The moment Yamato laid eyes on Orochi, disgust flashed across her face.
"Tch—why is that guy here too? He's absolutely revolting."
Ace glanced over, puzzled. "Who is he?"
Yamato clenched her fists, anger simmering beneath her words.
"That's Orochi—the Shogun of Wano. Every filthy thing that's happened here, more than half of it can be traced back to him."
Orochi, oblivious to the hostility, strode forward and burst into laughter.
"Gu he he he! Kaido, throwing such a grand banquet on Onigashima without inviting me? That's pretty heartless, don't you think?"
Kaido's gaze turned icy. "Orochi. Why are you here?"
Orochi grinned, his expression as lewd as ever.
"Gu he he he! I heard you invited the other Three Yonko. I just had to come see what kind of people are qualified to stand alongside you on this vast sea."
A flicker of displeasure crossed Big Mom's eyes. To her, Orochi was laughably weak—she couldn't fathom where he found the nerve to stand before the Yonkos.
Marco, meanwhile, regarded Orochi coolly and quietly assessed the group behind him.
'What a waste,' he thought. 'A Mythical Zoan… in the hands of trash.'
His gaze lingered briefly on the green-haired woman behind Orochi. 'So this is Kozuki Hiyori…''Her beauty was undeniable—graceful, refined, and entirely different from Monet's sharper allure.'
At last, Marco looked back at Orochi, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"So this is Orochi—the Shogun of Wano?"
Orochi puffed up instantly, laughing louder than before.
"Gu he he he! That's right! I didn't expect a pirate from overseas to even know my name. Looks like this Shogun is more famous than I thought!"
The room fell silent. Even pirates accustomed to arrogance were momentarily speechless at Orochi's shameless self-admiration.
A trace of killing intent flickered in Marco's eyes as he spoke again, his tone light—but razor-sharp.
"Shogun Orochi, correct me if I'm wrong, but Kaido is the Guardian King of Wano, isn't he? That would make him your subordinate. So when he meets you… shouldn't he kneel? After all, no matter how terrifying Kaido is outside Wano, once he returns here, he's still your underling—right?"
Fukurokuju's face drained of color instantly. Kaido's eyes darkened, a cold pressure radiating from him.
Yet Orochi, blissfully unaware of the danger he was courting, nodded smugly.
"Well, there's no need for kneeling. Even though I'm the Shogun and Kaido is technically the Guardian King, we're allies. No need for formalities."
"Lord Orochi!" Fukurokuju hissed urgently. He stepped forward at once, bowing slightly.
"Lord Marco, Lord Orochi and Lord Kaido exist in a mutually dependent relationship. Please refrain from stirring discord."
Marco let out a soft, mocking laugh. His eyes slid toward Kaido, filled with unmistakable ridicule.
"You never cease to amaze me, Kaido."
"Hmph."
Kaido naturally caught the mockery buried in Marco's words. His gaze shifted to Orochi, his tone turning icy.
"You've seen what you came to see. Leave now. I have important matters to discuss with them."
Orochi's face darkened. Instead of standing, he plopped down cross-legged, clearly displeased.
"What's this, Kaido? Are you trying to drive me away? I am the Shogun of Wano Country. Aren't we allies? Is there really something here that I'm not qualified to hear?"
Kaido's expression grew ugly. 'Give him an inch, and he takes a mile.' Just as he was about to snap and order Orochi out by force, footsteps sounded from behind.
Izo entered the hall and quietly moved to Marco's side.
Marco glanced at him, puzzled. "What is it?"
Izo leaned closer, lowering his voice, his eyes fixed on the woman in the peacock-embroidered kimono adorned with ornate hairpins.
"It's her… Marco. Don't you think she looks familiar?"
Of course, Marco knew exactly who Izo meant. But exposing her now would accomplish nothing. He didn't yet have the power to overthrow Kaido and reclaim Wano—revealing the truth would only paint a target on her back. A faint, playful smile curved his lips.
"Then why don't you ask her yourself?"
Izo hesitated, then nodded. His heart pounded as he stepped forward. After a brief pause, as if steeling himself, he spoke.
"Miss… may I ask your name?"
