A hidden back alley sat on the very edge of the Kouzuki Estate, cloaked in deep shadows. A heavy stone slab, which had been disguised to look exactly like a common bluestone floor tile, was suddenly pushed open from below. Scalding ashes and chunks of broken rubble tumbled down into the opening with a sharp clatter.
A blood-stained hand gripped the rough edge of the stone. Panting heavily, Kin'emon poked his head out from the underground tunnel first to survey the area. Before his eyes, the entire Kouzuki Estate was being swallowed by soaring, hungry flames. Thick black smoke billowed upward into the night sky, obscuring half of the moon. The grand palace that had symbolized the supreme power of Wano Country for centuries was being reduced to ruins in the fierce blaze. Every few moments, the air filled with the dull thud of massive support timbers finally collapsing into the fire.
Hurry out! Kin'emon gritted his teeth against the heat and exerted himself, turning back to pull the others out from the cramped secret passage. Raizo, Ashura Doji, and Kiku emerged one after another, each of them covered in wounds and soot. One of Kiku's arms hung limply at her side, and blood dripped steadily from her fingertips into the muddy water that was illuminated by the flickering orange firelight.
Last to emerge was Kozuki Toki; she tightly protected the sleeping Hiyori in her arms, her hair disheveled and her fair feet slashed with bloody gashes from the sharp rubble in the tunnel. Raizo looked around at the empty alley, his voice trembling as he spoke. The samurai who were covering our retreat... He didn't see a single retainer following them from the depths of the dark passage.
Ashura Doji gripped his chipped katana, his voice sounding like it was being squeezed through his teeth. Jack crushed the entrance to the inner courtyard with his strength; they didn't even leave a whole corpse behind for us to bury.
From the nearby streets came a terrifying cacophony of shouting and chaos. Lackeys of the Beasts Pirates were brandishing burning torches, conducting a frantic and violent sweep through the region of Kuri. Chain up the men! Send them all to the Udon excavations! Boss Kaido has ordered that Wano Country has no need for idlers! Another pirate shouted nearby. Search everywhere! Lord Jack has spoken—dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find those Nine Red Scabbards!
The screams of innocent civilians rose and fell in the night as women were dragged away by their hair. Kuri, which was once a place of peace and prosperity, had turned into a living purgatory in a single night. Kin'emon's eyes were bloodshot and stinging. He grabbed a handful of mud mixed with scalding ash, clenching it so tightly in his palm that his knuckles turned white. Their young master had died a tragic death, their home was destroyed, and their brothers had fallen in battle. This blood debt could only be repaid with the severed heads of Orochi and Kaido!
At this moment of profound grief, a familiar, cheerful, and even somewhat perverted sound pierced through the night from the direction of the inner courtyard. Yo—hohoho! The sound was jarring against the backdrop of the burning city. Kin'emon and the others stumbled toward the noise, unable to believe what they were hearing.
In a shallow mud pit, Kozuki Oden was still prancing about stark naked. The mud on his skin dried and got wet, then dried again as he moved; he looked like a comical mud sculpture. He was frantically thrusting his hips in a distorted posture that was completely incomprehensible to any normal person.
Kin'emon could no longer hold himself up. His knees buckled, slamming heavily onto the rubble-strewn road. The sharp pain of his kneecaps fracturing actually brought him a small flicker of clarity at this moment. Propping himself up with his hands, he crawled all the way to the edge of the mud pit. Lord Oden... he whispered. The man in the mud pit completely ignored him, focused entirely on practicing a difficult one-legged spin.
Lord Oden!! Kin'emon suddenly straightened his back and roared. His eyes were crimson, and the thick veins on his neck bulged with the effort of his shout. The spinning stopped. Maintaining a golden rooster stands on one leg pose, Oden tilted his massive head. His vacant eyes finally focused on Kin'emon's face.
Raizo covered his mouth, his tears bursting forth like a flood. Kiku looked away, her shoulders trembling violently with silent sobs. Everyone held their breath. This was the breaking point for them all. The fire at the estate, the blood of their fallen retainers, and the tragic death of the young master were all laid bare. No matter what this man had been wary of or what he had been enduring before, the facade had been completely shattered now. That world-renowned master of the Two-Sword Style should finally wake up.
