Retracting his gaze, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo looked at Kong Tai, his tone filled with a hope that everyone could feel, mingled with trepidation.
"Mr. Silver Hair, I... I want to know," he said, raising the newspaper he had been clutching all along. He unfolded it, pointed at the black and white photograph, and asked, "I want to know, is the information in here, is it, is it true?"
As his words fell, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's gaze fixed on Kong Tai, a light of hope, more brilliant than ever before, shining in his eyes.
Looking at the old man before him, gaunt from the ravages of time and hardship, Kong Tai dropped the smile from his face and nodded solemnly.
"Kaido has indeed been killed by us, just a few days ago."
"Including the 'King of Beasts Pirates' Calamity of Flames, King, and the 'Calamity of Drought', Jack, they were also killed on the same day."
Kong Tai paused slightly as he spoke. Seeing the hope in the old man's eyes solidify into genuine belief, he couldn't help but smile. He then continued, "And before coming here, just a few hours ago! We encountered 'Calamity of Pestilence', Queen, below the waterfall in Wano Country, leading the remaining executives of the Beast Pirates, such as the Tobi Roppo, and attempting to leave Wano."
"So we took care of them as well."
"Therefore, Wano Country is now free of any shackles. Orochi is dead, Kaido is dead. Even if there are a few remaining executives of the Beast Pirates, they can no longer pose a threat to you."
"Is it true?"
The old man looked up, the mask on his face already wet with tears. His voice was hesitant, filled with an almost unreal hope, as he asked Kong Tai, and himself.
"Is this true?"
"It's true," Kong Tai's voice was firm, with an unquestionable certainty. He then shook his head, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
"Whether it's true or not, haven't you seen it with your own eyes? As for whether Kaido is dead or not, by tomorrow, you won't need me to tell you. Everyone in Wano Country will know."
Shimotsuki Kanzaburo couldn't hear Kong Tai's words anymore. At this moment, all he could hear was Kong Tai's affirmative "It's true."
He had waited for this moment for too long.
He hadn't expected to meet the people prophesied by Lady Toki and Lord Oden, but instead, Kong Tai and his group had arrived.
As if collapsing, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's grip on the newspaper loosened. Then, he raised both hands to cover his mouth and face, before bending his knees and sinking to the ground.
He buried his head between his legs, letting out a muffled sob, a sound of extreme suppression.
Though suppressed, his sobs carried a hope akin to rebirth.
The few people watched Shimotsuki Kanzaburo in silence, not speaking.
They could feel Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's emotions at that moment, a release of pent-up pressure, a catharsis upon seeing hope. Thus, they did not try to comfort him much.
Perhaps it was a few minutes, perhaps an instant, but Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's sobs gradually subsided, and his trembling body gradually calmed down.
Just then, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo suddenly stood up, pulled off the cloth that had been covering his face, and wiped away the tear tracks with his patched sleeve. He stood up straight and bowed deeply to Kong Tai and the others.
"Thank you."
Their sincere gratitude brought smiles to the faces of Kong Tai, Kuina, and Robin.
Kong Tai stepped forward, helped the old man up, and looked into his aged pupils, which were no longer clouded with the despair he had seen earlier. He smiled and said, "If you really want to talk about it, Wano Country is also my and Kuina's homeland, so when we gained the strength, it was only natural to save our homeland."
Kong Tai said this to bridge the gap between them.
As expected, upon hearing Kong Tai's words, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo seemed to shed a layer of burden.
He held Kong Tai's hand, a smile of genuine emotion on his face.
This smile caused Kong Tai to pause slightly. It wasn't the s-
"Alright," Kong Tai came back to his senses, released Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's hand, and smiled, "Kaido is dead, Orochi is dead, and the Beast Pirates are basically wiped out. I imagine you'll be very busy from now on. If there's nothing else, then you should go attend to your matters!"
"This," hearing Kong Tai say this, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo was clearly hesitant.
On one hand, Wano Country would fall into complete chaos the moment the newspapers were distributed, and as the only one who knew the truth, he indeed had many things to attend to.
But on the other hand, leaving like this seemed too impolite.
After all, these people before him were the saviors, the heroes of Wano Country.
Even if he was no longer the daimyo of Hakumai and had nothing substantial to offer as hospitality, he should at least ensure that their benefactors were not neglected.
As if sensing Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's thoughts, Kong Tai smiled and said, "Don't worry, we'll be staying here for a while longer. We'll have plenty of opportunities."
"Alright then!" Hearing Kong Tai say this, Shimotsuki Kanzaburo finally nodded. He then said to Kong Tai and the others, "After I've dealt with the upcoming matters, I will definitely host a grand banquet for you all. Although Wano Country has experienced disaster, I believe the entire country will express their gratitude to our benefactors."
"Go!" Kong Tai nodded with a smile, gesturing for Shimotsuki Kanzaburo to hurry.
After all, the matters of Wano Country were paramount, and Shimotsuki Kanzaburo naturally knew what was more important. Therefore, he did not stand on ceremony. He bowed to Kong Tai and the others once more, thanked them, and turned without hesitation. Instead of using the door, he leaped onto the wall and disappeared from their sight along the path he had taken.
"Are we really waiting here for a while?"
Pulling his gaze back from Shimotsuki Kanzaburo's disappearing figure, Kuina raised her head slightly and looked at Kong Tai.
After sailing for so long, she had long lost the initial excitement of being a hero. Although she was still moved by the gratitude of ordinary people and the aura surrounding her, she no longer craved it as she once did. She had become more go-with-the-flow.
If she received gratitude, she would smile faintly. If not, she would not be annoyed. She simply followed her heart.
"I only said that to the old man."
Kong Tai shook his head, lifted his gourd, took a sip, and then laughed, "Given the current state of Wano Country, it will take at least ten days, or perhaps half a month, for true liberation, and to truly quell the chaos, it will likely take more than a month."
"With such a long time, how could we possibly wait here!"
"Mm!" Kuina nodded, indicating she understood.
"Then where are we going next?"
Just then, Robin stepped forward, standing beside Kuina. She looked at the moonlit sky ahead and asked.
"Hmm..." Kong Tai pondered for a moment before replying, "The next leg of our journey should be to Egghead Island, where Vegapunk is located. I have something to ask Vegapunk. As for the rest of the journey..."
"It should be the Land of Giants, Elbaf."
"According to my guess, the last piece, the one we saw on Fish-Man Island's Sea Forest, the stolen Poneglyph, has a high probability of being in Elbaf."
"Sea Forest," hearing Kong Tai say this, Robin touched her chin and thought for a moment, then looked at Kong Tai and asked, "So you knew from the beginning that the missing Poneglyph was a Road Poneglyph!"
"Yes! I did know."
Kong Tai did not hide it.
As for whether this piece was in Elbaf, he truly didn't know.
It might be there, or it might not be.
While there was a high probability that it was hidden by Blackbeard, there was also a significant chance it was with the giants.
From the moment he left his previous world, the only places Luffy's crew had left to go were Elbaf and the last island the Log Pose could point to, "Sky Island."