"Oh? Died from severe injuries? How convenient. I heard he was spotted a few times in recent months… I didn't expect him to die this quickly,".Rosse raised an eyebrow slightly, and with a single sentence drew everyone's attention back to him.
Since no one wanted to play along, then he would simply perform a one–man show.
And with Kozuki Toki cooperating, it was actually rather entertaining for him.
"However, I came this time to bring back Kozuki Oden's head. Since he's dead, then tell me, where is he buried?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Kin'emon's glare toward Rosse became even more furious.
"My lord, your request is too excessive. Lord Oden has already passed away. Why must you trouble the dead?", Kin'emon said angrily.
But what use was anger?
Taking in all the looks aimed at him, Rosse merely laughed inwardly.
There were far too many people in this world who hated him.
If glaring could kill, the Celestial Dragons would've been wiped out eight hundred times over.
Rosse didn't even bother acknowledging Kin'emon, and once again turned to Kozuki Toki.
As if Kin'emon's opinion didn't matter at all, only Kozuki Toki had the authority to speak for the Kozuki family.
["Continue repeating after me,"] Rosse's voice once again sounded in Kozuki Toki's ear.
'Seriously?'
She lifted her head slightly and looked at Rosse in confusion. At this point, she was truly baffled.
'Why…?'
He clearly knew they were lying, and yet he insisted on having her act it out like this.
'Is something wrong with this man?'
Even while grumbling inside, Kozuki Toki didn't dare say a word.
Instead, she straightened her posture, deciding to properly continue playing along with Rosse.
At this point, it was the only possible course of action.
After hearing Rosse's transmission, Kozuki Toki froze for a moment, then spoke with a sorrowful expression, "Your Highness, Oden's body has already been cast into the sea. It was his dying wish, and how could we not follow it? We would gladly present his head to you, but by now it must have been completely swallowed by the sea."
"Madam, MIND YOUR WORDS!", Kin'emon glared at Kozuki Toki, eyes like that of a man–eating beast.
He couldn't believe she actually said that.
If Kozuki Oden had truly died, would Kozuki Toki really have done such a thing?
Even if it were only a makeshift excuse, this absolutely could not be allowed.
As warriors and retainers, they must show absolute respect to their lord.
And as the lord's wife, shouldn't she adhere to that even more?
Under the furious stares of Kin'emon and the others, Kozuki Toki shuddered, and a trace of anger arose in her heart.
'If these fools had agreed on a plan beforehand, would I still have needed to say what Saint Rosse wanted?'
'No brains, and not even clever enough to improvise, do they want everyone to die to feel satisfied?', Kozuki Toki's heart grew increasingly resentful.
It was fortunate that the one who came was someone like Rosse who wanted to toy with them and was willing to play along with the farce.
If it had been a straightforward powerhouse, they would've all been killed by now.
Even if she died, Kozuki Toki wouldn't care much, but her daughter was still in the residence. Could she bear for Hiyori to be dragged into this?
"Oh? What's this? Is this some kind of unspeakable secret? Or is someone lying?", Holding the teacup, Rosse watched the scene with a smiling gaze.
Now that he was sure Kin'emon and the others had no brains, he decided to take things a bit further.
Kozuki Toki was a clever woman. But clever women tended to think too much. And thinking too much inevitably created a rift between her and the fools.
That alone was enough.
"Your Highness," Kozuki Toki took a deep breath, glared at Kin'emon and the others to warn them to stay silent, then calmed her heart and turned back toward Rosse, "Every word I said is the truth."
This time, Rosse didn't control her. Kozuki Toki had already figured it out herself, she knew what needed to be done now.
Since Rosse wasn't here to condemn them, she would simply smooth this matter over.
As long as Kozuki Oden didn't show himself before Rosse left, the matter could be let go.
"I still believe the lady's words," Rosse smiled faintly.
That said, Rosse was actually a bit curious.
Based on what he'd seen so far, Kozuki Toki didn't seem like someone afraid of death.
To endure such bullying and still keep calm… it could only mean Kozuki Toki had a weakness.
'And that weakness… what exactly is it?'
'The Kozuki family? Kozuki Oden? Kozuki Momonosuke? Or Kozuki Hiyori?'
Rosse narrowed his eyes slightly and first eliminated the possibility of Momonosuke.
Even he had searched the entire Kozuki residence and couldn't find Momonosuke, nor the two retainers Nekomamushi and Kawamatsu.
Even he didn't know where those three had gone.
After all, the World Government had almost no manpower in the Land of Wano. Only Zephyr and Moria were in the country, and the only people Rosse focused on were Oden and Toki. The others were beneath his notice.
As for Momonosuke, where could he run? No matter where he went, he was only a tool that could be crushed at will.
Though that was the truth, what he needed to say was something else entirely.
"Since Kozuki Oden is dead, then what about the other one I want?", Rosse calmly looked at Kozuki Toki, waiting for her explanation.
From her response, he would learn what she really cared about.
Kozuki Toki took a deep breath. This time, there was no instruction from Rosse in her ear, but fortunately they had prepared for this question, "Nekomamushi and Kawamatsu have already betrayed us, and after Lord Oden died, they took Momonosuke away with them."
This had been decided long ago.
Kozuki Oden would stay, but Momonosuke had to be taken away.
Even if something happened to Oden, the Kozuki clan would still have a seed left.
She had begged Oden for a long time, asking for Nekomamushi to take Hiyori as well, but no matter what she said, Kin'emon had refused.
That was the one time they'd been somewhat clever.
Their reasoning was simple, if both children were taken, the rest of them wouldn't be staying in Kuri, they would have immediately gone after them.
But now, Kozuki Toki could clearly see the flaw.
Even if one child stayed behind, that wasn't a reason for everyone else to remain indifferent.
But deep down, she knew the truth. The other retainers had never intended to leave.
At the time the plan was raised, Kawamatsu had been the only one willing to leave with Nekomamushi.
Momonosuke was important, but the Land of Wano was even more important.
The others simply didn't want to go. Leaving Hiyori behind was just an excuse.
In reality, the Land of Wano had no tradition of female succession. Which meant that in the retainers' eyes, Hiyori was never valued at all. At most, they would protect her safety slightly.
Even if she ended up reduced to a courtesan, those retainers probably wouldn't care.
They were only willing to stay because Oden would stay.
Thinking of this, Kozuki Toki couldn't help feeling chilled.
Hiyori was her own flesh and blood, how could she bear for her child to be dragged down and harmed?
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