Soon enough, Kaidou set off toward the Shogun Palace with King, Queen, and over a dozen samurai whose presence seemed faint. Though few in number, these samurai were all subordinates recruited in Wano Country over the past six months, each more elite than the average pirate.
The group moved swiftly, arriving in no time at the grand gates of the Shogun Palace. On the wide plaza before the estate, a familiar figure stood atop the steps—Shimotsuki Ushimaru. The renowned samurai leader of Wano Country immediately furrowed his brow upon seeing Kaidou and his companions.
"Kaidou, what business do you have here?" Shimotsuki Ushimaru's voice carried clear hostility, his right hand instinctively moving to rest on his sword hilt.
Kaidou responded with a disdainful sneer. "Heh, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, did King scramble your brains last time? Have you forgotten that I'm the Kuri Lord?" He deliberately emphasized the title "Lord," a flicker of mockery in his eyes. Without another word, Kaidou brushed past the blocking Shimotsuki Ushimaru and swaggered into the Shogun Palace.
King followed closely behind. As he passed Shimotsuki Ushimaru, his eyes—hidden behind his mask—cast a meaningful glance that sent a rigid chill through the samurai, as if he were reliving his previous crushing defeat. Queen, meanwhile, chewed gum and blew bubbles, looking completely detached from the situation.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru remained rooted in place, watching Kaidou's group disappear into the depths of the Shogun Palace, his expression dark and grim. His clenched fists trembled slightly, nails digging deep into his palms. As a samurai of Wano Country, he understood better than anyone the danger of Kaidou's visit, yet he was powerless to stop it.
Meanwhile, Kaidou had already arrived alone at Sukiyaki's chamber. The spacious Japanese-style room was dimly lit, heavy with the scent of medicinal herbs. The current shogun, "Sukiyaki," lay weakly propped on his bed, his face as pale as paper. Kurozumi Orochi knelt beside him, carefully attending to his medicine.
When Kaidou's towering figure appeared in the doorway, Sukiyaki lifted his head slightly and nodded in acknowledgment.
Kaidou's lips curled into an amused smile. He returned the nod lightly, but his eyes gleamed with dangerous light. The brief exchange felt like a tacit performance, while Kurozumi Orochi kept his head lowered, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips. The atmosphere in the room grew intensely subtle in that moment.
Soon, all the current daimyo of Wano Country had gathered.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru frowned upon entering and seeing Kaidou alone, wondering where the others who had accompanied him earlier had gone. But now was not the time to dwell on that.
"Cough, cough, cough..." A fit of wrenching coughs shattered the silence. "Sukiyaki" hunched over as if he would cough out his very organs. His face was deathly pale, fine beads of sweat dotted his forehead, and his whole body swayed unsteadily.
"Lord Sukiyaki, please stay strong!" Kurozumi Orochi hurried forward to support him, his voice tinged with feigned concern. A barely perceptible calculation flickered in his narrow eyes, even as his hands respectfully steadied "Sukiyaki's" trembling shoulders.
Shimotsuki Yasuie furrowed his brow and stepped forward. "Lord Sukiyaki." His brief address carried genuine concern. He noticed an unusual hoarseness mixed within Sukiyaki's coughing, stirring a sliver of doubt in his heart.
"If anything should happen to me, I entrust this to you, Orochi," 'Sukiyaki' forced out between coughs, his voice as frail as a candle flickering in the wind. His gaze drifted uneasily, never daring to meet anyone's eyes.
"Hai!" Kurozumi Orochi's tears instantly gushed forth as he dramatically prostrated himself on the ground. "This humble servant obeys." Though his forehead pressed against the floor, a sinister smirk tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The assembled Daimyo exchanged uneasy glances. 'Sukiyaki' scanned the room and spoke with difficulty, "You've all heard it. Should anything befall me, before Oden returns, Wano Country shall temporarily be governed by Orochi."
Uzuki Tempura couldn't restrain himself from stepping forward. "Lord Sukiyaki, please don't speak such ominous words. You will surely recover." Sincere concern filled his voice as his right hand unconsciously tightened around the sword at his waist.
"What, are you all disobeying my final command already? Cough, cough, cough..." 'Sukiyaki' suddenly grew agitated, descending into another fit of violent coughing. His performance was too deliberate, causing Fugetsu Omusubi's eyes to flicker with suspicion.
