Chapter 147: The Secret of the Amatsuki Clan! Oden's Escape
As soon as Toki's words fell.
Kozuki Sukiyaki's expression changed dramatically. His eyes locked tightly onto Toki before him, his throat bobbing as he swallowed hard.
"The Amatsuki clan?"
"I don't know where you heard that name, but in truth, the Amatsuki clan was completely exterminated by the World Government long ago. Even mentioning it is the ultimate taboo."
"If those words spread, who knows how many people would die because of it."
The Amatsuki clan.
Even in Wano Country, they were an extremely special existence.
As one of the five great families, the Amatsuki clan was actually the most noble of them all.
They were the true Celestial Beings!
Unfortunately, after their identity was exposed, they were utterly annihilated. Back then, with the World Government's full force, even the entire Wano Country
Would have been massacred.
But at that time, for some unknown reason, the Amatsuki clan made a deal with the World Government.
They successfully preserved the Kozuki, Shimotsuki, Kazuki, and Ugetsu clans—but from then on, the existence of the Amatsuki clan was never to be spoken of again.
The Amatsuki clan was thus completely wiped out.
This matter was known only to successive shoguns after their succession. Even the other daimyo had never heard of the Amatsuki clan.
Yet now,
This girl before him had casually revealed the existence of the Amatsuki clan!
If this leaked out, it would undoubtedly bring catastrophic disaster upon Wano. The World Government would never let it go!
The revelation of the Amatsuki clan's existence
Was far more dangerous than the threat posed by the masked man this time!
While the battle raged on, Lotte—who overheard Sukiyaki's inner thoughts—couldn't help but be shocked.
Though he had long suspected the Amatsuki clan's true identity,
He never expected the World Government to have acted so early.
The Amatsuki clan had likely been exterminated centuries ago. By now, no trace of them remained in Wano.
The later Kurozumi clan had simply occupied the empty nest.
But from any angle,
Why would the Kozuki clan in Wano pose such a massive threat to the World Government?
And what exactly were these so-called "Celestial Beings"?
If it referred to the moon-dwelling races, why did Toki have no visible wings on her back—completely unlike those from Skypiea or other such beings!
What exactly happened eight hundred years ago?!
Though Shimotsuki Yasuie had never heard of the Amatsuki clan, he could tell the opponent wasn't fighting seriously.
Anger appeared on his face.
"You brat!"
"Do you really think you can take this old man lightly?!"
His entire body erupted with power. A chilling frost-like sword aura instantly coated his blade. Then he swung down fiercely from above.
Lotte glanced at Toki.
Continuing their battle here would be bad.
Otherwise, dragging the shogun's residence into it was only a matter of time. Lotte therefore ignited flames along his dual blades to counter the frost, using the force to leap backward.
He looked at Shimotsuki Yasuie and laughed heartily.
"Interesting. But we can't really go all-out here!"
"Old man, let's take this fight to the sky! Don't make me disappointed in Wano—the Land of Samurai!"
Lotte laughed loudly. With a sudden stomp, his figure vanished from the spot.
Shimotsuki Yasuie behind him naturally had no intention of letting him escape so easily.
He stepped forward without hesitation to pursue.
For Shimotsuki Yasuie, he had to defeat this masked man as quickly as possible. After all, he was already advanced in years.
Dragging things out against this young man would bring him no advantage!
As the two figures soared into the sky and clashed.
Many citizens of the Flower Capital witnessed the scene at this moment.
Plenty recognized Shimotsuki Yasuie's identity, and were curious about the masked man.
"The daimyo of Hakumai is actually here! Could someone be attempting to assassinate the shogun?!"
"That masked man's swordsmanship is incredibly sharp—even the daimyo of Hakumai can't gain the slightest advantage. Where did such a swordsman come from?!"
"Looking at his clothes, he doesn't seem to be from Wano."
If this were a battle between Devil Fruit users, the citizens of the Flower Capital would have already fled in panic. But since it was between swordsmen, that was a completely different matter.
Everyone knew Wano was most famous for its swords and samurai.
Witnessing a clash between top-tier swordsmen was, for many swordsmen in Wano, an absolute delight!
At this moment.
Denjiro and Shutenmaru had also arrived at the Flower Capital.
When they saw the two figures battling above the shogun's residence, their expressions turned grave.
"That masked man arrived so quickly—did he fly straight here from the coast?"
"But how much stamina would that consume?!"
Everyone knew that while traveling through the air was fast, it also consumed an enormous amount of stamina.
Flying directly from the coast to the Flower Capital.
The stamina required would be astronomical—unless it was one of those rumored awakened Zoan Devil Fruit users, probably no one could manage it.
"This can't continue—we need to hurry and assist the daimyo of Hakumai!"
"No matter what, we have to protect the shogun's safety!"
Shutenmaru and Denjiro exchanged a glance, then immediately stepped forward and rushed toward the shogun's residence.
At the same time.
Back in Kuri, the remaining members of the Red Scabbard Nine who had been guarding Kozuki Oden
Were all standing in front of a wooden cabin, keeping watch.
But now they felt something was strange.
Logically, if they were preventing Lord Oden from leaving the country, given his personality, he absolutely wouldn't stay so quiet.
Could he have changed his mind?
They hadn't considered the possibility of Kozuki Oden escaping. After all, the six of them had surrounded the cabin inside and out.
Even their lord at full strength couldn't slip away under their watch.
Let alone while he was still recovering from injuries.
But Izou always felt something wasn't right. He exchanged a glance with Kin'emon beside him.
"Could Lord Oden have fallen asleep?"
"Should we go in and check?"
Kin'emon nodded slightly.
If their lord caught a cold and got sick, that would be bad.
So the two pushed open the cabin door. What met their eyes was complete chaos—there was no sign of Kozuki Oden at all.
Only a hidden tunnel that had been dug out at some unknown time!
Clearly, Kozuki Oden had been prepared long ago!
Izou and Kin'emon stood frozen in place, staring at the tunnel with dazed expressions.
Their lord… escaped again?!
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