King held a stack of files, which were the future development policies discussed by Arceus and Acier during the preparations for Kozuki Hiyori’s inauguration ceremony.
The top priority for development remained military power. Besides Beasts Pirates, which is the greatest military deterrent, Arceus now turned his attention to Wano Country’s native military power.
The former Mimawarigumi was a samurai squad under Orochi’s command, and during that fateful night’s battle, it was essentially destroyed. Now, Kaido aims to reorganize Shinsengumi as Wano Country’s internal security force.
“Kojiro will assume the role of the Shinsengumi’s leader, while Greninja’s Oniwabanshu will also be recruiting a ninja force,” King announced the upcoming arrangements to Hiyori in a matter-of-fact tone, paying little attention to Hiyori’s views.
“Wait!”
After King had spoken a lot, Hiyori finally reacted and interrupted King, who wanted to continue speaking.
“Hmm?”
King’s gaze shifted to Hiyori as he was interrupted. Standing at over six meters tall, he appeared entirely monstrous compared to the slightly over one-meter-tall Hiyori. His emotionless tone of voice left Hiyori feeling somewhat frightened.
However, the position of Shogun and the views instilled by those people gave her the courage to continue, saying, “I-I am the Shogun, aren’t I? I believe Kojiro is not suitable.”
But before she could finish, she heard the sound of metal twisting and a silver cup was flattened into a pancake by King’s grip.
“That’s correct, you are the Shogun, but you can sit here as the Shogun not because you possess the capabilities and wisdom of a Shogun, but because we believed you could be the Shogun, and that’s why you can be the Shogun.”
King’s attitude was starkly different from before. In the presence of outsiders, he had appeared as a bodyguard, standing silently by Hiyori’s side. However, now, he treated Kozuki Hiyori with no trace of respect, as if she were nothing more than an insignificant insect.
“In other words, you don’t need to think, and we don’t need your consent. I’m just informing you of what needs to be done, and your role is simply to agree with what I say, or else things will become very difficult for everyone.”
“Agreeing is your only option, or I can give you three chances to refuse.”
“Huh?”
King’s words left Kozuki Hiyori momentarily stunned. Then, he pulled out portraits of Denjiro, Kawamatsu, and Kikunojo.
“You can refuse three times. With each refusal, one of them will die because of you. I’m a man of my words. Do you want to give it a try?”
The situation changed suddenly. Earlier, she had been full of pride on becoming a Shogun, but King’s words revealed that she was just a puppet.
She was just a transition, a means to gradually make the people of Wano Country accept that the Kozuki family was nothing more than a mascot. It would eventually be abolished in one or two generations, which was why the Beasts Pirates’ approach was so direct.
Arceus didn’t believe Hiyori could sincerely join the Beasts Pirates. Killing her father and then trying to recruit his daughter was something he considered impossible. Therefore, he simply let King make everything clear.
Threatening Kawamatsu and the others through Hiyori’s life and then using Kawamatsu and the others to threaten Hiyori, they have eliminated a lot of trouble.
“Don’t… don’t kill them. I’ll do whatever you want!”
Suddenly without her family, she only had these three left as acquaintances. Facing King’s threat, she was terrified that her words would lead to their deaths. So, she chose to compromise decisively.
“That’s better. Don’t worry. You can have everything a Shogun should have. In this palace, you are the real Shogun. You can order the ministers and attendants as you wish, and if you don’t like someone, you can even kill them without hesitation.”
This is a temporary palace, and the ministers here were originally attendants in the Flower Capital palace. They are the people Kozuki Hiyori can order around, but only within the palace; this is the extent of Kozuki Hiyori’s authority.
“I will give you respect in front of outsiders. As long as you obey, we can live in harmony, You will have your share of wealth and glory, and no one will be able to threaten you. But if you don’t behave…”
The silver cup, previously crushed into a pancake, transformed into a puddle of liquid.
“Hell and heaven, it all depends on how you choose. Anyways, there are still some things to discuss about the future development.”
“You can decide for yourself; why bother telling me when it’s already come to this?”
“What are you talking about? This is Shogun’s work, we still need to follow the process.”
That day, Kozuki Hiyori realized that her role as Shogun was nothing more than that of a puppet. Once she left this palace, her words carried even less weight than an ordinary foot soldier of Beasts Pirates.
Meanwhile, in Wano Country, the recruitment for the Shinsengumi had begun, but Kojiro was overseeing these matters, having gained the trust of the Beasts Pirates.
Kaido’s title as the “Wise King” resonated throughout Wano Country through a series of propaganda efforts. Under the absolute military deterrence, many wandering samurai chose to join the Beasts Pirates’ faction Shinsengumi, led by samurai of some repute in Wano Country such as Hotei. A large number of individuals were recruited and screened.
Meanwhile, what happened within Wano Country had nothing to do with Yamato and her group. After enduring three days of mandatory hospital observation, they finally left the VIP ward.
Afterward, she returned to Onigashima amidst a throng of people. But when the Rotom electronic door opened, every hair on her body stood on end.
Her intuition led her to immediately drop to the ground. She sensed a rush of wind behind her, and when she raised her head, she saw Kaido carrying Hassaikai.
“Worororo, you managed to dodge that, huh? What a shame. But it shows you didn’t slack off during your three days off. Well done.”
Watching Kaido laugh to himself, Yamato didn’t find it funny.
“What are you doing? Father, are you trying to kill me? I could have died if that kanabo had hit me, you know?”
“Impossible, at most, it would be a serious injury.”
“Dad! Did you hear that? Father is going to attack me again! Help!”
Seeing Arceus out of the corner of her eye, Yamato frantically rushed towards Arceus. Although it was very ungraceful, it was her deeply ingrained instinct to ask for his help. What Kaido said with a serious tone might not necessarily come to fruition, but the training he spoke of in a jesting manner would definitely be carried out.
“Worororo. Yamato, this time even your Dad can’t save you. Only I can train you in Conqueror’s Haki. Get ready for some special care.”
Arceus’ pressure and Conqueror’s Haki were fundamentally different.
While the strength of Conqueror’s Haki is determined by one’s own spirit, mastering its control still requires training. Whether it’s controlling the range, power, or the nuances of Conqueror’s Haki, this training can only be conducted by Kaido.
Seeing Arceus’ gaze, Yamato seemed to sink into a new despair. However, for the pirates of Onigashima, they were now very excited because after the great battle, it was time for the Beasts Pirates to reward their achievements.
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