Pirate: It’s not a phantom beast, it’s a phantom god!

Chapter 345 Orochi General
"Hey, look, those guys are here again."

"Huh?! Really?! No, but that monster didn't come this time?"

"This is the first time I've ever met them."

"So these are the people from outside Wano Country? They all look so scary!"

"Those pirates' weapons are so strange. I didn't know they had swords shaped like this."

"Their clothes, too, look stiff and smooth; are they made of leather?"

"These people look so barbaric. Are all the people outside really barbarians?"

"Eek!! Look at the leader, it's so tall! And it has wings and flames on its back... Could it be the legendary yokai, Ōtengu?!"

"Why did you allow these pirates into our country, General? What if they cause trouble in the City of Flowers?"

Shh! Keep your voice down, don't let them hear.

"These are all guests invited by the General. We ordinary civilians can't afford to offend them!"

"And have you forgotten that monster in the sky that day?"

"..."

The residents of Ebisu Town gathered on both sides of the street, watching King and his pirate crew from a distance, and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Having long been closed off from the world, they were somewhat curious about these outsiders, but their conservative and xenophobic national characteristics made them reluctant to let these people stay in their country for long.

However, no one cares about their will... Jin, who is swaggering down the main street at this moment, will not; Orochi, who is enjoying himself in the magnificent general's mansion, will not; and Kaido, who is thousands of miles away, will certainly not.

"Ok?"

Jin led his direct troops unimpeded to the general's mansion, but was stopped just as he was about to enter the outer courtyard.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jin. This is the area where General Orochi resides. Your men will need to wait outside."

The man who stopped him was a samurai with a grass root in his mouth and a somewhat casual demeanor.

This person is Hotei, the leader of the Miwaguchi-gumi, a samurai under Orochi's command.

The Miwaguchi-gumi is a group of samurai directly under the general, responsible for protecting the general's safety and maintaining order within the city. The total number of members is approximately five thousand.

In terms of overall strength, this can be considered a fairly powerful armed force, belonging to the personal guard of the Shogun of Wano Country.

"understood."

Jin didn't make things difficult for the other party. He simply waved his hand, telling his men to wait outside, while he himself followed the cloth bag into the outer courtyard of the general's mansion.

……

"Haha~ Your arrival this time was much quieter, which saved us a lot of trouble."

ember:"……"

"You have no idea how much effort we put into appeasing those noble elders last time."

ember:"……"

"Speaking of which, Kaido... didn't you come this time, sir?"

As the two walked along the stone path in the outer courtyard, Bu Dai gradually became more talkative. It was unclear whether this was his nature or intentional, as he was trying to subtly extract information about someone from Jin.

When Kaido stormed into Wano Country, he showed absolutely no restraint. His entrance was accompanied by torrential rain, lightning, and thunder—the special effects were thrown out like they were free…

The moment his enormous dragon body tore through the clouds and descended over the Flower Capital, almost all the people of Ebisu Town stood frozen in shock...

Some of the older men even knelt down, trembling, and kowtowed, claiming that a divine dragon had descended from heaven to punish the newly appointed general for his illegitimate ascension to the throne.

Of course, these people were all visited and comforted by the members of the visiting group. After all, the new general was an ambitious and enterprising general who could not tolerate such feudal superstition.

That's exactly the effect Kaido wanted. He wanted to plant a seed of fear in the hearts of the people of Wano Country by demonstrating his military might, so that they would never dare to have any thoughts of resistance in the future.

This also serves as a warning to the snake that is about to negotiate, to make the other party more sensible.

However, no one knows what Orochi was thinking. In any case, the samurai under his command put aside their usual arrogance and treated Kaido and the Beasts with unprecedented politeness.

Fear of power and admiration for strength are common characteristics among the people of Wano Country.

Jhin had seen all of this, and replied coldly:

“Mr. Kaido has his own business to attend to. I can handle things like meeting your general.”

"Uh……"

After hearing this, Budai didn't say anything more. The two of them walked through the outer courtyard to the inner courtyard of the general's mansion, where a monk wearing a kasaya with unusually long earlobes and head was already waiting.

Fukurokuju, captain of the Oniwabanshu, a ninja unit from Wano Country.

If the Miwa Group can be considered the 'Navy' openly controlled by the Shogun of Wano Country, then the Oden Banshu are the 'CP' operating in the shadows.

This ninja unit also numbers five thousand and is specifically responsible for intelligence gathering, assassinations, and other clandestine tasks; they are Orochi's true confidants.

"Alright, Cloth Bag. Leave the rest to me, you go and do your job."

