Because You Have No Backbone

Wano Country, Flower Capital, Secret Courtyard

The night wind swept into the courtyard, the stench of blood still lingering. The flames of the paper lanterns flickered in the wind, casting shadows that shone and dimmed.

Zoro's figure was as imposing as a mountain, and his murderous aura formed an invisible barrier, making the entire courtyard feel oppressive.

Kuina knelt beside the tatami mat, her expression calm, carefully wiping the cold sweat from the forehead of the unconscious Kozuki Hiyori.

Tears blurred Toko's vision, but she was still forced to smile and carefully hold Hiyori's hand.

Finally, Kozuki Hiyori's eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She first saw the unfamiliar swordsman, her eyes suddenly tensed, and she tried to get up, but Toko quickly pressed her down:

"Lord Hiyori! Don't be afraid! It was them! These two ladies saved you! They took you from the Orochi!"

Kozuki Hiyori froze, her gaze shifting between Zoro's three swords, their cold glint still gleaming, and Kuina's calm and resolute expression.

Her heart pounded violently. After a moment, she finally lowered her head and spoke weakly but clearly, "Thank you both for saving my life..."

Kuina reached out and helped her up, her voice concise and sharp. "We are the Navy, sent by Vice Admiral Roy to subdue Onigashima."

"Navy...?" Hiyori's breath hitched, and her pupils contracted slightly.

She grew up in the closed-off Wano Country, and from a young age, all she heard were the names of Kaido and Orochi; she never truly understood the "order of the outside world."

At that moment, she was both shocked and instinctively wary.

Just as she was about to speak but couldn't—

"Squeak--"

The courtyard gate was slowly pushed open.

Zoro and Kuina turned around almost simultaneously, their hands already on the hilts of their swords, exuding a chilling aura.

Terrified, Toko immediately shielded Hiyori.

However, it was Kyoshiro appeared at the door.

He was no longer the drunken, slick man he had been at the banquet; his steps were steady, his expression solemn, and his eyes as cold as a knife.

He walked straight to Hiyori and slowly knelt on one knee. "Lord Hiyori!"

His voice was deep yet resolute. "What they said is not false."

"Vice Admiral Roy is the strongest man in the world today—the man who could beat Kaido pulp and personally crush the Big Mom Pirates!!"

"!!!"

Hiyori, breathing rapidly, covered her red lips in horror. "A brutal beating of Kaido... Kaido..."

In that instant, Hiyori and Toko froze, as if the world outside had been completely turned upside down in an instant.

Kyoshiro's eyes were cold, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips, "I have been lying low as 'Kyoshiro' for over ten years, enduring humiliation and hardship, serving under Orochi, all for the day of revenge for the Kozuki Clan."

His gaze was sharp as a blade, fixed intently on Hiyori: "Now, the opportunity has finally arrived!!"

"The Navy has intervened forcefully; Vice Admiral Roy has swept aside Two Emperors."

"--This is the best opportunity for the Kozuki Clan!!"

As soon as he finished speaking, only the whistling wind and flickering Flame remained in the courtyard.

Hiyori's breathing quickened, and her slender shoulders trembled slightly. At that moment, she was shocked, longing, and also felt an undeniable dependence.

The atmosphere in the courtyard was as still as iron.

Kyoshiro slowly straightened up, his expression solemn, and looked directly at Kozuki Hiyori.

"Lord Hiyori, there is no need to doubt any longer."

His voice was deep and powerful, each word like a hammer blow. "The outside world is completely different now. The Navy is so strong that even the Four Emperors would find it difficult to contend with them!"

"Vice Admiral Roy recently single-handedly wiped out the Red Hair Pirates, one of the Four Emperors, crushed Captain Shanks, and even captured Dark King Rayleigh!"

"He completely crushed the Pirates of the old era!!" These words struck Hiyori's heart like a thunderbolt.

Her face paled, and she covered her red lips in disbelief. "The Red Hair Pirates wiped out? Rayleigh... captured? This... how is this possible..."

She swayed and almost fell, but fortunately, Toko quickly caught her.

"This is Wano Country's only chance in decades! If we rely on them, the shackles between Kaido and Orochi can finally be broken!!"

Hiyori her core, her breathing became rapid, and after a long while she finally slowly raised her eyes to look at Zoro and Kuina.

Her eyes held a complex mix of shame and longing.

"My lords... I know that we, the Wano Country, are weak and incompetent, and have lived in fear for decades, daring not to save ourselves."

She gritted her teeth, her slender hands trembling, yet she uttered a resolute sentence. "But I still beg you—to slay Kaido for us and save Wano Country!"

Having said that, she recognized the two swordsmen in front of her, stood up, and slowly took out a Black Scabbard Long Sword from inside the house.

The black light was as dark as ink, and an eerie aura lingered around it.

This sword is named -- Enma.

"This is a relic of my father, Kozuki Oden, the cursed sword that once wounded Kaido. I, Kozuki Hiyori, am willing to offer it up, I only ask that you all lend a hand!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a moment of deathly silence.

Zoro narrowed his eyes, let out a cold snort, his voice as sharp as a blade cutting through iron:

"You yourselves dare not take up arms, yet you place all your hopes on outsiders? What is the point of restoring a nation by relying on others to wield their swords?"

Kuina shook her head, her tone cold and stern. "If we only know how to rely on others, then Wano Country will never deserve to talk about freedom."

Kozuki Hiyori hearing this, Hiyori's hands trembled, but she thrust the scabbard forward with even greater force. "Even so, I still have no other choice..."

Zoro remained silent for a moment before finally reaching out and grasping the hilt of his sword.

"Clang--!"

Enma is unsheathed!

An eerie clang of the blade echoed through the courtyard, its edge like a colossal beast devouring heaven and earth, frantically absorbing Zoro's Armament Haki!

"Sizzle--!"

In an instant, the veins in Zoro's arm bulged, his Haki surged, the veins looked like they were about to burst, and his entire arm instantly turned black and shiny!

"Oh no!" Kyoshiro as he exclaimed, "Enma will forcibly extract the user's Haki!!"

Hiyori's face was deathly pale, her lips trembling. "No... even Father couldn't fully control the sword back then..."

However, the next moment-

"Drink!!"

Zoro roared, his feet firmly planted on the ground like nails, his Haki surging upwards like a raging torrent, forcefully pressing back Enma!

"Buzz--!"

The blade of Enma trembled and roared, its demonic energy surging, yet it gradually yielded under Zoro's fierce pressure.

In the firelight, the blade gleamed with a chilling purple light before finally returning to its sheath, as if bowing in submission.

The courtyard was deathly silent, with only the lingering echo of Enma's voice reverberating in everyone's ears.

Kyoshiro muttered to himself, a look of shock flashing in his eyes. "He... he actually managed to make Enma submit?!"

Toko was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth, his eyes filled with awe.

Hiyori stood frozen in place, tears welling in her eyes. "Enma... he actually willingly submitted to him..."

Zoro slowly sheathed Enma, his eyes cold, his voice deep yet piercing. "No wonder no one in this country can control 'Enma'..."

He raised his head, his dark eyes sweeping over the crowd like sharp blades.

"Because you have no backbone at all."

In the courtyard, the night wind howled, dispersing the smell of blood and fire, but making it even more pungent.

Zoro's words struck like a heavy hammer into the hearts of every Wano Country.

(I have some things to take care of these past two days, so I'll only post two chapters now and resume tomorrow.)