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Chapter 183 the End of the So-called Samurai
Wanokuni·Flower City·In front of the execution platform
The sky was dark, as ashes and dust lingered in the scorched city. The tattered flag with the Kozuki family crest hung diagonally on the ruins, trembling unwillingly in the wind, but it had long since lost all its symbolism.
In a pool of blood, Yamato was covered in wounds, half-kneeling on the ground. Before him was Momonosuke's limp body, writhing in the mud and bloodline, wailing:
"Don't kill me… Grandfather… Please!!"
"I'm not a traitor... I'm just... I'm just scared!!!"
Sukiyaki in the distance was approaching step by step, his hands covered in blood, his expression as indifferent as if he was slaughtering a pig, not a grandson.
Yamato's hands were on the ground, with the blood-stained flag beneath his fingers. The Kozuki pattern that once represented "belief" was now just a piece of rag.
Her eyes were like torn clouds, unable to see the sunlight.
Trembling, she slowly pulled out from her underwear an old book that was curled, yellowed, and stained with blood.
That is——
Oden's diary.
It was her belief.
She knelt on it, staring blankly at the crooked yet arrogant handwriting on the cover, and murmured:
"I...actually for something like this..."
"I was in shackles for twenty years."
The words were not loud, but they were like a knife, piercing the hearts of every remaining Kozuki retainer.
At this suffocating moment——
Rogge walked down from the scaffold.
His steps were unhurried, his gaze sharp as a blade.
"Since the throne of Kozuki is so 'precious'..."
His tone was cold, "Then don't rely on words."
He swung his hand casually, and with a flash of the knife, a real sword and an empty gun were inserted into the scorched earth between Momonosuke and Sukiyaki.
"You two—make your own decisions."
"Whoever survives will inherit the 'authority' of this scorched earth."
The corners of Sukiyaki's mouth twitched slightly, and he stepped forward without hesitation, his eyes like a wild dog pouncing on its prey.
"If my foolish grandson wins, it will be destiny; if he dies, it will be considered as fulfilling his mission."
Momonosuke crawled towards his weapon in terror, crying and howling, "No-no, I am the lord! I am Wanokuni's last hope!!!"
They pounced on the knives and guns on the ground, biting and colliding with each other like two beasts that had lost their minds.
"Bang!!"
The knife handle was grabbed by Momonosuke, and the gun was taken away by Sukiyaki, and the two of them actually started fighting each other to see who had the real killing weapon!
"You are the waste!!"
"You are not worthy of inheriting Kozuki!!"
"You die first!!!"
Bloodline, saliva, and crying mixed together to form the most shameful scene in the world.
The audience was stunned.
Kikunojo fell to his knees, the wound on his broken arm still bleeding, and he roared to the sky:
"Why... have we persisted until today?!"
Kin'emon seemed to have lost his soul, muttering to himself:
"All this... just to let these two beasts tear each other apart?"
Leiter's entire body burned, his anger seething, and lava surged from his arms like a volcanic eruption.
"With one punch from Laozi, not even a bone will be left of these Kozuki scums--!!"
"Rhett."
Rogge's tone was as calm as dead water, but it carried an edge that could not be disobeyed.
Rhett gritted his teeth, but finally stopped.
Thaksin Rogge.
And Rogge, walked towards Yamato.
Yamato held Oden's diary in both hands and knelt in front of the fire, as if judging his last words.
She flipped through the pages of the "faith" she had read countless times: Oden's bold words, Kozuki's oath, the glory of the samurai...
However, at this moment, what she saw was not hope, but:
madness.
weak.
hypocritical.
She slowly threw the book into the flames.
The flames licked the paper like the flames that consume the statue of a god.
"I thought it was the Bible."
"Now... it's just a bunch of crazy talk that won't admit its mistakes."
She slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at Momonosuke who was hiding in the mud.
"Father...I was wrong..."
The next moment, she gritted her teeth and rushed towards Rhett's lava fist that had not yet been retracted!
"boom--!!!"
Before dying, he laughed heartily: "Father was right, Wanokuni..."
"It's a complete cesspool!!!"
In the blazing flames, charred bones shattered, and Yamato's figure scattered like ash in the flames, ending twenty years of obsession and burning away the last wisp of Kozuki's fantasy.
On the other side——
Momonosuke's roar was strangled in his throat by Sukiyaki!
"You're useless! You're trash!!"
"You can only wash away Kozuki's shame by dying!!!"
"Ka-!!"
Momonosuke's limbs were twitching, his eyeballs were rolling up, and he was strangled to death by his own hands!
Sukiyaki laughed wildly, picked up the empty gun, and held it high:
"I am the king—"
"Click."
He pulled the trigger—blah!
The next moment of being stunned——
"boom--!"
The crumbling remains of Kozuki Castle collapsed, and the huge plaque fell like a stone of heavenly punishment!
"Ka-ka-ka-ka!"
"Bang--!!!"
Sukiyaki's skull didn't even have time to turn around before it was smashed into a bloody mud, with flesh and blood splattered everywhere!
There was silence on the execution platform.
Rogge slowly turned around and looked down at the group of "warriors" kneeling on the ground, dazed and covered in wounds.
He spoke lightly, but his voice shook everyone's heart:
"Did you see clearly?"
"This is the 'wise ruler' you have been bowing to for twenty years."
