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

Chapter 360 Duel before the Emperor
Taking advantage of the moment when the Kang family was swayed by his words, Shimotsuki Ushimaru still stepped forward.

Clang!
The family heirloom sword was hoisted onto his shoulder, and at the same time, it was drawn half an inch from its sheath, making a clanging sound... It was indeed a fine sword.

With a defiant smile, Niuwan stepped forward, stretched his arms to the left and right, loosening Nishikiori's kimono to reveal his muscular chest.

As a daimyo from the Shimotsuki family, he and the Yasuie family are from the same clan, but not from the same branch... His direct ancestor was the "Sword God" of Wano Country - Shimotsuki Ryoma.

Compared to the steady and composed Kang family lineage, this branch of the family has a more unrestrained and chivalrous spirit.

For example, Ushimaru himself disliked the ceremonial pomp and circumstances of a daimyo. He often dressed as a ronin samurai, carrying a sword, and went down to various villages to spar with those famous swordsmen.

……

"Beef Ball, you...!"

The Kang family, realizing what was happening, tried to pull the other party back, but it was too late.

Kaido, Orochi, and the surrounding samurai and onlookers all turned their attention to them.

Although the great serpent issued a street-cleaning order, it did not stop the people of Huadu from coming to watch his alliance ceremony with the beasts. In fact, the more people who came to watch, the better.

"Those are the daimyo, aren't they?"

"Hmm, it seems to be the daimyo of [Ringo], Shimotsuki Ushimaru-sama."

"The Kang family members are also here."

"I saw Tempura-sama and Onion-sama!"

"Why aren't the seats of the esteemed officials placed next to the General? This is against the rules."

"..."

"My lord, before the general has even spoken, you have already presumptuously spoken. Isn't that a bit overstepping your bounds?"

Just as a noisy discussion began to emerge at the scene, an old voice came from above.

Beside the giant snake, an old man dressed in formal brocade robes, with gray hair, stroked his beard and spoke.

He comes from a noble family that has served the shogun for generations. He has been serving in the shogun's court since the time of the previous shogun and is considered a senior figure in Wano Country.

"It's the Left Minister! How could he side with Orochi?"

"I remember he thought highly of Oden back then, didn't he? He even submitted a memorial requesting Lord Sukiyaki to rescind his order to sever the father-son relationship."

The man below, Fuyuki Onigiri, was somewhat curious. He had assumed that the Left Minister Fujiwara was loyal to the Kozuki family, but now it seemed that was not the case.

"Heh~ He's not on Orochi's side, he's on 'General's' side."

Knowing the inside story, Amatsuki Tempura sneered.

The Kang family remained silent.

These so-called high-ranking officials have always been loyal only to the title of 'General'. As for whether the person sitting in the seat is [Kozuki] or [Kurotan]... they don't care.

Of course, if possible, they would prefer that the successor to the general's position be more 'grand' and 'impressive'.
Just like Lord Oden back then and Lord Orochi now.

As the most esteemed shogun of Wano Country, all he needs to do is indulge in pleasure and extravagance every day. He can leave mundane matters like administration and taxation to the old retainers of the government...

"Lord Ushimaru, this old servant has served three generations of shoguns, but I have never seen a daimyo who could..."

"You're so long-winded, old man!"

"Stop babbling on and on, why don't you old folks just stay home and enjoy your retirement?"

"Maybe I can live a few more years."

Niuwan picked at his ear, interrupting the Left Minister's reprimand with an impatient look.

"?!"

"You, you...how utterly rude!"

The Left Minister, being of advanced age and accustomed to relying on his seniority, was so provoked by the beef ball that he couldn't catch his breath.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough!"

"Minister Zuo!"

"Fujiwara-sama!"

"Quick! Someone come quick!"

As the samurai hurriedly carried the Left Minister away, Orochi's face darkened. He looked down and said:

"Beef Ball, what exactly do you want?"

"nothing……"

The sword resting on his shoulder was slowly drawn, its cold light flashing across the faces of everyone around him before finally pointing at Kaido, who had been sitting down and watching the show with great interest.

"I just find these guys a bit of an eyesore."

"..."

