"What?!!!"
At first, CP0 and the others had no idea what that smug bastard Kurozumi Orochi was referring to.
But when they connected it to the Doflamingo he had mentioned, then one level above that was...
"How could this be..."
Cold sweat streamed down CP0's faces. Seeing this, Orochi became exceedingly pleased with himself. He clapped his hands, rose to his feet amid loud laughter, and looked utterly ridiculous.
"This is the truth."
"All right, if there's nothing else, I'm going to the banquet."
Afterward, Kurozumi Orochi headed toward the banquet hall.
Robin and Kozuki Hiyori were there, preparing to attend the banquet.
Perhaps because life had been going too well for him, or perhaps because he had just shown off before the so-called World Government.
Kurozumi Orochi was especially smug at the moment. With Hiyori, the courtesan, in his arms and a bowl of wine in hand, he was already somewhat drunk.
"The Kozuki Clan... but that's all in the past now, isn't it~"
"Even that Kozuki Oden is already dead!!!"
Everyone at the banquet listened to Kurozumi Orochi's drunken, arrogant ramblings. They could only force smiles and dared not say anything else.
Kyoshiro sat in a lower seat, veins bulging across his lowered face. Clearly, he was holding something back.
Hiyori lay in Orochi's arms while Robin sat among the guests. Both remained dignified and expressionless as they watched Orochi boast.
Until they heard a certain sentence.
"...Hic... Kaido? That guy is terrifying, sure..."
"But compared to my true patron, he's nothing more than a minor branch~"
"That would be... even here in Wano Country, one occasionally hears his honored name and deeds. The name Kaido has shouted countless times while drunk..."
"The true ruler of the New World's seas—"
"Mr. Austin!!!"
Many years ago, Kurozumi Orochi had