Noticing Sirius and the other child approaching, Kaido turned around and gave them a brief look. Carrying his Spiked Club over his shoulder, he laughed. "Oh? Was a battlefield on this level still too easy for you little brats?"
Sirius returned to human form and said with a sigh, "Not at all. We had to give it everything we had just to get to your side, Uncle Kaido."
"Everything you had?"
Kaido grinned. "Wororororo! Isn't that pretty good? Remember this, brats: if you want to survive on these seas, half-hearted resolve won't cut it!"
Yamato pouted and tilted her head away, refusing to look at her father. She was still sulking over the beating she had received earlier.
"Alright, looks like the war is over."
Kaido looked around and nodded slightly.
This battle had indeed reached its end.
After the four samurai leaders were defeated, the samurai completely lost their ability to resist. There was no way they could continue opposing the Beasts Pirates.
King had already landed on the battlefield, his arms transformed into long membranous wings. This was his Beastman Form.
With a casual flap of his wings, weasel-like Wind Blades gathered into a massive storm and spread in all directions with the force to devour everything.
The samurai could not resist at all. Severed limbs began to fly, while blood bloomed in the wind like mournful flowers.
The pirates seized the opportunity to attack. After several waves of assault, the samurai had all but been wiped out.
The war had begun in the afternoon, and now, just at dusk, the Beasts Pirates had already claimed an overwhelming victory.
"Next, we go to Kuri!"
Kaido's body suddenly swelled and lengthened. The enormous Azure Dragon appeared in the skies once more, crimson Flame Clouds sweeping downward to wrap Sirius and Yamato up again and place them on his back.
"Oden's last remaining trace will be completely destroyed tonight."
Kaido soared into the heavens. On the ground, the Beasts Pirates' great pirates quickly finished clearing the battlefield before following him toward Oden Castle.
Kuri lay beyond the battlefield. With the last resistance force destroyed, the Beasts Pirates could now march straight in without facing any further obstruction.
Not long after night fell, Sirius, sitting behind Kaido with Yamato, saw a castle standing atop a mountain peak. It was pitch-black, like a giant silently standing in the darkness.
That must be Oden Castle, right? Sirius thought.
"Wororororo! This darkness is really irritating! Let me bring it some light!"
Kaido laughed, opening his huge mouth as dazzling flames erupted from it in an instant and blasted directly into Oden Castle in the distance.
He seemed to have carefully controlled the power. Although the flames struck the castle, they did not cause any massive destruction. Still, the fire had indeed begun spreading across the castle.
Almost at the same time, the Beasts Pirates' pirates charged up the mountain path and soon surrounded the entire castle so tightly that not even water could pass through.
"I heard Oden had a son. Let me see what kind of brat he is."
Hearing Uncle Kaido mutter this, Sirius watched as he descended directly toward the castle.
Just like a repeat of what had happened on the battlefield, Kaido transformed back into human form while still some distance from the castle, smashed through the roof, and crashed inside.
This time, however, Sirius was prepared. He immediately transformed into Werewolf form and breathed flames downward to slow himself.
The two of them soon landed safely on top of Oden Castle.
Standing on the slanted roof, Sirius felt that he really ought to learn Geppo. Now that he thought about it, not being able to fly really was rather inconvenient.
"So this is Oden's home?"
Yamato peered down in surprise. "It's nothing like I imagined! It's so luxurious! Even though Oden was so shabby!"
How could he not have been shabby?
Oden's clothes had been patched over and over again. If they had not been fairly clean, he would not have looked much better than a beggar.
"He was still the daimyo of an entire region."
As Sirius answered, he carefully crossed the roof and reached the large hole Kaido had fallen through earlier. He turned back to Yamato. "Want to go inside and take a look?"
"Of course!" Yamato moved as nimbly as a monkey, thumping over before taking the lead and jumping straight into the hole.
Sirius smiled and followed her in.
Only after landing on the floor below did Sirius realize in surprise that the floor had not been damaged.
It was hard to imagine that Uncle Kaido's weight had only smashed through the roof. It seemed he had carefully controlled his landing.
