The Legend of Futsu-no-Mitama

The two armies faced off. Orochi's army numbered only three thousand, while the samurai armies gathered by various families numbered over one hundred thousand, a difference of more than thirty times—a devastating gap.

However, in terms of momentum, the Orochi army on the other side was in no way inferior, and even seemed to have the upper hand.

Kurozumi Orochi sat high on his carriage and saw Oden, who was leading the way opposite him. He was somewhat surprised that Oden had returned, but he didn't think much of it. There had been no prior warning of these Daimyo's actions, which meant that their plans had been exposed long ago. So it was not surprising that Oden had received the news in advance and returned.

Standing behind Kurozumi Orochi, Kurozumi Kabuto's expression changed when he saw Whitebeard behind Oden on the other side.

"What's wrong?" The Orochi sensed the change in the Kurozumi Kabuto. He was usually very calm, but he was curious and couldn't help but ask.

"That's Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, a monster, now one of the top monsters in the New World. It seems Oden boarded his ship." Kurozumi Kabuto's emotions seemed somewhat unsettled.

Hearing Kurozumi Kabuto's words, Kurozumi Orochi didn't panic. He was already in dire straits, so what did it matter if things got a little more difficult? After thinking it over carefully, Kurozumi Orochi couldn't help but smile. "Don't worry, this is an internal affair of Wano Country, and we won't interfere easily."

He wouldn't easily intervene, which means he might intervene, but he's very clear in his heart that they can't win in this situation. In other words, the Whitebeard Pirates won't take action; this is a war between Kurozumi and Wano Country.

After hearing Kurozumi Orochi's words, Kurozumi Kabuto nodded and relaxed. He had acted that way before because he knew very well how powerful Whitebeard was.

"Oden!" Orochi said, smiling as he looked at Oden.

"Orochi!" Oden faced the Orochi, and the two leaders stared at each other.

Orochi glanced at the retainers behind Oden, not noticing no sign of Kanjuro. Looking at Oden, he chuckled, "Oden, that Kanjuro has been exposed. Did you get rid of him?" Kanjuro was his most important hidden agent planted beside Oden, and now it seemed he had failed. Knowing the plan had been exposed, he had already anticipated Kanjuro's exposure; he had even tried to contact Kanjuro, but to no avail.

Orochi's words startled Kin'emon and the others. "What does this mean? Kanjuro has been exposed? Asura Doji, didn't you say Kanjuro had arrived ahead of schedule? Why haven't we seen him?" They turned their gaze to Asura Doji. To prevent them from knowing this, Asura Doji had deceived them, telling them about Orochi's rebellion and then saying that Kanjuro had gone to the Capital of Flowers ahead of schedule. They hadn't doubted it then, but now it seemed there was a problem.

Asura Doji stepped forward without a word, then knelt beside Oden. "My lord, Kanjuro without telling you beforehand. If you can, please cut off my head," Asura Doji said in a deep voice.

"What? Asura Doji, you!" Kin'emon were extremely shocked. What had they just heard?

"Don't blame Asura Doji, Kanjuro is an undercover agent sent by Orochi." Inuarashi, standing behind him, said with pity as he looked at Asura Doji kneeling on the ground.

"Alright, Asura Doji, you did nothing wrong!" Oden placed his large hand on Asura Doji's shoulder and said softly, "If there is any fault, it is mine for not discovering Kanjuro's true nature."

Oden shifted the blame onto himself, saying, "I should thank you. You did well. Kanjuro will always be my retainer in my heart. Kanjuro would be very gratified to die before he committed such an unforgivable crime." Oden smiled.

"My lord!" Tears welled up in Asura Doji's eyes; he was deeply moved.

"Alright, stop crying. Save your energy for the next battle." Oden laughed.

"Yes, my lord." Asura Doji wiped away his tears, stood up, and stood quietly beside Aruto.

"Haha, as expected of you, Oden." Orochi couldn't help but admire Oden for handling the matter so easily. Although they were enemies, he had to respect Oden's character. However, Oden was also the kind of person he hated the most.

Hearing Orochi's voice, Oden's gaze returned to Orochi. "Although I failed, I have never regretted it," Orochi laughed, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword and slowly drawing it. Looking at Oden, he said, "This is my ancestor's sword, Futsu-no-Mitama. It hasn't seen blood for hundreds of years. Let's have a battle without regrets, hahaha!"

