Looking down at Kanjuro's lifeless body, Kyoshiro was completely stunned.
No matter what, Kanjuro was still a high-ranking member of the Kurozumi clan. How could he possibly have been killed so easily by this scrappy kid?
"Ding dong, congratulations, Host, you have obtained an A-class Devil Fruit — the Painting Fruit!"
"Ding dong, congratulations, Host, mission accomplished. You've earned one lottery draw!"
Hearing this, Ryuma took a deep breath.
He hadn't expected the Painting Fruit to be only A-class.
But that made sense — it was a powerful ability, sure, but unless you were a master painter, it would take forever to actually create anything useful with it.
And Ryuma? He couldn't paint to save his life. If he actually ate this fruit, he'd be done for.
"You... you bastard! How dare you kill Kanjuro!" Kyoshiro ground his teeth.
Though Kyoshiro was stronger than Kanjuro, he still couldn't shake the image of Ryuma leaping through the air, stepping off a ninja's throwing dart, and slashing down the giant eagle with one strike.
A faint smile curled on Ryuma's lips as he said, "That's right — I killed him. What, you want to die too?"
Ryuma knew Kyoshiro didn't have any Devil Fruit powers, so killing him wouldn't bring any benefits.
He wasn't some mindless killer; if there was no gain, he'd let it slide.
"Go tell Kurozumi Orochi to stop bothering me. At least if you're from Wano, I've had enough. Next time, whether it's the Beast Pirates or Wano's samurai who come, I'll kill them all without hesitation. Got it?"
Ryuma's voice was firm.
The so-called "ninja army" under Kurozumi Orochi was nothing but a ragtag group — a few words were enough to scatter them like leaves in the wind. No need to worry too much.
"You're Ryuma, huh? I don't care if you're the real Ryuma or a fake — just wait. Sooner or later, you'll die on Wano's soil!"
"Oh? You dare talk back?" Ryuma furrowed his brow, casually swinging his black blade, Shūsui.
At that moment, a powerful slash tore through the air from Shūsui, breaking the silence with a series of terrifying whooshes that whipped the surrounding air.
Kyoshiro, already losing heart, suddenly felt his left arm severed without warning.
Crying and clutching his bleeding stump, Kyoshiro fled in agony.
Ryuma skillfully sheathed Shūsui and yawned.
"What's going on? Day after day, the samurai in Wano are so fragile—just like the people on the Grand Line…"
After all, this was Wano — the domain of one of the Four Emperors, Kaido, and part of the New World. Any country in the New World should be stronger in combat than those on the Grand Line.
But looking at things now... it seemed not much different.
"System, start the lottery draw," Ryuma said.
He didn't want to hoard chances; if he had one, he'd use it immediately.
"Ding dong! Congratulations, Host, you have drawn Advanced Observation Haki!"
Ryuma's face lit up with joy.
No matter how strong his muscle memory was, it still couldn't compare to Observation Haki.
Observation Haki sharpened one's senses, allowing them to detect the presence, emotions, and intentions of those around them — even to predict and evade imminent danger.
At its highest level, it could briefly glimpse into the future.
Just like Charlotte Katakuri, one of Big Mom's top commanders.
When battling opponents, Katakuri could foresee future moves — an insanely powerful ability.
Ryuma took a deep breath and found a resting spot amid the ruins. Lying back with a blade of grass in his mouth and Shūsui cradled in his arms, he stared up at the blazing sun, feeling the afternoon breeze.
He suddenly remembered that, in his previous life as a boy, he'd lived in this village for a time. He'd lain just like this, enjoying the sun and wind, feeling peaceful.
But now, all he saw was ruins.
The thought deepened his hatred for Kaido.
That damned Kurozumi Orochi was hateful enough, but Kaido was even worse — he had turned this beautiful land of Wano into a living hell.
Playing with Shūsui in his hands, Ryuma thought hard.
No matter how powerful he was, one man alone couldn't overthrow Kaido.
He wracked his brain for anyone in Wano he could command.
Could he possibly recruit Kaido's Calamities and Flying Six?
No way.
Even just one of them—Jack, Who's Who, or Quinn—would be a huge headache.
Wait... Quinn?
"Haha, how clever am I?" Ryuma's lips curled into a faint smile as a solution suddenly came to him.
Quinn—one of the Calamities, nicknamed "The Plague"—was a major figure in the Beast Pirates, one of Kaido's closest confidants. Within the Beast Pirates, he held a high rank, commanding the "Flying Six," also known as the "Rokuobi."
This guy was also the warden of the Udon Prison!
On top of that, Quinn had a penchant for cruelly inventive executions, often contorting his face into exaggerated expressions—truly a certified "madman."
Udon Prison held countless prisoners, and among them were many incredibly powerful criminals, too numerous to count.
What if he were to unleash those prisoners?
According to his knowledge, every inmate in Udon was shackled with Sea-Prism Stone cuffs, suppressing their powers completely. Quinn personally oversaw the prison, forcing the prisoners to work endlessly as laborers.
Ryuma's mind raced: if he could break those prisoners free, they would join him in toppling Kaido!
"That's exactly what I'll do!"
Clenching his fist tightly, Ryuma left the ruins and found a place to change his clothes.
Luckily, in this era, the portraits didn't resemble the real person closely, so changing his outfit meant they'd hardly recognize him.
After some searching, he deduced that Udon Prison lay on the outskirts of the Flower Capital.
To build such a dreadful prison in this beautiful city—how cruel!
Ryuma hid his black blade Shūsui beneath his sleeves, wary of being noticed.
After all, the blade was famous throughout Wano.
...
Elsewhere—
Udon Prison.
"Come on, get moving!"
A corpulent man with glasses held together by two pieces of rope bellowed in a strange voice.
Golden whiskers framed his mouth, and a golden ponytail dangled from the back of his head, the same color as Jack's hair.