"Cough, cough. Don't panic! Hold the formation! There are only a few paths here, and all the people in the surroundings are ours, they won't be able to fly out!"
Things change with time, and Kuri now is no longer the same Kuri it once was. Earlier, out in the suburbs, they hadn't really noticed the changes in the roads.
When they first entered the city, no one was chasing them, so they could slowly explore, and it wasn't to the point of getting lost.
Later, when they noticed the signal flare rising from the area where Momonosuke was, they understood that something must have gone wrong there. But at that time, there were already people investigating the "group fraud" incident, forcing them to avoid the main roads.
Yet before they could get around, Queen, determined to eliminate anything that might harm his quality of life, had already rushed over, passed on the news about Momonosuke, and Kuri immediately entered a state of martial law.
The Shinsengumi were merely a security force within Wano Country. Ordinary members weren't that strong—enough to maintain internal order, yes, but when it came to Oden's retainers, they could only rely on numbers.
They might look like mere retainers, but some of them possessed incredibly bizarre vitality, even able to take a blow from Kaido's kanabo with their heads and not die, which is extremely bizarre.
Yes, it was Kin'emon, this creature with bizarre vitality. Before Luffy awakened and transformed into Nika, a single blow from kanabo knocked him out instantly, yet Kin'emon could regain consciousness within an extremely short time because of his body, and this was even after training 20 fewer years than others.
It made one wonder if he had perhaps awakened the Garb-Garb Fruit and developed some sort of Resurrection Armor. [TN: In Honor of Kings, the Resurrection Armor is actually called Sage's Sanctuary, and it's a powerful defensive item that allows a hero to revive after dying.]
However, this exaggerated vitality does not equate to combat strength. With a large number of people in pursuit and even ordinary residents reporting their whereabouts, they were quickly cornered into a dead end, entering a fight-to-the-death situation.
Because he was a Devil Fruit user, Raizo could carry far more tools than other ninjas. A huge number of smoke bombs blocked the vision of those surrounding them. For most people, having their vision cut off was a troublesome problem.
"Get out of the way! What's with all the panicking! These little tricks are nothing!"
From behind, Hotei dispersed the people blocking in front of him, his body swelling slightly larger. A bony mask covered his face, leaving only two triangular holes at the eyes, with fluffy hair spilling from behind.
Marowak, Ground-type, Bone Keeper Pokémon, the evolved form of Cubone.
In both of his hands appeared a bone club, which he threw forward with some force.
The bones in their hands were their weapons. And because Hotei practiced Two Sword Style, his bones numbered two as well. After gaining this ability, he never carried blades again.
The bones born alongside his ability were far more convenient than ordinary katanas, and much easier to control.
The bone clubs spun rapidly through the smoke, the whirling cyclone dispersing the smoke from the smoke bombs, revealing the three trying to retreat.
And the bone clubs didn't stop there; instead, they kept flying forward.
Clang! Clang!
Kanjuro and Kin'emon each blocked a bone club. Though they looked like ordinary bones, their hardness was no less than the swords in their hands, and the force behind them was also extremely exaggerated.
When they finally deflected them with great effort, the bone clubs, as if controlled, returned once again to Hotei's hands.
Bonemerang - the signature move of Marowak's line. Most of this Pokémon's power lay in the bone clubs. Without them, its combat power would plummet.
"You are… Hotei?"
Though his face was hidden by a strange bone mask, Kin'emon still recognized him by his voice and the shape of his hair. They had interacted before, and their relationship was not friendly.
Strictly speaking, they had both been street thugs back then, or to put it nicely, ronin.
Later, Kin'emon pledged allegiance to Oden, while Hotei continued to hang around on the streets for a while before ultimately surrendering when the Beasts Pirates were cleaning up security issues within Wano Country.
However, after Kin'emon became one of Oden's retainers, the two no longer had any contact, as a retainer could not continue to hang out on the streets like in the past.
"Unbelievable, unbelievable, I didn't expect Lord Kin'emon to still remember me. But then again, for you, twenty years ago was nothing more than yesterday."
Having little contact didn't mean there was none at all. After Kin'emon was taken in as Oden's retainer, his status underwent a complete change, and his attitude grew more arrogant as well.
