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The sudden shift in the hall shocked everyone present. The trained Orochi Oniwabanshu reacted first, immediately surrounding and protecting Orochi.
Kurozumi Orochi's eyes widened as he looked at Kurozumi Semimaru, who lay in a pool of blood, seemingly on the verge of death. Though Kurozumi Semimaru wasn't as cunning as Kurozumi Higurashi, he was, in Orochi's mind, unmatched in dependability and defense. Semimaru had always been the ultimate shield, even capable of standing against the likes of the fierce Kozuki Oden.
Alex, fully aware of Semimaru's strength, used his Observation Haki to lock on, accelerating with his maximum speed to strike. He delivered a swift, decisive blow, leaving no chance for Semimaru to summon his protective barrier.
"You b*****d! Quickly! Take him down for me! I'll make him suffer the cruelest of punishments!" Orochi bellowed, mistaking Alex for a samurai of Wanokuni who had come to assassinate him.
"A mere samurai, daring to shed blood in the general's mansion?" The Oniwabanshu readied their stances, eyeing Alex with caution.
Unlike the seething Orochi, the guards remained vigilant, scanning the surroundings, though none had noticed when Alex had arrived among them.
"A ninja?" Alex mused, stepping forward.
Invisible black and red lightning crackled through the air, a suffocating aura sweeping over the royal entourage. The immense willpower surged like a storm, pressing down on the Oniwabanshu with overwhelming force.
A chill of terror gripped them, sweat drenching their clothes instantly. This pressure felt identical to the paralyzing presence of Kaido, which had once left them powerless with just a glance.
All the Oniwabanshu turned pale, their limbs frozen, unable to even hold their fighting stances.
"What are you waiting for?! Attack him!!" Orochi shouted in desperation. Though he recognized the strength of the man before him, his command went unheeded.
Much like the first time some of Doflamingo's family members had faced Conqueror's Haki on the Grand Line, the sheer intensity of Alex's will drained them of any will to fight. The guards, overwhelmed, had their resolve shattered yet again.
"Retreat!" shouted Fukurokuju.
In that instant, several smoke bombs erupted on the floor, cloaking the area in thick, swirling smoke. This smoke was meant to obscure vision and aid in a swift escape. But for Alex, with his keen Observation Haki, even closed eyes couldn't block out the intense fear emanating from those affected by his Conqueror's Haki.
"Nothing more than a simple distraction," he muttered.
The Akazakura, charged with Conqueror's Haki, cut through the dense smoke with a powerful flying slash. As it struck the clouded air, it split into several shockwaves, exploding outward.
The deafening blast cleared the thick smoke, revealing the Oniwabanshu, sprawled out and stunned by the unleashed force.
Alex flexed his hand.
The wooden floorboards beneath him rose like serpentine waves, animated by his will. They twisted and extended in multiple paths, coiling around the airborne guards and binding them tightly.
The ninjas, wrapped like dumplings in wood, hit the ground heavily, each landing with a resounding thud.
Realizing he was trapped, Fukurokuju, the leader of the Oniwabanshu, shouted desperately, "My lord! We were only forced by Kurozumi Orochi! Spare us, and we swear to serve you faithfully!"
At that moment, Kurozumi Orochi, too, was overtaken by sheer terror. He scrambled backward, his face pale, begging, "No! Don't kill me! I'm the Shogun of Wanokuni! Whatever you want, I can give it to you!"
Panic clear in his eyes, he added, "And Kaido—he's behind me! If you harm me, Kaido won't let you, or the entire Wanokuni, escape his wrath!"
Alex chuckled darkly. "Even at death's door, you think hiding behind Kaido will save you? Aren't you even curious who Kaido was talking about?"
"It's you?! You're no samurai of Wanokuni!" Orochi gasped, his realization dawning just as Alex's Akazakura gleamed in front of him.
Seven of Orochi's serpent heads flew into the air in a flurry of panic.
Now facing death like never before, Orochi, in his weakened, trembling form, cried uncontrollably. Desperation consumed him as he frantically bobbed his sole remaining head, pleading, "Don't kill me! Don't you want all of Wanokuni? I—I'll hand you the title of Shogun! Everything I own in Wanokuni, my wealth—it's all yours!"
Alex's eyes flashed with disdain. "I've no interest in your petty offers. But you'll live for now. You're coming with me. You'll face someone—and you'll confess every single scheme you've plotted against Wanokuni, past and future. Understood?"
Seeing a sliver of hope, Orochi nodded eagerly, weeping and willing to beg in front of all of Wanokuni if it meant sparing his life.
Alex sighed, feeling a lack of satisfaction in dealing with someone as craven as Orochi. Unlike the ferocity of Kaido, Orochi's defeat was simply a matter of dismantling his cowardly defenses. If not for the trouble of his barrier defenses, Orochi would have been dealt with long ago.
Looking at the defeated Oniwabanshu, who also begged for mercy, Alex scoffed. "As for you... fine. I'll spare you—for now. You'll come with me to meet this person as well."
With a mere lift of his index finger, Alex levitated Orochi and his guards, suspending them with tendrils of wood. They drifted toward the center of the inner hall in Orochi Castle.
There, hidden beneath a trapdoor leading underground, lay the secrets of Wanokuni's past: a hidden Poneglyph, and within its depths, the exiled Kozuki Sukiyaki, alive and waiting in his concealed refuge.