Capital of Flowers.
The daimyos who had hurried over from every region, along with the ronin leaders who had gathered of their own accord to resist the foreign enemy, had all assembled in the Castle Keep of the capital.
"According to the reports from Ringo, the enemy's numbers are staggering!"
The Wano General, Kozuki Sukiyaki, wore an unusually solemn expression, and his tone was equally grave. "They came riding on enormous snails, each with buildings like a city on its back! By a conservative estimate, their total forces must number in the tens of thousands."
The daimyos and ronin leaders present all looked equally grim.
Although Wano Country had a vast territory and a large population, it had not experienced war for several centuries. Even the Kurozumi Family's conspiracy decades ago had been resolved without bloodshed. As a result, the country had very few troops.
The most any daimyo commanded was only a few thousand samurai. In Kuri, ruled by Kozuki Oden, there were hardly any proper samurai at all. The entire country's forces combined amounted to only ten or twenty thousand men.
It bore repeating: Wano Country had gone far too long without experiencing war. The daimyos, facing an unknown and powerful enemy for the first time, were all uneasy.
"What are you hanging your heads for?"
At that moment, the blue-haired man, the daimyo of White Dance, Shimotsuki Yasuie, slammed his hand on the table and rose furiously. "You're already afraid before the battle has even begun. Can you still call yourselves samurai?"
Yasui had a sterling reputation in Wano Country, and all the daimyos respected him deeply.
"Hahahaha! Old Yasui is right!"
The door was kicked open with brute force. The late-arriving Kozuki Oden strode in with a hearty laugh, followed by his retainers, who were already