Lord Oden... Kin'emon pressed his forehead hard into the muddy water at the edge of the pit. The young master... the young master is dead! He was killed by those pirates! Not even his bones remain to be found! The Kozuki family is finished! Kuri is finished! I beg of you, please stop dancing... Draw your sword!!!
The area fell into a heavy silence. Aside from the crackling of the distant flames, even the sound of insects in the vicinity had ceased. Oden slowly lowered the leg that was suspended in mid-air. He straightened his back, and the idiotic smile on his face slowly began to fade away. His thick eyebrows knitted together tightly, and his muscular chest began to heave violently as if he were struggling with a great emotion.
It worked! Kin'emon looked up sharply, a flash of wild joy crossing his blood-stained face. The lord he knew, the man who could make the entire sea tremble with a single fit of rage, was finally coming back to lead them. Two streams of heavy breath snorted from Oden's nostrils, his shoulders twitching rhythmically, and his lips were pressed tight together. A strange gurgling sound came from his throat. He was trying his best to suppress whatever was inside him.
And then, it happened. Pfft... Wahahahahaha! An earth-shaking roar of laughter came crashing down upon them, louder than the fires. Good riddance! Good riddance! Oden laughed. He kicked Kin'emon away and leaped high in the mud pit, even spinning around in excitement like a child.
That brat was always crying and loved hanging around women; I've been annoyed with him for a long time! Oden shouted while laughing. This is great—now no one will bother me while I'm dancing! He looked down at his retainers, who were frozen like statues on the ground, and pouted in dissatisfaction. What are you all looking so gloomy for? What's the big deal about a kid dying! Today is a day worth celebrating, so don't ruin the mood! Come, sway with me! Change the tune, ready—go! Come! Three circles to the left, three circles to the right, twist your neck, wiggle your butt!
Kin'emon lay slumped on the ground, his chest heaving violently. He pointed at the frantically writhing body of his master, his lips trembling, but he couldn't squeeze out a single word for the longest time. Ugh—! Unable to catch his breath, Kin'emon's eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed straight into the mud pit, fainting from sheer rage on the spot.
Kin'emon! Raizo rushed forward to drag his comrade out of the muck, then turned back to look at Oden. He bit his lip so hard that it started to bleed. What a scene of utter despair they were witnessing. The backbone of Wano Country was being trampled and broken by this absurd, naked dance.
Kozuki Toki stood a few paces away. She held Hiyori tightly in her arms, and the tears she hadn't shed even while fleeing for her life now fell like broken strings of pearls down her cheeks. She had traveled through eight hundred years of time, searching through the centuries for the opportunity to change the fate of the world. She once thought that the man before her was the dawn at daybreak.
He was passionate, heroic, and valued loyalty above all else. To save the commoners, he could cast aside his dignity as a Daimyo to perform a naked dance; she believed he was enduring in silence, and she believed he had a grand plan. Even just now, at the moment Momonosuke died, she still harbored one last shred of delusion in her heart. She was deluding herself that her husband would shed a single tear or that he would use the sword in his hand to finally sever this tragic fate.
The illusion was now completely shattered. That creature in the mud, cheering for the tragic death of his own son, was not Kozuki Oden. You... Kozuki Toki's voice was dry and raspy. Oden didn't hear her at all; he was lost in the rhythm of a difficult tap dance, splattering cold mud onto the hem of Kozuki Toki's skirt.
Kozuki Toki lowered her eyes. She no longer looked at that shell of a man, who was as good as a cripple in her mind. That deep love that spanned across time and the hope for the future opening of the country crumbled into dust after witnessing this farce. With a single breath of wind, not even a trace of her affection remained. She turned around, her back to the market, facing the few remaining retainers.
Her tone was extremely cold and devoid of any emotional fluctuation. You are not the man I knew at all. You are just a hopeless madman. Each word was powerful, striking the bluestone tiles like a heavy hammer. From this day forth, the Kozuki Clan no longer has you as its head!
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