Rumors seemed to have sprouted legs, sprinting through every corner of Wano Country in record time.
Flower Capital.
Inside a certain high-end brothel frequented by Kurozumi Orochi.
Orochi, who usually acted like a tyrant in the outside world, was currently wearing a cautious, fawning expression as he attended to the man before him.
"Fufufufu! Asura, is it? What a terrifying rumor." The blond Doflamingo laughed repeatedly, his disdainful gaze sweeping over Orochi. He sneered, "Do you need me to help you deal with this so-called Asura? Shogun."
Orochi had witnessed Doflamingo's strength and didn't dare show even a hint of resistance. Hearing the offer of help, Orochi shook his head vigorously. "No, no need! Just a bunch of local rabble! They pull this kind of stunt every once in a while. Ignore them, and they'll quiet down on their own soon enough!"
Doflamingo glanced at him indifferently and dropped the subject. He returned to his wine and revelry, his hands wandering over the beautiful geishas, eliciting fits of giggly laughter from the women. Soon, the giggles in the private room turned into soft moans.
A few days later, as the rumors reached a fever pitch, Ren knew it was time to move.
Looking through the window, he saw a large crowd gathered in this slum area known as Hakumai. People were chattering excitedly; some even looked ready to kneel and worship. However, they were stopped by those around them—after all, nothing had actually happened yet. It was too early to kneel!
Law chuckled, "Captain, it looks like your rumor campaign was a total success."
"How could it fail?" Ren replied. "A drowning man will grab onto anything within reach, regardless of what it is."
With that, he rose and exited the house. The gazes of the crowd outside immediately converged on Ren and his crew.
Spreading his arms wide, Ren roared with laughter, "I know why you're all here! I can tell you clearly: follow me, and eating and drinking your fill will be the least of your concerns!"
Behind him, Law gave a signal. Suddenly, several massive shadows plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground behind the crowd with a deafening boom!
Rumble—!
As the dust settled, three Sea Kings—each hundreds of meters long—appeared before the people.
Looking at the stunned commoners, Ren shouted, "Hahaha! Eat! This is just the first installment! Once we follow through and overthrow Kurozumi Orochi, you'll have more delicacies than you can ever finish!"
His voice snapped the people out of their shock. What followed was a gluttonous feast. As the crowd ate joyfully, Ren noticed several figures scurrying away into the shadows. A faint smile played on his lips.
Over the next two days, even more people arrived as word spread. While some were cautious at first, thinking it was a trap, the sight of those hundreds of meters of meat erased any hesitation, leaving only a primal craving for food.
Flower Capital, Shogun's Palace.
Kurozumi Orochi was livid when he learned those "lowlifes" had somehow obtained Sea King meat!
"Bastards! Didn't I tell you to cut off all their food sources? The coast is forbidden! Now tell me, where the hell did they get Sea King meat?"
He flipped a table laden with delicacies. As the food scattered on the floor, the guards around him swallowed hard. They knew they'd be eating well tonight!
"Take a squad and kill them all! Every last one of them!"
"Yes, Shogun!"
A small unit of armored soldiers set out immediately toward Hakumai, tasked with executing everyone associated with the "mysterious group." However, they had barely stepped outside the Flower Capital when a flash of sword-light obliterated them!
Krillin leaned against a tree, his eyes barely half-open. "When is the 'strong one' the Captain mentioned going to show up? Massacring these regular soldiers is getting boring."
News of the massacre reached Orochi quickly. The ugly Shogun flipped yet another freshly set table of food, roaring, "Absurd! Utterly absurd! Contact Kaido! Tell him to send someone to wipe these pests out!"
Orochi knew his own limits. If the enemy could wipe out his soldiers with a single slash, they weren't someone he could handle. For such a ruthless foe, Orochi had no intention of wasting his own men.
He placed the call, exaggerating the situation to Kaido. He put heavy emphasis on the "super powerhouse" in the enemy ranks to ignite Kaido's fighting spirit. Only after satisfying himself did Orochi hang up.
"Hehehe! Prepare to be annihilated!"
After ordering servants to clean up the mess and reset the table, Orochi reverted to his "licking dog" persona, fawning over the courtesan Hiyori (Komurasaki).
The next day.
A blue dragon, hundreds of meters long, descended from the sky. Treading upon flame-clouds, its "wise" gaze scanned the surroundings. The people of the Flower Capital were used to this dragon; every time it appeared, it brought new labor projects.
This dragon was Orochi's backer, one of the four Emperors of the New World—Hundred Beasts Kaido!
Upon landing, Kaido backhanded a building into rubble and roared, "The strong one! Where is the strong one?!"
His breath reeked of alcohol, a nauseating stench that spread with his shout. Orochi was terrified; he hadn't expected Kaido to show up drunk. In this state, Kaido was famously indiscriminate. If he wasn't handled properly, the expensive Flower Capital would suffer.
Orochi quickly grabbed a megaphone and shouted, "The strong one is in Hakumai! Hakumai!"
Kaido's gaze landed on the megaphone-wielding Orochi, and he offered what he thought was a friendly smile. "Got it!"
Because Orochi had created significant value for him over the years, Kaido generally gave him a little face. Of course, once the secret of Sea Stone forging was fully in Kaido's hands, Orochi's life would end.
Whoosh—!
A gust of wind whipped up as Kaido transformed back into his dragon form and soared away. Only after he was gone did Orochi breathe a sigh of relief.
But he had relaxed too soon!
Just as Kaido flew clear of the Flower Capital, a fierce blade-light surged from the ground, striking him squarely in the abdomen!
Pfft—!
The blade sliced through, leaving a gash in Kaido's hide. Although the wound wasn't deep, the sharp pain snapped Kaido's nerves into focus. His dragon eyes turned bloodshot, staring down at the figure below.
Krillin held his long sword, dark red Haki coating the blade, radiating a murderous aura. Looking up into Kaido's bloodshot eyes, Krillin's lips curled up. "I didn't expect to meet the legendary Hundred Beasts Kaido here. What a pleasant surprise."
Seeing Krillin, Kaido ignored the blood dripping from his belly and laughed loudly. "The swordsman from 'The Deceiver's' ship? Your presence here means that Deceiver is here too? Tell him to come out and fight me, and I might just let the rest of you live!"