Thatched Cottage.
Before the Tombstone.
Ushiwakamaru rose from the ground, looking somewhat embarrassed at Moses:
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go now."
"Mhm. Alright."
Moses led them away from the place, but then Ushiwakamaru suddenly halted and turned back in confusion at Onimaru:
"Onimaru, come on! Why aren't you moving?"
Moses followed his gaze and saw the white fox take a couple of steps before stopping, sitting down on the ground. It raised its head and shook it, waving a front paw as if saying goodbye.
Ushiwakamaru's delicate face instantly filled with panic.
"Onimaru, what are you saying? Why won't you come?"
"Wuu~ Wuu wuu~ Wuu wuu!"
Onimaru flailed its limbs while whimpering, desperately trying to explain, then turned back and lay down in front of Shimotsuki Ushimaru's grave, rubbing its head against the tombstone.
At that moment, Bear Cub spoke in a bewildered tone:
"The big fox says it's already over fifty years old and is getting old, so it won't sail with us. It's grateful we took Ushiwakamaru in and hopes we'll take care of him in the future. It doesn't want to be a burden, so it'll stay here to guard its lord's grave—until it grows old and dies here."
Bear Cub looked up at Moses with a silly grin. "Moses, the big fox is pretty nice, huh? When you grow old and die someday, Bear will guard your grave too!"
Moses' face darkened as he reached out and yanked Bear Cub's chubby cheeks, grumbling:
"Oh, how grateful I am for your filial piety."
Bear Cub blinked in confusion. "Moses, aren't you happy? Don't you want Bear to guard your grave?"
"Tell me," Moses smirked teasingly, "what if I end up outliving you? Have you forgotten how old Doctorine is now?"
Bear Cub suddenly realized, its bear face turning awkward. "Oh right, we have the medicine. We can live a long, long time."
Moses glanced at the flustered Ushiwakamaru beside him, then stepped forward and crouched in front of Onimaru.
Grabbing the fox's face, he stared into its eyes and said:
"My family has a medicine that can revert a creature's physiological state back to infancy.
So choose.
Come with us—keep accompanying Ushiwakamaru, protect him, guard Shimotsuki Ushimaru's only descendant.
Or stay here, starving every day, clinging to a cold, silent tombstone, wasting away."
Moses tightened his grip on Onimaru's face, locking eyes.
"True loyalty isn't what you're doing now. Shimotsuki Ushimaru's bloodline isn't extinct yet. I'll give you three seconds to decide."
With that, he released the fox and stood up.
Just then, he felt a gentle tug on his pant leg. Looking down at the massive white-furred "dog" over two meters long, Onimaru let out a low whimper.
Bear Cub resumed its role as translator:
"It's asking if you're lying to it."
Moses rolled his eyes at Onimaru. "Believe it or not. This is your only chance."
Seeing Ushiwakamaru's hopeful gaze, Bear Cub waddled over excitedly, slapping Onimaru's fox head like they were old pals.
One yipped and whined.
The other growled and grumbled.
A few minutes later...
Bear Cub trudged back, looking utterly done. "Bear thinks this fox is way too sneaky. Moses, maybe we should just leave it behind."
At this moment, Onimaru knelt on his forelegs, kowtowed to the tomb's owner, then happily trotted over to Ushiwakamaru and licked the back of his hand.
His demeanor seemed to say, "Please guide me well, young master, for the rest of my life."
Ushiwakamaru excitedly wrapped his arms around Onimaru's neck and rubbed against him vigorously. Since childhood, aside from his father Shimotsuki Ushimaru, Onimaru had been his closest companion.
With the fox matter settled, they truly departed this time.
Heading westward.
Crossing a great river.
As evening approached.
They arrived at another peninsula.
The Flower Capital.
The capital of Wano Country.
Upon entering the city, they were greeted by a bustling scene. Nightlife was about to begin, with vendors filling every street and alley.
Ushiwakamaru gazed at the surroundings with complex emotions. "The last time I was here was several years ago. I never thought I'd have another chance to come."
"Orochi, just you wait. One day, I, Ushiwakamaru, will slaughter you."
At a fried tofu stall, Moses exchanged a gold doubloon for some silver coins and bought several portions of fried tofu. As he walked along eating, he overheard Ushiwakamaru's words.
Moses chuckled, "No need to wait. Come with me."
With that, he led them to an alley behind the Shogun's palace in the capital. After stuffing all the fried tofu into Bear Cub's mouth—to the astonished gazes of Ushiwakamaru and Onimaru—Moses pried open Bear Cub's jaws and crawled inside.
Seconds later.
Moses emerged, shouldering a baseball bat covered in smooth protrusions.
The Panda Person, A Bao, made his entrance.
Moses grinned at Ushiwakamaru. "Don't resist. I'll take you both to deal with Orochi."
Then, his mouth gaped wide as he swallowed Ushiwakamaru whole in one gulp. He then grabbed Onimaru by the scruff and performed the same maneuver.