He walked over to the fire and threw the dusty Kozuki family tree into the flames.
The fireworks rolled up the paper ashes, and the black blood disappeared without a trace in the fire.
What was left was a group of warriors, kneeling and looking at the fire.
No one spoke.
No one cried out.
Only silence remains like a grave.
The flames devoured the remains of Kozuki's house, and the ashes drifted like snow, taking away not only the remnants of a family, but also the last fig leaf of an entire rotten country.
Rogge stood at the edge of the execution platform, looking down at the remaining warriors and civilians kneeling on the ground.
"you..."
His voice was calm and low, but it pierced the eardrums like a knife.
"——Who else wants to be 'General'?"
Dead silence.
The wind blew through the deserted streets, leaving only the smell of blood and fluttering flags, as if the whispers of the dead were echoing in my ears.
In the distance, Kurozumi Orochi finally recovered from his shock and even transformed into Yamata no Orochi in panic, tumbling and crawling towards Rogge, then fell to his knees, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Lord Rogge! Lord Rogge!! Please have mercy! I am willing to surrender! I am willing to offer all my treasures and gold mine deeds, just to spare my life!!"
He lay on the ground like a dog, not even daring to raise his head.
Rogge didn't even look at him, and just said lightly:
"Rhett."
A trace of disgust appeared on Rhett's face, and his lava-like right fist with armed color came down with a bang!
"--boom!!!"
The eight strange heads of the Kurozumi snake were instantly carbonized by the high temperature, turning into charred bones, and the screams stopped abruptly.
His blood mixed with the ashes of Kozuki's family into a pool of nameless mud.
Three days later, after Roggelet left, a huge ship made of gold slowly sailed into the port of Wanokuni.
The golden light made the waves sparkle like fire.
Gild Tezzolo stood at the bow, his golden cloak fluttering in the wind. He struck the deck with his scepter, sending out a clear echo.
"From today on—"
He opened his arms, his smile dazzling like a god, yet revealing naked greed:
"——This is my 'new casino'!"
In the name of "rebuilding the economy", he obtained Rogge's authorization and legal authority to fully take over Wanokuni's seastone resources, civil currency system and food allocation rights.
The mine was reopened, but the actual output had already been secretly registered by Lei Te. Each batch of high-purity seastone was quietly shipped to G-5 and Future Island in the name of "waste ore".
The World Government only received a symbolic monthly "gold tax" from Tezolo and even issued a commendation, praising him for "restoring order and restoring production."
CP0 turned a blind eye to this. They only care about order, not who is in power.
The Five Elders have grown tired of the chaos in Wanokuni and are happy to see someone take over the mess.
Marine seemed to be completely "unaware" and all transactions were secretly handled by Gild Tezzolo.
Tezulo's golden reign unfolded rapidly.
Use gold coins to exchange for food, use gold dust to pay wages, and use gold to sign marriage contracts.
The hungry people were willing to work in the mines, while the rebels were controlled by gold powder and their souls had long been locked away.
The Flower Capital was transformed into a giant golden pagoda, and the former city walls were now engraved with huge words: [The winner is the king]
In front of a dilapidated shrine, the remaining "Red Scabbard" Denjiro knelt in the rubble, looking at his reflection in a pool of blood.
"We... what are we insisting on..."
He smiled bitterly and held his sword across his neck.
"Perhaps, from the very beginning..."
"You shouldn't have believed in this so-called 'Kozuki'."
The blade cut across his neck, blood splattered, and his body fell heavily, ending a loyalty that should have rotted long ago.
On the deck of the warship returning to headquarters, the sea breeze blew the cloak, making a rustling sound.
Rogge stood at the bow of the ship, and Rhett leaned against the railing behind him, still looking a little unwilling.
"Just... throw it to that upstart?" Rhett murmured, crossing his arms.
"Is this place... really worth another look?"
He looked back at Wanokuni, which was moving further and further away, a scorched earth painted with gold, reshaped by iron chains, and completely burned by faith.
"Nothing will remain beneath the gold."
Rogge just stared into the distance in silence for a moment, then said lightly:
"Some places are only worthy of being corroded by gold."
Rhett frowned and before he could respond, he remembered the "infiltration" not long ago.
——That is the ancient secret cave under Wanokuni, hidden under the Fugaku volcanic vein.
Rhett still remembered that when he followed Rogge into the passage twisted by the residual heat of the magma, his pupils suddenly contracted when his eyes suddenly opened up.
An enormous metal warship, sleeping like the remains of an ancient war god, lies in the center of the underground lake.
The thick armor, the twisted muzzle, the remnant of the engine core beating like a heart, everything roared silently: "Pluton".
"What...is that?"
Rhett's voice trembled at the time, and I had never seen him so moved.
Rogge simply nodded. "Pluton is one of the three great weapons of antiquity. The other two are Poseidon and Uranus. They possess the terrifying power to destroy the world."
"You're not going to use it?"
"Not right now."
He patted the sleeping hull, his eyes as calm as ice: "It will be useful in the future."
Back on the deck, Rhett was silent for a long time, looked at the people around him, and finally did not say another word of complaint.
The warship slowly left the port, its propeller stirring up white waves.
Rogge turned his back to Wanokuni, a cold light flashing in his eyes.
Wanokuni's sins have been covered in flames, but the real storm has not yet reached the end of this sea.