The massive city gate, once filled with noise and tension, suddenly fell into dead silence.
Everyone instinctively turned to the Nine Red Scabbards, desperate to know—did they still have a hidden trump card?
Even Tsuru and the others watching from the shadows were no exception.
Orochi's words had been crude, but the logic behind them wasn't wrong.
The true weight crushing Wano wasn't the puppet shogun Orochi.
It was Kaido of the Beasts.
If Kaido couldn't be stopped in the end, then everything they were doing now would be meaningless.
Worse, it might even give Kaido an excuse to massacre Wano all over again.
Feeling the shift in atmosphere, Hiyori and Kyoshiro's expressions tightened.
They knew that if they couldn't reignite the momentum they had just stirred, this uprising would be stillborn.
And right now, across all of Wano, there was likely only one person who could turn the tide.
Both Hiyori and Kyoshiro scanned the crowd, hoping—praying—that the commotion had drawn him in.
"I am Yamato, inheritor of Kozuki Oden's will! I can fight Kaido!"
Yamato suddenly burst from the crowd, slamming her massive kanabo into the ground.
Hiyori and Kyoshiro were visibly shaken by the unexpected entrance.
But their eyes only lingered on Yamato for a moment—before snapping to the spot she had just emerged from.
There, seated casually and sipping his earthy liquor, was a familiar figure.
Hiyori's breath caught.
"It's him! Uncle Kyoshiro—it's him! We can win this!" she cried out.
Orochi froze, stunned that the courtesan he prized most would say such a thing.
Yamato, who had just stepped forward expecting to bask in the spotlight, also stood dumbfounded.
She had thought invoking Oden's name would make her the center of attention.
Instead, it felt like punching into cotton—no resistance, no impact.
Especially when she saw the Nine Red Scabbards looking not at her, but at that young man with eyes full of hope and awe.
A ridiculous thought crept into her mind:
"Wait… is Oden no longer the one they believe in?"
Wasn't he their guiding light?
In that moment, Luo Yu became the center of everyone's attention.
Nekomamushi and Inuarashi exchanged a glance, then, along with the other leaders, cupped their fists and shouted in unison:
"We ask Admiral Luo Yu to lead the opening of Wano!"
Seven simple words, spoken together, thundered like a divine decree—shaking the hearts of all who heard them.
All eyes turned to Luo Yu, filled with shock.
They had expected the Nine Red Scabbards to lead this bloody revolution.
They never imagined a mysterious outsider would emerge as the true catalyst.
Even Hiyori and Kyoshiro were stunned.
They hadn't realized that the man they had pinned their hopes on was the very one who had orchestrated this entire event.
But looking at the army gathered here, they suddenly understood:
Only someone like this Marine Admiral could have united such a force in Wano.
There was no one else.
"A Marine Admiral? That Marine Admiral—the one who ignited the war among the Four Emperors—is Luo Yu?!"
Orochi's face twisted in horror.
He didn't even have time to worry about Komurasaki.
He roared:
"Kyoshiro! Order everyone to attack! Wipe out these rebels! Show them what despair looks like when they're crushed by overwhelming numbers!"
Kyoshiro and Hiyori froze, stunned that Orochi would still lash out so blindly.
But before they could respond, Luo Yu had already vanished from the crowd and appeared like a ghost in the open space before the city gate.
He took a sip of his liquor and looked up.
Nekomamushi and Inuarashi exchanged a glance, then shouted:
"Everyone, don't hesitate! If you want to open Wano—run!"
At their command, they and their followers turned and fled without a second thought.
The thousands they had brought showed a moment of hesitation—but it was clear they had been warned.
Without delay, they too scattered and fled.
The bizarre scene left everyone stunned.
Weren't these warriors here to fight for Wano's future?
Why were they running before the battle even began?
The confusion lingered only briefly.
Though they didn't understand why the Scabbards were retreating, those who had come to fight trusted them—and followed.
In an instant, chaos erupted.
Even Orochi's 12,000 warriors behind the gate were thrown into disarray.
Among them, 7,000–8,000 newly trained soldiers stared at the young man who had single-handedly turned the battlefield upside down.
At the front, Budai gripped his katana, ready to lead a charge.
But just as the thought formed—
Luo Yu looked up.
And spoke two words:
"How boring."
BOOM!
His dormant Conqueror's Haki exploded without restraint.
An invisible shockwave swept out like a Category 12 hurricane.
Centered on Luo Yu, the wave of Haki crashed outward like a tidal surge.
Every warrior within several kilometers felt as if a mountain had slammed down on them.
Many felt their very souls quake—as if struck by an invisible hammer.
Those with weaker strength or fragile spirits instantly collapsed, foaming at the mouth and rolling their eyes back.
They fell like autumn leaves in a storm.
And that was only the beginning.
As the shockwave rebounded, a second wave of Conqueror's Haki surged forward like a tangible tsunami.
Everything in its path was shredded like paper.
Only then did everyone understand—
Why the Nine Red Scabbards had fled the moment he moved.
Because if they had been even a second slower…
They would have died on the spot.