Tonight was destined to be anything but peaceful. Dark clouds covered the moon, and one could not see their hand in front of their face.
Two days had passed since Oric left, and it was now the third day since Kaido departed. Wano Country had only one threat left: Kurozumi Orochi.
"Hmph! Those two idiots—what good is fighting over the world? They should learn from me and be a local emperor."
Inside the shogun's residence, Kurozumi Orochi lay drunkenly among the banquet mats, his words dripping with disdain.
Unlike the wildly ambitious Kaido and the mysterious Oric, Kurozumi Orochi's ambitions were small. He only wanted Wano Country to remain under his control and secure his position on the seas.
Having gone to such lengths to seize leadership of Wano Country from the Kozuki Clan, there was no way Kurozumi Orochi would ever let it go.
"If I'd had my current strength back then, who the hell would Kaido have been?!"
Raising his cup, Kurozumi Orochi muttered to himself with unfocused eyes.
Outsiders all believed that relying on Kaido had been a stroke of luck. Back when Kaido held the might of one of the Four Emperors, even the Marines dared not provoke him lightly.
Yet the greatest regret of Kurozumi Orochi's life was also cooperating with Kaido. It had dragged Wano Country, once an isolated island that kept to itself, into the tide of the era. Once he caught the government's attention, he had no choice but to pick a side to protect himself.
Now that the Marines were flourishing and the Four Emperors' prestige had faded, he found himself unable to turn back.
Kaido had made him, and Kaido had ruined him.
Hearing this, Fukurokuju, captain of the Oniwabanshu at his side, bowed. "General, be careful. Walls have ears."