The emotions of the people surged like a tide, all falling within Roya's Observation Haki perception.
To his astonishment, Roya discovered that at least half of the citizens harbored a deep, seething hatred for Kurozumi Orochi—hatred so intense, it seemed they wished to flay him alive and tear him limb from limb.
Across the entire central street, aside from the obviously wealthy nobles, nearly every peddler, noble retainer, and samurai—all of them—shared this same feeling.
Some of the peddlers and samurai were even openly exchanging information with one another, just short of slapping "rebel" labels on their own foreheads.
Even Orochi's own samurai seemed to turn a blind eye, raising the possibility that many among them were also members of the rebellion.
Yet Kurozumi Orochi remained completely oblivious to the danger that lurked all around him, still enthusiastically explaining the traditional architecture, clothing, and cuisine of Wano as if nothing were amiss.
Watching the man grin from ear to ear, Roya found himself uncertain whether he should admire Orochi's bravery—or mock his idiocy.
As they passed through the central boulevard, the path suddenly sloped upwards, winding around a pillar-like mountain.
Atop that mountain stood the majestic and towering Shogun's Residence.
Behind the peak rose an ancient and mysterious cherry tree, its true age unknown. This strange species coiled perfectly along the mountain, its canopy stretching like a divine veil right above the residence.
Upon its expansive branches, cherry blossoms were in full bloom.
Delicate pink petals floated down in what seemed like random disorder, but somehow carried a deep, subtle rhythm—coating the entire estate in a dreamlike, almost otherworldly atmosphere.
Even Roya couldn't help but pause at the base of the mountain, raising his head to admire the scene, and marveled,
"What a true paradise—blessed by the heavens themselves."
Orochi gestured politely, humbly taking the lead as he continued to explain,
"This divine cherry tree is said to have originated from the Sakura Dragon once slain by the legendary Dragon-Slaying Samurai, Ryuma."
"It blooms year-round, and its roots have spread deep beneath the entire Flower Capital. Everywhere you see cherry trees in the city—they are all part of this one divine tree."
Though Orochi himself was vile and revolting, the legend he told was vivid and entrancing.
Everyone unconsciously followed his pointing finger, and sure enough, throughout the city, vibrant cherry trees of all sizes were blooming in exactly the right places.
Orochi laughed,
"Within the Shogun's Residence is a special Cherry Viewing Platform. From there, if you look down, you'll see that all these cherry trees together form the lower half of a coiled dragon."
"The main trunk of the tree, spiraling up this very mountain, is the upper half of the dragon."
At that, expressions of awe surfaced among the group.
Even Nico Robin, who despised Orochi more than anyone, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise,
"Is it really that miraculous? I absolutely must see it for myself!"
Orochi chuckled again,
"Oh, the wonders of this divine cherry tree don't end there."
"Aside from seastone craftsmanship, the blossoms of this divine tree are Wano's most famous specialty. They're beloved as ingredients in both tea and sweets—not only do they taste delightfully sweet, but they also soothe coughs and calm the spirit."
"People say that after the Sakura Dragon was slain by Ryuma, it realized the evil of its former life—and chose to atone by transforming into this tree."
"Sadly, these blossoms cannot leave Wano. The moment they're taken abroad, they inexplicably vaporize. Otherwise, they'd surely fetch a fortune."
This beautiful tale, of course, was eventually spoiled by Orochi's vulgar greed once again.
Nico Robin gave a quiet snort, mentally erasing the last part of Orochi's spiel and rewriting it into a touching folk legend worth recording and passing down.
Just then, a soft petal drifted past her. She casually plucked it and, without hesitation, placed it in her mouth.
Suddenly, a large hand shot out from the side—Roya had abruptly and rather forcefully snatched the petal away from her.
He tossed it into his own mouth. It melted on his tongue, leaving behind a subtly sweet and oddly addictive flavor.
But just as he suspected, there was a strange energy hidden within the petal—not something ordinary at all.
As expected, all that talk of a repentant Sakura Dragon was nothing but lies for children.
When Nico Robin reached for another petal, Roya didn't want to speak out and cause alarm in front of everyone. Instead, he released a pulse of his Haki, scattering the petals in a ten-meter radius into the air.
The sudden flurry of blossoms whipped into a cherry-blossom whirlwind—an arresting sight.
Robin paused, momentarily stunned, then realized: these petals absolutely should not be eaten.
She quickly looked to Orochi—but he seemed just as clueless, staring enviously at Roya's blossoming whirlwind with no awareness that the petals might be dangerous.
That gave her a bold yet oddly plausible suspicion:
"Could it be… that the Sakura Dragon truly still exists? And that it was never completely slain by Ryuma?"
"Perhaps it simply took on a new form of life—and is still seeking a way to resurrect itself?"
None of those present were ordinary people—naturally, they moved with incredible speed.
In no time, they reached the top of the mountain and entered the Shogun's Residence.
The first destination, naturally, was the Cherry Viewing Platform that Orochi had spoken of.
From the elevated platform, the group looked down.
Sure enough—within the city, every cherry tree connected to form the winding shape of a dragon, claws outstretched.
With the varied heights of the branches, the illusion was striking: it truly seemed as though a Sakura Dragon was coiled throughout the capital, roaring furiously toward the northern mountain range.
Seeing the group subtly stunned by the sight, Orochi smiled smugly and added,
"The grave of the Dragon-Slaying Samurai Ryuma lies in the Northern Cemetery. It's said that his blade, the legendary Black Blade Shusui, was buried alongside him."
"Whoever obtains that blade would be able to pierce through any so-called impenetrable defense."
He might as well have been speaking directly to Squard.
With his intelligence network, Orochi surely knew that since joining Roya, Squard's swordsmanship had improved by leaps and bounds—he was now among the contenders for the title of world's greatest swordsman.
Unfortunately, he had been hampered by the lack of a fitting weapon.
His previous two swords had long been destroyed in fierce battles.
Even Doflamingo—who had lent him a substitute blade—was now dead.
As a result, this powerful swordsman now wandered about unarmed. It was honestly a bit tragic.
The moment the name Shusui was spoken, Squard's eyes lit up with blazing intent.
This blade, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords, was famed across the world.
And if the other two famed swords once belonging to Kozuki Oden—Ame no Habakiri and Enma—were still hidden somewhere within Wano…
Then acquiring even one of them would be a dream come true for any swordsman.
PS: Access the complete chapters/series at