Chapter 145 The Player's Conqueror's Haki (9...)
Although it's unclear why their pirate-like father-daughter relationship would improve with each fight, it's obvious that for Kaido, being framed and targeted doesn't count as part of this slightly brutal activity that fosters affection. Therefore, after Yamato roared those words, his favorability towards Violet dropped considerably.
call--
The sound of a sharp blade slicing through the air was barely noticeable amidst the howling wind, but it was still keenly perceived by Violet. Without hesitation, she drew her Shadow Sword again and, without turning her head, slung it behind her back.
A tremendous force came from behind, causing Vera's entire arm to go numb. Her body was also thrown forward a few steps uncontrollably.
Although Violet adjusted her movements in time and landed lightly, when she stood up and looked at Jin, who was standing steadily in her original position, she couldn't help but purse her lips in annoyance.
This is the disadvantage of being short and light. Even though the two of them experienced the same force of interaction, Violet was knocked away, while Jhin was able to stay firmly in place.
And those huge wings... their mobility is just too much!
Before Jin could even mock Val's pathetic state after being knocked away, Yamato, gripping his spiked club, charged forward without hesitation to avenge his friend.
"Thunderous Eight Trigrams!"
"Thunderous Eight Trigrams!!!"
Why is there an echo...? No! Violet turned around abruptly and saw Kaido, who had appeared behind her at some unknown time, half-human and half-dragon, raising the Eight Precepts and swinging them down at her with force.
Looking at the Conqueror's Haki swirling around the black spiked club, Violet had no doubt that this single attack would send her directly to her two cheap teachers underground.
Stay calm. Hiding won't help at this point. Only by facing the challenge head-on can we have a chance of survival!
The outward-radiating Observation Haki receded rapidly like a receding tide. First, black spots like scales appeared on the hands of Violet holding the Shadow Sword, and then in an instant, they covered her entire forearm.
Armament Haki coiled around the Shadow Sword, causing the sword, which exuded a strong sense of foreboding, to suddenly solidify from its semi-solid state.
As the Emperor of the Sea, Kaido has seen countless famous swords, but the strangely shaped sword in Violet's hand still gave Kaido a rather ominous feeling, so much so that his attention was uncontrollably drawn to that sword from time to time.
Kaido loathed this feeling of being out of control, so when he saw that the sword had become more docile and dangerous under the effect of Violet's Armament Haki, he didn't hesitate to use Conqueror's Haki to shatter the dangerous weapon.
Watching this scene from afar, Jin and Yamato felt, more than the ear-piercing sound of the weapons colliding, the terrifying pressure that made their internal organs tremble.
"Vell!!!"
Yamato stared in horror at Kaido's Eighth Guard, which was shrouded in tyrannical Conqueror's Haki. Although her father had often used his spiked club to beat her, he had never used such terrifying Conqueror's Haki as he was now.
King's fingers twitched as he pressed the Ten-Grip Sword. In his view, even if Violet survived Kaido's full-force attack, she would likely lose her ambition to become an empress, just like Hanafuda.
Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, and surprisingly, he genuinely felt that this wasn't so bad.
Once that unpleasant thorn is removed and the bleeding wound has healed, she will be an extremely useful subordinate.
King was secretly looking forward to the scene of Violet joining the Beasts Pirates.
Of course, he'll be taken to the interrogation room, and he'll also have to face the punishment for deception and betrayal.
That unruly body must be carefully broken inch by inch and then allowed to grow back to become obedient and docile.
It's no wonder that Kaido and King both had the idea of recruiting Wilt. Even when Wilt was disguised as Velson and intentionally hiding her strength, Kaido and King already had the idea of making Wilt the Flying Child.
At this moment, in order to keep Kaido and King occupied, Violet revealed all her abilities without reservation, which made Kaido, who was ambitious for the title of Pirate King, extremely envious.
Keep in mind that Kaido's ideal three top commanders are still one short at this point!
Kaido's arm muscles bulged as he pressed down harder, trying to make her realize the immense power disparity between them, and to make her understand that she only had two choices: to obey him or to die.
Kaido: "Kid, beg for mercy now and tell me the location of Oden's remaining followers, and I might consider sparing your life."
"What a joke!" Violet suddenly raised her head and glared at Kaido. "Stop dreaming!"
