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

Chapter 361 Play
Wow! ! !
As soon as Shimotsuki Ushimaru uttered the words that he wanted to initiate a "duel before the emperor," everyone around him, including Orochi Yasuie, stared wide-eyed.

Immediately, a cacophony of noise erupted from the crowd, far exceeding the previous roar.

"Beef Ball, you..."

Shimotsuki Yasuie looked at Ushimaru in surprise, not expecting that the other party would use this method to force Orochi to submit.

A duel before the emperor initiated by a daimyo—that's something that's never happened before in the long history of Wano Country!
The reason is simple—who is qualified to duel a daimyo?
It's important to know that even the so-called "imperial duels" have strict hierarchical rules. The general will send different challengers based on the status and rank of the initiator of the duel...

For example, against lower-ranking samurai or even ronin, one can simply send a samurai from the "Mimaigumi" group... but if the challenger is a daimyo's personal guard, then the shogun must also send his own personal guard.

As a general, the person he sends to participate in the "Duel Before the Emperor" must be of equal or even half a rank higher than the opponent, which is related to the general's prestige and the importance he attaches to the "Duel Before the Emperor".

But now... the daimyo himself has proposed a "duel before the emperor," so who can the shogun send to accept the challenge?
The leader of the "Mimi-gumi" group? That's not even qualified!
There are so many levels difference!
The only option is for the general himself to step in, as only he could live up to the daimyo's status...

But if the general himself takes action, then it's no longer a duel before the emperor; it has to be changed to a "royal expedition"...

Moreover, drawing one's sword against a general is a great disrespect!

Even a famous name is not acceptable.

The so-called "imperial duel" has evolved over a long period of time into a political game of power struggles among top nobles such as shoguns and daimyo...

Now you, a player, are personally warming up and getting involved, and even trying to drag the other player into it too!
It's not surprising that this game has bugs.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him again, the giant snake panicked completely.

He may be a Devil Fruit user, and his Devil Fruit power is even a legendary Mythical Zoan... but he can't fight!

He used the powerful abilities of the Mythical Zoan species as a means of survival, and never developed them for combat... Orochi, who was born in Wano Country, a land of samurai, had never even touched a sword more than a few times!

On the other side, Shimotsuki Ushimaru is a descendant of the "Sword God"! His family has been renowned for its powerful swordsmanship for generations, producing countless sword masters!
Ushimaru himself is one of the top swordsmen in Wano Country, and even now that Oden has set sail, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is the number one swordsman in Wano Country!
Just like now, the giant snake felt a chill run down its neck simply by looking at the other person…

He figured his life was just a matter of the other guy swinging his knife a few more times.
"Lord Orochi, you can rest assured. With my barrier magic, you will be safe and sound."

Just as Orochi was about to retreat and back down, Kurozumi Semimaru, who was holding a samamushi bead and looked like a musician, spoke in a low voice.

Like Kurozumi Higurashi, he was one of the masterminds behind Orochi's rise to the position of Shogun, and he was also a user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, capable of generating barriers that he claimed could defend against all attacks...

However, Orochi obviously wouldn't risk his life on the opponent's so-called impenetrable barrier spell; what if the opponent was just bragging?
He had only been a general for a few days and was reluctant to give up his life of wealth and honor.

So the giant serpent ignored the other party and continued to speak, its bravado masking its weakness:

“Hehe~”

"Bull, beef balls! I, I am a general!"

"You, you, a daimyo, are you going to draw your sword against me?!"

"Or do you not want the heads of those samurai back?"

"嘁~"

Seeing the other party's cowardly and despicable appearance, Niuwan below scoffed disdainfully.

"I was initially quite interested in cutting off your head, but forget it now~"

"To cut down a guy like you would be an insult to my sword."

"Listen up, great serpent."

"The opponent I want to challenge in the Imperial Duel..."

With a look of relief in Orochi's eyes, Ushimaru slowly pointed his sword in a certain direction.

"...It's this guy."

"?!"

"Eh?!"

"Me, me?"

Osei, who had been chatting with Kaido about everything from drinking to parenting, noticed that everyone's eyes were on him and pointed somewhat unhappily to his masked face.

It is well known that duelists dislike being pointed at—whether by a finger or a sword.

So Ossie instinctively wanted to roll up her sleeves and then raise her fist in an attack gesture.

"You? I'm talking about the guy next to you. I have no interest in a scumbag like you."

Shimotsuki Ushimaru refuted Osei's suspicions without hesitation. His words were utterly unpolite, and his eyes were fixed on Kaido.

