.
"People outside."
His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.
"You shouldn't be here. Wano Country doesn't welcome outsiders."
Bai Yu's smile remained unchanged.
"We know."
He said.
"But we have some things to take care of."
The man narrowed his eyes.
"What is it?"
Bai Yu looked at the samurai, his smile unchanged.
"The more you know, the more dangerous it is."
Upon hearing Bai Yu's words, the samurai narrowed his eyes even further, and the knuckles on the hilt of his sword turned white from the force.
"What you are looking for is not in Wano Country."
How did you know what we were looking for?
Bai Yu countered with a question.
"I haven't said it yet."
The samurai's lips were pressed into a thin line. He didn't speak, but stared intently at Bai Yu, as if trying to assess how much of a threat this outsider posed.
Bai Yu sighed and shook his head.
The samurai did not answer, but his expression said it all.
Just then, Bai Yu's ears twitched slightly.
He heard footsteps.
It wasn't the sound of one person's footsteps, but the sound of a group of people's footsteps, coming from the path behind the port, dense and rapid, as if they were running.
And it's not just one direction.
There are some on the left and some on the right.
They were surrounded.
Artoria had obviously heard it too; her hand was already on the hilt of the invisible sword at her waist, her body slightly turned to the side, her gaze sweeping around.
"Looks like we're not popular."
She said softly.
Violet's gaze pierced through the dilapidated wooden houses along the edge of the harbor and saw the figures rapidly approaching from behind them.
"Seventeen people."
She whispered, "They all carry knives."
Robin closed the book in his hand and calmly looked at the path leading into the island.
"It's not just samurai, there's something else."
The footsteps grew closer.
Then, those figures emerged from the alley.
He is a samurai.