Once You See the Shogun, Lower Your Head!

"What?"

The four daimyo present were stunned, confused by Dimon's sudden act of killing.

Shimotsuki Yasuie's face grew heavy, his fists clenched, nails digging deep into his flesh.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "Why did you kill my servant?"

"Are you sure he was your servant?"

Dimon stood up and walked past the daimyo, approaching the corpse. He lifted the man with one hand and drew Enma with the other.

"What do you mean?"

Dimon didn't answer. His fingers gradually tightened, about to crush Kurozumi Orochi's throat.

"Mythical Zoan: Serpent-Serpent Fruit, Model: Yamata no Orochi... eight lives, right?"

As soon as he spoke, the corpse suddenly mutated.

The neck of Kurozumi Orochi, held in Dimon's grip, suddenly swelled and split, dividing into seven, forming seven ugly snake heads.

He broke free from Dimon's restraint, his seven heads' vertical pupils staring intently at Dimon.

"Wait... Rocks' remnants, there was a deal!"

He screamed while rapidly retreating.

Shimotsuki Yasuie's mouth fell open in shock, completely unaware that Kurozumi Orochi possessed such an ability.

"What kind of sorcery is this?" asked Fuzuki Miyabi, the daimyo of Shimotsuki, blankly.

Dimon had no desire to listen to Kurozumi Orochi's nonsense.

In the original story, Kaido needed to cooperate with the Kurozumi family because Kaido's strength was comparable to Kozuki Oden's at the time, and he needed time to develop the Beasts Pirates.

Dimon didn't need that.

The combined might of him and Kaido was enough to suppress the entire Wano Country.

"Oden Two-Sword Style: Momozono Ikkai."

Dimon gripped Ama no Habakiri in a reverse grip with his left hand, his body blurring as he instantly passed by Kurozumi Orochi.

Blade light and sword shadows flashed, as if cherry blossoms were dancing.

The next moment, thwack!

All seven snake heads were cleanly severed. Blood erupted like a fountain, dyeing the ceiling of the reception room red.

All eight lives extinguished, Kurozumi Orochi reverted from his human-beast form to a headless corpse.

"Someone, throw this body out," Dimon called out calmly.

The reception room door was pulled open, and Abel silently walked in. He dragged the corpse out before politely closing the door.

Silence fell over the reception room, the four daimyo awestruck by Dimon's ruthless execution.

Dimon flicked the blood from his blade, turned, and sat back beside Kaido, a smile returning to his face.

"My apologies, I just cleared away some noise."

"You all heard what Kurozumi Orochi said just now, right?"

"Allow me to reintroduce ourselves. I am Dimon, and this is Kaido. We are former members of the Rocks Pirates."

These words were clearly falling on deaf ears.

Wano Country, being in isolation, meant these daimyo had no idea what the Rocks Pirates represented.

However, they understood one thing: they were pirates!

Shimotsuki Ushimaru's face darkened. "What did you do to Shogun Sukiyaki?"

"He's perfectly fine, in the secret room."

Dimon shook his head. "I was the one who summoned you. From this moment on, the Shogun of Wano Country will be Kaido and I. You will serve us."

"Are you kidding me!" the daimyo of Udon angrily exclaimed. "We are samurai! We only serve the Kozuki family!"

"The Kozuki family is all dead, aren't they?"

Dimon's words instantly sobered him up.

Then, he smiled again. "Let's introduce ourselves first."

Through the conversation, Dimon noted down the names of the individuals and the regions they governed.

Fuzuki Miyabi, daimyo of Shimotsuki.

Amatsuki Tenpura, daimyo of Udon.

Shimotsuki Ushimaru, daimyo of Ringo.

Shimotsuki Yasuie, daimyo of Hakumai.

Dimon's gaze lingered on Shimotsuki Ushimaru. The more he looked, the more he resembled Zoro. He must be a relative of the green-haired fellow.

Shimotsuki Village in the East Blue, where Zoro's grandfather established it after leaving Wano Country. At this point in time, Zoro's father is still a child.

"Wano Country's five great noble families: Amatsuki, Fuzuki, Amatsuki, Shimotsuki, Kurozumi... Why don't I see anyone from the Amatsuki family?" Dimon inquired.

Setting aside the Kurozumi family, they once attempted to overthrow their superiors and were killed by the previous Shogun, leading to their downfall. By Kurozumi Orochi's generation, there were only a handful of members left.

The four exchanged glances, and Shimotsuki Ushimaru replied in a deep voice, "It seems you know our Wano Country very well... The Amatsuki family's fief was supposed to be Ringo, where I am now, but the Amatsuki family left Wano Country a very, very long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Dimon felt a bit regretful. It appeared the Amatsuki family had left 800 years ago, and they were no longer in Wano Country. He had intended to treat the Amatsuki clan kindly, support them, and suppress the other families. Playing one faction against another was an effective strategy for an outsider like him, but it was no longer feasible now that the family was gone.

The main reason he had chosen the Amatsuki family was because of Toki Amatsuki. Dimon quite liked this woman, a time-traveling Devil Fruit user who would journey from 800 years in the past to this era. However, it wasn't yet time for her to arrive.

After a moment of contemplation, Dimon stated directly, "As long as you obey my orders, Kozuki Sukiyaki can live safely."

"Of course, you can also choose to resist."

"I'll give you ten seconds to consider. Silence will be taken as refusal. Kaido, kill them immediately after the ten seconds are up."

Kaido grinned, his fierce eyes fixed on Shimotsuki Ushimaru. In his perception, this man was the strongest, but he was capable of killing him in one blow. As soon as the time was up, he would act immediately and twist off the man's head.

"Ten..."

"Nine..."

Dimon began the countdown.

Shimotsuki Yasuie suddenly stood up. Dimon thought he was going to resist, but the next second, the man performed a standard prostration.

"I, Shimotsuki Yasuie, representing Hakumai, surrender to you!" Even as he said this, Shimotsuki Yasuie stared intently at Dimon.

Dimon's posture was indifferent, "When you see the Shogun, lower your head."

Shimotsuki Yasuie's head hit the floor with a dull thud. "Yes...!"

"Yasuie!" Shimotsuki Ushimaru's face darkened.

Shimotsuki Yasuie ignored him and said, enduring the humiliation, "Please spare Kozuki Sukiyaki, Lord Shogun!"

Kaido couldn't help but laugh. This tactic of holding the Shogun hostage to command the daimyo was truly effective; why hadn't he thought of it? Should he read more books in the future? Reading does have its uses.

Dimon's gaze shifted to the other three, continuing the countdown.

"Seven..."

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The three looked at each other, then knelt down one after another, pledging allegiance.

"We pay our respects to both Shoguns!"

Dimon nodded, his tone calm, "You may rise. We will announce this to the entire country in the coming days."

"However... if there is a rebellion in your territory, even once, I will cut off one of Kozuki Sukiyaki's arms."

"Once the arms are gone, it will be his legs. When the legs are gone, it will be his skin. When the skin is gone, I'll cut him into pieces... Don't worry, he won't die. I guarantee he'll stay alive."

A chill ran down the spines of the four. They were indeed brutal pirates. But for Kozuki Sukiyaki's life, they dared not disobey.

"Yes, Lord Shogun!"