Under Kaido's relentless and cruel pressure, something did indeed shatter, but what appeared before Kaido and King was not the listless, lifeless soul they had expected. Instead, it was an aura of royalty gushing forth from the crack—
Conqueror's Haki!
Everyone present was all too familiar with this imposing aura.
Originally pinned down and unable to move, Violet suddenly retreated. Kaido's force had nowhere to go, and her body leaned forward uncontrollably. However, Violet took advantage of her small size and agility to bypass the attack range of the spiked club. She forcefully used Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki to withstand the remaining power of the attack. Then, she raised the Shadow Sword high and swung it down hard at Kaido!
This is? !
Kaido stared wide-eyed in disbelief. In that instant, Violet's figure overlapped with someone who bore no resemblance whatsoever to him in appearance, personality, or experience.
Rocks… No, how could this be?!
With a single strike, the powerful shockwave forced Kaido to take a step back before he could regain his footing.
Rocks D. Giebeck was as fearsome as his unique swordsmanship, which allowed him to unleash terrifying shockwaves capable of blasting everything in its path with each strike.
The way Vera launched her attack, and the shockwave from that sword energy, were so similar to Rocks' attack.
Perhaps its power cannot yet be compared to that of the King of the World, but Kaido believes that not only himself, but any former Rocks crew member standing here would feel the same way as him.
But how could that be? Rocks has been dead for so many years!
Kaido knew that Rocks had left offspring before his death, but he didn't know whether that brat had been swallowed up by the vast sea and turned into decaying bones after Rocks' death, or whether he had gone into hiding and lived on under a different identity.
For the first time, Kaido looked intently at Violet's face.
He vaguely remembered that Rocks had a son... but given Yamato's precedent, Kaido felt that it wasn't incomprehensible that Rocks had a daughter but insisted on calling it a son.
Even at the height of Rocks' power, there were many who challenged him to duels or assassinations, but because Rocks' strength was so overwhelmingly superior, those people were like clowns and never succeeded.
But a woman whose strength is unknown, especially when she's with a little kid, is a different story.
If Rocks intended to protect them by referring to the girl as a boy, it would be perfectly normal.
The problem is... Kaido looked Violet up and down for a long time, but he couldn't see a single trace of Rocks in her appearance.
Although Yamato and he don't look very alike, at least the horns of the Oni clan were inherited by Yamato. If Violet is really a descendant of Rocks, then Kaido can only sigh that the mother's genes are so strong that even the domineering and powerful Rocks failed here and couldn't even get a participation prize in his descendants.
Violet was unaware that during those few seconds of silence, Kaido had already found her a cheap father and conjured up a melodramatic and complicated backstory.
Violet was still carefully sensing the power that had suddenly erupted under Kaido's pressure.
Thanks to Torrocks, Violet is not only familiar with Conqueror's Haki, but can even be said to be quite familiar with it.
Rocks used Conqueror's Haki to suppress Violet quite a few times in his dream. This battle maniac, who had been bored in the Pure Land for quite a long time, always complained that Violet's strength was so weak that she couldn't even warm up, but her body was very honest and she never missed a fight.
Violet didn't know what kind of personality Rocks had when he was alive, but just by watching him spy on her through her eyes when she occasionally switched to [Twin Sister] mode, she knew that Rocks was utterly boring.
Naturally, as the object of Rocks's amusement, Velvet also learned from him "100 creative ways to use Conqueror's Haki". Therefore, although it was her first time encountering this power, Velvet's body still instinctively learned the methods she had seen from Rocks and mobilized this power.
[Conditions met]
[You can now examine the Fragile Rose!]
[Fragile Rose]
[A seemingly ordinary rose, its bright red bud resembling a heart just ripped from a chest—is it a greeting or a warning?]
[Currently detectable: A cherished item from the Throne Master of the Eternal Realm; use it to obtain the truth about the world]
[Currently cannot be destroyed]
The ringing notification in her mind distracted Violet for a moment. Kaido, a seasoned warrior, naturally wouldn't miss this easy opening. He leaped into the air, raised the Eight Precepts above his head, and wrapped them with Conqueror's Haki. He then fell rapidly down with his massive, heavy body.
"The Three Worlds Descend - Naraku!"
Although initially surprised by the sudden burst of Conqueror's Haki from Violet and her swordsmanship remarkably similar to Rocks', Kaido quickly realized that Violet's Conqueror's Haki in battle was far too immature. No matter how talented she was, without proper training, she was still no match for him.