After his lifestyle changed, he no longer roamed the streets with his former underlings. Even when he encountered his old rivals who used to fight him for territory, his eyes carried a hint of disdain. In Kin'emon's eyes, the identity of a retainer meant they now belonged to two different worlds.
"You b*stard, as someone from Wano Country, you actually joined the Beasts Pirates to tyrannize Wano Country!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Have you lost your mind? If you were so loyal, why didn't you follow Lord Oden into death?"
The Beasts Pirates hadn't deliberately slandered Oden. And now with Hiyori as Shogun, Hotei still showed him verbal respect.
"Ba*tard… Foxfire Style!"
The two swords clashed, flames bursting around Kin'emon's blades as he struck at Hotei. It was clear Hotei was a leader now; taking him down was the only way to keep moving forward.
"Dont be so arrogant, I've defeated you before! Don't think that becoming a sorcerer will change the outcome!"
As the blade swung, a large amount of flames shot out, igniting some of the miscellaneous items in the alley.
"Sorcerer? Don't look down on me. This is the reward I've gained after 15 years of hard work, completely different from trash like you!"
The ends of his two bone clubs became wrapped in a dull yellow energy. They began spinning in Hotei's hands before he swung them down with crushing force toward Kin'emon.
Every clash between blade and bone sent sparks flying, but Hotei ignored the flames clinging to the bones, paying them no mind.
The principle behind Kin'emon's control over fire remained a mystery, but one thing was certain: fire was not his true specialty. Such ordinary flames had little effect on a Ground-type Ability User like Hotei. It was just a bit of heat, nothing more.
"Back then, I really couldn't defeat you. But do you think I've been doing nothing in these twenty years? How do you think I became a captain?!"
Suddenly, one of Hotei's bone clubs flew out from his hand, tracing a strange arc through the air before smashing into Kin'emon's kidney.
"Speaking of which, how did Captain Hotei even become captain?"
"Wasn't it… because he's good at sucking up? Don't be fooled by how strict he is with us, I heard he's really good at flattery."
The underlings providing support nearby, upon hearing Hotei's question to Kin'emon, began whispering among themselves.
"Shut up! Is this the time to talk about these things? Capture this ba*tards first! These are difficult to come by contributions!"
A nearby samurai hushed the gossiping people in a low voice and continued leading the attack. After all, besides Kin'emon, there were two others here.
"You like using bones so much, it seems you're enjoying being a dog."
Although his kidney was brutally struck by a club, Kin'emon continued to taunt Hotei. These words didn't affect Hotei, but something suddenly went wrong with his body.
Just as he was about to swing his club again, he suddenly lost the ability to move.
"Ninpo: Paralysis Jutsu! Now, Kin'emon!"
This was one of Raizo's true ninjutsu, binding the enemy's movements at the cost of immobilizing himself as well. In a one-on-one fight, it became nothing more than a staring contest, where neither could do anything but glare.
In the original timeline's Onigashima battle, Raizo used this technique against Fukurokuju in the sea of flames, defeating him with a tactic that relied on endurance and vitality.
In a small-scale fight like this, however, the Paralysis Jutsu proved much more effective.
But the limitations were harsh—the stronger the opponent, the harder they were to restrain. Raizo had searched for a long time just to find an opening to paralyze Hotei.
And the chance to use the Paralysis Jutsu was limited. It wasn't just the few of them; while Raizo controlled Hotei, he himself was surrounded by other samurai. In the blink of an eye, blades had already pierced his body.
"Raizo! Die, Hotei!"
Seeing Raizo refusing to dodge or resist, sacrificing himself to restrain Hotei's movements, Kin'emon didn't waste the opportunity.
With a sorrowful cry, the twin blades slashed toward Hotei's head.
Crack!
A faint sound of bone breaking rang out. The bone armor on Hotei's head bore a shallow X-shaped scar, but that was all.
"Too bad. You should have aimed for my neck!"
When Cubone, the thing it wears on its head is only a bone mask. The rumor is that it's the skull of Cubone's mother, but the credibility of this rumor isn't high, as Pokémon are oviparous and Cubone already has a mask on its head when it first hatches.
