Capturing Kurozumi Orochi

Wano Country, Flower Capital, Shogun's Castle.

"Damn Kaido! You're still not returning my messages!"

"Why aren't you hurrying back to protect me!"

"To hell with the Guardian Myoo! Your base is gone! And you're still outside fighting people!"

"Brute! Idiot!!"

"Hurry up and have all of Onigashima's forces reinforce us!"

"Order the Oniwabanshu ninjas and Mawarimawari-gumi samurai from every district to completely withdraw to the Flower Capital and defend the Shogun's Castle!"

Kurozumi Orochi threw things around the Shogun's Castle in a frenzy, cursing furiously.

His Oniwabanshu and Mawarimawari-gumi each had five thousand men, totaling ten thousand—a formidable strength indeed.

Yet the several thousand samurai and prisoners who rose up in the Udon seastone mine gained the support of every major district in a mere two days, swelling past ten thousand.

This made Kurozumi Orochi grow increasingly panicked.

Had the Beasts Pirates' twenty thousand troops and high-tier combat power all been present, he would never have feared these rebels.

Yet Beast Kaido just had to take the high-tier combat power and main force of the Beasts Pirates away on a grand expedition.

This genuinely drove him mad with rage!

Fukurokuju, the leader of the Oniwabanshu, rapidly executed Kurozumi Orochi's commands.

He was likewise deeply shocked by this aggressive uprising.

For this was a war that erupted without the slightest warning or precursor.

Every single one of his spies and undercover agents failed to relay news in time.

By the time they learned of it, Fire Fist Ace and Luo Ji, who served as the catalysts, had already breached the Udon seastone mine and rapidly gained momentum.

Now the rebel army from Kuri included the Atamayama bandits led by Shutenmaru.

The rebel army from Ringo included the samurai forces and weapons-distribution teams led by Karamatsu.

Two of the Nine Red Scabbards had already stepped forward.

The main force from Udon was led by Kozuki Sukiyaki himself, alongside yakuza bosses like Hyo of the Flower.

Tsunagoro, the yakuza boss of Hakumai known as the Broken Straw Hat, returned to Hakumai to recruit troops and unexpectedly crossed paths with the former daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie.

Together they led their troops charging toward the Flower Capital.

Uprising forces from all over surged toward the Flower Capital, determined to overthrow Kurozumi Orochi's brutal rule and drive the Beasts Pirates out of Wano Country.

"Is this country really oppressed to such a severe degree?"

Seeing the rebel army gain momentum so swiftly, Fire Fist Ace could not help but click his tongue in surprise.

He merely came to challenge Beast Kaido; how had he inexplicably been drawn into a war?

"It was Kozuki Oden's mistakes back then that plunged Wano Country into nearly twenty years of darkness.

If not for him being deceived by Kurozumi Orochi and Beast Kaido for five years, allowing the Beasts Pirates to continually grow stronger.

Oden himself even foolishly danced a disgraceful dance, forfeiting the hearts of the people of Wano Country.

Most importantly, for the sake of a shred of pride, he was unwilling to ask the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates for reinforcements.

Which ultimately led to his defeat.

He truly took a winning hand and played it to absolute ruin."

Luo Ji paid no heed to Yamato's frown and curled lip; he simply stated his perspective objectively.

If he happened to blacken Yamato's idol, he did not care in the least.

"Kozuki Oden was actually a crew member of both the Roger Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates at the same time?"

Fire Fist Ace was somewhat startled. Did that mean this Kozuki Oden was also a crewmate of that no-good father of his?

"Come to think of it, Roger begged Whitebeard and borrowed Oden for a year or two.

As a result, Roger became the Pirate King and disbanded his crew, and Oden never returned to the Whitebeard Pirates.

To this day, the position of 2nd Division Commander on the Whitebeard Pirates remains vacant.

Someone's son is likely going to pay off that debt by stepping up as that 2nd Division Commander."

Luo Ji glanced at Ace with a faint smile, causing Ace to furrow his brow tightly.

Ace muttered inwardly: What kind of destiny has this guy seen again?

He was busy preparing to challenge Whitebeard, the strongest of the Four Emperors.

The moment he defeated Whitebeard, he would be able to prove himself stronger than that bastard father of his, Roger.

Another day later.

As the great rebel army launched its assault on the Flower Capital, Luo Ji and his companions likewise arrived at the battlefield.