Fu Lu Shou stopped the two and took over from Bu Dai to lead Jin into the inner courtyard.

Normally, Jin should have removed his sword here, but for some reason, Fukurokuju didn't mention it. He simply led Jin silently through the inner courtyard until they reached the hall where Orochi was. "Mukhahahaha!"

"Keep playing music, keep dancing!"

"Don't stop! Jump up and down properly for this general!"

As Jin and Fu Lu Shou stood outside the door, they heard the decadent music coming from inside, as well as the unrestrained and triumphant laughter of the giant snake.

When he first obtained the position of shogun, Orochi was somewhat restrained because he was worried about uprisings by the daimyo. He even pretended to handle some government affairs every day.

But it wasn't long before he couldn't suppress his true nature, and after meeting Kaido and witnessing his power, he completely relaxed and began to indulge in pleasure.

"Lord Orochi, the Beasts Pirates have arrived."

Fu Lu Shou entered and reported in a low voice.

"The Beasts... Is that Kaido?"

The giant snake, which was being fed by two beautiful women who had come up from the city, sat up a little straighter after hearing that the beastmen had arrived.

"No, it's not Kaido, it's Mr. King, a senior member of the Beasts Pirates."

"ember?"

"Oh, it's that fire monster... cough! It's him. Let him in."

Upon hearing that it wasn't Kaido who had come in person, Orochi lay back down in the beauty's arms.

"Yes."

Fu Lu Shou bowed his head and left the hall, then led Jin into the room.

To be honest, King was already quite fed up with the tedious rules of Wano Country. Upon entering the hall, he immediately addressed Orochi:

"Orochi, as you discussed with Mr. Kaido, our pirate crew is about to move to Wano Country. We need you to send someone to arrange the reception."

"Ok?"

Jin's arrival directly disrupted the rhythm of the Kabuki and musicians, throwing the originally soothing samama line off-key.
The two courtesans in Orochi's arms were terrified by Jin's attire, which made Orochi somewhat displeased.

However, he didn't show it on his face, but instead gestured for the geisha to continue while replying:

"Is it just for this? Don't worry, I've already entrusted Fu Lu Shou with the arrangements for welcoming the beasts. You can land directly at Bai Wu's Blade Martial Port."

“That’s the largest port in Wano Country, big enough to hold all your ships.”

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Jin glanced at Fu Lu Shou, who was standing quietly to the side... and the other nodded.

"Alright, the first batch of ships from the Beasts will arrive in ten days. Just be prepared."

After saying that, Jin turned to leave, but at that moment the giant snake spoke again.

He swallowed a grape that the beauty in his arms had fed him, then asked with a smile:
"Speaking of which, is Kaido sure he wants to set up your pirate crew's base on Onigashima? That place is not only quite a distance from Wano Country's main island, but it's also a deserted island with nothing there."

“I clearly promised to give you Jiuli directly. It’s adjacent to Huadu and is a prosperous area.”

[Besides, that's still Kozuki Oden's territory, and his troublesome retainers are there.]
The giant serpent added in his mind.

"No need. Since it's Mr. Kaido's decision, there's no need to change it."

Although King was unaware of Orochi's inner thoughts, he never interfered with Kaido's decisions.

"Is that so? But if you change your mind, [Kuri] welcomes you anytime~ Mwahahahaha!"

"Guards, prepare a banquet. I want to treat them to a proper feast..."

"No need, I have some things to take care of back home."

Jin turned around and was about to leave. He really disliked the atmosphere here and had no desire to share a room with Orochi again.

"..."

"That's it..."

Seeing Jin's attitude, Orochi stopped laughing.

As the shogun of Wano Country, he wouldn't do something like offering a warm welcome only to be met with a cold shoulder, even if his face was much bigger than King's or Kaido's buttocks combined.

However, watching Jin's departing figure, he still spoke up:

"It seems there's a group of foolish samurai down there trying to cause some trouble lately. Could you please have Beast deal with them?"

"After all, this is also part of our treaty..."

The Beasts maintain Orochi's rule through force, while Orochi sells the Wano Country region outside of Huadu and its people to the Beasts to build factories—a very suitable treaty in Orochi's eyes.

After all, he now faces too many enemies—samurai who outwardly submit but inwardly resist, daimyo who are outwardly compliant but inwardly disloyal, and most importantly… [Kozuki Oden], who may return here at any time.

"understood."

"We will handle it."

Jin left the main hall of the general's mansion without looking back, and behind him, Orochi's unrestrained laughter and the singing of Kabuki rang out again.

(End of this chapter)