The four agents regrouped and lined up to receive the mark.
Originally, there had been conflict between Kurisu and Wire, but now they had no choice but to drop it.
"To be bitten by that snake? It feels so disgusting..." Kurisu muttered softly.
"The mark appears after being bitten. Could that snake be a Devil Fruit User? I have a feeling this mark isn't just a simple symbol." Rosuka analyzed, then she turned to the man who had been silent the whole time.
"What do you think, Mr. Kataru, who's been so quiet?"
"Whatever it is, we have no choice but to accept," said the man with short, dark green hair.
For agents like them, even if the snake released venom, they couldn't back down.
Because without the mark, they couldn't join Inazuma.
In the eyes of the World Government, they were nothing but simple tools; their missions were far more important than their lives.
Besides, the pirates in front of them didn't seem to change much after being bitten, though a few showed expressions of pain, but it only lasted for a moment before they quieted down.
"How boring. I should just call you Boring Mr. Kataru," Rosuka said with a shrug.
"Suit yourself." Kataru took a step forward, his gaze looking ahead as it seemed their turn was coming soon.
But just then, a commotion broke out in front of them.
—Someone refused to receive such a mark.
If it were just a normal tattoo or branding, it would be one thing, but a mark left from being bitten by a snake of unknown origin was, in anyone's book, not normal.
"The hell I'm letting some weird thing bite me!" a large pirate roared.
At this time, only Shutenmaru, Yukiko, Yayoi, and some Wanoese pirates remained on the island.
Ren had already left.
"Then you can leave," Yukiko silently rolled her eyes.
What a psycho.
If you don't want to be bitten, why are you queuing?
Yukiko's bluntness made the big man pause: "I, I can leave?"
He thought that at this point, not joining meant death.
"Or, do you want to stay and cause trouble?" Yukiko silently drew her sword, the cold aura emanating from her condensing into tiny ice flowers.
"N, no, I'll leave right away..." The man quickly took a step back, then said to the few people behind him in line, "Men, let's go."
The few behind him were his crew, but now that they heard his words, none of them moved.
"Captain, this is the last time we'll call you captain. We're staying."
"That's right. Lord Raiden is incredibly strong. He's the one worth following!"
"Th, that's right. Following the ship, no, following you, we might end up dead somewhere..."
"You, you guys..."
The man never expected his subordinates to betray him like this, and his heart was filled with a mix of emotions.
He wanted to lash out, but the thought of the cold aura from before made him decide to be a coward for once.
For a person, the most important thing is to live; everything else pales in comparison.
The man's departure didn't cause much of a stir; most people still chose to stay, but Rosuka was a bit surprised.
"I didn't think they'd just let that person leave..."
"Let him leave?" Kataru sneered, curling his lip.
"Didn't you notice that the woman in light armor disappeared at some point?"
"What?" Rosuka's eyes widened as she looked towards Yukiko and Shutenmaru's group, and indeed, she no longer saw Yayoi's figure.
"When did that happen..."
"Right when that woman in the white kimono drew her sword," Garo said with a straight face.
"That guy is most likely a user of some kind of Bird-Bird Fruit."
"Another Devil Fruit User? The woman in the white kimono is one too, right? That kind of cold aura, and that snake... but it seems like that sake barrel isn't a Devil Fruit User." Kurisu said.
"Devil Fruit Users aren't that rare. We are Devil Fruit Users too, aren't we?"
"Shut up. It's almost our turn," Garo said, then fell back in line.
Soon, he was standing before Shutenmaru.
"Name, ability." Although Shutenmaru already suspected these people had ulterior motives, he played dumb for now.
"My name is Garo. I'm a user of the Spin-Spin Fruit, and I'm proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki." As he spoke, Garo extended his arm toward the small snake.
The tiny white snake opened its mouth and pierced his skin with its fangs.
Garo felt a slight pain in his arm, then saw a black, pyramid-shaped mark appear on it.
He examined it for a moment and seemed to find nothing wrong.
It appeared the Mark of Orochi had no effect on him at all.
"Your name is Garo? We saw your battle earlier. The Lord was very impressed with your strength," Shutenmaru said.
Garo quickly pulled his gaze away from the mark and replied, "To be praised by Lord Raiden is my honor!"
"Not Raiden!" Yukiko interjected abruptly.
"It's Lord Otonokuni, Lord Hikage!"
"Oto..." Garo's mouth hung open, cold sweat trickling down his temple.
Was this name for real?
"It's Lord Otonokuni, Lord Hikage. Don't make me repeat it a third time," Yukiko slowed her speech, and this time, Garo made sure to remember it perfectly.
"Understood. It's Lord Otonokuni, Lord Hikage."
"Good! Next."
Garo seemed like he wanted to say more, but just then, Yayoi returned.
Garo noticed a bit of blood on her wings.
'Did she take care of all those people already?' Garo's eyes flickered.
It wasn't just that one man who had wanted to leave earlier.
Having missed his chance, Garo had no choice but to step aside.
The next person to step forward was Rosuka.
Like Garo, she was asked for her name and ability, and she was also bitten by the small snake.
Garo watched her intently.
Unlike him, Rosuka showed clear signs of intense pain after being bitten.
Her strength might have been comparable to Yayoi's, or even a little less, but the perseverance of an agent was not something Yayoi, whose mind had been in turmoil, could match.
In the end, however, Rosuka could not withstand the erosion of the Mark of Orochi.
The same was true for Kurisu afterward.
Of the four, Kataru suffered the most intense pain.
His will was strong, and his power was not weak, but he nearly fainted from the agony.
Even after it was over, his head was still throbbing and cloudy.
"Are you alright, Kataru?" Garo couldn't help but ask after the four of them moved aside.
He was eager to know where the pain of Kataru and the others had come from, as he had felt nothing at all.
"I'm fine..." Kataru shook his head, his eyes constantly changing.
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