Wine, roasted meat, and revelry continued late into the night.
Considering how late it was, Governor Kaido waved his hand: “Yamato, Ruun! There’s no rush to deal with that smelly snake; we’ll do it tomorrow! Today, let’s drink to our hearts’ content!”
Ruun and Lady Yamato naturally had no objections.
The next day.
Ruun was sprawled out in his luxurious mansion, sound asleep, dreaming of wrestling with a giant, golden-crisp roasted leg of meat.
“Bang!”
The bedroom’s sliding door was roughly pushed open with brute force.
“Ruun—! Wake up—!”
A vibrant figure rushed in.
Ruun was startled awake by the sudden noise, groggily opening his eyes.
The next second, he felt the bed suddenly sink, and a fresh, energetic scent, like morning sunlight, wafted over him.
Lady Yamato had unceremoniously jumped onto his bed, her bare feet on the futon, leaning close, her face almost touching his nose.
She was wearing a loose white yukata-style undergarment, its collar slightly open from her movement, revealing a delicate collarbone and the smooth skin beneath.
“Wake up quickly! Didn’t we agree to go deal with Orochi today? The sun’s already up!”
Lady Yamato grabbed Ruun’s shoulder and shook him vigorously.
Ruun instantly sobered up.
Her warm body heat permeated through the thin fabric, the unique scent of a young girl lingered at his nose, and combined with the swaying… Ruun felt his blood rush to his head, his cheeks burning.
“Stop, stop, stop, stop!” He recoiled sharply like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, almost falling off the bed, his voice changing pitch,
“Yamato! There’s a difference between men and women! How can you just barge in and… and get on my bed?!”
“Huh?” Lady Yamato tilted her head, looking puzzled, “We’re all comrades! And your face is so red, are you sick?!”
As she spoke, she even instinctively leaned in closer, as if to check Ruun’s temperature.
“No, no! It’s hot! Get out quickly! This is basic etiquette!”
Ruun felt like he was about to spontaneously combust.
He was incredibly grateful at this moment that he slept relatively properly and wore pants.
“Etiquette?”
Lady Yamato tilted her head, looking very confused, but still obediently let go of his hand,
“Alright, alright, then hurry up! I’ll wait for you outside! We’re going to defeat Orochi and liberate the Flower Capital!”
Watching Lady Yamato turn and skip out, Ruun finally let out a long sigh, feeling a thin layer of sweat on his back.
He forcibly suppressed the chaotic thoughts in his mind, muttering to himself:
‘Women? They only slow down my sword drawing speed! Calm down! Ruun! You are going to become… uh… going to become… never mind, just get up first!’
He patted his still-burning cheeks and quickly got up to wash and dress.
A moment later, a fully dressed Ruun walked out of the bedroom, his face having returned to its usual expression, as if the previous awkwardness had never happened.
Lady Yamato was sitting idly on the veranda, swinging her feet.
Seeing him come out, she immediately jumped up: “You’re too slow! Let’s go quickly! How do we get there? Run?”
“Run? That’s too tiring.” Ruun pouted, and an invisible force enveloped the two of them.
“Wow—!!!” Lady Yamato let out a surprised shriek, instinctively gripping Ruun’s arm, her golden-red eyes wide,
“We’re flying! That’s amazing! Ruun, is this also your ability?”
“Uh-huh.”
Ruun’s thoughts stirred, and their figures swiftly flew towards the Flower Capital.
“So fast! Faster than Father flying with his Flame Clouds! And so stable!” Lady Yamato excitedly looked around, experiencing a flight like never before.
She spread her fingers to feel the rushing wind, “It feels like swimming in the clouds! It’s wonderful! Ruun, can you often take me flying in the future?”
Ruun felt her warm touch on his arm, and his heart uncontrollably skipped a beat again; he quickly composed himself, feigning calmness as he hummed, “…Depends on the situation.”
Flower Capital, Shogunate.
Ruun did not directly barge in.
He hovered in mid-air with Lady Yamato.
The guards, seeing this incredible sight, were trembling with fear.
Ruun’s voice calmly stated: “Go, tell Orochi. Governor Kaido’s daughter, Lady Yamato, has arrived. Tell him to immediately come out and pay his respects.”
The guards scrambled into the mansion.
Not long after, surrounded by a group of panicked retainers, a middle-aged man wearing a luxurious kimono and a comical topknot emerged; it was Orochi.
He tried to project the dignity of a General, but the panic in his eyes betrayed him.
“Yamato? Kaido’s son… daughter? What… what do you want to do?” Orochi demanded, his voice feigning toughness.
Lady Yamato, following what Ruun had taught her last night, gathered her breath, her voice loud and clear, echoing throughout the entire Shogunate, even reaching the ears of the curious citizens peeking from the street outside:
“Orochi! Today, I, Yamato, daughter of Governor Kaido of the Beasts Pirates, am here to declare your crimes!”
“You, born of the Orochi clan, harbored old grudges against Kozuki, and to achieve your revenge, you resorted to unscrupulous and unprincipled means!”
“You, in the name of the General, deceived and lured the Beasts Pirates into Wano Country! In reality, you used the power of my father, Kaido, to seize personal gain for your Orochi clan and solidify your usurped position of power!”
“You secretly instructed and indulged your subordinates to oppress the people and exploit them to the bone under the guise of the Beasts Pirates! All the wealth plundered from the people went into your Orochi family’s private coffers! The suffering of the people is all due to your instigation and scapegoating for your selfish desires!”
“You are the true root cause of Wano Country’s twenty years of suffering! You are the mastermind who deceived Kaido, exploited the Beasts, and plunged the country into chaos!”
The more Lady Yamato spoke, the more fluent she became, her voice ringing with power, carrying an authority she herself hadn’t noticed.
Ruun nodded slightly beside her, indicating encouragement.
Orochi stood below, listening to the righteous accusations, his mouth widening, his eyes bulging like brass bells.
The expression on his face gradually shifted from initial astonishment to utter bewilderment.
What did he hear?
Deceived Kaido? Exploited the Beasts? Instigated evil? Swallowed the lion’s share?
“Pfft… Haha… Hahahahaha!” Orochi laughed, his flabby body jiggling, tears streaming down his face,
“Absurd! This is utterly absurd! I have never seen such a shameless person!”
“Silence!” Lady Yamato sharply interrupted him,
“With irrefutable evidence, how dare you quibble? Your numerous crimes, Orochi, are too many to count! Today, by order of Governor Kaido, I sentence you—to death! Immediate execution!”
“Death… death sentence?” Orochi’s laughter abruptly ceased.
Only then did he realize that the other party was not here to tell jokes, but to take his life!
Those earlier accusations, which twisted right and wrong, were merely a “declaration of legitimacy” before the execution!