Wano Country — a closed nation veiled in isolation.
Inside a lavish room of a courtesan house in the Flower Capital, the faint sound of a shamisen filled the air.
Clang-a-lang-a-lang... clang...
The scent of fine incense drifted lazily through the warm room. Platters of exotic dishes and cups of sake covered the tatami mats, while laughter echoed among Wano's most privileged guests.
"If not for the Shogun, Wano would still be a land of poverty!"
"Exactly! Without the Shogun's alliance with Emperor Kaido, this nation would have been devoured by the World Government long ago!"
Around the table, sycophants toasted and drank, praising their ruler with hollow reverence.
"Shogun, please try these freshly picked berries."
"Hehe, my lord, I peeled this shrimp for you myself!"
A dozen courtesans from Oden House surrounded the man seated at the head, giggling and serving with false affection.
"All of you, move aside! I want to hear Kozuki Hiyori play!"
The man laughed drunkenly, waving the women away. "Guhahaha! Her music is delightful! But why aren't you playing your best piece?"
He was a bald, purple-haired man with a massive mouth, draped in a gaudy kimono, a golden crown tilting to the left of his head.
The current Shogun of Wano Country — Kurozumi Orochi, user of the Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi.
"Compared to her music," Orochi slurred, his eyes gleaming, "Hiyori's beauty is a hundred times more enchanting!"
Orochi leaned forward, raising his cup of sake, his gaze dripping with lust.
"It'd be even better if I could kiss the beautiful Kozuki Hiyori! Guhahahaha!"
"Shogun, you're so naughty," Hiyori said softly, her tone teasing, though her eyes held quiet disgust. "I don't like such a lecherous lord. Hmph."
"Kozuki Hiyori! You're breathtaking!" Orochi's face flushed red as he staggered toward her, captivated by her voice and the faint scent of her perfume.
"My beauty, I'm coming for you!" he bellowed, crawling on all fours before wrapping an arm around her slender waist. "Guhahaha! I love that coy look of yours!"
"Shogun," Hiyori said sweetly, brushing his cheek with a delicate hand, "when you act this way... I can't help but want to close my eyes."
She turned back to her shamisen, her fingers plucking the strings gracefully.
"Guhahaha! Eat! Drink! Celebrate!" Orochi shouted, waving his cup at his men. "This is the glory of Wano under my rule! Without me, this land would still be crawling in dirt!"
But before his laughter could fade—
A calm, amused voice broke through the noise.
"Hehe... and yet, I can't help but feel that Wano might be better off without you."
"Huh?! Who dares speak to me that way?!"
Orochi's face twisted in rage. He slammed his cup to the floor, scanning the room.
"Who said that?! Which fool wants to die today?!"
His subordinates exchanged nervous glances, trembling as silence swallowed the room.
Even Hiyori's shamisen went quiet.
"Who dares mock me?!" Orochi roared, overturning the table. Dishes and sake splattered across the tatami.
"Ahhh!" The courtesans screamed, backing into the corner. Only Hiyori remained still, her calm eyes focused on her instrument.
"Shogun! It wasn't us!" one of his men stammered, shaking in fear.
"Then was it you?!" Orochi shouted, pointing his blade at another.
"Never, Shogun-sama!" the man pleaded, dropping to his knees.
Orochi's wild gaze darted across the room before landing on a composed figure.
"Kyoshiro! Was it you, you ungrateful snake?! After all I've done for you?!"
"Shogun," Kyoshiro said evenly, his deep voice calm, "you're far too agitated. Perhaps you haven't noticed... there's a stranger among us."
Kyoshiro, his long topknot immaculate, wore a dark blue kimono and cloak. He ignored the sword aimed at his neck as he stepped forward.
Shing!
In one swift motion, Kyoshiro drew his blade and slashed toward the empty space beside Hiyori.
"Although I don't know what technique you're using," he said coldly, "you can't hide from my eyes. Show yourself... intruder."
A ripple shimmered in the air.
"Oh, I've been found."
A calm figure materialized, sitting cross-legged on the tatami — a man with an unreadable smile.
"Impressive observation," he said lightly. "Though, I didn't exactly try to hide."
Orochi's expression darkened. "A pirate?! You dare trespass in my country?!"
He charged forward, blade raised high. "Die, you filthy pirate! This land belongs to me, Orochi!"
The man only smiled faintly.
"Orochi... do you even know who you're speaking to?"
The stranger — Shirogai Yamikuro — flicked his finger.
A shiver of danger rippled through the room. Kyoshiro's pupils contracted.
"Shogun! Stop! He's not someone you can fight!"
But it was too late.
Orochi's sword froze mid-swing. His eyes went wide as a crimson line appeared on his neck.
Thud.
His head hit the floor.
The body collapsed beside it.
"AAAAHHH! The Shogun's been killed!"
The courtesans' screams pierced the air. The guards outside burst in, their faces pale as they took in the sight.
Kozuki Hiyori stood frozen, her shamisen slipping from her hands.
Orochi... dead? The tyrant who brought Wano to ruin... killed in a single instant?
But Shirogai only smiled. He nudged the corpse with his foot.
"Don't play dead. I know you've got more lives than that."
"BASTARD!!!"
The body convulsed violently.
ROOOOOAAAR!
Seven monstrous serpent heads burst from the stump of Orochi's neck, filling the room with a stench of decay.
"You worm!" the heads hissed in unison. "Do you know who I serve?! Emperor Kaido will destroy you!!!"
The serpents writhed in fury, baring their fangs at Shirogai — the man who had just slain Wano's so-called god.
Shirogai looked up calmly, eyes gleaming with a quiet, lethal confidence.
"Kaido, huh? Let him try."
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