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Chapter 182 Kozuki
Wanokuni·Flower City·Outside the Shogun's Palace
A temporary platform made of ebony, broken iron and fallen tiles slowly rose in the core of the burning old city.
The wind blew up dust, the blood and fire were still wet, and people gathered in groups of three or four in the distance to watch, but no one made a sound.
Rogge stood on the top of the scaffold, looking down at everything with an expressionless face.
Kurozumi was all smiles: "This is the daughter of that old monster Kaido - Yamato. A remnant of the beasts, her fruit power has been locked away, and she's very well behaved! Hahahaha..."
He looked at Rogge, his eyes cautiously testing him. "General, I have specially prepared for you a precious sword, fine wine, and the finest geisha... If it pleases you, just say the word and I will offer my life at your service!"
Rogge didn't answer, but just glanced at the snake coldly.
The gaze was as cold as a blade, causing the general's Adam's apple to roll and sweat to pour down, but he dared not even utter the word "I'm sorry".
Yamato was chained to the torture stake, his body covered in dirt and his eyes were empty and lifeless.
The warrior's daughter, who once burned with the fire of indomitable will, now hung her head like a walking corpse, allowing herself to be bound by shackles.
At this moment, a sound of breaking air broke through the night!
"stop!!!"
Kozuki Hiyori and Momonosuke suddenly appeared above the crowd, walking on fire!
"Please recognize the truth, the Kozuki family is not extinct!"
"My brother Momonosuke is the legitimate heir!" Her eyes were like blades, pointing directly at Rogge.
Following this, Kin'emon, Raizo, Kikunosuke and other remaining Red Scabbards rushed out first, and Denjiro also led samurai disguised as civilians to cut through the crowd and rush straight towards Orochi!
The atmosphere exploded instantly, and the whole audience was boiling with fighting spirit!
But at this moment——
"…It's so noisy."
Rogge spoke indifferently, and the next moment——
boom!!!
A surge of Conqueror's Haki, so surging that it almost materialized, exploded from beneath his feet like a tsunami!
All the warriors who rushed out knelt on the ground in an instant! Their blood boiled, their muscles cramped, and their breathing became disordered!
"Ugh—!"
"This…this is…!!"
Several of the Nine Red Scabbards vomited blood on the spot, and Kin'emon even half-knelt and trembled: "How, how is it possible... This pressure... is even greater than Kaido's..."
Momonosuke was so frightened that his face turned pale and he almost fell down, collapsing to the ground.
Rogge slowly walked down the execution platform and came to Yamato.
"You still have a choice," he whispered.
"If you can withstand three of Lei Te's moves, I will acknowledge the legitimacy of the Kozuki family."
He flicked his fingers and the seastone chain broke.
"Of course, you can bring your so-called 'warriors' along with you."
Yamato's body trembled, and after hesitating for a moment, he stood up step by step. His eyes gradually became clear again, and a trace of lingering obsession flashed across his eyes.
She jumped in front of Momonosuke, shielded him, and whispered, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you..."
Momonosuke was trembling all over, his face was ashen, but his fingers were tightly grasping the corner of Yamato's clothes.
Rhett walked forward slowly, and his figure transformed into a Titan ape half-beast, shattering the floor tiles, with the thunderous armed color on his fist ready to move.
"I won't let you win on the first move, okay?" He grinned.
Yamato gritted his teeth and stepped forward!
Rhett gathered his strength and punched down with a bang!
She resisted, vomited blood, but still stood!
When the second punch came, she was unable to dodge and was knocked back ten meters!
Before the third punch, Rhett deliberately revealed a flaw.
Yamato's eyes suddenly widened: "Now--!!"
She burst out with all her strength, holding the stick in both hands and rushed forward!
"Don't kill me!!!"
Momonosuke suddenly cried out and pushed Yamato out!
Yamato lost his balance and instantly crashed into Rhett's fist!
"——Puff!"
There was a dull thud, and the sound of bones breaking and flesh exploding was particularly harsh in the dead silence.
Yamato flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into the ground, dust flying everywhere. Blood spurted out of her mouth and nose, staining her already damaged armor and long hair red.
Her whole body was twitching, and she was whimpering softly, but she kept her eyes open as if on the verge of fainting, looking behind her.
