A light screen flashed again on Tatsuki's retina.
[Ding! Detected that the Host's behavioral logic is extremely wicked!]
[You have used an extra-dimensional ability to forcibly modify the personality and fate of the key plot character "Kozuki Oden"!]
[Plot subversion judgment: Collapse level!]
[Kozuki Oden will permanently lose the will to restore his country, the future "Nine Red Scabbards" of Wano Country will lose their core of loyalty, and the future "Pirate King's Ally" forces have crumbled!]
[Congratulations, Host! You have received a massive reward of 800,000 Violation Points!]
Tatsuki lightly brushed his sleeve. He lost interest in continuing to watch Oden rolling on the ground and dancing.
In the grand game of Wano Country, the hardest bone to pick was never Kaido entrenched on Onigashima, nor Orochi hiding in the Flower Capital doing political calculations. It was precisely this Kozuki Oden, who had a legitimate right of succession, high popular prestige, and considerable strength.
Keeping him would cause those stubborn samurai of Wano to gather like crazy, which would pose a great obstacle to Tatsuki's takeover plan.
Now, the root problem was solved. The legitimate heir had become an exhibitionist with nothing but striptease on his mind.
The Kozuki family's centuries of prestige would be personally squandered by him. Those blindly loyal samurai would go through anticipation and disappointment over the long years until they completely lost hope.
When this land completely turns into a pile of loose sand with no one left to use, he will only need to descend with thunderous momentum, cleaning up Orochi and his scum like a "savior."
Then, all of Wano Country's wealth, armories, Sea Stone veins, and even the ancient weapon Pluton sleeping underground, would all naturally fall into his private vault.
Tatsuki turned around and pulled the deep purple ronin haori tight, covering most of his body.
Bending down, he picked up Ame no Habakiri and Enma from the ground.
No matter how high an Admiral's salary was, it couldn't compare to two of the 21 Great Grade Swords. Selling them on the black market could at least fetch the cost of several new warships.
Handing them over to the public was impossible, it would never be possible in this lifetime.
This was called legally confiscating illegal controlled blades to prevent a mental patient from hurting innocents with a sword.
Tatsuki weighed the swords with one hand.
The pirates of the New World would never imagine that the Marines, who always advocated "justice," were secretly planning a super industrial chain for smuggling Sea Stone and arms.
Orochi was just a short-sighted agent. Once he built the weapons factories and perfected the production lines, Tatsuki would personally send him to hell and take over the ready-made industry.
Carrying the swords, Tatsuki paced toward the high wall of the courtyard.
Behind him, the croaking of frogs and the sounds of "Heh-hah" intertwined in the courtyard, and the sound of Oden slapping his flesh echoed in the night.
—
The morning light pierced through several streaks of haze in the sky.
The Kuri market had not yet fully awakened. The red bean soup vendor had just set up his stove, the charcoal crackling, and the morning mist still carried the earthy scent of soil.
A long-drawn-out, strange cry tore through this tranquility.
"Ee—yo!"
The heavy wooden gates of the Shogun's estate were slammed open by a surge of brute force.
Oden, stepping on oversized wooden clogs, charged into the street like a wild boar in heat.
If he had just charged out, it would have been one thing, but his current attire had transcended the boundaries of human understanding.
Yesterday, he still wore a loincloth to barely cover his shame. This morning, he had personally torn that palm-sized piece of fabric into thin strips, which fluttered in the air behind him.
A burly man over three meters tall with knotted muscles stood stark naked right in the center of the market.
"Come! Let art bloom in the morning breeze!"
Oden raised both hands above his head, jumping around.
That signature large topknot unraveled as he shook his head violently. With disheveled hair, he plunged headfirst into a muddy pit left by the rain with a splash.
Splat.
Mud splattered everywhere.
A large clump of black mud landed in the steaming pot of red bean soup.
The vendor held his ladle, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, mouth half-open, with curses stuck in his throat.
Oden rolled frantically in the muddy water, his thick, hairy legs kicking alternately, as mud coated his entire body.
He grinned widely, revealing all his molars, wearing a vacant, idiotic smile that only a fool would have. Drool trailed from his chin in long threads, dripping into the mud pit.
He swung his hips while shouting in a rhythmic, raspy voice, "Jump! Twist! Don't stop!"
"This... is this Oden-sama?"
"My God, he... he tore it all to shreds!"
"Yesterday it was just the loincloth, but today... has he gone mad?"
"This is too much for the eyes."
An old woman selling tofu tightly covered her granddaughter's eyes with her rough hands, pulling her cart back repeatedly, looking at Oden with more avoidance than if he were a plague.
