Chapter 573: Rounding Up
Chapter 573: Rounding Up
The post-war Land of Harmony gradually returned to a state of tranquility.
But this calm wouldn't last.
With Kaido gone, an even more ruthless figure had arrived.
"Let's go!"
In the Flower Capital, the Beast Pirates herded the captured samurai, including the former Calamity of the Hundred Beast Pirates, Drought, who stood with his arms crossed, silently watching their procession.
Everything remained the same, except for Kaido's transformation into Sage. For the rebel forces of the Land of Harmony, this was a suffocating despair.
The deepest despair doesn't come from falling into a dire situation but from having hope rise only to be mercilessly crushed.
"Oh, good brother!"
As Weeble approached, Jack's eyes lit up, and he walked over to pat Weeble on the shoulder. "You're here!"
"Hmph!"
Jack snorted, turning his head away. "Get lost. I don't want to talk to you."
He had been fine, and he had indeed adhered to the agreement with Weeble to wait for the outcome of the battle between Sage and Kaido. But as soon as Ghost Island was destroyed, Weeble's phone rang, and without hesitation, he launched a surprise attack on Jack.
Jack was completely unprepared, never expecting Weeble to disregard martial honor. The blow knocked him unconscious.
Now, with his head still bandaged from the attack, Jack couldn't help but scowl at Weeble.
"Hmm? What's wrong, good brother? Are you unhappy? Do you want some juice?"
Weeble tilted his head and offered Jack the half-finished juice he was drinking.
His mind was simple; he didn't even consider that he was the cause of this situation.
He only followed Big Sis's orders, and whatever she said was right.
"Don't you want it?"
Seeing that Jack was ignoring him, Weeble opened his mouth and poured the juice down his throat. He smacked his lips and then looked at the captured samurai, "This is great!"
"What's so great?" Jack glared at him.
"It's great that Kaido is dead," Weeble said.
"Do you want to fight?!" Jack's eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins.
"Hey, I don't want to fight. We're companions now, so of course, we won't fight each other."
Weeble smiled innocently, "Kaido is dead, and you resemble Kaido. My father is dead, and I resemble him. We truly are worthy of being called good brothers!"
"You..."
Jack stared at Weeble, then blinked a few times, pausing to think. Finally, he nodded, "You're right! Forget it, I forgive you!"
Although he had initially struggled to comprehend Kaido's death and couldn't believe it, he would eventually honor the agreement between Sage and Kaido. In the future, he would join them.
After all, Weeble had praised him for resembling Kaido.
"Who do you think I am? I will become just like Kaido, and then I'll challenge Sage!" Jack shouted.
Sage had given them the opportunity to challenge his authority.
This was why they quickly accepted their positions; he didn't force them to submit and would allow them a chance to rebel.
After all, Kaido had indeed died at Sage's hands, and it was only natural for someone to hold a grudge.
Runti also vowed to challenge Sage to vent her anger.
But before the battle, they needed to focus on their tasks.
"Hurry up, let's go!"
The pirates herded the samurai to the edge of a deep pit in the Flower Capital and stopped. Some of the samurai looked at the pit with despair, while others cried out in pain. A few accepted their fate with courage and fearlessness.
"Are you going to throw us into the abyss? If we die, we die, but this resistance..."
One samurai shouted, "As long as tyranny exists, resistance will never disappear!"
As he spoke, he closed his eyes, ready to be the first to fall into the abyss.
Plop!
As he fell, a loud sound echoed, as if he had hit a hard object. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the abyss in front of him was transforming into a rocky surface.
The emerging rocks took on a human form, with a face protruding, gradually sinking into the center and slowly filling the pit.
It was Strongal.
The pit created by Sage couldn't be filled manually, especially since it was too deep. It required the use of abilities.
Strongal's Stone Stone Fruit was perfect for this task.
Not far from the captured samurai, in the ruins that hadn't been cleared yet, several people were hiding, witnessing this scene.
"What should we do?"
A samurai with a blue ponytail, who had once been a month-long leader, spoke up, "We haven't seen Tokito yet."
"But we must save these people."
A blue-haired samurai with a fierce expression clenched his teeth and said, "I'll draw their attention, and you can launch an assault. Once we create chaos, we can rescue them."
"Denjiro."
Kinemon frowned, "If you do that, then you..."
"It's okay!"
