6. The Shogun of Wano.
Market.
Fair.
Run.
Bazaar.
A collection of stores in one place.
Wano. This is the name of the country I'm in. From the map I've seen and what my mom told me, this place is an island, cut away from the entire world. Sounds ominous, but she said it like it didn't even matter enough to give a crap. Though, when did she ever. And I don't give one either.
In any case, this place looks like the Land of the Rising Sun, where I came from. Although, this place was far more.
It was almost like someone had taken it out of a painting, it looked like nothing I'd ever seen in the Clover kingdom.
So many people, so many colors, so many kinds of houses, each different in its own way. This place is called the Flower Capital.
There are all kinds of people here. There were people of different social classes, yet no one blabbed about hierarchy and shit. One other thing, I hadn't seen a single person use magic until now.
Do these people not know of magic? I mean it IS an island cut away from the entire world, but who cares.
We were in a market place. I was wearing a grey Yukata with white stripes, barely reaching my ankles. It's pretty damn comfortable, I remember wearing these during the cook offs between me and the beanpole monster, every star festival in the Clover kingdom.
I was here with mom and Kenji. It's been three years since the trials of hell and I still haven't come across a cigarette, let alone a quality one.
I've seen people smoking though. They smoke tobacco though and I'm not into that stuff. They call it a kiseru here. Well, even if I did tobacco, I wouldn't dare try it for...quite a while. I don't even want to imagine what mom would do if I smoked in front of her.
First would come the verbal death thrusts. Next would be an actual death thrust, with an actual sword. Samurai sure are scary. Cool but scary. Especially when they're called Bloodbath the Mirai.
Yes. My mom. A personal retainer of the former Shogun family lord, Kozuki Sukiyaki. Pfft, Sukiyaki, who names their kid that? And the former 'Shogun of Wano', was called Kozuki Oden. Really? Oden? You had nothing else? Oden?
Although, it's still better than Amaterasu. Like what the hell is wrong with people's naming sense?
If I ever have a kid, I'll name them, Balmung Fezalion. Karasawa Balmung Fezalion, a fitting name for the child of a legendary magic knight captain.
I wonder what the idiots are doing right now. I bet they worship me every morning before leaving for missions.
In any case, my mom used to be on the stronger end of the spectrum in this country. Used to. The nasty scar on her right hand's wrist, running through her forearm was the end of her life as a samurai.
Technically it wasn't but now she was only slightly stronger than the average samurai, so she retired as a retainer and later married the former finance minister of the Kozuki family. Yes. The dumbass I call dad. I wonder who let that less screaming Asta, become a finance minister.
In Wano, the Kozuki family was the one everyone was loyal to. But for some reason, the current Shogun was a real piece of shit.
Kurozumi Orochi. The bastard who looked like he got caught stealing candy from a kid. Real ugly.
Not one to judge appearance, so I didn't go on about that snake, but his ki, it was just so damn dirty, it's like his soul itself was complete shit.
Ugh. Even thinking about that rat pisses me off. Just the other day he came banging on our door asking for the dumbass. And a lot of screaming followed, but from what I heard, it was that snake calling dad all kinds of bull cuz he said he wouldn't become their finance minister.
And my dad kept a calm face through all of that. I was beginning to wonder if me and mom's coolness rubbed off on him, but as soon as he came back he made a face, and I immediately lost any respect for him I'd ever had. [A/N: that face Usopp and Robin made in Wano]
Nevertheless things continued as they should. And mom and I were still walking through the market, when we saw a man dancing naked on the street.
And that was the most pissed I'd ever seen my mom. Since my mastery over ki is getting better, I could feel it. Pure, unadulterated, murderous intent. It wasn't directed to anyone, but it was too much to take.
I could see her fingers twitch, her grip on my hand tightening by the second.
It was sickening. In all my years of experience as a magic knight, very few people I had met were capable of emitting this much bloodlust.
If I was still a magic knight captain, this much would definitely get me on guard but an untrained body like my current one, was an entirely different matter.
My hand was going numb and I was close to throwing up all the ramen I had this morning.
Kenji noticed the change in mom and my condition too, and he was quick to react. He was tugging at mom's sleeve, and I'm pretty sure he was feeling scared cuz with how close he was to mom, even without ki he could feel that the woman beside him was dangerous right now.
He kept tugging though, and calling her several times, until she finally snapped out of it and noticed her surroundings again.
She finally noticed me and Kenji. She quickly moved away from us, and I could tell she was scared she would do something she'd regret.
"K- Ken. Go home with Yami and ask dad for some help with Yami's hand, I'll be back by evening", she choked out with some effort looking horrified at my wrist which was blue with finger marks. With that she left.
Kenji finally broke down, breathing roughly, I guess he felt suffocated under the pressure moments ago.
But he didn't waste time and hurried me home to ask dad for some treatment for my hand.
All in all this whole thing kinda shook me. I realized I was getting too comfortable and I was already used to the peace. I realized that wherever the light shines, there will always be shadows. I need to get stronger.
A lot... Stronger.
End of Chapter.
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Drop a stone 😁