Chapter 1180: Now, I Am the General_2

Chapter 1180 -1160: Now, I Am the General_2

If Hiyori wanted to stab Momonosuke, then the question of whom they should help would become a real problem.

They were both Oden’s children; no matter how it turned out, it was going to be a huge headache.

Denjiro was originally a meticulous man, but right now his mind was in chaos; he didn’t even notice the implication in Kawamatsu’s words and simply stepped out ahead of him.

At the same time, a bit higher up from where Denjiro and Kawamatsu were.

“Awooo, your General-sama’s resentment sure isn’t small.”

On the palace roof, Drake was hanging upside down from the eaves, chatting with Kikunojo on the level below. The roof used to be King’s exclusive domain, but ever since King stopped bothering with things here, Drake had inherited this privilege.

If the tiles on the roof were flat enough, she could’ve just set up a lounge chair there.

“Miss Drake, eating while hanging upside down isn’t a good habit. Could you put down that Sea Beast meat first?”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff. This way I can feel the food slowly rising up my throat as it defies gravity. Aren’t you the least bit curious why I said your General has a lot of resentment?”

“When it’s time to say it, you’ll naturally say it. If you don’t want to talk, it’s pointless for me to ask. If you’re not talking, I’ll head off first—Lady Hiyori has already reached the palace gate.”

“Tch, boring. She’s got a wakizashi tucked in her sleeve—it might get pretty hot-blooded, you know.”

Thanks to Luxray’s abilities, Drake’s eyes had x-ray vision. Aside from special fabrics like King’s and Shaina’s bone mask, normal clothing couldn’t block her.

In front of her, Kozuki Hiyori might as well have been stark naked; Drake could clearly see the plain, ordinary wakizashi hidden in those wide sleeves. Judging from the style, it was forged by a Tinkaton.

That “hot-blooded” line was a lame joke she’d picked up from Kuzan, used to express a certain special meaning, but Kikunojo had no interest in this kind of “cold joke.”

As Kikunojo slowly came to accept Drake’s presence and got to know her personality, he realized just how much she loved teasing people.

“Hey, Kiku, don’t you go making the wrong choice. If you do, it’ll be a real pain for me.”

Before Kikunojo left, Drake casually reminded him. Though he didn’t respond, the pause in his steps showed he’d heard her.

Drake’s reminder was very clear. With Momonosuke and the others from twenty years ago appearing in Wano Kuni, the existing peace was bound to be shattered. In the surging waves that followed, someone was sure to sink to the bottom of the sea.

Those cast aside by the era can’t keep up with its waves. Trying to overturn and change an era isn’t something you can do by shouting a few slogans.

At least in Wano Kuni, the wave called the Hundred Beasts was something no one could stop.

After the group assembled, the retinue representing the General moved off in the direction of Ghost Island.

Along the way, everyone seemed taciturn, no one knowing what the others were thinking. The attendants traveling with them weren’t in such a complicated mood, though, and instead witnessed a strange scene: in the direction of Kuri, a huge mass of dark cloud suddenly appeared out of thin air in the sky.

Compared to ordinary dark clouds, this patch looked even stranger, like a massive clump of ink.

It seemed as though some great secret lay hidden within that ink-black cloud mass, but compared to what they were about to face, that secret was hardly worth mentioning.

…

“Lord Queen, news from the Flower Capital—Kozuki Hiyori is on her way to Ghost Island. She seems very interested in that brat.”

The Communication Snail on Queen’s body chimed, and the latest report reached his ears.

The General’s procession was quite the spectacle. From the Flower Capital to Ghost Island, moving at a normal person’s pace would take some time; they couldn’t just casually fly at high speed like Mandfeish and Queen.

Even Queen himself hadn’t made it back to Ghost Island yet, let alone Kozuki Hiyori, who had only just received word.

“Mandfeish, take those three somewhere else to play. Don’t bring them back to Ghost Island for now. What’s about to happen isn’t something these brats should be seeing.”

After some thought, Queen decided to send the three little ones away first. They were still too young to be exposed to this kind of thing. None of their fathers were Kaidou; none of them had the intention of forcing their children to grow up at double speed.

The Hundred Beasts had built a vast enterprise, enough to give the third generation more time and space to grow, and to receive training appropriate to their age.

They’d been fighting for decades; if their children’s starting line was still the same as those starting from nothing, that would be the biggest dereliction of duty.

“I get what you mean, big bro Queen.”