When Cubone evolves into Marowak, the thing on its head is no longer a mask but a special exoskeleton formed after fusing into its body.
The dual-layer skull structure made Marowak's head the hardest part of its body, and Hotei's Ability was the rare Battle Armor.
In the games, it is shown to have immunity to critical hits. In reality, it meant his vital points were covered with tougher bone armor for protection.
Kin'emon's strike didn't kill Hotei, but Raizo, the one who had paralyzed him, had already fallen. As the freed Hotei prepared to continue his attack, the sky suddenly darkened, and a heavy black rain poured down. At the same time, a voice that made him shudder rang in his ears.
"Stop."
"Wi-Wise King?!"
Kaido had appeared without anyone noticing, immediately freezing the attacking Shinsengumi in their tracks.
"No! It's fake! Wise King isn't this young! Continue attacking!"
After a brief hesitation, Hotei also realized the problem. This Kaido was too young. Even if the voice was the same and the appearance more or less similar, his face lacked the traces of age.
He understood, but the others didn't react as quickly. Their awe of Kaido was etched into their very bones. And that gave Kanjuro the chance to break through.
With a swipe of Tsuji Shibai, Kanjuro snatched Kin'emon from Hotei's hands, then leaped high into the air. From the eerie ink clouds emerged a giant bird, which carried the two of them and flew off into the distance.
As for Raizo—
Kanjuro was powerless there. Trying to save him, already riddled with stab wounds, would be far too costly. Even he had no confidence in it, so he could only take Kin'emon and flee quickly.
From the fake Kaido to the bird now, all of it was Kanjuro's handiwork.
Originally a spy, he had always concealed his drawing skills, drawing only abstract creatures that could barely move.
But after Kurozumi Orochi's death, with his master gone and his life devoted to performance, he fully embraced his role as a Kozuki retainer.
Unless Kurozumi Orochi was resurrected, he was now a loyal retainer of the Kozuki. So, he no longer concealed himself, but directly revealed his true drawing skills.
While fighting off the samurai before him, he continued splashing ink, finally forming the fake Kaido.
In the original timeline, he once drew Kozuki Oden, tricking the other retainers and using the fake Oden to carry explosives that killed Ashura Doji.
Kanjuro's real drawing skills were outstanding, even better than Usopp's. Unfortunately, he didn't know what Kaido looked like twenty years later. He drew everything based on Kaido's appearance from twenty years ago, which quickly exposed him.
Still, it bought him precious time. The ink clouds in the sky were also part of his ability. By using these ink clouds, Kanjuro could paint more freely. The giant bird used to escape was created in this way.
The more realistically the creatures in the painting are drawn, the smoother their movements become. Compared to the big-headed ducks Kanjuro usually draws, this giant falcon was clearly flying much faster.
And even as they flew, Kanjuro kept painting using the ink clouds, creating numerous clones that flew in all directions to distract and confuse Hotei and the others.
"Ink Flames • Ukiyo Portrait: Fire Clouds!"
As Kanjuro unleashed his ability, the ink clouds in the sky began to disperse and fall. However, during their descent, the ink drawings took on a burning quality, similar to flames.
That was the terror of Kanjuro's Brush-Brush Fruit ability: the objects he painted using ink could take on the properties of the real thing. Rain became arrows, ink clouds became fire; all part of his powers. His ability was truly the hardest to deal with among Oden's retainers.
"That b*stard…"
"Captain Hotei, what should we do?"
"Call for the air cavalry! Let them deal with those b*stards! The rest of you, come with me to put out the fire! Contact the firefighting squad, have them support us immediately! These guys really don't care about anything… You lot, keep an eye on that ninja! Don't let him escape too!"
Watching parts of the street burn under the influence of Kanjuro's ability, Hotei was furious. He didn't expect that those accusing him of tyrannising Wano Country would be even more ruthless when they took action themselves.
To retreat smoothly, they hadn't only released countless clones, but even set fire to the town below.
The initial plan was to capture these people, but they ended up causing such an incident in the downtown area. This will make the follow-up handling quite troublesome.
Hotei's message was quickly transmitted. Within one minute, the Squirtle Squad had assembled, boarding Altaria to rush over, while the air cavalry happened to encounter the falling Kaido.
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