“Damn it, these b*stards! Did they really have to cause trouble on this particular day?”
Last night was destined to be a sleepless one. As the captain of the Shinsengumi, Hotei faced the biggest crisis of his career.
The chaos that erupted in parts of the Flower Capital had led to several stampedes. Thankfully, due to timely rescue efforts and the generally robust constitution of the local people, there were no fatalities. However, the number of injured was too many.
On top of that, the aftermath of fires and gunpowder explosions only compounded the problems, leaving Hotei with a massive headache.
“Have all the culprits been caught?”
“They should be… mostly caught, Captain Hotei. A lot of people were involved in this, and we’re still not sure how many participated.”
Hotei wasn’t the only one harboring grievances. His subordinates were too; they hadn’t had a moment’s rest since yesterday, working all this time to resolve the chaos.
Recalling Greninja’s earlier words, Hotei suddenly realized that he had been hinting at something, though he hadn’t grasped the meaning at the time.
“Then make them talk! Get them to give up their accomplices!”
After venting at his subordinates, Hotei approached King, ready to take a scolding.
“Good news—you’ve managed to keep your position as Shinsengumi captain. The higher-ups are satisfied with your performance.”
King’s words allowed Hotei to breathe a sigh of relief. As long as his position was secure, he could accept anything else. It seemed that his usual strict discipline with his subordinates had paid off.
However, King immediately tossed a list compiled by Queen onto the table in front of him.
“How should it be handled, you don’t need me to teach you, do you?”
“Yes, please leave it to me!”
With a glance, he saw that several people who usually slacked off were all on the list. He realized that this was a promotion and demotion list, and he already had a definite plan of action.
But what happened after Hotei left was something even King hadn’t anticipated.
“Boss, Kozuki Hiyori wants to see you. She seems to have something to discuss,” Delia reported, poking her head out through the doorway.
Although King held the nominal title of Shogun’s Attaché—a special role meant to serve the Shogun—the reality was quite the opposite. King was the one truly in power.
“Kozuki Hiyori?”
“Yes, she seems to have some suggestions about what happened last night. Shall I arrange for her to see you?”
The matter had essentially been settled: the ringleaders would be executed, and the accomplices sent to work in the mines—an old tradition. Hiyori wanting to put forward suggestions intrigued King.
“Let her wait. I’ll look for her shortly.”
This was one of the rare occasions where Hiyori, as the Shogun, was afforded some dignity; since there is something she wants to discuss, he should at least make an effort to go to her, instead of her having to seek him out.
…….
“You think the punishment is too lenient?”
“Yes, Lord King. This approach won’t have the desired effect. I have a better suggestion, and the citizens deserve an explanation. Here is the new decree I’ve drafted. What do you think?”
Taking the document from Hiyori, King’s expression grew complicated beneath his mask.
The previously drafted decree stated that rioters had attempted to assassinate the Shogun, which led to the chaos. But Hiyori made it even harsher.
She reclassified those rioters, connecting them not just to ordinary acts of riot and treason, but also to the Kurozumi family’s rebellion in the past. She transformed their simple opposition to her into opposition against the entire Kozuki family.
As the sole remaining Kozuki bloodline in Wano Country, her word was law. By making this change, she utterly obliterated their standing on a psychological level; just this one statement made it so that these people will never be able to hold their heads high in Wano Country again.
Hiyori, as the first female Shogun, might not stir much controversy by herself. But elevating the matter to an attack on the Kozuki family changed everything.
“Furthermore, I think their punishment is too short. If these people had the energy to incite rebellion, they should spend their entire lives mining. That way, they won’t have any strength left to cause more trouble.”
For these people who wanted to kill one of their own, she doesn’t have any pity in her heart. As soon as this decree was announced, it would signify a complete break between her and this group of people. But, she had ceased caring about such matters since the events of the previous night.
King had no reason to reject her suggestion. He left it to Kozuki Hiyori to handle as she saw fit, while he returned to Onigashima to report on the situation.
They had the capability to preemptively suppress the rebels, but Arceus had opted to treat it as a drill. In hindsight, the decision had proven effective, even triggering some unexpected developments.
……
At this moment, Kozuki Hiyori was publicly addressing the previous night’s turmoil. While offering her condolences to the injured, she fiercely condemned the perpetrators. She likened them to Kurozumi Orochi, pinning them to the pillar of shame in Wano Country’s history.
“Strike at their hearts—when a woman gets ruthless, they are really ruthless.”
Simply killing the rebels wouldn’t be enough to scare those who had abandoned reason for a cause like Sunacchi. However, Kozuki Hiyori’s actions crushed their hopes, leaving them alive to endure endless scorn and disgrace.
For people like this, living under such circumstances was even more painful than death. They have successfully attracted the hatred of the masses, and the people who had suffered through the night’s chaos couldn’t stop cursing them.
Even King couldn’t help but marvel at how ruthless her methods were.
“Well said. When women get ruthless, they’re all maniacs,” Queen chimed in, recalling his own experiences. Women like Shayna and Setsuna had caused him no small amount of suffering, rivaling even Kaido at times.
“But there are exceptions. At least Miss Yamato doesn’t seem to have such tendencies.”
“You’d better pray you never see that side of her. She is Boss Kaido’s daughter. If she ever gets ruthless, heh…”
King patted Queen on the shoulder before walking off, heading back to the palace in the Flower Capital.
“Wait a minute! Even if she does, why would she take it out on me?!”
Realization dawned on Queen as he roared towards the sky. Then, he returned to his laboratory, where his flowers had started to sprout—a good beginning.
……
The immediate impact of the assassination attempt had largely subsided, but its indirect consequences continued to ripple through. The remaining rebels were sent to the Udon mining area, including those who had witnessed the slaughter wrought by Enma and Ame no Habakiri.
Traumatized by what they had seen, their accounts varied slightly but shared a common theme—they couldn’t avoid mentioning the “Oden’s ghost.”
As time went on, some people’s resolve began to waver. If even Oden acknowledges these matters, it indicates that all of this is the best outcome. Coupled with the country’s steadily improving conditions, the assassination attempt instead accelerated the collapse of some stubborn people’s resolve.
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