Chapter 174: Orochi's Acting Skills!
"From overseas?"
The scar-faced samurai, the captain of the guard for the inner sanctum, narrowed his eyes. He scrutinized Suzaku and his group again, his hand instinctively resting on the hilt of his katana.
His gaze swept over them, analyzing every detail.
The young man at the front wore a white captain's coat that remained spotless despite the dust of the Flower Capital. His bearing was relaxed yet commanded absolute attention. Behind him stood a woman in an imperial general's uniform radiating a chilling aura (Esdeath), a man in ancient red armor with eyes that seemed to look down on all creation (Madara), and a maid whose polite smile hid a terrifying strength (Rem).
Indeed, the aura of this group was too unique. It was suffocating.
The leading man and the women behind him had extraordinary temperaments; they were clearly not ordinary people. They walked with the confidence of predators who had never known what it was like to be prey.
The scar-faced samurai had lorded over the Flower Capital for many years, acting as Orochi's dog, so he had developed good judgment for survival.
These people... are absolutely not to be trifled with.
More importantly, a logical fallacy took root in his mind: Under the heavens, right here in the heart of Wano, who would dare tell such a massive lie right outside the Shogun's Mansion?
Wasn't that seeking death?
To lie to the Shogun was to invite execution. Therefore, if they were bold enough to demand entry, they must be telling the truth.
Weighing the pros and cons, the fierce expression on the scar-faced samurai's face instantly softened. The hostility evaporated, replaced by a respectful, almost servile businesslike demeanor.
"So that's how it is..."
He pondered for a moment, then finally waved his hand to his subordinates.
"Open the gates!"
The heavy, vermilion-lacquered gates of the residence, adorned with gold leaf and the crest of the Shogunate, slowly creaked open. The sound was like the groan of a dying beast.
The captain bowed deeply to Suzaku and his group, his forehead nearly touching his knees.
"It is this subordinate's dereliction of duty for not having received prior notice from the harbor. Esteemed guests, please come inside! The Shogun will be eager to meet visitors of your stature."
Suzaku watched this comical scene, the corner of his mouth curving slightly as he nodded to everyone.
"Shall we?"
Since the door was wide open, why wouldn't they enter?
He stepped forward, leading the group inside with a relaxed and carefree air, stepping over the threshold of the enemy's lair as if entering his own garden.
The samurai who had originally led the way from the streets, seeing the matter succeed so smoothly, was immediately overjoyed. Greed lit up his eyes. He quickly hitched up his trousers, intending to follow them in.
If I introduce them personally, surely the Shogun will reward me! Maybe a promotion! Maybe gold!
But the moment he stepped forward, the scar-faced samurai stopped him with an outstretched hand, blocking his path like an iron bar.
"That's enough. Your mission is complete."
The scar-faced man said with a forced, tight smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"You're not familiar with the interior rules or etiquette. The subsequent guiding and reporting will be handled by us, the inner guards. You might offend the guests with your clumsiness."
He waved his hand dismissively.
"You, hurry up and get back to your post at the city gate! Don't loiter here."
"Huh? But... but, my Lord..." The guiding samurai was stunned, his dreams of wealth shattering in an instant. "I brought them here..."
"Scram!"
The scar-faced man glared, his hand tightening on his sword hilt, revealing blatant killing intent. "Do you want me to report you for abandoning your post?"
The guiding samurai trembled in fear. He felt the cold aura of death. Not daring to utter another word, he could only nod and bow repeatedly, looking like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Yes, yes! This humble one will return immediately, immediately!"
He turned around dejectedly, his shoulders slumped. He constantly looked back at the glory and wealth slipping further away, his eyes filled with despair and resentment.
Only after walking a dozen steps, ensuring the other party couldn't hear him, did he dare lower his voice and spit heavily on the ground.
"Pah! You son of a bitch! Aren't you just trying to steal my credit?"
He kicked a stone, watching it skitter into the gutter.