The Orochi laughed loudly, unleashing a powerful aura that shocked everyone. No one had expected that the Orochi was also a Great Swordmaster.

"He's really hiding his strength!" Teach's gaze sharpened as he thought to himself. Teach knew that Orochi was concealing his power. As the leader of the Kurozumi Family, and someone who had eaten Zoan Mythical Zoan Snake-Snake Fruit in its Yamata no Orochi Form — Devil Fruit even rarer than Logia —how could he possibly be weak? He had even fooled Teach's Observation Haki. Or rather, Kurozumi Orochi had hidden his strength so well that he had even fooled him.

Teach's thoughts were also those of others. Many people had seen the Orochi, but what they had seen was what the Orochi had hidden. They never imagined that the Orochi itself possessed such power.

However, it's not surprising when you think about it. Orochi is a ruthless and powerful figure. This is a world where strength reigns supreme. Without the support of strength, it's impossible to gain the submission of others.

Many people, however, focused their attention on Kurozumi Orochi's sword.

Futsu-no-Mitama is undoubtedly a Famous Sword, a peerless Famous Sword. Its slender blade, the moment it is drawn, evokes only a flash of cold light and a chilling killing intent.

It's like a jackal that has been starving for a long time seeing a delicious meal.

It is a ferocious beast that has been sealed away for a hundred years, announcing its arrival to the world.

"I didn't expect it to be this sword." An old man walked out from behind, looking at the treasured sword called Futsu-no-Mitama in Kurozumi Orochi's hand.

Judging from the old man's clothes, he is an elder of the Shimotsuki Family. At the same time, he is also a Great Swordmaster, with a faint but powerful Sword Intent emanating from his body.

"Third Uncle, what kind of knife is this?" The one who spoke was from the Shimotsuki Yasuiie. This elder from the Shimotsuki Family was his senior, who had previously lived in seclusion outside the ancestral hall where the National Treasure was enshrined.

"Futsu-no-Mitama, recorded in the official records, is a legendary Famous Sword from Wano Country. Before the Sword God's Black Blade Autumn Water, it was the most legendary sword," said the Great Swordmaster of the Shimotsuki Family. "If it were on the high seas, it would have a title: the Supreme Grade Swordsmith."

Ignoring the surprise of the others, he began to tell a story.

"Kurozumi Miken was the ancestor of the Kurozumi Clan. Hundreds of years ago, he was the strongest swordsman in Wano Country, the most talented swordsman. He became Swordmaster at the age of twelve, broke through to become Great Swordmaster at the age of sixteen, and was already invincible throughout Wano Country by the age of eighteen."

This series of astonishing achievements is truly breathtaking. Wano Country, at any time, has always been a land teeming with strong individuals. To become the strongest in a country at the tender age of eighteen—what kind of monster is this?

"Kurozumi Miken possesses the strongest Sword Intent in Wano Country since its founding, and in Wano Country, no sword can withstand his Sword Intent. Weak swords will be shattered by his Sword Intent, and Famous Sword will tremble and fear in his hands, and will be damaged if used too much. Therefore, in most battles, he uses his fingers as a sword."

What kind of Sword Intent is this? Teach vaguely felt that it was somewhat similar to Conqueror's Haki, perhaps Sword Intent fused with that swordsman's will. However, what kind of Sword Intent so domineering?

"As a swordsman, how could I not have my own sword? In order to find a suitable sword, Kurozumi Miken left Wano Country, and it was six years later when he returned." He paused as he spoke.

"The sword has been found? Is this the one?" a pirate asked curiously.

"How could that be? Didn't you hear that it was your own knife!" The old man glared at him.

The pirate who had spoken gave an awkward laugh.

"Kurozumi Miken has returned, bringing back many rare forging materials, including a piece of black iron from outer space. At that time, almost all the famous swordsmiths in Wano Country gathered to forge a peerless sword capable of withstanding his Sword Intent, using this black iron as the main body."

"And then the sword was successfully forged?" the pirate from before asked curiously.

The old man suddenly turned his head, unleashing a powerful Sword Intent from his body, casually interrupting the old man's speech. It was clear that he was angry.

