Chapter 398 - 398: After Death
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 Chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Time flew by, and three days had passed.
More than 10,000 ninjas had gathered in the Flower Capital, with the rest distributed across various cities in Wano Country.
Their tasks included maintaining order and hunting down any remaining threats.
In the future, once the situation stabilized, Colt planned to bring in administrative talents to transform Wano Country comprehensively.
These days, the Flower Capital was bustling with activity.
At all hours, captives were escorted in by the Ninja Alliance—members of the Beasts Pirates and local samurai alike.
Colt's orders were clear: eradicate all opposing forces, whether they were pirates or samurai loyal to the old regime.
Anyone who refused to comply was an enemy of the Ninja Alliance.
However, this approach also led to increasingly fierce resistance.
Wano Country had long been known for the toughness of its people.
The nation had a unique method of training [Emission Haki], and its swordsmen were renowned for their skill.
Even random civilians possessed some level of combat prowess.
Fortunately, none of the ninjas had Devil Fruit abilities, so they weren't hindered by seastone.
Otherwise, the situation would have been even more challenging.
After two more days, the situation was finally under control, and Colt was able to focus on his next task: securing the surrender of key figures.
"Bring Kaido here first. And his daughter, too," Colt ordered.
Uchiha Madara raised an eyebrow.
Anbu operatives immediately moved to carry out the order.
Soon, Kaido and Yamato, both bound in seastone chains, were brought before Colt.
Their conditions were far from ideal.
Kaido, though silent, bore countless scars across his massive frame, a testament to the brutal beating he had endured.
Kaguya's attacks had been merciless, and Colt had only barely managed to save Kaido's life when he was brought in.
Yamato, on the other hand, looked disheveled. Her once-white hair was now tangled and dull, and her face was pale.
She had clearly been on the receiving end of a severe beating. Enel, with his mastery of the [Goro Goro no Mi] (Thunder-Thunder Fruit), [Armament Haki], and [Chakra], had proven more than a match for her.
As they entered the room, Kaido's eyes immediately fell on Colt, who sat at the head of the room.
His brow furrowed slightly.
The terrifying woman, Kaguya, wasn't present, but Uchiha Madara sat in a subordinate position, showing clear respect for the young man.
Kaido didn't recognize Colt, though he vaguely recalled seeing his bounty poster a few years ago.
However, Colt had disappeared from the public eye for two years, and Kaido hadn't bothered to remember his face.
Colt was surrounded by several beautiful women, with a maid serving tea and a majestic wolfhound lying at his feet.
The scene exuded an air of nobility, far removed from the grotesque extravagance of the Celestial Dragons.
'Why would someone like this come to judge me?' Kaido wondered.
Colt took a sip of the tea brought by the maid, Kurama Yakumo, and frowned.
The tea had a medicinal taste. Glancing down at the ingredients—berries, ground deer antler, cinnamon, yam—he nearly spat it out.
'This tea... are they trying to kill me?' he thought.
But seeing the expectant looks from Yakumo, Hinata and Ino, Colt sighed and downed the entire cup in one go.
'A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do,' he told himself.
Setting the teacup aside, Colt finally addressed the matter at hand.
"Let's start with Yamato," he said, turning his gaze to the struggling figure bound in seastone chains.
"I'm not Yamato! I'm Kozuki Oden! Who the hell are you people, and why are you invading my Wano Country?" Yamato shouted defiantly.
Colt snorted.
"Your Wano Country? Even the real Kozuki Oden wouldn't dare claim that. What did he ever do for this nation? He was just a reckless, foolish samurai who thought he was some kind of hero."
Yamato's anger flared at Colt's dismissal of Oden.
"What do you know, you intruder! One day, the warriors of Wano and the great pirates who carry the will of the next era will rise up and crush you unjust invaders—you and Kaido both! That day isn't far off!"
Her words, of course, weren't her own.
They were lifted straight from Oden's diary.
Kaido's expression darkened visibly.
If he could, he would have sent Yamato back to her mother.
'I should've never had this daughter,' he thought bitterly.
Colt waved his hand dismissively.
"Lock her up for two and a half years. Let the Anbu handle her."
Several Anbu operatives emerged from the shadows and dragged Yamato away, still shouting protests.
Colt turned his attention to Kaido, who knelt on the ground, his expression defiant.
"It must be hard having a daughter like that," Colt said, almost sympathetically.
"Hmph!" Kaido snorted.
"I just pretend she doesn't exist. If you're going to kill me, just get it over with. Don't waste my time."
In the past, Kaido would never have said such a thing.
He had always believed no one in the world could kill him—until he met Kaguya.
"Killing you is an option, but what's the point?" Colt said calmly.
He pulled out a scroll and summoned a White Zetsu.
"Even after death, you won't escape my control. Why suffer that fate? Surrender now, and I'll give you an important position."
Kaido's face twisted in disdain.
"You think you can threaten me? I'm not afraid of death. Do your worst."
Colt ignored him and gestured to the guards outside.
"Bring in one of the Beasts Pirates."
Soon, a pirate was brought in—Dobon, the deputy head of the mining fields and a user of the artificial Devil Fruit, [Hippopotamus]. Kaido recognized him immediately.
Without hesitation, Colt killed Doppen in front of Kaido, then used the [Reanimation Jutsu] to bring him back as a mindless puppet.
He forced the reanimated Dobon to perform a dance, demonstrating his complete control over the dead.
Kaido's body stiffened as he watched, his expression shifting from defiance to disbelief.
"You... you can really control the dead?"
"Of course," Colt said, making Doppen punch Kaido.
*Bam*
"So, Yonko-san, will you join me in life, or after death?"
Uchiha Madara, watching from the side, couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
'This kid... he's got a twisted mind,' he thought.
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