Moments later, the Panda Person's face had morphed into a bizarre amalgamation—featuring a "woman," a fox, a boy, and a panda—resembling some grotesque chimera.
Moses laughed. "Let's go. Watch as I take you to settle things with Orochi."
Ushiwakamaru marveled inwardly.
Moses focused on his body, feeling his breath rise and fall as qi circulated throughout. He sensed another peculiar power within.
With a thought.
His form instantly expanded to over four meters tall.
The monster transformed back into a "human."
His head was bald and chillingly smooth.
Though invisible to himself, Moses' face now bore a sinister purple-red mask.
A sensation of extraordinary physical resilience surged through him.
As his breath rose and fell.
The changes in his body were swiftly mastered by Moses.
「Disguise」
His aura synchronized perfectly with the surrounding environment.
His movements became agile and light.
With uncanny nimbleness, Moses scaled the capital's walls like a specter, sensing the energies within the Shogun's palace.
To avoid alerting certain guards with Observation Haki, Moses relied solely on his most basic perception.
Every individual had a unique breathing rhythm.
And Devil Fruit users emitted a distinctive frequency, somewhat akin to the waves exuded by the fruits themselves.
Moses knew Orochi was a Devil Fruit user.
Thus.
Upon reaching the palace's highest level, Moses detected an unusual presence.
Now perched atop the Shogun's palace roof, he sensed the unique energy inside. Leaping down, he landed by a side window.
Through the window, in the dim glow of lamplight.
A scene of revelry unfolded—lively and filled with courtesans.
Orochi was really playing wild, it was a bit hard on the eyes.
Moses didn't wait any longer. With a forceful stomp, his body crashed through the window, his massive four-meter-tall frame appearing inside the room amidst the shattered wooden debris.
He glared fiercely at the people inside.
"Ahhhh, an assassin!!"
"A monster!!"
"Nooo!!"
The barely-clothed dancers surrounding Orochi froze for a moment before shrieking in panic and scrambling away.
Moses' gaze landed on Orochi, who was shirtless and reclining on a soft couch three meters away, his eyes dazed. A cold smirk curled on Moses' lips.
In a flash, he charged toward Orochi, the baseball bat in his hand suddenly crackling with dense black-red arcs of electricity.
In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Orochi. Under the latter's terrified gaze, the bat, wreathed in black-red lightning, came crashing down on his head with the force of a bursting dam.
Crunch
Moses stared at Orochi's headless corpse lying motionless before him. In his mind, Ushiwakamaru muttered in confusion:
"Orochi… is dead just like that?"
「Appraisal」
Strength Rating: C
In his consciousness, Moses replied to Ushiwakamaru, "Not yet."
Before the words even faded, Orochi's headless corpse began to change. Flesh buds sprouted from his neck at a visible rate, and within a breath, a brand-new head had regrown.
His eyes snapped open, and Orochi roared in shock and fury:
"Who the hell are—"
Moses didn't let him finish. Another swing of the bat, this time infused with Conqueror's Haki, came crashing down.
BAM—
White and red splattered, blood flying.
Ten seconds later.
Watching Orochi's head regrow once more, Moses raised the bat again—BAM—
Five minutes later, a surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted outward, knocking out Orochi's guards who had come rushing in from outside.
BAM—
By the seventh time Orochi's head regrew, the repeated deaths had left his mind hazy. His eyes rolled, his mouth hung slack with drool, and he stared at Moses in terror, screaming:
"We have no grudge—"
Moses then handed control of his body to Ushiwakamaru. "You take the last hit."
Ushiwakamaru grinned excitedly, raising the bat high before swinging it down toward Orochi's head with a whoosh.
But just then, Moses' instincts screamed danger. He instantly suppressed Ushiwakamaru's consciousness, reclaiming control of his body, and grabbed Orochi's head, hurling him aside.
Squelch!
A flash of cold steel, and blood sprayed.
A forearm flew through the air.
Moses swiftly dodged to the side.
He turned to see the newcomer—blue-white hair styled in a drooping pompadour, clad in a blue kimono with green circles.
Over three meters tall.
Narrowed, slitted eyes. A katana in hand, dripping with blood.
"Kyoshiro, save me! There's an assassin!" Orochi, ignoring the pain of his severed forearm, scrambled frantically behind the newcomer, tears and snot streaming as he gasped in terror.
Moses narrowed his eyes at the man. This should be one of Oden's Red Scabbards—so why was he here?
Denjiro… no, now going by the alias Kyoshiro, one of Orochi's subordinates.
His gaze flicked imperceptibly toward Orochi, a flood of murderous intent surging within him. But then, he redirected all that killing intent toward Moses.
No… Orochi couldn't die yet.
Lady Toki's prophecy hadn't come to pass.
"The moon knows not, if this wish is granted, twenty years under moonlit nights, nine shadows falling from the heavens, then you shall witness the dazzling dawn."
