He spoke slowly and his voice was so quiet it was almost drowned out by the roaring wind.
Yet, this seemingly weak voice pierced straight into Kin'emon's heart like a sharp ice blade, sending a freezing cold from the bottom of his feet all the way to his core.
"About the child of prophecy, about the Land of Wano... tell me everything you have been hiding." His stare locked onto Kin'emon, shattering the very last of his defenses.
Kin'emon closed his eyes in defeat, tears falling uncontrollably.
His lips shook slightly, and his heart filled with bitter helplessness.
He knew that, no matter what, he could no longer protect the secrets of the Kozuki clan—the mission they had carried for years, the last hope of the Land of Wano.
Now, facing this cruel reality, he had no choice but to give it up.
'But at least... at least the young lord had to live.'
This thought burned in Kin'emon's heart like a blazing fire, sparking his last bit of willpower.
"I will talk... I will tell you everything..." he choked out.
His voice was broken beyond repair, as if every single word drained the last of his strength.
Kin'emon slowly dropped to his knees on the Dragon's back. His once proud body now looked totally broken and helpless.
Tears mixed with blood, spreading a dark red stain across the Dragon's scales.
Shaking, he opened his mouth, about to reveal the secret of the Kozuki clan—a hidden truth guarded by the lives of countless ancestors, now forced from his lips under the enemy's threat.
"Enough." Ron suddenly raised his hand to stop him.
A flash of boredom showed in his eyes, as if he had lost interest in the secret he was about to hear.
He walked slowly in front of the three of them.
His white cape blew wildly in the fierce wind like a dark storm cloud, its shadow completely covering them and dropping them into a heavy, crushing panic.
"I just thought of a more interesting game." Ron's lips curled into a cruel smile, a mocking grin that seemed to come straight from the depths of hell, sending chills down their spines.
"Out of you three... only two will survive."
These words struck like lightning, shattering their sad but quiet moment.
Kin'emon snapped his head up, his eyes full of pure shock.
His body shook slightly, as if he wanted to fight back, but he knew fighting was completely useless against such absolute power.
"Now, choose." Ron's voice was light, but it carried an undeniable pressure that controlled their life and death.
"Who will die?"
"LET ME DIE!" Kin'emon nearly roared, his voice full of firm willpower.
He struggled to stand.
Each movement pulled at his wounds as fresh blood poured out, but he did not care at all.
"Take my life in exchange for theirs!" He turned to look at Kanjuro, tears in his eyes—tears that held both the fear of death and a deep, brotherly love for his friend.
"Kanjuro... I leave Momonosuke-sama in your hands... The future of the Land of Wano..."
Kanjuro froze.
The fake, tragic look on his face instantly went stiff, replaced by a flash of panic that was almost impossible to notice.
He had not expected this to happen—it completely ruined his plans!
In his mind, everything should have been under his control.
He wanted to use his carefully planned acting to get his revenge, not get caught in this messy life-or-death choice.
Deep inside, a twisted anger grew wildly.
What he truly wanted was to fool everyone with his amazing acting, playing with their kind trust, and then brutally crush that trust at the most important moment.
He wanted to enjoy the look of total defeat on their faces—that was the perfect revenge for the Kurozumi family in his mind!
But now, everything had gone off track. His plans were a total mess.
A dark, evil shadow flashed in Kanjuro's eyes, but he quickly hid it behind a tragic, sad face.
He shook his head hard, his voice choking up. "No! Kin'emon! You are the leader of the Nine Red Scabbards! The Land of Wano's future needs you more!"
He puffed out his chest, putting on a brave face ready to accept death.
"Let me die! Throughout this journey... thank you for taking care of me..."
As he finished speaking, his voice shook perfectly. "Sincere" tears shined in his eyes, making it look like he was truly willing to give up his life for his friends.
"Kanjuro!"
Kin'emon shook his head in pure pain.
Tears streamed from his eyes, and his body shook wildly from his heavy emotions.
"No! Absolutely not!" He tried to stop Kanjuro's choice, but he understood that in this cruel reality, their fates were no longer in their own hands.
Curled up nearby, Momonosuke finally reacted, crying loudly like a frightened child.
"Do not... do not do this... I beg you..."
The sight of the three of them crying together brought an amused smile to Ron's face.
He watched the changing looks on each person with deep interest.
His eyes stayed for a few extra seconds on Kanjuro's face, which was painted with a look of "tragic bravery," as if Ron was trying to see right through to his true, evil plans.
"What a touching friendship..." Ron whispered softly, even though the cries, stained with fake acting, annoyed him.
"So, have you decided?"
Kin'emon snapped his head up, the loose hair on his forehead whipping wildly in the fierce wind.
His eyes were bloodshot, with unshed tears still resting in the corners.
His lips shook slightly as he got ready to speak again—this time with a desperate willpower, ready to throw away his own life without a second thought, acting as if death did not matter as long as it bought something in return.
Yet, at that exact moment, his eyes accidentally swept over Kanjuro and he suddenly caught a quick, strange flash in his friend's eyes.
In that split second, Kin'emon's heart skipped a beat... it was as if he had just seen something completely terrifying, a chill shooting straight up from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.
But that strange flash vanished as quickly as it had appeared, disappearing so fast that he wondered if it was just a trick of his mind, caused by his extreme grief and stress.
Frowning, he tried hard to figure out what had just flashed in Kanjuro's eyes, but Kanjuro had already quickly gone back to his sad, crying face, making his true feelings impossible to read.
Just as the three of them held onto each other in tears, Ron let out a cold laugh—a sound like breaking icicles in the dead of winter, painfully freezing—and firmly raised a hand to cut short this seemingly "touching" but completely fake performance.
"Enough."
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