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

Chapter 381 The So-Called Samurai

"Wow! What a huge snake!"

Looking at the multi-headed giant snake rushing towards him from behind Niuwan, Osi's eyes widened slightly.

Wow~ are all these sword-wielding special effects this cool?
No reason?

It was just a sword swing, and even if it was wrapped with domineering energy, it would only produce some sparks and lightning at most. How come they've even brought out the Martial Soul True Body now?

Without time to think, seeing that the knife was about to touch his neck, Osei used a teleportation technique to avoid the attack by a hair's breadth.

Swish-!
The violent sword light tore apart the afterimage left by Ossie in a flash, and then continued its relentless plowing towards the distant mountain peaks...

As if realizing it had been tricked, the greedy and ferocious giant serpent unleashed all its fury on the majestic snow-capped mountain, its sword energy roaring and leaving eight huge and hideous slash marks on the mountainside.

Jue~~~
The snowy owl cried out in alarm, flapping its wings frantically. The birds and beasts that had been hiding on the mountain now seemed to be fleeing a natural disaster, howling and running away for their lives... The purple sword light was dazzling and lingered for a long time, almost tearing the ancient mountain into pieces.

"..."

Shimotsuki Ushimaru maintained his sword-drawing stance, standing motionless in the spot where Osei had stood.

【Sword of the Fourth Month - Ame-no-Murakumo】—This supreme sword, taken from the ancient mythology of Wano Country, is a further improvement by Ushimaru on his original strongest secret sword, 【Tōkatsu Yakumo Ryūrin】, almost miraculously breaking through the limits to create it.

Although it is still in its early stages and there is still a long way to go before it is fully completed... its power is already almost comparable to Oden's "Ten Fists of Peach Blossom Spring". It is the ultimate technique that Ushimaru developed specifically for Okushi.

Now, making its first appearance, its power has shattered mountains and torn the earth apart, like the resurrection of a mythical evil god... but at the same time, this move has also exhausted all his strength.

Now, Niuwan doesn't even have the strength to swing his knife again.

"Whoo~"

A streak of crimson drifted slowly down from the sky and landed on his shoulder, but it vanished in an instant as it turned into specks of light... In its place, traces of blood gradually soaked through his kimono, standing out starkly against the snow-white background.

"Hmm~"

"What a powerful strike!"

A light, cheerful voice came from behind. Niu Wan was startled, then turned around... Ignoring the old wound that had burst open on his shoulder, he simply looked expressionlessly at the unharmed Osei.

"You...dodged it."

"Huh? Right?"

Ossie tilted her head and answered matter-of-factly.

Her small mask was filled with great confusion.

"Um... can't I just dodge?"

"..."

Niu Wan didn't speak, but shakily sheathed his twin swords back at his waist.

puff-

"?!"

"Hey! Are you alright?"

"No...it's okay."

"But you're spurting blood all over your body!"

“Yes, for a samurai, this is nothing…”

"No, maybe it's best not to be reckless at a time like this?"

"You don't look like you're not... Hey?!"

Boom!
……

……

A beam of white light pierced the darkness, and when Shimotsuki Ushimaru opened his eyes again, he only saw a corner of an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Yo~ You're awake?"

A familiar voice rang in my ears, followed by a dazzling crimson flash that entered my field of vision.

Niu Wan slightly turned his eyes and asked quite naturally:

"Where is this?"

"This is our pirate crew's temporary camp in Ringo. There is a ship's doctor stationed here... I saw you were covered in blood, and I was afraid you would die outside, so I brought you here."

"Is that so... Thank you."

Niu Wan struggled to lift his head, glanced at the clean bandages that had been replaced on his body, and smelled the blood-tinged medicine on them. He honestly thanked them first.

For a samurai, even a single meal's kindness is something to be remembered and repaid in the future... let alone a life-saving favor, a thank you is a must.

"Oh? So what are you planning to use to thank me?"

"Forehead……"

Upon hearing this, Niuwan was instantly speechless. He really hadn't figured out how to thank the other person.

Speaking of which, the relationship between these daimyo and the beasts is still tense, and they are practically enemies... But looking at the masked guy in front of him, Ushimaru found it hard to feel any hostility.

