(50 Power Stone Bonus)
Chapter 78: Experimental Material
Fukurokuju was currently livid.
Just moments ago, the Shogun of Wano and their direct superior, Kurozumi Orochi, had intended to throw a banquet.
Orochi had even specifically sent messengers to invite the Oiran Komurasaki to accompany him. Everyone had been in high spirits.
But right in the middle of their celebration—while they were drinking merrily, laughing loudly, and awaiting Komurasaki's arrival—someone had dared to interrupt.
Who could tolerate such an insult?
Fukurokuju wanted nothing more than to kill these troublemakers and hack them into a thousand pieces.
However, sensing that the strength of the person who had just attacked was not to be trifled with, Fukurokuju intended to maintain a calm front for a moment. He wanted to identify who they were before deciding whether to launch a full-scale assault.
"Get lost."
But Shimotsuki Ryuma had no interest in wasting words with these lowly lackeys. Busoshoku Haki coated the blade of the legendary Shusui. He unsheathed the sword just an inch, then clicked it back into its scabbard.
Without another word, Ryuma took a step forward, walking boldly toward the heart of the palace.
"Stop right there!"
Fukurokuju was furious. This man was ignoring them completely. He instinctively moved to block Ryuma's path, but the moment he took his first step, he realized with horror that his body was tilting.
His entire upper torso crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
*Wait... what happened?*
Fukurokuju's heart was filled with confusion. He turned his head with great effort to look back.
His legs were still standing upright on the ground, maintaining the position of the right leg mid-stride.
But his upper body, from the waist up, was gone.
No, not gone—he had been sliced horizontally clean through the middle.
In that instant, Fukurokuju remembered the simple motion of the man drawing his sword an inch and clicking it back.
He suddenly understood. The opponent had already drawn his sword; the speed was just too fast. It was so fast that none of them had even seen the blade leave the sheath.
To their eyes, there were only two movements: the start of the draw and the end of the sheathing.
The process in between was invisible.
The gap in their power was simply too vast.
*Thud, thud...* At that moment, several more heavy objects hit the ground. They were the other members of the Orochi Oniwabanshu.
Ryuma's single slash hadn't just cut Fukurokuju; not a single member of the Oniwabanshu had escaped.
Every single one of them had been bisected at the waist.
More importantly, this group of ninjas didn't even realize they were dead until the moment they fell.
As the blood finally began to spray from their severed midsections, the realization hit them.
They had already been cut down.
"So fast... just who are you...?" Fukurokuju stared at Ryuma in disbelief. Where could such a terrifying figure have come from? Why had he never heard of him?
But Ryuma didn't even bother to glance at Fukurokuju. He walked past the dying ninjas and stepped into the split palace, searching for the hiding Kurozumi Orochi.
As Yumesaki walked past Fukurokuju, he looked down at him from a height.
"Nowadays, just anyone dares to call themselves Fukurokuju. Can you even bear the weight of that name?"
It wasn't that Yumesaki was simply looking down on the old man, but rather that the name itself was too heavy. It belonged to a god of luck and longevity in folk belief.
For a mere old man who acted as a sycophant and a slave to use such a name was practically begging for a shortened lifespan.
Only in a small, isolated place like this would they be so bold. In other worlds, anyone daring to use that name—unless they were an actual deity—would have grass growing three meters high over their grave.
*Rumble!*
By the time Yumesaki entered the ruined palace, Ryuma had already found Kurozumi Orochi.
To protect himself, Orochi didn't hesitate to activate his Fruit ability, transforming into his Yamata no Orochi form.
While the central head retained Orochi's facial features, the other seven heads were dragon-like. All eight heads glared at Ryuma, and Orochi shrieked with a forced bravado:
"Who do you think you are?! How dare you oppose this Shogun?!"
Ryuma didn't speak. He simply continued to draw his sword.
Every slash that flew out easily severed one of the Yamata no Orochi's heads.
It wasn't that Orochi didn't think to attack, but it was useless.
In actual mythology, the Yamata no Orochi possessed a powerful body and could control the weather; even Susanoo didn't dare face it head-on without getting it drunk first.
Logically, this should have been an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit.
Unfortunately, Kurozumi Orochi was a pathetic wretch.
A legendary Devil Fruit had been reduced to nothing more than a life-preserving tool in his hands. Even his attacks were weak, and he was no match for a master like Shimotsuki Ryuma.
In short order, Ryuma sliced off seven of the dragon heads, leaving only the final, main head.
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!"
Orochi was terrified. He immediately reverted to his human form and fell to his knees before Ryuma, groveling. In a pathetic, humble tone, he begged: "I beg you, don't kill me! I'll give you anything you want!"
"Beautiful women, money, power... or even this Shogun's position!"
"As long as you don't kill me, everything is yours!"
Yumesaki stepped forward and said, "Don't kill him. Keep him alive; he's useful."
Only then did Ryuma suppress his killing intent.
Afterward, Yumesaki opened a portal to the Naruto world and kicked Kurozumi Orochi right to the feet of Tobirama Senju.
"I'm leaving him to you."
Tobirama Senju gave a thin, cold smile. He picked Orochi up like a sack of flour and headed back into the Naruto world.
With this man, they could be far more aggressive with their experiments.
He would be a massive help in unraveling the mysteries of Devil Fruits.
After all, Kabuto Yakushi was Orochimaru's subordinate and, in a sense, one of their own. Certain "cruel" experimental methods couldn't be used on him.
But Kurozumi Orochi was different. The man's sins were mountain-high; he was the perfect "lab rat."
With this material, the time needed to crack the secret of Devil Fruits could be cut in half.
Serie was also deeply interested in these secrets, so she followed Tobirama back to the Naruto world.
As for the rest of them, they remained in the palace to wait for the true mastermind behind Wano Country.
Although Kurozumi Orochi held the title of Shogun, anyone who knew the history of this world knew he was just a pawn.
The true ruler of Wano was someone else.
The "Guardian Deity" of Wano, user of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Model: Azure Dragon...
One of the Emperors of the Sea... Kaido!!!
Whether Orochi lived or died didn't actually matter in the long run. Kill one Kurozumi Orochi today, and another puppet Shogun might appear tomorrow.
There was only one way to truly save Wano Country: defeat Kaido.
Without taking Kaido down, Wano would never be free.
With the chaos they had caused in the Flower Capital, there was no doubt that Kaido, far away on Onigashima, already knew everything.
Shimotsuki Ryuma sat on the roof of the shattered palace, waiting in silence for Kaido's arrival.
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