"I worked hard to bring the esteemed guests through the door, running all the way from the checkpoint! And you, damn you, kick me out at the last moment to hog the glory! May the Shogun chop off your head today!"
He cursed vividly as he walked away, completely unaware of the irony.
He didn't know that the people he had just personally ushered into the Shogun's Mansion were not esteemed guests at all. They were the reapers of death. By being kicked out, he had inadvertently saved his own life, escaping the massacre that was about to unfold.
...
Inside the General's residence, it was another world entirely, distinct from the hellscape outside.
If Wano was a rotting corpse, this mansion was the maggot feasting at its heart.
There was none of the false prosperity of the streets, only naked, unapologetic extravagance and decay. The wooden floors were polished to a mirror shine. Gold leaf covered the sliding doors.
The air was thick, almost unbreathable. It smelled of cloying, expensive sandalwood incense mixed with heavy cosmetics and the sour tinge of spilled sake.
Faintly, decadent music could be heard drifting from the depths of the courtyard—a symphony of depravity woven from the soft, drunken laughter of geishas and the sharp twang of shamisen strings.
The scar-faced samurai guiding them stopped before a spacious inner courtyard filled with cherry blossoms and bowed again.
"Esteemed guests, please wait here. This humble one will go inside now and report to the Shogun."
He backed away respectfully before turning to run toward the main banquet hall.
After the samurai left, Esdeath let out a cold snort. She looked around the meticulously manicured garden with azure eyes filled with unconcealed mockery and disgust.
"The citizens starve on the wasteland, eating industrial waste and struggling to survive for a sip of clean water..."
Esdeath kicked a pebble into a koi pond filled with fat, golden fish.
"...while their 'General' indulges in a life of debauchery here, shielding himself from the reality of his own weakness. Truly... an insult to the word 'General'. He is not a ruler; he is a parasite."
She hadn't deliberately lowered her voice. Her projection was clear, sharp, and cut through the humid air of the courtyard like a blade.
Before her voice faded, an exasperated, drunken curse came from the banquet hall deep within the courtyard, where a luxurious bamboo curtain hung.
"Damn it! What overseas guests?! Who dares disturb me?!"
The voice was slurred, filled with the arrogant rage of a petty tyrant.
"They couldn't come earlier or later, but chose to arrive precisely when I was having the most fun! Useless guards! Drag the one who reported and led the way out! Execute him later for ruining my mood!"
"Bam!"
The bamboo curtain was violently yanked open by a rough hand.
A figure stumbled out onto the wooden veranda.
The person was unusually burly but possessed a comical physique—a large head on a relatively small body. He sported a shiny, bald head, with only a clump of purple topknot hair on the right side sticking straight up like a wilting flower. He wore a strange, inappropriate golden crown that looked too heavy for him.
Coupled with his extremely cunning large face, small beady eyes, and two comically upturned mustaches, the man looked like a buffoon straight out of a low-quality kabuki play.
This person was none other than the current ruler of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi.
He reeked of alcohol. His yellow kimono was disheveled, stained with wine. Furious at having his pleasure interrupted, he swept his muddy, bloodshot gaze over the group in the courtyard.
He clearly intended to see "which clueless clown dared interrupt the Shogun's banquet."
"Who are you bastards? Don't you know who I..."
However.
The moment his eyes met Suzaku's, who stood right at the front with hands in his pockets, time seemed to freeze.
The anger on Orochi's face instantly solidified, cracking like a frozen waterfall.
He first froze for a second, his mouth hanging open mid-shout. Then, he blinked violently, rubbing his eyes with his fists, seemingly unable to believe what he was seeing.
Am I drunk? Is this a hallucination?
He focused his gaze again.
He clearly saw Suzaku's calm yet remarkably young and handsome face.
He saw the woman with the blue hair and the general's uniform—a description that matched the intelligence reports perfectly.
He saw the man in red armor—the legendary "Ghost" mentioned in the urgent missives from Onigashima.
"Swish!"
The color drained from Orochi's face so fast it was audible.
Cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead, sliding down his cunning nasolabial folds like rain.
All the alcohol in his system seemed to turn into ice water, pouring from his head to his feet, chilling him thoroughly from the inside out! His drunkenness evaporated instantly, replaced by the sober clarity of impending doom.
Wano Country was closed off to the world, so ordinary citizens might not recognize these faces.
But who was Orochi?
He was a paranoid coward who survived by knowing exactly where the threats were. He was an ally collaborating with the Yonko Kaido, and one of the country's true power holders!
How could he possibly be ignorant of outside intelligence, especially concerning major figures who could threaten his protector, Kaido?
Just recently, a terrifying piece of news had arrived via the cryptic channels of the Beasts Pirates.
A monstrous newcomer pirate crew... The Suzaku Pirates... They engaged Kaido in battle... And they severely wounded the Invincible Creature, forcing him to retreat to Onigashima to recuperate!
Kaido! The dragon that protected Orochi's throne! The entity Orochi believed was invincible!
And the people who beat that monster... were standing in his garden.
They... why were they here?!
Why aren't the alarms ringing? Why is the harbor silent?
Were they looking for Kaido?
Or... were they here for Wano Country, this juicy prize rich in Sea Stone and weapons? Are they here to take my head?!
Countless thoughts exploded in Orochi's mind like fireworks. His survival instinct, honed by years of living as a rat in the shadows before stealing the throne, made his already dull brain operate at an unprecedented speed.
He watched Suzaku. Suzaku watched him back.
Suzaku spoke softly, a subtle, terrifying smile playing on his lips.
"Oh? It seems you recognize us."
This single sentence, delivered with casual amusement, was the final straw that broke the camel's back. It completely shattered Orochi's psychological defense.
He knew running was impossible. Escaping from people who could hunt down Kaido? Impossible.
And fighting? That was simply courting death! He was a Mythical Zoan user, yes, but against these monsters? He would be sushi in seconds.
The next second, the "General" of Wano Country performed an action that nearly made the scar-faced samurai standing nearby pop his eyes out of his skull.
"Thump!"
Orochi threw himself to the ground.
He didn't just kneel; he executed a sliding dogeza. He fell to his knees, then slid forward a few steps across the polished wooden veranda in an incredibly practiced motion, stopping right in front of Suzaku.
When he looked up, his face was transformed.
The arrogance was gone. The drunkenness was gone.
His face was now plastered with an extremely humble, fawning, and pathetic smile. He even managed to squeeze out a few drops of cloudy tears from the corners of his beady eyes.
"Of course! Of course I recognize you! How could this humble servant not recognize the radiant aura of true heroes!"
Orochi wailed, his voice cracking with emotion. Snot and tears began to run down his face freely. His acting was so good, so instantaneous, that the best kabuki actors in the Flower Capital would bow their heads in shame.
"Aren't you... aren't you the great heroes of the Suzaku Pirates who defeated that demon Kaido?!"
"To tell you the truth, esteemed Lords! I have been waiting for you! Day and night, I have prayed to the heavens for this moment!"
Orochi grabbed the hem of his own robe, wringing it as he cried bitterly.
"We in Wano Country have suffered under Kaido for far too long! Twenty years of hell!"
"This humble one... I am called the Shogun, but look at me! I am merely a puppet! A prisoner in my own home!"
He pointed a trembling finger toward the banquet hall he had just exited.
"Every day I drink to forget the pain! Every day I have been hoping, just hoping that righteous individuals like yourselves could descend like divine soldiers from the heavens!"
He looked up at Suzaku with "worshipful" eyes.
"Please! You must save us! Completely drive those bandits, Kaido and his crew, out of our homeland!"
He beat his chest, the hollow sound echoing in the silent courtyard.
"It was never my intention for this country to become like this! It was never my wish for the common people to live in misery! I love this country!"
"It's all Kaido! That brutal beast forced me! He threatened to eat me! Watching my people suffer every day cuts me like a knife; I cannot sleep at night! Oh, the humanity!"
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