"Fleet Admiral, please have a seat!"
As soon as Sakazuki turned to leave, Morgan swiftly brought a chair for Orion.
Having momentarily lost himself in arrogance and overstepped earlier, Morgan now felt his heart leap to his throat as he regained his composure.
Yet, to his surprise, the Fleet Admiral not only refrained from reprimanding him but instead forced the three kneeling before them to the ground.
What did this mean? It meant the Fleet Admiral favored him!
Still, Morgan was overwhelmed by the unexpected grace.
Only after Orion took his seat and Gion positioned herself at his right did Morgan humbly stand to Orion's left, eyes lowered in quiet reflection, inwardly chastising himself for his earlier presumption.
Though the Fleet Admiral indulged him, he had distinctly sensed the oppressive aura radiating from Admiral Sakazuki.
He resolved to reflect deeply, striving to fulfill his duties as the Fleet Admiral's personal guard without letting favoritism breed arrogance.
Seated, Orion remained silent, his gaze fixed on the three kneeling figures.
Beads of sweat formed on their foreheads under the suffocating pressure of his Conqueror's Haki.
Kozuki Hiyori, the weakest among them, trembled visibly, her body quaking under the strain.
Eventually, as though crushed by an invisible force field, she could no longer resist—her body collapsed entirely, pressed flat against the floor by the overwhelming weight of the Haki.
Witnessing this, Denjiro strained to lift his head, mustering every ounce of strength to speak hoarsely.
"Fleet Admiral Orion, the riots in the Flower Capital were my doing alone! Lady Hiyori bears no responsibility!"
"No—"
Hiyori forced her head up through sheer willpower, her voice trembling.
"The samurai who incited the people to revolt were loyal to the Kozuki family. As the last descendant, I cannot shirk responsibility!"
Before Orion could respond, Yamato who's also trapped in the Haki-forged gravity field—snapped her head up in shock.
"You're not the courtesan Komurasaki of the Flower Capital? You're… Kozuki Hiyori? Wait—you're Kozuki Oden's daughter?!"
On the verge of losing consciousness, Hiyori whispered weakly.
"I'm sorry… I've dragged you both into this." Pausing briefly, she turned her fading gaze back to Orion.
"Fleet Admiral… the blame lies solely with me. Please… spare Denjiro and Yamato."
The moment the words left her lips, exhaustion overtook her and she passed out.
"Lady Hiyori!!"
Denjiro thrashed wildly, desperate to break free, but the more he struggled, the heavier the unseen force became—until even opening his mouth became an ordeal.
Meanwhile, Yamato was stunned by the revelation, stiffened momentarily before her eyes sharpened.
A terrifying aura erupted from her body.
The next instant—
"RAAAAH—!!"
A deafening roar tore through the hall, reverberating across the Flower Capital from the temporary base.
Under the crushing pressure of Conqueror's Haki, Yamato forced herself upright, her ponytail whipping violently as her body underwent a monstrous transformation.
In less than two seconds, she had morphed into a colossal beast, her form wreathed in an aura of dread Flame Clouds.
"Zoan-type Dog-Dog Fruit?"
"Mythical Zoan!"
Seeing that Yamato could still unleash her Devil Fruit powers and transform into the Okuchi-no-Makami form despite being suppressed by Orion's Conqueror's Haki, Gion couldn't help but look at her with newfound respect, exclaiming in surprise.
"The Okuchi-no-Makami!"
No sooner had Yamato completed her transformation than she glared fiercely at Orion in her Okuchi-no-Makami form, radiating a bone-chilling aura of terror, as if she were ready to devour him whole.
"Orion—"
Thud—
"Ugh—!"
Before Yamato could even finish her first word, a torrent of black, red and gold Conqueror's Haki cascaded down like a galaxy, forcibly reverting her back to her human form before sending her sliding into another kneel before Orion.
Witnessing this, Gion—who had just gasped in shock at Yamato's transformation—barely managed to suppress her laughter, thanks to her professional training.
It wasn't that she, as an admiral, took pleasure in others' misfortune—it was just that the scene had unfolded so abruptly.
Most importantly, she hadn't expected Orion to deny Yamato any chance at all, ruthlessly suppressing her with his Conqueror's Haki.
Being forced back into human form was one thing, but why did she have to kneel again!?
While Gion was silently losing her composure, Denjiro beside her was utterly dumbfounded.
Of course, what shocked him even more was how Orion's Conqueror's Haki seemed inexhaustible—not only was it continuously suppressing him, but it could also spare the focus to revert Yamato.
For a brief moment, even Denjiro was thrown into disarray.
Could they really oppose a Fleet Admiral who have such overwhelming power?
In his turmoil, Denjiro finally understood that Crocodile's words—"If Fleet Admiral Orion were here personally, you wouldn't even have the right to sit in this room"—weren't an exaggeration.
If anything, they were an understatement.
A mere retainer of the Kozuki Family truly wasn't worth this Fleet Admiral's attention.
Yamato, now reverted and kneeling before Orion, desperately unleashed her own Conqueror's Haki before glaring up at him with gritted teeth.
"A warrior would rather die than suffer humiliation!"
"And this counts as humiliation?"
Orion smirked before calmly pointing toward the gates outside.
"Didn't you vow to inherit Oden's will? Mere inheritance isn't enough—you should walk the path he walked! Just as he once did, strip naked and dance in the streets for five years! If you can endure that, I might even consider entrusting Wano to your protection."
With that, he casually waved his hand, dispersing the Conqueror's Haki pressing down on Denjiro, Yamato, and Kozuki Hiyori.
Thud—
The sudden release caught Denjiro completely off guard, sending him face-first into the ground, while Yamato collapsed onto her rear, gasping for breath.
After several ragged breaths, Yamato suddenly stood up, her eyes blazing as she stared at Orion.
"Do you mean what you say!?"
Brainwashed by Kozuki Oden's journal and with her worldview thoroughly warped, Yamato actually abandoned all thoughts of fighting.
Right in front of Orion and the others, she gripped the hem of her outer robe with unwavering determination.
"So if I dance in the streets for five years… you'll return Wano to the Kozuki Family?"
"Of course" Orion nodded with a smile. "Back in the day, Kozuki Oden tried to protect Wano Country in this same self-righteous, self-sacrificing way—though he ultimately failed. But if you can succeed where he couldn't, as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, i will keep my word!"
"Deal!"
"Agreed!"
Without the slightest hesitation, there was a loud 'rip' as Yamato tore off her upper garment.
At the same moment, Orion suddenly raised his hand and delivered a powerful slap through the air.
The Armament Haki-infused strike sent Yamato flying backward, tumbling several times across the ground before finally losing consciousness.
"Careless of me~"
Glancing at the unconscious Yamato, Orion couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"Forgot this fool still insists on seeing herself as a man."
With that, he turned to Morgan and waved dismissively.
"Take her away and lock her up under strict surveillance."
------------------------------
Read 60 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator