Chapter 6

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Chapter 6: Nine Scabbards? Put Your Head On Oden's Doorstep!

Come again?! The people of Wanokuni are already numb. It was announced twenty years ago that the Kozuki family was dead. Yet today, here stand Sukiyaki and Princess Hiyori. They're not only blaming them, but they're also wondering why we didn't find them sooner and why they didn't ask us for help. In the end, everyone saw the destruction of the Kozuki family as a hope. It feels so remorseful, so painful! Now that the execution has not stopped, is it Momosuke's turn, Kozuki Oden's son?!

Soon, a group was escorted up, covered in bloody wounds and kneeling down. They all looked weak with no strength to resist. Many people had never even seen one, let alone all of them. The masses looked carefully: a tall fat man, a kappa youkai, an underworld boss known as a crazy deadman, a great ninja, and two grinning old men, one with a bitter face. It can't be His Highness Momonosuke! Huh? But why is the underworld boss also there? Isn't he a serpent's subordinate?

"Do you remember the Red Scabbard Nine Heroes, Kozuki's retainers?" Kaido stepped off the stage and addressed the crowd beyond the fence. remember, that's your only hope of rebellion! Of course, no one dared to speak that thought aloud and only nervously replied, "I remember."

Kaido, with his big hand, gripped Shutenmaru's hair and lifted his head to meet his gaze. Shutenmaru's eyes showed exhaustion and calm as if he were ready to meet his end. Kaido held his face high for everyone to see clearly and declared, "Shutenmaru, a mountain thief in Jiuli, wreaks havoc in various villages and towns, living on robbery." 

The people were puzzled by the mention of mountain thieves. Since when did Kaido care about such things? Was he pretending to be a good person now? But the next words Kaido spoke shocked them further. "Formerly known as Asura Douji, Oden's vassal, one of the Red Scabbard Nine." Shutenmaru squinted, pulling down the corners of his mouth, his spirit so broken he couldn't face the crowd.

"What?" the people murmured. "Red Scabbard Nine? Mountain thief?" "Oden's retainers... weren't they supposed to protect Wanokuni?"

Kaido then moved on to the next man, grabbing his hair as well. "This is Mad Death, the biggest underworld figure in the City of Flowers, the serpent's most loyal henchman. Also a Red Scabbard Nine Hero, formerly known as Denjiro." Denjiro glared at Kaido with pure hatred and furrowed his brows in anger.

"Oden's retainers have defected to the serpent?!" the crowd gasped. "The Nine Heroes of Red Scabbard are like this?" "Oden's retainers... such a disappointment," they whispered amongst themselves. Despair deepened in Wanokuni. The hope, as measured by the system, plummeted rapidly from 14% all the way down to 8%, precariously close to 5%!

Suddenly, a voice countered from the side, filled with grinning laughter, "Not so! The nine heroes are all very chivalrous. I know them; they would never side with evil! There must be some unspeakable issue troubling them! Everyone, please stop believing the Kaido family!"

Kaido turned to see a grinning old man, wrapped in a turban, looking at him fearlessly. "Blame me for forgetting you, Yasuie," Kaido mused. He had someone untie Shimotsuki Yasuie's headscarf, revealing a head of explosive hair. Recognizing the hairstyle, everyone immediately became familiar with it and began to guess. "It can't be him, can it?! But the Yasuie-sama we know is very serious and never smiles!"

"Yasuuie, it's been tough for you. Even when harmed by the Kozuki family, you don't forget to defend them," Kaido observed. "So what do you two want to say?" he asked, pretending to consult the two red-Scabbarded samurai.

Silence enveloped both of them, their faces angry yet wordless.

Their bodies writhed in frantic struggle, barely contained by the pawn's grip.

Yet neither of them spoke a word.

Yasuie sensed something amiss, then heard Kaido's revelation,

"I almost forgot, I severed their tongues and crushed their Adam's apples. They can't... speak, can they?"

Shocked, Yasuie's eyes widened, disbelief stark within them, her smiling visage now twisted in rage,

"Kaido!!"

"You devil!!"

"Oh, what did you expect? That I'd treat them nicely?" Kaido tBig Momed mockingly.

This was his adversary, the one who joined forces with Luffy to bring about his downfall in the story!

These two men,

They nearly undermined the Kozuki clan's reputation.

Naturally, he silenced them, allowing no opportunity for defense.

Shimotsuki Yasuie was merely an unforeseen minor issue.

Ineffective.

"And I am ever correct. Anyone who investigates will discern the truth."

"But I wonder, had you not rejected Sukiyaki and taken on the role of shogun sooner, would things have unfolded differently?"

Kaido seemed at ease, shifting the burden back onto Shimotsuki Yasuie.

The whole issue within Wanokuni, if likened to Kaido usurping the magpie's nest is the result,

then

Shimotsuki Yasuie's hesitation, the most capable man yet unwilling to seize the throne,

Kozuki Sukiyaki's frailty, the lord who let himself be captured by Kurozumi Orochi,

and Kozuki Oden's folly in arming the snake with treasures—

those three were catalysts to this calamity!

"Lord Yasuie... Had it been you as general!"

"None of this would have happened! The serpent would not have drawn Kaido here!"

"Damn it! Why did Sukiyaki appoint the serpent?!"

"It's intolerable! It shouldn't have come to this, Lord Yasuie!"

Kaido's words skillfully manipulated the people, their awareness clouded.

He continued,

"remember this, whether loyal to Kozuki or rebellion-minded."

"The ruins of Kozuki Oden's legacy will be your only refuge."

He then turned, striding to the platform's peak, and commanded sharply,

"Proceed with the execution!"

"Behead them! Let it be Oden's burden!"

Six soldiers in the arena drew their long swords and aimed at the six captives.

With the swords raised, heads tumbled to the ground.

A sorrowful, incensed head rolled aside,

Yasuie's gaze fixed in a final, regretful stare.

The people of Wanokuni grew insensate to the horror; sacrifices abounded much like the great war twenty years past.

Witnessing this swath of death and despair,

They sank deeper into helplessness before Kaido,

Wondering if this might be their unending future,

To live under the rule of Orochi and Kaido.

They remained oblivious to the changing tides of power.

Within the system, support for the rebellion visibly dwindled,

8%...

7%...

6%...

5%...

A chime sounded,

"Objective One, Gain full control of Wanokuni."

"Objective achieved, rebel support is now at 5%."

"Reward: The Strength Module Pack (Amount Negotiable)"

"Do you wish to claim it?"

"Note: Continue to erode rebel support for additional rewards. Attain the maximum bonus at 3%."

Oh, additional rewards?

Kaido was enticed, his first time accessing the rewards, unaware of the contents.

But with the incentive of more to gain,

He decided to wait,

Just to crush the hopes of the people of Wanokuni a little further.

With numerous strategies yet to unveil,

He was poised to claim the ultimate prize!