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

Chapter 363 Defeat
Tick ​​tock~tick tock~
"..."

"That's strange, why were you able to wound me this time?"

"I couldn't even scratch your skin a moment ago."

……

The gust of wind created by Jhin's all-out charge gradually subsided, and the effects of the stun grenade slowly wore off...

Everyone present rubbed their sore and tired eyes, and after confirming that their vision had been restored, they quickly looked towards the center of the battlefield.

"No, it won't, right?"

One of the samurai murmured excitedly, the scene before him completely different from what he had imagined.

"Ou, Ushimaru-sama, he..."

"Beef Ball, you..."

……

"Lord Jin!"

When Jin's guards saw the scene clearly, their eyes widened, and they exclaimed in disbelief.

Jin remained in the posture of slashing horizontally with his sword, cleanly and neatly cutting the stone wall in front of him in two, with traces of melting still visible at the break.

His tall, dark body stood there, pressing down on people like an iron tower, making it hard to breathe.

Meanwhile, Shimotsuki Ushimaru closed his eyes and appeared behind and to the side of Jin, holding his sword in a reverse grip.

His head was still intact and attached to his neck.

Tick ​​tock~tick tock~
On the gleaming, slender blade, glaring blood gradually gathered along the chaotic blade patterns, forming a pool before slowly dripping down.
shuh~
With a casual flick of his wrist, Niuwan flung the remaining bloodstains onto the ground, leaving the blade sparkling clean and gleaming with a chilling aura.

This is a precious sword.

"..."

Jin's gaze fell to his lower back, where he felt a sharp, stabbing pain... To be honest, he hadn't felt this kind of pain in a long time.

The skin was cut open, and bright red blood stained the black leather jacket, making it difficult to see clearly.

But clearly, Jhin's fatal blow missed, and he himself was even slashed by Ushimaru.

The wound on his waist wasn't deep; it was just a small cut in the skin. However, it was enough to shock everyone present.

The samurai of Wano Country were astonished that Ushimaru was able to seize the opportunity and launch a counterattack at the last minute, even though he had been deprived of his sight and hearing.

What level of swordsmanship skill is required!

No wonder they are descendants of the Sword God!

If it weren't for the general's gloomy expression, the samurai would have even cheered for that brilliant strike.

……

Compared to the Wano Country people who were suppressing their excitement, the Beasts were surprised that the enemy's sword had actually managed to wound King.

That's Ash!
The top commander of all the beasts! The most senior officer in the pirate crew!

Many members of the Beasts Pirates had never even seen King injured... In their minds, King was an absolutely impenetrable fortress, seemingly impervious to any attack, whether swords or cannons.

"Goooo~"

"Wow, was that samurai really that strong?"

"He actually broke through Lord Jin's defenses with just a sword."

"Unbelievable... Is this what a samurai is like?"

Some members of the Beasts Clan are beginning to change their opinion of the Wano Country samurai. They initially viewed these sword-wielding individuals with the arrogance often associated with natives.
But I never expected these natives to be so strong. A mere daimyo actually has the strength to rival a high-ranking official!
Listening to the chattering behind him, Quinn turned to the side and whispered:

"Hey~ little girl."

"Is this brat named Jin really that strong? Why are these guys reacting so strongly after he was just slashed?"

Having only recently arrived at the Beastmasters, he hadn't met Jhin many times and didn't know much about him, so he didn't understand what it meant for Jhin to be injured...

Unfortunately, the person he asked wasn't much better off than him.
"what?"

"I don't know?"

When asked, Ossie scratched his head. To be honest, his impression of Jhin had always been quite fragmented...

Normally, Jhin has a cold and aloof demeanor, seemingly indifferent to everyone, but he can suddenly pull off some extremely abstract things like "[Sable's self-respecting emperor]"~
When Ossi first saw this move that defeated Obey, he was immediately amazed!

She kept pulling and stretching Jin's face for a long time, trying to see what his head was made of, how could it be stretched so long like a rubber band?
But when it comes to specific strength...

"Jin... probably... isn't that strong, right?"

"From what I remember, besides being a bit tough, he didn't seem to have anything special. In terms of skill, he probably couldn't even compare to you."

Osi's words were so blunt that even the pirates directly under King's command behind her looked rather embarrassed.

If anyone else had said that to Jhin, they would have drawn their knives long ago... but unfortunately, it was Osie who spoke~
This guy is the second most wanted person in the world, and he's been rampaging through the New World for years, taking down countless world-famous figures.

"That's it..."

Hearing Ossie's words, Quinn nodded, but then immediately realized...

"wrong!"

"What do you mean you can't even beat me?! I'm pretty strong, you know!"

"You should know that my body, after being modified, is absolutely invincible..."

"You mean the kind of invincible guy who can smash a hole in the floor of a gynecology exam room with his head?"