Ushimaru knew very well that even if he killed Orochi now, it would be futile and might even trigger internal strife in Wano Country.

Compared to the insignificant giant serpent, the far more terrifying dragon before them had already opened its blood-red maw and was about to bite into this country...

It won't give in easily; the only way is to cut off its head with a knife.

"You're Kaido, aren't you?"

"How about I try out the knife?"

Niuwan takes on the challenge, attempting to address the problem directly at its root.

"..."

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" "Interesting! So these are the samurai of Wano Country?"

"This is so much fun!"

"Tons, tons, tons~"

Kaido, who had been pointed at by a sword, laughed heartily. After taking another big gulp of sake, he wiped his mouth and looked at Shimotsuki Gyumaru with great interest.

From the moment he entered, he sat in the luxurious seat prepared for him by Orochi, quietly enjoying the farce in Wano Country, just as he would enjoy a Noh performance in that country.

For some reason, Kaido really enjoys these kinds of melodramatic shows. Despite being a person with little patience, he can sit still and watch them for hours.

Now, the play, performed by the general, the daimyo, and the samurai, is finally about to reach its climax... He, as a spectator, can't help but become somewhat interested.

"Hey~ you're a descendant of that Ryoma guy, right?"

"When I first came to this country, I saw a play that told the story of your ancestor slaying the dragon..."

"That was a fantastic show, very entertaining, I loved it!"

"..."

Ushimaru, holding the knife, had a strange expression on his face, wondering what Kaido meant by saying all this.

Why are you saying all this?

"Nothing much~ It's just that seeing a swordsman like you makes me certain that the legend isn't made up."

“You are very strong. There shouldn’t be anyone stronger than you among these warriors.”

"So, how about it? Interested in coming to my side?"

"..."

"what?"

Not only Ushimaru, but everyone present was speechless with shock at Kaido's words.

How come... do all these outsiders have such strange thought processes?

Not only did they not take being threatened with a knife seriously, but they even tried to win over the other party.

Moreover, the person he's trying to win over is a daimyo! And the daimyo of Suzugo, known for his martial prowess!
This outsider actually wants to bring the daimyo under his command!
That's utterly arrogant!

Kaido's words thoroughly enraged the proud people of Wano Country. They wanted to recruit this outsider into their ranks—did he want to become the shogun of Wano?!
"You...you rude and arrogant outsider!"

The samurai under Ushimaru couldn't help but shout in anger. They wished they could immediately draw their swords and cut off Kaido's head for insulting their lord.

"Lord Kang is right, you outsiders should be kicked out of Wano Country!"

"They're just a bunch of thieves, yet they dare to covet your esteemed name! How ignorant and arrogant they are!"

"They're nothing but a bunch of ignorant barbarians!"

"..."

“It’s so noisy!!!”

boom--!
Hearing the increasingly noisy shouts and curses around him, Kaido roared impatiently!
A powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body in an instant, crushing everything around him like a storm until almost everyone around him was stunned.

After the initial impact, only a few powerful samurai remained standing... Kaido glanced around and found that there were still quite a few people.

"Well, have you thought about it?"

"Want to come over here?"

"..."

Ushimaru squinted. Kaido's aura had just erupted, which had shaken him to his core. Facing the overwhelming force of this overlord at close range gave him a clearer understanding of the strength of the person in front of him.

[This guy... might be even stronger than Oden!]
"Hey~"

"Sorry, I have to decline your invitation."

"I'm more interested in cutting off your head than being your subordinate."

"I heard from the Kang family that you're also a 'dragon,' right?"

Ushimaru still refused Kaido's invitation, or rather, he never considered joining Kaido's ranks in the first place.

"Oh, I see. That's a real shame."

"Indeed, no matter what kind of drama it is, it is most perfect to end with a refreshing battle."

Kaido said he was disappointed, but there was no sign of disappointment on his face. Instead, he smiled.

Amidst the murderous intent emanating from Niuwan, he... did not get up, but instead shifted to a more comfortable position, as if intending to watch the most exciting scene of this drama unfold.

"Don't make that face. I may have said you're strong, but you're still no match for me."

"Jin, you're in charge of dealing with this guy."

　Shimotsuki Ushimaru and his crew must be quite strong; Kaido has always been reluctant to kill them in the manga... and these guys ended up reading Oden's diary to Yamato as a bedtime story while they were in prison~ (laughs)

　　And just like that, Yamato's life was completely ruined.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)