-Broadcast-
[When the samurai's blade approached again with lethal intent, Kurozumi Orochi didn't shout and scream like during their previous exchange. He couldn't afford to present himself as pathetically weak in front of Uchiha Madara—maintaining dignity before the ancient legend required demonstrating one of the Kurozumi family's genuine strengths.
"I wonder if your pair of legendary swords can cut through absolute defense?" Orochi's voice carried smug confidence.
A transparent barrier instantly materialized around Kurozumi Orochi's position, crystalline wall appearing from nowhere. Behind the Kurozumi family head, a bald elderly man stood with hands positioned in specific mystical configurations, summoning his Devil Fruit ability through practiced gestures.]
[Character information appeared:]
Biwa Master Kurozumi Semimaru User of the Paramecia-type Bari Bari no Mi (Barrier-Barrier Fruit)
[Enma and Ame no Habakiri slashed against the barrier with tremendous force, Haki-infused edges striking the transparent surface. But ultimately, not even a scratch marred the impenetrable defense. Breaking through the Bari Bari no Mi (Barrier-Barrier Fruit)'s absolute protection would require extended time that Kozuki Oden simply didn't possess.
Kozuki Oden refused to surrender despite the obstacle. He continued slashing at the barrier with both legendary swords, each strike producing crisp impact sounds that echoed through the Shogun's mansion. But he still couldn't crack the turtle shell protecting his enemy.
Kurozumi Orochi observed Kozuki Oden from safety, watching the samurai sweat profusely as he wielded blades futilely against the barrier. More than ten minutes passed with no progress. Orochi picked his nose with bored disdain, tired of watching someone chop uselessly at his defenses. Remaining stubbornly passive here accomplished nothing productive.
His eyeballs rolled contemplatively in their sockets—physical manifestation of scheming intelligence at work. Kurozumi Orochi, who excelled at manipulation and deception, suddenly conceived a brilliant plan. This would represent the optimal method for handling the fool before him, because he understood intimately that Kozuki Oden proved remarkably easy to deceive.]
["Chopping endlessly like this accomplishes nothing for either of us," Orochi stated reasonably, tone suggesting genuine negotiation. "How about I propose a deal using all of Wano Country's citizens as stakes? As long as you strip naked and dance publicly on the streets for five years, I will return Wano Country to Kozuki control. I, Kurozumi Orochi, swear in the name of the Kurozumi family to honor my word. Doesn't that demonstrate sincere good faith?"
Facing Kurozumi Orochi's cunning smile, Kozuki Oden actually stopped his relentless attacks. He was genuinely considering the offer's feasibility, evaluating whether this represented legitimate opportunity rather than immediately recognizing the transparent deception.
Witnessing the fool before him hesitating rather than rejecting the obvious lie, Kurozumi Orochi decided to accelerate the manipulation. He signaled his clansmen with subtle eye contact to bring someone forward—anyone would suffice. He wanted to provide vivid demonstration for his former master's education.
After Kurozumi Semimaru understood the instruction's meaning, he dispelled the barrier temporarily. The elderly man took several minutes to retrieve a maid from the Shogun's mansion's staff quarters. The young woman recognized the troubled Kozuki Oden immediately upon arrival.
The maid understood instinctively that being pushed forward by the Kurozumi family would not end well for her. She directly appealed to her former master for salvation, voice breaking with terror:
"Lord Oden, please save me! Please, I'm begging you! I'm still so young—I don't want to die today..."
Kurozumi Orochi seized the woman in his arms with an expression of false kindness painting his features. He stared directly at Kozuki Oden while speaking with casual menace:
"I'm going to demonstrate something clearly for you now. If I genuinely want to kill people, you cannot stop me whatsoever. Watch carefully."]
[After hearing this ominous declaration, Kozuki Oden immediately realized something terrible was imminent.
"You wouldn't dare—"
The maid, young as a flower in spring's bloom, had encountered the general's son several times during her service. But in the next moment, Kurozumi Orochi stroked the woman's head with deceptive gentleness—then violently ripped her head from her body directly in front of Kozuki Oden's horrified eyes.
Blood erupted from the severed neck in arterial spray, painting Kurozumi Orochi's body crimson. The golden crown atop his head—that symbol of stolen authority—shone even more brilliantly with blood's scarlet embellishment.
"You beast... you absolute beast..." Kozuki Oden's entire body trembled violently, hands gripping both swords with white-knuckled desperation. Tears of pure hatred gathered in his eyes, spilling down weathered cheeks. He'd never imagined Kurozumi Orochi would employ such methods to prove his point.
An innocent person had lost her life because of him—because of his presence, his impotence, his failure to protect. This represented incomparable shame for any samurai, let alone one of Kozuki Oden's pride.
