The atmosphere on the street before the Shogun's Palace was tense enough to spark a conflict. Hyogoro, leading over a hundred yakuza members and trailed by a group of deeply concerned samurai, stood in a tense standoff against Bullet and the others blocking the way.
The yakuza boss's face was as dark as water, his right hand gripping the hilt of his sword so tightly his knuckles were white. He shouted sharply, "Move aside! Or don't blame us for being discourteous!" With a clear shing! of ringing metal and a flash of cold light, he abruptly drew the long sword from his waist.
Behind him, the yakuza members all brandished their weapons, blades glinting with a cold gleam in the sunlight.
Seeing this, Bullet not only didn't back down, but instead grinned, revealing an excited smile. "Want a fight? Perfect chance for me to stretch my muscles!" He cracked his knuckles, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for battle.
At the same time, the pirates behind Bullet also drew their weapons, the clang of metal rising all around.
The two sides were poised for battle, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder. A fierce clash seemed on the verge of erupting.
"Everyone, stop! Cough, cough."
Just then, a weak voice sounded.
Hearing it, both groups of men looked toward the source of the voice.
"It's Lord Sukiyaki!" A sharp-eyed samurai immediately recognized the speaker.
They saw Sukiyaki, appearing extremely feeble, being supported by two attendants as he walked forward, followed by Kaido, King, Queen, and others. His face was as pale as paper, and he had to stop every few steps to cough several times.
"Lord Sukiyaki, what exactly happened at the Shogun's Palace?" Hyogoro stepped forward and asked urgently.
"That's right, Lord Sukiyaki. Someone said earlier there was a rebellion at the palace, that it was the Kurozumi family. Is this true?" another samurai pressed.
Sukiyaki coughed violently for a while, his face growing even paler. "Cough, cough... It's true," he said with difficulty. "I never imagined members of the Kurozumi family would be lying in wait within the Shogun's Palace... I originally planned to invite all of Wano's daimyo to help resolve the issue of the Kurozumi clan's planned rebellion..."
At this point, Sukiyaki's voice choked up. "But... I never thought the Kurozumi clan could be so insane. They planted a massive amount of explosives in the palace, and when they saw their plot exposed, they detonated them immediately. In the explosion, Ugetsu Tempura was killed outright. Kazuki Mitsuyoshi, Shimotsuki Yasuke, and Shimotsuki Ushimaru were also grievously wounded. I only survived thanks to Mr. Kaido's protection."
He closed his eyes in pain. "Afterwards, the Kurozumi clan launched a frenzied counterattack... Kazuki Mitsuyoshi, Shimotsuki Yasuke, Shimotsuki Ushimaru... they fought to protect me... pushing their wounded bodies to the limit... and in the end... they tragically sacrificed themselves..."
His words struck the crowd like a thunderclap.
"What?! It really was a Kurozumi rebellion?!"
"Dammit, can this be true? It's too horrible."
"Lord Sukiyaki said it himself, how could it be false?"
"Hey, you're focusing on the wrong thing! The most important thing now is that the daimyo of Kibi, Udon, Ringo, and Hakumai are all dead!"
"Right! For so many daimyo to die at once... this is something that hasn't happened in Wano Country for centuries!"
The citizens who heard the news instantly descended into chaos.
Only Hyogoro remained, his brow furrowed, a suspicious glint in his eyes. "Lord Sukiyaki, then who are these people?" He pointed at Bullet and the others. "If I remember correctly, none of them are from the Flower Capital, or even from Wano Country, are they? Why did they stop us earlier, preventing us from coming to your aid?"
"That's right, Lord Sukiyaki, who are they?" the samurai echoed.
Sukiyaki waved a weak hand. "Cough, cough... These people are all Mr. Kaido's subordinates... To prevent any of the Kurozumi clan from escaping... I specifically borrowed forces from Mr. Kaido... I just never imagined..." Here, he suddenly staggered, nearly falling, and was caught just in time by the attendants beside him.
"Lord Sukiyaki! Are you alright?!" the samurai cried out in alarm.
"Cough, cough... Everyone... the illness afflicting my body... it was poison administered by the Kurozumi clan..." Sukiyaki said with great effort.
"What?!"
"Lord Sukiyaki, are you going to be okay?!"
