Holding the Shogun Hostage to Command the Daimyo

Oden, his son is dead?

Kozuki Sukiyaki found it hard to accept. In his generation of the Kozuki clan, Oden was the only heir.

Although Kozuki Oden had been a troublemaker as a child, a complete little devil, his recent behavior showed he was growing up.

For this reason, Kozuki Sukiyaki appointed him Daimyo of Kuri, and began to involve him in state affairs, hoping that one day he could succeed him as Shogun.

"Who... who is it!"

Kozuki Sukiyaki was furious, his lips trembling.

"It... it's pirates! They're in the reception room!" the ninja replied cautiously.

With a whoosh, Kozuki Sukiyaki stood up, drew his samurai sword from the rack behind him, and strode out of the study.

He arrived at the reception room and indeed saw two people.

One was tall, towering over ordinary people even while seated.

The other stood, with two swords at his waist, seemingly a samurai.

"No... the swords on you!"

Kozuki Sukiyaki's pupils contracted. Those two swords were Ama no Habakiri and Enma!

Oden's swords!

"You mean these? They're spoils of war, of course."

Dimon's expression was calm. Having killed Kozuki Oden, the two famous swords naturally belonged to him.

Kaido, gourd in hand, stared at Kozuki Sukiyaki with a tipsy look, grinning.

"This guy is the Shogun, right? Dimon, should I kill him?"

"Use that muscle brain of yours. Killing him would only incite the entire country to resist," Dimon glanced at him.

"Have you heard the saying, 'Hold the Shogun hostage to command the daimyo'?"

"I told you I didn't read books!" Kaido's face darkened. "So what do we do?"

"Capture him!"

The two conversed as if no one else were present, making Kozuki Sukiyaki's expression extremely grim.

"Attack!"

At his command, the Kozuki Special Ninja Unit, hidden in the shadows, sprang into action.

This was a ninja unit directly under the Shogun, each member an elite among elites, skilled in various arts of stealth, assassination, and guarding.

At this moment, ninjas rushed out from behind screens, others descended from the ceiling in a Divine Descent.

Some even thrust their ninja swords up from beneath the floor.

More than a dozen ninjas, working in unison with practiced coordination, unleashed their killing moves towards Dimon and Kaido.

"Trash, scram!"

Kaido snorted, his gaze sharpening. Conqueror's Haki instantly surged, a powerful shockwave sweeping in all directions.

Dimon, however, was too lazy to dodge. He let a ninja sneak attack him from behind and stabbed him through the chest.

"That stings a bit, aiming for the heart?"

Looking down, he saw the ninja sword protruding from his chest, drawing bright red blood.

Dimon, as if unaffected, turned his head slightly to look at the attacker, even having the leeway to mock, "Too bad it missed by 0.5 centimeters. You're weak, you need more practice."

The attacking ninja's face was half-covered by a black mask, but his exposed eyes clearly showed disbelief.

He pulled out his ninja sword and quickly retreated, creating distance.

At the same time, the blood from Dimon's pierced chest flowed back, and in an instant, it healed completely.

This scene further terrified the attacking ninja, who stared with wide eyes, his lips trembling as he muttered, "Oddity... a monster!! Why aren't you dead?!"

Ignoring these ninjas who were fiercely protecting their master, Kaido stood up, grabbed Kozuki Sukiyaki's head, and lifted him.

Kozuki Sukiyaki cried out in pain, feeling like his skull was about to explode.

"Ahhh! What do you want?!"

Dimon said calmly, "Immediately summon the daimyo from the other regions to Flower Capital. Kuri is not needed; its daimyo has already been killed by me."

Wano Country had six major regions. Flower Capital was the core area directly ruled by the Shogun. Kuri was Kozuki Oden's fief.

The remaining four regions were guarded by four other daimyo, who were quite powerful.

Dimon had already forgotten who they were or what their names were.

But it didn't matter. As long as they came, he could capture them all at once.

Just as Dong Zhuo could hold the Emperor hostage to command the lords back then, he saw no reason why he couldn't do the same.

"If all else fails, kill them all!"

In this world where power belongs to the self, a little bit of resistance is not worth worrying about.

