Hiyori's bodyguard approached Kaito and Kalifa, bowed respectfully, and said:
"My lady is heading to an evening banquet at Shogun Orochi's residence. She wishes to invite the two of you to accompany her. Would you be willing?"
Kalifa didn't say anything. She simply looked up at Kaito—if he was interested, she'd go along.
Kaito thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to check it out. After all, that Kurozumi Orochi was a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user. A complete waste of such a power, really.
Besides, his name, combined with that fruit of his, always reminded Kaito of a certain shameless snake... though in both appearance and personality, they couldn't be more different.
If Orochi had no sense and picked a fight tonight, then Kaito figured he might just add another nice Devil Fruit to his collection.
With that thought, Kaito smiled and said,
"Sure. Might as well take a look around the shogun's estate—see how it compares to a proper government office."
With that, he took Kalifa's hand and started walking toward Kozuki Hiyori.
The bodyguard behind them looked confused.
"Government office?" What the hell is that?
...
Hiyori, waiting along the street, was secretly delighted when she saw her target actually walking her way.
She bowed slightly toward Kaito and said softly,
"My lord, it's truly an honor to dine with you. Please, just call me Komurasaki."
"Hm? You act like you know me, miss."
"No, I merely sensed your overwhelming aura earlier and wanted the chance to meet you. Also, someone of your strength—I imagine Shogun Orochi would very much like to meet you as well."
"Heh. I'm not interested in any shogun. I just feel like having some fun at his estate."
Hearing Kaito's total lack of respect for Orochi, Hiyori's heart lifted even more. Clearly, this man didn't care at all about Orochi's status—which made him all the easier to use to eliminate him.
Hiyori loathed Orochi to her core, though she still warned with a smile:
"My lord, perhaps you should be mindful of your words. The shogun doesn't have the best temper."
Kaito didn't reply. He simply smiled at her. But under that gaze, Hiyori felt completely exposed—as if every secret she had was laid bare beneath those violet Rinnegan eyes.
Unable to hold the eye contact, she quickly turned her head and tried to appear composed as she led the way.
"I still don't know your name, my lord."
"Uchiha Kaito."
"So it's Kaito-sama... You're not a resident of Wano, I assume. Are you here vacationing with your lover?"
Behind him, Kalifa's cheeks flushed at the word "lover," and she quickly tried to correct her,
"We're not—"
But Kaito cut her off directly.
"We're not here on vacation."
As he spoke, he gently squeezed Kalifa's hand. Kalifa gave Kaito a shy glance, but her heart was soaring.
He hadn't denied the "lover" part. Only that they weren't here to sightsee.
Whether he meant it or not, that was enough to make this trip to Wano worth it for her.
Seeing the way they looked at each other, a flicker of envy passed through Hiyori's eyes.
Because of her lineage and everything she had been through, that kind of relationship was already impossible for her.
But thinking of her murdered parents and her missing brother, Hiyori's gaze quickly steeled. For her, revenge was all that mattered now—nothing else.
Her expression returned to normal as she continued,
"So, if not for vacation… then what brings you here, my lord?"
"Just handling a bit of official business," Kaito said casually. "And while I'm at it, I'm going to kill someone."
Kill someone?
Hiyori's heart lurched. She didn't even register what kind of business he meant.
Coming all the way to Wano to kill someone?
With the power Kaito had shown, the only targets worth the effort would be... Kurozumi Orochi or... Kaido?!
At the thought of Kaido, Hiyori's heart swelled with hatred—followed closely by fear.
She hated Kaido for boiling her father Kozuki Oden alive. But Kaido's overwhelming strength made her feel completely powerless.
So even though Kaito clearly wasn't someone ordinary, she didn't dare hope he could defeat Kaido. If he could just deal with Orochi, that would be more than enough.
Besides, Hiyori wasn't heartless. She could tell just from Kaito's presence—killing Orochi would be no problem for him.
But facing Kaido? That was far too dangerous. She didn't want to see someone this young and strong die to Kaido's spiked club.
What Hiyori never imagined was that the person Kaito intended to kill wasn't Orochi. And it certainly wasn't Kaido.
It was her useless brother—Momonosuke.
(T/N: I don't really understand this hatred....)
...
Wano Country – Shogun's Estate
The purple-haired Orochi, wearing a golden crown, lit up the moment he saw Hiyori. He rushed over with a perverted grin and reached out to wrap an arm around her.
But this time, Hiyori stepped aside—something very out of character for her—and glanced back toward Kaito.
It was only then that Orochi noticed the man and woman standing behind her. When he saw Kaito's face, so out of place in the art style of Wano, he frowned, visibly annoyed.
But then his eyes fell on Kalifa—and there was a flash of lustful delight.
Such a stunning beauty... How had he never seen her before?
After a moment's thought, he decided not to press Hiyori and instead asked,
"Komurasaki, who are these two?"
"This gentleman is named Uchiha Kaito. That's his lover, Kalifa."
"Uchiha Kaito...? Why does that name sound so familiar?"
Under Kaido's protection, Orochi had no fear of the World Government or Marines. The only ones he knew by name were Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the three admirals. Since becoming shogun, he'd stopped caring about anyone else.
Though the name sounded familiar, he couldn't place it. So he shrugged and leered at Kalifa.
"Well, since you're Komurasaki's guests, come on in. That Kaito guy can find himself a seat, and this lovely Miss Kalifa can join me for a drink, eh?"
His sleazy tone instantly enraged Kalifa. Aside from Kaito, she had no patience for men.
This Kurozumi Orochi looked like an overgrown boar—how dare he say something like that?
Kalifa's long legs beneath her kimono tensed—she was about to hit him with a Rankyaku and send him to hell.
But before she could move, an overwhelming repulsive force exploded outward.
Orochi's lecherous grin was still frozen on his face as he was blasted across the room.
The entire building crumbled under the impact.
Kaito stood calmly in the middle of the wreckage, a perfect circular clearing beneath his feet.
Beside him, Kozuki Hiyori stood frozen in shock, while Kalifa looked utterly unfazed.
The commotion drew the attention of the estate's underlings. They rushed over, then stopped in their tracks at the sight of Orochi's quarters reduced to rubble.
One of them spotted Kaito standing there, perfectly clean, and shouted angrily,
"Who are you?! Where's Orochi-sama?!"
Kaito didn't move. He simply cast a cold glance at the man.
Under the pressure of Kaito's Rinnegan, the man was suddenly gripped by an unexplainable fear.
Before he could say another word, his clothes suddenly bulged—
BOOM!
He exploded like a firework, a cloud of blood mist spreading into the air.
The other goons stared, trembling in terror.
One by one, they met Kaito's gaze.
Boom. Boom. Boom!
Under the clear blue sky, explosions rang out in rapid succession.
One by one, blood-colored fireworks blossomed across the Shogun's estate—eerie and haunting.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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