"It seems someone is impersonating a member of the Jashin Religion?"
Killing intent surged in Sakamoto's eyes. He said sharply, "Throw him into the dungeon and find out his true identity."
"Yes, sir."
The subordinate retreated quickly. Sakamoto then turned to Simu and asked, "I wonder if the Divine Son would be interested in joining me to see this fellow who dared to disguise himself as one of your own?"
Simu nodded expressionlessly. "Of course. I cannot allow anyone to tarnish the glorious name of the Jashin Religion."
"After you."
Led by Sakamoto, Simu soon arrived at a damp and gloomy dungeon. It must be said that the Sakamoto Company's cruise ship was truly well-equipped, as even the prison looked quite professional.
As soon as they stepped inside, a rotten, humid smell hit them, and the air was thick with the scent of blood. Simu glanced at various torture instruments hanging on the walls; they were covered in bloodstains. It appeared the jailers here frequently tortured their prisoners.
"Chairman, Divine Son, the boy is just ahead."
A subordinate led Sakamoto and Simu to the corresponding cell. The thin, dark-skinned Mori Shiraishi was curled up in a corner.
"Divine Son, this was found on him."
Sakamoto's subordinate respectfully handed an object to Simu. It was the necklace representing the Jashin Religion that Simu had intentionally left behind.
Simu gave a faint smile. "This is indeed my necklace. I didn't expect him to pick it up."
Seeing the arrival of Sakamoto and Simu, Mori Shiraishi looked up slightly. A fierce light gleamed in his eyes as he stared at Sakamoto. This was the man who had taken his parents!
Noticing the hatred in the boy's eyes, Sakamoto turned to a subordinate. "Who is this kid?"
The subordinate bowed respectfully. "Chairman, do you remember the guy who brought those fishermen to cause trouble half a month ago?"
Sakamoto's eyes narrowed as he thought for a moment. "That thug? I remember his name was..."
"My father is not a thug!"
Mori Shiraishi suddenly looked up, squatting on the ground and letting out a low growl like a wild beast.
Sakamoto snorted coldly. A subordinate beside him immediately delivered a heavy kick, knocking Mori Shiraishi to the floor.
The subordinate retracted his foot and looked down at Mori Shiraishi. "This kid is that thug's son."
Sakamoto raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.
"So you're that man's child? You're just as stupid as your bastard father, daring to break into the Sakamoto Company all alone..."
Sakamoto's voice became increasingly dark. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"I think I've come up with an excellent idea!" He slapped his palms together. "I remember a woman came with that peasant back then, right?"
Sakamoto's playful gaze crossed the bars and landed on Mori Shiraishi. "If I'm not mistaken, that woman is your mother?"
"What are you going to do?" Mori Shiraishi clutched his stomach, his face contorted as he scrambled up from the ground.
Sakamoto chuckled playfully. "Perfect. We need test subjects for the Kagune. Why don't we start the experiments with his parents?"
"No! Stop it!" Mori Shiraishi charged forward once again.
Although he didn't know what a Kagune was, the term "test subject" was enough to fill him with dread. However, his efforts only caused the bars to rattle slightly. His slender arms reached through the gaps, but they couldn't even touch the edge of Sakamoto's clothes.
Seeing Mori Shiraishi's struggle, Sakamoto let out a burst of hearty laughter before suddenly turning serious. "Take his parents away."
"Yes, sir!"
The subordinates moved quickly. Two minutes later, a man and a woman—bruised, battered, and on the verge of unconsciousness—were dragged from the depths of the cells.
"Dad! Mom!"
Mori Shiraishi pounded the bars frantically. The violent thumping and the familiar voice woke the two of them. Through their blurred vision, they finally saw their beloved child. But before they could speak, Sakamoto's men covered their mouths and dragged them away.
Only Mori Shiraishi's pained roars remained.
After taking Mori Shiraishi's parents, the eager Sakamoto finally began the Kagune experiments. Due to the unique nature of the Kagune, he couldn't use only two subjects. He selected eighteen more slaves from the prison, making a total of twenty subjects for the trial.
As the Kagune were implanted into their bodies, screams of agony echoed throughout the entire cruise ship.
"AHHHH!!!!"
A terrifying aura erupted from the laboratory. The test subjects swung their Kagune, releasing their newfound abilities. Sakamoto was well-prepared, however; pre-set traps combined with the subordinates' ninjutsu quickly subdued the berserk Ghouls.
About an hour later, Sakamoto's most trusted subordinate, Abu, stepped out to report. "Chairman, out of twenty subjects, eleven went berserk. They have all been killed, and their Kagune are perfectly preserved."
"As for the other nine, six are unconscious, and three remain sane."
"Twenty people, and only three stayed sane?" Sakamoto rubbed his thumb ring, seemingly dissatisfied with the result.
Seeing this, Abu whispered a reminder. "The Kagune from the failures can be recycled and reused."
With this hint, Sakamoto finally understood. "You mean as long as I have enough subjects, I can create as many Ghouls as I have Kagune?"
Abu nodded. "Theoretically, yes."
Sakamoto finally broke into a frantic laugh. "Heh, this Jashin Religion really has some good stuff." His small eyes darted around as he plotted. After a moment, he turned and asked, "Who are the three who stayed conscious?"
"They are the Shiraishi couple, Shiro Shiraishi and Keiko Yanagishima, and a middle-aged man named Ken Shimizu."
Sakamoto narrowed his eyes and revealed a strange smile. "Neither of the Shiraishi couple went berserk? In that case, I have a great idea..."
That evening, Sakamoto personally announced a message through the ship's broadcast system:
"In one hour, an arena performance will be held at the Octagon Cage Stadium..."
"The Duel of the Mutants!"
Hearing this news, the nobles on board from all over the Land of Rivers began to gossip.
"What is a mutant?"
"Maybe some kind of deformed human?"
"Probably. I've seen the 'Little People' in the circus before. They were only the size of a jar. It was hilarious."
"But what's so interesting about a fight between deformed people?"
"Don't worry about it. Don't you know Chairman Sakamoto's style? If it wasn't exciting, he would never personally invite us to watch."
"True..."
Under Sakamoto's call, the Octagon Cage Colosseum reached full capacity in just half an hour!