Momonosuke, the "son of Kozuki" whom she vowed to protect, was now huddled on the ground, his mouth wide open, tears and snot streaming down his face. He was slumped on the ground, the hem of his kimono already soaked through, leaving a pool of yellow water.
"Ahhhhh——I don't want to die!!"
"Save me! Save me now!!"
"I...I am the head of the Kozuki family. I am the legitimate one!!!"
He cried like crazy, digging his nails into the floor tiles, not even daring to raise his head to look at Yamato. He just hid trembling behind the direction where she fell, as if hoping that this piece of flesh and blood could still block the murderous intent for him.
There was complete silence all around.
Even Rogge lowered his eyes and remained silent, which was rare. Rhett slowly retracted his fist. There was no more teasing on his face, only a coldness that chilled people to the bone.
Yamato, lying in a pool of blood, finally shed the last tear from the corner of his eye.
She looked up at the sky, and at that moment her mind appeared the image of Oden's back as he was nailed to the frying pan and still gritted his teeth to protect his family. He was the man she always regarded as the symbol of the warrior spirit.
"...This is your...child?"
"The child you risked your life for and entrusted your future to?"
Tears slid down his cheeks, mixing with the mud and blood.
Her lips trembled, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she was unable to speak.
"…It's useless…" She murmured softly with a wry smile on her face.
Just as Leit pushed Momonosuke back and Yamato fell to his knees, seriously injured, a deep and majestic voice suddenly sounded from behind the platform:
"stop--!"
Everyone looked up in surprise, only to see an old man slowly stepping out, wearing a general's robe, a golden crown on his head, and holding high in his left hand a lacquered gold seal engraved with the "Kozuki" family crest.
It was none other than Kozuki Sukiyaki, who had been missing for many years and was lurking as "Tenguyama Hichetsu"!
He stepped onto the execution platform, his eyes stern and his voice hoarse yet authoritative:
"I am Kozuki Sukiyaki, the legitimate general of Wanokuni—this seal is proof!"
He slowly raised the seal, facing Rogge and Leiter, and spoke in a calm and determined tone:
"Your Excellency Admiral Xuanlin, I demand that you immediately slay the Kurozumi Orochi and the remaining remnants, and return Wanokuni to the Kozuki family, restoring the orthodoxy!"
The whole audience was in an uproar!
Kin'emon and the others were delighted for a moment, and Momonosuke said in a trembling voice: "Grandfather... you are finally back..."
But Rogge just smiled lightly, interrupting the emotion:
"Your Excellency the General knows how to take advantage of the situation."
His eyes fixed, his voice cold:
"Since you want me to eliminate the 'Kurozumi Clan' on your behalf, please prove yourself worthy of the title 'orthodox' first."
Sukiyaki was slightly stunned: "What do you want me to do to prove...?"
Rogge pointed at Kin'emon and the others who were kneeling on the side and were seriously injured and said indifferently:
"It's simple. If you were the ruler of this country, you would personally execute these former officials who 'had secretly raised an army to rebel'."
Sukiyaki's expression changed slightly, but then he regained his composure, as if he didn't feel humiliated. Instead, he bowed and said:
"For the sake of the country, I will personally put down the rebellion... I will not back down."
He suddenly drew his sword! Before Kin'emon could even utter a word, a cold flash of the sword flashed past!
"Puff!"
Blood splattered and Lei Zang fell to the ground unexpectedly.
Kin'emon stood up in shock and anger: "You... why is this happening? We are retainers of the Kozuki family!!"
"He also trespassed into the Flower City and disturbed the order." Sukiyaki said coldly, "This is the orthodox punishment."
Rogge raised his hand coldly: "Not enough."
"continue."
Sukiyaki turned around very naturally and slashed down twice in succession - Kikunojo and Kanjuro fell one after another!
The steps were stained with blood, and everyone was horrified.
Even Rhett licked his back teeth and said, "Tsk, this old guy is really cruel."
Momonosuke looked at Sukiyaki on the stage in horror: "Grandfather! Why? They...they are the ones fighting for Kozuki!"
Sukiyaki looked at Momonosuke with an indifferent look:
"What Kozuki needs is legitimacy, not a shabby reputation."
He raised the bloody blade:
"To restore the kingdom's prestige and to sever the bloodline of Oden's 'failure', Kozuki's future must remain untainted."
"You don't deserve it."
