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

Chapter 362 The Ember's Bizarre Battle
"Jin, you shall be his opponent."

Kaido shifted to a more comfortable position and continued to sit comfortably in the stands, while sending King up to join him.

Shimotsuki Ushimaru is very strong, and the battle-hardened members of the Hundred Beasts can see that... especially after he revealed his aura as a great swordsman, even the originally high-spirited Flying Six couldn't help but feel ashamed.

This is not an opponent they can handle.

Wano Country is a place where hidden talents abound. Apart from the Yasuie family, who are usually focused on governing their territory and may be slightly weaker, all the other daimyo are great swordsmen.

These people would be big names even in the New World.

Wano Country has been invaded by outsiders before, but the reason it has been able to remain peacefully closed off for so many years is not solely due to the great waterfall outside.

……

"Hey? Let Jin go..."

Ossie looked at Jin, who had silently stepped forward to stand against Shimotsuki Ushimaru, and said with some concern.

"Can Jhin beat them? That purple-haired guy doesn't look weak at all~"

"Why don't we let the fat uncle go?"

"what?!"

Quinn, who had been staring at the beauties in the giant snake's arms, was startled by what he heard.

Upon hearing Ossie's order to deal with that terrifying warrior, he immediately pulled his eyes away from the sight of those beautiful women and shook his head vigorously.
"No, no, no!"

"Why is it me, the great one?"

"Because you're thick-skinned and tough! With all that fat piling up, that swordsman wouldn't be able to cut you down in less than thirty or fifty strikes!"

"Why am I getting slashed thirty or fifty times?! My injuries haven't even healed yet!"

"And I've said it so many times, this isn't fat, it's muscle! Muscle!"

Quinn protested loudly.

Joke~

Fighting that fierce swordsman is nowhere near as satisfying as admiring a beautiful woman!
Looking at these delicate and graceful girls, Quinn couldn't help but grin foolishly.

[Wow, these girls from Wano Country are all so beautiful!]
[That little face, that little mouth... oh my!]
[That giant serpent has utterly ruined it!]
The thought of being surrounded by beautiful women, just like that giant snake, made Quinn hum a little tune to himself.
With his handsome appearance, compared to that giant snake with its big head and thick neck, he'd surely be able to make those delicate beauties fall head over heels for him!
"Hehe~hehehe~"

"Ah~"

Seeing Quinn suddenly start laughing like an idiot while he was talking, Osie turned her face away in disgust and looked at Jhin, who had already walked onto the stage.

……

Step~
Black spiky boots clattered against the stone-paved dueling platform, producing a metallic scraping sound.

The carefully laid bluestone paving stones underfoot were already covered with scratches left by swords and knives... These marks, some deep and some shallow, crisscrossed, showing the prowess of the warriors who participated in the duels in the past.

In Wano Country, many swordsmen who have mastered the art of swordsmanship, when they encounter a bottleneck in their practice, like to stand alone here, observing these sword marks in hopes of gaining a glimmer of insight.
……

But Jhin was clearly not that kind of swordsman; he had no pursuit of the way of the sword.

Although Jhin also uses a sword, he follows a similar path to Big Mom, relying on sheer strength and throwing bricks, with little to no swordsmanship to speak of...

As a Fire/Flying type Pokémon, it mainly relies on its strong base stats and aerial advantage to fight.

……

"Oh?"

"Kaido himself doesn't dare to come up, so he sent you, a monster, instead?"

Frost Moon Beef Ball looked at Jin, who was completely wrapped in leather, and curled his lip.

With wings on its back, a completely black body, and flames burning out of nowhere behind its head... such an appearance was quite a visual shock to the people of Wano Country, which was closed off from the outside world.

As a member of the nearly extinct Lunaria clan, he has always been recognized here as the legendary yokai, Ōtengu.

“There’s no need for Mr. Kaido to deal with someone like you.”

Jin drew his sword, which was longer than Niu Wan's height, and spoke in his usual indifferent tone.

"Ha~ That's quite an arrogant tone."

"You outsiders are really annoying—!"

Swish-!
Like a black phantom, Jin spread his wings and covered a distance of tens of meters in an instant, slashing down with the long sword in his hand!

Clang! ! !
"Hey!"

Shimotsuki Ushimaru effortlessly caught the attack with his sword; the two longswords, imbued with an aura of dominance, clashed and sparked...

Crunchy~
Jin kept pressing down, trying to use his height advantage to overwhelm the swordsman in front of him... but Ushimaru remained relaxed~
"How rude!"

"At least give a heads-up before drawing your sword; that's basic etiquette."

"I don't have that kind of boring habit, and using any means necessary is the etiquette of a pirate."

"Drink!"

With a loud shout, the flames behind him wrapped around the blade, and with a powerful swing, he knocked the bullball away.

……

"mean!"

"They actually launched a sneak attack!"

"These outsiders have absolutely no dignity as warriors!"

Compared to Gyumaru's nonchalant attitude, the surrounding samurai were far less composed, and one by one they began to hurl insults...

