Shimotsuki Munechika stood at the center of the battlefield, surveying his surroundings. The moonlight, cold as frost, spilled over the devastated land.
The samurai under his command were completely encircled by the Zombie Army, suffering heavy casualties. The air was thick with the stench of blood and death; his ears were filled with the moans of the wounded and the roars of the enemy.
He took a deep breath, the icy night air filling his lungs. In that moment, he made a difficult decision.
"Everyone, listen to my command! Retreat immediately! I will cover your retreat!" Shimotsuki Munechika shouted, his voice echoing through the silent night sky, piercing the clamor of the battlefield.
"My lord!" The samurai cried out in unison, their eyes filled with reluctance and shock. They gripped their weapons, unwilling to abandon their leader.
"This is an order!" Shimotsuki Munechika said sternly, his right hand tightening on the hilt of his sword, the blade gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "Go! Now!"
The samurai looked at each other and finally, tears in their eyes, turned and began their retreat. Shimotsuki Munechika stood alone against Moriah and his Zombie Army. In the moonlight, his figure looked exceptionally lonely, yet also unshakably resolute. The night wind brushed past, making his clothes flap loudly.
"How touching," Moriah mocked, a scornful smile on his lips, his obese frame casting a huge shadow in the moonlight. "But do you really think that will save them?"
Shimotsuki Munechika did not answer. He simply slowly assumed a stance of final, desperate resolve. His heart was clear as a mirror. He knew he might not survive, but he had to at least buy time for his comrades to escape. His eyes were as firm as iron, not a trace of fear within them.
"Yeehihihihi, then let me see your resolve," Moriah said, looking at Shimotsuki Munechika before him. With a wave of his hand, the surrounding Zombie Army charged directly at Shimotsuki Munechika. He wanted to see the resolve of this samurai who already had three broken ribs.
The battle resumed.
Shimotsuki Munechika fought alone against the horde, his sword flashing like a rainbow. Every strike carried his determination to die if necessary. Where his blade passed, zombies were cleaved in two. Though the zombies were undying, ones split in half could no longer move.
Yet the enemy's numbers were simply too great. His stamina was rapidly draining. Sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking his clothes. His breathing grew ragged and heavy.
Time passed, second by second. Shimotsuki Munechika's swordplay remained fierce, but his movements were no longer as agile as at the start. Several new wounds appeared on his arms, blood dripping from his fingertips. Finally, when he confirmed the last samurai had successfully escaped, he fell to one knee, using his sword to prop up his swaying body, gasping for breath. Blood seeped from his various wounds, staining the earth beneath him.
"It's over," Moriah said, walking slowly to stand before him, raising his massive cleaver, a victor's smile on his face. "Your sacrifice was meaningless."
Shimotsuki Munechika looked up, the moonlight illuminating his pallid face. Surprisingly, a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "No... this is only the beginning. They will—"
"The beginning? Yeehihihihi!" Moriah laughed uproariously. "You don't actually think that rabble of samurai can escape, do you?"
Shimotsuki Munechika's heart suddenly sank. "Bastard, what are you saying?" A sense of foreboding washed over him like a tide.
"This time, to deal with you lot, we mobilized most of our forces! There's another line of defense outside. Tonight, no one who participated in this rebellion will live," Moriah stated directly.
"Moriah, you're too slow." At that moment, a deep voice came from the direction the samurai had fled. A tall figure walked slowly forward. In the moonlight, that burly silhouette looked especially intimidating—it was Bullet.
Bullet was dragging the corpse of a samurai with one hand as he approached. The moonlight shone on the body, its deathly pale face glaringly obvious.
"Moss!" Shimotsuki Munechika cried out in despair. That man was the strongest among the escaping samurai, his most trusted subordinate. Moss's head was severely deformed, clearly killed by a single blow with no chance to resist.
"So his name was Moss," Bullet said nonchalantly, casually throwing the body down in front of Shimotsuki Munechika with a dull thud. "He had courage. Just not enough strength."
Looking at everything before him, Shimotsuki Munechika felt as if his heart were being cut by knives. His hand trembled as he reached out, wanting to touch Moss's already cold face, but found he no longer even had the strength for that. The moonlight continued to shine coldly upon the battlefield, witnessing the conclusion of this tragedy. The night wind moaned, as if mourning the lost lives.
"Considering how much you valued your comrades, I'll bury you together with him," Moriah said to Shimotsuki Munechika. As he spoke, Moriah raised his long blade.
"Thank you," Shimotsuki Munechika whispered in despair, closing his eyes.
Moriah swung the blade down without hesitation. Blood sprayed. Shimotsuki Munechika's body slowly fell, lying side-by-side with Moss's corpse in the pool of blood.
"Yeehihihihi, Bullet, what about the other samurai who escaped?" Moriah asked, looking at Bullet.
"Don't worry. I froze them all. If they're thawed in time, they should survive. It won't affect you extracting their shadows," Bullet replied.
"Yeehihihihi, that's good. The quantity of Seastone for the Captain's deal with the World Government is quite large. And he just called earlier saying he made a Seastone trade with the Big Mom Pirates. I'm genuinely short on manpower here. After this, it won't be easy to find this many laborers in Wano Country," Moriah said.
"Mm. After tonight, Wano Country won't see war for years to come," Bullet nodded.
The moonlight continued to fall quietly upon this battlefield, as if bearing witness to the end of this tragedy. The bodies of Shimotsuki Munechika and Moss lay silently in the blood. Their sacrifices seemed utterly meaningless. In the distance, the frozen samurai would become Moriah's slaves, mining Seastone for the pirate crew.
The outcome of this battle had been predetermined from the start.
Though the samurai of Wano Country fought bravely, in the face of such powerful enemies, their resistance seemed so utterly futile.
In a single night, daimyo and noble families across Wano Country were annihilated. Though King immediately released news of their rebellion, the sheer number of people involved plunged the entire nation into panic.
To stabilize the situation, King swiftly took action, distributing a portion of the confiscated noble lands, shops, and houses to the common people. This measure effectively alleviated social tensions.
Combined with the various pro-people policies previously implemented by the Beasts Pirates, after a period of adjustment, Wano Country gradually regained its calm.
King's decisive actions won public support, and social order was gradually restored. The Beasts Pirates' foundation of rule in Wano Country was further solidified.
***
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