This is a room near the Flower Capital Palace. The previous battle has already destroyed the palace. Although it hasn't burned to ashes, it's currently in a precarious condition.
Those taking care of Hiyori are not members of the Hundred Beasts Pirates but rather the attendants who were originally in the Flower Capital Palace.
These people have served the Daimyo of Wano Kuni for generations. At first, they followed the orders of Kozuki Sukiyaki, but after Kurozumi Orochi took the position of Acting General, Orochi's orders also guided them.
These people have no idea what actually happened last night. To be precise, the fact that they're alive is thanks to Zeraora, who didn't participate in the chaos and acted as a firefighter.
This includes extracting these people from the burning palace, and they are quite convinced by the Hundred Beasts' explanation because what they said about Kurozumi Orochi's past is true.
For example, killing Sukiyaki, and Kurozumi Higurashi being a Demon Mage capable of transforming into others. Additionally, the head chef was more suspicious when Orochi forcibly canceled the poison testing segment.
Thanks to Kurozumi Orochi's efforts, he successfully diverted most of the suspicion. After Kozuki Hiyori was brought back, many people believed this matter.
However, the Hundred Beasts Pirates didn't trust these people too much. They wanted to station a reliable person here to ensure no mishaps occurred, and King was executing this task here.
After the battle ended last night, they weren't idle either. There was a massive vacancy in the top management of Wano Kuni, and of course, the Hundred Beasts intended to fill these positions with their people.
However, they had no intention of reestablishing the position of Daimyo. In today's Wano Kuni, one puppet is enough, and the rest will be directly governed by the Hundred Beasts.
"Mama... where are you?"
The drowsy Kozuki Hiyori instinctively searched for Kozuki Toki, but unlike before, she didn't receive a response from Kozuki Toki. Instead, she was met with King's cold gaze.
This unfamiliar gaze startled her, and a sharp scream escaped her mouth. Some people nearby wanted to approach but were halted by King with a wave of his hand.
"You go prepare what General Hiyori needs. Wano Kuni requires stability. I will tell her what exactly happened yesterday."
"But..."
"This concerns the secrets of Oden Castle yesterday. Do you want to know?"
King's stature and attire carried an inherent intimidation, with his inquisitor-like black outfit intimidating from head to toe.
Additionally, his words naturally had a deterrent effect. Those serving the General's Palace knew when to stay silent and when to feign ignorance.
The diehard loyalists to the Kozuki were purged when Orochi took power. The remaining ones weren't willing to sacrifice for the Kozuki and thus left.
Later, King's cold voice reached Kozuki Hiyori's ears.
"She has abandoned you. Between you and your brother, she chose him, not you."
"What... what are you saying? Mama wouldn't do that."
"You'll see."
With that, he placed a projection snail in front of Kozuki Hiyori. As he patted the shell, a projection appeared on the screen before them.
Due to the Rotom surveillance, some events inside Oden Castle were known to the Hundred Beasts. This included the approximate time Hiyori was unconscious.
The Rotom surveillance wasn't just visuals without sound. You could clearly hear that Kozuki Toki didn't wait for her children to wake up to explain things but left these matters to the Household Attendants.
Perhaps there was still a chance for Momonosuke, but Hiyori hadn't woken up before being intercepted by Elizabeth, so she knew nothing.
The current image showed Oden Castle burning. Kozuki Toki, out of desperation, could only send one person to a safer future. In choosing between her children, she ultimately chose her son. Just after sending Kozuki Momonosuke away, a burning beam fell and blocked the view.
Zoroark's illusion, although false, was incredibly realistic, even deceiving the recording devices.
This was the segment Olga manipulated yesterday. As for why it was only a short segment, an open-ended conclusion creates more suspense.
She didn't know Kozuki Toki well, making too much seem more likely to give herself away.
It was well known that Wano Kuni had no Photoshop technology, so the footage had to be real.
At least at present, Kozuki Hiyori couldn't comprehend what was going on, nor did she ponder why her family was being monitored by them. She was shocked by the monitored content.
"Kozuki Oden perished last night due to Kurozumi Orochi's treachery. Kozuki Toki is missing, and your brother was sent away by your mother. Now, you must assume the position of General of Wano Kuni..."
King gave Kozuki Hiyori no time to think, directly overwhelming her mind with this information.
The statements were mostly true with one lie, along with some false propaganda. In summary: your father is dead, your mother abandoned you, your brother fled, and now you must become General to revive Wano Kuni, and so forth.
The task of overseeing Kozuki Hiyori was assigned to King, but he had no patience for someone as unfamiliar as her from the Kozuki.
"No... you're lying, Father wouldn't die; he said he wouldn't die!"
After King finished his lengthy speech, Hiyori finally absorbed the first sentence.
"Unfortunately, he is already dead. The funeral will be held in three days. Now, as the last survivor of the Kozuki clan, you need to take on the role of General."
Subsequently, a group of elderly people entered. These were the original ministers of Wano Kuni, holding their positions during both Kozuki Sukiyaki and Kurozumi Orochi's eras, showing these individuals inherently lacked backbone.
Commoners and Household Attendants might possess blind loyalty, but for these ministers, the identity of the General was irrelevant as long as they remained in their roles. For this, they should acknowledge Kurozumi Orochi, who removed many hardliners over the years for the Hundred Beasts.
The Hundred Beasts Pirates didn't have many who could manage internal affairs. Leading a pirate crew is one thing; governing a country is quite another. Clearing all these people would simply be troublesome for the Hundred Beasts.
Therefore, they temporarily retained these compliant individuals, planning to gradually train their own people to replace them.
As long as they remained obedient, the Hundred Beasts would have no qualms about continuing to use them, but if they harbored any other intentions, it would be a different matter.
In the subsequent period, these elder ministers began to instill in Kozuki Hiyori the importance of being a General, along with other lengthy speeches.
When she finally believed these narratives, King poured a new basin of cold water over her...