Shimotsuki Ushimaru was a tall, powerfully built middle-aged man.
A sword hung at his waist, his face was resolute, and his blue hair was tied into a small topknot at the back of his head.
This battle-hardened warrior was somewhat bewildered at the moment.
What exactly was that?
A snail?
And what were those buildings on the snail's back, which could be seen clearly even from such a great distance?
They definitely weren't products of Wano Country!
Since they weren't local, there was only one possibility!
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's expression instantly turned solemn, and he immediately began issuing orders. "Contact the Capital of Flowers at once. Ringo has discovered outsiders!"
"Also, immediately summon all the samurai in the city! Prepare for battle! At the same time, notify the citizens to evacuate!"
A short while later.
The low-ranking officials known as the Dōshin beat gongs as they loudly announced throughout the town's streets and alleys, "The Daimyo has ordered it! Everyone, prepare to evacuate!"
"The Daimyo has ordered it! Everyone, prepare to evacuate!"
Before the people could figure out what was happening, they saw the Daimyo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, ride out of the city with his samurai, charging quickly along the main road toward the other side of town.
Was a war about to break out?
As the people nervously shut their doors and windows, they couldn't help wondering.
But this country hadn't seen a war in many years. The last major conflict had been when the Kurozumi Family attempted to rebel.
Outside the town, the Giant Snails rumbled closer.
"Boss!"
Judge held Shusui in his arms and volunteered, "Should I deploy my army?"
"There's no need."
Roa tilted his head. "Big Brother Kaido?"
Kaido carried his kanabō on his shoulder and took a drink from his gourd. "If they don't disappoint me."
"Tsk, you're already so old, yet you're still picky with food, Big Brother Kaido."
Roa shook his head repeatedly.
Is this why your legs will get shorter and shorter in the future?
This is the price of looking down on others!
The corner of Kaido's mouth twitched. "You're crazy."
"They're coming!"
Dylan spoke up.
Not far ahead, a group of people thundered out of the town.
Roa saw clearly that the leader was a blue-haired samurai.
You had to admit, he really did look quite a lot like Zoro.
Ryoma's genes were pretty impressive.
Kaido also observed the samurai. "Their presence isn't bad."
"Stop!"
The blue-haired samurai shouted, pulling on the reins with his left hand and making the horse rear up on its hind legs. At the same time, he drew his sword with his right hand and pointed it at the snails. "Who are you people?"
Roa honestly waved his hand, signaling Judge to stop the snails.
When in Rome, do as the Romans did.
"Sorry to trouble you. We're here to ask for directions," Roa said very politely. "Could you take us to the Capital of Flowers? We have something we'd like to discuss with this country's king."
"The Capital of Flowers?"
Shimotsuki Ushimaru frowned. "What do you want with the Shogun?"
Roa explained everything truthfully. "Oh, we're here to invest. We plan to set up factories in Wano Country and mine Seastone while we're at it, so we hope the king will give us this country's resources."
"Oh, right. If possible, call over all the lords in this country as well. We'll settle everything at once."
"Brat!"
This brat was making a fool of him!
And these visitors clearly meant no good!
Then there was no reason to hesitate!
Die!
The Daimyo of Ringo leaped into the air, his beloved sword instantly leaving its sheath. "How dare you act so arrogantly!"
A massive sky-blue Flying Slash tore through the air.
"Tsk."
Kaido immediately sneered disdainfully. "The so-called samurai are only this strong?"
An expert knew an expert at a glance.
Although Observation Haki wasn't good at distinguishing the strength of a presence, someone like Kaido could tell whether a person was strong or weak with just one look.
Abel spread his wings and flew out, meeting the formidable Flying Slash with his body.
"What?"
Shimotsuki Ushimaru, who hadn't even landed yet, was utterly astonished.
Had he gone mad?
But what happened next immediately made him feel that perhaps he was the one who had gone mad!
Clang!
When the crescent-shaped sword energy struck Abel, it made the sound of steel colliding before shattering outright.
However, Abel was also knocked backward and landed heavily beside Roa.
"You're not qualified to fight Boss."
Abel calmly patted the clothes over his chest, his expression tranquil.
It would have looked even cooler if his clothes hadn't been split open, exposing his somewhat lean chest.
"Who exactly are you people?"
Although somewhat disheveled, Shimotsuki Ushimaru no longer dared to underestimate Abel.
His merciless slash had been completely ineffective!
This man was a monster!
"I've been so polite, and you still attacked us?"
Roa acted as if he hadn't heard the samurai at all, speaking with righteous indignation. "The local samurai are far too rude! They completely ignored us. In that case, don't blame us for defending ourselves!"
Kaido glanced at him again.
Who exactly was ignoring whom?
"Bullet, Abel, I'll leave them to you."
"Yes!"
Bullet had already been itching to act. He leaped into the air and shot upward like a cannonball.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's expression abruptly changed. "What?"
Because a dark cloud had covered him.
