On the broken streets of Kuri, the smell of gunpowder and dust mixed with the scent of blood as twilight descended.
Oden let out a great roar. Knowing full well he was no match for Shiki, he launched a final charge regardless.
"Lion's Majesty: Earth Roll!"
Seeing that Oden still had the strength to counterattack, Shiki frowned slightly and shifted his hand gesture. Instantly, the ground surrounding Kozuki Oden began to vibrate, and two massive walls rose up directly in front of him!
These walls bore the likeness of giant lion heads, appearing as if they were lions crafted from earth.
Tch.
Seeing this, Oden was forced to swing his blades against the walls. As the edges flashed, the walls were instantly shredded, but the debris did not stop. Under Shiki's control, the earth suddenly contracted and coalesced around Oden's body.
Oden's physical condition had worsened after his last strike. Trapped by the soil, he found himself unable to break free. The earth continued to twist and compress, eventually forming a massive spiral stone pillar. Kozuki Oden was encased inside, with only his head left exposed!
Dammit, the gap in strength is this large? Is this what pirates from the outside world are like?
Kozuki Oden yearned to go to sea and reach the outside world, but he had never truly considered how many dangers lurked there. He could run wild in Wano, but in the world beyond...
No one would coddle him!
The world was bigger, and the people were stronger!
The twilight glow spilled over the battle-scarred street, illuminating Oden's face within the stone pillar. His retainers lay scattered along the road, their bodies stained with blood.
Shiki descended slowly from the sky. Surveying the scene, he stepped over the shattered tiles toward Kozuki Oden, his geta clicking sharply against the rubble. His sharp eyes were like those of a lion staring down its prey.
"Kid, having a backbone is a good thing, but you have to pick your moments." Shiki's lips curled into a cold smile. "The world is a very big place. Don't think that just because you have some skill, you're invincible under the heavens."
He stopped in front of Kozuki Oden, looking down at the other's somewhat pathetic state.
"Now, tell me the location of the Ancient Weapon."
Oden spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm and said weakly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You don't know?" Shiki raised an eyebrow and lightly lifted a finger.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!!" Not far away, Kin'emon, who was lying on the ground with sword wounds, suddenly let out a scream. The air around him seemed to solidify into teal threads, wrapping around his wounds and squeezing as if trying to force every drop of blood out of them.
"Stop!" Oden's eyes nearly burst from their sockets. "Stop it!"
Shiki did stop. After all, he was still planning to recruit Kozuki Oden. However, he pointed his blade at Denjiro and asked again, "I'll ask one more time. Where is the Ancient Weapon?"
Oden's teeth ground together so hard blood seeped from the corners of his mouth. "I truly do not know anything about an Ancient Weapon!"
"Heh..."
Shiki gave a light chuckle. Denjiro, lying on the ground, let out a scream as blood erupted from his wounds like a fountain!
"I really don't know!" Oden shouted.
"..." Seeing that Oden wouldn't speak even under the threat of death, Shiki lost his patience.
"It seems you won't talk until you see the grave." Shiki said in a low voice. "I don't particularly enjoy doing things this way, but are you certain you want to use their lives to protect your secret?"
Seeing that Shiki seemed intent on killing the people of Kuri, Oden grew desperate, but he truly did not know the location of the Ancient Weapon.
At that moment, Beltz descended.
"Forget it."
Beltz landed behind Shiki and said, "Killing them is useless. What could a fool prince and a bunch of small-fry possibly know?"
"Hmm?" Shiki said without turning back. "This guy is a member of the Kozuki family."
"So what if he is? If you knew a secret that could bring ruin to your entire clan, would you simply tell your son?" Beltz said. "If it were me, I'd probably only pass that secret on at the moment of my death."
Shiki thought this made sense, so he said to Oden, "Where is the person in Wano who actually has a say? Lead me to them!"
"..." Oden refused to speak, but Shiki simply released the restraint on him.
Without the support of the stone pillar, Oden's body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.
"Just kill me." Oden said solemnly.
