"Ringo, huh…", Rosse's hand, which was stroking Toki's silky hair, paused. He casually glanced at his own panel.
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[Rosse]
[Strength: 44,000,000 / 50,000,000 (S+)]
[Fruit: Hito-Hito no Mi · Mythical Beast Type · Form of Watatsumi (Unawakened)]
[Combat Skills: Observation Haki (S), Conqueror's Haki (S), Armament Haki (S), Swordsmanship (S), Martial Arts (S)…]
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"If I remember correctly, Ringo has less than a million people, right? You want all of them dead?", Rosse asked with a smile.
With the quality of Wano's people, a million lives would be enough to rack up six million experience points.
Rosse didn't like meaningless massacres. But if Toki asked him, he was more than happy to go crazy once.
The pressure from Imu was no small thing. With his current strength, he was still a little insecure.
If it came down to fighting Imu's true body, he was still some distance short.
"Yes. Kill them all. Not a single one left!", The more Toki spoke, the smoother the words flowed, and the pressure in her heart lightened a bit.
She had wronged the Kozuki clan, and wronged Wano.
But since she had already chosen this path, she would see it through to the end no matter what.
She didn't know how much Rosse could see through her thoughts, but judging by his previously displayed malicious personality, she felt there was a very high chance he would agree.
"Hahahahaha, since it's your request, then as you wish," Rosse softly stroked the top of Toki's head, his palm carrying an undeniable force of tenderness as it slowly pressed down.
A fleeting trace of hesitation flickered in Toki's eyes. Yet that irresistible pressure on the crown of her head, and the searing heat pressing against her belly, still made her obediently lower her eyelids and let her body sink down bit by bit.
Such a thing she had never personally experienced, but neither was she ignorant.
Since she had resolved to abandon herself, 'Then, let it burn.'
———
Rosse had always been a man of action. Since he had promised Toki, of course he would carry it out.
But before that, there was still one small matter to deal with.
Inside the reception hall, Rosse sat casually while Toki leaned submissively against his chest, her cheeks slightly flushed, her emerald-green eyes devoid of their usual sparkle.
Three days, three nights, three rounds, she was nearly ruined by him.
It was only now that Toki realized even such things could be so stimulating.
"My lord, the man has been brought," Moria's voice sounded, and the figures of Kurozumi Orochi and his two retainers appeared before Rosse.
After delivering them, Moria naturally left, not at all worried that Orochi and his men could threaten Rosse.
What a joke. He didn't believe there was anyone in Wano with that ability.
"Gufufufufu, honored Lord Rosse, it is my first time meeting you. I, Kurozumi Orochi, shogun of Wano, pay my respects!", Orochi bowed to Rosse, deliberately emphasizing his title as shogun of Wano.
During the greeting, his gaze couldn't help lingering on Toki.
This woman, whom he had once thought a mere vase, turned out to have done something far too ruthless.
'If only I had such a wife… tsk, better not even imagine it.'
Different positions always brought different perspectives.
From Orochi's standpoint, he only thought Toki was stirring up trouble.
The feud between Rosse and the Kozuki clan, what did that have to do with him or Wano?
If the Kozuki were so eager to sacrifice themselves, they could just go die at sea. Why drag the World Government into this?
Orochi didn't think himself a good man, but this time, he really felt like he was suffering for nothing.
"The Kurozumi clan?", Rosse raised his head, absentmindedly toying with the Toki in his arms as he asked, "Wano has always had the Kozuki as shogun, with five daimyo clans ruling the regions. If I recall, the Kurozumi were one of those daimyo families, right? And one of the only two that were exterminated."
"That's correct," Orochi replied calmly. He had long known the World Government's strength. His family's history being exposed didn't bother him much.
Still, some things had to be dressed up.
"The Kozuki once joined with the Shimotsuki, Amatsuki, and Uzuki families to oppress the Kurozumi, leading to our extermination. That was a crime of the Kozuki, and a debt they owe us."
"Is 'justice' really so important?"
Rosse chuckled lightly, watching Orochi's performance with interest.
The process and result Orochi spoke of weren't wrong, but he'd skipped the cause entirely.
Without the Kurozumi clan's treachery, how would there have been extermination?
"Your Excellency, if justice weren't important, the rabble of Wano wouldn't have so easily accepted me," Orochi said with a forced smile.
He thought Rosse was just joking.
Justice was important, whether in Wano or on the seas.
Wano had always valued "born as such."
The shogun's child was a shogun. The daimyo's child a daimyo. The samurai's child a samurai. The commoner's child a commoner. The courtesan's child a courtesan.
This inheritance had continued for over a thousand years.
To break that system, the Kurozumi had struggled for centuries. But in the end, with Oden's father Sukiyaki's birth, all their efforts came to nothing.
As long as the Kozuki line had heirs, the Kurozumi would never rise.
For that reason, the clan was completely purged, leaving only him as a lone survivor with a few retainers hiding in secret.
If not for the Kozuki's "justice," things wouldn't have had to be so troublesome.
"Then tell me, if I were to become shogun of Wano, what obstacles would there be?", Rosse asked playfully.
He knew Orochi's thoughts, but he didn't really agree.
The World Government's games and Wano's system were the same at their core, classic bloodline doctrine.
The truth the Government hid was simply that its claim to legitimacy was flawed.
To put it plainly, it was that those in power didn't have big enough hearts.
Afraid of the victors of the past returning, and afraid of new illegitimate rulers rising.
Thinking too much, they made all kinds of twisted moves.
But in truth, the world only had bloodlines born strong, none born noble.
At the end of the day, the bottom needed food, the middle needed progress, the top needed power.
As long as the balance was kept, whether dictatorship or democracy, the regime and its power could remain stable.
But Rosse had no intention of playing that game.
At least in Wano, he didn't need to play it.
Five million people, was that a lot?
He really wanted to try. If five million stood still for him to kill, how many days would it take him to wipe them all out?
"My lord, surely you jest. With your exalted status, how could you stoop to become the mere shogun of Wano?", Orochi wiped sweat from his brow. Seeing that Rosse's words didn't seem like a joke, he hurried to dissuade him.
If Rosse really wanted to be shogun, then what use would there be for him, Orochi?
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