With Orochi Shogun slain and the rampaging Pirates crushed by Yamato, the only remaining battlefield in the shattered General Castle was the final confrontation.
Gurd vs. Kyoshiro.
When the samurai arrived at the scene and witnessed the two locked in combat, along with the fissures and shattered boulders strewn everywhere, they couldn't help but gasp in shock.
"Incredible!"
The General Castle was practically being torn apart by their clash!
"Hahaha, this is exhilarating!"
Gurd deliberately refrained from using his abilities, relying solely on raw physical strength to trade blows with Kyoshiro, his massive sword swinging with terrifying force!
"Clang!"
Blades collided, sparks flying!
"This monster!"
Kyoshiro, disheveled and battered, desperately parried each strike, his grip on his sword trembling—his strength already waning.
The reach of Gurd's colossal sword was immense. Even with Flowing Sakura allowing him to predict attacks, dodging them all was nearly impossible. Unconsciously, the battle had devolved into a contest of brute strength.
This was disastrous for him.
If this continued, whoever ran out of stamina first would be doomed. Yet, Gurd showed no signs of fatigue.
Every swing carried overwhelming force, each strike devastating.
Meanwhile, Kyoshiro was already panting heavily.
Moreover, Gurd's strength far exceeded his expectations. In his memory, Gurd was merely at Headliner level, but the power he displayed now was no less than that of an All-Star.
What could have happened to this man in just a few months? How had he grown so monstrously strong?!
"Clang!"
Kyoshiro slid back over a dozen meters, barely steadying himself before immediately slashing out—a crescent-shaped Slashing Wave hurtling toward the pursuing Gurd.
"Useless!"
Gurd's left arm surged with Armament Haki Infusion, swatting the Slashing Wave aside with sheer force!
Having fought samurai numerous times, he had come to understand their combat style. Unlike the flashy Flying Slashes, their killing techniques relied more on close-quarters strikes.
A major reason was that blades could be infused with Haki to amplify lethality, whereas the power of Flying Slashes was relatively fixed—infusing Haki into a Slashing Wave was far more difficult.
Thus, if Kyoshiro wanted to kill him, he had to engage in close combat and unleash powerful sword techniques. But executing such techniques often required a brief moment of preparation—just like Zoro's signature poses.
All Gurd had to do was keep pressing the attack!
Who in their right mind would just stand there and let their opponent charge up a finishing move?!
In the brief moment the Slashing Wave bought him, Kyoshiro sheathed his blade, leaning forward into a Battou Jutsu stance.
"Battou Jutsu?"
The Battou Jutsu was a fundamental skill all Wano Country samurai trained in—something everyone knew. And countering it was simple.
Gurd grinned and, without hesitation, hurled his massive sword.
The colossal blade spun through the air toward Kyoshiro.
"Bastard!"
Kyoshiro barely dodged in time.
"Boom!"
The stonework behind him exploded!
His technique was interrupted yet again!
Kyoshiro felt like vomiting blood from sheer frustration. It was as if this man could see right through him, disrupting his every move with perfect timing. Worse, Gurd's fighting style was utterly unpredictable—fists, kicks, swords, whatever was at hand!
"Rumble—!"
The ground shook violently!
Kyoshiro snapped his head up just in time to see Gurd charging at him like a raging beast. Instantly, he drew his blade and thrust forward—now that Gurd was unarmed, he couldn't possibly defend against this strike!
"Thud!"
The blade pierced straight through Gurd's palm, blood blossoming in its wake!
"What?!"
Kyoshiro's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected Gurd to disregard his own injury entirely—blocking the sword with his bare hand!
Gurd grinned ferociously as he exerted force, violently pushing his palm along the blade until it reached the hilt, his fingers instantly clamping onto Kyoshiro's sword-wielding hand!
"Got you now!"
Gurd yanked Kyoshiro toward himself while his smooth forehead became infused with Armament Haki, smashing ruthlessly into Kyoshiro's face.
"Rhino Headbutt!"
"BAM!!!"
A direct hit!
Kyoshiro's eyes rolled back, his face drenched in blood, even his refined features distorted from the impact.
Despite his Flowing Sakura defense, he was still knocked unconscious briefly.
When Kyoshiro regained awareness, his sword had already been seized, and his body was cornered with no escape.
"Next up is my execution combo!"
Gurd pulled the blade embedded in his hand free and tossed it aside, then stretched out both hands with a sinister grin, grabbing Kyoshiro by the waist and lifting him high before slamming him down hard.
"Tiger Body Slam!"
"BOOM!"
Kyoshiro's body convulsed as he vomited blood!
"Giant Stone Elbow Strike!"
A rock-like elbow drove into his abdomen!
"Adamantine Shoulder Throw!"
His body was hoisted into the air before being hurled headfirst into the ground!
"Vulture Aerial Relay Slam!"
"Hellfire Wheel!"
"Ultimate Killing Move · Spiral Pile Driver!"
After the execution combo, Kyoshiro lay limp on the ground like a ragdoll, not a single bone left intact.
Gurd raised his muscular arms high!
Cheer for me, praise me!
The samurai froze momentarily before quickly catching on.
"Gurd! Gurd! Gurd!"
Chants of admiration echoed through General Castle.
Kyoshiro clung to his last breath, his eyes dim and lifeless. Even before battling Gurd, he had known his fate.
With great difficulty, he turned his head, lips trembling wordlessly, his gaze filled with pleading as he looked at Gurd.
"I won't kill her."
Gurd spoke coldly.
He understood Kyoshiro's meaning perfectly.
Kozuki Hiyori.
He had no intention of killing Kozuki Hiyori, but neither did he plan to let her go. That woman still held great value.
Kyoshiro closed his eyes in anguish.
For Lady Hiyori to fall into their hands might be worse than death. As her retainer, he was powerless to stop it.
"Snap!"
Gurd clicked his fingers, and a massive stone spike erupted from the ground, piercing Kyoshiro's chest and lifting him into the sky.
It was over.
Gurd walked toward the samurai and issued a cold command.
"Display Kyoshiro's corpse publicly. Issue a Tile Newspaper and the Shogun's obituary declaring that Kyoshiro conspired to usurp the Shogunate, allied with the pirate Fire Fist Ace to assassinate Orochi Shogun, and has now been executed!"
"Understood?"
"Understood!"
The samurai trembled like cicadas in winter, not daring to voice any dissent.
Gurd nodded and continued issuing orders.
"Clean this place up. Notify all the daimyo and officials of Wano Country to gather at General Castle by noon three days from now to discuss the matter of the Shogun's successor!"
"Yes, Lord Gurd!"
The samurai hurriedly complied, even their leader Hotei playing ostrich, not daring to utter a single word of protest.
Gurd stretched lazily and beckoned to Yamato.
"Let's go home."
"Okay."
Yamato skipped after Gurd cheerfully.
She was overjoyed—Orochi, the scourge of Wano Country, was dead, meaning half her wish to open Wano's borders was already fulfilled.
And without Orochi, the people of every region would surely live better lives.
Gurd glanced sidelong at the girl.
"How's Fire Fist Ace doing?"
"I knocked him flying!"
"Knocked him flying?"
Gurd frowned.
"Where'd he fly to?"
"No idea."
Yamato shook her head vigorously and pointed toward the distant sky: "You told me to go all out, so I put all my strength into it. Didn't expect to send that guy completely out of sight with one swing."
"..."
Gurd's vision darkened.
His original intention was for Yamato to put on a good show in front of others to gain some popularity, but this girl truly didn't know how to be flexible at all.
Sigh, this is exhausting.
(End of chapter)