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

Chapter 358 Decision
Kaido's actions caused quite a stir.

He seemed to have no idea what restraint was, and had no intention of giving face to Orochi, his future partner. He brazenly blasted the gates of Orochi's capital city to smithereens.

"Wooo-ha-ha-ha!"

"Great Serpent, I've come for you!"

The rough voice, mixed with a terrifying aura, swept across the entire capital city in an instant like a shockwave.

Countless tiles were blown away, and everyone in the city felt as if they had been hit in the chest by a heavy hammer... The elderly and children were alright; they simply fainted.

The remaining warriors felt a chill run down their spines, their hair stood on end, and they instinctively gripped their sword hilts.

It seemed that only the swords they carried day and night could give them a sliver of security...

"..."

Snapped!
Inside the mansion on the street, the rough ceramic teacup in Hyogoro's hand suddenly shattered, and the warm tea splashed onto his expensive brocade robe, leaving a large, conspicuous stain.

But he didn't care at all; his expression just turned extremely ugly.

“Ah Bing…”

The woman next to her looked worried.

"Whoo~"

He brought the cigarette holder to his lips and took a deep drag, finally calming his racing heart before slowly speaking:

"I'm fine, don't worry."

After saying that, he stood up, gripped the hilt of the sword at his waist, and looked through the high courtyard wall toward the main gate of the capital.

"So this is Orochi's trump card? It really is... beyond my expectations~"

"This is really troublesome, the Kang family..."

……

At the end of the main street, in front of the General's Mansion, the tense atmosphere that had been building up completely dissipated. The two groups of people, Orochi and Daimyo, who had been confronting each other, all looked towards the city gate...

The lords looked extremely grim.

They were among the strongest samurai in Wano Country, and compared to the half-baked Orochi, they could more directly feel just how terrifying a man who could exude such an aura truly was.

[What kind of monster have you brought to Wano Country... Orochi?]
As Kang looked at the giant snake that was gradually grinning, he began to regret why he hadn't been more decisive and placed it under house arrest until Oden returned before making this foolish decision.

Given his prestige, he could have done so at the time if he had wanted to.

“Mhahahaha!”

"So, Kaido has finally arrived!"

Completely oblivious to the massive chaos caused by Kaido and the potential impact on the city's residents, Orochi stood on the carriage, dancing with glee.

[Now those damned samurai and daimyo are no threat at all~ Wano Country will henceforth belong entirely to this shogun!]
"Hey! What are you all standing there for? Drive the car!"

"Yes, yes, General!"

The serpent, realizing the ingenious idea, loudly urged the still-dazed coachman to take him to the signing ceremony venue, while also glancing at the daimyo who were waiting in ambush.

"You lot may come with me as well."

"By my grace, you may enter the venue following behind my carriage."

“Mhahahaha!”

"..."

"drive!"

With a flick of the reins from the coachman, two tall, magnificent horses bearing the "Black Charcoal" family crest strode proudly past the Kang family, heading towards the square in front of the General's Mansion, all under their watchful eyes.

"Um……"

With a wave of his hand, he dispersed the dust raised by the carriage. Kang Jia watched the giant snake's departing figure for a long while before finally taking a step.

"let's go."

Hey! Let's go!

"I really want to see what kind of guy Kaido is." Shimotsuki Ushimaru drew his sword from its sheath, slung it over his shoulder, and swaggered off in the direction Orochi had gone, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

As a descendant of the "Sword God" Ryoma, he was not intimidated like the other samurai, but rather quite excited.

When Shimotsuki Ushimaru heard that Kaido's first appearance in Wano Country was in the form of a giant blue dragon, he became interested. He wanted to see if he had a chance to achieve the great feat of "slaying a dragon" like his ancestors.

……

The signing and alliance agreement between Orochi and Kaido took place in an open area directly in front of the Shogun's mansion.

To be honest, in a capital city where land is incredibly valuable, only a general, the highest authority in Wano Country, could carve out a spacious area that could accommodate thousands of people.

