The Wakōs or "Japanese pirates" were bandits of the seas who raided the coastlines of the Chinese Empire of the Ming dynastie and the Kingdom of Joseon on the Korean Peninsula, from the XIIIth to the XVIth century.

They raided the mainland from islands in the Sea of Japan, the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, named "the East Seas" by the people of Joseon.

The golden age of the wakos eventually arrived which made them even more assured, violent and cruel during their raids, sparing no one as they were attracted by the lure of gain.

One pirate in particular made a lot of noise and dominated the last decades of this golden age: Usagi the Red. He was nicknamed the "King of the East Seas" because he reigned over all the travelers of these seas, both Chinese and Korean ships but also as well as the other Japanese wakos who were not spared when they crossed his path.

Many start to believe him to be invincible and feared that they were an immortal pirate-shaman as he inspired them with terror.

However, after the golden age inevitably comes decline.

When the powerful admirals of the Ming Empire finally took to the seas to annihilate Usagi and the other wakos at the end of the XVIth century, calm finally seemed to return to the East Seas after centuries of domination by these bandits, and the Joseon people could finally feel safe in their coastal towns and in their maritime activities.

But the East Seas were not meant to remain quiet trading areas. It was probably for that reason that the wakos did not disappear but started to make their return in the shadows, in their lands of the Japanese archipelago...

______________________________

A/N : Here I am mixing historical information and made up information (a very large part comes from my imagination, remember it and don't try to learn History with this book).

The wako disappear in the XVIth century historically and in my book, I make them reappear in the XVIIth century.

The Sea of ​​Japan is called the East Sea by Koreans in reality, but the Yellow Sea is referred to by Koreans as the West Sea. I preferred to simplify and also designate it as a "sea in the east of the world" (which doesn't mean anything since the Earth is round, right? Unfortunately, I still have a very European-centric point of view, I'm sorry,I try to change)