The only god race

The stubborn nobleman was forced to kneel on the ground by two private soldiers, struggling desperately as he shouted, "My grandfather was the Marquis of Jian Guo!"

Whitebeard ignored him, Murakumogiri forward, the tip of the blade stopping an inch in front of him.

"I've met many people's grandfathers," the Whitebeard voice said calmly. "Your grandfather can't interfere in today's affairs."

As the sword fell, the nobles in the square moved to the left.

No one stepped to the right. Whitebeard Murakumogiri, glanced at the people on the left, and nodded.

"Alright. From today onwards, your titles are gone, and your fiefs belong to the public. You can choose for yourselves: stay in the kingdom as ordinary people, or register with the Earthly Chief Guard. Those who want to leave, we won't stop them."

At the same time, the nobles of several other kingdoms in the North Blue heard the news that the Whitebeard Pirates were coming. Before the fleet even arrived, they opened the city gates and knelt by the roadside, holding up their surrender documents.

The Whitebeard Pirates disembarked from the ship, glanced at the people kneeling on the ground, accepted the surrender document, registered their names, and changed the flag.

The process was quick.

Those who didn't open the city gates and brought their private soldiers onto the city walls were blasted open with a cannon, rushed in, and all the resisters were executed without exception.

Those who surrender will be spared; those who resist will be killed without exception.

The rules were passed down from the capital to other cities, from one to another.

After the news spread, the remaining kingdoms in the North Blue basically didn't fight and all opened their city gates.

The area over the West Blue is the quietest.

The West Blue was the first territory taken over by the Uchiha Clan, and the cleanup work was completed long ago.

This time, I only did one thing: I compiled the notices from the other three seas and posted them on the bulletin boards of the islands in the West Blue.

The common people of the West Blue didn't react much after seeing it, because they were already used to it.

However, a few nobles who had fled from the other three seas packed their belongings and ran away overnight after seeing the proclamation.

Five days.

From the East Blue to the South Blue, from the North Blue to the West Blue, dozens of kingdoms, hundreds of noble families, and thousands of heads.

The Execution Platform stretched from the palace square to the dock and port, and from the city gate to the center of the town.

Blood seeped down the countertop, seeped into the cracks in the stone slabs, dried in the sun, and turned into dark brown stains.

Their heads were hung on wooden stakes, beams, and battlements; some were hung in a row, while others were scattered here and there.

Crows and seagulls circled near the Execution Platform, but no one dared to pick them.

Those kingdoms that obediently surrendered only lost their titles and fiefdoms; the nobles were allowed to remain, continue their businesses, and live their lives as usual.

Of those kingdoms that resisted, not a single noble survived.

They killed them all, and their heads were hung at the city gate for a week.

In every kingdom, at the city gates, in the squares, and at the docks, the same notice boards were erected, bearing the same inscription.

"From this day forward, the Uchiha Clan shall be the only God Race in the world."

All beings in this world, regardless of wealth, strength, or bloodline, are equal.

The laws established by the Uchiha Clan are the ironclad rules of the world.

Anyone, regardless of status or background, who violates the law will be punished according to the law, and no one will be spared.

There will be no more nobles in this world. There will be no more privileges. Those who disobey will be beheaded. Those who resist will be killed without exception. Surrender will not be accepted.

The inscription reads "Uchiha Clan Steward Hall," and is stamped with the vermilion clan crest.

Someone stood in front of the notice board for a long time, looking at it again and again, and then turned around and left.

Someone read the words on the notice board to someone nearby who couldn't read, and then read them again themselves.

Some people reached out and touched the words on the sign, then withdrew their hand and looked down at their palms.

When Fugaku stepped onto the shore, the wind in Wano Country still carried a burnt smell.

Behind him were the Yaoyu, the Yakumi, and Setsuna; behind that were a hundred Night Owl Guard, ten squads riding the waves to catch up, their grey-white formations spread out along the coastline.

Kaido stood atop the sand dune.

His injuries have indeed healed.

The scar that ran from my shoulder to my waist was still there, but the skin around it had healed and the dark purple, festering look was gone.

Behind him stood Jhin, Queen, and several All-Stars.

Jin's mask covered most of his face, but his exposed eyes quietly darted around, sweeping over the hundred Night Owl Guard behind Fugaku, his brows furrowing slightly.

Queen's mechanical arm hung limply at his side, his fingers tapping absently and erratically on the control panel.

Several All-Stars stood further back, their hands on their weapons, but none of them actually drew them.

Fugaku walked to the foot of the sand dune and looked up at Kaido.

Kaido.

Kaido did not respond immediately.

He looked down at Fugaku for several breaths, his gaze sweeping from Fugaku's Mangekyō Sharingan to the hundred people behind him, and then back again.

Then he spoke, his voice rough and hoarse, but without any anger.

"Uchiha Fugaku."

You know why I'm here.

"I know." Kaido took two steps down the dune, the pebbles rolling around at his feet.