"Damn those Kurozumi bastards!"
Instantly, the people around him began cursing angrily again.
"Everyone, my body was already failing. Now, having been caught in the blast, I feel my time is truly short," Sukiyaki said, forcing himself to stand up straight.
"Lord Sukiyaki, you will definitely recover."
"That's right, Lord Sukiyaki, don't talk like that."
Hearing this, Sukiyaki merely waved his hand again, then addressed Kaido. "Mr. Kaido, now Wano Country has no one in charge. Therefore, until Oden returns, I entrust Wano Country to you."
Kaido nodded solemnly. "Please rest assured, Lord Sukiyaki. I will protect Wano Country for you, until Oden's return."
Sukiyaki took a deep breath and, mustering all his strength, announced, "Everyone... please bear witness... I hereby confer upon the Daimyo of Kuri, Kaido, the title of Guardian Deity King of the Nation of Wano Country... a status equal to that of the Shogun... To show disrespect to Mr. Kaido... is to show disrespect to the Shogun!"
"What? Lord Sukiyaki, please reconsider!" Hyogoro urgently tried to dissuade him.
The others also seemed hesitant and uncertain. While Kaido's reputation had been quite good since becoming Daimyo of Kuri, he was, after all, not from Wano Country.
Sukiyaki said firmly, "This is my command as Shogun of Wano Country... If you still acknowledge the Kozuki family as the rulers of Wano... then I ask you to obey this command!"
"Yes, sir!" Hearing this, everyone finally assented to Sukiyaki's command.
After all, Sukiyaki had invoked the Kozuki family, the clan that had ruled Wano Country for centuries. All people of Wano held the Kozuki family in deep reverence, and even Hyogoro did not oppose it now.
"Wororororo! Since Lord Sukiyaki has appointed me Guardian Deity King of Wano Country, I will take charge of matters from here. Lord Sukiyaki, please return and rest well," Kaido said, stepping forward.
"Mhm. Cough, cough, cough!" Sukiyaki nodded, then, with the servants' help, began walking towards a part of the palace that was still intact.
"Hyogoro of the Flower, I've heard from the people of Wano that you are a samurai of unyielding spirit who upholds justice. I wonder if you will obey Lord Sukiyaki's command," Kaido said directly to the group's leader, Hyogoro.
"I would not dare disobey. Since it is Lord Sukiyaki's command, we naturally acknowledge Mr. Kaido as the Guardian Deity King of Wano Country," Hyogoro said, though he still harbored many doubts about the rebellion that had just occurred, he had no choice but to comply.
"Good. Currently, the people of the Flower Capital are not very familiar with my subordinates. Therefore, I hope you can arrange for your men to work with mine to stabilize the Flower Capital, and to spread the news of Lord Sukiyaki appointing me as Guardian Deity King. The Flower Capital is chaotic enough as it is. I don't want it to descend into further disorder," Kaido stated directly.
Hyogoro thought for a moment and agreed. "I will arrange personnel to cooperate with your work, Lord Kaido." Stabilizing the situation was indeed the top priority, as the entire Flower Capital had been thrown into chaos by that earth-shattering explosion.
Kaido stood at the center, his gaze sweeping over those present. He first turned to King, speaking gravely. "King, you are responsible for leading personnel, along with Hyogoro's men, to pacify the citizens of the Flower Capital and communicate the Shogun Sukiyaki's latest decree."
"Understood, Big Brother Kaido. I'll make the arrangements right away," King said immediately, bowing and slightly folding his black wings.
Next, Kaido shifted his gaze to Bullet. "Bullet, you take men and patrol the Flower Capital. If you find anyone taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble, apprehend them directly."
"Acknowledged," Bullet replied curtly, a flash of fighting spirit in his eyes.
Finally, Kaido looked at Queen. "Queen, you organize manpower to clean up the Shogun's Palace and repair the damage from the earlier battle. Simultaneously, strengthen the palace's guard to ensure Lord Sukiyaki can rest peacefully."
"Leave it to me, Boss Kaido," Queen said, pushing up his sunglasses with his signature grin.
Hyogoro, standing to the side, listened to Kaido's deployments in silence. But when he heard the final command, his brow unconsciously tightened, a flicker of worry flashing in his eyes.
***
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