Swords don't lie. After this period of fighting, swordsman Ushimaru can confirm that his opponent is not an evil person.

Besides, every time he challenged his opponent, although he always ended in defeat, his opponent never abandoned him, lying on the ground as a loser. Putting himself in his opponent's shoes, Ushimaru knew he couldn't do that.

Upon hearing the slightly teasing remark, Niuwan lowered his head and pondered for a moment before saying:

"Alright... I'll turn a blind eye to what you've built in [Linghou] during this time and won't cause you any more trouble."

"You had no reason to cause us any trouble in the first place."

"You admitted defeat in front of everyone during that duel a while ago."

"As the loser, you have no right to point fingers at us."

"..."

Niuwan fell silent.

He closed his eyes and stopped looking at Ossie.

"Tsk~ Alright, alright~"

Seeing the other person's embarrassed expression, Ossie didn't tease him anymore.

"I won't tease you anymore."

"I'm really fed up with you guys who have something wrong with your brains."

"If you're still injured, stay home quietly. Why do you have to chase after me all over the world all day long? I'm very busy, you know!"

"You almost froze to death outside this time, are you satisfied now?"

"Given the weather in [Ringo], it is indeed possible. But if I really died out there, it probably wouldn't be such a bad thing for you, would it?"

"Our relationship can hardly be described as friendly right now."

Well, you can't say that.

"After all, Captain Kaido is still hoping that you will abandon the light and join us."

"Abandoning the light for darkness? Haha~ That's a very apt description!"

"What's wrong with that? We're not exactly good people anyway... Pirates are just bandits on the high seas, there's no need to hide it."

As Ossie spoke, she pulled over a chair and sat down on the edge of Niuwan's bed with her legs crossed. She also took out a green apple from somewhere and began to slowly peel it.

The exquisite red crystal blade gently pierced the top of the apple, and then with a slight twist of the wrist, the flesh began to move along the edge of the blade.

Shashasha~
A thin, green peel hangs down, continuous, like a coiled little snake.

After the final pick, the glistening, round flesh of the fruit is completely exposed to the air, glistening with moisture.

"Ah woo~"

As Niu Wan's eyes widened slightly, filled with a mixture of confusion and surprise, Ossie took a bite... The next moment, her expression froze slightly, but she continued chewing as if nothing had happened.

"Chew, chew~"

"Now that we've set our sights on this country, whether you call it plundering or invasion, Wano Country will ultimately belong to the beasts."

With something in his mouth, Ossie still spoke clearly, and the seriousness in his words was conveyed to Niuwan, who was lying on the bed.

"..."

He paused for a few seconds after hearing this, then spoke:

"I see... You really don't hide it at all."

“But I cannot stand by and watch Wano Country be annexed by you… whether as a vassal of the Kozuki clan, as the daimyo of Wano Country, or simply as a samurai.”

"No matter my position, I cannot stand by and watch this country fall into the hands of others."

"The ruler of Wano Country can only be [Kozuki]."

Ushimaru stared at the ceiling above him, his tone carrying the air of something that Wano Country had taken for granted for centuries.

【Kozuki】—Even though the man bearing this surname is not in Wano Country, he still has a strong connection with everyone in this country.

Beasts, serpents, daimyo, samurai, knights... these forces seem to be at peace now, but conflicts are accumulating in the shadows, like a storm brewing.

Everyone was holding back and waiting, waiting for the man who had been the center of attention to return.

That will be the moment when all the conflicts ignite.

"..."

"It doesn't matter, let's talk about it when the time comes?"

"But let me make this clear first: when that day comes, I won't hold back."

"Heh~ I'd love to... Ugh! What are you doing?"

Taking advantage of the moment when Niuwan opened his mouth to speak, Ossie shoved the half-eaten apple into his mouth... The swiftness of the action caught him completely off guard.

"I'm full, so you can have the rest."

"After all, you're a patient, so eating more fruit is good for you. Don't be shy~"

After saying that, she clapped her hands, got up and left, leaving behind Niu Wan, whose eyes rolled back in his head from being choked by the sour juice of the green apple.

(End of this chapter)