Long ago—
Conspiring to steal the Shogun position of Wano Country, a mole was planted by the side of the foolish Lord Oden.
And this mole, like Orochi, was also a remnant of the Kurozumi clan. His family had been persecuted due to the purge of the Kozuki Clan in Wano, leaving him feeling as if his heart had turned to ashes.
But he gained the favor of Orochi and thus sold his body and soul to him. He had always been the one to pass on information to Orochi in secret, and he always managed to provide him with enough intelligence.
Just like now.
Through the carefully gathered intelligence left by the mole, Orochi learned of the movements of Oden and his group, and also knew that there were almost no defenses in Oden Castle at this time.
As expected.
The retainers of Oden who defected to Orochi, based on the intelligence left by the mole Kanjuro, arrived under the moonlight, in front of Lady Toki, Momonosuke, and Hiyori.
Seeing the procession of retainers coming with a great momentum, Lady Toki, who was completely unprepared, began to feel a little panicked.
But her motherly instinct made her protect her two children behind her.
Even Lady Toki, facing the sudden appearance of the enemy, felt flustered, let alone Momonosuke, whose mental fortitude was not great. At this moment, seeing the retainers of Oden exuding a murderous aura, he was already scared stiff, almost sitting down on the ground.
"Brother..."
Hiyori timely grabbed Momonosuke's arm, preventing him from embarrassing himself in front of the retainers.
"Retainers of Oden, have you forgotten your pledge of loyalty to the Kozuki Clan?! Do you want to rebel against your lord?!"
Standing in front of Hiyori and Momonosuke, Toki, looking at the resolute retainers, spoke sternly.
Obviously, from the mouth of Kozuki Oden, Lady Toki naturally knew about the relationship between the retainers and the Kozuki Clan of Wano.
Even when she saw the retainers around Orochi after returning to the country, Kozuki Oden still couldn't believe that these people would betray the Kozuki Clan.
And why would the retainers under Orochi know their hiding place?
It's worth noting that when Oden Castle was built, there were few people who knew about this secret location.
In a panic, Toki faintly sensed something, and at the same time, she was more worried about Kozuki Oden, who was far away in Flower capital.
"Gee hahaha..."
Seeing Toki's reaction, Benten wore a mocking smile.
"Why are you laughing?"
Toki asked coldly.
"Haha, isn't this worth laughing at? Whether it's Kozuki Sukiyaki or Kozuki Oden, the leaders of the Kozuki Clan, when did they ever treat us retainers as vassals? In their eyes, we are nothing more than tools used to eliminate dissidents. The previous generation of retainers disappeared after clearing out the Kurozumi Clan. Don't tell us that the Kozuki Clan allowed them to retire peacefully. Even a three-year-old child wouldn't believe that."
Benten, who had a purple hair bun and wore a kimono with a skull design on her head, said coldly.
"..."
Toki gritted her teeth in silence. Obviously, she also knew that these were just excuses these guys found for their betrayal.
Hearing the laughter of the retainers, Momonosuke and Hiyori were even more frightened. Momonosuke, in particular, was so scared that his body was trembling uncontrollably. However, he managed to maintain a strong appearance on his face. Being so afraid and yet trying to appear strong in such a dangerous situation, it revealed a bitter irony.
Momonosuke clung to Hiyori, his slender body trembling with fear.
With no samurai to protect them, they were completely defenseless against the retainers under Orochi.
There was nothing more hopeless than this situation.
So hopeless that a puddle of water appeared under Momonosuke, as if he had wet himself out of fear.
"Gee hahaha, is this the next heir of the Kozuki Clan? He actually wet himself in such a situation?!"
Seeing Momonosuke's embarrassing state, the retainers and ninjas who had defected to Orochi laughed even more wantonly.
"Hahaha, hahaha...!!!"
Laughing at Momonosuke's pitiful appearance, the surroundings echoed with laughter, as if mocking his cowardice.
"Guhahaha, that Kozuki Oden actually gave birth to such a useless waste!"
Seeing Momonosuke's pathetic state, the retainers couldn't help but remember Oden's once unruly and heroic demeanor. Although Oden may not have been a qualified lord, he did possess strong charisma in certain aspects.
Tears welled up in Momonosuke's eyes, and he stuttered for a moment, but ultimately couldn't say anything.
At that moment, Toki suddenly drew a ribbed iron knife from her kimono and attacked the retainers.
Tsch!
A spray of blood.
The large black man, who was struck by the dagger, had a slight wound on his abdomen.
"Huh?!"
Sudden attack, feeling the slight numbness in his wound, the large black man suddenly became furious.
Without hesitation, he lifted his hand and slapped Toki hard.
Bang!
With brute force, Toki, who had no resistance at all, was sent flying.
And Momonosuke and Hiyori, who were leaning on Toki's back, were also knocked aside by the shock wave.
Bang!
At that moment, several smoke bombs suddenly fell from the ceiling, accompanied by explosions, and a huge smoke quickly enveloped Toki and the others.
And in the smoke, a figure flew towards Momonosuke at high speed.
As for Hiyori and Lady Toki on the side, they were completely ignored by the intruder.
Seeing the figure rushing past him with indifferent look in eyes, Momonosuke's eyes dimmed.
In the next moment, dozens of shurikens appeared in front of the intruder, blocking its path, and at the same time, the retainers and others quickly began to dissipate the smoke.
Helpless, the intruder had to grab Hiyori and leap back onto the ceiling, disappearing from sight.
"Hiyori...!!!"
Momonosuke propped himself up, shouting Hiyori's name in anguish.
Obviously, he also saw the figure taking Hiyori away.
"What are you shouting for."
Feeling unwilling, the large black man controlled his strength and direction, kicking Momonosuke hard.
Momonosuke screamed in pain, flying more than ten meters away, and then fell heavily to the ground, motionless.
A trickle of blood spread from under him, staining the ground red in no time.
After giving Momonosuke a fierce blow, the mood of the large black man improved a lot.
"Don't worry, I didn't go too far. He won't die, but whether he'll be crippled…