Kuzan held a bottle of sake in his hand. After taking a sip, he frowned and remarked,
"No taste at all. Snow Pear Sake is way better."
Aramaki, a cigarette hanging from his mouth and both hands resting behind his head, replied casually,
"What do you expect from booze brewed in a dump like this?"
Kuzan raised an eyebrow and turned to Aramaki, asking,
"You haven't been here long, have you? Why so much hostility toward this place?"
Aramaki spat his cigarette to the ground and scoffed,
"This isn't a member nation. It's been under pirate rule for ages. What else would it be but a trash heap?"
Kuzan ignored Aramaki's mockery—he was used to it by now. Nodding slightly, he downed another swig of sake and said indifferently,
"Oh, then it sounds like we've got a loose end here. Might as well deal with it."
Doflamingo was walking alongside Kuma. Standing next to the towering man, Doflamingo seemed almost diminutive.
Kuma held a notebook, jotting something down as he walked. Unable to contain his curiosity, Doflamingo asked,
"Admiral Kuma…"
Kuma paused, turning his head slightly and speaking softly,
"Just call me Kuma. No need for the title."
Although Doflamingo usually acted arrogant toward others, he was respectful to those close to Carl. After thinking for a moment, he tentatively asked,
"Then… would it be okay if I called you Kuma?"
It was the first time someone had addressed him that way. Kuma blinked in surprise, then his face softened into a gentle smile. He nodded and replied,
"Sure."
For Doflamingo, Kuma embodied an intriguing paradox. As the most physically imposing among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Kuma also had the gentlest temperament.
Pointing at the notebook in Kuma's hands, Doflamingo asked,
"Kuma, what are you always writing?"
Kuma smiled and explained,
"I'm documenting our journey. I write down something about every place we visit."
Up ahead, Borsalino, who had just been "abandoned" by Sakazuki, perked up at the comment. He sauntered over with his trademark pout and said,
"Kuma, don't forget—I'm always the one keeping you company, you know~"
"Yes, Borsalino. I'll never forget those times," Kuma replied with a faint smile.
Borsalino laughed and called out to Sakazuki,
"Hey, Sakazuki! When we retire someday, how about a round-the-world trip together?"
Sakazuki halted mid-step and replied,
"Fine, but only if we secure a sailing permit first. Otherwise, we'd just be pirates."
In the world of One Piece, only nobles were exempt from the World Government's strict seafaring regulations. Without approval, anyone venturing into the seas was branded a pirate. Even high-ranking Navy officers like Sakazuki were not exempt. In this regard, they were worse off than ordinary people—given their power, they were walking weapons of mass destruction.
Hearing this, the group fell silent for a moment, then almost simultaneously turned their gazes toward Carl, who was walking ahead.
Sensing their stares, Carl couldn't help but chuckle. Turning around, he said,
"Do I look like a permit to you?"
The quip drew laughter from everyone, even Sakazuki couldn't suppress a slight smirk.
Carl tilted his head, one hand on his hip, and remarked,
"By then, none of you will need a permit to go anywhere."
Aramaki immediately chimed in,
"Carl-sama's words are worth more than any permit!"
Carl said nothing further, simply waving a hand and resuming his stride. Behind him, the group followed, a mix of laughter and confusion on their faces.
The eight of them traversed the streets, eventually arriving at the gates of the Shogun's Mansion. The area was under strict lockdown, with samurai guards encircling the compound, their swords already drawn.
Leading the guards was a grotesque man with fiery red hair and a painted face, wielding a massive calligraphy brush. Pointing it at Carl, he shouted,
"Who are you? What's your purpose here?"
Carl's expression remained calm as he said plainly,
"Kurozumi Kanjuro. No need to act anymore, is there?"
Kanjuro's eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, his eyes widened in shock. Looking down, he saw a green vine piercing his chest.
Aramaki spoke coldly,
"And who are you to address Carl-sama like that?"
As the samurai looked on in horror, Kanjuro's body withered rapidly, collapsing into a dried husk.
With a casual wave of his hand, Carl sealed Kanjuro's Brush-Brush Fruit within the Black Bible.
The remaining samurai shouted in alarm,
"You!"
A gust of white frost swept through, leaving behind lifelike ice sculptures surrounding Carl. Kuzan snapped his fingers, and the sculptures shattered into glittering shards, scattering into the air like snowflakes.
Hearing the commotion, more retainers from the mansion rushed outside. But aside from Carl's group and Kanjuro's remains, the guards had vanished without a trace.
Doflamingo stepped forward with a wicked grin and said,
"Carl-sama, leave these to me."
Carl nodded slightly, and Doflamingo crouched to touch the ground. In an instant, the earth around the mansion shifted, rising into waves that swallowed the remaining samurai whole. Dust settled, and the area returned to silence.
Inside the mansion, Kurozumi Orochi and his retainers cowered in the council chamber. They had been discussing the strange phenomena at Onigashima and were deliberating whether to send scouts.
When the tremors outside grew louder, Orochi frowned and asked,
"What's going on out there? What's Kanjuro doing?"
Just as he rose to check, footsteps echoed down the corridor. Carl's group strolled in as if taking a leisurely walk.
Orochi froze, his face twisting in terror as he recognized Carl. Trembling, he stammered,
"Y-you… you're…"
Before he could finish, his body was yanked forward by an invisible force. Carl caught him by the throat, cutting off any further words.
Without a word, Carl tightened his grip. With a sickening crack, Orochi's neck snapped, his head lolling to the side. The Shogun of Wano was no more.
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+255 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg