Sukiyaki's heart wouldn't stop trembling.
A raw, suffocating fear rose inside him, and the way he looked at Ares
was no longer vigilance.
It was dread.
It was panic.
It was disbelief.
…
He couldn't understand it.
How could someone be strong to this extent?!
At that moment, the samurai were shaken to their cores.
The weaker ninjas had already lost all fighting strength.
The daimyō and Kozuki Oden forced themselves back to their feet, staring in horror at Ares who stood above them like a demonic god, looking down on the entire field.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru's mouth twitched.
"Why… why is this guy so ridiculously strong?!"
Shimotsuki Yasuie's arms were numb.
"That move of his… what even was it? How could it create such a terrifying shockwave…?!"
Bandages tore and split across Oden's body. Old wounds ripped open again, blood seeping out anew.
"So he really didn't go all out the first two times…"
"The gap… it's this big?!"
…
The man who looked uncannily like Zoro's future grandfather Shimotsuki Ushimaru bit down hard, teeth grinding.
"Oi! We're samurai!"
"Even if we lose, we can't lose this pathetically!"
"Even if we have to stake our lives, we'll make Ares see what samurai are made of!!"
"Right!" Uzuki Tempura's eyes hardened. He let out a relieved smile, as if accepting the truth at last. "We'll show him the spirit of Wano's samurai!"
They regrouped.
They drew out every last shred of power, pouring all of their Armament Haki into their bodies, their blades
and launched another assault at Ares.
In an instant, dazzling slashes ripped through the air from every direction, carving toward him like a storm.
Ares drove his Haki into every inch of himself
skin, flesh, tendons, bone
until he became a blood-red demon.
Hands and feet moved like weapons.
His limbs became blades, spears, halberds, and war-axes, intercepting every strike one after another.
Clink clink clink!
Clang clang clang!
Every part of his body was harder than steel.
That monstrous physique didn't even offer them a single flaw to exploit.
Ares bared his teeth in a grin.
"Not enough."
"Those slashes are too weak. You're nowhere near the level of the Rayleigh and Douglas Bullet I've faced!"
He wasn't exaggerating.
These daimyō were strong by Wano's standards.
But compared to true monsters like Rayleigh and Bullet, they were still far behind.
Years from now, they wouldn't even be able to beat Kaido.
Let alone the Ares of today.
The only thing that pleased Ares was this
their sword styles differed from one another.
And each clash fed him.
Each exchange became nourishment, fueling the growth of his own swordsmanship.
Less than half an hour later
the daimyō, along with Kozuki Oden, were all beaten into the dirt.
Sukiyaki's face was deathly pale, drained of all color.
He looked utterly defeated, crushed, struck by a blow he'd never suffered in his life.
He stood there like a lost soul, murmuring to himself.
"We lost… even together, we lost…"
These were Wano's strongest warriors.
And even united, they were nothing before Ares.
That kind of strength
the kind you could only look up at
drove Sukiyaki into despair.
The samurai suffered the same blow.
One by one, as if forced awake, they realized the truth.
Between them and Ares
was a gulf that could not be crossed.
A chasm.
A heavenly divide.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru sat on the ground, clutching his head in frustration, laughing at himself.
"What a disgrace to samurai…"
"Who would've thought we couldn't even touch him?"
"He's too strong."
"So strong it makes you… hopeless."
Shimotsuki Yasuie stared blankly ahead, voice trembling like he'd finally accepted reality.
"Could it be… that Wano really should open its borders?"
"The gap between our samurai… and Ares… it's this huge…"
"We our generation have truly shamed the honor and dignity we inherited."
Uzumaki Tempura raised an arm and let a ninja wrap it in medicine and bandages. He spoke with a heavy, bitter tone.
"Maybe even in the outside world, people as strong as Ares won't be common…"
"But Wano's samurai, as we are now…"
"We really are… lacking."
Their confidence had been completely torn apart by Ares.
Ground into pieces.
Oden ignored the pain ripping through his body and shouted,
"We should've opened Wano's borders long ago!"
"Only then can we truly understand how strong or weak we are!"
Sukiyaki's face twisted with rage.
"Shut up! If we open the borders, can we stop the outsiders?!"
He couldn't help himself.
His eyes swung toward Ares.
"Ares, you're strong. I admit that."
"But opening Wano's borders "
"I will not allow it!"
"I challenge you to a five-versus-five duel!"
Ares's lips curled.
"And how does that duel work?"
Finally.
Here it was.
After witnessing that hopeless gap, Sukiyaki no longer believed there was any way to beat Ares head-on.
For him, gambling with rules was the only remaining path.
Sukiyaki spoke through clenched teeth.
"You cannot participate personally."
"Only your subordinates may fight."
"If you lose, you take your people and leave Wano!"
"And if I win?" Ares asked.
Sukiyaki's expression stiffened. He ground his teeth until they squealed.
"If you win… Hakumai will be yours."
"And I will announce to all of Wano that I recognize your position as daimyō!"
Ares laughed coldly.
"Not enough."
Then his face sharpened with savage arrogance as he declared, loud and clear
"I want the whole of Wano!!"
That monstrous ambition instantly changed Sukiyaki's expression.
His heart lurched.
He was stunned into stillness for a heartbeat
then he roared, furious.
"No!! Wano will never be handed over to you!"
Ares lifted an arm.
The blood-red limb gleamed under the sunlight, shining with a terrifying crimson sheen that made people's scalps prickle.
His tone was unshakable.
"My decision won't change."
"If I didn't want Wano to drown in civil war…"
"I would've taken it already."
"And you think you can stop me?"
His tiger-like eyes swept across them, pressure crashing down like a mountain.
"If I wanted "
"every single one of you would already be a corpse."
"I am of the Amatsuki."
"I will open Wano's borders."
"I will make Wano stronger."
"I will make the name of samurai echo across the world!!"
"Y-you…" Sukiyaki choked, utterly at a loss.
Ares tossed out one final line.
"Think it over."
"When you've made up your mind, send someone to inform me."
"And we'll set the date for the duel."
He picked up his cloak from the ground, flicked it twice, draped it over his shoulders
and walked away without looking back.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru stood and let out a long sigh.
"Shogun Sukiyaki…"
"If Ares truly sets his mind on taking Wano…"
"we… we can't stop him."
Shimotsuki Yasuie added quietly,
"The duel is our only chance."
"And it's the only way to keep Wano from being swallowed by war."
"Ares is a man with his own will."
"Kuri is thriving under his rule… I believe he wouldn't "
"Enough!" Sukiyaki's face was ugly as he snapped.
"That's it for today."
"You all go tend your wounds."
"Leave me alone."
"I need to think."
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