Chapter 404: Moral Kidnapping; The King Yamato Wishes to Become
Above the plaza, the stench of blood mingled with dead silence.
The mangled corpse of Kozuki Momonosuke lay sprawled on the ground, while Sukiyaki's body still held the fading warmth of life.
In the blink of an eye, the Kozuki Clan had been completely and utterly annihilated.
"Bro... Brother... No, NOOOOOOO!!!"
Kozuki Hiyori clutched Momonosuke's already-cold remains, tears pouring wildly down her face. Her cries tore through the air, absolutely heart-rending!
Her eyes were bloodshot, feeling as if her entire world had collapsed in that very moment.
"The Kozuki Clan... our Kozuki Clan... is it really over...?"
Kyoshiro's eyes dimmed, a heavy sigh echoing in his heart. He had long foreseen that a day like this might come, but he never expected it to be so abrupt and cruel.
He threw himself in front of Hiyori, shielding her fiercely, as if protecting the very last ember of a dying fire.
Kin'emon, Raizo, and Kikunojo finally snapped out of their daze. Fury and despair shattered their reason as they roared like wounded beasts:
"MARINES!!! You clearly had the power to instantly kill Orochi—why didn't you save him?!!"
"Lord Momonosuke and Shogun Sukiyaki died because of you! You are the sinner of Wano Country!!!"
"Your Marines spout 'Justice' at every turn, yet you stood by and watched coldly! Hypocrites! Fake righteousness!!!"
"The Kozuki Clan is the legitimate ruler of Wano Country! If you don't save Momonosuke, you are not worthy to speak of Justice!!!"
Their faces were contorted, their words filled with irrational roars and accusations.
They didn't stop for a single second to think about who had truly allowed Wano Country to fall to this state, or who had forced the citizens to languish under heavy shackles.
They simply shoved all their anger and all their failures onto Roy, an outsider!
In that moment, their eyes no longer saw the "Hero who defeated Kaido and saved the nation." They only saw a "sinner" who refused to submit to the Kozuki will and failed to place Momonosuke upon the throne.
However, Roy remained indifferent and silent. His eyes were as calm as an abyss, entirely unmoved.
His gaze seemed to be looking at a troupe of performing clowns—he couldn't even be bothered to give them a response.
Right at this moment—
"YOU BASTARDS—SHUT YOUR MOUTHS!!!"
Accompanied by a furious roar, flames and killing intent erupted simultaneously!
Ace's eyes were blood-red. Flames burned wildly across his body, surging outward like a massive tidal wave!
Zoro's veins bulged as he drew all three swords. His blade intent transformed into chilling, lethal killing intent that pressed heavily on the soul!
"Big Brother Roy defeated Kaido and saved all of Wano Country—and you pieces of trash dare to slander him?!!"
Ace roared, condensing his flames into a massive fist of fire and blasting it forward!
"BOOM—!!!"
Raizo and Kikunojo were instantly struck by the blazing flames. Screaming in agony, they were sent flying sideways, their bodies scorched black as they hit the ground, critically wounded!
Almost simultaneously, Zoro's silhouette flashed, his three blades tearing through the air!
"Oni Giri (Demon Slash)—!!!"
The blade-light swept horizontally. Kin'emon's sword was snapped instantly, and blood sprayed from his chest as he crashed heavily to the ground!
"URGGGHH—!!!"
Blood splattered everywhere. The three Akazaya Samurai were critically wounded in the blink of an eye!
Otama's eyes went wide, so terrified she couldn't even make a sound, yet she made no move to hold Ace or Zoro back.
She merely trembled, biting her lip hard as tears welled in her eyes—even someone as young as her understood that these people no longer deserved to live in this era.
"Enough!!!"
Kyoshiro stepped in, raising his sword to block Ace and Zoro, shielding the sobbing Hiyori.
His blade trembled, his eyes filled with complexity and powerlessness. "I... should have known it would end up like this."
"Please... spare their lives..."
The plaza fell into dead silence once more, leaving only the crackling of burning flames and Hiyori's heart-rending sobs.
Yamato had witnessed the entire ordeal from start to finish.
She had seen Kurozumi Orochi's hysterical madness;
Seen the unbearable, pathetic display of Momonosuke right before his death;
Seen Kozuki Sukiyaki clinging to his ridiculous arrogance of "legitimacy" until the very moment death claimed him;
Seen the surrounding citizens, after a brief moment of shock, return to numbness—with some even showing expressions of secret relief;
Seen the incompetent rage, despair, and bewilderment of retainers like Kin'emon...
The fantasy she had built based on Oden's journal—the "Romantic Wano Country" led by the Kozuki Clan—had completely shattered.
The Kozuki Clan was rotten to its very core.
The so-called "legitimacy" brought not hope, but endless farce, humiliation, and disaster.
What the citizens of Wano Country needed was never a ruler bearing the name "Kozuki," but true "protection" and "order."
A deep sense of powerlessness and disgust surged in her heart, but it was quickly followed by an unprecedented clarity.
She stepped forward slowly, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, bent down to pick up Momonosuke's fallen sword—the symbol of the "Shogun."
Her fingertips trembled slightly, but the moment she gripped the hilt, a light as fierce as blazing fire ignited in her eyes.
Her gaze swept over the faces of the citizens—numb, terrified, yearning, and even despairing.
She finally understood. These people didn't need to kneel before a god-like name anymore. They needed a protector who would truly stand in front of them.
Roy looked at her, his voice flat: "Now that you see reality clearly, what do you wish to do?"
Yamato took a deep breath. Her voice wasn't overly loud, but it echoed clearly across the entire plaza: "I am not Kozuki Oden, and I will never become him."
"The era of the Kozuki Clan has completely ended along with their farce."
"But—Wano Country has not ended!"
Her voice grew louder, her aura erupting like thunder:
"Kaido ruled this place with violence, and the Kozuki deceived it with hollow legends... Now, it's time for all of that to end!"
"I will use my strength and my will to protect this land!"
She violently slammed the sword into the ground, sending sparks flying as her Haki pressed down like a mountain range:
"I am staying! Under the name 'Yamato,' not Kozuki!"
"I will use my own methods to shatter this nauseating cycle and eradicate all corruption!"
"I want to build a Wano Country where no one needs to kneel to a 'God' or a 'Shogun,' where everyone can eat their fill and smile!"
"This is my path of the 'Benevolent King' (Niō)! I will become the one who protects this nation—the Niō!"
Her declaration struck like thunder, tearing through the dead silence and exploding in the hearts of everyone present.
—It was no longer an imitation, no longer a fantasy.
This was a path that belonged solely to "Yamato."
Roy watched her, his gaze focusing slightly.
Right at that moment, Kuina quickly stepped forward, her voice low but urgent: "Big Brother Roy... the situation in Marineford has drastically changed... The Five Elders have personally entered the battlefield!"
A cold glint flashed through Roy's eyes. After a moment of silence, he turned back to Yamato: "Since you've made your decision, then go ahead and do it."
"Let me see if your path of the 'Niō' can truly change these rotting people."
"However, remember this—'Niō' does not equate to mercy."
Yamato's gaze was resolute as she gave a heavy nod.
"I understand."
Roy said nothing more. Spatial ripples suddenly expanded, swallowing him, Zoro, Ace, Kuina, and Otama, as they vanished from the world.
—With the oppressive presence of these "foreign powerhouses" gone, the atmosphere in the plaza changed abruptly.
Seeing this, the critically wounded Kin'emon and the others seemed to regain a fraction of their confidence.
They gritted their teeth and propped themselves up, their faces covered in blood as they continued to roar: "Kyoshiro!! We still have Lady Hiyori!"
"The Kozuki bloodline cannot be severed! Wano Country cannot fall into the hands of an outsider!!!"
"We must immediately crown Lady Hiyori as the Shogun!!!"
Hearing this, Kyoshiro's heart jolted, his pupils shrinking.
After years of going undercover, he had long seen through the true nature and corruption of Wano Country. But even he didn't expect that these people would still cling to their delusions even now.
Just as he was about to speak—
"BOOM!!!"
Conqueror's Haki suddenly erupted, sweeping across the plaza like a thunderstorm!
Yamato walked forward step by step, her eyes burning with fury and absolute resolve. Her voice was as cold as a blade:
"As expected, Mr. Roy was right..."
"A Benevolent King does not mean indulgence, nor does it mean kneeling to a rotting bloodline."
"RAIMEI HAKKE (THUNDER BAGUA)!!!"
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