In the shadows of the roof of a sake house diagonally across from the market.
A figure wearing a purple ronin haori sat quietly.
Tatsuki finished the last sip of sake in his cup, the spiciness of the liquid washing over his taste buds.
He looked at the tragic and farcical spectacle below, a sliver of appreciation curling at the corner of his lips.
"Truly spectacular." Tatsuki whispered in a voice only he could hear.
The sharpest weapon in this world was never some Black Blade. It was dignity, completely rotted and trampled from within.
When a nation's hero becomes a joke, then that nation is only one official document away from being taken over.
"Kin'emon, if you were truly loyal, you should have drawn your sword and killed him just now. That would have been the only way to save the last bit of the Kozuki family's pathetic face."
Unfortunately, these samurai followed the rules too strictly. Blind loyalty is sometimes more fatal than betrayal.
He stood up and casually placed the sake cup on the roof ridge.
The farce had finished playing. The actor's performance was perfect, and the audience's reaction was enthusiastic.
As the director, he was very satisfied.
Tatsuki's gaze crossed over the chaotic Kuri and looked toward the distant Flower Capital.
Flower Capital.
Inside the Shogun's Mansion, decadent music echoed endlessly, and the air was thick with the cloying scent of alcohol and makeup.
Geishas dressed in magnificent kimonos wore stiff smiles, cautiously pouring wine for the two monsters sitting at the head of the room.
One of them was the current Shogun of Wano Country, Orochi. He had a wretched face that could make a small child stop crying. At this moment, he was holding two courtesans, boasting about his future grand ambitions while his mouth reeked of alcohol, letting out a grating 'He-he-he-he' laugh from time to time.
The other person, simply by sitting there, made the entire luxurious room feel cramped and overcrowded. Blue dragon scales extended from his thick arms all the way to his chest, and two ferocious horns atop his head silently spoke of his non-human identity.
Governor of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido.
He ignored Orochi's noisy chatter, simply picking up a wine gourd larger than a water vat, tilting his head back to gulp down a mouthful of strong liquor, and blowing two thick streams of white smoke from his nostrils.
Just then, a ninja responsible for monitoring Kuri came rushing in, crawling and stumbling, his expression panicked to the extreme.
"Sho... Shogun-sama! Something has happened in Kuri!"
Orochi, who had his head buried in a geisha's chest, was interrupted in his pleasure. He snapped his head up, his eyes full of violence, and his handlebar mustache quivered with rage.
"You bastard! Can't you see I'm entertaining Kaido-sama? If those samurai are causing trouble, just cut them down!"
"No... it's not trouble."
The ninja gulped, his expression looking worse than if he were crying.
"It's Oden... Oden..."
Upon hearing this name, Orochi's drunkenness mostly vanished. He shoved the women in his arms away, his voice becoming a pitch sharper.
"What happened to him? Did that bastard finally lose his patience and lead his men here to kill us?!"
"No! It's not that!"
The ninja shook his head frantically, his face looking as if he had seen a ghost.
"He... this morning, he stripped himself stark naked and is dancing in the Kuri market."
"What?"
Orochi and Kaido turned their gazes toward him at the same time.
The ninja gulped and recounted everything that had happened in the market at top speed.
"...Kin'emon went up to stop him but was kicked half to death. He even shouted in front of everyone, 'What does the survival of the country matter to me? What does the life or death of my family matter to me?!'"
"He also said... he also said..."
"Said what!" Orochi pressed impatiently.
"He said, 'Wano Country doesn't need a Shogun, it only needs a Dance King!'"
The music came to a sudden halt.
Orochi's comical face froze. He blinked, seemingly trying to digest this magical piece of information.
One second.
Two seconds.
"Gufufufu!"
A low laugh squeezed out of Orochi's throat, followed by an uncontrollable roar of laughter, finally evolving into a hysterical scream.
"Gufufufufu! Gone mad? That high-and-mighty Oden has gone mad?!"
Orochi jumped up from the tatami mat, dancing and gesticulating wildly. He grabbed a wine jug from the table and poured it into his mouth recklessly, the liquid flowing down his chin and soaking his expensive robes.
"Serves him right! He deserves it! To think the so-called hero ended up becoming a perverted dancer who likes to strip naked?!"
Orochi laughed so hard that tears shot out. He spun in circles in the hall, kicking over low tables and crushing fruit platters.
This pleasure of revenge felt even more intense than killing someone.
