Kaido, though visibly suppressing his anger, sank back into his seat, snorting coldly. He picked up the wine gourd on the table and drank with loud, deliberate gulps. At the same time, a thought lingered in his mind: he would make sure Yamato experienced the greatness of a father's protection someday.
"The rest of these matters are irrelevant," he muttered, but before he could continue, Orochi suddenly erupted in a furious outburst. He leapt onto the table, kicking the wine gourd so it spilled across the floor, and pointed a finger at Izo. "I don't care if you are hosting a meeting of the Four Emperors here! For a mere remnant of the Kozuki family to appear before this general, Kyoshiro, kill him!"
Denjiro froze for a brief moment. He had long recognized Izo, but his current identity was still Kyoshiro, a loyal subordinate of Orochi. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, unwilling to disobey his Shogun's command.
Just as he began to draw his blade, a wave of overwhelming killing intent washed over him. It emanated from Kaido.
"Stop!" Kaido's roar thundered through the room as his massive fist slammed onto the table, sending wine splattering across the floor. His son's mockery had already bruised his pride, and now Orochi dared to provoke him? It was sheer recklessness.
"Orochi," Kaido said coldly, his voice like steel, "do you want to ruin my plans? This is my Four Emperors meeting. You have no right to speak here. Leave, now!"
Orochi staggered back in shock. "Wh-what?"
Fukurokuju, sensing Kaido's true wrath, whispered cautiously, "Lord Orochi, perhaps it is best we leave. Lord Kaido still has business to attend to."
Denjiro and Kozuki Hiyori—disguised as Kyoshiro and Komurasaki—remained outwardly calm, though inside they were practically bursting with silent laughter. They silently hoped Kaido and Orochi's rift would widen as much as possible.
Orochi's face twisted with rage. "Kaido! How dare you speak to me like that! I am the Shogun of Wano Country! I will not care about you or your pirates! My sole purpose here is to exterminate the remnants of the Kozuki family!"
Kaido's gaze darkened, unflinching. "Do not forget who helped you seize Wano. All these years, you suffered under the Kozuki family simply because of your Kurozumi blood. Now that you are Shogun, you will kill them all, and you think that gives you power over this place? Pathetic. You are nothing."
Kaido's face grim, he drew the long sword from King's hand with a swift, fluid motion. In one decisive strike, Orochi was beheaded. "Who cares about any of that? Trash," Kaido said coldly.
"Lord Orochi…" Fukurokuju, Denjiro, and Hiyori were stunned. Orochi's sudden death had shattered any illusions about his power. Fukurokuju had been Orochi's confidant, while Denjiro and Hiyori had been lurking nearby under disguise. None had anticipated such a sudden execution.
Kaido flicked the blood from his blade and snorted. "Do you really think you're irreplaceable? There are countless others I could place in your Shogun seat."
Turning to Fukurokuju and the others, he continued, "Now, you have a choice: join the Beasts Pirates, or die. You have five seconds."
Kaido's countdown began. "Five, four, three…"
Denjiro reacted instantly, kneeling before Kaido. "I am willing to join the Beasts Pirates and serve Lord Kaido to the best of my ability," he said firmly.
Fukurokuju followed suit, bowing deeply. "I am also willing to join, please spare me, Lord Kaido."
Kaido's lips curled into a cold smirk. "Good. Since you were both Orochi's subordinates, you will now take command of incorporating all of Orochi's samurai forces."
"Understood," they both replied.
Marco, observing Orochi's execution, remained calm. He was more curious than surprised—how such a fool had lasted so long was beyond him. Yamato, on the other hand, could not contain her excitement. "Orochi… he's dead…"
In Wano, Orochi had been the most despised figure for Marco. After all, it had been Orochi's schemes that had disguised Oden's son, leaving him vulnerable to Kaido.
"Alright, throw this trash out," Kaido commanded his subordinates.
"Understood." Members of the Beasts Pirates carried Orochi's body away, leaving a chilling silence in the room.
Marco observed the corpse, noting silently that Orochi was not truly dead yet. The power of the Eight-Headed Serpent Devil Fruit granted him eight lives. Marco decided it was best to let Orochi linger a little longer—his continued existence could cause problems for Kaido, and Marco had no intention of intervening.
Big Mom smirked, her tone tinged with mockery. "It seems your territory is not as stable as you claim, Kaido. You've held Wano for over twenty years, and yet such chaos still arises?"
Kaido waved her off, unfazed. "Hmph, trivial matters. Orochi's usefulness is gone. I only kept him around because he was convenient, but he overestimated himself. Laughable."
Turning to Marco and the others, Kaido's tone became businesslike. "Now that the interruption is gone, let's continue."
He leaned forward, his words carrying immense weight. "I'll be direct. The purpose of bringing you to Wano is simple: to form a pirate alliance. Together, we will search for the legendary treasure, One Piece. After that, we will start a war across the world, dragging the Celestial Dragons from their divine seats. In the end, the Four Emperors will divide the world among ourselves."
The room fell into stunned silence. Even the other Emperors' crews were caught off guard.
Big Mom feigned surprise, hiding her knowledge of Kaido's plans. "Mama, what an interesting proposal, Kaido. If the Four Emperors unite, even the World Government will have trouble standing against us."
Yamato's eyes widened. "Four Emperors Alliance?" She understood the Beasts Pirates' strength, and the thought of four Emperors working together was terrifying.
For more than ten seconds, the room remained silent. Shanks continued drinking his sake, his expression unreadable, quietly observing the reactions of everyone else.
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