“Mm. Go to Ringo for a snowball fight, or to Udon to fly kites. Kuri’s a mess right now too. If that doesn’t work, find an amusement park in Hakumai. You decide. I figure everything will be wrapped up by nightfall.”

“Big bro Queen, you don’t have to be this worried about me, you know.”

“It’s not you I’m worried about; I’m worried something might happen to those three brats. I won’t even mention Zeraora and Setsuna. But if Melo got hurt by accident and it had the slightest indirect connection to me…

You might not care, but your wife would. Then she’d be whispering in your ear about it every night. What would you do then?”

“Uh… Rushaka wouldn’t do that.”

“Heh. Your answer already says it all. I’m just nipping problems in the bud. Hurry up and take them out to play. And you two—remember our deal. Don’t go blabbing.”

After giving Miaona and Wolf a final warning, Queen grabbed the three in his hands and headed back to Ghost Island.

…

Some time later, by the time Kozuki Hiyori arrived at Ghost Island, Queen had long since returned. He’d even had people wash Momonosuke and change his clothes—one couldn’t meet the General while covered in filth.

“Big bro Kaidou’s off fighting again. Lord Arceus isn’t around, and I can’t even get through to him by phone. Why is it that at critical times you can’t reach anyone?”

Queen stared at the no-signal Rotom and the unanswered Radio Snail, falling into thought.

He was all for watching the show, but he couldn’t decide whether to just let Kozuki Hiyori do as she pleased, or have the Hundred Beasts intervene.

With the two bosses both away, if he made a decision that affected their later plans, the trouble would fall squarely on him.

“Miss Yamato, I’ll leave this pain-in-the-neck decision to you.”

Flipping through the call logs in the Rotom, Queen’s expression suddenly turned sly. He and Yamato were already in the habit of digging pits for each other; making peace outright was unrealistic.

Since Yamato was still scheming against him, it was only reasonable that he countered.

Queen moved quickly, immediately contacting Yamato to have her decide how things should proceed.

It was right around this time that Kozuki Hiyori met her long-lost brother.

…

In the empty room, Momonosuke sat blankly in the center, while Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, having been injected with muscle relaxant by Queen, leaned against the wall to one side.

Compared to chains, the restriction of drugs made them look a bit more natural.

Momonosuke sat there trembling.

Just now a pirate had roughly scrubbed him in a basin for ages before shoving a set of clothes onto him. There were no personal attendants for him here; that pirate had only been assigned this job because he’d lost at gambling.

At this point, Momonosuke was utterly lost about the future. As he sank deeper into his fear, a loud, booming voice rang out from outside.

“The General has arrived!”

Dressed in luxurious finery, Kozuki Hiyori stepped through the doorway and finally stopped in front of Momonosuke.

“Big brother Momonosuke, it’s been a long time. You’re exactly the same as you were twenty years ago.”

“Y-you… you’re Hiyori? How did you become the General?”

Seeing the grown-up Hiyori, Momonosuke’s face was full of surprise.

Surprise at how Hiyori’s looks had changed, and also confusion at how she’d become the General of Wano Kuni under the rule of the Hundred Beasts.

“And why, exactly, can’t I become the General? Do you know, big brother Momonosuke, these past twenty years, I’ve missed you to death!”

Hiyori gently stroked the top of Momonosuke’s head—or so it seemed—while her right hand flicked, and a short blade slid out from her sleeve.

A flash of cold light—Kozuki Hiyori drew the wakizashi one-handed, the gleam of steel thrusting straight for Momonosuke’s abdomen. Two inches more and the tip would have pierced his skin, but the blade stopped there.

“Lady Hiyori! Please, stay your hand!”

Denjiro stood to the side, face dark, gripping the blade with his bare hand. Blood was already dripping down along the steel.

Kikunojo had warned Denjiro earlier, so he’d been on guard the moment Hiyori approached Momonosuke.

“Why aren’t you using Haki?”

Hiyori didn’t withdraw the blade. Instead, she fixed Denjiro with a questioning gaze.

“Ryuo is Martial Arts. For a Household Attendant to use Martial Arts on their lord is a grave disrespect.”

That was why Denjiro hadn’t used Haki or any weapon, and had instead grabbed the blade with his bare hand. Likewise, as male attendants, they could not casually touch their lady’s body.

“So you do remember I’m the General? Then as the General, I order you to move aside and not interfere in the Kozuki family’s affairs.”