She couldn't possibly withstand that attack!
But Violet doesn't need to fight alone.
A white figure flashed to Violet's side, raised a spiked club, and unleashed Conqueror's Haki without hesitation, wrapping it around her.
"You damn old man, you haven't forgotten about me, have you?!"
Kaido roared, "Yamato!!!"
Surrounded by a silvery-white halo, Yamato, in his phantom beast form, stood with Violet, facing the overwhelming power of Kōnaraku.
When Violet and Yamato's Conqueror's Haki first met, they instinctively repelled and resisted each other. However, under their control, they quickly suppressed their hostile intent and intertwined, launching a joint attack on the long-established former emperor!
"I told you, sooner or later, I will defeat you!"
"Then, in the name of Yamato and the Shogun of Wano Country, I will reopen Wano Country!!!"
——
The sharp katana pierced the chest of the begging daimyo. Kikunojo pulled out the sword and watched the daimyo fall heavily backward in silence.
Blood dripped from the blade like a curtain of red jade beads. Kikunojo sighed as he looked at the chaotic Daimyo residence.
It's not that I'm lamenting the death of this daimyo. As a supporter of Kurozumi Orochi, this guy had done his share of evil deeds, so his death was just what he deserved.
He sighed, lamenting that these repeated upheavals were far too draining on Wano Country's strength.
Shaking his head to suppress the turmoil in his heart, Kikunojo turned and walked towards the Shogun's Mansion, the place representing the highest power in Wano Country.
When he entered the main house of the general's mansion, Hiyori Kozuki was already sitting at the head of the table. Although the bodies of the wounded in the main house had been cleared away, the bloodstains on the walls and floor had not yet been cleaned up.
But when Kikunojo entered the room and saw Hiyori sitting elegantly at the head of the table, he momentarily mistook Hiyori for sitting in a room filled with the fragrance of flowers, and the bloodstains for blooming red plum blossoms.
"Kiku no Cheng!"
Kyoshiro, or rather Denjiro, who was in charge of cleaning up the general's mansion and protecting Hiyori, had restored his original hairstyle. His brightly colored cloak, which resembled a venomous sea serpent, had also been replaced with a brown outfit embroidered with crescent moon patterns.
Denjiro's black hair stood up high, and his glasses, which had been hidden for who knows how long, were taken out, carefully wiped, and put back on his face.
If it weren't for his changed face and the silver strands mixed in with his black hair, Denjiro would look no different from when he stood beside Lord Oden, young and spirited.
"Is everything alright?"
"The situation at the Daimyo's residence has been resolved." Kikunojo looked at Denjiro. "How's it going at the Shogun's residence?"
“It went very smoothly.” After saying that, Denjiro couldn’t help but look at Hiyori with a proud gaze. “Hiyori handled it very well. Although there was some chaos when they first stormed in, they quickly became orderly again under Hiyori’s command.”
Although she had only learned about governance and administration for less than half a month under the mediocre teachers Denjiro and Kikunojo, Komurasaki's innate sensitivity to emotions and human nature allowed her to thrive as soon as she came into contact with these matters, and she quickly developed her own methods.
Hiyori smiled shyly when Denjiro praised her, but unlike usual, she did not end the conversation with self-deprecating words.
Hiyori keenly sensed the change in her identity. Just a day ago, she was Komurasaki, a geisha in the Flower Capital who had to be careful to hide her identity and live by playing the shamisen and relying on her beauty. But now, she had become the only person who could represent the bloodline of the Kozuki family, gain the support of her father's former retainers, and temporarily assume the position of Shogun of Wano Country.
Hiyori knew that even among those who had chosen to stand by their side and rise with them, many did not agree with her leadership.
Ultimately, it's just because of her age and gender.
Having witnessed the coldness of human nature and the ugliness of the world within the art gallery, Rihe clearly understands that nothing in this world is ever a given.
Survival, wealth, status, and rights are all things that must be fought for to be obtained.
Hiyori's gaze fell on the dried, dark bloodstains not far away.
In the scramble, whether they were elegant geishas, ladies from noble families, or self-assured nobles, they were no different from dogs that had been starving for days and nights fighting for food on the street.
The image of Violet involuntarily appeared in Hiyori's mind.
When Yamato was constantly injured while challenging Ashura Doji, she asked Violet why Yamato did it.
