"Bari Bari no Mi, Kurozumi Semimaru!" Kaido said, looking at the man beside Kurozumi Orochi as his attack was blocked.
However, he didn't attack again. Using brute force, it might not be possible to break through this barrier in a short amount of time.
"That's right, the art of barriers!" Kurozumi Semimaru replied calmly.
His past experience with the Rocks Pirates had taught Semimaru exactly what pirates were. He had long anticipated that Kaido might betray their agreement. After Kurozumi Kanjuro's disappearance, he had reminded Kurozumi Higurashi multiple times. But Higurashi, consumed by the desire to seize Wano Country and revive the Kurozumi family, hadn't listened.
Because of this, Semimaru had remained secretly vigilant, expecting Kaido to betray their pact after the plan succeeded.
What Semimaru couldn't figure out, no matter how he thought about it, was why Kaido would betray them before the plan succeeded. Doing so offered no benefit to either Kaido or the Kurozumi family.
"Hah, hah, hah, Semimaru, thank goodness you're here." After narrowly escaping death, Kurozumi Orochi was gasping for breath.
"Master, while the barrier is secure, we are still in danger," Kurozumi Semimaru said with a grim expression.
"Hey, Orochi, is what Kaido said about the Kurozumi family true? Are you really a remnant of that clan?" Shimotsuki Yasuke demanded, addressing Orochi.
Hearing this, the other daimyo all turned their gaze towards Orochi, who was protected by the barrier.
"Guhohoho. That's right. There's no point in hiding it now. I am a member of the Kurozumi family, persecuted from the moment I was born. And now, I am the current head of that family." Seeing the situation, Orochi knew further concealment was impossible and spoke plainly.
"What?! It's true?!"
"Orochi, you bastard, you deceived us!"
The gathered daimyo angrily denounced Kurochi Orochi.
Orochi ignored them, instead fixing his gaze on Kaido. He knew that whether they escaped today depended entirely on whether he could get Kaido and the daimyo to fight each other.
"Kaido, you bastard! Why did you betray our agreement?! We clearly agreed to rule Wano Country together!" Orochi shouted.
"What?!" Shimotsuki Ushimaru and the others were shocked once more. They raised their swords, now wary of both Kaido and Orochi. Too many upheavals had occurred today; they wouldn't be surprised by anything else that happened now.
"Wororororo. Of course, it's because sharing this country with a waste like you is far less appealing than simply taking it all for myself," Kaido stated directly.
"You bastards, Shimotsuki Ushimaru! What are you waiting for?! Deal with this guy who's trying to seize Wano Country!" Orochi shrieked at Ushimaru and the others in a rage.
"Kurozumi Orochi, we don't need your orders. Now, tell us, where is Lord Sukiyaki?" Shimotsuki Yasuke demanded.
"That's right, where is Lord Sukiyaki?" Shimotsuki Ushimaru and the others immediately echoed.
Orochi's sinister laughter echoed through the great hall of the Shogun's palace. He stroked his beard triumphantly, his eyes glinting with cunning. "Guhohoho, Shimotsuki Yasuke, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, listen well," he said, deliberately drawing out his words. "That old fool Sukiyaki is currently in my dungeon. If you want him to live, you will kill Kaido for me immediately! You should know, Sukiyaki is the world's last surviving member of the Kozuki family!"
The air in the hall instantly froze. Shimotsuki Yasuke's head snapped up, the katana at his waist trembling slightly. "What?!" he exclaimed, sharply seizing the key detail in Orochi's words, his voice trembling with urgency. "Orochi, what do you mean, 'last surviving member'? Has something happened to Lord Oden?!"
Orochi paced to the window with a sinister smile, the moonlight casting a long shadow. "Guhohoho, that guy, Kozuki Oden," he paused deliberately, savoring their tense expressions, "was taken care of by that bastard Kaido half a year ago."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's fists clenched audibly. Suppressing his fury, he asked in a low voice, "Orochi, are you telling the truth?"
"Cross my heart!" Orochi suddenly turned, his smile twisting into something vicious. "I was there, I saw it with my own eyes when Kozuki Oden was killed. It was a most satisfying death!" He spread his arms theatrically. "So, if you don't want the Kozuki family to end here and now, kill Kaido for me this instant!"