There is a strict set of standard procedures for duels between samurai, especially since this is a "duel in front of the emperor." These outsiders actually launched a sneak attack without even announcing their names!

It's so shameful!
The guards that Niu Wan brought were all gritting their teeth, but they didn't dare to go up and disturb the [Duel in Front of the Emperor]. They could only express their indignation by constantly cursing.

In contrast to the anger of the crowd, the prominent members of the Kang family looked worried.

"This is troublesome. Kaido didn't even go into battle himself. Is he trying to wear down Ushimaru's stamina first?"

Kang Jia looked serious, his brows furrowed as he watched the two men locked in another fierce battle on stage.

"It's possible."

The tempura vendor standing nearby nodded in agreement.

"That black monster is no simple matter. It will take Ushimaru quite a bit of effort to defeat it..."

"Um……"

"And those monsters around Kaido, who look like mountains of flesh, don't look easy to deal with either."

"Tsk! What a miscalculation."

"We should let Ushimaru conserve his strength first. We'll leave those two monsters to me and Tempura, so he can be fully prepared to deal with Kaido."

Fengyue Rice Ball slapped his thigh, quite regretting it.

They didn't know Kaido's true strength, but they did know Ushimaru's strength... If any of them could defeat Kaido, it could only be Ushimaru.

……

The lords' faces fell, realizing they had made a grave mistake.

But there was no other way; the [Duel in Front of the Emperor] was the least costly option they could choose.

They can't very well go back to their territory to gather their warriors and directly declare war on the giant serpent and the beasts, can they?

Keep in mind that Orochi is still the nominal shogun of Wano Country. Not to mention how many samurai are willing to accompany them to "purge the court of corrupt officials"... just consider how many Wano Country citizens will be caught up in the war once it starts.

Given Orochi's nature, could he possibly bind all the people of Huadu to his war chariot, using them as hostages or even cannon fodder?

The Kang family dared not gamble, nor could they gamble.

"Sigh~ If only Oden were here."

……

Compared to the daimyo who were cornered, the beasts and Orochi now seem to be in a much more comfortable position.

Seeing that the once aggressive Ushimaru was now fighting with the Beastmen, Orochi breathed a sigh of relief.

He was genuinely afraid that Niuwan would recklessly force him to engage in some kind of "royal duel"... He had only just begun to enjoy a few days of wealth and luxury, and he was extremely reluctant to give up everything he had now.

Fortunately, the current situation has evolved into the scenario he most hoped for.

He fought to the death with the beasts and these disobedient daimyo samurai, and then reaped the benefits, completely eliminating those who opposed him.

"Unfortunately, the scale wasn't big enough." "If only these daimyo, along with their damned retainers, could wage a great battle against the beasts..."

"It would be best if more people died, so that these lowly people could also taste the bitterness of losing their families and homes!"

Just as the Kang family had guessed, Orochi, as an avenger, didn't care at all about the lives of the people of Wano Country... he even wished that these people could die painfully after suffering so much torment.

……

Compared to the worried faces of the Kang family and Orochi's change from shock to joy, Kaido maintained a relaxed and carefree attitude throughout the entire performance.

Now that the most troublesome hurdle has been overcome, the forces of the Beasts have set foot on this land... it's only a matter of time before they are completely brought under our control.

This is where the advantage of having Orochi, the shogun who is making a strong claim against Wano Country, as an inside agent becomes apparent.

Under normal circumstances, if the Beasts wanted to invade Wano Country... not to mention the formidable waterfall, even if they were lucky enough to land successfully, these daimyo only needed one order to plunge Kaido and his crew into an ambush by countless samurai before they could even catch their breath.

Even if the beasts, unfamiliar with the land, manage to conquer Wano Country, they will be severely weakened, and years of accumulation may be destroyed in an instant.

But now that the giant serpent has appeared, the situation has instantly reversed.

As a shogun, his power can rival or even suppress the power of the daimyo, preventing Wano Country from uniting its forces against external threats.

This even forced the daimyo to rely on one-on-one duels as a legal means to gain a sliver of hope in driving away the beasts.
"Ha~ It's just as ridiculous as a dancer in shackles."

Kaido chuckled, then drank his wine while watching the battle unfold on the stage.

……

Ping! Ping! Ping!
Countless flashes of swords and blades streaked through the air, each clash producing a piercing, ear-piercing sound.

"Fire Emperor!"

After parrying a fierce slash with his sword, Jin threw a punch at Niu Wan, and blazing flames burst from his fist.

boom!
Flames burst forth, and extremely high temperatures rushed towards Niuwan, but there was no trace of panic on his face.

"Flame Splitting Slash!"

With a mere flick of his wrist, the orange-red flames were cleaved in two as if they were solid objects… Using his longsword to block Jin's fist, Niuwan laughed:
"I've been wondering for a long time... do dragons all breathe fire?"

"If that's the case, then the first thing I need to do before beheading a dragon is to cut through its flames."

"It seems the sword technique I developed for this purpose is quite effective."

"boring."

