Capítulo 153: Chapter 153: Orochi Kneels, Hiyori Cries
The Ruins of Onigashima
With Onigashima gone, a massive crater remained in its place.
"They… ran away?" Denjiro looked toward the disappearing island in the sky, his voice trembling with emotion.
It meant that the Beasts Pirates, who had occupied Wano for ten years, were finally leaving.
The dream that Kozuki Oden had never managed to fulfill had now become a reality.
"Are we… free?" Hiyori covered her mouth, breaking into tears.
She thought of her deceased father, her mother, and the painful years she had endured.
"No, not quite. The Beasts Pirates may have fled, but now the The Sun and Moon Pirates are in control of Wano," Denjiro said, casting a wary glance at Kuke and his crew.
Kuke, a man even more fearsome than Kaido.
"If he's even more ruthless than Kaido, then Wano will never see freedom."
"No, I don't believe that. They're nothing like Kaido." Hiyori shook her head.
They had been in Wano for days and hadn't harmed anyone.
Suddenly, Denjiro spotted something in the distance. "This is bad—Orochi got here quickly."
It was the ship carrying Orochi, the current Shogun of Wano.
Orochi was surely here to pledge allegiance to Wano's new rulers. If he managed to ally with the The Sun and Moon Pirates, then…
Denjiro turned to Hiyori.
Hiyori's face had gone pale with fear. "What should we do? What can we do?"
"We only have one chance—we need to act first. If we can convince the The Sun and Moon Pirates to side with us… no, if we submit to them, we might have a chance."
"Submit to them? How?" Hiyori, still bewildered, asked.
"As the princess of the former Kozuki family, you must offer your allegiance to them. We have no leverage; this is our only hope."
"Princess Hiyori, there's no time to waste—we must go."
Denjiro took the still-dazed Hiyori by the arm and ran toward Kuke and his crew.
By the time they reached them, Orochi's ship had also landed.
"What…?" Orochi looked around in confusion, staring at the void where Onigashima had been.
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Where was Onigashima?
Where had that massive island gone?
Where were all the Beasts Pirates? Thousands of pirates had vanished. In broad daylight—was he seeing things?
"Shogun, could it be that what we saw flying across the sky earlier was Onigashima?" one of his subordinates asked.
"Damn that Kaido, did he just run away?" Orochi cursed, swallowing nervously. "Did he lose?"
Orochi felt a chill run down his spine. He looked towards Kuke, trying to muster a flattering smile.
Kaido had been terrifying enough, but now Kuke—the man who had defeated Kaido—stood before him.
Orochi's legs trembled.
"Our only way to survive is to join forces with the The Sun and Moon Pirates," Orochi thought. He moved quickly, deciding to act.
Suddenly, Orochi spotted Denjiro approaching with a young woman in tow.
"Kuke-sama, she is the princess of Wano, here specifically to greet you," Denjiro said before they even arrived, introducing Hiyori.
Orochi's face instantly turned grim.
He glared at Denjiro in disbelief, his eyes also betraying his fear.
The samurai and the prophecy—they had always haunted Orochi's dreams.
"Kuke-sama, I am the Shogun of Wano. I have already met with you before," Orochi said, crawling towards Kuke on his knees.
Like the lowest of slaves, he groveled.
Denjiro was stunned at the sight.
To think Orochi would stoop this low.
Hiyori looked to Denjiro, seeking guidance. What were they supposed to do now—kneel as well?
Her hesitation came too late.
Orochi was already at Kuke's feet, his forehead pressed against the ground in the most abject gesture of submission. "Kuke-sama, I am the Shogun of Wano, and I am willing to lead this country in loyal service to you."
Being opportunistic was in Orochi's nature.
Kuke glanced down at Orochi.
No wonder he had managed to seize Wano from the reckless Kozuki Oden.
"Master, don't trust him! He's a villain, the one who stole Wano from us!" Hiyori cried, her eyes pleading as she looked at Kuke.
She was just a girl.
Faced with this situation, she had no other recourse.
Orochi, still groveling, smirked in ridicule. She was just as naive as her father, Kozuki Oden.
Villain, hero—what were those to a pirate?
She was far too naive.
Lifting his fawning, grotesque face, Orochi said, "Master, I offer you seventy percent—no, eighty percent of Wano's profits. The weapons factory, the seastone reserves—all of it, eighty percent will be yours. And the forces of Wano, you can command them at will."
Once he finished, Orochi cast a triumphant glance at Hiyori and Denjiro.
How could they possibly compete with him?
As long as he kept his position as Shogun, it didn't matter if he gave away some benefits.
If the The Sun and Moon Pirates left Wano, who would decide how much of that seventy percent would actually leave the country? He would.
Hiyori's face turned ghostly white.
Denjiro closed his eyes in resignation.
It was over.
Their identities exposed, the princess's safety was now in jeopardy.
Yamato looked to Kuke, her eyes imploring.
She opened her mouth to speak.
"Yamato, don't interfere with the captain's decision," Gion cautioned.
Yamato bit her lip, her expression crestfallen.
Kuke's gaze shifted back and forth between Orochi and Hiyori.
"I have no interest in Wano."
Kuke had no desire to create a base or territory like Kaido had.
Such things would only shackle the The Sun and Moon Pirates.
"What?" Hiyori gasped.
This wasn't the worst outcome, but it wasn't a good one either.
She had no power to reclaim Wano and no way to protect it.
For Orochi, though, it was the best possible result.
"Not interested in Wano?" Orochi's eyes lit up with joy.
If Kuke had no interest, then Wano was his again. And if the samurai became a problem, he could always call Kaido back.
Denjiro let out a bitter laugh, mocking himself and Orochi alike.
To think, what they had considered to be the most important thing—the freedom of Wano—meant nothing to others.
"Indeed, with your strength and status, what's a small country like Wano?" Orochi groveled, bending at the knee.
Hiyori was on the verge of tears.
"You think you're somebody?" Kuke looked at Orochi.
Orochi responded in a flattering tone, "Compared to you, I am nothing."
"Unfortunately, my crew doesn't like you."
The smile froze on Orochi's face. A chill ran up his spine.
Kuke turned and looked at Yamato.
"Yamato, he's yours. After today, I don't want to hear about your ridiculous dream again."
Yamato grinned ear to ear.
She skipped forward, stopping in front of Kuke. "Okay, Captain. I'll do this last thing as Kozuki Oden. Afterward, I'm just Yamato, your crew member. Don't hit me—I look up to you!"
Hiyori: "???"
Hiyori watched the whole scene unfold in confusion.
She didn't fully understand, but she knew it was good news.
"Huh?" Orochi stood there dumbfounded, unable to comprehend.
"Wano—you're unworthy of it," Yamato said, raising her spiked club and swinging it towards Orochi.
—--
Elsewhere
The News King's newspaper went to print before sunset, detailing all the events of that day on Onigashima.
The headlines were filled with content about Kaido's miserable defeat.
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