None of the guards that Orochi had assembled were a match for him, to be precise, they didn’t even have the qualifications to withstand a single strike from him.
“Worororo, so Oden has returned, huh? I wonder how is Orochi going to handle this?”
“He must be in a tough spot now. After all, whether Kozuki Oden wins or we win, it means his end is near.”
“Who knows, but everything is already in place, Rotom!”
With Arceus’ call, a TV-shaped Rotom flew over, and after a brief flicker, the screen unexpectedly displayed a live feed from beside Orochi. It turned out to be a miniaturized camera Rotom that had been discreetly deployed, providing an opportunity to observe the situation.
“Yamato! Come here, take a break for an hour.”
Yamato, who was doing an obstacle race nearby, was delighted to hear Arceus’ shout. It was a rare opportunity to rest, but despite getting a break, she was pushed in front of the TV Rotom by Arceus.
“Dad, what is this?”
“Let me show you just how deceitful and treacherous the world of adults can be.”
Flower Capital, when Orochi heard the report from his subordinate outside the door, Kozuki Oden had already slain all the guards and arrived before Orochi, covered in blood.
That blood wasn’t his own but that of his enemies. At this moment, Kurozumi Orochi realized that Kozuki Oden was a madman who would stop at nothing.
Although Kurozumi Semimaru’s barrier fruit blocked Oden’s attack, Orochi’s heart remained deeply conflicted. What he had done over the years was like allowing a wolf into one’s own home.
Although he was despicable and shameless, he wasn’t a fool. The actions of the Beasts Pirates over the years, Kaido’s slip of the hand when he arrived in Wano Country, all indicated that they never intended to fully ally with him but rather wanted to conquer Wano Country for themselves.
Now the actions of the Beasts Pirates were completely different from what he had expected, but it was easier said than done to get Kaido to leave.
That was also why he arranged for someone to assassinate Kozuki Momonosuke. Although he hated the Kozuki family, he needed the power of Kozuki Oden.
Only by provoking a conflict between him and Kaido, preferably one where both would be heavily injured, would he have a chance.
He had some understanding of Oden’s mindset. If Oden saw that Kaido could make the lives of Wano Country’s residents better, then Orochi, the one who had persecuted the people, would be in trouble.
However his external intelligence network was severely lacking, leaving him completely unaware of Oden’s return. By the time he learned of this information, it was already too late as Kozuki Oden had already stormed his gates.
“Oden. Stop, Oden! What are you planning to do!”
“What am I planning to do? Of course, I’m going to cut you down, Orochi! Come out!”
Even Kozuki Oden couldn’t break through the barrier created by Barrier-Barrier fruit. Orochi’s mind was racing, thinking of countermeasures. After Oden had slashed at him hundreds of times, Orochi made an unexpected move.
“Oden-sama! Please let me explain!”
In a sudden move, Kurozumi Orochi stood up and knelt down, bringing his knees together and placing his hands on his thighs. Then, he extended his hands in a bowing gesture, leaned forward, and forcefully planted his head on the ground.
He prostrated himself before Kozuki Oden, assuming a position of complete submission.
“Hmm? Orochi, do you think I will spare you just because you are kneeling? If you have the courage, come out and face me like a samurai in a duel!”
“Oden-sama, I understand that you must be extremely angry, but please listen to my explanation. Semimaru, release the barrier.”
As he spoke, he commanded Kurozumi Semimaru to remove the barrier that was enveloping them. Kurozumi Semimaru hesitated for a moment but ultimately obeyed Orochi’s command.
Orochi did this because he was gambling. He wagered that Oden would hesitate upon seeing him in this state. If he lost the gamble, it didn’t matter since he had more than one life and could find other ways to deal with the situation.
Although there was an element of risk involved, he gambled correctly. Enma hovered around his neck, but Oden didn’t actually strike him down.
“Very well, I will give you a chance to explain.”
“Thank you very much, Oden-sama!” Orochi still didn’t raise his head, but a smile appeared on his lips.
“Here’s what happened. When Sukiyaki-sama fell seriously ill, he, without holding any past grudges, forgave the mistakes of my grandfather, allowing me to assume the position of acting Shogun. This act deeply moved me.”
While speaking, tears streamed down his face, evoking a powerful sense of heartfelt emotion.
“This is something that everyone knows. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the other daimyos.”
“Ah, and then?” Oden had heard about this from his retainers as well. After all, it was something done by Kurozumi Higurashi using the Clone-Clone Fruit, and the people of Wano Country were unaware of it.
“And then… I’m sorry, Oden-sama! Due to my overwhelming greed, I have committed many wrongdoings. And because other daimyos hated me, I made a hasty decision and came up with a plan to use outsiders to deal with them, luring Kaido into Wano Country.”
“At first, I only saw him as a mercenary, but I never expected his ambitions to be so big. He wanted to take over the entire Wano Country. By the time I realized it, it was already too late.”
“No one in Wano Country is a match for him. Beasts Pirates rampage here without restraint. I even reached out to the World Government through my connections, but Kaido didn’t even take their special agent seriously and killed him in plain sight above the Flower Capital.”
As he spoke, he bowed his head, summarizing the events of the past years. In short, all of this was orchestrated by Kaido, and Orochi was left with no choice.
“Do you take me for a fool? Just a moment ago, you were reveling in luxury and pleasure.”
“Oden-sama! I did all that to deceive Kaido. If I didn’t cooperate with him in this way, Wano Country would have become hell!”
“I am also a citizen of Wano Country. How could I possibly persecute our people? I know you must have heard many rumors about my evil deeds, but those were all Kaido’s doings. Establishing factories, forcefully capturing citizens to work in mines—those are all his doings.”
“Although he pays wages, it’s merely a means to buy people’s loyalty. For every gold he gives, he takes three gold from the treasury of Wano Country!”
At the end, Orochi raised his head and looked at Oden.
“Oden-sama, I admit my faults, but the real calamity for Wano Country is Kaido. I have been waiting every day for your return. Only you can lead us and expel him, restoring freedom to Wano Country!”
If one were to look for the best actor within Wano Country, it wouldn’t be in the theaters or the Red-Light District, but in the form of Kurozumi Orochi. His mouth was devoid of any truthful words, yet Kozuki Oden surprisingly felt that he had blamed him wrongly.
However, in the end, he still placed Ame no Habakiri against Orochi’s neck.
“And how do you explain the matter concerning my wife?”
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