Chapter 572: A Simple Wash Will Do
Chapter 572: A Simple Wash Will Do
Upon hearing these words, those who had just regained consciousness and those still in a daze were suddenly jolted awake, their faces filled with disbelief.
Jack was the first to jump to his feet, his massive body causing the ground to tremble. His eyes were wide with rage, the veins in them standing out like copper bells.
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! My big brother is invincible!"
But this was Kaido!
The strongest single combatant on land, sea, and air!
The mightiest in his heart!
How could he possibly be dead?
"What kind of joke is this?"
Quine was the second to speak, "Calamity! I admit you're strong, but if you want to kill Big Brother Kaido, then..."
His voice trailed off as he spoke, his words becoming quieter under the gaze of Sage, whose eyes held a hint of amusement.
Quine was much smarter than Jack; he wanted to deny Sage's words, but the evidence was right there.
Given Kaido's temperament, if he were still alive, he would continue fighting. Only in death would he truly disappear without a trace.
Now, aside from the lingering aura on the scythe, no other trace of his presence could be felt.
"Kaido is dead," Sage declared.
Da Wa sat on the ground, slightly dazed, but her eyes soon lit up. "Then, Luffy..."
"He's a lucky one," Sage said with a sidelong glance. "As someone who challenged me and managed to escape with their life, they should be grateful I didn't pursue them."
He turned to Jack and said, "Even the invincible can have rivals from above. Your brother has lost before, and this time, he lost it all."
Sage smiled. "On the high seas, nothing is impossible. Besides..."
His voice was firm with conviction, "The invincible one is me!"
"The fact is the fact. You can choose to die here, wasting your lives, or you can preserve your useful selves, inherit Kaido's will, and rule this vast sea alongside me."
At this, Quine and Forze Fr were the first to show interest. Although they were both veterans, with the former having nearly three decades of experience and the latter over thirteen years, they had joined the Beast Pirates because of their strength and the protection it offered.
As pirates, they understood the tradition of adapting to a new pirate crew when their old leader was defeated.
The scythe given to Sage represented Kaido's acknowledgment of Sage. With his own significant power, he was not some novice pirate crew; in the past, he would have been a valuable asset.
From a rational perspective, joining the Calamity Pirates would undoubtedly bring more benefits than drawbacks.
However, suddenly surrendering...
They also wanted to save face.
"I have the most orthodox method, though I doubt anyone cares about that. My rules are simple; those who know about intelligence should understand that it's suitable for you. You have the latest information, and you're not a World Government agent; they can't do anything to you. You're purely my agent."
Sage keenly sensed their interest and said, "Quine, you can continue your research. I'm richer than Kaido, and we have many battles ahead. That means plenty of subjects for your experiments. You're skilled in chemistry, and with some medical research, you'll be set. Talk to Hogback; he has plenty of insights to share."
"Forze Fr, hmm, has your real name been lost?"
He looked at the 'Who's Who' tattoo on his chest and said, "I have former CP9 members here too. You can continue using your expertise. With the latest intelligence, you're not just a World Government agent. You're different from those agents in that you purely work for me."
"Don't you want to compare yourself to Rob Lucci? He's a CP0 agent now. You can be my agent and see who's the better agent."
Although CP0 agents were also his subordinates, who wouldn't want someone entirely on their side?
Forze Fr was an excellent choice as an agent.
"But if you say so..."
Forze Fr reached into his pocket, lit a cigarette, and exhaled smoke before speaking, "Since Big Brother Kaido gave you the scythe, I have nothing more to say. Please take care of me, Sage."
With one person surrendering, Quine seized the opportunity and said, "Then it's settled. Give me a large research budget; I have much to research. That damn Germa 66 technology, I will surpass them!"
"You two!" Jack glared at them. "Are you so quick to betray Big Brother Kaido?"
"It doesn't matter if it's betrayal or not," Quine replied. "Kaido gave the symbol to Sage, which represents a deal between them. Joining is obeying Kaido's command."
"Forze Fr, you're right," he said, spitting out a mouthful of saliva. "Jack, now is the time to join. It's a great choice, very wise."
"Of course," Sage laughed. "I'm not leaving you without options. You can challenge me if you dare." He gripped the Eight Precepts Club, his eyes glinting with malice. "That is, if you're not afraid to die!"
"Big Brother Kaido," Juntauri said.
"He said he'd let everyone join you," Shinju interjected. "What about you?"
Sage turned to Shinji, "Except you. He promised he'd never hand you over to anyone. As for Kaido, I won't push him too far either. But you, I'll give you a choice. If you want to leave, I'll let you go."
"Is that so?"
Shinji closed his eyes, "Big Brother Kaido, you remember your promise?"
Back when they were younger, in the midst of a blazing fire, Kaido had vowed to always protect him, never handing him over to anyone.
But the sea is unpredictable. Who could've imagined that the invincible Kaido would meet his end? "Jack."
"Big Brother Shinju," Jack said, his eyes fixed on Shinji.
Shinji opened his eyes, "Since it's Big Brother Kaido's wish, we'll follow his will and join the Beast Pirates."
"Yeah, Jack, we three brothers, should stick together," Quine added.
"Big Brother Quine," Jack said, glancing at Quine once more before lowering his head. "I understand. If both of you say so, then I'll join you, Sage!"
With the three brothers agreeing, the remaining Flying Six Wings had no choice but to follow suit.
After the Black Maria's hesitation, she too joined, and the siblings, Peggie and Runti, were quick to accept. Runti, especially, couldn't refuse, seeing her brother's decision.
Raised by Kaido, they were, in a way, more like Kaido's daughters and sons than anything.