"Talking about death so easily isn't a good habit." Shiki said playfully. "Life is a precious thing; it shouldn't be thrown away so lightly. Besides, your death would satisfy your pride and nothing else."
However, satisfying one's pride was indeed an important thing to some.
"You should know my strength. If I don't get what I want, do you think I'll just leave?" Shiki's playfulness turned to anger. He stepped on Oden's head, grinding it into the dirt. "No! I will dig three feet into the ground of Wano! I will flip this entire country over until I find what I'm looking for!"
"So if you don't want Wano to suffer, you'd better cooperate with me. If I find what I want, I might just leave. After all, my goal isn't to conquer a tiny place like Wano."
"Damn you! Let go of Lord Oden!"
Ashura Doji, watching from the side, spoke up quickly. "I know where the Flower Capital is! I'll take you there, but you must not harm Lord Oden any further!"
The scene was infuriating to them. Kozuki Oden, whom they revered like a god, was being stepped on by Shiki, and they were powerless to stop it!
"Ashura, you!" The others nearby shouted. "Are you going to betray Wano?!"
"Are you just going to stand there and watch Lord Oden be humiliated?!" Ashura Doji shouted back in anger.
In truth, his loyalty was only to Oden. He had been tamed by Oden and only acknowledged him. Before Kozuki Oden arrived, he was the leader of the outlaws in Kuri; he and his brothers were people rejected by Wano. Oden had conquered them with force, given them dignity, and transformed Kuri into a region where they gained "human rights." He didn't care what happened to the rest of Wano; he only cared about Oden!
Hearing this, Shiki brushed the dust off his kimono and clicked his tongue. "Wouldn't it have been better to cooperate from the start?"
The sun sank below the horizon, and the light faded from the sky. Shiki lifted Oden and the others using his power and brought them onto the ship. He imprisoned them all and then had Ashura Doji lead the way, flying through the sky toward the Flower Capital.
"What is your name?" Shiki glanced at Ashura Doji on the ship.
Ashura Doji had many sword wounds. When Shiki had used Lion: Thousand Sliced Valley on Oden earlier, this man had blocked many of the slashes. Shiki had noticed him then. His strength was great; excluding Beltz, few on the ship could rival him. With proper training, he would certainly become a powerful pirate.
"Ashura Doji." Ashura Doji grunted. "I will take you to the Flower Capital. Will you release Lord Oden?"
"That..." Shiki said plainly. "Depends on his and your performance. I am a man who appreciates talent. If you join me, I might let you go. But if you continue to oppose me, heh, I don't have the mercy to spare enemies."
"..." Ashura Doji did not reply.
He knew Kozuki Oden was proud by nature and would never submit to someone else. He could only lead Shiki, hoping the man would find what he wanted and leave.
The Flower Capital was the center of Wano and the seat of the Shogun. As night fell, they saw the city in the distance. The capital was brightly lit, and its prosperity was far beyond anything else they had seen on the way.
However, this peace was destined to be shattered!
From Kuri to the Flower Capital, Shiki led the charge. He had been looking forward to the location of the Ancient Weapon for a long time!
"Hey! Who goes there?!" "Oh no! Enemy attack!"
When Shiki's ship appeared in the sky, the people below noticed quickly, and cries of alarm broke out across the Flower Capital. Shiki descended once again. He had already learned the general state of Wano from Ashura Doji and knew that Kozuki Oden was currently the strongest. Since even Oden had been defeated, why would he care about anyone else?
In the Shogun's Palace, Kozuki Sukiyaki was looking over documents when he suddenly heard the commotion outside.
"What is happening?" Sukiyaki said with dissatisfaction. "Why is it so loud?"
"Jihahahaha! It's because I've arrived!"
Shiki blew the gates of the Shogun's Palace away with a single strike, and Sukiyaki was left exposed right in front of him!
"Who are you?!"
Sukiyaki was shocked and tried to call for guards, only to see that the courtyard was already stained with blood—his guards were all lying on the ground! In that short amount of time, Shiki had already taken them out!
"You must be the King of Wano." Shiki said in a low voice. "Very well. I ask, you answer. If I'm not satisfied, every one of you dies!"