"General, be careful!"
Kurozumi Semimaru, who was already very old and could die at any time, was the first to notice Yamato's murderous aura.
Yamato knew there was no turning back once the arrow was released, so he pulled out his massive spiked club from the shadows and, with a thunderous roar, slammed it towards Kurozumi Orochi's face!
Meanwhile, Kyoshiro, who was sitting next to Kurozumi Semimaru, quickly drew his sword and stabbed at Kurozumi Semimaru's hands. In his opinion, the chances of successfully stabbing the body directly were slim, and it was more practical to control the hands.
However, to everyone's surprise, Kurozumi Semimaru ignored the fact that his palm had been pierced and, despite the wound being opened up, still made the gesture to activate his Devil Fruit ability. Moreover, his first reaction was not to add protection to himself, but to create a barrier in front of Kurozumi Orochi!
Sig also noticed this and speculated that Kurozumi Semimaru had intentionally reduced his pain level while training for Life Return...
Kurozumi Orochi was terrified by Yamato's attack and fled in panic, but Yamato's spiked club was ultimately blocked by the barrier on the other side, just like Kozuki Oden's twin swords back then.
But at that moment, a torrent of water surged up from below. It was Kawamatsu who, sensing the killing intent, broke through the floor and, with his sword in his hand, sliced Kurozumi Orochi in half from bottom to top!
At the same time, Kyoshiro was pushed aside by the barrier created by Kurozumi Semimaru, and Kawamatsu, who had just cut Kurozumi Orochi, was also separated by a few steps...
Seeing Kurozumi Orochi's miserable state, Kyoshiro lit up with joy, believing the assassination had succeeded.
Unexpectedly, Kurozumi Semimaru still refused to give up. The barrier rolled up and formed a sphere, enveloping the two of them from all sides.
And the Oniwabanshu downstairs also rushed up...
"It's too late! The usurper Kurozumi Orochi is dead. Do you still want to be loyal to him?" Kyoshiro shouted.
However, Yamato suddenly looked horrified, for... Kurozumi Orochi had actually stood up?
Those injuries... no, they can't even be called injuries anymore. In that state, how could he still be alive?
Sig was actually the least surprised among them, besides Kurozumi Semimaru —because he knew from the beginning that although Kurozumi Orochi's fighting power was about the same as Caesar's, he wouldn't be so easy to kill.
His ability is Mythical Zoan, Snake-Snake Fruit, Yamata no Orochi Form – the beast form is a large snake with eight heads.
The abilities of Mythical Zoan are essentially physical strength superior to those of ordinary Zoan-type Zoan Fruit, combined with corresponding conceptual abilities—like the Okuchi no Makami having the concepts of ice and cold, the Phoenix having the concepts of healing and regeneration, Vampire having the concepts of blood and shadow...
It's essentially a combination of "Enhanced Zoan + Special Paramecia".
Eight-Headed Serpent's special ability is the concept of "immortality," with its eight heads representing eight lives.
In the original work, Kaido didn't know about Eight-Headed Serpent's abilities, after all, Kurozumi Orochi was too weak, so weak that he didn't bother to learn about him.
As a result, Kaido was outmaneuvered— Kurozumi Orochi, whom he thought he had killed, faked his death, stood up perfectly fine, and prepared to ambush him...
Even after Kurozumi Orochi was cornered by the Nine Red Scabbards, he only lost a number of lives and remained alive and kicking.
Kawamatsu's sword strike only took his life!
"How is that possible...?"
Kawamatsu and Kyoshiro were stunned. Although they had been mentally prepared, they had just thought they had succeeded when they saw this scene. The psychological blow was unimaginable.
"Kyoshiro!" Kurozumi Orochi glared angrily at Kyoshiro.
"I am late. I will apologize to the general after I have dealt with these Assassin!" Fukurokuju had also arrived by then.
Fukurokuju was the leader of the Oniwabanshu, a strange bald man who wore a robe—strange in that his skull was as long as Beli's, and his earlobes were so long that they drooped down to his shoulders.
Ninjas are another major group of Warrior in Wano Country, besides samurai.
Compared to samurai who generally practice Swordsmanship, ninjas have more elaborate methods, making them suitable for diverse and complex missions. Unlike samurai who are everywhere, ninjas are mostly concentrated in the Oniwabanshu), serving as loyal followers of the "Shogun"!
The stance of Fukurokuju is also quite strange and awkward in the original work.
If we say he was loyal, he still served Kurozumi Orochi even though he knew that Kozuki Sukiyaki's succession was fake. If we say he was simply attracted to strength, after Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi turned against each other, Fukurokuju outwardly submitted to Kaido, but in reality, he still served Kurozumi Orochi, who had faked his death.
It's not surprising that the Kurozumi clan would act this way, after all, they were severely suppressed before. But Fukurokuju is clearly not from the Kurozumi clan!
"Kyoshiro? Hahaha, do you still think I'm some kind of Kyoshiro? Kurozumi Orochi, the ghost of Kozuki, has come to claim your life! Today... is just the beginning, there are still eleven years to go... Hahaha, enjoy your last eleven years in fear!" Kyoshiro was already determined to die.
So, before he died, he decided to further aggravate Kurozumi Orochi's Kozuki PTSD, making sure he didn't have an easy time even in death!
As expected, Kurozumi Orochi's expression grew even more grim upon hearing this...
Yamato still didn't give up and continued to frantically use "Thunder Bagua" on the barrier, but unfortunately, he couldn't budge it at all. This wasn't a pure defense, but rather a concept of "isolation." To break through it with brute force would probably require brute force equivalent to Sequence 3 or higher.
There is simply no brute force of that magnitude on the high seas!
"What... what does Kaido want to do?" Kurozumi Orochi recognized Kaido's attack, and his expression darkened further.
Fukurokuju, having already manipulated his earlobes to grow even longer, resembling two meteor hammers, engaged in battle with Kawamatsu. Seeing this, he warned Orochi, "General! Kaido is definitely unaware of this; she must be... Kaido's rebellious son!"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Yamato's eyes at this moment—she had just discovered that her "shadow" had been projected onto the barrier instead of passing through the colorless barrier and landing directly inside the "sphere."
In other words...
Even that Vampire can't get in?
Several ninjas rushed up to stop Yamato, so Yamato had no choice but to turn around and block the enemy instead of struggling against the unmoving barrier.
But just then, Sig suddenly stepped out from the shadows behind Yamato.
When Kurozumi Orochi first saw it, he was startled and slumped back down. However, remembering the "barrier" in front of him, he forced a sneer while feigning fear, "And who are you? Useless! Behind this barrier... I..."
"Vladimir, the strategist of the Beasts Pirates Yamato, greets you." Sig seemed very polite, but his next action was far too impolite.
Sig spoke, he actually threw a punch—this reckless act made Kurozumi Orochi even more confident, and he became somewhat concerned about the title of "strategist of the Beasts Pirates".
Then...
Sig's fist passed right through the barrier, seemingly without any unusual movement...
Kurozumi Semimaru felt as if a small door had been opened in his barrier!