Kurozumi Orochi discarded the woman's headless corpse like refuse, body crumpling to the floor in spreading crimson pool. He played with the severed head casually, spinning it like a toy ball in his palm with complete disregard for the humanity it once represented. He felt zero psychological burden for killing someone—the action proved equivalent to stepping on an ant beside the road. Would humans experience guilt for crushing insects? Absolutely not.
The goal had been achieved through murdering an innocent person. Kurozumi Orochi recognized he shouldn't provoke Kozuki Oden further right now—the samurai teetered on the edge of berserk fury. He tossed the severed head to land at Oden's feet, rolling to a stop against his sandals.
"I trust I don't need additional demonstrations? If one death proves insufficient, I'll kill another person every hour on the hour. Kozuki Oden—can you truly stop me from slaughtering your precious citizens?"]
[The samurai slowly sheathed both legendary swords with trembling hands. He bent down to look at the head resting at his feet. The maid had endured tremendous pain before death claimed her—her final expression conveyed such horror that it made Kozuki Oden's heart break from the deepest core of his being.
As the future Shogun of Wano Country, he'd allowed his citizens to suffer such inhuman treatment—having their heads torn off like slaughtering livestock. Did Kozuki Oden possess any alternatives?
The man's expression became solemn, features hardening into mask-like rigidity. In that moment, he seemed to lose the capacity for speech entirely. He turned and walked toward the Shogun's mansion's exit without uttering a single word. Although he didn't verbally agree to Kurozumi Orochi's proposed terms, his actions and internal acceptance spoke volumes. He'd surrendered completely.
He'd decided to sacrifice everything for his people—or so he believed.]
[Looking at Kozuki Oden's lonely, defeated back as he departed, Uchiha Madara observed him as though watching the world's greatest fool perform. After waiting until the samurai completely exited the Shogun's Mansion, passing beyond earshot, Madara spoke with undisguised contempt:
"That man actually believed such a childish agreement? The Kozuki clan truly grows weaker with each passing generation. Pathetic."
Kurozumi Orochi extracted a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping blood from his face and crown with meticulous care. The clothes stained crimson would require changing entirely—no amount of cleaning could restore them. Having successfully fooled Kozuki Oden on the first attempt, profound satisfaction appeared across his features. The joy of conspiracy succeeding made the man smile with genuine pleasure.
To successfully usurp the throne, he'd studied Kozuki Oden exhaustively across years of observation. He explained his methodology to Madara-sama with professional pride:
"Kozuki Oden attaches tremendous importance to the samurai's code of honor—that abstract concept of righteousness they worship. Sometimes he cares obsessively about personal honor and disgrace. But paradoxically, other times he'll completely abandon personal dignity for the so-called 'greater good,' sacrificing himself to achieve some imagined self-actualization. In my assessment, he's simply a foolish monarch—a pitiful creature capable only of moving himself through theatrical gestures."
From the very beginning, Kurozumi Orochi never intended to fulfill his promise. He merely wanted to buy time for Kaido, the King of Beasts, to consolidate control. Five years would suffice perfectly for that purpose.
Poor Kozuki Oden had been deceived from the opening move. Idealists inevitably fell when confronted with reality's harsh truths.
For the upcoming striptease performance, Kurozumi Orochi needed to prepare reward money carefully. He intended to humiliate Kozuki Oden systematically before all of Wano Country's citizens. Even after enduring such outrageous degradation, the stupid samurai would likely still feel grateful toward Kurozumi Orochi in his deluded heart—believing he was protecting people through sacrifice.]
[When Wano Country's citizens initially witnessed Kozuki Oden emerging from the Shogun's Mansion, hope blazed in their hearts. They believed this savior who'd ventured to sea for adventure training would rescue the nation through strength gained abroad. Surely he would physically destroy the exploiter Kurozumi Orochi, restoring the rightful order.
But they were soon devastatingly disappointed. Some didn't understand. Others felt resentment building in their hearts—why would someone originally so dignified and powerful reduce himself to this?
Soon enough, Kozuki Oden stripped completely naked before the Sky Screen's cameras—before audiences across the entire world. He displayed the "beauty" of male nudity to everyone watching, performing absurd dances for people gathered around him. An idiotic smile painted his face throughout the performance, giving observers the distinct impression of someone missing their brain stem entirely.
Regardless of season—spring, summer, autumn, winter—regardless of spreading rumors that destroyed his reputation entirely, Kozuki Oden faithfully abided by Kurozumi Orochi's false promise. He presented enthusiastic striptease performances on Wano Country's streets without fail.
He was truly worthy of being called a "hero" of the Kozuki family—though the title now carried only bitter irony.]
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