Chapter 364: Ashura Doji and Ushimaru
"The captain mentioned that a man named Kawamatsu from the Red Scabbards is locked up in the Rabbit Bowl Prison Digging Site," Chiron's hawk-like eyes pierced through the darkness, seeing the man locked up inside the cell.
"Who are you?" Kawamatsu asked, confused. "Are you here to rescue me?"
"It's not time yet," Scáthach's eyes glowed red as she spoke. "We will fight the Beast Pirates in two days."
"The day of the final battle has come?" Kawamatsu paused and then quickly dismissed his thought. "The timing's wrong, it's still nine years to go..."
"Do you want to get out?"
"...Yes! Please, rescue me," Kawamatsu pleaded.
"The keys to the cell and handcuffs are in the Cadre Tower. We'll come back in two days," Scáthach, Chiron, and Porche opened a portal and left.
...
Wano Country, Tōyama.
"Shutenmaru boss! Not good!" A mountain bandit barged into Ashura Doji's room in a panic. "Two women have forced their way into our camp!"
"Huh?" Ashura Doji glanced at him disdainfully. "Throw them out!"
"They're too strong, we're no match for them!"
"Hmm?" Ashura Doji narrowed his eyes and looked towards the door.
"Boom!"
A powerful shockwave from an explosion destroyed the outer wall, and Ashura Doji's subordinates were thrown around in the storm of debris. The sounds of chaos filled the area as two women stood silhouetted in the light.
"Are you Ashura Doji?"
"That's right." Ashura Doji drew his sword from his waist. "Are you warriors of Orochi? Or Kaido's subordinates?"
"Neither."
"I see." Ashura Doji spoke coldly. "You've messed up my turf, are you ready to pay with your lives?"
One of the women, wearing half armor and red hair, turned to the other, dressed in white military garb. "Eric asked you to recruit allies, not to make enemies."
"These guys are nothing but mountain bandits. I know exactly what Eric is doing." Esdeath adjusted the angle of her hat and said to Ashura Doji, "We're going to battle Kaido's Beast Pirates and Orochi in two days. Do you want to join us?"
"Huh?" Ashura Doji sneered. "Leaving your last words already?"
"You see?" Esdeath spread her arms, giving a look of 'I knew you would say that.'
Ashura Doji's large, muscular body suddenly charged towards Esdeath, his sword gleaming like a shooting star, slashing at his target.
Unfortunately, Esdeath didn't have Jack the Drought's nine billion ivory, but her bounty truly reflected her strength.
"Clang!"
The sharp samurai blade clashed against Esdeath's keen European sword, producing dazzling sparks. The metallic hum of the collision echoed in Ashura Doji's dwelling.
The European sword easily blocked the samurai sword's advance without a scratch, not even budging an inch.
"Hmm?!" Ashura Doji, who had kept his eyes half-closed, was stunned by Esdeath's power.
"You're pretty strong," Esdeath said, now fully alert. "How about becoming one of my subordinates?"
"Don't joke!" Ashura Doji shouted in anger, gathering all his strength into his right arm. "I'm a 'samurai' of Kozuki Oden!"
The samurai sword exerted more force, trying to slice through the woman in front of him.
But Ashura Doji's actions were like an ant trying to wrestle with a cedar. The woman before him stood proudly and unshaken.
"Who exactly are you?" Ashura Doji asked in a deep voice. "Someone with this kind of strength can't possibly be a nobody!"
"Who I am is not important," Esdeath smiled. "What's important is that the hero who will open Wano Country has arrived."
"!" Ashura Doji's eyes widened, and his lips parted in shock. "Then you'll have to beat me first. If you can't even defeat me, how can you talk about defeating Kaido!"
"Very well," Esdeath said with a battle-hungry smile. "Using strength to speak is the simplest and clearest method!"
The temperature in Tōyama rapidly dropped, and white mist was exhaled from several mouths.
"Can you satisfy me?"
"!"
As soon as Esdeath spoke, an ice dragon formed out of thin air, its head shining with scales and flying through the air, shocking Ashura Doji.
"Are you a Devil Fruit user?!"
The massive ice dragon turned its head and opened its tooth-filled mouth, charging at Ashura Doji, who was at a stalemate with Esdeath.
"Damn!" Ashura Doji raised his disproportionately large left arm to block. The ice dragon bit down, clamping its jaw around his entire left arm.
"Shutenmaru Boss!" His subordinates shouted in panic.
Ashura Doji grunted as he used brute force to shatter the dragon's teeth, sending himself flying backward several meters. He stumbled but managed to stand, his left arm covered in several blood holes. Yet no blood flowed, as the surrounding blood was frozen.