Several young samurai had been gripping their sword hilts, ready to respond to Oden's call at any moment. Now, their hands loosened from their swords as they clutched their stomachs, beginning to gag from physical nausea.
How could this be the peerless swordsman who once followed the Pirate King on his voyage and slew countless powerful enemies?
The news quickly grew wings and flew to the Shogun's estate.
"Im... Impossible! How could Oden-sama do such a thing!"
Kin'emon slammed his hand on the table and stood up, the teacup jumping from the impact.
Kanjuro, Kikunojo, Raizo, and the others looked at each other, their faces filled with panic and worry.
Ashura Doji took a large gulp of sake and said in a low voice, "Let's go take a look. Someone must be framing him."
The group hurried to the market. When they pushed through the onlookers and saw the writhing mass of flesh in the mud pit, the eyes of these iron-willed men turned red all at once.
"Oden-sama!"
Kin'emon clutched a large purple haori, his voice carrying a wail.
He scrambled into the mud, his knees slamming heavily into the water. Mud splattered on his face, but he didn't bother to wipe it off. He held the haori high with both hands, trying to cover that body which was too painful to behold.
"Oden-sama, please put on some clothes!"
Kin'emon's tears burst forth like a broken dam.
"Just how long must you bear this humiliation? How can you believe the words of a villain like Orochi! Draw your sword! We, the Nine Red Scabbards, are willing to follow you to the Flower Capital even if we are crushed to pieces!"
Raizo knelt behind them, banging his head against the ground.
Kikunojo covered her face and wept bitterly, her shoulders twitching violently.
The dancing in the mud pit stopped.
Oden tilted his head, looking at the weeping Kin'emon with vacant eyes.
In his mind, there was no national righteousness, only the impatience of having his movements interrupted.
He took a step forward and reached out with his large hand, not to take the haori, but to grab Kin'emon by the neck and forcibly drag the loyal retainer up.
Kin'emon, his face covered in mud and tears, looked up in bewilderment. What met him was Oden's idiotic grinning face pressed extremely close.
"Kin'emon, why the long face?"
Oden opened his mouth wide, and with a strong stench of bad breath and mud, he sang loudly in an out-of-tune voice.
"Dance with me! Shake with me! Shake it together, ay!"
The deafening voice echoed over the market.
Kin'emon's head buzzed, he was stunned.
"My Lord? What... what are you saying?"
"Twist, you idiot!"
Oden used his free hand to smack Kin'emon's buttocks, making a crisp sound.
Spurred by this extremely insulting action, Kin'emon struggled desperately. "No... Oden-sama, please wake up! Wano Country is being destroyed by Orochi!"
He tried to drape the haori over Oden's shoulders. This action violated the highest taboo of Oden's current persona. The subconscious defense mechanism of Kotoamatsukami activated.
Whoever stopped him from dancing and undressing was a mortal enemy.
Oden's lifeless eyes suddenly bulged, erupting with a terrifying, murderous light. His right leg whipped out with a piercing sound of breaking air, launching without reservation.
Bang!
The dull sound of flesh being struck exploded.
This kick landed squarely on Kin'emon's chest. Even with Armament Haki defense, it seemed flimsy against Oden's monstrous strength.
Kin'emon didn't even let out a scream, the crisp sound of his ribs breaking was clearly audible.
He flew backward like a cannonball, smashed through three vegetable stalls, snapped a wooden pillar the size of two men's embrace, and finally crashed heavily into a pile of discarded wooden crates, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Kin'emon!"
Raizo and Kikunojo were horrified and scrambled over to save him.
The entire scene was silent.
Oden stood there with his hands on his hips, pointing at the unconscious, blood-spitting Kin'emon and cursing loudly.
"A bunch of idiots who don't understand art! I was born to dance! What do I care about the survival of the country? What do I care about the lives of my family!"
"If Orochi tells me to dance, I'll dance! Whoever dares to disturb my dancing mood, I'll kick them to death!"
"From today on, Wano Country doesn't need a Shogun, it only needs a Dance King!"
He turned around, his thick fingers pointing at the shivering civilians around him.
"What are you looking at! No one is allowed to leave! Clap for me! Cheer! I'm going to dance until the end of time!"
With those words, he began moving his limbs again, splashing happily in the largest mud pit like a crazed wild boar.
The muddy water splashed high, accompanied by his irrational, wild laughter.
Raizo carried the unconscious Kin'emon on his back, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists, blood dripping through his fingers.
The collapse of faith often happens in an instant.
The watching citizens retreated one after another. The last glimmer of hope in their eyes was brutally crushed.
The prestige the Kozuki family had accumulated over hundreds of years was like a bursting dam this morning, vanishing instantly with no room for recovery.