Logically speaking, as Kaido's only descendant, Yamato only needs to grow up step by step to take over Wano Country and become the shogun. So why does she push herself so hard and go through so much trouble, even at the cost of breaking with Kaido, in order to become the shogun of Wano Country in her own way?
What did Lady Violet say at that time?
"If she obeys Kaido's demands, then the position of Shogun of Wano Country will be given to her by Kaido. If Yamato later has any opinions that are contrary to hers, Kaido can take back the position."
What others give you is not yours; only what you can take back and protect is truly yours.
Hiyori lowered her eyes. Should she steal it?
Just as Hiyori was pondering her future plans, Kikunojo and Denjiro had already confirmed that the coup that day had been successfully completed without any major incident.
Firstly, the Kozuki family's reputation was so prestigious that people had a certain degree of faith in Hiyori, Oden's daughter. Secondly, Orochi didn't have many capable subordinates; they were overthrown almost immediately without any real resistance. Thirdly...
Thirdly, in order to make the trap more realistic, Kaido did send out a lot of the Beasts Pirates' fighting force, while the remaining Flying Children, as well as Kaido and King who were able to return, were entangled by Violet and the others.
Kikunojo didn't show it on his face, but he was quite worried about Violet's situation.
Violet was the one who received the hairpin from Brother Zang. If something happened to her in front of him, he would never be able to forgive himself.
When Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji sent a message indicating that their mission was complete, Kikunojo immediately lit a signal firework to remind Violet and the others on Onigashima that they had succeeded.
Let's get out of here!
——
"Brother Kaido..."
King, whose wings bore slight burn marks, walked up to Kaido and frowned, asking, "Should we go after them?"
Kaido touched his side, where there was a bruise, left by Yamato, that good-for-nothing bastard, who "copied" his Thunder Bagua.
Kaido's lips curled down: "What Thunder Bagua? Thunder Bagua is barely passable!"
Jin choked, looking at Kaido with a speechless expression.
Is this the key point?
However… Jhin couldn’t help but rub his temples as he recalled the scene from the later stages of the battle, when facing Hanafuda and Jack who came to their aid, and how Val pulled out that strange staff inlaid with purple gems and teleported them away in just a few moments.
She could easily use that weapon to send him and Kaido away as well, thus easily completing their mission of restraining the Beasts Pirates.
But Violet did not choose to do so.
This is certainly not because of the so-called "warriors must fight openly and squarely," but rather because regardless of whether Violet and her group succeed or not, after the battle, someone needs to restrain the Beasts Pirates and take charge of the overall situation to prevent those pirates from causing damage to Wano Country in their defeat.
Jhin, realizing he'd been used as a tool, remained silent.
Kaido pulled out a sake flask from somewhere, gulped down a few mouthfuls, and muttered in dissatisfaction, "Are all the newbies like this these days...?"
Thinking of Queen, who was rushing over now, and then thinking of Jack and the others who had disappeared, King was afraid that Kaido would cause trouble again if he got drunk, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Young Master Yamato...will he become the Shogun of Wano Country?"
Kaido narrowed his eyes: "Otherwise what?"
Kaido was able to act with impunity when Violet and Yamato fled together because he understood that the Beast Pirates, who controlled military power, could never be kicked out of Wano Country.
So what if we find Oden's descendants? So what if we overthrow Kurozumi Orochi? Without Kaido's approval, no one can become the Shogun of Wano Country!
After Kaido finished drinking, he opened his hand, and before Violet could see the signal and turn to run away without lingering, the brat shoved something into his hand.
Only then did Kaido have time to open it and take a look. He looked down and saw a beautifully crafted hard card in his palm.
It was so small that Kaido had to carefully pinch it between two fingers and hold it in front of his eyes to see the small print.
"L'lyeh Fruit and Vegetable Special VIP Card: With this card, you can enjoy an 8.88% discount on orders placed through the L'lyeh Fruit and Vegetable Special Line..."
Kaido: "..."
ember:"……"
Are all newcomers like this nowadays?
——
As the wind picked up, Yamato and Violet rushed back to Wano Country and arrived at the Shogun's mansion as promised. Before Yamato could even boast about his heroic feat of successfully injuring his bastard father, he was stunned to see Hiyori sitting in a blood-soaked room.
"Little Purple, what are you doing here?! It's dangerous here, quick, I'll get you away from here..."
Hiyori stepped out from behind the table and bowed deeply to the two of them.