Ashura Doji felt coldness, numbness, and a sharp pain in his left arm, the freezing energy entering his body, leaving visible frostbite, which slowly spread along his veins.
The shattered dragon teeth quickly replenished themselves under Esdeath's power.
"You bastard, do you only rely on your abilities to win?"
"This is part of strength, isn't it?" Esdeath teased. "Or do you mountain bandits only rely on brute force? No wonder you lose to Kaido."
"Don't underestimate samurai—!!" Ashura Doji's eyes erupted with a fighting spirit he had never shown before. Anger brewed in his chest, and he raised his weapon again.
"Boom!"
The ice dragon shattered into crystals, and Esdeath dismissed the ice dragon, causing the temperature around them to rise.
Esdeath held her sword firmly, pointing it at Ashura Doji. "Come on, I'll make you lose with my swordsmanship and strength until you accept defeat."
"You'll lose terribly!" With Ashura Doji's roar, the battle resumed, and sword lights filled the air.
The sound of metal clashing resounded with intense waves, the earth caving in, walls crumbling, and airwaves surging.
"She can actually fight on par with Shutenmaru Boss!"
"Such a high-level battle, unseen before!"
Ashura Doji's mountain bandit subordinates watched in horror at the battle between the two.
Neither Ashura Doji nor Esdeath used mysterious sword techniques. With their strength at this level, the supposed tricks and changes of the battle had no meaning.
In the clash of strength and armed haki, Ashura Doji quickly fell behind.
'Who is she really?!' Ashura Doji grew more alarmed with each strike, not only losing in power but also in armed haki and speed. Her composed expression clearly showed that she hadn't even used her full strength.
"What's wrong?" Esdeath struck with a heavy blow, mocking. "You don't have the strength anymore?"
"Ugh—!" As the weaker one, Ashura Doji gritted his teeth, his movements growing slower, and his muscles starting to ache.
'Looks like... I won't be able to drink again...'
"No—!" A blood arrow was carved across his chest, and the sharp pain snapped Ashura Doji back to reality.
"I won't be killed by some unknown person like you!" Ashura Doji retreated two steps, raising his arm again, his sword ready. "I'm a man who should've died but hasn't!"
"Oh?" Esdeath laughed. "Do you have any hidden techniques left?"
Ashura Doji drew another samurai sword, forming a two-sword style.
"Oden..."
A faint orange glow appeared behind Ashura Doji, forming a transparent and unclear figure.
One sword was placed before his chest, and the other above his head. "Two-sword style!"
Esdeath narrowed her eyes. "What is this?"
Armed haki enveloped his arms and swords. The thick haki was visible to the naked eye, and Ashura Doji's eyes, under the observation haki, emitted a faint red light.
"Oden's Two-sword Style—"
Ashura Doji shot forward, his heavy body achieving unbelievable speed, flashing before Esdeath's eyes.
Esdeath's pupils shrank sharply.
...
"What are we doing here?" Kuina asked, confused.
"Haven't you heard the rumor?" Kurome responded, "I heard there's a 'Ushimaru of the Cut-Bridge,' so I thought I'd come and see."
Kuina shrugged. "Do as you like, just don't delay our return."
"Don't worry~" Kurome patted the steel helmet at her side. "I've summoned Weeble to be our traveling companion, so we'll definitely be on time."
The two were heading toward the bridge between Suzuka and the Flower City.
"Ah..." Kuina rubbed her hands together. "This island is strange. It's the same island, but the climates are so different."
"Good thing I wore a coat in advance..." Kurome looked up. "It's just like General Esdeath's ability awakening."
"Ah..." Kuina pointed ahead. "That must be the famous Ushimaru ?"
A tall man stood at the bridge's entrance, his head wrapped in a white monk's towel, dressed like a monk warrior, holding a large naginata in his hand, with several weapons on his back.
Ushimaru looked at the three of them and said, "Those who come, leave your weapons!"
"Just like my Weeble, carrying a long sword~" Kurome jumped off Weeble's shoulder with excitement. "I want to see who's stronger between them."
"Don't mess up Eric 's plan."
"Maybe we can add one more fighter for my brother-in-law~"
The monk warrior's gaze turned to Kuina's sword and angrily shouted, "The famous sword [Akisui]! Where did you get it from?!"
"Ah..." Kuina felt a headache coming on. "Someone recognizes it, is this sword that famous in Wano?"
"Of course!" Ushimaru angrily slashed at Kuina, but was blocked by Weeble's sword.
