“Lord Kane, I am willing to submit!”
Denjiro’s choice was naturally unsurprising.
The moment Kane exposed his identity, he only had two choices: death or life.
Kane said indifferently, “Then work hard.”
Whether it was loyal submission or feigned compliance, for the ten years before Momonosuke’s return, Denjiro would be his loyal henchman.
As for ten years later?
By then, even if the Nine Red Scabbards gathered to rebel against him, it would be nothing more than a minor annoyance.
Kane had that confidence.
“Someone!” Kane clapped his hands lightly.
“What are your orders, Lord?” Fukurokuju entered, bowing as he asked.
“In three days, I will hold a grand Sword Presentation Ceremony in the Flower Capital.”
Kane raised a hand and gestured towards Hiyori, “Hiyori, who is Kozuki Hiyori, will represent the Kozuki Family and present Oden’s sword, Enma.”
Ah? Hiyori is the Kozuki Princess that Orochi has been longing for?
Fukurokuju could not hide the surprise on his face, and soon, a strong sense of pride welled up in his heart.
As expected of Lord Kane, he achieved what Orochi couldn’t do in ten years so quickly!
Fukurokuju’s tone was filled with fanaticism, “I will do my utmost to organize it.”
“Good, you may leave.”
Kane waved his hand to dismiss Fukurokuju, then turned to Hiyori, “You don’t need to serve me today; go sightseeing in Wano Country with Kawamatsu.”
Hiyori said gratefully, “Thank you, Lord Kane.”
Kane was about to leave when Denjiro eagerly called out to him, “Lord Kane, who is the traitor?”
“Kanjuro, full name Orochi Kanjuro. Orochi helped him avenge the deaths of his parents, and he has followed him ever since. Here, I even have a piece of intelligence written by Kanjuro himself.”
Kane paused, pulling a piece of paper from his embrace and tossing it to Denjiro.
He had to thank Fukurokuju; he was the one who handled the intelligence back then, and he was the one who kept the original.
“It’s him, it’s Kanjuro’s handwriting.”
Denjiro looked at the familiar words on the yellowed paper, his eyes reddening, his teeth grinding audibly.
The usually good-tempered Kawamatsu couldn’t help but grip his sword hilt, wishing Kanjuro were right in front of him so he could tear him to pieces.
“Damn it! Why was he the one who went to the future with the Young Master?!”
Denjiro cried out to the sky, both angry and anxious.
If Kanjuro were to launch a sneak attack, Momonosuke would likely be in danger.
As the two fell into anxiousness, Hiyori, on the other hand, calmed down and said, “We must believe in Kin’emon, Kiku, Raizo, and the others; they will surely protect my brother.”
“Orochi is dead, and Kanjuro may not necessarily continue to be loyal to him.”
Under Hiyori’s comfort, their moods gradually calmed down.
No matter what, Kanjuro would only appear ten years later, so their urgency now was useless.
Looking at it from another perspective, if Kanjuro had not followed Momonosuke but had stayed behind, the three of them would probably have been captured by Orochi long ago.
It was a blessing in disguise.
Hiyori changed the subject, “Kawamatsu, let me show you around the Flower Capital.”
...
“Extra! Extra!”
“The Kozuki Princess has reappeared and will surrender to General Yamato on behalf of the Kozuki Family at the Sword Presentation Ceremony in three days!”
Newsboys, barefoot, ran back and forth through the streets and alleys, shouting catchy headlines.
Kozuki Princess?!
These four words were like a giant rock dropped into a lake, immediately causing a huge uproar throughout Wano Country.
Especially after learning that the Kozuki Princess was going to present Oden’s sword to General Yamato, the citizens were all stunned.
“Has Kozuki… truly become a thing of the past?”
“That’s good. General Yamato is so kind! She even helped my brother-in-law’s family open up two acres of wasteland!”
“Yes, although the tax rate set by General Yamato is not low, without the exploitation of the underworld, life has actually become better!”
...
If the citizens mostly welcomed Yamato’s rule, then the ronin samurai hiding in the shadows deeply detested Yamato.
“Bastard! Bearing the Kozuki bloodline, not thinking of revenge, but instead kneeling and surrendering to the enemy?!”
In a dimly lit room, a samurai with a chonmage hairstyle slammed a freshly printed kawaraban onto the table, seething with indignation.
His eyes were bloodshot, and he roared hatefully, “What does she think of us samurai who are loyal to Kozuki?!”
The flickering yellow candlelight illuminated the dozen or so faces gathered around the small table.
These samurai were dressed simply, even patched, and their faces were all ashen, as if covered in a layer of frost.
Since Kane took control of Wano Country, a series of new policies fell like iron hammers, and what pained them most was the complete disappearance of samurai privileges.
There is no harm without comparison.
During the rule of the Kozuki Family and Orochi, not only did they, the samurai, accept offerings from commoners, but even killing a commoner in the street was no big deal.
But now.
Forget about killing people; they even had to pay for goods. If they didn’t pay, the Public Order Squad (the samurai unit led by Denjiro) would arrest them and send them to Udon for labor reform.
For samurai to live stably, they had to work.
They had never experienced such hardship!
“Kozuki Hiyori is a national traitor!” one person hissed through gritted teeth.
“That’s right! A national traitor!”
The low growls of the samurai resonated in the confined space.
A voice suppressing madness spoke, “Brothers, in three days, let’s all… Punish the national traitor! How about it?”
In an instant, silence enveloped the small room, leaving only heavy breathing.
However, this silence lasted only a moment—
“Good!”
“Punish the national traitor!!!”
A fervent roar erupted!
Under the dim candlelight, those distorted faces were on the verge of madness.
Flower Capital.
Kawamatsu observed the citizens around him, who showed no fear or tension and were going about their business as usual, and suddenly felt a deep sadness.
When Orochi was the Shogun, the citizens all missed Kozuki.
That vibrant, flourishing era was still vivid in his mind.
In just three short years, had everything really become like this?
“Kawamatsu, this is also why I gave up resisting.”
Hiyori said with a bitter smile, “Lord Kane is not Orochi. Although he exploits the citizens, he has indeed given them a better life, even better than my father did.”
Kawamatsu fell silent.
At this moment, several older women wearing red armbands walked along the street.
Each of them held flyers and went door-to-door to publicize the Sword Presentation Ceremony, afraid that someone would be unwilling to spend money to buy a kawaraban.
Kawamatsu asked, puzzled, “Who are they?”
Hiyori explained, “This is a new system invented by Lord Kane, called the Residents’ Committee, specifically for managing the citizens. They usually explain policies and mediate neighborhood disputes.”
Kawamatsu was surprised, “Isn’t that the underworld’s job?”
Although Wano Country had administrative officials at various levels to assist the Shogun in governance, grassroots organizations were lacking.
The lords were too lazy to care about the commoners’ lives, as long as they could collect taxes.
They even oppressed the commoners from time to time.
Power does not disappear; it only shifts.
Thus, various underworld bosses emerged.
In addition to collecting various fees from the commoners, they also took on the function of grassroots governance in their daily lives.
They usually held considerable prestige.
Kane naturally would not stand by and watch outsiders snatch food from his bowl.
The Residents’ Committee was thus born.