The Village Chief's thatched hut.
Old Kang pulled aside the door curtain and hurried inside, scurrying up to Gurd with an exaggerated, ingratiating grin.
"Lord Gurd, you summoned me?"
"Mhm."
Gurd gave a slight nod, then gestured toward the stunned Hyogoro standing nearby.
"Meet an old friend."
"Old friend?"
Old Kang tilted his head in confusion, but the moment his eyes landed on Hyogoro, his pupils trembled violently.
Though his physique had changed drastically, he recognized him instantly—Hana no Hyogoro, the "Swordsman" of the Flower Capital.
A true old friend!
And one he had been very close with!
But the question was—why was Hyogoro here?!
Old Kang was horrified, desperately suppressing his shock while maintaining his comical demeanor, scratching his head in feigned ignorance.
"Lord Gurd, who is this?"
"Drop the act."
Gurd picked up his teacup, taking a slow sip before smirking. "I've long since investigated your background, Shimotsuki Yasuie. You expect me to believe you don't recognize Hyogoro?"
"Eh? EHHH?!!!"
Old Kang froze for three full seconds, so startled that snot shot out of his nose.
He'd been exposed all along?!
Not only was Old Kang utterly shaken, but the four gang bosses squatting in the corner also gaped in shock, their eyes bulging.
"Shimotsuki Yasuie?"
"Isn't that the name of the Ebisu Town Daimyo?"
"Don't tell me this old man is Lord Yasuie!"
Time had changed them all—not only had Hyogoro transformed dramatically, but Shimotsuki Yasuie had also gone from a burly warrior to this comical old man.
"Enough with the theatrics."
Gurd frowned slightly in disdain.
These were supposed to be notable figures—what kind of behavior was this?
"You have three minutes to catch up."
"..."
After a long silence, Old Kang finally dropped the act, his expression turning solemn as he approached Hyogoro.
"Hyogoro."
"Lord Yasuie."
The two old men locked eyes, sighing in unison as memories of their past tea-drinking days resurfaced.
Three minutes later.
Shimotsuki Yasuie faced Gurd calmly. "Lord Gurd, since you already knew my true identity, why…?"
"You still have uses."
Gurd answered plainly.
Shimotsuki Yasuie smiled bitterly—that was just like him. But what value could he possibly have now?
"All of you, gather around."
Gurd unfurled a map of Ebisu Town, waiting until everyone had crowded around the table before pointing at Ebisu Town.
"This is our current location. I plan to build a large-scale town here, starting construction tomorrow!"
"The specifics are already decided. Tomorrow, Gangyou Master will arrive with craftsmen to oversee the city's development."
"Look here!"
Gurd pointed to a red line on the map—one end leading to the weapons factory at Ebisu Town's center, the other stretching toward the southern sea.
"This red line represents a canal. I intend to dig a drainage channel between the weapons factory and the sea to solve the water pollution issue!"
The highest point in Wano Country was Wisteria Mountain, north of the Flower Capital. The rivers flowing through each region all originated from there.
To preserve the Flower Capital's water supply, no weapons factories had been built near Wisteria Mountain, ensuring the water sources flowing into each region remained clean.
Thus, as long as each region dealt with the pollution from their local weapons factories, their water problems would essentially be resolved.
In fact, the sewage issue was deliberately orchestrated by Orochi as revenge against the people of Wano Country. He intentionally diverted polluted water into the irrigation channels of each region and controlled the upstream water sources, forcing the citizens to pay for drinking water.
"And here!"
Gurd pointed again to the area around Ebisu Town.
"These fields were once fertile, but due to prolonged lack of irrigation, they have become barren. They need to be reclaimed before crops can be planted again."
"Finally, look here!"
The map centered on Ebisu Town was covered in lines extending outward, encompassing the town and surrounding fields, with different colors distinguishing them.
"These lines represent the roads to be built. Blue indicates main roads, green secondary roads, and yellow the lowest-level paths."
Building the town, dredging the waterways, reclaiming the fields, and constructing roads—four major projects in total.
Shimotsuki Yasuie and Hyogoro were already stunned by Gurd's plan. The future he painted was so vivid they could almost picture it in their minds.
"Now, let's talk about your tasks."
Gurd first turned to the four gang leaders.
"Dazheng, Mitahei, Gang Wugong, and Adie—I need each of you to gather your men and form patrol teams of at least 100 people. You'll be responsible for the safety and supervision of these four projects. Understood?"
"Understood!"
The four took a deep breath.
Though they had been reluctant to serve Gurd, now they felt a strange sense of duty.
These were projects that would benefit generations to come!
Gurd gave a slight nod before turning to Hyogoro.
"I'll divide the prisoners into groups—ten per squad, a hundred per team—each with their own leaders. Each squad will live, eat, and work together."
"Let me be clear upfront: if one person in a squad escapes or slacks off, the entire group will be punished."
"And you, Hyogoro, will serve as the overall commander of the prisoners. Keep them in line and their morale stable. No unrealistic fantasies."
"In return, I can guarantee their conditions won't be too harsh—at least enough to fill their stomachs."
"At the end of each month, I'll select ten Prisoner Stars from the best performers and grant them freedom!"
"Any objections?"
Hyogoro remained silent for a few seconds before reluctantly nodding.
Compared to the Prisoner Quarry, Gurd's terms were unimaginably favorable—even offering the most precious thing of all: freedom.
Whether for himself or the other prisoners, he couldn't refuse.
Finally, Gurd looked at Old Kang.
"Old Kang, you were once the Ebisu Town Daimyo. No one has deeper ties to this land than you. That's why I'm appointing you as overseer of all projects."
"You'll be responsible for resource coordination—procuring supplies, allocating labor, managing logistics, everything!"
"Can you handle it?"
Shimotsuki Yasuie opened his mouth, then clenched his jaw and nodded firmly.
Not whether he could—he had to.
Every night, he dreamed of the Ebisu Town of old—its prosperity, its bustling streets.
Rebuilding Ebisu Town was his greatest dream.
"Mr. Gurd!"
Shimotsuki Yasuie took a deep breath. There was one question burning in his mind.
"Why do you trust us?"
"Trust?"
Gurd shook his head.
"I don't trust you. We might cross swords in the future. As for why I'm entrusting these matters to you—on one hand, I have no one else to use, and you happen to be suitable. On the other hand..."
"It's simply because our interests align."
Interests align!
Shimotsuki Yasuie and Hyogoro exchanged glances, clearly seeing the astonishment and indescribable emotion in each other's eyes.
What a terrifying man!
Hyogoro hesitated for a moment before speaking with newfound respect: "Lord Gurd, I also have a question I'd like you to answer."
"Speak."
"The Beasts and Orochi are allies. What you're doing will undoubtedly anger General Orochi. What benefit does that bring you?"
"Simple."
Gurd narrowed his eyes.
"If I told you my ultimate goal is Orochi's head, I wonder what you all would think?"
"..."
An eerie silence fell over the room.
Everyone was dumbstruck, their shock plain to see.
This man!!!
Gurd's grin stretched ear to ear.
"What Kaido needs are weapons, money, and reliable subordinates to get things done—all of which I can provide."
"As for who becomes shogun..."
"Does it matter?"
(End of chapter)