Fourteen years remained until the twenty-year prophecy foretold by Lady Toki would come to pass.
Even if I must become the claw of our enemy Orochi, I will not let him die. The prophecy must not be disrupted. Lord Momonosuke and the others who traveled through time must return at that appointed hour.
Orochi can only die after they have returned.
His face twisted with surging rage—though it was unclear at whom—Kyoshiro let out a furious roar:
"Thief! How dare you harm Lord Orochi? Die!"
「Appraisal」
Strength Rating: B-
Hearing his words, Moses smiled. With a single step, his figure shot forward at blinding speed.
Kyoshiro swung his sword with both hands, a flash of cold steel slicing toward Moses.
The next instant.
The heavy baseball bat clashed violently against the blade, the interplay of sword light and bat shadows surging like tidal waves.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!—
Empowered by the Great Monk Fruit, Moses showed no fear. The baseball bat felt weightless in his hands as he unleashed a flurry of strikes, dense vacuum shockwaves from the bat enveloping Kyoshiro.
"Gahhh!"
Eyes widening, Kyoshiro swung his blade, a blinding arc of sword light cutting through Moses' barrage like a silken ribbon.
The next moment, their weapons collided with savage force, terrifying air currents erupting between them.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The shrill clangor of metal echoed as their figures flickered rapidly across the room.
Shattered slashes and shockwaves continuously tore through the surrounding furniture.
Orochi scrambled away on all fours, shouting "Guards!" repeatedly.
Moses and Kyoshiro clashed once more.
Their weapons pressed against each other, creaking under the strain.
Boom!
Both pushed off simultaneously, leaping back.
After retreating several meters.
The Armament Haki flowing within Moses surged into the baseball bat, turning its surface pitch-black and profound.
A flicker of surprise crossed Kyoshiro's eyes as he likewise coated his blade with Armament Haki. "Flowing Sakura? You think you're the only one who can use it?"
With a step forward, Kyoshiro charged at Moses, his sword slicing through the air with terrifying force, leaving a trail of light.
Battle intent flashed in Moses' eyes.
Swinging the bat in a wide arc, he summoned a gale-force wind and brought it down with overwhelming force from above.
Clang!
A black, ripple-like shockwave erupted between them.
Moses raised the bat again and smashed downward—Clang!—
Kyoshiro parried with his blade.
Deafening clashes reverberated throughout the shogun's palace.
They traded blows, each aiming for the other's vital points.
Suddenly, black-red lightning crackled along Moses' spiked club, buzzing violently as he engaged Kyoshiro in a brutal exchange.
Wave after wave of Conqueror's Haki attacks, laced with mental assaults, bombarded Kyoshiro's consciousness.
As their high-speed battle raged, an inexplicable fury welled up in Kyoshiro's heart, as if a demon were whispering in his ear.
His slashes grew wilder, his roars unrestrained.
Moses remained ice-cold, blocking each strike with precision, every counter laced with Conqueror's Haki Shock to disrupt his opponent's mind.
Ten minutes later.
Watching Kyoshiro grow increasingly enraged, his attacks becoming more erratic, Moses suddenly unleashed his full strength, knocking aside the man's katana with a single swing of his bat.
His right leg snapped up, channeling the full force of his body—THUD! The kick struck Kyoshiro with bone-jarring impact, leaving him rigid as blood spilled from his mouth. Without hesitation, Moses swung his bat in a wide arc, smashing it brutally across Kyoshiro's face.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering bone mingled with the spray of blood and teeth as Kyoshiro was sent flying from the sheer force of the blow.
With a powerful push-off, Moses pursued him midair, his bat now wreathed in black-and-red lightning as it descended toward Kyoshiro's skull.
Yet Kyoshiro, despite the agony, managed to slash upward with his katana mid-flight, barely blocking the bat. The pain had sharpened his focus, his bloodshot eyes glaring at Moses.
"Who the hell are you? No one like you exists in Wano. You'd better get out of here—Orochi's already gone to fetch Kaido. I'm back in my right mind now, and you won't be killing me anytime soon."
Moses' arms bulged with power as he sent Kyoshiro flying once more. Exhaling deeply, he glanced at the ruined rooftop of the shogun's palace.
In the direction of Oni Island, a streak of firelight was already tearing through the night sky toward them.
A flicker of frustration crossed Moses' eyes.
With a swift pivot, he steadied his Breath, masking his presence before leaping off the rooftop, vanishing into the darkness with the wind at his back.
Kyoshiro spat out a mouthful of blood, his Observation Haki flaring uncontrollably as his expression darkened.
"Gone? Some kind of Devil Fruit user?"
Then, another familiar presence registered within his Observation Haki.
"That bastard King, huh? Tch. What a shitty night… No, not entirely. Tearing off one of Orochi's arms makes it worth it. Heh… Heh heh… HAHAHAHA!"
With a maddened, owl-like cackle, Kyoshiro leapt from the shattered rooftop and disappeared into the night.
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