APJ CHAPTER 185 GROWLITHE

It is prepared for people who have made great contributions. Although Kojiro does not have much military contributions, as the first local person in Wano Country to surrender and having achieved considerable results for the Beasts Pirates in Wano Country, it can be said that he is a person who has made great contributions.

Actually, giving him an ability should be no problem. During this period, the Beasts Pirates have collected quite a few ordinary Zoan-type Devil Fruits.

Moreover, if Kojiro were to really meet a mishap, it won’t be so easy to find another suitable person. So, it is necessary to raise his self-defense ability.

“No, that’s not what I mean. Could you please modify my Little Kai?”

As he said this, he lifted his Shiba Inu, a dog that was twelve years old. After all, it was raised by him since childhood, and now it is already old. If there is no external intervention, his Shiba Inu will probably leave him in a year or two.

As a local who joined the Beasts Pirates, he knows how those Tauros and Miltank came to be. The second-generation cows called “Wagyū” have already appeared on the nobles dining tables in Wano Country.

Because he has come into contact with those species, he can perceive that the modified cows are much stronger and healthier than the native cattle in Wano Country. Common diseases that affect regular calves would not occur in those cows with Tauros lineage.

“Little Kai is very smart. It was also the one who first discovered those assassins. If Little Kai can be made stronger, I will be even safer.”

“You can only receive one reward with your current contributions. Are you really going to give this reward to the dog?”

“Can it allow it to live longer?”

“Of course.”

The lifespan of Pokémon is much longer than that of ordinary animals, and the lifespans of some special Pokémon are even extremely long. If they are well taken care of, they can even be passed down as family heirlooms.

“Then please help me modify Little Kai.”

Since Kojiro had already made this request, he did not refuse. A crimson energy hand lifted the Shiba Inu.

“Little Kai. Let’s make you the real Little Kai.” The crimson energy was injected into the Shiba Inu’s body, and its originally yellow fur began to turn red, with additional patterns appearing. [*Kai’s chinese character is also present in growlithe’s chinese name.]

The fur on its chest and head also became more lush. Soon after, as the energy dissipated, a Growlithe appeared. Just like Tauros, it underwent permanent modification.

Little Kai seemed to not have gotten used to its new body yet, but it could feel that its body had become stronger. The weakness brought by old age had also disappeared. This Shiba Inu now has obtained a new life as a Growlithe.

“Woof woof, woof!”

“Well, go and get along with your owner. Remember to protect him in the future.”

In fact, it had already begun doing so. The old Shiba Inu rarely played with Kojiro anymore because its stamina could no longer support such activities on a daily basis.

But now, with renewed vitality, it was licking Kojiro frantically.

“During this time, you will stay on Onigashima. Your business should be able to run normally without you.”

“In the short term, there should be no problem, but it won’t work if it’s too long.”

“It’s enough. By the way, I heard that your family name used to be Sasaki and were a swordsmanship family?”

“Well… I only heard it from my grandfather. I don’t know if it’s true.” He didn’t expect that his bragging would even reach this place. It seems he underestimated the other party’s control over Onigashima.

“At least you have some foundation. During this time, you will train with others. Let’s see how good your foundation is.”

With that, the arrangements for Kojiro’s upcoming schedule was set.

“By the way, Shayna, give him the relevant information about Beasts Fruits.”

Kojiro, who crawled out from under Little Kai, took the thick stack of records. Beasts Fruits’ business was expanding, and as it grew larger, there was a shortage of talent in the business aspect.

If Kojiro is really capable, then gradually handing over some of these matters to him would also be possible.

“Work hard, as long as you are capable enough,  you won’t be missing out on things that you deserve.”

Kojiro was brought to a room in Onigashima. It’s still quite spacious here, and when constructing Onigashima, they took into consideration a lot of things, including accommodating Giants running around. Needless to say, making a room available for one person and a dog is not a problem.

“Lord Sacred Beast, we obtained the information, but those two individuals didn’t have any valuable information on them. They are just ordinary street thugs. They don’t even have the same boss. Their stories are identical: a mysterious person wearing a bamboo hat offered 500 gold as a reward for Kojiro’s head.”

They knew that Kojiro had ties to the Beasts Pirates, but they were enticed by the huge sum of money. As long as they could kill the other party and erase all evidence, their whereabouts would be impossible to find.

Even flammable oil was found on them. Since many houses in Wano Country are made of wood, once ignited, there would be nothing left.

Although there was no detailed information, it’s not too complicated to figure out who is behind them. Either it’s a merchant envious of Kojiro or it’s Kurozumi Orochi. After all, Kojiro’s business activities were also taking away money from him.

Kurozumi Orochi doesn’t dare to confront the Beasts Pirates openly, but there is still a possibility for him to make moves behind the scenes.

“Hand over these two to Kurozumi Orochi, and I want to see news of a public execution in the Flower Capital within a few days.”

The intention to kill is a capital offense, even though Kojiro is unharmed. The Beasts Pirates don’t consider themselves pushovers when it comes to dealing with threats. If everyone cooperates, it’s good for everyone, and resistance is also expected. However, engaging in such behavior is unforgivable.

If this matter is not dealt with seriously, the authority of the Beasts Pirates in Wano Country will be diminished.

As for why it should be handed over to Orochi, it’s naturally to see his reaction.

Even if he can endure it silently, if it was really done by him, some traces will eventually appear.

“Understood. By the way, Lord Sacred Beast, according to our investigation, most of the thugs in the Flower Capital are led by Hyogoro. He is considered a hero and a spiritual role model among the underworld of Wano Country.

Even thugs from other regions give him some face, and many of them view him as a hero. If we can bring him under our control, then there shouldn’t be any thugs willing to do such things in the future.”

Under the backdrop of Wano Country, a unique product has emerged – the Yakuza. The composition of the Yakuza here is incredibly complex. The most common thugs are just like those found outside, living off the meager resources of their respective regions.

Meanwhile, people like Hyogoro have become a kind of non-governmental organization. Although he doesn’t hold any official position, Hyogoro has connections with several daimyos and his people are faster at handling small matters between regions.

During natural disasters, they would even be at the forefront of relief efforts.

Hyogoro has a high position among them, and even many commoners respect him.