Slap! In the quiet private room, the crisp sound of the slap rang out loudly enough to nearly carry outside. Hiyori, who had been struck, did not dodge, and the Nine Red Scabbards seated nearby said nothing either.
They lowered their heads and drank in silence, unsure how to handle the conflict between their two young masters.
Wano Country's custom of favoring men over women meant they had never considered Hiyori qualified to inherit the position of Wano Country's shogun.
They had only cared for her because she was Oden's daughter and out of gratitude.
But now that she had been struck by the future shogun of Wano Country, no one wanted to speak up.
After all, under Wano Country's old customs and beliefs, she was not qualified to represent Wano Country, nor was she qualified to represent the Kozuki Family.
But this could not be blamed on her.
No one could have known when Momonosuke would arrive, and at the time, she had been the Kozuki Family's sole remaining bloodline. Even as a daughter, she had been the Kozuki Family's representative. Who would have thought Momonosuke would return only a few days later?
Momonosuke clutched his numb palm and roared furiously at Hiyori, "How dare you! How dare you surrender to the Revolutionary Army on behalf of the Kozuki Family!"
What angered him was not merely the Kozuki Family's surrender. What made him even angrier, more upset, and more afraid was that the Revolutionary Army had already completely taken control of Wano Country. They no longer had any bargaining chips. It frightened him, enraged him, and made him tremble.
It made him unable to stop himself from taking out his anger on his younger sister, Hiyori.
So he could not help but strike her.
Just as he had knowingly