This "war of liberation," which had seemed impossible from the start, ended just like that—through behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
But it still wasn't perfect.
To become a true legend, one needed to be baptized in blood.
Tenma's eyes hardened. The blade Shidarezura flipped in his hand, and without the slightest hesitation, he slashed several deep wounds into his own body—cuts so deep the bone was nearly visible.
Blood instantly soaked through his clothes.
At the same time—
Across Wano, all the projection screens suddenly changed.
The calm images were cut off, replaced by a heart-pounding "live broadcast."
Onscreen, Tenma gripped Shidarezura, his entire body drenched in blood as he battled Kaido—who had transformed into a colossal dragon—high in the sky.
Every clash sent out world-shaking tremors, shockwaves sweeping across the heavens.
This was, of course, footage from their previous battle. But with Onigashima truly moving away and the Beasts Pirates actually retreating in reality, who would doubt its authenticity?
"So strong! General Tenma is actually suppressing Kaido!"
"That's the Dragon-Slaying Samurai! The modern Ryuma!"
"He's bleeding… for us! The General is risking his life for us!"
In the Flower Capital's plaza, the people watched that blood-soaked figure on the screen and wept openly.
Countless people dropped to their knees, furiously kowtowing toward that direction.
Amid the earth-shaking sound effects of this "battle," the massive Onigashima slowly vanished beyond the horizon.
This meticulously choreographed spectacle reached its absolute climax at that very moment.
Tenma became Wano's living myth.
Ordinary civilians had already shouted themselves hoarse, cheering frantically for the figure on the screen.
Those self-proclaimed heroes and swordsmen with some skill clenched their hilts tightly, wishing they could rush to Udon or Hakumai near Onigashima immediately to help.
Kozuki Toki stared unblinkingly at the constantly flashing, darting figure on the screen, her heart lodged in her throat.
Her hands were clasped together so tightly her nails dug into her flesh as she cried out instinctively, "Don't lose! Tenma!"
Who could have imagined that this earth-shaking decisive battle, which had tugged at the heartstrings of millions across Wano, was in fact nothing more than a recording?
It was just a tape filmed days ago, now being broadcast with all the trappings of a fake live stream.
While everyone anxiously watched the screen, terrified that he might be smashed flat the very next second, the real Tenma was calmly drinking tea and chatting with Kaido back at the main base, the atmosphere exceedingly harmonious.
Even as those hot-blooded samurai rushed toward Onigashima without a second thought, eager to share the nation's peril, Tenma was baring his teeth and deliberately inflicting wounds on himself.
He had to endure the pain to create a convincingly tragic set of "battle damage."
Suddenly, the image on the screen shook violently, as if struck by some terrifying attack. Immediately afterward, the signal was completely cut—setting the stage for what came next.
At Hakumai Port near Onigashima—also known as Bladed Harbor—crowds of heroes and samurai had already packed the docks, drawn by the news.
Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted and pointed skyward. A massive boulder was floating in from the direction of Onigashima.
And atop that boulder stood the man everyone was worried about—
General Tenma, his entire outfit soaked through with blood.
The samurai below instantly erupted in chaos, shouting anxiously.
Shimotsuki Yasuie charged forward at the very front, his face full of concern as he tried to check just how badly Tenma was hurt.
Tenma paid no attention to his wounds at all, forcing himself to straighten up.
He looked exactly like someone who had just survived a life-and-death battle—his chest heaving violently as he gulped down air.
Yet his expression was as unyielding as iron. He raised the famed blade Shidarezura high and roared at the Wano warriors surging toward him.
"The battle is over!"
"Kaido has been completely driven back by me. I've reached a ceasefire agreement with him—he will never again set foot in Wano!"
"This is a miraculous victory! We didn't sacrifice a single life!"
"That bastard Kaido has taken his entire base and all his pirates and gotten the hell out of Wano!"
"Listen well! From today onward, the nightmare that has loomed over Wano for years is finally over!!"
The moment Tenma finished shouting, within just a few breaths, Bladed Harbor exploded with thunderous cheers.
"Look at the sea! Onigashima is really gone!"
"I just went over there—it's true! There isn't a trace of those pirates left!"
"Thank the heavens! Our country has truly been taken back from those two demons, Kaido and Orochi!"
"It was General Tenma! He carried everything on his own and saved all of us! He saved everyone!"
Shouts and cries overlapped endlessly, some people so overwhelmed that they dropped to their knees and sobbed uncontrollably.
The heroes and samurai who returned from Bladed Harbor didn't dare waste a single moment, rushing back to their towns and villages to spread this earth-shattering news to every corner.
The news surged like an unstoppable tide, sweeping across the land.
In less than an hour, all of Wano once again plunged into nationwide, almost frenzied celebration.
The fervor was even greater than when Orochi's downfall had been announced days earlier—after all, with Kaido, the greatest threat, gone, people could finally put their hearts at ease.
It was no exaggeration to say that at this moment, there wasn't a single face in all of Wano without a smile.
The entire country practically ground to a halt as people spontaneously went on strike.
Blacksmiths, singing geisha, sword-wielding samurai—everyone mingled with the common folk, dancing in celebration of victory across every inch of Wano's land.
For several days in a row, this revelry—spontaneously dubbed the "National Celebration Grand Rite"—played out day and night throughout Wano.
And all kinds of legends and rumors about Tenma, fueled by the broadcast of that battle footage, began to spread wildly, taking on an almost deified tone.
In the past, people said Shimotsuki Ryuma slew a flying dragon and thus revered him as the "Sword God."
Now, though no one had actually seen Tenma slay a dragon, he had undeniably pulled the nation out of a desperate abyss crawling with dragons and serpents alike.
In one stroke, Tenma became the most prestigious and respected shogun in Wano's entire history—bar none.
Around Shogun Castle, crowds of citizens arrived of their own accord, packed so tightly they were shoulder to shoulder, kowtowing in gratitude.
Respect, gratitude, anticipation—waves of intense emotion surged toward Tenma like a rising tide.
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