Luo Ji caught sight of the weapon-wielding Buddhist monk beside Karamatsu—this was Onimaru, transformed from a guard dog.

He just needed to find an opportunity to capture it, or have Tama feed it a dumpling.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Beasts Pirates had yet to return, the rebel army launched a direct, all-out assault on the Flower Capital, fighting with furious intensity.

"Let's go, we're dealing with Kurozumi Orochi directly!"

Luo Ji led Yamato and Ace, riding a giant crane straight into the Shogun's Castle district.

"Go on, Yamato! Beat Kurozumi Orochi to a pulp!"

"Once we catch Orochi, I'll tell you news about Sabo."

Luo Ji tossed these two combat powerhouses straight into the Shogun's Castle, letting them wreak havoc and slaughter their way through.

Meanwhile, he summoned the Flame Spirit: Hikaemboko and the Frost White Wolf: Okuchi no Makami, launching his own assault against the Shogun's Castle.

The Shogun's Castle suffered an invasion, forcing a massive number of elite Oniwabanshu ninjas and elite Mawarimawari-gumi samurai to fall back for defense, creating a massive defensive vulnerability in the Flower Capital's troop deployments and battle lines.

Led by Ashura Doji, the Atamayama bandits slaughtered with exceptional frenzy.

Neither the powerhouses of the Oniwabanshu nor the Mawarimawari-gumi could match this formidable swordsman, whose strength rivaled that of Jack the Drought.

The Beasts forces stationed behind on Onigashima could only dispatch half their strength as well, sending several thousand men to reinforce Kurozumi Orochi.

After all, they had to guard their Onigashima stronghold as well.

Otherwise, if Beast Kaido returned and saw Onigashima destroyed, they would meet a grim fate themselves.

"Let me see how much treasure Kurozumi Orochi has!"

Seeing Kurozumi Orochi sent scurrying in a panic by Yamato's onslaught, Luo Ji disguised himself in ninja garb and searched for the treasury within the Shogun's Castle.

After transforming once more into the appearance of Kurozumi Orochi, he ordered an Oniwabanshu ninja to lead the way, successfully locating Orochi's hidden treasure vault.

Amidst that Oniwabanshu's resentful gaze, the man perished at Luo Ji's hands.

"This fellow has plundered quite a bit of treasure indeed!"

Luo Ji opened his scroll pocket world, stuffing vast quantities of gold and treasures inside while instructing Tama and Komachiyo to arrange them neatly.

Just as Luo Ji was wildly pillaging the treasures, a figure burst into the room.

When Kurozumi Orochi caught sight of his own face, he froze in place for a moment.

He had sacrificed a life just to successfully fake his death, slipping away under the pursuit of Yamato and Fire Fist Ace.

He never expected to lay eyes on another himself right inside his own treasury vault.

This sight reminded Kurozumi of that predecessor of his, Kurozumi Higurashi.

"Who are you? Are you a mimicry ability user?"

Kurozumi Orochi watched this impostor with strict vigilance, but the sight of his own missing treasures and valuables immediately sent him flying into a rage.

This thief had cleaned out his entire treasury!

"Talk about heaven having a path you refuse to tread, while hell has no door yet you force your way in!

Of all the places you could go, you just had to come to my domain!"

Luo Ji flashed a cruel smile, drew Nidai Kitetsu, and charged forward.

Yamato and Ace were probably still under the impression that he had completed his mission, completely unaware that Orochi had fled.

"In my hands, you won't be faking any deaths!"

Elemental Scroll: Ice Magic — Equine Phantom Blade!

The scroll Luo Ji flung out instantly unleashed a blast of freezing mist that trapped Kurozumi Orochi in ice, and a single slash from Nidai Kitetsu severed his head.

"Still want to quietly recover? No way!"

Luo Ji tossed Kurozumi Orochi's iced 'corpse' straight into another prison scroll.

Outside, meanwhile, the fake death of Kurozumi Orochi plunged the situation into an even greater state of turmoil.

"Once I take down Onimaru and see if I can get my hands on Pluton, it'll just about be time to leave Wano Country!

I wonder if Kaido's going to fly back like a madman once he finds out what happened here!"

Luo Ji's mouth curled into a grin. The Beasts Pirates went off on a grand expedition, only to turn around and find their home was gone.