In the future, the people of Wano Kuni will gradually realize that the Kozuki Family is just a mascot; their presence or absence makes no difference.
However, whether there is a General or not, like a mascot that doesn't matter, the new Wano Kuni, now established, is still at the second stage of its trilogy.
It is not unprecedented for young members of the Kozuki Family to become General; Kozuki Sukiyaki is an example. After he was born, the General of Wano Kuni passed away, and he became General before reaching the age of understanding.
But at that time, he at least understood a bit about things, and the Daimyo genuinely supported the Kozuki Family, so Kozuki Sukiyaki was able to smoothly take over power as an adult.
But now it's different. Six-year-old Kozuki Hiyori understands very little, and the Hundred Beasts are not those loyal to the Daimyo of Wano Kuni. A child this age becoming General seems to maintain Kozuki's rule, but it's clearly just a puppet.
"You're talking nonsense! That's... that's not the truth at all!"
"The truth is controlled by the victors, and whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. If the ordinary people of Wano Kuni believe it, and we believe it, then it is true. Moreover, this is not a discussion with you but a notification."
They had no choice, at this moment they were like fish on a chopping board, and even a dead fish could not struggle, they had no qualifications at all to negotiate with the Hundred Beasts.
"Don't think we only have this one way. This is just the simplest among various plans, achieving our goal with the least cost and effort. Your actions will determine your little princess's treatment.
Whether she lives carefree or serves others, it's all up to you three, ha ha ha!"
The reason Queen came with Kaidou to explain these things is because his image fits perfectly here, there is no one more suitable for this villain role than him.
In an instant, the pressure fell on Kikunojo, Kawamatsu, and Denjiro.
With Kozuki Oden dead, Kozuki Momonosuke going to the future, and Kozuki Toki disappearing after leaving a prophecy, the safety of Kozuki Hiyori became the responsibility of the loyal retainers who stayed in Wano Kuni.
"What exactly do you want us to do..."
"You still pledge loyalty to your Princess Hiyori and protect her safety, but if any uninvited rumors arise, you know what to do."
"We want to see Princess Hiyori."
"No, you can't see her now; only after the General is inaugurated will you have the qualifications to see her. But now, you must kneel and pledge loyalty to the future King."
With that, Queen stepped aside for Kaidou, waiting for the three to respond. Pledging loyalty is a very important matter in Wano Kuni, and though now it was just words, previously they had never said this kind of words to anyone other than Kozuki Oden.
Now, using Kozuki Hiyori as a hostage, they began their first surrender. Kawamatsu was the first to kneel, feeling that he failed to protect Kozuki Hiyori, allowing her to fall into the hands of the Hundred Beasts.
At that time, he had completely abandoned his pride, followed by Denjiro and Kikunojo, who also made the same move, and huge shutter sounds echoed beside them.
Behind the screen, two pirates were holding a large camera, and smoke appeared as well, and Queen spent considerable effort to find such an old-fashioned camera from the Outer Island.
"Very good, a historic scene has been recorded, your expressions are quite amusing now."
The whole big fuss was meant to observe this expression, and at least for now, his goal was achieved.
"Bastard....."
Seeing Queen's smug look, the three below gritted their teeth, but due to Kozuki Hiyori's situation, they had to endure it.
"Those are indeed Kozuki Oden's ashes; he was a worthy opponent. Before he's buried, you can watch over him yourselves."
After saying this, Kaidou left, having achieved his purpose here, naturally intending to leave, followed by Queen, who was planning to leave as well but not before taking a few playful jabs at the teary-eyed Kikunojo, feeling this "girlish" person was somehow special.
Afterward, he pinched Kikunojo's cheek a few times and teased a bit before leaving; over the years in Wano Kuni, he was no stranger to brothels and spent quite a bit in such places.
.....
"Wait, slow down Kaidou! We still have things to do... According to your schedule, you need to personally clear out the remaining collapsing army in Wano Kuni, after all, a king protector needs to have some actions."
"I know, hopefully, there will be some interesting opponents among them, but Queen, are you into that?"
"Huh? Kaidou Brother, what are you talking about?"
"He means, that person is a man, you idiot Queen."
On Queen's back, Omanyte slowly crawled out. As a key eavesdropping member, Omanyte would not leave people for long, and it has a much higher level of autonomy than a regular Radio Snail.
"A man?"
"The human you were flirting with, his pheromones are completely male types; only you the fool would mistake it."
There are many difficult figures for Queen to deal with in the Hundred Beasts Pirates, but Omanyte is particularly exasperating due to its importance in intelligence-gathering. In the hierarchy of Radio Snails, it is quite boss-like.
Furthermore, because of the agents of the World Government's strange schedules and time zone differences, their contact times are often at night in Wano Kuni. Queen, often not in the right state of mind, influenced by Shaina and King, gradually developed an exclusive moniker for Omanyte.
Compared to calling him a fool or waste, Omanyte was relatively polite; in the past, Queen would argue with Omanyte, but this time he didn't, seemingly struck by the revelation that Kikunojo is a man.
The cross-dressing didn't matter, but to flirt with someone disguised as such...
Looking at his mechanical hand, he felt it was time to upgrade it; maybe he should learn from Yamato and create a version 2.0 or something like that.
Meanwhile, Kozuki Hiyori woke up; previously, she was choked unconscious by the smoke from the burning Oden Castle, and was taken through a water route with Kawamatsu, keeping her unconscious until now.
Some noisy voices calling out seemed to announce that Lady Hiyori was awake, but as she opened her eyes, the sight of King wearing a pure black mask startled her almost into fainting again...