This open space is nominally part of the General's Mansion, but unlike the main city, it is not strictly forbidden for ordinary people to enter... Its main purpose is to provide a venue for duels between warriors that require notarization.

After all, as a nation of samurai, samurai duels are an indispensable part of life. From seeking revenge for killing one's father to being defiled, all sorts of matters, big and small, can be resolved through samurai duels.

Those chosen as notaries are usually famous heroes and knights-errant... For example, Hyogoro often plays this role, and the dueling samurai consider it an honor to invite him as a notary.

Of course, besides chivalrous figures like Hyogoro, nobles and even daimyo would occasionally attend as notaries.

In such cases, samurai duels were not simply personal feuds, but involved politics—lower-ranking samurai could use duels to express their demands to higher-ranking nobles or even daimyo.

The highest form of samurai duel involving nobles is the "Imperial Duel," in which the shogun of Wano Country personally acts as the notary and selects his samurai to participate.

After the former shogun Kozuki Sukiyaki ordered his son Kozuki Oden to sever ties, it was Oden's samurai Kin'emon who persuaded him to retract his order through a "duel before the emperor," thus restoring their father-son relationship.

Of course, that duel was just a formality on the surface. Oden had already reconciled with Kozuki Sukiyaki and Oden had achieved the feat of pacifying Kuri. The duel was just a pretext.

However, the victor of the "Duel Before the Emperor," with his own bravery and the power of the people, can indeed make the general retract his orders.

Therefore, Orochi plans to find an opportunity to abolish the so-called "Imperial Duel" and turn this dueling arena into a public execution ground, where he can occasionally chop up a few 'rebels' for fun.

In his mind, the commoners and warriors did not need to have the right to offer him advice; they only needed to know the consequences of disobeying his orders.

……

Sitting high on a luxurious throne made of precious purple wood, the serpent rested its chin on its hand, surveying the area and pondering where it would be best to establish the execution ground.

On either side of him, members of the Oniwabanshu and the Mikaigumi stood expressionless and solemn, their tense postures indicating that they would act swiftly and decisively should any unexpected events occur.

Below Orochi and his group were several daimyo.

Compared to the lavish display of the Great Serpent, they were much more shabby... The Great Serpent did not prepare any ceremonial regalia for them, only a few straw mats.

"Lord Kang! This giant snake is simply outrageous!"

When the Kang family's attendants and guards saw the thatched mat, they could no longer resist reaching out to draw their swords.

"Even when Sukiyaki Shogun was alive, he treated you with great courtesy, but this guy actually..."

The concept of "a subject dies for his lord" was deeply ingrained in the minds of these warriors.

If he, as a subject, remained unmoved after the great serpent's repeated humiliations of his lord, then perhaps the only option left would be to commit seppuku to atone for his lord's misdeeds.

Not only him, but several of the daimyo's personal guards in this battle also had the intention of drawing their swords and risking their lives to protect their lord's honor.

Not only the personal guards, but also Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the daimyo himself, echoed this sentiment while carrying his sword.

"Haha! Are you about to make your move, Kang family?"

"Niuwan, don't make things worse now."

Seeing that the crowd was starting to get out of control, the Kang family decided to play it safe for the time being, since the current situation was really not suitable for taking action...

But after witnessing Kaido's imposing presence, Ushimaru changed his mind.

“Kang Jia, I know you have always been a meticulous and mature person. You won’t do anything unless you are 80% sure of it, especially important matters.”

"Well, after all, we're all guys who aren't good at thinking and enduring. Compared to you, you're actually much more reliable."

"But this time..."

Shimotsuki Ushimaru glanced up at the giant snake high above, its face filled with excited, foolish expression, then looked towards the entrance of the arena… He said calmly:
"The Kang family, this may be our only chance."

“‘Prevention is better than cure.’ We’re already a step too late. If we wait any longer… I’m afraid even if Oden comes back by then, he won’t be able to salvage the situation.”

As Niu Wan spoke, a pair of giant horns, resembling fangs, slowly appeared in his sharp eyes, which only a great swordsman possessed.

(End of this chapter)