Chapter 2: My Lord, Let Me Dress You
Orochi referred to the Flower Capital, the most prosperous city in the country. It was also the residence of the ruling Kozuki Clan.
That place housed the most magnificent palace in the entire country.
Hearing this, Orochi could not help but smile.
Ren's Serpent's Seal, while controlling their minds and turning them into his servants, did not completely erase a person's will. The current Orochi was still that Orochi; it was simply that his intention to destroy this country had slightly changed.
Now, his goal was to obtain this country by any means, eliminate the Kozuki Clan, and allow Ren to become the true ruler of Wano.
To achieve this wish, the first step was to usurp the country.
Usurping a country was a common occurrence in the world of pirates. In fact, rudimentary forms of usurpation had already appeared as early as the East Blue, such as when that trickster Kuro disguised himself as a butler to seize Kaya's inheritance. It was only that his vision and strength were too limited.
In the Grand Line, such things were even more common.
And this had originally been part of Orochi's plan.
Although Orochi had not yet eaten a Devil Fruit, this did not matter. Ren had never intended to treat Orochi as an effective combatant; giving him a Devil Fruit was merely to provide him with an additional means of self-preservation.
At the very least, he would not die before the usurpation succeeded.
As for how the plan would begin, Orochi already had a clear target. The one she had set her sights on was the daimyo of Hakumai—Kōya.
Usurping a country was no simple matter. Even with abilities like the Mimo Mimo Fruit, they still had to proceed cautiously, and the first step was for Orochi to get close to Sukiyaki.
The key to this lay with Kōya.
"Orochi, from now on, the hatred of the Kurozumi Clan is no longer the most important thing to us. Do you understand?" Orochi said, looking at the ugly child with the abnormally large head before her.
"Of course I understand! For that lord, everything else is insignificant!" Orochi's eyes were filled with madness. He had not forgotten his past hatred; it had simply become secondary to Ren.
"It's good that you understand. Originally, I didn't intend to place many demands on you. As long as the usurpation succeeded, whether you indulged in depravity or not wouldn't matter, as long as this country was destroyed." Orochi's hannya-like face grew serious. "But now, you must also become stronger. Only then can you properly offer your life when the lord needs you."
This time, Orochi raised no objections. In truth, he had already been thinking the same thing.
No matter how far he could go, he had to make himself useful in the lord's eyes.
"Very good." Orochi nodded. "First, disguise yourself as a servant and infiltrate the Shimotsuki family. Among the daimyos, Kōya is the most likely to take you in."
The Shimotsuki Clan of Hakumai was a branch family. Although the daimyo of Ringo also bore the Shimotsuki name, Kōya was far easier to approach than the others.
"As for the Devil Fruit, we will find a new one for you. You will lie low within the Shimotsuki family and accumulate wealth for the lord." After briefly explaining the plan, both sides began to take action.
At the same time, Oden, who had been expelled from the Flower Capital, also began traveling throughout the country.
Orochi went incognito and became a servant under Kōya, while Orochi herself worked to establish connections with overseas forces. During this period, Orochi also sent Kanjuro to Oden's side, planting a hidden piece.
In the blink of an eye, 1 year passed.
Ren finally finished absorbing the devil residing within the Yamata no Orochi Fruit.
"Finally succeeded."
At this moment, Ren was no longer in the form of a Devil Fruit, but in a semi-beast state. From the outside, he resembled the shikigami Yamata no Orochi depicted in Onmyoji.
Long black hair cascaded down his back, giving him an appearance that was both handsome and sinister. There were almost no visible serpentine traits, but having just transformed, he wore no clothes, using dark clouds to conceal his body.
Semimaru, who had been guarding him, opened his eyes in shock. His voice trembled as he knelt down, no longer able to maintain his former composure.
"My lord, you—"
"It's you." Ren recognized him at once. "First, bring me some clothes." He had questions to ask, but at the very least, he needed to put something on first.
Ren found it deeply uncomfortable to stand naked in front of this old man.
"Yes!" Semimaru slowly retreated from the room, still kneeling.
Ren began to examine his surroundings. Compared to the dilapidated shrine from before, this place was far more comfortable.
"Although the immediate danger has passed, what should I do next?" Ren lowered his head in thought. Previously, he had been locked in a life-or-death struggle with the Devil Fruit's will; failure would have meant his consciousness being devoured.
Under such pressure, he had no room to consider anything else.
"Become the Pirate King? No need." Ren shook his head. He had little interest in that title now.
"I'll ask about the era later."
Before long, Semimaru returned with a woman who appeared to be a maid. Standing at the doorway, he said to her, "Go in and help the lord get dressed."
"Yes."
The woman lowered her head and entered the room, closing the shoji door behind her.
Seeing Ren standing amid the black mist, fear rose uncontrollably in her heart.
His handsome appearance combined with the eerie clouds made him look like a legendary demon who fed on maidens. Even so, she forced herself to approach, her hands trembling as she reached out.
"M-my lord… this servant will help you dress…"
Ren found her reaction faintly amusing. He spread his arms, allowing her to dress him.
To be honest, he did not know how to wear such clothing himself. Even if he did, there was no reason to refuse her service.