He stopped halfway up the sand dune, a dozen steps away from Fugaku.

"Natsu sent you to conquer the Wano Country."

"Lord Natsu sent me with a message," Fugaku said calmly, "The Beasts Pirates have two choices: submit, or die."

Kaido did not respond.

He tilted his head, his gaze passing over Fugaku, landing on the Yaoyu and Yakumi, and then on Setsuna.

He glanced at it for a few moments, then looked away and turned his gaze back to Fugaku.

Why isn't Madara here?

"Mada-senpai has gone to take care of other matters," Fugaku said. "Wano Country doesn't need his personal presence."

Kaido grinned, but the shape wasn't exactly a smile, nor was it one of anger.

"Fine. I won't beat around the bush. The hundred men behind you, plus the four of you, can definitely flatten this Onigashima. I know that." He paused.

"But you need to make this clear to me first. What will happen to the Beasts Pirates after we submit? What will happen to me, Kaido? What will happen to my brothers?"

"The Beasts Pirates are disbanded," Fugaku said. "Those who wish to stay will be incorporated into the Earthly Chief Guard. Those who don't can leave. Your All-Stars, those who are willing to surrender will be spared, those who aren't can go. As for you—"

He looked at Kaido, "Natsu Shain said that keeping one obedient Four Emperors is more useful than killing them all. If you're willing to submit, I'll give you a way out."

Kaido remained silent for a long time.

King spoke up behind him, his voice low. "Kaido."

Kaido did not turn around.

He raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling Jin to be quiet.

Then his gaze returned to Fugaku.

"A way out? What way out? If I surrender, does that mean I have to wear those gray and white clothes like your people and take your orders?"

"You don't need to wear those clothes," Fugaku said. "The Earthly Chief Guard is under the jurisdiction of the Earthly Chief Guard. You are one of the Four Emperors, and even after you surrender, you will still be in charge of Wano Country."

But you must abide by the rules of the Uchiha Clan. From now on, there will be no nobles, no Daimyo, and no Samurai class within Wano Country.

Those men under your command, formerly samurai, are now ordinary people after surrendering. Whether they choose to farm, fish, or do business, it's their choice."

Kaido's brow twitched. "The Samurai class is finished too?"

"It's abolished," Fugaku said. "The old hierarchy of Daimyo, samurai, and commoners in Wano Country is gone from today. Everyone is the same."

You, Kaido, are the same. You were Four Emperors before, and now you're the steward of Wano Country. You still have to abide by the rules, and you'll be punished if you break them.

Kaido stared at Fugaku for a while.

Then he suddenly laughed, a soft, muffled laugh, as if squeezed from his chest.

"Fine. I understand." He paused for a moment. "Give me one day. Come back at this time tomorrow. I'll give you an answer then."

Fugaku looked at him but did not respond immediately.

He glanced at Kaido couple of moments, then nodded.

I'll be waiting for your reply at this time tomorrow.

He turned around and led the Night Owl Guard toward the coast. After a few steps, he tilted his head to the side.

Kaido.

Kaido raised his head.

"Don't even think about running away. And don't try anything funny." Fugaku's voice was calm. "You can't escape. Your ship can't outrun our people. If you really try to escape, I'll take it as you refusing to surrender. If you don't want to surrender, then we'll deal with it according to the rules."

Kaido didn't reply, he just raised his chin.

Fugaku withdrew his gaze and led his men toward the coast.

The gray-white array receded further and further along the coastline, eventually disappearing behind the reefs.

Once they were out of sight, Queen approached from behind, his voice low.

"Kaido, you wouldn't really intend to...?"

"What are you planning?" Kaido turned around and walked up the sand dune.

He walked slowly, his footsteps making a dull thud on the sand.

"Surrender," Queen followed behind him. "We've fought the Uchiha Clan for so long, and now we're surrendering? What face do we have left—"

"Face?" Kaido stopped and glanced at Queen.

"I was cleaved into the sea by Ban's sword and almost drowned. I lost all face back then. Now that I've escaped with my life, you still want to talk to me about face?"

Queen swallowed the rest of his sentence.

Kaido continued upwards, reaching the top of the sand dune, and stood in the same spot he had been standing.

He glanced towards the coast, but the greyish-white figures were already too far away to see clearly.

He looked down at the Onigashima beneath his feet, at the dilapidated buildings, the forts still under repair, and at the brothers who had followed him all the way.

He stared at it for a long time.

"Tomorrow," he said, "I'll answer them myself."

Inside the Stone Hall deep within Onigashima, the charcoal fire burned brightly.

Kaido sat on the large chair in the very center of the Stone Hall. The chair was carved from a single piece of obsidian, and the backrest still bore the notch left by Madara's sword.

He was clutching a gourd of wine in his hand, but he didn't drink from it; he just held it there.

Jhin stood to his right, Queen to his left, and beyond them were several of the Flying Six's All-Stars: Foz-Foe, Black Maria, Sasaki, Ulti, and Page One —everyone who could come was there.