Flower Capital.
Inside the Shogun's Mansion, decadent music echoed endlessly, and the air was thick with the cloying scent of alcohol and makeup.
Geishas dressed in magnificent kimonos wore stiff smiles, cautiously pouring wine for the two monsters sitting at the head of the room.
One of them was the current Shogun of Wano Country, Orochi.
He had a wretched face that could make a small child stop crying. At this moment, he was holding two courtesans, boasting about his future grand ambitions while his mouth reeked of alcohol, letting out a grating He-he-he-he laugh from time to time.
The other person, simply by sitting there, made the entire luxurious room feel cramped and overcrowded.
Azure dragon scale tattoos extended from his thick arms all the way to his chest, and two ferocious bull horns atop his head silently spoke of his non-human identity.
Governor of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido.
He ignored Orochi's noisy chatter, simply picking up a wine gourd larger than a water vat, tilting his head back to gulp down a mouthful of strong liquor, and blowing two thick streams of white smoke from his nostrils.
Just then, a ninja responsible for monitoring Kuri came rushing in, crawling and stumbling, his expression panicked to the extreme.
Sho... Shogun-sama! Something has happened... in Kuri!
Orochi, who had his large, ugly head buried in a geisha's chest, was interrupted in his pleasure. He snapped his head up, his triangular eyes full of violence, and his handlebar mustache quivered with rage.
You bastard! Can't you see I'm entertaining Lord Kaido? If those samurai are causing trouble, just cut them down!
No... it's not trouble...
The ninja swallowed hard, his expression looking worse than if he were crying.
It's Oden... Kozuki Oden...
Upon hearing this name, Orochi's drunkenness mostly vanished. He shoved the women in his arms away, his voice becoming half a pitch sharper.
What happened to him? Did that bastard finally lose his patience and lead his men here to kill us?!
No! It's not that!
The ninja shook his head frantically, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost.
He... this morning, he stripped himself stark naked and is dancing in the Kuri market!
What?
Orochi and Kaido turned their gazes toward him at the same time.
The ninja swallowed and recounted everything that had happened in the market at top speed.
Kin'emon went up to stop him but was kicked half to death! He even shouted in front of everyone, What does the survival of the country matter to me? What does the life or death of my family matter to me?!
He also said... he also said...
Said what! Orochi pressed impatiently.
He said, Wano Country doesn't need a Shogun, it only needs a Dance King!
As the words fell.
The music came to a sudden halt.
Orochi's comical face froze.
He blinked his small eyes, seemingly trying to digest this magical piece of information.
One second.
Two seconds.
He—he-he-he-he-he!
A low laugh squeezed out of Orochi's throat, followed by an uncontrollable roar of laughter, finally evolving into a hysterical scream.
He-ha-ha-ha-ha! Gone mad? That high-and-mighty Oden has gone mad?!
Orochi jumped up from the tatami mat, dancing and gesticulating wildly. He grabbed a wine jug from the table and poured it into his mouth recklessly, the liquid flowing down his chin and soaking his expensive robes.
Serves him right! He deserves it! The so-called hero! To think he ended up becoming a perverted dancer who likes to strip naked?!
Orochi laughed so hard that tears shot out. He spun in circles in the hall, kicking over low tables and crushing fruit platters.
This pleasure of revenge felt even more intense than killing someone.
Lord Kaido! Did you hear that?!
Like a lapdog wagging its tail, he leaned in front of Kaido, his ugly face twisting into a mess from extreme excitement.
This is the consequence of opposing us! What invincible samurai? What crewmate of Roger? In the face of reality, he's just a stray dog with a broken spine!
Kaido glanced at the frenzied Orochi, a flash of disdain in his eyes.
He lifted the wine gourd and tilted his head back to drink.
Gulp, gulp.
Wororororo...
Kaido set down the wine gourd and let out a burp.
Though I don't know which nerve in that guy's head snapped, nonetheless... this counts as a result.
He had originally been looking forward to a heart-pounding battle.
After all, that man was one of the few powerhouses on these seas who could injure him.
But now it seemed he had overestimated the man.
A weakling bound by a ridiculous agreement who finally had a mental breakdown under pressure was no longer worthy of dying under Kaido's mace.
How boring.
Kaido blew two thick streams of white vapor from his nostrils, the murderous light in his bloodshot eyes growing intense.
Since he's ruined himself first, there's no longer any need to keep that verbal agreement. Pirates never keep their word to the weak.
Orochi's eyes instantly lit up. He rubbed his hands together and leaned even closer.
You mean...
That bullshit agreement to leave in five years is now void.
Kaido casually grabbed a giant beast leg with the bone still in it, tore off a hunk of meat, and chewed until the bones crunched.
I don't have the patience to play house with a dancing fool for five years.
Orochi trembled with excitement.
No need to wait five years!
No more worrying about complications!
As long as they took Kuri, all those stubborn laborers could be captured and sent to mine in Udon, the Kozuki Clan's treasures would all be his, and the entirety of Wano Country would completely bear the name Kurozumi!
Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Orochi knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Kaido. I'll immediately arrange for the Oniwabanshu...
No need for such trouble.