"Hahaha! I won't let you down! You'll have even better treatment, more freedom!"
Sage burst into laughter, then turned to the cross-legged Da Wa, "And you, Kaido's daughter. It's strange, I hear you want to take down your own father, to help the enemy?"
"What enemy! Kaido is the invader! I'll become Kozuki Yada and help open Wano!" Da Wa declared.
"Naturally, under my rule, this place will open up, just not in the way you imagine."
"You don't seem like Kaido's daughter at all. More like Kozuki Yada's daughter," Sage continued.
"I won't be like some rebel, blindly defying everything!" Runti said, hands on hips, head held high.
"Wano is Kozuki's Wano!"
Da Wa glared at Sage, "Kaido is just an invader! You too!"
"In the end, there's only victory and defeat. Wanoese might consider me an invader, but as long as I keep winning, they'll have to accept it, won't they?"
"This place has a long history, but history is made by people. Perhaps, in the ancient past, Kozuki was also an invader. If I win, everything will fall into place!"
"Is it worth it, to believe so naively in a prophecy, a guy who lost once? He's just a lord, not even a shogun."
"As Kaido's daughter, you're inherently an enemy to Wano. If you think helping them against Kaido will make them trust you, you're naive. Unless you rule, Wano will never accept you!"
Sage stroked the scythe, "I call the emperor a heavenly being, but this cowardice?"
In the 6-6-9 version, there's no mistake!
"You won't succeed!"
The Sea Tower Stone chains rattled, and Da Wa stood up, gripping the scythe. "Even if I die, I'll open Wano!"
Bang! Sage held the scythe, and with a single strike, Da Wa collapsed, unconscious from the blow.
Her injuries, combined with the Sea Tower Stone's properties, made this attack devastating.
"What's going on here, she's been possessed?"
Sage shook his head, "Straw Hat Luffy is possessed by Sun God Nika, and you, Kaido's daughter, will be possessed by Kozuki Yada."
"And Roronoa Zoro."
Title: The Conquest of Wano
Lily interjected, "It seems he's been possessed by a sword. Is this a cursed land?"
"Cursed? Even curses bow to power!" Sag chuckled.
"Forget bloodlines. In the end, willpower prevails. I was thinking of sparing your life, but seeing you like this, you might cause some trouble. Let's execute them together."
"How do you plan to do this?"
Jin glanced at Yamato and turned to Sag, "The people here, they resist us. Even Kaido only managed to control a puppet, but Kurotaheshi has been executed by Kaido."
"No, our people found him, and Kozuki Momonosuke, the son of Kozuki Oden."
Lily explained, "Kurotaheshi is a Mythical Zoan user with the power of the Eight-Headed Serpent. The snake heads represent death, and killing them all is the only way to ensure survival."
"Oh?"
Jin showed a hint of surprise, "Then let's keep him as a puppet."
"No need." Sag waved his hand and looked at Lily, "Lily."
"The total number of people was revealed earlier. There are five thousand rebels, three hundred affected by the power, and the rest are Kurotaheshi's followers. Ignoring the possibility of surrender, the Beast Pirates' forces, combined with the loyal soldiers, number around twenty-three thousand. Among them, seven thousand are samurai, and the rest are Beast Pirates."
The war in Wano was a massive battle in terms of numbers. Kaido had initially planned to hold a grand celebration here, using this opportunity to completely take over Wano.
In terms of numbers, all his forces had gathered, totaling around thirty thousand. Due to the battle, many had been lost.
"Five thousand samurai, not many. Let's clean them up."
Sag spoke as if he were casually weeding out unwanted plants, "First, remove these rebels, then do what you're good at, Lily."
"Understood." Lily nodded, causing everyone present to unconsciously hold their breath.
There was a sense of bloodlust in the air, emanating from this woman, making everyone's heart tremble.
"Kill them all?"
Quine's eyes widened, "That might cause trouble. The people of Wano might rise up in a massive rebellion."
"That's where Kaido and I differ. He still fears certain things, though he might not admit it. But growing up in such an environment, the subconscious thoughts formed are not easily changed."
Kaido was also a man of logical consistency.
Wanting to bring all the noble kings into the battlefield, but essentially, that's acknowledging the nobility's special status, which leads to such thoughts.
Sag didn't.
Dealing with these people, the simplest method was to 'wash' them, and as they were 'washed', some naturally surrendered, solidifying his rule.
The 'Wano Shuraba' was also a tradition.
And Lily's hand only grew harder, not even allowing surrender.
"The so-called stubbornness of the Wanoese, how is that possible? If there are any, they wouldn't have joined Kurotaheshi's samurai."
Sag chuckled, "Here, to some extent, is a colony. Colonies have their own special characteristics, and we need not consider too much. Just 'wash' them, and they'll understand. As for those who don't, well, they're just leftovers.
There weren't many holdouts left.
Kaido had put his heart into conquering Wano, and he wouldn't spare those who didn't surrender. The rest were just those who surrendered.
"What about Kozuki Tokito?"
Lily spoke, "Akinu controlled him, and he's not the rumored eight-year-old child. He's now twenty-eight years old."
"Let's execute a few typical ones publicly, in front of their eyes, to make them abandon all hope."
"Though people might call it bloody, butcher-like, and inhumane, I call it efficient."
Kozuki Tokito, Sag didn't really care much, but since they were here, to prevent some from holding onto hope, executing them was the best choice.
That guy, though psychologically an eight-year-old, was physically twenty-eight years old, and twenty years had passed. Regardless of the reason, he should be this age.
He opened his arms, "Let's do it this way, conquer Wano, and while you're all here, hold a grand celebration, and in the first half, it's mine!"
(End of Chapter)
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