That day, four secret orders were issued from the Shogun's mansion and sent to the four major regions: Shimotsuki, Udon, Ringo, and Hakumai.

The next day, the secret orders arrived at the respective Daimyo's residences.

Hakumai region.

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

The family ruling this region was the Shimotsuki family, and the current Daimyo was Shimotsuki Yasuie.

At this moment, in the Imperial Envoy's chamber.

Kurozumi Orochi brought tea and stood carefully behind Shimotsuki Yasuie, observing the contents of the secret order.

"General Sukiyaki suddenly summoned us. Did something happen?"

Shimotsuki Yasuie frowned in confusion after reading the secret order.

Unless summoned by the Shogun, Daimyos were generally not allowed to enter Flower Capital casually. Once summoned, it meant something big was happening.

For example, the Shogun was dying and was about to abdicate, having the Daimyos bear witness.

But Sukiyaki was not old and was in good health.

Moreover, the wording of this secret order was different from the usual summons.

General Kozuki Sukiyaki seemed to be asking for help.

"Orochi, go and prepare. I need to go to Flower Capital."

"Yes, Lord Yasuie."

Kurozumi Orochi nodded and accepted the order.

He left the Imperial Envoy's chamber but was stopped by a maid.

The maid was a middle-aged woman who was usually responsible for various household chores in the mansion, such as laundry.

She led Kurozumi Orochi to a secluded corner.

"Orochi, Kozuki Oden is dead!"

"What!?"

Kurozumi Orochi screamed, then quickly covered his mouth. He remembered the secret order sent from Flower Capital and immediately informed her of this matter.

The middle-aged woman chuckled sinisterly, "It was pirates from overseas, remnants of the Rocks Pirates!"

She paused and added, "Although it's not exactly according to the plan, an opportunity has arisen. Orochi, you should go to Flower Capital."

The two whispered to each other, and after a moment, Kurozumi Orochi left excitedly.

He went to prepare the carriage for the journey. Shimotsuki Yasuie was in a hurry, so everything was kept simple.

Two days later.

The four Daimyos entered Flower Capital with their retainers.

Arriving at the Shogun's mansion, the four gathered in the reception room, exchanging glances.

"Do you know what happened?"

"No. Things are busy with the autumn harvest back home. Suddenly summoning us, they must have something important to tell us..."

"Pull yourselves together, everyone. Something is wrong this time!"

The other three Daimyos were communicating in low voices, but Shimotsuki Yasuie remained silent, quietly stroking the katana at his waist.

At this moment, the reception room door was opened by a maid, and Dimon and Kaido entered one after another.

They sat down openly and looked at the four Daimyos below.

"Good afternoon, everyone."

Dimon greeted them with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the four. When he saw the Daimyo of Ringo, he was momentarily stunned.

"Zoro? No, what's your name?"

"Shimotsuki Ushimaru."

The man who called himself Shimotsuki Ushimaru bore a striking resemblance to Roronoa Zoro.

He stared sharply at Dimon and asked, "Who are you? Where is the Shogun?"

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush."

Dimon smiled and then turned to the Daimyo of Hakumai. The others didn't recognize him, but he had an impression of this one.

"Are you Shimotsuki Yasuie?"

"Yes..."

Shimotsuki Yasuie's heart sank. His premonition was correct; something had happened at the Shogun's mansion.

He didn't act rashly, intending to figure things out before making any plans.

Dimon nodded and asked, "Do you have a servant named Kurozumi Orochi? Has he arrived?"

"He's outside," Shimotsuki Yasuie frowned slightly.

"Summon him in."

Soon, Kurozumi Orochi was summoned and entered the conference room.

"Greetings, Shogun..."

As soon as Kurozumi Orochi entered, he prepared to kneel and pay his respects, but when he didn't see Kozuki Sukiyaki, he was stunned.

And in that instant, Dimon made his move.

Enma, at his waist, was suddenly unsheathed and shot out like an arrow, piercing Kurozumi Orochi's chest in an instant.

With a thwack, the blade sank in.

Kurozumi Orochi was sent flying by the impact, his expression frozen in bewilderment and shock.