"What contingency plan did Kaidō leave behind?"
Orochi’s expression froze for a moment before darkening.
He suddenly grabbed Kozuki Hiyori by the wrist and gave her a sinister smile.
Kyoshiro’s expression changed slightly.
He had never expected Hiyori to be so anxious as to ask such a question.
If Orochi saw through them, all the years they had spent lying low would have been wasted.
With that thought, Kyoshiro slowly drew the sword from his waist.
As cold light flashed along the blade, everyone nearby felt a chill run down their spines.
As Hiyori’s greatest protector, Kyoshiro had once made an agreement with her when she decided to become the oiran Komurasaki and approach Orochi.
If their identities were ever exposed, they would immediately carry out the plan and kill her.
By pretending to be dead, she would then escape the crisis.
"Lord Orochi, I was the one who introduced Komurasaki to you. If her question offended you, then allow me to kill her with my own hands."
Kyoshiro narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke calmly.
The moment those words were spoken, everyone’s expressions changed.
In Wano Country, Komurasaki was practically worshiped as a goddess.
Not only was Orochi completely infatuated with her, even Queen had fallen for her charms.
Yet now, someone had casually offered to kill Wano’s most beloved woman.
Perhaps only Kyoshiro could do such a thing.
"No, no, no. Kyoshiro, you’re making this sound far too serious. Komurasaki is my favorite oiran. How could I possibly kill her?"
Orochi gave an awkward laugh and hurriedly released Hiyori’s wrist.
"I brought her here this time precisely so she wouldn’t have to worry about Wano Country becoming dangerous after Kaidō’s departure."
"Don’t forget, I’m still the shogun of Wano Country. I have more than twenty thousand samurai under my command."
"Besides that, there’s the Oniwabanshu and Kyoshiro. And of course, Kaidō has left me with a contingency plan."
"Personally, I hope those remnants hiding throughout Wano really do come crawling out. That would give me the opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. Only then will I be able to sleep peacefully."
"All right. I’m tired too. Komurasaki, don’t worry about Wano’s safety. No matter what, I’m still the shogun of Wano!"
"Hahaha!"
With that, Orochi climbed directly into his carriage and disappeared from sight.
Hiyori opened her mouth, intending to say something.
Unfortunately, Kyoshiro shook his head and stopped her.
The words that had reached the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down.
"Boss Kyoshiro, I’d like to take a look around nearby."
After remaining silent for a moment, Hiyori finally spoke.
Kyoshiro pondered for a moment before nodding.
"All right. But don’t go too far. If anything happens, notify me immediately."
Hiyori was slightly surprised.
Normally, a request like this would have been rejected outright.
She hadn’t expected Kyoshiro to agree this time.
Still, faced with this long-lost freedom, a rare smile appeared on her face.
She quickly turned her horse and rode toward the grassland nearby.
The surrounding guards saw that Kyoshiro had given his permission and had no choice but to step aside.
Without anyone stopping her, Hiyori soon rode several miles away at full speed.
But just as she had crossed several miles, an urgent cry for help suddenly came from the distance.
"Otama, get out of the way!"
A figure wearing elevated geta and a tengu mask suddenly rushed out from roughly a thousand meters away and threw himself in front of a little girl.
The next moment, several dark shadows descended with sharp sounds tearing through the air.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Blood sprayed through the air like brilliant fireworks.
The two figures, one large and one small, were sent tumbling several times by the force of the impact before crashing into the ground seven or eight meters away.
The sudden scene caused Hiyori’s expression to change dramatically.
As the oiran at Orochi’s side, and with Kyoshiro serving as one of Orochi’s most trusted underworld bosses, Hiyori naturally knew a great deal about what was happening throughout Wano.
If she remembered correctly, these two figures who had suddenly appeared before her were probably the swordsmith and the little girl whom Kaidō and Orochi had been relentlessly hunting.
Hiyori didn’t understand why Kaidō of the Beasts regarded a little girl as such a major threat to the Beasts Pirates.
But she understood one simple principle very clearly:
The enemy of my enemy is my ally.
If this little girl posed such a tremendous threat to Kaidō of the Beasts, then should the time come for Wano to wage war against the Beasts Pirates and open its borders, this little girl would surely become an indispensable ally.
Therefore, she had to save them!
Various thoughts raced through Hiyori’s mind.
She tightened her grip on the reins and was just about to rush forward and intervene when dozens of figures landed from every direction.
The moment Hiyori recognized their familiar shinobi attire, her expression changed drastically.
If she remembered correctly, these were none other than members of Orochi’s trusted ninja force—the Oniwabanshu.
At their head was Daikoku, one of the Oniwabanshu.
Faced with these uninvited intruders, Hiyori desperately wanted to intervene, but she instantly felt powerless.
If there had only been one or two enemies, she might have been able to risk her life and save the two.
But now that dozens of them had appeared, there was simply no way a lone, physically frail woman like her could turn the situation around.
The sudden appearance of Hiyori had not escaped the attention of the Oniwabanshu in the distance.
Daikoku, their leader, froze for a moment before breaking into a sinister laugh.
"Well, well. If it isn’t Lady Komurasaki."
"Weren’t you accompanying Shogun Orochi to see the Beasts Pirates off? Looks like everything has already been settled."
"Since Lady Komurasaki has appeared here alone, I assume Shogun Orochi and the others must be nearby."
"That’s perfect."
"We just happened to discover these two fugitives whom Shogun Orochi ordered us to capture. We’ll take them back and deliver them to the shogun."
"I’m sure he’ll be even more pleased."
As he spoke, Daikoku turned toward the two figures nearby and grinned viciously.
"Heh heh. Weren’t you planning to run?"
"I told you already. You can’t escape."
"If you want someone to blame, blame your rotten luck for running into us."
"But don’t worry. I’ll give you a chance."
"If you surrender peacefully, I’ll spare your lives."
"Otherwise, we don’t mind taking your corpses back with us!"
"And don’t bother shouting for help. You could scream until your throat breaks here, and no one will come to save you!"
Tenguyama Hitetsu hurriedly helped Otama to her feet, his face turning pale.
He had never expected that after hearing that Kaidō had left Wano, he would finally venture outside to take a look, only to run straight into the Oniwabanshu.
If he were alone, perhaps he could still find a way to escape.
But now that he had Otama with him, everything had become much more difficult.
Once they actually fought, they would probably have no choice but to die here.
For a moment, an eerie silence descended over the grassland.
Hiyori secretly tightened her grip on the reins.
Should she abandon her identity as Komurasaki and intervene?
But before anyone could react, a figure suddenly appeared in the distance.
An uninvited guest was walking toward them on foot.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus Chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 70+ Chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/Sagamaster789