"Hurry, Sirius! Father went this way!"
Yamato shouted from nearby. A huge hole had been smashed through the wall in front of her, and one could vaguely make out the shapes of two horns embedded at its upper edge.
"Yeah."
Sirius answered and followed Yamato along Uncle Kaido's path. It was not difficult, since even when Uncle Kaido merely walked, his weight left marks in the wooden floors.
They went downstairs and followed the corridor forward, clearly seeing the damage left along the surrounding walls.
Following those marks, Sirius and Yamato eventually arrived outside a torn paper door. Beyond it was a spacious room where flames were spreading and thick smoke filled the air.
Against the moonlight streaming in through the windows, Sirius and Yamato saw a figure sitting collapsed on the floor.
The beautiful woman had a wound on her forehead. Blood ran down from it, staining half her face red.
She held a little girl in her arms, and the child was staring fearfully at Sirius and Yamato standing in the doorway.
"Oh! Aren't you Oden's wife?"
Yamato recognized the woman and walked inside in surprise. "Why are you here?"
"What stupid question is that, idiot? Isn't this Oden's home?" Sirius followed her in, rolled his eyes at Yamato, then looked toward Toki, who was sitting on the floor.
Only the mother and daughter were here. Momonosuke was nowhere to be seen. It looked like Uncle Kaido had already come through here.
He had no interest in the daughter, only Oden's son?
Uncle Kaido was seriously favoring boys over girls. Was that why he later turned a blind eye to Yamato calling herself a man?
"Lady Toki, we meet again," Sirius greeted her.
Holding her young daughter, Toki looked equally surprised by Sirius and Yamato's appearance. Then, despite already being at the end of the road, the woman actually smiled.
"My, Oden's friends? What a shame. You finally came to visit, but I cannot entertain you now."
After noticing the bags on Sirius and Yamato's backs, her smile widened further. She patted the child in her arms on the head. "Look, Hiyori. They're your father's friends."
Kozuki Hiyori, who was the same age as Sirius this year, timidly raised her head to glance at Sirius and Yamato before immediately hiding in her mother's arms again.
"I'm very sorry. This child is rather shy," Toki said with a smile.
Sirius had a headache. What was with this woman? Was this to be expected of Kozuki Oden's wife?
"Lady Toki, this isn't the time to talk about that, is it?" Sirius said.
"That's right!" Yamato snapped back to her senses and said anxiously, "Father is already here! Run, big sister!"
What big sister? If anything, she should have called her aunt. Well, perhaps ancestor would have worked too.
Sirius did not say such mood-killing words aloud.
"Run away? That won't do."
Toki shook her head and said seriously, "Big sister still has something she must do."
She looked at Sirius, then at Yamato. "But you children, the Kozuki Family's affairs have nothing to do with you, do they?"
"You should leave now. Someone has come to take you away."
Yamato froze for a moment, and Sirius pursed his lips as well. Before either of them could say anything else, thunder suddenly rumbled outside.
"Brats! What are you still doing in there!"
At that moment, outside the window behind Toki, the enormous Azure Dragon lowered his head. His huge eyes looked through the window at Sirius and Yamato. "It's time to go back."
It seemed he had already met Momonosuke.
"Let's go, Yamato."
Sirius took Yamato's hand and walked forward. As he passed Toki, their eyes met for an instant, and Toki smiled and nodded at him.
She had already made up her mind.
Not only Toki—even little Kozuki Hiyori quietly raised her head. After meeting Sirius's eyes, she hurriedly buried her face in her mother's arms again.
As for you, we'll meet again if we get the chance. When that happens, I'll tell you about Oden.
Sirius said nothing. Holding Yamato's hand, he jumped out through the window.
Watching Sirius and Yamato leave, Toki's smile never faded. She gently stroked her younger daughter's hair and said softly,
"Remember them, Hiyori. Your father was a fool, but fools always seem to make friends with truly remarkable people."
"They may still be children, just like you, but in the future, they will completely change this world."
Amid the firelight, young Hiyori looked at her mother with an innocent, bewildered expression.
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