The moment Kurozumi Orochi exposed his true identity, Denjiro's expression turned exceptionally grim.
He glanced at Kozuki Hiyori, lying on the floor, then suddenly let out a laugh.
"Actually, when I was executing those men, I used a bit of sleight of hand. So, guess where those samurai are now?"
As he spoke, he reached to the top of his head, tore off the ridiculous wig, and flung it straight at Orochi's face.
Orochi, startled and wary of a trick, quickly dodged to the side.
Denjiro used the moment of confusion to dash over to Hiyori's side.
Hiyori, perfectly in sync, sprang up and climbed onto Denjiro's back.
As it turned out, that strike Denjiro had landed on her earlier had only burst a blood pouch she'd hidden beneath her robes—producing a dramatic spray that looked real, but had left her completely unharmed.
It had all been part of her carefully planned performance.
Now that the performance had failed, their only choice was to flee.
But just then, rapid footsteps echoed from the rafters overhead.
A swift silhouette dropped from the ceiling beams—clearly identified by his distinct cylindrical bald head—the attacker was none other than Fukurokuju, the leader of the Oniwabanshu, Orochi's elite ninja corps.
As he descended, Fukurokuju flung several kunai, all aimed straight at Hiyori's back.
Denjiro twitched an ear, catching the subtle sound, and swung his blade backward to intercept the projectiles.
Fukurokuju smirked, having anticipated this, and pulled out a massive shuriken from behind his back. Rubbing his palms together, he spun the blade like a deadly fan and sent it hurtling toward the two.
Just then, Roya sighed lightly—he knew it was time to step in.
"Enough. All of you, stand down."
With a casual flick of his hand, several waves of sword aura shot out, intercepting both the kunai and the giant shuriken in midair.
A series of clang clang clang metallic clashes rang out.
Fukurokuju was knocked backward by a precisely measured shockwave and flipped midair, forced to retreat back onto the ceiling beam.
The kunai, too, reversed course, clattering into the wooden beam at his feet.
But Denjiro wasn't spared either—one of the sword auras struck his blade, sending it flying from his grasp.
The sword whistled past Orochi's head and embedded itself deep into a support pillar, the hilt quivering from the force.
Orochi jolted in shock—only then realizing that Roya was already standing right in front of him.
"I said this woman is under my protection. Did you not understand my words?"
Though spoken in a calm tone, Roya's voice carried a terrifying weight of authority.
It was enough to make Orochi tremble uncontrollably, nearly wetting himself on the spot.
He shook his head frantically in denial but couldn't muster even a syllable to defend himself.
Roya gently helped the stunned and collapsed Hiyori to her feet.
"Take your maid and come with me."
Hiyori stared at him in astonishment. Things didn't seem quite as hopeless as she'd feared.
If Roya were merely a man lusting after her beauty, why would he insist on bringing along her maid?
Denjiro, meanwhile, was panicking. In desperation, he pulled a dagger from his sleeve and lunged at Roya, shouting,
"Unhand Her Highness!"
Roya let out a sigh of exasperation. This move had just confirmed Orochi's earlier suspicions, turning a manageable situation into a far more complex one.
The moment he heard Denjiro call her "princess", Orochi's eyes lit up with blazing greed.
And that greed immediately overwhelmed his fear of Roya.
With lust now fueling his delusions, there was no telling what this maniac might try next.
"How noisy."
Roya's mind raced. With an impatient flick of his hand, Denjiro was sliced into pieces mid-air—splitting apart into more than a dozen chunks, all of which landed before Roya like dumplings being dropped into soup.
Most horrifyingly, not a single drop of blood splattered from Denjiro's dismembered body.
It was as if he had been flash-frozen before being neatly carved apart—eerie and nightmarish.
Roya let out a cold snort and turned to look at Orochi.
The greed in Orochi's eyes instantly vanished, his entire body going colder than ice.
With a sycophantic smile, he said,
"Lord Roya, my deepest apologies. These unruly ninja nearly ruined your pleasant evening. I promise—they'll be properly disciplined!"
"The sleeping quarters are ready. Please, allow me to show you to your rest."
Roya pulled the dazed Hiyori to her feet and followed a maid out of the hall.
Toko, still wearing that terrified grin on her face, stumbled after them.
Squard and the others dispersed in various directions throughout the Shogun's Palace.
Orochi didn't even try to stop them—nor did he dare to.
Only after the guests had fully cleared out did two trembling maidservants tiptoe into the room.
With shaking hands, they collected Denjiro's scattered remains into a burlap sack, then dragged the heavy bundle to the edge of the cliff and dumped it.
A few seconds later, the sack hit the ground below—Denjiro's dismembered body rolling apart upon impact, startling several stray dogs in the area.
The strays cautiously crept closer, realizing that a feast had literally fallen from the sky, already neatly portioned into bite-sized chunks.
They immediately began baring their teeth, snarling and squabbling over the meat.
Suddenly, all the pieces rolled together, converging toward a central point.
Without warning, Denjiro's body reassembled itself, perfectly restoring its original shape.
He gasped in a deep breath—back from the dead.
Springing to his feet, he unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks, killing all the stray dogs in an instant.
"Damn! That was close—I almost got eaten by dogs!"
"What kind of power is that?! Lord Roya actually managed to cut me into pieces without inflicting any real damage?"
Denjiro checked between his legs—everything was still there.
Only then did he breathe a full sigh of relief.
He glanced up toward the Shogun's Residence towering above, then turned and sprinted into the night, heading toward Kuri.
---
Meanwhile, in the sleeping quarters, Kozuki Hiyori could no longer hold back her curiosity.
"Did you… kill Denjiro?"
Roya smiled and shook his head.
"Of course not. It was just an illusion technique—to prevent him from being hunted down by Orochi's Oniwabanshu."
Then, glancing at Toko, who was still smiling dumbly, he said,
"I've already examined her. She's suffering from artificial Devil Fruit poisoning, compounded by the strange energy found in the cherry blossoms."
"That's why she can't make any expression except for smiling."
Hiyori's eyes filled with hope.
"Can you cure her, my lord?"
Roya pondered for a moment and replied,
"It's not difficult to cure. But first, your people must stop consuming the cherry blossoms."
"If I'm not mistaken, Kaido must have set up an artificial Devil Fruit production line on this island, correct?"
"That line must be incredibly flawed. Under normal circumstances, it's almost impossible to produce viable fruits."
"But these eternally blooming cherry blossoms have become Kaido's accomplice."
"The energy in the blossoms acts as a catalyst, allowing otherwise failed Devil Fruits to gain a chance at success."
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