Our arrival in Osaka happened late at night.
The port city was completely quiet — which actually made things easier for us.
Toji had fallen asleep in the cart while I kept pedaling. The fresh ocean air hit my face, carrying the scent of the sea.
I took a deep breath, letting go of the tension that had clung to me throughout the rough week.
I closed my eyes and exhaled all the carbon dioxide from my lungs. My legs were heavy from pedaling so long, and I was exhausted, but somehow I hadn't felt this refreshed in a while.
"Life's tough, but we push through. Okay, where are we sleeping tonight?"
I needed to find a good spot to set up the tent.
"Maybe I should look for a bridge."
That wouldn't be hard. Osaka had a dense network of waterways — rivers everywhere, plus the sea.
"This city isn't that different from Tokyo."
Far away, I could see skyscrapers, some still lit despite it being 3 a.m.
I wasn't downtown yet, but I was already in the metropolitan area, surrounded by houses — and honestly, they were beautiful.
I was lost in my thoughts when something caught my attention.
"Seriously?! We haven't even been here an hour."
I felt a nauseating trace of cursed energy thanks to my Observation Haki.
Focusing a bit more, I realized it belonged to a cursed spirit.
"Hmm. Grade 2, I'd say. Not that strong, but I should hurry."
I sensed other presences nearby — normal ones. Non-sorcerers.
I started pedaling again, faster this time, and within seconds I reached a dark alley.
"That's so cliché!" I couldn't help but think, amused.
But the moment I smelled the alley, all amusement vanished.
"Sniff… strong smell of blood. Sniff… and gunpowder."
I didn't enter right away — I had to secure Toji and our things first.
Three streets away, I got off the bike, which was seriously worn out after three days of intense use.
I grabbed Wado Ichimonji, hidden under the blanket covering Toji, along with all our belongings.
After checking that no one was around, I headed back to the alley.
"Let's violence."
I entered with Wado Ichimonji in hand — still in its sheath.
What I saw was a gruesome scene. If not for my experience with curse users, I would've thrown up on the spot.
There were many men in suits on the ground. Their guts were spilling out, their stomachs seemingly sliced open. Most of them had scars on their faces, and some were missing the first joint of their pinky finger.
"Yakuza?!"
Paw!
The gunshot snapped me back to focus. I already knew there were survivors trying to stay alive, but realizing the victims were yakuza made me hesitate.
The survivors were definitely yakuza too — which made things complicated.
"Should I help them?"
Contrary to what pop culture makes people believe, yakuza aren't good people.
Manga and TV shows have twisted their image beyond repair. At their core, they're just mafia.
Sure, some clans protected local businesses in the past, but reality is uglier — assassinations, extortion, drugs, and other illegal activities.
Especially in economic cities like Osaka, where they were ruthless about defending their territory.
Knowing all that, I wasn't exactly thrilled to jump in. But given my situation… this could be a golden opportunity.
"If he's a high-ranking member of an influential clan, this could help us a lot…"
It was a tough choice, but the opportunity was too good to ignore.
"Fuck! Fine, I'm going."
I ran toward the cursed spirit. It didn't take long to reach it.
The spirit was as ugly as all the others. A biped creature with black skin, though parts of it were white, mimicking a suit.
Its legs were ridiculously thick, and its feet were literally shoes.
Its hands — if you could call them hands — were tantos. And if you didn't know, tantos were commonly used by yakuza.
'Yeah… smells like a cursed spirit born from yakuza fear and resentment.'
Then I looked at the victim. My Observation Haki couldn't give me the same detail on humans as cursed spirits, but I could see enough.
Another yakuza — but judging by his sharper, more expensive outfit, he was above the others. Even my instincts were telling me he was high-ranking.
'Oh, today's my lucky day.'
He was panicking. Normally, cursed spirits are invisible to regular people, but come on — he definitely saw it.
Well… that's only true under normal circumstances.
When someone is close to death, they produce an overwhelming amount of negative emotions, which turns into cursed energy, letting them temporarily see cursed energy — and cursed spirits.
He was frantically pulling the trigger of his gun, but nothing came out. The magazine was empty. He'd fired every bullet.
Tears and snot were running down his face. When he finally realized he was out of ammo, he threw the gun at the cursed spirit.
The gun, like the bullets before it, went straight through.
Realizing everything he did was useless, the yakuza fell into despair. He dropped onto the ground.
"Ha… haha… hahaha!"
'Great, he's gone crazy…' I rolled my eyes.
The cursed spirit started approaching slowly.
Step !
Step !
Step !
It was taking twisted pleasure in psychologically torturing its prey.
I could even see a sickening smile forming on its grotesque face. It was surely going to take its time to inflict the most pain possible.
Unfortunately for him, I was really tired.
'I really don't have time for this shit.'
Tchak!
I shifted my grip on Wado Ichimonji.
I held it vertically with my left arm while my right hand got ready to draw.
"Ittoryu Iai—"
My youthful voice broke the silence of the night, making the cursed spirit turn around.
That was the last thing it ever did.
"Shishi sonson."
By the time my attack ended, I was already behind it. My legs were spread apart, and my blade was back at my waist.
Splurch!
A massive spray of blood exploded along the spirit's body. It then split in two, having indeed been sliced clean.
It didn't even understand how it died. Its body split in two, hit the ground, and slowly began to disintegrate.
Thirty seconds later, it was completely gone.
When I turned toward the yakuza, the look he gave me made me instinctively step back.
"Lord Hachiman…?"
"What are you babbling at me, you dirty son of a bitch?"
It just slipped out.