Yagyu Jubei
"Fifty-fifty... cough cough, I misspoke, Kakashi, are you sure that's the ancestral land of the Himura Clan ahead?" Roy asked with a surprised expression.
Along the way, the air was thick with the smoke of battle, and most of the surrounding farmland had been abandoned. Even the towns in the central area appeared dilapidated and desolate, giving people a sense of widespread suffering.
"Huh? Oh!" The Kenkon, who hadn't yet adapted to his new identity, paused for a moment before nodding and saying, "Ferry... Lord Madara, according to our ancestors' records and the information I gathered before, this is indeed the ancestral land of the Himura Clan. In fact, I was already mentally prepared for the Himura Clan to have long since disappeared over the past few hundred years. It's fortunate that they have declined to this extent."
"Who goes there? State your names at once!" A group of sword-wielding warriors rushed out of the surrounding woods and shouted in an unfriendly tone.
"Hmm, are they bandits?" Roy asked, tilting his head.
"How rude! I am a retainer under the command of the Hundred Ridges Daimyo! How could you use such lowly bandits to tarnish my name? How wicked!" Upon hearing Roy's words, the short man dressed as a samurai, clearly the leader of the guards, showed a look of shame and indignation, as if he had suffered a great humiliation.
"Not a bandit?" Roy asked listlessly. Was there no man who wanted to become the King of the Pirates?
"The Hundred Ridges Daimyo? I remember his name is Yagyu Jubei. He was a renowned Master Swordsman in Wano Country, a retainer of the Tokugawa Family, and a very capable subordinate of Kurozumi Orochi. He rendered many meritorious services to Orochi. After Kurozumi Orochi proclaimed himself shogun, he was also granted a fiefdom and became the Hundred Ridges Daimyo in Wano Country." Harvey pondered for a moment and recalled the information about the Hundred Ridges Daimyo.
"You lowly commoners, how dare you address our lord by his name and show disrespect to the general! Your crimes are unforgivable! I will cut you down with my sword!" Hearing Roy and the others' words, which showed no respect for the general, the dwarf warrior could hardly believe his ears and said in shock and anger.
Although Wano Country Master Swordsman, the short samurai before us is clearly not one of them.
With a flash of sword light, the Kenkon, holding the Kikuichimonji that had returned to his hand, silently retreated behind Roy, leaving behind a trail of corpses.
"Ah!" Seeing his arm lying on the ground and the gruesome state of the soldiers behind him, the dwarf samurai let out a heart-wrenching scream. Clutching his right shoulder, he glared at the Kenkon with eyes filled with hatred and fear. "It's the Flying Heaven Sword Style! I didn't expect your Himura Clan to be so ungrateful. Not only did you refuse our lord's kindness, but you also harbored malicious intentions. But don't be too happy yet, our lord will surely avenge me..."
After saying this, the dwarf warrior froze and fell to the ground, dark brown blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.
"Knowing he had no chance of escaping, he took poison and 'committed suicide'?" Roy scoffed. "Not seppuku, bad review."
"Speaking of which, the Himura Clan has already declined to this extent, so how come they are still being targeted by that Yagyu guy?" Cavendish, a newbie, eagerly chimed in.
"If I'm not mistaken, he might be after the swordsmanship heritage of the Himura Clan," Harvey guessed. "Although the Himura Clan has declined, their ancestors were once a powerful family that produced Great Sword Master. Perhaps they have some experience and insights into the realm of Great Sword Master. As for Yagyu Jubei, he was originally a powerful figure who was only one step away from becoming Great Sword Master, but he had been stuck at the peak of Master Swordsman for many years without making any progress. In addition, perhaps he was stimulated by the increasingly fierce wars in recent years, so he was eager to achieve quick success and hoped to use the experience of his predecessors to glimpse that ultimate realm of swordsmanship."
"Has he already reached the threshold of Great Sword Master? Wano Country is truly a place where dragons and tigers hide. We've already encountered someone like this on the very first day!" Cavendish gasped. A swordsman who is only one step away from becoming Great Sword Master might not mean much to Roy and the other big shots, but for the three of them who are still honing their skills at the level of Master Swordsman, it is an insurmountable chasm.
"No, that's not it. Apart from those few renowned Great Sword Master, Yagyu Jubei has always stood at the pinnacle of swordsmanship in Wano Country. We just happened to be there this time," Harvey said, shaking his head.
Roy didn't underestimate Wano Country because of Harvey's words. You see, there are no more than ten famous Great Sword Master in the open seas, but in Wano Country, there are no fewer than three known Great Sword Master. If it weren't for encountering a monster like Kaido who can almost ignore damage, Wano Country's peace would probably have continued indefinitely.
The atmosphere in the ancestral home of the Himura Clan, which is also the Kamiya Dojo, has become extremely tense and heavy.
The girl's smooth, long hair was tied into a ponytail, her slender waist was so small it could be encircled with one hand, and she knelt on the ground, perfectly showing off her proud curves. Her eyes were bright and charming, sparkling with life.
This beautiful scenery, which could make Sanji bleed to death, was completely ignored by the person opposite the girl. His single eye remained calm and undisturbed, as if the person opposite him was just a pink skeleton.
Behind them were members of the Himura Clan, who appeared to be surrounding Yagyu Jubei, but their presence was far less imposing, as if the other man had "surrounded" them all.
"Miss Himura, the offer I've made is already quite generous. Please don't put me in a difficult position." Yagyu Jubei's tone was calm, as if his emotions were unreadable.
"Lord Yagyu, our Kamiya Dojo does not have any of our ancestors' notes on swordsmanship. Even if we did, they were lost during the several upheavals of the Himura Clan. Otherwise, our Kamiya Dojo would not have declined to this state today." Himura Yukishiro's tone was full of helplessness.
"If you still don't believe me, you can have someone search the Kamiya Dojo." If she could, she wouldn't want her ancestral land to be trampled on, but the other party was a terrifying monster known as Yagyu Tengu, and the most capable executioner under the Wano Country General. If she couldn't satisfy him, the Himura Clan might disappear from history forever.
"How to find that manuscript is your problem to consider, I don't care. I only know that you must deliver the manuscript to me before today, or your entire family will be exterminated!"
"Damn it! You bastard Yagyu, I've put up with you for so long, don't think that..." Under Yagyu Jubei's domineering style, a clansman finally couldn't help but protest.
"No..." Although she was equally dissatisfied with Yagyu Jubei's domineering style, Himura Yukishiro knew even more that with the strength of her clan, they could never be a match for Yagyu Jubei.
"God Killing One Sword Style!" Yagyu Jubei placed his right hand on the hilt of his sword. A flash of cold light appeared, and before anyone could react, the sword was already sheathed, as if he had never made a move.
Before Himura Yukishiro could finish speaking, the clansman who had spoken earlier was instantly dismembered into the finest mincemeat. This horrific and disgusting scene caused many clansmen to vomit.
While feeling resentful, Yagyu Jubei was also utterly horrified. Although Himura Yukishiro Jubei was cruel and ruthless, his strength was even more terrifying than the legends suggested. Even though she had successfully advanced to become Master Swordsman, she couldn't even hold him off for a moment. Perhaps, this guy had truly reached the legendary realm of sword saint.