Shimotsuki Yasuke spun towards the silent Kaido. "Kaido, is what Kurozumi Orochi said true?"
Kaido threw his head back, taking a massive gulp of sake. The liquor dripped from his chin. "Wororororo. Of course it's true," he said, wiping his mouth, a cruel light flashing in his eyes. "That guy Oden's corpse is still on my ship."
"You bastard!" Shimotsuki Ushimaru could hold back no longer. His katana left its sheath in an instant. "Do you have any idea what you've done?! Oden was Wano Country's rightful heir!"
Kaido suddenly roared with laughter, the sound making the roof tiles tremble. "Do you fools think I've been standing here listening to your drivel for fun?!" He stomped his foot, the floor beneath him instantly cracking.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru was momentarily confused, but then he watched as Kaido's massive form shot upwards, crashing straight through the roof and flying out. Shattered tiles rained down, and moonlight poured through the gaping hole.
"Not good! Get out!" Shimotsuki Yasuke immediately sensed the danger, but his warning came too late.
BOOOOOOM—!
A deafening explosion suddenly erupted from beneath the Shogun's palace, shaking the very ground of the entire Flower Capital.
A tremendous shockwave instantly tore the palace's main structure to shreds. Raging flames, like a giant beast, devoured the wooden buildings. The blast wave expanded outward in all directions. Dozens of houses within a radius of several hundred meters exploded in a chain reaction. Bricks, tiles, and wooden beams were hurled into the sky, only to rain back down upon the streets like hail.
The residents of the Flower Capital stared in terror toward the city center.
The once majestic and imposing Shogun's palace was now completely shrouded in smoke and dust. Only a few burning pillars could be seen, tilting precariously amidst the ruins.
Panic began to spread through the crowds in the streets.
"What in the world happened?!"
"Look! It's the Shogun's Palace!" someone screamed.
"Heavens, what happened to the palace?! Is Lord Sukiyaki alright?!"
At that moment, some people, realizing the gravity of the situation at the palace, began rushing toward it.
However, as they neared the streets surrounding the palace, a group of unfamiliar warriors in black combat gear blocked their path.
"Halt!" A man as burly as a bear stood at the forefront, the military insignia on his shoulder glinting coldly in the firelight. "A rebellion has occurred at the Shogun's Palace! By order of Lord Sukiyaki, all roads are sealed!"
The man leading the charge, Hyogoro of the Flower, stopped. The nearly three-meter-tall Yakuza boss of the Flower Capital, his thick arms adorned with vibrant peony tattoos, narrowed his eyes as he assessed the stranger. "A rebellion? Then it's even more important we get through to protect his lordship!"
"If you insist on passing, could it be you're an accomplice of the Kurozumi family?" Bullet stated directly.
"The Kurozumi family? Members of that clan still exist?" Hyogoro frowned upon hearing this.
"Correct. Orochi, the current head of the Kurozumi clan, is staging a coup. To prevent any accomplices from helping the Kurozumis escape, the Shogun has specifically ordered us to seal the roads," Bullet explained.
"Is that so?!" Hyogoro didn't believe a single word. If there truly was a rebellion, why would Lord Sukiyaki want to prevent them from coming to his aid?
Moreover, he didn't recognize this man at all. The man's attire and manner of speaking clearly showed he wasn't from Wano Country. For all Hyogoro knew, the rebels this man spoke of could very well be the man and his companions themselves.
"If you won't move aside, then don't blame me for being discourteous," Hyogoro said.
"Heh, if you want to pass, you'll have to get past my fists first!" Bullet replied immediately.
At the same time, similar standoffs were unfolding on streets in other directions.
The tall, lanky Moriah held a bizarrely shaped longsword, its tip scraping sparks against the ground. "Shishishi, this road is closed, you know." Before him, three ronin-styled samurai had already taken fighting stances.
At the northern intersection, the giant Urouge simply hefted a stone lantern onto his shoulder, using it as a barricade.
In a western alley, Sebastian stood blocking the way with over twenty fish-men at his back.
***
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