"Retract it?"
Kuina sneered. "And what if I don't?"
"Then I'll just have to see what tricks you've got!"
Denjiro's eyes glinted with cold light. With a metallic clink, he drew his sword fully, blade pointing straight at Kuina. His aura surged sharply, lethal intent radiating from him.
Even among the Red Scabbards, there are hierarchies.
His skill—arguably at the top among the nine—might only be surpassed by the Cat-Dog duo in their Moon Lion form.
Now, fueled by rage, his killing intent was palpable.
"How dare you!"
"Draw your sword against Lady Kuina!"
The surrounding combat squad members sensed the tension. They quickly closed in, drawing their blades, glaring at the two with hostile eyes.
"Step back."
Kuina's voice was calm as she spoke, hands clasped behind her back. She surveyed Denjiro with a critical eye:
"In terms of pure strength, you're indeed impressive. Even among the Curtain Call Adventurers, you could barely reach the top ten if you tried. But following a mindless lord has made you look foolish, obnoxious even."
"You—!"
"Confused?"
She turned and walked to the center of the courtyard, casually picking up a handful of gold coins from a nearby chest, letting them slip through her fingers.
"Look at this," she said. "Orochi and Kaido squeezed blood and sweat from the people of Wano for twenty years. Where was your Kozuki clan? And in the first five years, where was Oden?"
Before Denjiro could reply, Kuina's voice cut through sharply:
"Dancing, playing the fool, watching this country fall into hell! Dogs follow their masters—after Oden's death, you vassals did the same, fleeing, scraping by, waiting for some destined savior that never came!"
"But not one of you organized real resistance. Not even once! Even if you failed! Twenty years have passed—has the state of Wano changed in the slightest since you fled?"
"And now, the Curtain Call Adventurers have defeated the enemy, and suddenly you old vassals remember to show up for the rewards!"
Her gaze landed on Denjiro's blade, cold and mocking:
"Denjiro, you endured disgrace all these years, yet now you dare to draw your sword at me. What are you trying to prove? That your Kozuki clan still has honor?"
"I doubt it," she continued, eyes sharp.
"You think the Curtain Call Adventurers are heroes, saviors. According to the fairy tales, once the savior finishes their task, they return the country to you, hold a feast, and everyone's happy. Right?"
"But reality isn't a fairy tale. We didn't take Wano to serve the Kozuki as mercenaries. If you had this drive twenty years ago, Wano wouldn't have fallen to ruin."
"I…"
Denjiro's face shifted from blue to pale.
"N-no, Lady Kuina! It's not like that!"
Kozuki Hiyori stepped forward, tears in her eyes, trying to defend:
"My father… he had his reasons! We weren't idle—we've been secretly building strength, waiting for the right moment…"
"Oh? Building strength?"
Kuina laughed bitterly. "Twenty years, and this is all you've produced? Interesting… If you respected Yuta so much, if you revered bloodlines so highly, why was his daughter sent to a brothel?"
"Don't you dare insult Lady Hiyori!"
Denjiro, stunned, still managed to shout reflexively.
"That's why I say you're foolish!" Kuina's eyes turned icy. "Foolish? No, Denjiro—you're the one insulting Hiyori and the Kozuki bloodline!"
"By your logic, if Oden was naturally exceptional, shouldn't Hiyori have been the same? A born swordswoman of the highest caliber?"
"Twenty years for her to master the sword, with her father's vengeance driving her, and a master like you teaching her—could she not surpass Yuta and stand against even Kaido?"
"I…"
Denjiro felt as if struck by lightning. He trembled, mouth opening, but no words came. His mind was blank.
Kuina anticipated this, her disdain clear.
This is the advantage of using one's opponent's logic against them.
You cannot reap the benefits of bloodline privilege while avoiding the responsibility it entails.
"B-but…"
Denjiro clutched his head, struggling to speak:
"She's just a delicate girl. I only wanted her life to be safe, peaceful… If Lord Momonosuke hadn't left, I would have done things differently…"
"Delicate? Is this a matter of gender now?"
Kuina looked at him like he was a fool:
"Am I a man?"
She, Kuina, had admired the Red Scabbards since childhood, trained relentlessly in the sword, day and night. At seventeen, she could stand toe-to-toe with a commander. A living example before them.
"And yet, have you truly given Hiyori a good, safe life?"
She stepped closer, pressing the point:
"One of the last Kozuki bloodlines, and you sent her to become a prostitute! Call it 'covert preparation,' call it 'building strength'—it's a joke. The greatest betrayal to her bloodline!"
"If that's your idea of loyalty and protection, it's sickening!"
"You raised the daughter of Oden, the legendary Kozuki, to be a caged bird, living for others' pleasure! Is this the fruit of your twenty years of preparation? This is your legacy to the Kozuki bloodline?!"
Although her veins carried Wano blood, growing up in the East Blue, she couldn't comprehend these samurai's mindset.