Denjiro smiled freely, "Consider it my redemption. I served under Kuro Tan He for a long time and did many things I didn't want to do."
As he spoke, he turned to look at the crowd.
Aside from Kinemon, there were also Kikunojo, Raizo, Ashura Doji, and Kawamatsu.
They were the only ones left.
Kanjuro, likely Kanjuro Kurozumi, was the traitor.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had already perished.
The Nine Red Scabbards were not complete, and although Kaido was dead, a new formidable enemy had emerged.
For Wano,
For the rescue of Tokijuro!
Denjiro tightened his grip on his sword hilt, his body trembling with determination.
"What are you all doing here?"
Just as he was about to charge forward, a crisp voice suddenly rang out from above.
The sound startled everyone, and they instinctively looked up.
On top of the ruins, a freckled girl with pink hair, holding a glass of juice, curiously examined them.
"Oh, you have ill intentions. Are you planning a sneak attack? Just the few of you?"
Renetia took a sip of her juice and flashed her small fangs at them, "Not enough. Wyper!"
Wyper, who was chatting with Jack, seemed to have activated some mechanism. His body froze, and his eyes erupted with a violent red light. With a mighty roar, he burst forth, creating a wave of energy that propelled him into the sky like a meteor, heading straight for the ruins.
Boom!
The ruins in front of Renetia were blasted open by a wave of energy, sending debris flying and revealing a gigantic figure with a diamond-like body, red eyes, and a naginata in hand.
Moonlight shone upon his body, casting a shadow that covered Kinemon and the others.
"Run!"
Kinemon shouted, preparing to retreat.
"You want to run? You should have left quietly before I noticed. Now that I've found you, where do you think you're going? Capture them!"
Renetia pointed behind her and sneered, "Don't let a single one escape!"
The booming sound of Wyper's attack also attracted the attention of the remaining pirates and the samurai who had been on Kurozumi's side. Upon seeing the newcomers, they immediately drew their weapons and rushed forward to surround them.
"Don't let them escape!" Wyper shouted, spinning his naginata in a circle. The blade glowed with aura, and he charged forward, swinging his blade at the retreating Kinemon.
Kinemon reacted too slowly, and as he raised his sword to block, the naginata's blade slashed across his face. The aura concentrated into a small point in front of the blade and exploded upon impact with his face.
Bang!
Kinemon was sent flying backward as if hit by a baseball bat, crashing to the ground and skidding for a distance before colliding with a nearby ruin, finally coming to a stop.
"Ouch!"
Kinemon covered his face and jumped to his feet, not daring to linger. He turned and ran.
"Huh?"
Wyper was momentarily stunned by Kinemon's sudden movement, tilting his head in confusion and looking at the naginata in his hand.
Renetia shook her head in disbelief.
"Strange. It didn't work?"
"Idiot, that's the Unbreakable Skull! Aim for the body next time!"
Renetia rolled her eyes but curiously looked over, "However... it's actually true. Is that Kinemon?"
Kinemon, the Golden Emperor.
During their leisure time, Sage had mentioned that in the mystical land of Wano, there was a man who could take a blow from Kaido with his face.
Renetia had been startled by this story.
She hadn't known who Kinemon was, but this attack made it clear even without prior knowledge.
The words she had thought were a joke turned out to be true.
"Capture them!"
Jack also arrived from behind, holding two scythes and shouting, "These are the rebels!"
However, the escape route created by Wyper's attack allowed Kinemon to distance himself from his pursuers, giving the others time to flee as well. By now, they had retreated too far for the pursuers to catch up on foot.
Renetia clicked her tongue and pulled out a small hammer, preparing to extend it. But just then, several afterimages suddenly appeared in front of the fleeing group, swiftly attacking them from behind.
Thud!
Slash!
Bang!
The sounds of strikes and slashes echoed, causing the fleeing group to stumble and fall to the ground, right into the path of the approaching Wyper.
Kinemon, who had managed to escape the farthest, was now caught in a distant fire that burned and knocked him to the ground. The flames seemed to carry an impact that sent him flying.
Beyond the flames, an elderly man with a long skull and earlobes emerged, wearing square sunglasses and a purple monk's robe.
"Who are you?" Renetia asked.
Aside from the bald elder, the others who appeared before the Nine Red Scabbards were all strangely dressed, most of them in ninja attire.