Snapped!
Orochi suddenly stood up, ignoring the maid he had knocked over, and looked at Ushimaru and the others with a cold gaze.

"Do you have any objections to this general's decision, Shimotsuki Gyuumaru?"

"Lord General."

At this moment, the Kang family also stepped forward.

Since the arrow is already on the bowstring, it has no choice but to be released.

Kang Jiayi said in a righteous and righteous tone:

"The policy of closing the country off is a national policy established by the first general. All citizens of our country are not allowed to leave, and all foreigners who are not from our country are not allowed to enter!"

"We, the lords, all believe that Your Excellency should follow the late General's last instructions and think twice before acting."

"Please reconsider, General." *2
The two daimyo, Fengyue and Yuyue, also stood behind the Kang family at this moment, and the confrontation scene in front of the General's Mansion was repeated once again.

Moreover, this happened in full view of everyone, and unless one side completely backs down, it will be extremely difficult to end the situation.

……

"Is it internal strife?"

"Looks like we're not very popular, Kaido."

Ossie, who was clinging to Kaido's shoulder, tugged at the man's beard and whispered.

She looked around at the Wano Country people and found that, apart from curiosity and fear, their eyes were filled with rejection of them, the outsiders.

Because of its long period of isolation, this country fundamentally rejects everything from the outside world.

"Woo-lo-lo~"

"It doesn't matter; the thoughts of these weak people are insignificant anyway."

"Since I've set my sights on this country, it's destined to be mine, and it must be mine!"

"If you want it, go get it," Ra's words still echo in Kaido's ears.

Whether it was a misperception or not, after discarding all those hesitant and indecisive thoughts, Kaido felt that his domineering aura seemed to have increased.

"Ton ton ton ton~"

Kaido pulled out a deep red gourd from somewhere and took a few big gulps of wine while watching the good show unfolding in Wano Country.

"Oh, so you've been secretly drinking again as soon as Sister La isn't around~"

The strong smell of alcohol made Ossie, who was sitting on his shoulder, frown and fan her hand.

"Heh~ Your sister stopped caring a long time ago, I'm drinking openly now."

"Tons, tons, tons~"

"Ha! That felt great!"

Kaido also discovered that as long as he didn't get drunk on a serious occasion or touch the expensive wines in the cellar that were used for trade, Ra wouldn't care much about himself anymore.

She probably realized that alcohol doesn't really harm someone with Kaido's freakish physique.
"Speaking of which, you're an adult now, aren't you?"

"How about it, want a sip?" A gourd about the same size as Ossie's was handed to her, but she pushed it away with a look of disgust.

"Ugh~ So filthy~"

"I don't want to drink anything you've already drunk from!"

"Besides, what's so good about this crap? It smells pungent and makes my nose ache."

"yue~"

"Tsk! What a tasteless brat!"

……

Returning our attention to the two opposing sides in Wano Country, seeing that several daimyo were openly opposing the shogun's decision, the crowd of onlookers who had been suppressed earlier began to whisper among themselves again.

They were also divided into two factions.

"For a daimyo to openly oppose the shogun... this is utterly unacceptable!"

A private tutor, who was clearly dressed as a scholar, shook his head.

“I think the daimyo are right! Those outsiders look fierce and menacing; they're definitely not good people. I heard they're thieves; they really shouldn't have been let in.”

Standing next to him, a woman dressed in a kimono disagreed with his statement and covered her mouth with her sleeve.

"But that's a general, and the general's orders are absolute."

"He's just an acting general. He'll have to step down when Lord Oden returns. The real general should be someone from the Kozuki family."

A man dressed as a samurai agreed with the woman's opinion.

"But an acting general is still a general."

"Furthermore, Lord Orochi was appointed as the acting representative by Lord Sukiyaki, a fact acknowledged by several daimyo."

"We should obey his orders."

The two began arguing, each sticking to their own version of events, and it looked like they were about to come to blows... At this moment, a young man wearing glasses interjected:

That's incorrect.

"Hmm? What brings you here, kid?"

The young private tutor raised an eyebrow and asked.

The young man adjusted his glasses and raised his voice, as if he were speaking to those around him.

"We must obey the General's orders..."

"After all, in theory, the General is the sky, the great one. We are all the earth, the small one."