Seeing his flames being cut open, Jhin was somewhat surprised, but his years of combat experience allowed him to quickly calm down.

call--!
A whip kick slammed into Niu Wan's side, and at the same time, a string of long, sharp spikes suddenly protruded from his calf, gleaming with a dark, cold light.

"Tsk! You outsiders really have a knack for playing tricks."

Faced with those terrifying spikes, Niuwan had no choice but to swing his knife to block...

Swah——

The sharp blade sliced ​​off several spikes, but it couldn't cut any further when it reached Jin's calf.

"so hard!"

boom!
Completely unexpectedly, Niu Wan was sent flying far away by this whip kick, as Jin's body was so resilient.

……

boom! ! !
"it is good!"

The giant snake in the stands watched as Shimotsuki Ushimaru was kicked away, crashing against the stone wall before being buried under the rubble, and he couldn't help but cheer loudly.

Meanwhile, the Kang family members below felt a sudden jolt in their hearts.

"Beef balls!"

"Ushimaru-sama!"

"..."

"Cough, cough, cough!"

"I am fine."

Following the rule that smoke doesn't cause harm, Niuwan, who seemed unharmed, stood up from the ruins and waved to disperse the surrounding smoke and dust.

He's now standing outside the dueling ring, but thankfully this isn't sumo, so there's no rule that you lose if you step out of the ring.

Wu~
Jin gave his opponent no chance to breathe, his dark body flying above Niu Wan again, followed by a powerful downward slash.

Clang!
Creak, creak, creak~
With quick reflexes, Niuwan once again blocked Jin's slash with his sword, the powerful force causing Jin's sword to creak.

"Your body is quite strange; it actually withstood my slash."

"Is this a monster's talent?"

"..."

Jin did not answer him, but instead turned the mechanism on the hilt of the sword.

Click~
With a crisp sound, Jin's blade suddenly retracted into a comb shape, firmly wedging Niuwan's knife.

"Eh?"

Ushimaru, who had never encountered such a situation before, was stunned for a moment. Then, Jin seized the opportunity and twisted the sword in his hand horizontally, causing the long sword to fly out of his grasp...

"Danger!"

Seeing this, Amatsuki Tempura, who was behind him, quickly reminded him, because Jin's next punch was already coming right after him and smashing into Ushimaru's head.

boom! ! !
After regaining his senses, Niuwan retreated and narrowly dodged Jin's heavy punch... but the heat wave from the punch still singed a large patch of his hair.

da~
The wooden clogs stepped back onto the ground, making a different kind of crisp sound.

Shimotsuki Ushimaru, having created some distance, looked at the long sword in Jin's hand and asked with a strange expression:

"What kind of knife is this? Why is it deformed?"

"This is not a knife, it's a weapon."

"what?"

Ushimaru clearly didn't understand what Jin meant. What Jin was holding was a fairly standard samurai sword, only much larger in size... However, Jin didn't explain further, but instead raised the sword in his hand and pointed it at Ushimaru.

"..."

Click~
It was that familiar sound of a mechanism being activated. Immediately afterward, the knife in Jin's hand "whooshed" and grew to forty meters long, stabbing towards Shimotsuki Ushimaru like a viper spitting its tongue.

"?!"

A keen swordsman's instincts made Ushimaru subconsciously tilt his head, narrowly dodging Jin's sneak attack once again.

Step~
With a step back, Niuwan distanced himself from Jin again, looking at the knife that had shrunk back to its normal length with lingering fear.

He now roughly understands why Jhin calls it a 'weapon'.

The knife is merely a disguise for that thing, and slashing is just one of its attack methods... The 'knife' in Jhin's hand is actually a multi-functional killing tool.

Niuwan even suspected that the thing might fire some kind of crossbow bolt or other hidden weapon in the next second~
boom!
As expected, as Jin finished aiming, a small object was propelled from the hilt of the sword... but it wasn't the crossbow bolt that Niuwan had anticipated, but a sharp bullet.

"Hey!"

"Sorry, I'm prepared this time."

Almost at the same moment that Jin fired the bullet, Niu Wan, with a confident smile on his face, drew another sword from his waist with lightning speed and slashed directly at the silver bullet.

Hey~
"Ok?"

The expected crisp sound of a knife slicing through a bullet did not come.

Under Ushimaru's watchful gaze, just before it was about to be cleaved in two by his own sword, the bullet suddenly exploded on its own.

Bang! Buzzing! Buzzing!
The intense light and loud noise instantly robbed Niuwan of his sight and hearing.

All that remained before his eyes was pure white, and all sounds around him vanished, leaving only an endless ringing in his ears.

Yes, what Jhin fired wasn't an ordinary bullet, but a miniature stun grenade... and the ruthless Obey even added a tiny proximity fuse to the tip of the stun grenade.

It's incredibly gloomy!
"it's over!"

Having successfully launched a sneak attack, Jin didn't waste a single moment. He compressed the flames into his body and slashed at Ushimaru's neck with unprecedented speed...

puff-

　At this time, Jhin was only twenty years old, and his strength seemed to be below Quinn's. It felt like he would have a hard time even fighting a few Red Scabbards.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)