The bald elder released his hand from the hand seal and spoke in a deep voice, "I am Fukurokuju, captain of the Oniwabanshu. I am willing to serve the Governor."
"The Oniwabanshu?"
The voice that spoke was not Renetia's, but a faint one from the sky, as a dark cloud descended from above, quickly falling to the ground, revealing a figure in a fur-trimmed cloak, holding a scythe in his hand.
"A ninja?"
Sage examined these people and clicked his tongue, "What a strange bunch."
Their speed was quite impressive, and they seemed skilled in concealment, but their appearance was odd.
"Governor!"
Fulu Shou knelt on one knee, and the remaining Oniwabanshu knelt with him, "We are willing to pledge our loyalty to the Governor!"
"Oh?"
Sage looked down at Fulu Shou and smiled, "I recall you were a subordinate of that Black Coal Snake, and you've surrendered so quickly. I didn't even notice you."
"Wano is our home, where else can we go? We've heard of the Governor's reputation, and since the General cannot escape death, we don't want to be buried with him. We can only follow the Governor." Fulu Shou's response was sincere.
He was actually loyal to the Black Coal Snake, but on the condition that he knew the Black Coal Snake was still alive.
Now that the man was captured and awaiting execution, no amount of lives would be enough to avenge him, and this loyalty was meaningless.
The Oniwabanshu below, one by one, did not want to die or be buried with the Black Coal Snake. If the Snake had no chance of retaining his position, they had no choice but to seek another path.
The Calamity's reputation had reached them, even when gathering intelligence from the Beast Pirates.
Under his rule, as long as they truly offered their loyalty, they would not lack opportunities. Moreover, if they performed well, there would be greater promotions.
A New Stage
Fulu Shou might still have a chance to rise to a high position! He had confidence in his intelligence, internal affairs, and espionage abilities.
A shadow flashed from behind, revealing Forze Fr's figure.
He held a cigarette in his mouth, exhaling smoke as he glanced at the Oniwabanshu, "Boss, they have some talent as agents. Let me reorganize them."
"Hmm, fine. It seems they understand the situation."
Sage chuckled, his gaze shifting to the fallen Kinemon, "What a pity. I was hoping to test your skull and see if it could withstand my scythe."
"You bastard!"
Kinemon raised his head and shouted, "Wano will never be defeated! There will be those who carry on our will, and Wano will return to our hands! The millions of Wano citizens will never surrender!"
"Spare me. You've been conquered for over twenty years, and Wano doesn't even have a million people. I don't have that many in my territory."
Sage crouched down, facing Kinemon with a smile, "I don't care how many of you there are. I care about this territory, this land of Sea Tower Stone and iron ore. No amount of resistance will make a difference. If one purge isn't enough, we'll just wipe them all out and relocate the population."
"But a colony doesn't have that many stubborn people. There's nothing to say about wanting to restore the nation. It's a matter of the winner takes all. However, I don't have a good impression of you. The Fur Tribe has suffered greatly by following you. They've wasted their sincerity on a friendship spanning generations. Isn't that right, Sicilyan?"
"Yes, Governor."
Sicilyan stepped forward from the crowd, his gaze filled with disdain as he looked at the Nine Red Scabbards, "We did a lot for Wano, but Wano has done nothing."
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi deserved the respect of the Fur Tribe, as there was still affection between them, but they had no choice but to turn their blades on each other.
The root cause of all this was Wano.
Once upon a time, he had wanted to dedicate himself to Wano's friendship, even if it meant sacrificing his life.
But now, it seemed utterly meaningless.
"The Fur Tribe..."
Kinemon's eyes widened, "Why? Aren't we friends?"
"Only Nekomamushi and Inuarashi are your friends. No, they are your vassals and pets. We are not."
Sicilyan's voice was cold, "We are vassals of the Norton family!"
"Exactly."
Sage smiled and turned his attention to Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji, a fish-man resembling a kappa, and a giant covered in tattoos.
"You two aren't bad. Are you interested in serving me?"
The two remained silent, only glaring at Sage.
"Is that so?"
Sage shook his head, stood up, and as he turned, his cloak rustled, "Execute them. Set up the Den Den Mushi and carry out the execution in front of the entire nation."
With so many samurai, a general, a Kozuki, and a rebel pirate's son, eliminating all resistance would bring stability.
The rest could be left to Lily.
(End of Chapter)
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