"We should do whatever the general tells us to do."

The young man pointed to the sky, then to the opposite side of his feet, seemingly agreeing with the private tutor he had just spoken to.

"but……"

"As Lord Kang said... the policy of closing the country off is a national policy that was established under the leadership of the first general. Lord Sukiyaki has always adhered to it."

"why?"

"..."

The young man looked around at the crowd and, seeing that they were all looking at him, raised his voice a little higher.

"Because this is an ancestral custom."

"Compared to the first general, who was like the heavens, so vast, this Great Serpent General is like the earth, so small."

After hearing this logic, everyone around nodded deeply, even the private tutor was convinced.

Seeing this, the young man adjusted his glasses again, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

He looked toward a spot in the crowd... there, Hyogoro and the woman beside him were also looking at him, and the woman even gave him a thumbs up.

"Oh my~ I didn't expect Denjiro to sneak in like that, he's really capable~"

"Don't you think so, Abing?"

"Of course, after all, he was Oden's retainer."

The bespectacled young man was Denjiro, one of Oden's retainers who stayed in Kuri.

He came secretly without Kin'emon and the others knowing.

Compared to Kin'emon and his group, who completely regarded Orochi as a shameless villain who stole Oden's position as shogun and refused to have any contact with him, Denjiro, although he also despised Orochi from the bottom of his heart, did not stop him from coming to Orochi's vicinity to gather information.

The three of them were making hand gestures, unaware that the giant snake on the high platform was watching them.

Hearing the increasingly clamorous voices of opposition, the giant snake gritted its teeth.

[Denjiro! It's you bastards left behind by Oden again!]
[Just you wait! This general will make you all regret this later!!!]
Turning his gaze back to the Kang family below, the giant snake said coldly:
"Kang family, are you determined to oppose this general?"

He squinted, lowering his voice to a whisper, like a venomous snake ready to devour its prey; anyone could sense the raging fury lurking beneath his questioning.

But the Kang family remained unfazed and continued to bow respectfully with righteous indignation:
"Please, General, rescind your order."

"Please, General, rescind your order." *2
The other two daimyo also bowed in unison.

It wasn't just them; people in the surrounding crowd also started shouting along.

"Please, General, please rescind your order..."

"Please, General, rescind your order."

"Please, General, rescind your order!"
The noise grew louder and louder, and the surrounding crowd seemed to start shouting as well, the waves of sound like a tsunami...

Faced with the situation that was already getting out of control, Orochi, who was all bark and no bite, looked frantically toward Kaido, hoping that he would do something.

But the other party showed no intention of making a move, and just kept chattering away with the masked monster on his shoulder, talking about something incomprehensible.

The men behind Kaido stood with their arms crossed, watching with great interest, seemingly oblivious to the voices around them trying to drive them away.
"..."

This casual attitude angered the giant snake. But having been cornered, he gritted his teeth and said, "I have no choice."
"Shut up!!!"

"Kang family! Listen up, this general will never retract his order!"

"And what about these lowly commoners? Who gave you permission to defy this general?!"

"..."

Upon hearing these words, the shouts around them gradually subsided, and the square fell silent once again, a silence that was somewhat eerie.

The people of Wano Country began to look at the Yasuie and his group, seemingly expecting something...

The members of the Oniwabanshu and the Mimaigumi had already placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, ready to draw them at any moment.

[Goo-hoo~]
[Is it coming? A traitorous overthrow of his superior!]
[Now? Right here!]
Just as everyone was on edge, a hearty laugh suddenly rang out.

"Humph~"

"Ha ha!"

"Hahahaha!"

"It's Shimotsuki Gyuumaru," he said, raising his knife and laughing loudly.

"Kang family, rice balls, and tempura... I told you long ago that talking is useless."

"This is Wano Country, the land of samurai. If you want something, you have to use the sword in your hand to persuade the other party."

"..."

Hearing this, the Kang family members all sighed. Compared to Niu Wan, they lacked a certain decisiveness.
Seeing this, Shimotsuki Ushimaru ignored them and instead looked at the giant snake on the high platform...

"Hey~ Orochi! Since neither of us can convince the other, let's do that..."

"【A Duel Before the Emperor!】"

(End of this chapter)