"Kaido-sama! Did you hear that?!"
Like a lapdog wagging its tail, he leaned in front of Kaido, his ugly face twisting into a mess from extreme excitement.
"This is the consequence of opposing us! What invincible samurai? What crewmate of Roger? In the face of reality, he's just a stray dog with a broken spine!"
Kaido glanced at the frenzied Orochi, a flash of disdain in his eyes.
He lifted the wine gourd and tilted his head back to drink.
"Gulp..."
"Wororororo..."
Kaido set down the wine gourd and let out a burp.
"Though I don't know which nerve in that guy's head snapped, nonetheless... this counts as a result."
He had originally been looking forward to a heart-pounding battle. After all, that man was one of the few powerhouses on these seas who could injure him. But now it seemed he had overestimated the man.
A weakling bound by a ridiculous 'agreement' who finally had a mental breakdown under pressure was no longer worthy of dying under his mace.
"How boring."
Kaido blew two thick streams of white vapor from his nostrils, the murderous light in his bloodshot eyes growing intense.
"Since he's ruined himself first, there's no longer any need to keep that verbal agreement. Pirates never keep their word to the weak."
Orochi's eyes instantly lit up. He rubbed his hands together and leaned even closer.
"You mean..."
"That bullshit agreement to 'leave in five years' is now void."
Kaido casually grabbed a giant leg with the bone still in it, tore off a hunk of meat, and chewed until the bones crunched.
"I don't have the patience to play house with a dancing fool for five years."
Orochi trembled with excitement.
No need to wait five years!
No more worrying about complications!
As long as they took Kuri, all those stubborn laborers could be captured and sent to mine in Udon, the Kozuki family's treasures would all be his, and the entirety of Wano Country would completely bear the name 'Kurozumi'.
"Brilliant! Truly brilliant!" Orochi knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly to Kaido. "I'll immediately arrange for the Oniwabanshu..."
"No need for such trouble."
Kaido interrupted Orochi's nonsense, his gaze pressing toward the shadows in the corner.
A massive youth sat there. Signature twin braids hung over his chest, the lower half of his face was covered by a metal jaw, and horn-shaped ornaments sat atop his head.
One of the Three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, Jack the Drought.
Though he was still young and had not reached his peak stature, the oppressive aura he exuded was already enough to suffocate an ordinary samurai.
In these seas, Jack had a resounding nickname—the 'Ship-Attacker King'.
Once his temper flared, even if he faced an Admiral, he would dare to order his ship to close in.
Jack walked before Kaido and knelt on one knee, his metal armor clanging against the floor.
"Boss Kaido."
Kaido casually pointed in the direction of Wano's main island. "Take your men and go to Kuri. I don't care what method you use. Within one day, flatten that place for me. Anyone still breathing is to be captured and sent to Udon to mine rocks. Anyone who doesn't listen, slaughter them and use them as fertilizer."
Jack stood up and pulled his two sickle-like blades halfway out, the friction of the edges emitting a piercing screech.
"Understood, Boss."
Orochi leaned in from the side, sycophantically adding, "Jack-sama, that Oden still has some skill. Should you bring more manpower?"
Jack turned his head, looking down coldly at Orochi. That gaze was exactly like looking at a pile of dog shit on the side of the road.
"I am Jack." He grunted dully.
"Whether it's Oden or those scrap-metal samurai, if they block my path, I'll just trample over them. Bring more men? Are you looking down on a Mammoth's destructive power?"
Orochi was so choked by the retort that he backed away repeatedly, not daring to let out another peep.
Kaido was extremely satisfied with Jack's simple and blunt personality.
"Go. Let those country bumpkins in Wano Country see what a true disaster looks like."
The gates of the Flower Capital swung wide open.
The flag of the Beasts Pirates snapped loudly in the wind.
Jack walked at the very front. With every step he took, he left a deep footprint in the stone pavement. Behind him followed hundreds of bizarre-looking lackeys of the Beasts Pirates.
"Boys!" Jack drew his twin blades, the tips pointing straight toward Kuri.
"Boss has spoken. Target: Kuri! Leave no survivors, crush them all!"
"Awooooooo!"
The pirates raised their guns and swords, letting out an earth-shaking roar.
The massive procession poured out from the Flower Capital, following the wilderness road and heading straight for Kuri.
(End of Chapter)
Read upto 50 Chapters ahead on
patreon.com/astralicity