It's like if Denjiro had failed against the World Government, sacrificing himself heroically, leaving only a precious daughter… and his subordinates sent her to Mary Geoise to be toyed with by Celestial Dragons just to gather intelligence. Ridiculous!
How could she ever face Oden if that happened?
"Silence! You will not insult Lady Hiyori! Nor my loyalty to Lord Oden!"
Denjiro's eyes burned red. He growled like a beast, hands trembling from fury and shame. His blade wavered toward Kuina, but his killing intent seemed hollow, directed more at his own crumbling conviction than her.
"You don't understand! You have no idea what we endured, the pain and sacrifices we bore!"
"Pain? Sacrifice?"
Kuina scoffed. "Your pain? Compared to the people of Wano struggling under Kaido and the Serpent, starving outside the Flower Capital, would they even notice?"
"Your sacrifices? Letting your lord's daughter sell her body, while you vassals hid in the shadows, letting the country rot over twenty years? Pathetic!"
She stepped forward, her presence a tidal wave:
"Listen carefully, Denjiro! This country needs true change, not the revival of a decayed dream! Your Kozuki clan, powerless to save Wano, has no right to govern it!"
"Your so-called pain and sacrifice are just a flimsy cover for cowardice!"
"You failures pushed Wano into hell and now want to reap the rewards earned by the Curtain Call Adventurers? Shameless. Dream on!"
Clang!
Denjiro's sword slipped from his hands, falling to the ground with a feeble cry.
He staggered back, pale as paper, sweat streaming from his forehead.
Kuina's words cut into his heart, shattering twenty years of pride, loyalty, and his self-justified endurance of humiliation.
He turned, dazed, and saw Hiyori lowering her head, tears and shame in her eyes, piercing him like needles.
He remembered those years, watching young Hiyori smile and perform for guests while he clenched his fists in the shadows…
He had told himself it was necessary sacrifice.
But now, Kuina's merciless revelation tore away the mask. The truth of their failure and humiliation was undeniable.
Indeed.
Twenty years gone… what were they even protecting?
Thunk!
Denjiro's knees buckled. He collapsed, hands braced on the cold stone, shoulders shaking like a wounded beast, letting out quiet, stifled sobs.
"Lord Oden…"
He lost. Completely.
Not just in strength—Kuina's sheer presence dominated him—but in spirit and soul, he was broken.
"I… was going to test your swordsmanship, see the gap…"
Kuina's cold voice cut in. "No need. A swordsman whose conviction has collapsed can't even reach half his potential. Victory would be meaningless."
"Now put away your sword. Take your little princess and leave. Never call yourselves Kozuki vassals again. Under the Curtain Call Adventurers, Wano will flourish. But your clan will no longer be involved."
Leave the country?
Denjiro trembled, about to speak.
"Hiyori…"
Hiyori grabbed his sleeve, shaking her head, tears in her eyes.
"I understand."
Denjiro took a deep breath, sheathing his sword slowly.
"I overstepped today. But remember your own words. Lord Oden may have erred, but his love for Wano was real. So was ours. This country… and its people… are in your hands now."
He bowed deeply and left, Hiyori by his side.
"Wait."
Kuina squinted, suddenly speaking.
They froze.
"Take this."
Kuina tossed them a bag of gold coins. "Don't misunderstand. The treasure chests here are counted for the national treasury, for post-war reconstruction. I don't have the right to take them."
"This is my own money. Consider it a gift for your last words. Enough to start anew. But remember, never act in the name of the Kozuki again—it's for your own good."
Denjiro caught the bag, silent, and bowed again.
…
After they walked away, a combat squad member whispered to Kuina:
"Lady Kuina… just letting them go? What if…"
"No problem."
Kuina stood with hands behind her back, smiling faintly:
"Lord Shane once said, it's always the people who choose the Curtain Call Adventurers, not the other way around. In a few months, Wano will fully belong to us. As for the Kozuki, their time ended the moment this country no longer needed them."
…
Night fell.
Outside the Flower Capital, Denjiro and Hiyori walked silently.
"Where… do we go now?"
Hiyori asked softly.
"First, we leave Wano."
Denjiro sighed. "I'll find the Cat and Dog duo first, talk with them, then go see how the world is under the Curtain Call Adventurers."
"But…"
Hiyori bit her lip. "Father's last wish…"
"Hiyori," Denjiro stopped, looking seriously at her:"That swordswoman was right. Our Kozuki clan failed this country. Letting the Curtain Call Adventurers take over… it's better for the people, and for Father's wish."
He looked at the lights of distant villages, faint laughter and fireworks rising.
Boom—pop!
Colors sparkled across the sky.
"See? They can live well without us."
Hiyori stared, tears silently falling.
Her heart still resisted.
But even Denjiro agreed… the era of the Kozuki clan had truly ended.
Meanwhile, atop the small hill at the Golden Inari Shrine…
Shane sat cross-legged before the system interface, swearing in disbelief.
A message appeared after his earlier offering:[You have sacrificed Kozuki Yuta's diary. Gained 10,000 points.]