“I refuse!”
“Alright, then you… What did you say?”
Kain was startled; he hadn't misheard, had he?
Komurasaki held up the artificial Azure Dragon Devil Berry and placed it in front of Kain, then performed a standard dogeza.
“Lord Kain, at this point, I no longer wish to deceive you.”
Komurasaki raised her head, tears welling in her eyes: “My real name is Kozuki Hiyori, the daughter of Kozuki Oden.”
“Sigh~”
Kain sighed deeply, shaking his head: “Silly girl, do you think I don't know? You underestimate me too much.”
What?!
Lord Kain already knew?
Komurasaki’s heart skipped a beat, and her beautiful eyes instantly widened.
“Then why…”
She was the daughter of Kozuki; logically speaking, she should be the number one most wanted criminal of the Beasts Pirates.
“Your identity is worthless to me.”
Kain explained: “It's Orochi who has been hunting you down in Wano Country, not Kaido.”
This was the truth.
As long as it contributed to Kaido’s dream, that great war of the future, Kaido couldn't care less about the origins of his crew members.
Even for Kid and Luffy, who had opposed him repeatedly, Kaido’s first thought was still to subdue them, not to utterly annihilate them.
In terms of magnanimity, Kaido was comparable to Whitebeard.
“Is that so?”
Komurasaki thought about it carefully, and it was true; there were no wanted posters for the Kozuki Family and their retainers on Onigashima, indicating that Kaido didn't care much about them.
After Kain took power, even the Oniwabanshu and the samurai forces stopped their pursuit of them, turning instead to maintaining public order.
Kaido also seemed to have no opinion on this.
Kain asked: “Komurasaki, why did you confess today? You could have completely hidden it from me and eaten the Devil Berry first. Whether it was to escape Onigashima or to prepare for Momonosuke’s future return, it would have been an excellent choice for you.”
“Perhaps, but I can no longer deceive someone who truly treats me well.”
Komurasaki smiled sadly: “Lord Kain, now that you know my identity, Hiyori is willing to bear any consequences.”
Since Kain knew about the prophecy of her mother, Kozuki Toki, there was naturally no reason for him to let the Kozuki Family go.
“The world shall be a dark night, the moon like you, holding onto fragments until dawn. The clear light will watch through time, nine shadows cast as the sun rises in the east.”
Kain recited Kozuki Toki’s prophecy, then said disdainfully: “Perhaps your brother can return in ten years, but only the fate of failure awaits him!”
“Impossible!” Komurasaki blurted out.
Kain did not directly argue, but instead changed his approach: “What do you think of Wano Country now?”
Komurasaki fell silent.
To be fair, under Kain’s rule, the lives of the people in Wano Country were even better than when her father was in power.
Although the work in the factories was hard, the wages earned by one person were enough to support a family of four.
Samurai and yakuza who used to wander the streets causing trouble were also directly arrested and sent to labor reform by Kain’s iron-fisted rule.
The people’s lives might not have been so secure that they could leave their doors unlocked at night, but they could certainly be described as living in peace and prosperity.
In terms of food, with Yamato’s vigorous cultivation and Kain’s weather control, the land also welcomed its first harvest.
On the day of the harvest, Wano Country was filled with laughter and joy, almost like the arrival of the Fire Festival.
These were things that the Kozuki Family could not achieve during their rule.
When Denjiro told her this information, Denjiro’s expression was joyful yet unwilling.
The joy was that Wano Country, after seeing off Orochi, had finally welcomed an enlightened ruler, allowing the people to live stable lives.
This was exactly what they had hoped for.
The unwillingness was that it wasn't them who had achieved all of this, but the Beasts Pirates, whom they had always considered a symbol of tyranny.
The Kozuki in the hearts of the people were gradually being replaced by Kain and Yamato.
Kain pressed on: “Do you think the people of Wano Country now still look forward to Kozuki? Do they look forward to an eight-year-old shogun ruling them?”
If Momonosuke appeared now, there might still be a chance.
Undeniably, the Kozuki, who had ruled Wano Country for hundreds of years, were still a symbol of legitimacy in the hearts of the people.
But his appearance would be ten years later.
Kain was confident that he could completely eliminate Kozuki’s prestige within these ten years.
The people were not foolishly loyal idiots; having grown accustomed to the good lives Kain and Yamato brought them, they would instead have doubts when faced with the returning Kozuki Family.
The Beasts were ruling perfectly well, so why change shoguns?
What if their lives got worse?
From ancient times to the present, no well-fed and well-clothed people would actively embrace change.
Facing Kain’s interrogation, Komurasaki felt weak in her limbs, and the answer was already in her heart.
The Kozuki Family might never return.
“So, Lord Kain, that’s why you didn't bother to capture us?”
“Yes, as long as you don't jump out and disrupt my plans, I’m too lazy to deal with you.”
Kain said bluntly: “Just like Kyoshiro, I’ve always known his identity, but he can be used by me. Why would I expose all of this and needlessly lose a talent?”
Kyoshiro was like many spies in history, exceptionally capable.
After Kain assigned him the work of apprehending criminals and maintaining public order, whether out of his own will or to curry favor with Kain, Kyoshiro worked with an incredible zeal, leaving early and returning late every day, actively working overtime.
And what Kain paid was just a few words of praise, plus a normal amount of salary.
Wouldn't it be great to exploit such a useful workhorse for free?
Seeing Kain’s expression as if he had made a huge profit, Komurasaki couldn't help but smile wryly, recalling Denjiro’s increasingly deep dark circles under his eyes.
She wondered what his expression would be when he found out about all of this.
“And Ashura Doji hiding on Mount Tou, Shimotsuki Yasuie hiding in Ebisu Town…”
Under Komurasaki’s frightened gaze, Kain began to reveal a string of names and locations of Kozuki remnants.
“You understand my attitude towards Kozuki now, right?”
Komurasaki nodded silently, then suddenly bowed her head to the ground: “Lord Kain, forgive my rudeness, but since you don't care about us, the failures, could you please pardon the prisoners in Udon? For this, I am willing to give everything!
I am willing to serve you for life, never leaving, staying with you in life and death!”
“Heh, you’re dreaming big, aren’t you? Trying to take and get at the same time.” Kain was amused to the point of laughter.
Who would lose out in this deal?!
“No, no!”
Komurasaki’s face flushed, and she waved her hands repeatedly. She suddenly remembered that even without this deal, she was already serving Kain.
She seemed to be pushing her luck a bit.
“Lord Kain, my father’s sword, Enma, is in my possession. I am willing to give it to you, only asking for better treatment for the prisoners in Udon.”
Komurasaki brought out her last bargaining chip.
“Enma, huh?” Kain stroked his chin, deep in thought.
As one of the twenty-one Great Grade Swords, it would be a lie not to covet it. Although he didn’t use swords, getting it and having it as a display piece wouldn't be bad.
Anyway, it was just about giving the prisoners some better treatment.