"Retract?"
Kuina sneered, "What if I don't retract?"
"Then I'll have to experience your great skill firsthand!"
Denjiro's eyes flashed fiercely, with a clang, he drew his sword completely, the blade pointed directly at Kuina, his aura suddenly soaring.
The Nine Red Scabbards have their ranks.
His power, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he's the first among the nine, perhaps only the Moon Lion Form's cat and dog double kings might be able to surpass him.
At this moment, under the surge of anger, murderous intent was palpable.
"Bold!"
"Daring to draw your sword against Lady Kuina!"
The surrounding members of the Combat Corps sensed the anomaly and quickly gathered around, the sound of blades being drawn echoed continuously, glaring at the two with hostile expressions.
"Stand down."
Kuina said calmly, with hands clasped behind, she assessed Denjiro up and down:
"In terms of strength, indeed quite impressive, even among us Endgame, with some effort you might barely touch the top ten, but unfortunately you followed a brainless master, making yourself look like a fool, arousing disdain."
"You!"
"Well, do you not understand?"
She turned and walked to the center of the courtyard, casually grabbed a handful of gold coins from a nearby box, letting them slide through her fingers:
"Look at these, the sweat money Kurozumi Orochi extorted from the people of Wano Country, on such a massive scale, twenty whole years, where was your Kozuki family? In those preceding five years, where was Oden?"
Without waiting for Denjiro's reply, Kuina's voice rang out again:
"Dancing, acting mad and foolish, idly watching this country fall into hell! Dogs follow their master, after Oden died, you retainers behaved just as he did, fleeing, surviving with disgrace, waiting for that elusive predestined person!"
"Yet not a single person organized a true rebellion, not even tried once! Even if it failed! Twenty years have passed, has Wano Country's situation changed one bit compared to when you fled?"
"Now the Endgame defeated the enemy, you old retainers remember to come out and pick the peaches!"
Kuina's gaze fell on the tip of Denjiro's sword, sneering:
"Denjiro, you tolerated humiliation for so many years, now you dare draw your sword against me, what are you trying to prove? That the Kozuki family still has pride?"
"I don't think so!"
"Plainly, you think we're the good guys, the saviors."
"Following those myths and fairy tales conventions, once the savior completed their task, they should hand the country back to you, you host a banquet in return, both sides happy, isn't that right?"
"Too bad, reality and fairy tales are worlds apart, we seized Wano Country, not to be mercenaries for the Kozuki family, and you remnants, if you showed this fierceness twenty years ago, Wano Country wouldn't have fallen this low."
"I..."
Denjiro's face turned pale.
"No, it's not like that, Lady Kuina!"
Kozuki Hiyori, teary-eyed, mustered courage to step forward and argued, "My father, he had his own reasons! We did too, we haven't wasted time waiting, these years we've been secretly accumulating power, waiting for the opportunity..."
"Oh? Accumulating power?"
Kuina found it even more laughable, "Twenty years of accumulation, and only producing such a handful of defeated remnants? It's quite amusing, since you respect Oden so much, revere the bloodline, then why is his daughter only fit to be a prostitute in a brothel?"
"Don't insult Lady Hiyori!"
Denjiro still in daze, but instinctively roared in anger.
"That's why I say you're foolish!"
Kuina's gaze suddenly turned fierce, "Me, insulting? Wrong, Denjiro, it's actually you who insults Hiyori, insults the Kozuki bloodline!"
"By your logic, since Oden is inherently a great figure, shouldn't Hiyori be just as naturally gifted, a natural Great Sword Master?"
"Twenty whole years, letting her start training in Swordsmanship from young, time abounds? Driven by the hatred of the country's downfall, father's murder, with you as the master Great Sword Master, can't she surpass Oden, become a force that can fight Kaido head on?"
"I..."
Denjiro felt like struck by lightning, trembling, opened his mouth, but couldn't say a thing, his mind blank.
Kuina anticipated this outcome, sneering in disdain.
That's the merit of using one's own spear against their shield.
You can't want the benefits of bloodline theory and evade the responsibility it entails.
"But, but..."
Denjiro clutched his head in agony, took ages to organize his words:
"But Lady Hiyori ultimately is just a gentle woman, I just wanted her to live a bit better, a bit safer, how could I harden my heart, if Lord Momonosuke hadn't left, I would've definitely done this..."
"Differentiating sexes at this point?"
Kuina looked at him as if seeing an idiot:
"What, am I male?"
She, Shimotsuki Kuina, idolized Lord Shano from a young age, rigorously trained in Swordsmanship, never slacking day or night.
Now, at seventeen, capable of battling the Emperor General!
This stood present and alive, couldn't be a better counterexample!
"Besides, have you truly made Hiyori's life better, safer?"
Kuina stepped forward, continued pressing:
"One of the last bloodlines of the Kozuki family, yet you sent her to be a prostitute! Under the guise of undercover, accumulating power? Utterly laughable! Isn't this the greatest stain and betrayal of her bloodline?"