The pirate who had spoken earlier was suddenly covered in the mouth by his companions, beaten several times, and his body was tightly bound with rope. A large piece of his clothes was torn off and stuffed into his mouth. To prevent any further accidents, his mouth and chin were tightly tied with rope, and several people surrounded him.

One of the men who had made the move turned around, smiled, and said, "Senior, please continue. He won't bother you now."

Nodding, the old man continued, "Of course it won't be that easy. The other materials are fine, but that piece of extraterrestrial black iron is too hard to forge at all, unless there is a higher temperature. Even with a higher temperature, it's not enough; at such a temperature, blacksmiths simply cannot forge it."

"To solve this problem, Kurozumi Miken left Wano Country again, but returned not long after, bringing back two outsiders. Both of them possess powerful demonic arts; one can release molten lava at extremely high temperatures, and the other can release cold air at extremely low temperatures and create ice. With the help of these two, the forging can begin."

However, the old man's words made Teach and the other pirates' expressions a little strange. They couldn't help but think of Sakazuki, the Devil Fruit User, and Kuzan, the Devil Fruit User, two of the three Supernovas in the Navy. They found it funny to think of the two of them using their abilities to help forge swords. They never expected that the origins of these two ability users' powers had such a story.

However, this also demonstrates the strength of Kurozumi Miken. Those two users who ate Logia Devil Fruit must be formidable. The fact that it didn't take them long to get out shows that in the New World, without absolute power, how could one possibly capture two powerful individuals with such abilities?

"Finally, after two full years, this peerless sword was finally born, named Futsu-no-Mitama. After that, Kurozumi Miken established a kendo dojo to teach kendo geniuses from all over Wano Country who came to learn from him."

He paused again as he spoke, but this time, no one interrupted him.

"You're asking why he, not being from the Kurozumi Family, would establish a kendo dojo?" He asked with a smile, seemingly noticing everyone's confusion.

"Because he has no rivals left, which means it's difficult for him to improve further. Therefore, Kurozumi Miken wants to train a swordsman who can become his rival, or rather, a swordsman who can surpass him."

"Before the Sword God Ryoma, there was another Sword God."

"Could it be...?" someone exclaimed, their eyes widening.

The old man nodded. "That's right, it's him, Kurozumi Miken. He's two generations younger than Ryoma, and Ryoma is also his disciple."

Neither the pirates nor the samurai of Wano Country knew about this; they only knew about the sword god Ryuma and had no idea that there was such a story behind it.

"Shimotsuki Ryoma is the second swordsmanship prodigy after Kurozumi Miken. Like Kurozumi Miken, he broke through to become Swordmaster at the age of twelve. He then became Kurozumi Miken's disciple and inherited the Kurozumi Miken swordsmanship, named after Futsu-no-Mitama Mitake's sword, Futsu Style Swordsmanship."

"The Futsu Style Swordsmanship was renowned for a long time and is the most aggressive swordsmanship. Most swordsmanship styles in Wano Country today bear the mark of the Futsu Style Swordsmanship. This is because Kurozumi Miken taught over twenty Great Swordmaster in the last fifty years. That was Wano Country's most prosperous period, but also the darkest time for all swordsmen. Kurozumi Miken was like a mountain, pressing down on all swordsmen. Kurozumi Miken swordsmanship had already reached a level of unparalleled skill; these Great Swordmaster couldn't withstand a single blow from him."

"This seems somewhat familiar," a samurai remarked.

"It's Ryoma! The legendary Ryoma, who could cut down any opponent in the blink of an eye, Great Swordmaster who was undefeated in his life!" a samurai exclaimed excitedly, remembering him.

"That's right, it's Ryoma. Ryoma's swordsmanship is derived from the Futsu Style Swordsmanship. Because he once slew a flying dragon in the sky, his swordsmanship is also known as the Dragon Slayer Swordsmanship."

"However, it's wrong to say that one can be undefeated throughout one's life. Without constant failures, how can one make continuous progress? But after becoming Great Swordmaster, Ryoma became undefeated. He constantly challenged Great Swordmaster and powerful swordsmen from Wano Country, defeating his opponents in the blink of an eye, just like Kurozumi Miken. That's when his undefeated legend began."

"The most crucial event was the Battle of the Sword God back then." As he spoke, excitement shone in the old man's eyes. Every time he thought of that battle, he would become extremely excited, as if he had traveled through time and returned to that battle.