Before she could reply, Orochi burst into laughter, clearly pleased with himself.
"Guhahaha! Looks like someone's fallen for your beauty already—Ko-Murasaki!"
The green-haired woman turned her gaze toward Izo. She didn't recognize him, but she knew her father had once sailed with Whitebeard for many years. She bowed politely.
"My humble name is Ko-Murasaki. I am a courtesan of Wano Country."
Orochi puffed out his chest, boasting shamelessly.
"And not just any courtesan! Ko-Murasaki is the number one courtesan in Wano—and the most beautiful woman in the country! She is also this Shogun's beloved concubine. Naturally, only a mighty man like me is worthy of such beauty—no, no, I misspoke! Only the most beautiful woman in Wano is worthy of this Shogun! Guhahaha!"
No one bothered responding. The room fell into an awkward silence, broken only by Orochi's own grating laughter. It was almost impressive how utterly oblivious a person could be.
"Ko-Murasaki…"
The unfamiliar name caused a flicker of disappointment to pass through Izo's eyes.
'So… it's not her.'
In truth, Izo had long known the answer. He had simply refused to accept it—that Princess Kozuki Hiyori was likely gone, lost to the cruelty of this land. Yet hearing it spoken aloud still stabbed at his heart.
Slowly, a chilling killing intent seeped from his body as his gaze locked onto Orochi.
At that moment, Orochi finally sensed it. Startled, he recoiled and shouted angrily,
"Hey—what kind of look is that?! Do you have a problem with me?!"
Izo clenched his fist, his voice trembling with fury.
"Hmph. Shogun? Orochi, you may deceive the ignorant, but you cannot deceive me. You are nothing more than a shameless thief who stole the Kozuki family's throne. Lord Oden pitied you, helped you time and time again—only to raise a thankless wolf."
At those words, Orochi froze in shock. He sprang to his feet, a trembling finger stabbing toward Izo.
"Y-you… you're one of Kozuki Oden's retainers?!"
Izo snorted coldly, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"That's right. My name is Izo—unchanged, unbroken. In my youth, I followed Lord Oden when he sailed out to sea."
He made no attempt to hide it. Everyone present already knew his past. Though nearly thirty years had passed since he left Wano, Oden's kindness had never faded from his heart.
Yamato's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Oh! So you really are Izo! I saw your name in Oden's pirate logbook!" She leaned forward eagerly. "You've been with the Whitebeard Pirates all these years, right? Tell me—was Whitebeard really that incredible? Even stronger than Oden? Oden's diary said Whitebeard possessed power far beyond his own. Is that true?"
Izo looked at Yamato in mild surprise. Hearing her speak of both Oden and Whitebeard with such reverence, he nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Even as Lord Oden's retainer, I must acknowledge it. The old man's strength was unquestionable. Until the day he died, Whitebeard was the strongest man in the world. Even Lord Oden could only stand second to him."
Yamato's excitement only grew.
"That's amazing! Oden wrote that Whitebeard could shatter mountains and split the earth with a single punch—is that real?!"
Izo smiled faintly, clearly pleased by her awe.
"It is. The old man wielded the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—an ability said to possess the power to destroy the world."
"So incredible… power even greater than Oden's…" Yamato murmured, her eyes sparkling as she drifted into vivid imagination.
Kaido's expression darkened dangerously. He slammed his voice across the room.
"Hey, Yamato! Get this straight—the strongest man in the world now is me! Whitebeard and Oden are both dead!"
Yamato shot him a disdainful look.
"Hmph. You only got that title after Whitebeard died. And Ace already told me—during your duel with Marco, you actually lost at first. You only turned things around because your Devil Fruit awakened."
She crossed her arms, completely unafraid.
"And Marco is much younger than you. Your title won't belong to you for long."
Kaido's teeth ground together as veins bulged on his forehead.
"Yamato! It seems I've been far too lenient with you lately. Maybe I should break one of your legs to remind you who's in charge!"
With that, Kaido reached for his spiked club, fury radiating from him.
Before things could escalate, Shanks stepped in calmly, raising a hand.
"Enough, Kaido. You're a grown man—why argue with a kid?"
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