Kurozumi Kanjuro was a high-ranking officer of the Kurozumi family, yet he had been eliminated so effortlessly by a mere kid!
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have acquired an A-Rank Devil Fruit: Brush-Brush Fruit!
Ding! Congratulations, Host, quest complete! You have earned one Lucky Draw ticket!
Ryuma took a deep breath upon hearing the notifications.
He hadn't expected the Brush-Brush Fruit to only rank as an A-Rank. Then again, it made sense—the fruit was undeniably versatile, but unless someone possessed elite artistic talent, it would take far too long to sketch anything useful during combat.
And Ryuma happened to be utterly terrible at drawing... If he actually ate the Brush-Brush Fruit, he'd practically be ruining his own potential!
"Y-You bastard! How dare you kill Kanjuro?!" Kyoshiro shouted, teeth gritting in anger.
Even though Kyoshiro's combat abilities were far superior to Kanjuro's, the image of Ryuma stepping on flying shuriken and executing a mid-air instant kill was still burned fresh into his mind.
A subtle smirk curled on Ryuma's lips. "I killed him because he was in my way. What... do you want to join him?"
Ryuma knew Kyoshiro didn't possess a Devil Fruit. Even if he cut Kyoshiro down right here, it wouldn't bring him any tangible benefits. He was no bloodthirsty psychopath—slaughtering people without profit was a waste of time.
"Go back and tell Kurozumi Orochi to leave me alone," Ryuma said sternly. "I've had enough of Wano locals acting as my enemies. Next time, whether it's the Beast Pirates or Wano samurai, anyone who steps up to fight me dies. Am I clear?"
Orochi's ninja forces were nothing more than a disorganized mob. A few stern words were usually enough to scatter them like dust, so there was no need to dwell on them.
"You... you claim to be Ryuma, right?" Kyoshiro spat back, clutching his sword. "I don't care if you're the real Ryuma or a fake—just you wait! You'll die on Wano soil sooner or later!"
"Oh? Still talking tough?" Ryuma's eyebrows narrowed as he casually flicked Shusui.
SWOOSH!
A powerful, concentrated flying slash ripped forth from the black blade, tearing through the air with a deafening whistle that whipped up a localized gust of wind around them!
Kyoshiro, who had already lost his composure, couldn't react in time. The sharp arc of energy sliced through his left arm before he could even register the strike!
With a painful scream, Kyoshiro turned tail and fled, clutching his bleeding, severed arm while howling in agony.
Ryuma smoothly sheathed Shusui with practiced ease and let out a yawn. "What's the deal with these guys? Why are Wano samurai so fragile nowadays? They fight like rookie pirates from the Grand Line..."
This was Wano, after all—the territory of Kaidou, one of the Four Emperors! Located deep within the New World, the collective combat strength of any nation here should have far outmatched anything found in the Grand Line. Yet from what he'd seen so far, they were shockingly unimpressive...
"System, use my Lucky Draw ticket," Ryuma instructed internally. He had no intention of hoarding draws when he could use them immediately.
Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have drawn: Observation Haki (Advanced)!
Ryuma was thrilled! As sharp as his physical muscle memory was, nothing could beat the utility of high-level Observation Haki!
Observation Haki allowed one to sharpen their five senses, sensing the presence, location, and emotional state of surrounding living beings, as well as predicting incoming threats to dodge with perfection! At its absolute peak, Observation Haki could even grant brief glimpses into the future—much like Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates.
Taking a deep breath, Ryuma found a broken wooden bench in the ruins and casually laid down. He popped a piece of wild grass into his mouth and leaned back, holding Shusui against his chest.
Looking up at the blazing sun while feeling the gentle afternoon breeze, he suddenly remembered living in this very village during his past life as a youth. Back then, he used to lie down in this exact pose, taking in the serene atmosphere.
Now, all that remained was a desolate wasteland.
A bitter hatred for Kaidou deepened within his heart. Kurozumi Orochi deserved to die, but Kaidou was even worse—turning such a beautiful country into a living hell!
Ryuma spun Shusui gently in his hand. No matter how absurdly strong he became, overthrowing Kaidou's entire empire alone would be an uphill battle.
He racked his brain: Is there any faction or group in Wano I can bring under my command?
Recruiting Kaidou's Lead Performers or the Flying Six?
Not a chance. Thinking about that for even a second was foolish. Jack, King, Queen—every single one of them was a nightmare to handle.
Wait... Queen?
"Haha, man, I really am a genius!" Ryuma smirked, a solution instantly taking shape in his mind.
Queen, known as "Queen the Plague," was one of the Three Disasters, a Lead Performer of the Beast Pirates, and Kaidou's trusted confidant. He held immense authority, commanding the Flying Six beneath him.
He was also the head warden of the Udon Prison!
A eccentric maniac who loved torturing prisoners with bizarre execution games, Queen kept thousands of dangerous captives locked away in Udon. Among those prisoners were countless elite fighters and legendary figures of Wano.
What would happen if I broke into Udon and freed every single prisoner? Ryuma thought.
From what he remembered, the prisoners in Udon were shackled with Sea Stone handcuffs, suppressing their strength completely while Queen forced them into endless hard labor. If Ryuma unchained them, they would gladly join forces with him to tear Kaidou's regime apart!
"That's the plan!" Ryuma clenched his fist.
Leaving the ruins behind, Ryuma found a secluded spot to change into a simple set of disguise clothes. Fortunately, wanted posters and portraits in this era weren't particularly accurate, so a simple wardrobe change was enough to keep him from being recognized immediately.
He carefully wrapped and concealed the black blade Shusui, knowing full well how famous the legendary sword was across Wano.
After scouting the region, he confirmed that Udon Prison was situated right on the outer perimeter of the Flower Capital. Building a brutal prison hell right outside such a magnificent city showed just how cruel Kaidou's regime really was!
Meanwhile, over at Udon Prison...
"Hey! Hurry up and work, you slackers!"
A rotund, bloated man barked in a strange, theatrical voice. He wore glasses attached by two thin straps, sported two long golden braided moustaches, and had a thick golden ponytail cascading down his back—the exact same hair color as Jack's.
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