Chapter 56: General Orochi! Doflamingo's External Armor

Roa's lips curved upward. From his perspective, the greed emanating from those charcoal-like figures before him was as blazing and fierce as a raging wildfire.

Kaido also glanced at these fellows, then curled his lip in disdain.

As everyone knew, pirates possessed the absolute right to break promises.

Especially when dealing with a brat like Roa.

"Big Brother Kaido,"

Roa did not answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head and asked with an amused expression, "Are you interested in that Shogun position?"

"I don't have the time to bother myself with such messy trifles,"

Kaido said casually.

That came as no surprise.

In the original timeline, Kaido had even expected Yamato to become the new Shogun and rule Wano Country in his stead.

"Understood."

Roa nodded gently, turning his gaze toward the Kurozumi trio amidst their eager, yearning expressions. "Well, since a promise was made, I certainly won't go back on my word. Kurozumi Orochi, from now on, you shall serve as the Shogun of Wano Country."

"Huh?"

Kaido lowered his head in bewilderment, staring at the back of Roa's head.

Was this something a brat like this could actually say?

Based on his understanding of Roa, this kid should be laughing right now and declaring that he was merely toying with a bunch of clowns.

Roa was precisely the kind of wretched brat who took joy in toying with others and savored their pain as if it were a delicacy.

Had he lost his mind today?

"Shogun!!"

Kurozumi Orochi's entire body trembled. A wild, overwhelming wave of joy erupted like an erupting volcano, causing this despicable and cowardly man to burst into tears in this exact moment.

"Gurehehehe! I've become the Shogun!!"

"Splendid!"

Behind him, Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru were also shedding tears of joy. "The Kurozumi Family has finally been restored!"

"Now then, since the promise has been fulfilled, let's talk about the matter of you fellows ruining the mood of my most respected Big Brother Kaido."

Roa's expression turned stern. "For daring to interrupt my big brother's thrilling battle, how do you intend to compensate us?"

The three Kurozumis froze instantly on the spot.

Let alone them, even Kaido himself twitched the corner of his mouth.

He knew it. How could this brat possibly keep a promise so easily?

"Well, you probably couldn't afford any excessively harsh compensation anyway. How about this, I'll show mercy,"

The colors of black and white suddenly reversed within Roa's eyes.

"Hand yourselves over to me as compensation."

The next instant, the black substance within the eyes of Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru surged wildly. Before they could even utter a sound, their vision was completely engulfed by a pitch-black abyss.

Like walking corpses, the two of them walked over to Roa's side and respectfully sank to their knees.

The abilities of these two fellows were actually quite practical.

The Mane-Mane Fruit could come in extremely handy under specific circumstances.

Not to mention the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, which provided an absolute defense that surpassed even King's.

Once he managed to acquire Vegapunk's devil fruit replication technology later on, their utility would be even greater.

Well, he wondered to what extent Vegapunk's research in this area had progressed.

"Eh?!"

Kurozumi Orochi looked blankly at Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru, completely failing to understand what had happened to them.

Kaido, however, spoke up with a hint of surprise, "Why spare this fellow's life? This guy is also a Zoan user. Wouldn't it be better to turn him into a puppet as well?"

Roa said seriously, "Orochi's body harbors an endless well of energy. No one is more suited than him to be the Shogun of Wano Country."

"Keep up the good work, Orochi,"

Then, Roa hopped up and patted Kurozumi Orochi's shoulder encouragingly, "I am looking forward to seeing what kind of state you can bring this country into. Don't let us down."

Orochi was a fine comrade indeed.

Kaido was at most a social Darwinist who believed blindly in the law of the jungle where the strong preyed upon the weak.

As for Kurozumi Orochi, he truly harbored a deep, consuming hatred for Wano Country, making him ideal to rule it.

Could there possibly be a more suitable ruler than him?

Anyway, this fellow was a weakling. Turning him into a thrall would merely grant him a few extra lives; it was far better to put his pig brain to proper use.

Kurozumi Orochi glanced at Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru. Though he still didn't understand what had happened to them, he gathered from the conversation between Roa and Kaido that the two of them were likely dead, and that he himself had just narrowly brushed past the gates of hell.

Trembling like a leaf in the wind, Kurozumi Orochi did not dare to utter a single word.

Roa nodded in satisfaction, then turned his head to look at Kozuki Sukiyaki, who was crawling toward Kozuki Oden's corpse on the ground like a maggot.

"Next, I'll have to trouble you, Kozuki Sukiyaki."

Shortly after, the Flower Capital.

This most prosperous city in Wano Country was shrouded in an eerie silence today.

Massive snails crawled slowly along the wide streets, and the residents of the Flower Capital could only cower in their homes, watching the scene unfold with trepidation.

News of the foreign invasion had already quietly spread throughout the city.

Everyone had witnessed the departure of the samurai yesterday with their own eyes.

And now, the samurai had not returned, and these strange monsters had appeared in the Flower Capital. Did that mean……

People dared not think any further, silently praying in their hearts.

While they could still harbor a shred of wishful thinking, inside the Castle Keep at the center of the city, some people had plunged into utter despair.

"Lord Sukiyaki!"

The ministers of the country fell to the ground on their knees, wailing loudly, "Are we truly not trapped inside a nightmare?"

Ahead of them, a disheveled Kozuki Sukiyaki wore a dazed and sorrowful expression.

He had already informed everyone of the outcome of the battle at dusk the previous night.

Thus, everyone present had plunged into profound despair.

However, this was no time for sorrow.

