Kuri, Komuso Village.
Inside a somewhat rundown small shrine, Kozuki Sukiyaki, wearing a red tengu mask and a blue kimono, lay on a tatami mat with his eyes closed, taking an afternoon nap.
Five years ago, his son, Kozuki Oden, had been defeated in his battle against Kaido and boiled to death in oil.
Afterward, Kurozumi Orochi extended olive branches to the daimyo of Udon, Kibi, Ringo, and Hakumai, demanding their submission.
But...
Kurozumi Orochi had seized power illegitimately to begin with. After taking the throne, he imposed ever harsher taxes and levies to keep Kaido's sweatshops supplied with workers, using every possible means to force the people of Wano Country into the factories. Otherwise, they simply could not survive.
Thus, the four daimyo had nothing but contempt for the recruitment efforts of that scumbag Kurozumi Orochi. They chose to raise armies in rebellion, and countless civilians answered their call!
However...
Seeing that the situation had turned against him, Kurozumi Orochi decisively sought Kaido's aid.
At the time, Kaido was thirty-nine years old, in the prime of his life, and his strength had already crossed the threshold of an Emperor-class powerhouse.
Without any top-tier expert capable of restraining Kaido, the armies led by the four daimyo were utterly helpless before him!
After the four daimyo suffered a crushing defeat, only Shimotsuki Yasuie, the daimyo of Hakumai, managed to escape the battlefield by sheer luck. The other three were captured and imprisoned by Kaido, ultimately dying in captivity.
After that, using the rebellion of the four daimyo as an excuse, Kurozumi Orochi began arresting the young and able-bodied men of Udon, Kibi, Ringo, and Hakumai on a massive scale. He reduced them to slaves and threw them into Kaido's sweatshops, where they worked day and night until they literally dropped dead