"You don
't understand the value of the famous sword [Akisui]!"
"It's just Ryoma's sword, right?" Kuina asked curiously. "Eric and the others seem to have gotten it from Ryoma."
"Utter nonsense!" Ushimaru , after missing his strike, withdrew his sword and stepped back, holding it in front of him. "You say you got Shushuifrom Ryoma's hands? Ryoma died hundreds of years ago!"
"No matter who the opponent was, he would strike them down in an instant, a sword saint who never tasted defeat!"
"Oh~!" Kuina clapped. "Sounds amazing! My dream is also to become a great swordsman!"
Kurome sighed regretfully. "Such a shame. If we had been there back then, we could've kept his legacy forever."
Ushimaru was stunned. "What do you mean by that?"
Kurome gave a cruel smile, staring at the blade of her Eight Death sword. "If I kill Ryoma with my Eight Death , he will become my puppet, staying with me forever..."
"Preposterous!" Ushimaru attacked again but was once again stopped by Weeble.
"Wano Country was once called the Golden Country, famous worldwide. Shameless pirates came for its gold, and world nobles tried to control our country..."
"Ryoma made these foreign enemies truly experience strength. He made the world know that Wano Country has samurai!"
"Killing the dragon above the capital was just one of his many sword saint legends!"
"Dragon?" Kuina asked Kurome. "Could it be a person who ate the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon?"
"Perhaps," Kurome nodded. "After a Devil Fruit user dies, the fruit can be reborn. This time, Kaido must have eaten the Azure Dragon fruit."
"There's a flaw!" Ushimaru attacked again, but was once more blocked by Weeble.
"After Ryoma's death, he was worshipped as the [Sword God] of this country, along with the famous sword [Akisui], both enshrined in the shrine as treasures of our country!"
"Unfortunately, Ryoma's body and Shushuiwere stolen." Kurome shrugged. "What you're talking about has nothing to do with us."
"!" Ushimaru widened his eyes and shouted angrily. "Shushuiis a [Black Blade]! It's a sword forged by Ryoma through countless battles!"
"Forged?" Kuina frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"You're just a little brat who wants a famous blade but has no strength!"
"!" Kuina raised an eyebrow, her anger burning fiercely in her chest. "What did you say?!"
"Take this!" Ushimaru swung his long sword in an arc, slashing at Kuina.
"Ha!" With a loud shout, Kuina leaped over Weeble and stepped forward, using all her strength to block the strike.
"Just a little brat, [Akisui] is not a sword you can wield!" Ushimaru reached out to Kuina, trying to snatch the sword from her hand.
"Ugh, I really don't like this guy's actions," Kurome raised her Eight Death sword. "Thieves are thieves, stop pretending to be noble."
Weeble stepped forward, blocking Ushimaru 's hand with his own sword.
"Why are you stopping me?!" Ushimaru jumped back.
"What are you playing at?" Kurome sneered. "We're allies, can't you see?"
Kuina stepped forward, pressing him. "What do you mean by 'forging'?"
"You don't even understand the forging of a [Black Blade]?" Ushimaru looked at her as if she was ignorant. "All Black Blades are forged by their users! To forge a Black Blade requires long practice, any sword can become a Black Blade, the only difference is whether the user has that ability!"
"..." Kuina looked at Shushuiin her hand. "So, this sword was forged by Ryoma into a Black Blade."
"There's a flaw!" Ushimaru attacked for the fourth time, his blade flashing with cold light, heading straight for Kuina's head.
Weeble swung his sword again, cutting through Ushimaru 's attack.
Reluctantly, Ushimaru blocked with his sword, his massive body sent flying by Weeble's strike. Ushimaru crashed into the bridge's railing and fell into the snow on the shore, creating a flurry of snow.
"Your sneak attacks are too much." Kurome said angrily. "If my sister-in-law gets hurt, how will I face my brother-in-law?"
Kuina retorted, "I'm his senior!"
Kuina took two steps forward. "From your explanation, I understand how precious Shushuiis, and I understand its significance to Wano."
"Then return Shushuito us!" Ushimaru struggled to rise from the snow, shaking off the snow from his body.
"Exactly because of that, I can't give it back," Kuina refused. "This sword was borrowed from Captain Eric , it's not mine."
"Besides, your national treasure was lost, and you couldn't retrieve it, that's your own problem!"
"What did you say?!" Ushimaru yelled, his eyes filled with fury, charging at Kuina.
(END CHAPTER)
Thank you for the support, friends. If you want to read more chapters in advance, go to my Patreon.
Read 40 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/Johanssen10