After a moment's contemplation, Fugetsu Omusubi finally bowed and said, "Lord Sukiyaki, please don't say such things. We shall obey." Yet his right hand never left his sword hilt, betraying his inner turmoil.
"Wororororo! Let's end this here." Kaidou's voice abruptly cut through the tension, catching everyone else off guard.
"Kaidou, what do you think you're doing?!" Shimotsuki Ushimaru glared furiously, his hand already gripping his sword hilt. His voice rumbled like thunder through the hall.
Kaidou curled his lip in disdain. "I just don't wanna watch this farce anymore." Before the words fully left his mouth, he suddenly drew Hassaikai. Before anyone could react, the Spiked Club was already whistling through the air toward the dying 'Sukiyaki'.
"You!" Shimotsuki Yasuie only had time to gasp in shock. The Spiked Club descended amid 'Sukiyaki's terrified gaze, the aged face contorting into a grotesque expression in its final moment.
Blood splattered everywhere, drenching Kurozumi Orochi. He stood frozen in place, his expression rapidly shifting from shock to terror. "You... you... you..." His voice trembled uncontrollably as his legs gave way, collapsing him to the floor.
"Bastard, Kaidou, what have you done?" Shimotsuki Yasuie was the first to react, the cold gleam of his drawn Katana slicing through the air. The other Daimyo swiftly unsheathed their blades as well, all pointed at Kaidou.
With a casual swing of Hassaikai, Kaidou forced them all back. He sneered, "You fools don't even know who I just killed."
"Kaidou, you bastard! How dare you raise your hand against Lord Sukiyaki! Prepare to die!" Shimotsuki Ushimaru bristled with rage, about to charge forward again.
"Wait, Ushimaru." Shimotsuki Yasuie suddenly grabbed his arm, his voice unusually calm. "Look closely at who's dead?!"
Everyone focused their gaze and saw that the figure lying on the ground wasn't Sukiyaki at all, but clearly a deeply wrinkled old hag. Black blood still stained the corners of her mouth, her death pose grotesque and horrifying.
"Urorororo," Kaidou's laughter dripped with mockery, "What fools, squandering your positions as Wano Country's elite while being manipulated over and over." His meaningful gaze swept over the collapsed Kurozumi Orochi.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's pupils contracted violently, his sword-gripping hand trembling slightly: "What... what is the meaning of this?" His voice was filled with disbelief.
At this moment, Kurozumi Orochi finally regained his senses from the shock of Kurozumi Higurashi's sudden death.
The reason it took Orochi so long to recover wasn't because he possessed any deep sense of loyalty or righteousness.
Even though Kurozumi Higurashi had helped Orochi during his most destitute days, for someone like him, any amount of kindness was simply taken for granted.
Just as in the original story, where Orochi continued cooperating with Kaidou without batting an eye after Higurashi was eliminated by him.
His current reaction stemmed from the fact that their plan had reached its most critical moment - he was on the verge of becoming Wano Country's shogun, about to fulfill his long-cherished ambition of ruling the nation.
But at the final hurdle, the crucial player Kurozumi Higurashi had been eliminated by Kaidou.
This meant Kurozumi Orochi would never become Wano Country's shogun, and worse, his conspiracy to seize the shogunate might leave him in even more miserable circumstances than before.
"Kaidou, what the hell are you doing?!" Orochi roared at Kaidou.
"Urorororo, what does it look like? I'm eliminating you, the rebel from the Kurozumi family, for our future shogun." Kaidou laughed uproariously while swinging his Hassaikai toward Orochi once more.
"What?! The Kurozumi family?"
"A rebel?!"
The daimyo present all turned to stare at Kurozumi Orochi upon hearing Kaidou's words.
Particularly Shimotsuki Yasuie, who had long harbored suspicions about Orochi, though he never imagined the man was actually a remnant of the Kurozumi clan.
"You... you..." Orochi stammered, retreating repeatedly as he saw Kaidou preparing to strike again.
But the room was limited - where could he possibly escape to?
Just as Orochi watched in terror while the same Spiked Club that had just killed Kurozumi Higurashi came crashing toward him, he became utterly paralyzed with fear, tears instantly blurring his vision.
"Clang!"
At the critical moment, a transparent barrier materialized before Kurozumi Orochi, blocking the lethal attack.
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