"I am very sorry, because of the pursuit by Kurozumi Orochi, I have been hiding my identity from you two." Komurasaki raised her head and looked at the two of them with burning eyes. "My real name is Kozuki Hiyori."
"What?!" Yamato exclaimed in disbelief, "Me, no, Lord Oden's daughter?!"
"What?!" Violet exclaimed incredulously. "Then you can't come with me?!"
Damn it, the shamisen player she had her eye on, the master of sedation, the leader of the R'lyeh artistic atmosphere, just grew wings and flew away like that?
Hiyori blinked in confusion.
"Ahem!" Realizing she had accidentally blurted out her idea of kidnapping someone's child in her excitement, Violet coughed twice guiltily. "No, it's nothing, I was just saying it casually, don't take it to heart, don't take it to heart."
Hiyori, understanding the situation, did not press further. Instead, she looked at Yamato and said, "Lord Yamato, I have temporarily taken over all the affairs of the Shogun's residence. I have prepared a list for you, please feel free to refer to it."
As Hiyori spoke, she pointed to a stack of documents more than two meters high not far away.
Yamato felt a chill run down his spine and waved his hands repeatedly: "No need, no need, Hiyori can take a look..."
"Lord Yamato," Hiyori interrupted her, "this is something you must understand to become the Shogun of Wano Country."
Yamato paused for a moment: "But I'm not good at these things, and I trust Lord Oden's daughter, so can't I entrust her entirely to you?" As for her, she can just be a combat general with super strong combat power.
Hiyori paused for a moment upon hearing this, and finally gave an embarrassed smile befitting her age.
But she still insisted: "Trust is something that is easily eroded. Lord Yamato trusts me, but I cannot act arbitrarily because of that."
Their fathers had a blood feud, and there was no precedent for two generals ruling Wano Country, so this cooperation was inherently fragile.
Hiyori cannot allow any loopholes that could undermine this cooperation to exist; Wano Country can no longer afford another period of chaos and coup.
Yamato didn't understand the deep worry behind Hiyori's words, but he was still taken aback by her serious attitude and quickly nodded: "Then, then I'll watch it tonight."
There's no need to rush.
"The most important thing now is to get Kaido to acknowledge that I and Lord Yamato are jointly serving as the Shogun of Wano Country."
“Daddy Daddy? Isn’t he already being held back by us… Yes, we haven’t been able to defeat him yet.” Yamato frowned. Knowing Daddy as she did, unless they could really beat him to the ground and make him submit, it would be very difficult for others to persuade him to do anything he opposed.
Violet: "Kaido will agree."
"Huh?"
"Why?"
"Hmm... Kaido has achieved his current status because of his own strength, so he has an almost blind trust in force."
Hiyori understood. Based on Kaido's experience, he wouldn't think of this as some kind of so-called "Double Generals." Rather, it was Yamato suppressing her with absolute force, and she was merely a tool to provide the Kozuki family's name, facilitating Yamato's rule.
Kaido would feel that he is to Yamato what Orochi is to him: if the latter so chooses, he can overthrow or even kill the former at any time.
Therefore, Kaido would certainly not oppose the cooperation between Hiyori and Yamato.
"And what about you, Violet?" Yamato keenly noticed that Violet hadn't mentioned anything about her safety.
"Well, I think Mr. Kaido probably doesn't want to see me." Violet scratched her face. After all, as a Shichibukai, and a Shichibukai with considerable strength, she could cause too much damage. Kaido couldn't possibly let her wander around Wano Country.
"I plan to leave in the next day or two."
The quest "[My son's rebellion breaks my heart]" was completed after Violet and Yamato left Onigashima. The "[Mysterious Treasure Map]" was given to Violet's backpack as a reward. Violet only needed to spend half a day finding the location to dig and confirm it.
Hiyori sighed regretfully, "It seems I can't keep my promise to you again."
Hiyori was referring to the promise Violet made to hear Hiyori play the piece "Tsukihime" on a full moon night. Violet initially extended the invitation with the intention of bringing Hiyori to R'lyeh, but on the first full moon night, Kaido went on a drunken rampage, forcing Violet to work all night. On the second full moon night, Violet had to leave before it even arrived.
Seeing Hiyori's regretful expression, Vera suddenly remembered a book she had never used.
"Actually...it's not necessarily true?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Kaido: How could Rocks possibly have such a cute daughter like Violet? [Question mark]
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