"Now, with your death, you will atone for the kingdom's sins—and also grant it a blessing."
He stepped closer to Momonosuke and raised his sword to kill him!
"Ah...don't...!! I'm your grandson!!!"
At this moment——
"Enough!!!"
A figure rushed over like thunder—Yamato stood up forcefully, dragging Bloodline Madara Madara's body towards Momonosuke!
"I won't let you touch him again!!!"
The knife flashed down, and Yamato raised her arm to block it. The sound of bones breaking was clear and sharp, and blood gushed out from her arm!
She half-knelt on the ground, blood dripping from her forehead, but she still tightly protected Momonosuke, who was crying convulsively and urinating and defecating.
The people around were shocked and retreated, and no one dared to help or persuade them.
And Sukiyaki, the old general who was once regarded as a "benevolent king", slowly stepped forward, the golden seal still hanging in his palm, but it was like a piece of ice of power.
He looked down at Yamato as if he were looking at a piece of stained animal skin:
"You are Kaido's daughter. You don't even deserve a last name."
Yamato was trembling all over, blood gushing from his throat, but he still roared:
"My last name isn't Kaido—I believe in Kozuki Oden!!"
Sukiyaki finally laughed, his smile as sharp as a frosty blade on a cold night, full of mockery:
"Oden?"
"You believe in the little tyrant who set the street on fire at the age of nine because he didn't like a bowl of miso soup?"
"Is he the fifteen-year-old who broke into a brothel and, after being kicked out, continued to act like a laughingstock on the streets?"
"Is it the shame of the general who robbed the people of their food in the Flower City and falsely called it a 'test'?"
Yamato's face turned pale instantly, with disbelief in his eyes.
Sukiyaki pressed on, his tone growing increasingly flat, like he was reading a bill he was already tired of:
"He was once the heir apparent to the generalship, but he left the country to pursue 'adventure', leaving me alone to manage the political situation."
"He handed power to the remnants of the Kurozumi family, just because of 'pity', a word of kindness, in exchange for twenty years of hell for the people."
"After he came back, he ignored my advice and insisted that Kaido would fulfill his promise."
"And what happened? He danced naked for five years and ruined the reputation of the entire Kozuki family."
"He didn't rescue the people, he didn't seek allies, he didn't devise strategies, and in the end, just for what he called 'responsibility,' he was hacked to pieces standing on the city wall."
Sukiyaki snorted coldly:
"Do you think he's enduring humiliation? No, he's simply using the suffering of the nation's people in exchange for his self-proclaimed 'tragic sentiment.'"
"He's not a hero, he's a loser, a narcissist, and a hypocrite."
This sentence was like a thunderbolt.
Yamato's lips trembled. What emerged in her mind was no longer Oden's heroic figure covered in blood and wielding a sword, but the contradictions and gaps that she had deliberately ignored:
——After Oden wantonly snatched food on the street, he said, "Who told me I'm the young master of the Kozuki family?"
——After causing trouble at the brothel, he slapped his butt and said, "It was a fun night."
——When faced with people complaining about factory pollution, he could only turn away in embarrassment.
—His calm expression when he told Kin'emon and the others, "You'll dance with me for five years"...
Her faith, at this moment, was torn into pieces.
Sukiyaki leaned forward one last time, his tone calm and bone-chillingly cold:
"You're stupid for believing Oden."
"And Oden's death was not unjust."
Yamato could no longer hold on. He knelt on the ground, his head pressed into the bloody mud, his fingertips tightly grasping the corner of Momonosuke's clothes, and even his voice was as weak as a mosquito:
"...You're lying...This isn't true...It's not like that..."
Rogge walked closer and watched the scene without a trace of emotion in his eyes.
He whispered slowly:
"Is this your 'Bushido'? Living for such a person? Fighting for such a tribe?"
He turned slightly, his eyes sweeping over the group of Kozuki's remnants and the people who had already knelt on the ground with dazed expressions:
"This country has never thought about standing up. It is just waiting for a new master."
He looked at Sukiyaki and Momonosuke lying on the ground again and said coldly:
"You don't want to restore the country."
"You just want to put the crown of sin...back on your own head."
The wind rose, the flames flickered, and Yamato's tears dried up in the wind, but she could no longer utter a word.
The "Kozuki" family and the myth they created finally came to an end with Rogge's footsteps.