Orochi walked up to Kaido, who was seething with rage.
Uneasy and fidgeting, he said nervously, "Lord Kaido… Momonosuke has arrived with great momentum, and Roya's attitude is still unclear. The situation in Wano is… quite unstable."
Kaido shot him a sideways glance and said coldly, "Didn't you and Roya have such a pleasant little banquet together? You even gave your beloved concubine to him. Are you really worried he won't spare you a way out?"
Orochi hastily defended himself, "My lord, I only invited him to delay him! I have absolutely no disloyalty toward you!"
Kaido sneered. "Oh really? Then what about those ninja under your command? They here to enjoy the party too?"
"If they're here for a banquet, they could've just come openly—what's the point of planting explosive rocks all over my island? Trying to put on a fireworks show for the guests?"
Cold sweat streamed down Orochi's forehead and the back of his neck.
His knees gave out, and with a plop, he collapsed to the ground.
He waved his hands frantically, shaking his head. His lips moved, but not a single word came out.
Kaido looked at him with disdain. "Considering how many years you've helped me exploit your own people, I'll give you one last chance to fight for your life. Transform."
"Use your strongest form—the Yamata no Orochi. If you can take one of my blows and survive, I'll let you live."
Orochi glanced over at Roya, who was casually walking with Hiyori and chatting as if nothing were happening.
Despair swallowed him whole.
He couldn't comprehend how, even while on guard against Roya, Kaido still had the energy and awareness to notice his little scheme.
Kaido, seeing right through his thoughts, said with cold insight, "Roya came here alone tonight—but I bet his subordinates have already scattered across my factories."
"That means all my defensive measures across the island have been wasted—just to catch your handful of amateur ninjas. What a joke. Like using a sledgehammer to kill a fly."
Only now did Orochi realize—he had unluckily triggered Kaido's trap for Roya.
"Lord Kaido, I… Please… spare me…"
Orochi lowered his head and began retreating slowly, his voice trembling with desperation as he begged for mercy.
But as he backed up to about five meters away from Kaido—his head suddenly snapped up!
His face grotesquely distorted into a horrific serpent's visage, his neck stretching out into a thick, five-meter-long snake body.
With his extended neck, he lunged at Kaido with jaws wide open to strike at his head!
At the same time, seven bulges erupted from the base of his neck.
In just seconds, those too extended into thick, muscular snake bodies—each sprouting a giant serpent head, lunging simultaneously for Kaido's arms and legs!
Kaido gave a cold snort. "So I underestimated you. Turns out, at the final moment, you're not the type to grovel—but to go all out in a deathmatch."
He didn't dodge or flinch.
Both fists lashed out—lightning fast, one after another—punching every single snake head almost simultaneously.
Each impact sent waves of pain through Orochi's body. His consciousness reeled from the sheer force of it.
Before he could react, Kaido had seized the central, dark green serpent head in one massive hand.
Orochi's long purple tongue hung limply from his mouth, twitching involuntarily.
The other seven heads were all spinning, their eyes rolling back, completely unable to fight back.
Everyone present at the bonfire banquet had been watching from the moment Orochi transformed.
Seeing Kaido pummel him down with a flurry of casual punches, none could help but marvel at Kaido's terrifying strength.
After all, Orochi had ruled Wano for over a decade as its shogun—he was no weakling.
And yet, in front of Kaido, he couldn't even withstand a few ordinary punches.
The might of Kaido was now clearer than ever.
Kin'emon and Ashura Doji exchanged glances. Both could see the shock and unease in each other's eyes.
Then they looked toward their young lord, Momonosuke—
Only to find him completely absorbed in trying to cut a large piece of roast meat with a small knife, utterly unfazed.
Suddenly, a sense of deep helplessness washed over both men.
Unconsciously, their gazes drifted toward Roya—calm and composed, standing at the edge of the banquet.
Then, Kaido let out a thunderous laugh, finally drawing everyone's attention.
He lifted the serpent head in his hand and grinned.
"Everyone, just eating meat and drinking wine at a bonfire party is a bit dull, don't you think?"
"So our dear Shogun Orochi has graciously volunteered to perform a little show for us, to spice up the evening!"
Led by Scratchmen Apoo, Kaido's underlings erupted into applause and cheers.
Even the pastry chefs under Big Mom, who had been watching from a distance, put down their utensils and joined in the raucous cheers.
Kaido raised his hand to quiet the crowd and continued, "What you see here is the Shogun's Yamata no Orochi form."
"As you can tell, he now has eight heads. Even if one is chopped off, he won't die. In fact, he can regenerate them quickly."
"So… who wants to come up and try chopping one off?"
He grinned wide.
"Princess Hiyori, would you like to give it a try?"
No one had expected Kaido and Orochi to fall out like this so dramatically.
Hiyori certainly didn't expect to be the first person he'd name.
She gave a cold huff and put on her most aloof expression, her disdain for Kaido radiating without restraint.
"No need to trouble Princess Hiyori with the likes of this traitor. I'll do it!"
Kin'emon reacted the fastest, immediately stepping forward to take responsibility.
After all, it was the Kurozumi Clan's treachery that led to the fall of the Kozuki family in the first place.
To personally execute Orochi was not just about vengeance—it was an act necessary for restoring the Kozuki clan's honor and legitimacy.
If someone else—especially Kaido—killed Orochi, the Kozuki clan's prestige in Wano would suffer a permanent stain.
If they couldn't even avenge their own betrayal, how could they talk of restoration?
Kin'emon declared righteously, then stepped forward and drew his blade.
In one smooth, flowing motion, he launched forward with blazing speed—a single step brought him right to Kaido's side.
As he moved, so did his sword.
"Foxfire Style: Flame Willow Flash!"
A flaming crescent of blade energy streaked forward, sweeping through Orochi's eight heads in a single motion!
Whoosh!
In the next instant, seven of the eight serpent heads fell to the ground—severed cleanly.
The stumps of each neck sizzled, scorched black by the intense heat of Kin'emon's sword aura.
The sight made every onlooker's scalp tingle in horror.
And yet—even with seven heads severed, Orochi showed no signs of dying. His body was still full of vitality.
The seven decapitated necks writhed wildly, and his body thrashed desperately, trying to break free from Kaido's grasp.
Kin'emon glanced at Kaido's faintly smiling face and helplessly sheathed his blade.
Originally, he'd planned to finish Orochi in one clean blow—all eight heads, no exceptions.
But when his flame-infused sword aura reached the central head, the same one Kaido held—
The cutting energy that had never failed him before… simply vanished without a trace.
It was obvious—Kaido had interfered.
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