Guests Arrive in Wano Country

Kozuki Oden organized his troops and led them into the camp in orderly fashion, then ordered food to be prepared so the entire army could rest.

Seeing that Kozuki Oden seemed to have returned empty-handed, Buggy stepped forward in confusion and asked about the outcome of last night's battle.

Kozuki Oden sighed softly at this and told Buggy what had happened the night before.

The previous night, Kozuki Oden had pursued Genji's army, only to be blocked in the forest by Kaguya, one of the four chiefs of the Izumo Society, who led a host of demons and monsters. The Kozuki army had fought Genji's forces all day, and after chasing them all the way here, the men were inevitably exhausted. The demons and monsters, however, held the advantage of the terrain and had been waiting in fresh condition. Though fewer in number, they successfully held the Kozuki army in the forest. The two sides fought in a chaotic melee until dawn, when the demons and monsters finally withdrew. By then, Genji had long vanished under their cover, and there was no way to catch up.

Kozuki Oden had no choice but to abandon the pursuit and return to camp to reorganize his troops.

After learning what had happened, Buggy remarked, "What a pity." Kozuki Oden kept shaking his head as well. Knowing he could not crush Genji in one stroke, he adjusted his mindset and decided to advance the front steadily.

Meanwhile, although Genji had been temporarily driven back by Buggy's imposing presence, once the soldiers and officers around him had regrouped and everything had settled down, humiliation surged up in his heart. He was the great general of Wano Country, yet he had actually been frightened into retreating by some mere outsider. How absurd!

Proud and arrogant by