?!!
The people of Wano were almost numb.
It was clearly announced twenty years ago that the Kozuki family had been wiped out.
Yet today, Sukiyaki and Princess Hiyori appeared.
This not only caused self-blame among the populace:
Why didn't we discover this sooner? Why didn't they seek our help!
In the end, it resulted in everyone witnessing the destruction of the Kozuki family, their symbol of hope, with their own eyes!
This feeling...
It was so regretful! So painful!
Now that the execution had not stopped, was it the turn of...
Kozuki Oden's son, Kozuki Momonosuke?!
Soon, a pile of bloodied and injured people were dragged up and forced to kneel.
Every single one of them looked incredibly weak, without a shred of strength to resist.
Many people hadn't seen a single one of them before, let alone recognized them all.
The crowd scrutinized them carefully.
A tall, fat man; a Kappa monster; a yakuza boss, Kyoshiro; a middle-aged female ninja; a smiling old man; and an old man with a bitter expression.
Okay, okay~
None of them could be Momonosuke-sama!
Eh?
Why is the yakuza boss here?
Isn't he Orochi's subordinate?
"The Akazaya Nine of the past, the retainers of Kozuki. Do you remember them?"
Kaido personally walked down from the platform this time, addressing the crowd outside the fence.
We remember. They are the only hope for resistance!
Of course, no one dared to say this out loud; they only nervously answered, "We remember."
Kaido's large hand grabbed Shutenmaru's hair, yanking his head back to force eye contact.
Shutenmaru's eyes were filled with exhaustion and calmness.
He seemed ready to accept his end.
Kaido lifted his face high for everyone to see clearly and said, "Shutenmaru, the thief of Mt. Atama. He rampaged through the various towns and villages of Kuri, living by robbery."
The people thought: A mountain bandit?
Since when does Kaido care about such things?
When did he start being a good person?
But his next words caused everyone to turn pale with shock.
"His original name is Ashura Doji. Oden's retainer, one of the Akazaya Nine."
Shutenmaru looked sideways and pulled the corners of his mouth down, feeling too guilty to look straight ahead.
"What?"
"The Akazaya Nine? A mountain bandit?"
"Oden's retainer... wasn't he supposed to protect Wano Country?"
Next, Kaido walked behind another person and grabbed his hair as well.
"Kyoshiro, the biggest yakuza boss in the Flower Capital, the most loyal dog beside Orochi."
"Also one of the Akazaya Nine. Original name, Denjiro."
Denjiro's eyes were slanted upwards, looking at Kaido with hatred, his eyebrows standing up in anger.
"Oden's retainer joined Orochi?!"
"Is this what the original Akazaya Nine were like?"
"Oden's retainers... this is too disappointing."
The air of despair that originally filled Wano became even heavier.
The system showed the rebellion percentage dropping rapidly.
From 14% straight down to 8%! It was incredibly close to 5%!
At this moment, a voice came from the side to refute him, the words mixed with a hee-hee laughter.
"It's not like that!"
"The Nine Scabbards are all people of chivalry! The ones I know would never bring disaster to a region! They must be troubled by unspeakable difficulties!"
"Everyone! Please do not believe Kaido's one-sided story anymore!"
Oh? Someone actually dares to spoil my fun?
Kaido turned his head to look. A smiling old man with a headscarf was looking back at him without fear.
My mistake, I actually forgot about you, Yasuie.
Kaido ordered someone to untie Shimotsuki Yasuie's headscarf.
A conspicuous afro hairstyle popped out.
That hairstyle...
The crowd below immediately found it familiar, and some guessed it.
No way?!
But the Lord Yasuie I knew was a super serious person who never smiled!
"Yasuie, it must be hard for you. Even after being harmed to this state by the Kozuki family, you don't forget to speak up for them."
"Do you two have anything to say?"
Kaido pretended to ask the two Akazaya samurai.
Both remained silent, anger written all over their faces.
Their bodies twisted and struggled frantically; the soldiers could barely hold them down.
But the two did not speak.
Yasuie realized something was wrong, and then heard Kaido speak again.
"I almost forgot. I cut out their tongues and crushed their throats. They probably... can't speak?"
Yasuie was stunned. The look of disbelief in his eyes magnified. His smiling face was now filled with incomparable rage.
"Kaido!!"
"You demon!!"
"Worororo! Otherwise, did you expect me to treat them with hospitality?"
These were his enemies, the nemeses who, in the original story, united with Luffy to overthrow him!
The actions of these two men...
It was a rare opportunity to use them to suppress the Kozuki's credibility.
Of course, he had to shut them up and not give them any chance to explain.
Shimotsuki Yasuie was just a small accident.
He wouldn't have any effect.
"I am never wrong. Anyone can investigate the things these two have done. The facts are right before your eyes."
"However, I am curious. If you hadn't rejected Sukiyaki back then and had succeeded the position of Shogun a bit earlier, perhaps none of what followed would have happened, right?"
Kaido looked comfortable as he shifted the pressure onto Shimotsuki Yasuie.
Regarding the entire situation in Wano Country, if Kaido was the result of the dove occupying the magpie's nest...
Then,
Shimotsuki Yasuie's foolish loyalty—the most capable person yet daring not to take the throne.
Kozuki Sukiyaki's weakness—a dignified Shogun captured alive and imprisoned by Kurozumi Orochi.
Kozuki Oden's stupidity—providing Orochi with countless gold and silver treasures, giving him the opportunity.
These three people collectively caused this cause!
"Lord Yasuie... If only Lord Yasuie had succeeded the Shogun position!"
"Then there definitely wouldn't be any Orochi! And it wouldn't have attracted Kaido!"
"Damn it! Why did Sukiyaki have to pass the position to Orochi!"
"It's truly unfair! Lord Yasuie shouldn't be like this!"
The people's thoughts were being led by Kaido without them realizing it.
Only Kaido continued to speak.
"Listen well. Whether it is the Kozuki family or the rebels."
"From now on, the ruins of the Kozuki Oden Castle are your only destination."
He turned and walked to the highest point of the stand, issuing a stern order.
"Execution!"
"Cut off their heads! Display them all at Oden's door!"
On the stage, six soldiers drew long swords from their waists and slashed down heavily at the six prisoners.
The blades fell, and heads rolled.
Only heads with expressions of sorrow and anger remained rolling on the ground.
Even in Yasuie's eyes, a final look of regret remained.
The people of Wano were numb. Too many had been sacrificed today; it seemed like a return to the great war twenty years ago.
Faced with a series of deaths and despair...
They felt increasingly powerless against Kaido.
Perhaps... this is how it will be from now on.
They can only drag out an ignoble existence under the rule of Orochi and Kaido.
They were still unaware of the change in Shogun.
In the system, the proportion of rebels was dropping visibly.
8%...
7%...
6%...
5%...
Ding
"Target One: Completely Master Wano Country."
"Target Achieved. Current rebel proportion: 5%."
"Reward: Strength Module Pack (Claimable)."
"Do you wish to claim it?"
"Friendly Reminder: Continuing to lower the proportion can yield extra rewards. Maximum extra rewards obtained at 3%."
Oh? Extra rewards?
Since it was Kaido's first time opening a pack, he didn't know what was inside.
But since there were better things...
He might as well wait a little longer.
It was just about lowering the hope of the people of Wano further.
He had so many cards in his hand that he couldn't play them all.
Enough to grab the highest reward!