Kozuki Sukiyaki forced himself to pull it together. "Everyone, Lord Roa and Lord Kaido have shown us great mercy by choosing to forgive our crime of brazenly offending them."

"However, I no longer have the face to continue holding the position of Shogun. Starting today,"

He stepped aside to reveal Kurozumi Orochi standing behind him, awkwardly wearing an oversized, luxurious robe like a monkey dressed in silk, "the position of Shogun shall be succeeded by Kurozumi Orochi."

"Gurehehehe! Starting today, I am the Shogun!"

Kurozumi Orochi was brimming with self-satisfaction, completely forgetting about Roa and Kaido sitting cross-legged behind him.

The ministers could only weep bitterly.

Kurozumi!

To let someone of the Kurozumi family become Shogun, and moreover a lackey of outsiders—what kind of suffering was this country about to endure?

Yet they also knew that nothing could change now.

Wano Country's elite samurai had been wiped out overnight; the nation possessed no remaining strength to resist.

However, there were still those of fierce and unyielding spirit.

"Die! Traitors!!"

A minister roared as he lunged forward, charging directly at Roa and Kaido.

Only in the next instant, a scorching flame rushed out to meet him, instantly transforming the man into a human torch.

"Foolish."

King, standing guard before Roa, apathetically pulled back his flame-engulfed right hand.

Kozuki Sukiyaki's face grew even more sorrowful. He dropped straight to his knees and pleaded earnestly, "From now on, I beg you all to assist Shogun Orochi well!"

"Please help him take control of this country as quickly as possible!"

Otherwise, according to that monster named Roa, they would destroy the entire country of Wano.

Having witnessed Roa's terrifying power firsthand, Kozuki Sukiyaki had no doubts about whether he possessed such capability.

"……Understood."

The ministers collectively fell into a dogeza posture, a heavy, tragic atmosphere spreading among them.

"With that, I have fulfilled my promise to you."

Kozuki Sukiyaki turned back to look at Roa. "Kill me."

With the nation fallen and his family wiped out, there was no longer any meaning in him living.

"What are you talking about? Haven't you already surrendered the position of Shogun as your atonement?"

Roa asked in surprise, "We are even now!"

Kozuki Sukiyaki was momentarily stunned.

"However, I hope to employ you to join our Disaster Corporation, in the capacity of a technician."

Roa extended a job offer. This man not only possessed knowledge of the ancient language but was also an exceptional swordsman, and controlling him would be effortless; naturally, he couldn't let him die just like that.

"Additionally, I expect you to moonlight as a tour guide and lead us to see the Road Poneglyph."

Kozuki Sukiyaki's pupils constricted instantly.

How did he know!

Regardless of how Roa came to know, a short while later, Kozuki Sukiyaki was leading Roa and his companions down a long, downward-sloping flight of stairs.

"Is the outside sea?"

Looking through the glass windows alongside the stairway, Doflamingo gazed outward, deeply shocked by the scenery outside.

Why was it underwater?

They could even see numerous structures submerged beneath the water.

"Wano Country didn't have those towering walls enclosing its borders many years ago, you see,"

Roa explained casually. "It was only eight hundred years ago that walls were built around this country for certain reasons, and the accumulated water turned into an inland sea, submerging the original land."

"The present Wano Country is a floating island reborn upon the sea."

"Could that really be?"

Dylan murmured in wonder.

Kozuki Sukiyaki, leading the way ahead, was utterly astonished.

How could this monster know so much?

The surprise brought by the windows quickly faded, and the stairs seemed endless until Kaido grew somewhat impatient and casually brought up a topic, "I don't think that clown will be able to firmly secure his position as ruler after such a theatrical farce."

Who wouldn't know that Kozuki Sukiyaki was being coerced?

Resistance movements throughout Wano Country would undoubtedly spring up like mushrooms after rain.

"Does it matter? Big Brother Kaido,"

Roa smiled and said, "Wolves are the kind of creatures that only turn into dogs after their spines are broken."

"Uororororo!"

Kaido burst into hearty laughter. "That's true! You kid probably couldn't wait for it!"

Roa offered a tactical smile.

Kozuki Sukiyaki unconsciously clenched his fists, his expression grief-stricken.

No matter how long a staircase was, it eventually came to an end. Soon, the group arrived in a spacious chamber.

Here stood a massive red boulder.

"This is—"

Dylan paused. "A Poneglyph?"

"The legendary stone that records the history of the Void Century?"

King was even more stirred than the others. "I've heard that, much like our Lunarian tribe, anyone connected to these stones becomes hunted by the World Government!"

"Isn't it just a rock?"

Kaido sneered. "Is this what you brought us here specially to see?"

You couldn't blame Kaido for not caring. At this stage, no one was certain whether the One Piece truly existed, let alone being able to decipher this script. Under such circumstances, who could possibly care about a stone like this?

"Let's make a rubbing of it, Big Brother Kaido,"

Roa had no intention of sharing the secrets recorded on this stone with Kaido just yet.

The Pirate King? It was better to leave that title for Roger to claim.

If it weren't a terminally ill Roger who became the Pirate King, how would the Great Age of Pirates that Roa had longed for ever begin?

"A rubbing?"

Kaido raised an eyebrow. "Don't say I'm not interested in this stone; even if I were, the stone is right here. Why bother making a rubbing?"

"Naturally because I have a use for this rock, Doflamingo,"

Roa turned his head to look at a bewildered Doflamingo. "This stone will be handed over to you to use."

One of the most prominent features of the Poneglyphs was their indestructibility.

It was a match made in heaven for the Fusion-Fusion Fruit.