Vergo and Diamante, as Doflamingo's earliest comrades and the highest executives of the Donquixote Family...
Shouldn't have needed to personally handle rear operations like hostage-taking.
But Doflamingo insisted on absolute certainty this time.
After careful consideration, he deemed Vergo and Diamante sufficient to handle whoever guarded Kozuki Oden's family in the shogunate.
Yet even Doflamingo hadn't anticipated...
That Kozuki Toki herself was a master swordsman.
Unassuming and low-key, her reputation gave no hint of her true strength...
It seemed she hadn't just inherited Michael's combat techniques—even her demeanor was strikingly similar.
But at this moment, Vergo and Diamante had no mind to dwell on such trivial thoughts.
As the parties involved, witnessing the supposedly frail woman they were supposed to kidnap suddenly drawing two short broadswords from her waist and unleashing two massive Flying Slashes toward them...
This visual impact far surpassed directly facing a master swordsman.
At least...
In that scenario, they could have prepared themselves.
However, as Doflamingo's most trusted and relied-upon subordinates, Vergo and Diamante were certainly not mere cannon fodder.
Even in their state of shock, neither was instantly defeated by a single slash.
Vergo pulled out his bamboo staff, coating it with Armament Haki, and forcefully blocked the incoming slash.
Meanwhile, Diamante raised his own longsword.
"Crescent Moon Burial!"
Diamante swung his sword, the powerful sword waves creating layered surges that instantly split the ground apart as if cutting through tofu.
The sword waves clashed with the slash, ultimately canceling each other out.
"Hahaha... truly unbelievable," Diamante looked up, his expression tinged with surprise. "Who would have thought that the renowned 'Lady Toki' of Wano Country is actually a master swordsman..."
"What? Is that so strange?" Kozuki Toki flicked her wrists lightly, Kogarashi and Oto emitting faint sword hums.
The sight of her slender wrists wielding such hefty broadswords painted a somewhat incongruous picture.
Diamante and Vergo exchanged a glance...
They needed to end this quickly.
Since Kozuki Toki herself possessed formidable combat prowess, a direct confrontation was out of the question.
But Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori, hiding in the corner, were nowhere near as strong.
At the very least, their ability to dodge immediately confirmed that their combat strength could be disregarded.
Thus, as members of the Donquixote Family, notorious for their ruthless deeds, their extensive experience allowed Vergo and Diamante to establish silent coordination with just one glance.
One would hold off Kozuki Toki with all their might, while the other would seize the hostages.
The next moment...
Both of them charged toward Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori.
Kozuki Toki moved swiftly, positioning herself in front of the two.
Raising Oto and Kogarashi high...
"Lion's Thousand Slashes!"
Countless slashes erupted from Kozuki Toki's hands at high speed, enveloping both Vergo and Diamante in an instant.
This time, Diamante failed to block the attack.
One slash aimed straight for his midsection.
In desperation, Diamante twisted his body violently, barely avoiding the slash that would have bisected him...
But his left arm was severed cleanly by another slash.
"Ahhh!! Damn it... my arm!!!"
Diamante immediately bled profusely.
As for Vergo, his strength far surpassed Diamante's.
With full-body Armament Haki hardening, he managed to withstand the overwhelming barrage of slashes.
However... Vergo still spat out a mouthful of blood.
Though he suffered no external injuries, the sheer impact inflicted internal damage.
One comrade with internal injuries, the other with a severed arm.
And this...
Was the result of Kozuki Toki using just two moves.
"Hey! Damn it, Vergo! Didn't we just agree that one of us would hold off Kozuki Toki while the other grabs the hostages!?"
"Wasn't that what your look just now meant—for me to go after them?"
"So we have no tacit understanding at all, huh!"?"
Diamante clutched his severed arm, gnashing his teeth as he spoke.
"Sigh, you two... are weaker than I imagined," Kozuki Toki said with a smile, looking at the two highest-ranking executives of the Donquixote Family before her.
"You should know... it's been a long time since I last drew my sword... I must be a bit rusty, otherwise... you wouldn't have just lost an arm just now."
As she spoke, a faint flush gradually appeared on Kozuki Toki's cheeks.
Kozuki Momonosuke and Kozuki Hiyori, watching their mother's current state, sighed in unison.
"Just how desperate must these people be to dare kidnap Mother..." Kozuki Momonosuke couldn't help but shudder.
"It seems they truly don't know what a terrifying existence Mother really is."
"That's right, big bro." Kozuki Hiyori nodded vigorously in agreement. "Although mother is usually very gentle, back when she was on Uncle Whitebeard's ship, she had a certain nickname."
"So you've heard father mention this too!" Kozuki Momonosuke looked at his little sister with lingering fear and sighed.
"What kind of decent person... would have a nickname like 'Lionheart Princess'?"
Within the Kozuki family, there was actually a universal understanding...
It was fine to provoke Kozuki Oden - the man was thick-skinned to the extreme.
But one must never anger Lady Toki...
Because Lady Toki would genuinely give you a "Guidance" beating.
Though all the shogunate's guard samurai and their leader Kikunojo had received beatings from Toki...
The improvement in combat skills was indeed remarkable.
"Alright, playtime is over... For you two, what's it going to be? Will you attack me and get sliced in half, or will you run away and get sliced in half?"
"So our only options are getting sliced in half?"
"I could always swing one more time... but that would make cleaning my garden much harder."
Kozuki Toki smiled gently at the two, her expression still warm.
Not a trace of killing intent emanated from her.
Apart from the slight flush on her cheeks, she seemed completely normal.
Vergo took a deep breath and slowly raised his bamboo staff.
"Vergo, the Demon Bamboo, Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral."
"I know, I know - you're Doflamingo's mole." Kozuki Toki said with a smile. "It seems you've chosen the first option then."
"Let the... teaching session begin."
"Young man... this isn't how you use Haki."
Kozuki Toki extended her hand, instantly changing her sword stance.
The two blades crossed, sparks flying...
The sparks instantly expanded into flames.
In the next moment, Kozuki Toki's flaming twin blades came swinging toward Vergo.
Upon the crimson Flying Slash, the blade's edge carried an almost imperceptible flow of Ryuo.
"Spark Talisman Blade · Heaven's Fire!"