Kaido interrupted Orochi's nonsense, his gaze pressing toward the shadows in the corner.
A massive youth sat there.
Signature twin braids hung over his chest, the lower half of his face was covered by a metal jaw, and horn-shaped ornaments sat atop his head.
One of the Three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, Jack the Drought.
Though he was still young and had not reached his peak stature, the oppressive aura he exuded, like a prehistoric giant elephant, was already enough to suffocate an ordinary samurai.
In these seas, Jack had a resounding nickname—the Ship-Attacker King.
He possessed the beauty of a missing brainstem; once his temper flared, never mind a Marine Admiral, even if he faced one of the Four Emperors themselves, he would dare to order his ship to close in.
Jack walked before Kaido and knelt on one knee, his metal armor clanging against the floor.
Boss Kaido.
His voice hummed with a resonance that betrayed an unmasked violence.
Kaido casually pointed in the direction of Wano's main island.
Take your men and go to Kuri.
I don't care what method you use; within one day, flatten that place for me. Anyone still breathing is to be captured and sent to Udon to mine rocks. Anyone who doesn't listen, slaughter them and use them as fertilizer.
Jack stood up and pulled his two sickle-like blades halfway out, the friction of the edges emitting a piercing screech.
Understood, Boss.
Orochi leaned in from the side, sycophantically adding, Lord Jack, that Kozuki Oden still has some skill. Should you bring more manpower?
Jack turned his head, looking down coldly at Orochi.
That gaze was exactly like looking at a pile of dog shit on the side of the road.
I am Jack, he grunted dully. Whether it's Kozuki Oden or those scrap-metal samurai, if they block my path, I'll just trample over them. Bring more men? Are you looking down on a Mammoth's destructive power?
Orochi was so choked by the retort that he backed away repeatedly, not daring to let out another peep.
Kaido was extremely satisfied with Jack's simple and blunt personality.
Go. Let those country bumpkins in Wano Country see what a true disaster looks like.
The gates of the Flower Capital swung wide open.
The flag of the Beasts Pirates snapped loudly in the wind.
Jack walked at the very front; with every step he took, he left a deep footprint in the stone pavement.
Behind him followed hundreds of bizarre-looking lackeys of the Beasts Pirates.
Boys! Jack drew his twin blades, the tips pointing straight toward Kuri. The Boss has spoken. Target: Kuri! Leave no survivors, crush them all!
Awooooooo—!
The pirates raised their guns, cannons, and swords, letting out an earth-shaking roar.
The massive procession, like a black mudslide, poured out from the Flower Capital, following the wilderness road and heading straight for Kuri.
...
Kuri, evening.
The once-prosperous market was now a mess.
Kozuki Oden was still dancing.
He had been dancing in the mud pit for an entire day, untiring, regardless of hunger or thirst.
Even though most of the surrounding citizens had dispersed, and even though someone threw a stone that made his forehead bleed, he only grinned with his large mouth and laughed foolishly, his dance steps becoming even more vigorous instead.
On a high slope in the distance.
Kane held an apple he had swiped from somewhere and took a crisp, juicy bite.
Tsk tsk, this stamina... as expected of an Emperor-level combatant.
Kane looked at the strong man still twisting his body and thought that if he were captured and sent to the G-5 Base to turn a millstone, he would definitely be more efficient than a donkey.
Suddenly.
The ground began to vibrate slightly.
Thump, thump, thump.
A dull, massive sound came from the distance, even making the leaves tremble.
Kane swallowed the fruit in his mouth, tossed the remaining apple core aside, and clapped his hands.
They're here.
At the edge of his vision, dust rose high.
A fully armed pirate force was surging toward Kuri along the mountain path.
That's more like it, Kaido.
The corners of Kane's mouth curled up, revealing that habitual villainous smile.
Even though they agreed on five years, as soon as they see the opponent is a fool, they immediately turn their backs and strike. This is how a pirate should be.
If Oden were sane, Kaido might still be wary of his strength and charisma, playing a game of boiling a frog in warm water.
But now, facing a madman who only knew how to dance, any schemes or plots were a waste of time.
Once this fire starts burning, Kuri will be completely finished.
Oden was ruined, Kuri was falling, and Wano Country's military system would completely collapse tonight.
Next, it would be the turn of this righteous Marine Admiral to clean up the mess and conveniently harvest the fruits of victory.
But before that...
Kane stopped in his tracks and looked back at the Shogun's Mansion in the distance, which was swaying like a leaf in the wind amidst the turmoil.
There was still one thing there that he had to get his hands on.
Momonosuke must die.
This wasn't just because of that disgusting perverted brat's personality, but to completely sever the Kozuki Clan's legitimacy.
As long as the male heirs of the Kozuki Clan were dead, that little girl Hiyori would be nothing more than the perfect tool for controlling a puppet regime in the future.
Kane's shadow stretched long under the setting sun, like a dark silhouette cutting through the light.
He straightened the Ronin Haori he was wearing, and a look of compassion for the world appeared on his face.
Alas, pirates causing trouble, bringing suffering to all living beings. To prevent the tragedy from expanding further, removing the future roots of disaster for this country in advance can be considered a kind of... execution of justice.
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