Mori Shiraishi walked toward the door, his words carrying an undeniable aura of authority.
The two young men bowed their heads involuntarily and said with great respect, "Yes."
Upon stepping outside, everyone on the cruise ship was gathered onto the deck by Mori Shiraishi.
The symbol of the Jashin Religion was still firmly engraved here, and the crimson bloodstains had not entirely vanished.
Driven by curiosity regarding Mori Shiraishi, the strongest Ghoul, everyone arrived on the deck.
Mori Shiraishi stood at the highest point, looking down at the crowd. His pitch-black eyes were calm yet carried a terrifying aura. Merely standing there was enough to make ordinary Ghouls feel immense pressure.
"Everyone should know my identity; my name is Mori Shiraishi."
"If there are no surprises, I should be the strongest Ghoul present."
In just two short sentences, Mori Shiraishi demonstrated unparalleled confidence and dominance.
Watching this scene from her wheelchair, tears shimmered in Rin Shiraishi's eyes.
These words met no rebuttal. After all, the strength Mori Shiraishi displayed that night was witnessed by everyone, and it was not something they could challenge.
"I have gathered everyone today for the purpose of unifying all our strength."
Mori Shiraishi stated his goal directly.
"Since we have already offended the Hidden Steam Village, they will definitely not let this matter rest. They will certainly send ninjas or commission other Hidden Villages to encircle and suppress us. Everyone needs to be prepared."
"Even if the Hidden Steam Village does not move against us, I cannot simply ignore this blood feud."
"However..."
"Before that, I need to resolve one matter first."
Mori Shiraishi waved his hand, and Uncle Ajō, who had just attempted the assassination, was brought forward.
The people below looked at one another.
Internal divisions had always existed within this group.
In addition to the Slave Faction who escaped from the Sakamoto Company, there was also the Survivor Faction from the village.
The Survivor Faction was further split into those who supported Mori Shiraishi, those who did not, and a small portion like Ajō who sought revenge against him.
The composition was quite complex.
The reason they had not splintered yet was mainly due to the immense external pressure from the Steam ninjas and the uneasy emotions Ghouls felt regarding their mutations.
Furthermore, they had never dealt with such things before. Now that they had mutated, they could only instinctively huddle together with others like themselves for warmth.
Given the current state of affairs, this small group likely would not last long.
Is this guy Mori Shiraishi planning to kill the chicken to warn the monkeys?
This was the thought in the minds of the vast majority present.
The best way to unify this group was to establish a leader and perform a certain degree of internal purging. Only then could the stability of the entire team be maintained.
The simplest, most direct, and most effective way to establish a leader's prestige was to make an example out of someone.
Not to mention, someone like Ajō, who had jumped right in front of him to attempt an assassination, was the perfect target.
When you hand a handle to someone like that, it would be a waste not to use it to establish authority.
Sure enough, Mori Shiraishi slowly began to speak.
"This is Uncle Ajō. I imagine many in the village know him. When I was little, I even snuck into his yard to pick his oranges..."
He started with a memory to stabilize the base of the Survivor Faction, intended to follow with an explanation, and finally employ either thunderous methods or a soft touch.
This was a predictable move, but for these villagers who lacked political savvy, it was indeed effective.
"However, during the riots, because I lacked refined control over my own strength, I entered a berserk state to deal with the Steam ninjas. Because of this, I harmed many villagers."
As soon as these words were spoken, the breathing of many villagers below became rapid.
Clearly, they also had relatives who perished in that chaos.
Mori Shiraishi looked around, his gaze incredibly firm as he said, "Although this was not my intent, since a mistake was made, punishment must be accepted."
He slowly raised his palm before him. Crimson Rinkaku wrapped around his arm, forming a sharp long blade.
"Wait... Brother..."
Rin Shiraishi seemed to realize something and anxiously gripped the armrests of her wheelchair.
Under the gaze of over a hundred pairs of eyes, Mori Shiraishi gently placed his Rinkaku-covered right hand onto his left shoulder.
The sharp blade slashed through. A spray of fresh blood bloomed in the sunlight, followed by a severed arm falling limply to the ground.
The intense pain made the corners of Mori Shiraishi's eyes twitch, but that was all.
His face remained calm. He extended a foot and kicked the severed arm in front of Ajō.
The entire deck—and even the entire cruise ship—fell into a dead silence because of Mori Shiraishi's actions.
Never mind the others; even Ajō himself had not expected Mori Shiraishi to do this.
Despite possessing the power to instantly kill any other Ghoul, he was willing to pay the price of an arm to seek forgiveness and punish his own faults.
Looking at the crimson severed arm before him, Ajō stood dazed and speechless.
Mori Shiraishi exhaled, looked up, and said coldly, "This matter ends here."
"If anyone is still unsatisfied, you may speak up now and leave this place."
The scene was silent. Even Ajō only clutched Mori Shiraishi's severed arm and wept, showing no intention of leaving.
Subsequently, Mori Shiraishi's gaze became dangerous.
"From now on, if anyone launches an attack on a comrade, I will kill them directly. There will be no leniency."
"Furthermore, I will proceed to take revenge against the Hidden Steam Village until those damned nobles and ninjas are all driven out of this world."
Mori Shiraishi narrowed his eyes. Although his voice was calm, it made everyone's blood boil.
"This path is destined to be filled with thorns. Those present might all be dead before this goal is achieved."
"If anyone wants to quit, you may leave immediately."
This time, a few Ghouls chose to step back.
Mori Shiraishi was not surprised by this. After all, the strength of ninjas was deeply rooted in people's hearts. Opposing ninjas was not a wise thing to do.
After a dozen or so people left one after another, the remaining people all looked at Mori Shiraishi with determined eyes.
Some wanted revenge, while others smelled something in the air and wanted to follow Mori Shiraishi to leave a significant mark on this era.
Ajō slowly let go of the severed arm and turned around. He knelt fiercely toward Mori Shiraishi and roared in a hoarse voice, "Leader, please lead us to take all the evil in this world..."
"And drive it all out!"
He roared with almost every ounce of strength in his body. Though hoarse, it ignited everyone's passion.
"Please lead us to drive out all evil!"
Mori Shiraishi was similarly infected by this passion. He raised his remaining arm and said coldly, "Drive them out!"
He lowered his head slightly, adding a sentence in a voice only he could hear: "Let this world feel..."
"Pain!"