Kozuki Oden instantly flew into a rage. He was confident and headstrong—how dare these people mock him? Without hesitation, he drew his twin swords.
To achieve his goal, he’d use force and violence if necessary. Even if he had to steal it, he was determined to seize the Golden Ark today.
Seeing Oden’s wild and reckless move, Kozuki Sukiyaki could only hold his head in exasperation.
Does this son of mine have no regard for consequences?
I’m still the ruling shogun of Wano, and he dares draw his blades right in front of me? How am I supposed to maintain any dignity after this? f r\eeNovelHub.c(o)(m)
"Guards! Arrest Kozuki Oden and throw him in the dungeon!"
At Sukiyaki’s command, a group of elite samurai immediately subdued Oden and dragged him away. Right now, Oden wasn’t strong enough to overcome these handpicked swordsmen.
"Let go of me, you bastards! I’m going out to sea!!"
His voice echoed as he was taken away. Brook squinted at the raucous scene, eyeing the man who would one day become a true monster. Oden was a wielder of all three types of Haki, a dual-blade grandmaster, and had awakened the ability to hear the voice of all things.
Still, Wano was his inevitable destiny. Brook found himself wondering whether he should try to rope in this perverted troublemaker and get him aboard their ship.
Though, to be fair, Oden was quite the pervert himself. At fifteen, he was already abducting women nightly to his temple harem—a walking scandal.
Thanks to the ruckus caused by the warriors, Kozuki Sukiyaki had no choice but to allow Brook to go ahead with the dueling event.
In a large open square in the Flower Capital, Brook quickly divided the space into three separate arenas to save time. Linlin refused to participate, so only Redfield, Shiki, and Newgate took to the stage.
Brook was particularly optimistic about Redfield’s unique Observation Haki. He figured the man would soon pick up Wano’s secret technique—Ryūō.
By the time the regional lords arrived, the duels were already underway. In Wano, there were quite a few samurai proficient in Ryūō.
The three challengers didn’t aim for quick victories. Instead, they steadily ramped up the intensity, forcing their opponents to use Ryūō. That way, they could observe and learn more about how it was applied.
"Why aren’t we just driving them off, Lord Shōgun?" asked Fugetsu Jinshō, the burly daimyo of Kibi, his stern face furrowed in disapproval as he watched the foreign warriors clash with Wano’s samurai.
"The warriors want to earn some sake money," Sukiyaki replied casually, his eyes on the three massive gold bricks—each weighing over a hundred pounds—at Brook’s feet. That kind of gold could buy endless sake and countless fine blades.
"The prize is that big? Now I’m tempted to test my skills against them too!" said Shimotsuki Toramaru, daimyo of Ringo, as the famed sword at his side began to tremble with excitement. Not only could he test his blade against foreigners, but he also had a chance to win gold and replenish his clan’s treasury.
"Then go, Toramaru-nii! Let them see the Shimotsuki clan’s Dragon-Slaying Swordsmanship!" urged Shimotsuki Token, daimyo of Hakumai. After all, that sword style, passed down from the legendary swordsman Ryuma, was the pride of the Shimotsuki family.
Standing beside Token was his son, Shimotsuki Yasuie—an 18-year-old with a stern expression and a blue afro. Though under five foot three, the youth carried himself with a commanding presence.
The last of the daimyō, Ametsuki Maiken of Udon, remained silent. He quietly observed Redfield’s noble swordsmanship and Shiki’s unpredictable dual blade techniques.
Brook, meanwhile, was watching the lords from atop a high platform. Activating his Life Detection, he immediately sensed strong life forces from all of them.
One particularly muscular samurai with green hair tied in a topknot caught his attention—his resemblance to Zoro wearing Ryuma’s hairstyle was uncanny. Could he be one of Zoro’s ancestors?
None of the samurai managed to defeat the three challengers or take their golden bricks. Nearby, Shakky, along with Stussy, had set up a stall to buy Seastone. She pulled out a full bag of gold coins and a Den Den Mushi, loudly advertising her wares.
Antonio hesitantly brought out a basic Den Den Mushi of his own, selling it at a high price in exchange for Seastone or rare Wano specialties.
Silva went even further, displaying a few Slash Shells, immediately drawing a crowd of fascinated swordsmen. In Wano, anyone capable of unleashing flying slashes was considered a swordmaster—and now they were seeing strange devices that could do the same!
The Hell Pirates weren’t short on money. Every item had to be paid for in Seastone—highest bidder wins.
Seeing his crewmates setting up shop, ship doctor Crocus also opened a small stall offering medical services and medicines, drawing a steady stream of customers.
"Uncle Tom, what do we have for trade? Let’s collect some Seastone too! I want to make a set of Seastone knuckle claws and gauntlets!" Tiger said, eager to contribute. But the locals kept a wary distance from the two Fish-Men, making even Tom’s wood carvings hard to sell.
The most popular stall turned out to be the one run by head chef Streusen. Using random rocks and tree bark, he whipped up exotic dishes from the outside world, letting the closed-off citizens of Wano experience food they’d never even imagined.
Redfield sensed a powerful aura from Shimotsuki Toramaru, and with a few swift moves, finished off his opponent before pointing directly at the Ringo daimyo.
"You’re strong. Why not come down and fight?"
Already eager for action, Toramaru leapt down into the arena. Eyeing the oddly dressed man before him, he couldn’t help but remark,
"You foreigners sure don’t like wearing topknots or kimono, huh?"
"You’re strong too. I can feel it. I’m Shimotsuki Toramaru. What’s your name?"
And with that, the battle exploded. Blades clashed, sword lights danced, and sparks flew in every direction—shadows flickering too fast for the eye to follow.
"That outsider’s incredible! He’s going blow for blow with Lord Toramaru! He’s the strongest swordsman in Ringo—maybe even in all of Wano!"
The samurai spectators erupted with excitement, cheering wildly for their lord despite only being able to catch glimpses of the action.
"Tch. If he’s going to hog all the spotlight, then I want a worthy fight too!"
Shiki, the Golden Lion, struck down his opponent with one mighty slash and pointed both swords toward the platform, taunting the gathered daimyō.
"Insolent fool! Pointing your sword at the shōgun? I’ll teach you a lesson!"
Fugetsu Jinshō leapt into the fray, blade drawn, to duel Shiki head-on. Seeing this, Newgate let out a booming laugh and followed suit, provoking Ametsuki Maiken into action.
With three daimyō now battling three foreign powerhouses, the Flower Capital came alive. The crowd roared with excitement, having never seen such a grand spectacle in years.
"Father, these outsiders are incredibly strong..." said Yasuie, eyes locked on the clash.
Even Kozuki Sukiyaki, watching from above, began to worry. If these foreigners were forced out by sheer power later, the cost might be too high—for both sides.
+122 Chapters on p@treon/tambeerg