Quicksilver Cannon!
High in the sky, a massive mass of quicksilver more than twenty meters in diameter fell like a meteor!
Invisible ripples surged across the surface of the quicksilver.
"This brat!"
A trace of envy flashed through Kaido's eyes.
Bullet possessed not only the Logia ability and an incredibly powerful physique, but also even more astonishing talent in Haki.
It was clearly only at the emission level, and he couldn't even harden it yet—the most basic form of Armament Haki—but the amount was absurdly massive.
The amount of Armament Haki determined its quality. This brat was a genius of Armament Haki!
Where did that brat Roa find such a subordinate?
"Slash!"
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's forehead was covered in cold sweat. He leaped into the air again and slashed with all his strength.
Invisible ripples flowed along his black blade.
Naturally, it was the flowing Haki prevalent in Wano Country.
It had to be said that he truly lived up to his reputation as a powerful samurai renowned throughout Wano Country. Even when faced with such a massive sphere of quicksilver, Shimotsuki Ushimaru managed to split it in two with all his strength.
After all, quicksilver was still liquid.
But splitting it in two wasn't enough.
The two masses of quicksilver continued crashing down with unstoppable force, slamming into the samurai below.
Each mass of quicksilver weighed tens of thousands of tons, equivalent to two medium-sized oil tankers falling from the sky. And that didn't even include the acceleration from Bullet's punch.
The result was—
Boom! Boom!!
The earth instantly shattered and collapsed. Thick cracks spread into the distant town, while even the snow in the farther wilderness was shaken into the air.
Hundreds of samurai immediately fell into a desperate disaster.
"..."
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's mind went completely blank.
At the same time, Abel shot toward Shimotsuki Ushimaru, who had yet to land. His sword left its sheath, delivering a powerful slash.
"Evil thief!"
The attack seemed to rouse the dazed Shimotsuki Ushimaru. He swung his sword back at Abel.
With a clang, not only was Abel's slash completely ineffective, but Shimotsuki Ushimaru also cut through his sword in one stroke. The forceful slash continued on, dragging a brilliant spark across Abel's chest.
Abel was sent flying backward. After all, he still didn't know Haki.
"Trash!"
Bullet crashed down, his lower body transforming into quicksilver steam as gas blasted out to accelerate him.
Quicksilver Steam Cannon!
Dense quicksilver steam descended like the Milky Way falling from the heavens.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru instinctively swung his sword.
Naturally, he easily split the quicksilver steam in two.
After all, it was gas.
But—
"Aaaah!"
Shimotsuki Ushimaru immediately experienced the might of the quicksilver steam.
Even the Haki of the hero Garp couldn't completely withstand such high temperatures, let alone his.
A shrill scream rang across the sky.
The remaining quicksilver steam struck the ground, leaving the earth in a half-molten state before spreading outward.
The samurai who had survived the quicksilver meteor attack were now in for a treat.
Roa sighed unconsciously. "I told you, use that move less often."
"Sorry, Boss!"
Abel had only just landed, and he looked somewhat remorseful.
Compared with Bullet, he was too weak.
"How about using a different sword?"
Roa smiled. "Judge, let Abel use Shusui for a while."
Judge naturally had no objections and tossed Shusui to Abel.
Catching the sword in one hand, Abel dashed out once more, charging straight toward Shimotsuki Ushimaru, who had emerged from the steam.
"Leave him alive, Abel," Roa said.
"Yes!"
At this point, the Daimyo of Ringo was covered in severe burns and looked utterly battered.
A blade wrapped in raging flames came slashing down.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru instinctively raised his sword to block.
Even after suffering such severe injuries, he still barely managed to block Abel's slash.
But after seeing the sword clearly, Shimotsuki Ushimaru's fury surged again. "Shusui! What have you done?!"
That was his ancestor's beloved sword.
Abel didn't care about his anger. "Fire Dragon Emperor!"
At point-blank range, a roaring fire dragon burst out and swallowed Shimotsuki Ushimaru whole.
Bullet landed on the ground and curled his lip disdainfully.
Flames of this level were nothing compared to even a wisp of his quicksilver steam.
But even these weak flames made Shimotsuki Ushimaru scream repeatedly. He was already extremely weakened.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru desperately swung his sword, scattering the flames, but there was no sign of the enemy before him.
"Speed seems to be my advantage."
The flames behind Abel's head went out, and he had already appeared behind Shimotsuki Ushimaru like a phantom.
Then—
Slash!
The ancestral blade pierced through the descendant's body from behind.
Roa nodded lightly.
Abel's defense and speed were both maxed out.
It was just his attack power that was still a little lacking.
Before finding a fruit suitable for him, I should first train him in the direction of a swordsman.
But first, I had to teach him Haki.
Well, I'd go to the Capital of Flowers first and take it from there.
Before that, I had to contact the Capital of Flowers and have Wano Country mobilize its forces and make preparations; otherwise, it would be much more troublesome.
Before you continue