Just as the Nine Red Scabbards were grimly discussing what to do, a thunderous roar suddenly came from the sky.
It was so enormous that it nearly alarmed everyone in Wano Country.
Almost everyone stepped out of their rooms or tents and looked toward the source of the deafening noise, immediately understanding what was happening.
In the capital of Wano Country, the Flower Capital, flames rose more than ten meters high. A massive monster could vaguely be seen, with eight heads that continuously spewed poisonous clouds, flames, lightning, and hail into the air.
It looked like some great demon king that had stepped straight out of a story.
It rampaged wildly, appearing exceptionally arrogant, but anyone familiar with Devil Fruits already understood that Kurozumi Orochi, the ruler of Wano Country, had fallen into an extremely difficult and humiliating situation.
Most Zoan Devil Fruits were used in a half-human, half-beast form during battle, because that form presented the smallest target and the strongest attack power, allowing the abilities of a Zoan Devil Fruit to be used to their fullest.
In contrast, Orochi's current state, fully exposing the beast form of his Zoan Devil Fruit, was an utterly humiliating and helpless form. It meant Orochi had exhausted all his tricks. He could no longer maintain his half-beast form while fighting; the injuries he had suffered likely required his beast form to heal itself.
The Nine Red Scabbards truly deserved to be called Shichibukai-level pirates. Some were highly experienced, while others had spent years at Orochi's side in disguise. Almost all of them saw Orochi's predicament at a glance.
Naturally, they felt no sympathy for Orochi. But his defeat and death clearly meant something else: they did not have much time left.
While five of the Nine Red Scabbards were deeply worried, Kurozumi