Tired, she didn't want to speak anymore.
Kozuki Toki completely didn't want to say anything more.
Before, she didn't feel this way, and simply felt that these retainers were loyal to a point that was kind of cute.
But now, looking at it, they were clearly stupid to the point of being cute.
She had already done her best to save them, and Rosse had also done his best to give them a way out, yet these retainers didn't want to live at all.
Not only did they want to get her killed, they even wanted to drag Hiyori into it.
Thinking of this, a trace of grievance appeared in Kozuki Toki's eyes.
This grievance wasn't because of the retainers' attitude, but because of Kozuki Oden's attitude.
Clearly, he was still in the Kozuki mansion, but up until now he had no intention of showing himself.
She could be sure that Kozuki Oden was watching this side, and that he had ways to secretly contact some of the retainers.
But up till now, Kozuki Oden had made no moves at all and didn't show any intention of intervening.
"Since the Kozuki clan wants the Kurozumi clan to repay their debts, then what problem is there with me, representing the Holy Land, asking the Kozuki clan to repay their debts?", Rosse let out a light laugh, following up Raizo's words and slowly rising to his feet.
Since Raizo had already said that, it'd be a shame not to make good use of the stage that was already set.
"What are you going to do?", Seeing this, Kin'emon and the others immediately gripped their weapons and looked at Rosse warily.
"Hand over the last child of the Kozuki clan and I can spare your lives," Rosse spoke slowly, with an indisputable tone.
"Impossible! You're insulting the Kozuki clan!", Raizo rejected flatly. Although if it became absolutely necessary, they could hand over Kozuki Hiyori, it wasn't going to be now.
"You're too noisy," Rosse's voice rang out, ice-cold.
At the same time, the sound of a blade cutting into flesh rang out.
Raizo only felt a pain in his abdomen, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
Rosse, who had been standing in place, appeared right in front of him in the blink of an eye, holding in his hand a high-pressure water blade formed of flowing water.
And at this moment, that high-pressure water blade was still oozing fresh blood.
'So fast!', Kin'emon and the others cried out subconsciously, but they were all battle-hardened, and their bodies reflexively reacted, swinging their weapons at Rosse.
"Pointless," Rosse said calmly.
He took unhurried steps forward. With each step, fresh blood spurted and the sound of bodies collapsing followed.
After just five short steps, all six retainers were lying on the floor, and the conference room was dyed red with blood, which spread across the tatami mats.
"So strong…", Kozuki Toki stared blankly at the scene, watching the six retainers fall so easily, her eyes filled with disbelief.
She had previously been suppressed by Conqueror's Haki, but at that time she wasn't within Rosse's designated range.
It was only because the other retainers barely managed to stay standing that she realized how powerful Rosse was.
But that kind of strength hadn't involved him taking direct action, so it wasn't as intuitive.
In just an instant, six retainers, who in her eyes were immensely strong, were taken down by Rosse as easily as if it were nothing.
She even knew Rosse had held back.
If Rosse wanted, the ones on the floor wouldn't be six groaning wounded, but six cold corpses.
"Hand over the Kozuki clan's last child. The next time I strike, I won't avoid vital spots," Rosse lightly waved his hand, and the high-pressure water blade turned into spray and dispersed.
He glanced indifferently at the injured on the ground, waiting for them to make their choice.
Before coming here, he already knew a fight would be unavoidable.
He just wasn't certain whether Kozuki Oden could endure it.
But from the looks of it, Kozuki Oden had a very high tolerance. Even if Rosse were to deal with Kozuki Toki right on the spot, Kozuki Oden probably wouldn't show himself.
He had no real interest in killing these few small fries. In fact, having these adorable idiots still alive allowed him to watch a few more entertaining scenes.
'This woman, Kozuki Toki, is still quite interesting.'
Rosse wanted to see what kind of choice she would make when stuck with these idiots as teammates.
"In your dreams. The Kozuki clan will never yield!",.Kin'emon gritted his teeth and glared hatefully at Rosse.
"Is that so? Good, I happen to like hard bones."
Rosse's lips curled slightly as he lightly waved his hand again.
"AAAAAAHH!", Kin'emon let out a sudden miserable scream, and his left arm was forever separated from his body.
The severe pain made it impossible for him to endure.
"What about the others?", Rosse smiled. He wouldn't kill, but that didn't mean he wouldn't cripple.
He also wanted to see whether, if he crippled these six retainers, Kozuki Oden would finally make a move.
In that tense atmosphere, the entire conference room fell into silence.
The other retainers, seeing Kin'emon's miserable state, wisely shut their mouths.
This matter wasn't something they could decide.
And if they tried to play tough, they would only be turned into cripples by Rosse just as easily.
They were willing to die for the Kozuki clan. If Kozuki Oden were not around today, they would definitely fight to the end.
No matter who it was, no one could insult the Kozuki clan like this.
But Kozuki Oden had specifically emphasized to them before that after Rosse arrived, they must not take the initiative to strike. If something major happened, he would send them a message using special methods.
Therefore, the retainers wisely chose to remain silent.
"I'll give you 10 seconds to think. Every 10 seconds, I'll randomly kill one of you."
Rosse watched the retainers' reactions with great interest and realized something.
He didn't know what method Kozuki Oden had to pass messages to these retainers right in front of him.
But given Wano's heritage, having that kind of ability wasn't surprising.
After all, even he himself had several ways to pass messages.
"10!"
"9!"
Each casual count sounded like a death sentence, and made Raizo and the others feel as if they were facing death.
Their injuries were severe. Although they weren't completely unable to move, their battle strength had already been mostly lost, and they could only lie on the ground in defensive postures.
"3!"
"2!"
Just as Rosse raised his hand slightly, Kawamatsu suddenly spoke, "We will give you Princess Hiyori. Can you guarantee that you won't lay a hand on us?"
Once these words came out, Rosse didn't respond directly, but instead gave Kozuki Toki a half-smiling look.
'This, this is the answer I wanted to hear."
And Kozuki Toki's expression was exactly what Rosse had expected.
She froze as though struck by lightning, staring in disbelief, as if she had just been betrayed in the worst way.
And that betrayal came from the person you love the most, Kozuki Oden.
Rosse had already guessed it. If Kozuki Oden were to show himself, he would surely make this choice.
Because he couldn't understand Kozuki Oden's behavior, he had considered Kozuki Oden's mentality carefully.
According to his guess, in Kozuki Oden's heart, Wano was above everything else, and the people of Wano were far more important than his own bloodline and even himself.
If he had to choose between a hundred Wano citizens and his own daughter, Kozuki Oden would undoubtedly choose the people of Wano.
The retainers were the same. In Kozuki Oden's heart, they were ranked above his blood relatives and his wife, second only to the people of Wano.
Perhaps, in Kozuki Oden's heart, if there were a chance, even if he had to sacrifice himself, he would still save these retainers.
In a sense, Kozuki Oden was pure to an extreme.
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