"It's a good thing you're a cadre of our Hundred Beasts, otherwise, if you dared to act like a hooligan in the hospital, you would have been slaughtered like a pig long ago..."

"That was just an accident."

Quinn said awkwardly, feeling that he had always been looked down upon since he came to the Beasts.

He was clearly a high-ranking official, the nominal top leader, yet he received none of the respect due to any other official…

Whether it's Ossie, Obey, or even Wright, they all seem to be completely acting like comedians.
That won't do; Lord Quinn's authority must be established.

...In the dueling arena, the second round between Jhin and Shimotsuki Ushimaru has begun.

raging~
A raging fire crashed down from the sky, causing a series of explosions around Niuwan.

Having transformed into a pterosaur, Jhin continuously poured his flames onto the ground, resembling a black bomber.

"Hey!"

"You can even transform? Are you some kind of monster who ate that kind of fruit?"

With a wave of his hand, he slashed away the fireballs falling towards his head. Ushimaru looked at Jin, who had spread his huge membranous wings in the sky, and asked curiously.

His sight and hearing had returned, and he even managed to retrieve the knife that Jin had twisted from his hand...

Shimotsuki Ushimaru now holds a long sword in each hand, and his outer robe has been completely removed and tied around his waist, revealing his well-built upper body without any scars.

As the strongest swordsman in Wano Country at this time, Ushimaru is actually a dual-wielder.

"Two Emperors in the Blade!"

Jin didn't answer Niuwan's question, but continued to attack the ground relentlessly.

Clang clang clang~
With a wave of his membrane wings, countless crescent-shaped slashes attacked Niu Wan, who was wielding two swords, but he easily parried them with his swords.

Seeing this, Jin lunged forward with a thrust, spinning rapidly like a top. Bright flames clung to the tips of his wings, forming a blazing ring of fire…

"It's interesting~"

Feeling the heat of the ring of fire, Niuwan closed his eyes again and grinned:
"Then I'll be a little more serious on my end too."

"Dual-wielding style—"

Ushimaru twirled the two long swords, then gripped them in a reverse grip, holding them horizontally in front of his chest—the chaotic blade patterns on the swords seemed to come alive and twist in the firelight.
"The calamity of the Jade Emperor, the Scales Fall from the Jade Palace!"

Niuwan's eyes suddenly snapped open!

Zheng——

A flash of deep purple light streaked across the sky, seemingly splitting the heavens and the earth in one swift motion.

All that was heard was the sound of a sword clashing—followed by the flames dissipating into a sky full of dazzling fireworks.

……

"it is good!"

"As expected of beef balls, haha!"

"After not seeing him for several years, his swordsmanship has improved again... He is indeed a descendant of Ryoma, just as monstrous as ever."

Shimotsuki Yasuie and several other daimyo clasped their hands together, watching the dazzling beef ball, their originally serious expressions gradually softening.

……

"Wooo-ha-ha!"

"Not bad, samurai."

"Tons, tons, tons~"

Kaido, standing in the stands, laughed heartily, as if cheering for the samurai who were his enemies.

……

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"

"It's really useless!"

"What on earth is that black guy doing?! Why doesn't Kaido go up there himself?!"

While some are happy, others are furious.

Orochi, sitting high on the main seat, was both surprised and frightened. The strength that Ushimaru had displayed had already made some of the ronin samurai who opposed him restless again.

Orochi even heard some samurai who were not under his command cheering quietly.

That's how these guys are; they side with whichever side shows greater strength.

"Damn it! They're all a bunch of untrustworthy guys!"

"Hey! Kaido!"

Orochi looked anxiously at Kaido, who was still drinking and watching the show.

"Ok?"

"what happened?"

"You'd better go up there and take care of these guys!"

"If this continues, our cooperation will be impossible to continue! Once those daimyo win, those remaining who oppose this general will definitely take the opportunity to drive us all out!"

"..."

The giant snake's words were somewhat alarmist.

Even if Jin loses, the samurai of Wano Country don't have the power to drive the beasts away... At most, Orochi's prestige might suffer a little, but it's just a minor matter of his orders not extending beyond the Shogun's residence.
But if Niuwan and his group were to borrow that 'momentum,' that would indeed be a bit troublesome.
[Well, let's break the spirit of these samurai first, and then slowly subdue them...]
Kaido shrugged, seemingly lost in thought.

"Huh? What for?"

"Go up there, replace Jin, and then take care of those samurai."

"No need to kill them, just crush them as quickly as possible."

"Defeat...you've got your eye on these guys?"

"……Um."

"I guess so. It would be such a waste for these guys to die like this, wouldn't it?"

"Orochimaru promised that I could develop Wano Country's resources at my leisure... Aren't these samurai a kind of resource too?"

"Wooo-ha-ha-ha!"

"So, can you do it?"

(End of this chapter)