King held a stack of folders in his hand, which were the future development strategies discussed by Arceus and Asie when preparing for Kozuki Hiyori's inauguration ceremony in Wano Kuni.
Military force remains the top priority for development. Besides the Hundred Beasts Pirates, the greatest military deterrent, Arceus began to focus on local military forces in Wano Kuni.
The previous Mimawarigumi was a samurai unit under Orochi, which was basically destroyed in that night's battle. Now, Kaidou wants to reorganize a Shinsengumi as an internal security force for Wano Kuni.
"Kojiro will be the captain of Shinsengumi, and the Imperial Court Guards of Greninja will also recruit a ninja unit..."
King was explaining the upcoming arrangements to Kozuki Hiyori as if making an announcement, not caring about her attitude at all.
"Wait!"
After King had said a lot, Kozuki Hiyori finally caught on and interrupted King's attempt to continue.
"Hmm?"
King's gaze swept towards Kozuki Hiyori, and his stature, towering over six meters, made the comparison to the barely over one-meter-tall Kozuki Hiyori akin to a monster. His emotionless voice instilled some fear in her.
But the position of General and the mindset instilled by those people gave her the courage to continue: "I... I'm the General, right... I think Kojiro is not suitable...."
Before she could finish speaking, a metallic twisting sound emerged, and a silver cup was directly squeezed into a pancake.
"That's right, you are the General, but the reason you are sitting here as the General is not that you have the talent of a General, but because we believe you can be one, so you can be a General."
King's attitude changed dramatically from before. In front of outsiders, he was like a guard, standing silently by Kozuki Hiyori's side, but now he treated her with no respect whatsoever, as if she were an ant.
"To put it another way, you don't need to think, and we don't need your consent. I'm just informing you what to do, and your role is to agree to what I say; otherwise, things will get difficult for everyone.
Agreeing is your only option, or I can give you three chances to refuse."
"Huh?"
King's words left Kozuki Hiyori momentarily unable to react, and then the images of Denjiro, Kawamatsu, and Kikunojo were presented by King.
"You can refuse three times. With each refusal, one of these three will die because of you. I mean what I say. Do you want to try?"
The situation changed suddenly; she had previously been ambitious about becoming the General, but today, King revealed the nature of her role as a puppet.
She was merely a transition to make the people of Wano Kuni gradually accept the Kozuki family as mere mascots, and after a generation or two, they would be removed. Hence, the approach of the Hundred Beasts was quite direct.
Arceus didn't believe Kozuki Hiyori could sincerely join the Hundred Beasts, thinking it impossible after killing her father and trying to absorb the daughter. So, King simply laid everything out clearly.
The threat to Kozuki Hiyori was to ensure Kawamatsu and the others obeyed, and vice versa, threats towards them ensured Kozuki Hiyori's compliance, saving a lot of trouble.
"No... Don't kill them, just do whatever you want to do!"
Now suddenly deprived of her family, she only had these three familiar faces left. Afraid that one word from her might lead to their death, she swiftly chose to compromise.
"See, isn't that better? Don't worry; you can have everything a General should have. Within this palace, you are the real General. You can command those ministers and attendants at will, and if you find them displeasing, it doesn't matter if you kill them."
This was a temporary palace, and those ministers were initially attendants within the Flower Capital Palace, people that Kozuki Hiyori could command, but only within the palace; that was the extent of the potency of her words.
"Externally, I'll give you face. As long as you listen, we can coexist peacefully. You'll have wealth and honor without anyone threatening you, but if you don't listen..."
The silver cup, twisted into a pancake, turned into a pool of liquid on the ground.
"Hell or Heaven, it's all up to your choice. Regarding the future development, there's still a bit more..."
"Why not just decide yourself? Why bother telling me if it's like this?"
"What are you saying? This is the procedure for a General. We must still go through the process."
On this day, Kozuki Hiyori understood that her role as General was nothing but a puppet. Leaving this palace, her words would not carry even as much weight as a common soldier of the Hundred Beasts.
Thereafter, Wano Kuni began recruiting for the new Shinsengumi, but these matters were handled by Kojiro, who had already earned the trust of the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
Kaidou's title as the "Guardian Vajra" spread throughout Wano Kuni with a series of propaganda, and under absolute military deterrence, many wandering samurai chose to join the new Shinsengumi of the Hundred Beasts, led by the likes of Hotei, a slightly renowned samurai of Wano Kuni, bringing in a large influx of recruits for examination.
What happened in Wano Kuni had nothing to do with Yamato and her group. After being forcibly observed in the VIP ward for three days, they finally walked out.
Later, surrounded by a crowd, she returned to Ghost Island, and at the moment the Rotom electronic gate opened, all the hairs on her body stood on end.
Her intuition made her instantly choose to duck down, and then she sensed a gust of wind pass over the back of her head. When she raised her head, she saw Kaidou, holding the Hassaikai.
"Ohohoho, dodged it, huh? What a pity, but that means you didn't slack off during your three-day break. Not bad, not bad."
Seeing Kaidou laugh to himself, Yamato couldn't bring herself to smile.
"What the heck! Father, are you trying to kill me? I would die if that hit landed with a swing like that!"
"Impossible, it would just be a seriously injury at most."
"Godfather! You heard him; Father is attacking me again, help!"
Catching a glimpse of Arceus out of the corner of her eye, Yamato scrambled over, though it was undignified. It was an instinctual plea for help etched into her bones; Kaidou's serious words might not always come true, but his casually joked-about training was always carried out.
"Ohohoho. Yamato, not even your godfather can save you this time. Training for Supreme King can only be done by me. Brace yourself for some extra sessions."
Arceus's pressure and Supreme King Haki had distinct differences.
Although the intensity of Supreme King Haki stems from personal spirit, learning to control it requires training. Whether it's about the range and power control or the entanglement of Supreme King Haki, this training can only be conducted by Kaidou.
Seeing the certainty in Arceus's eyes, Yamato seemed to fall into a new despair. However, for the pirates on Ghost Island, they were very excited now because following the great battle, it was time for the Hundred Beasts to distribute rewards again.