"Wonderful!"

  "Everyone, hurry to the Shogunate Mansion and line up!"

  "The Totto Land Kingdom is really distributing food for free!"

  "My goodness! This is enough food for three days, and they say there will be more to e!"

  "Gulp... this amount of food could feed my family of five for over half a month!"

  "They truly are a righteous army!"

  "I reize that ander! He looks like Shimotsuki Kouzaburou, the famous swordsmith of Wano!"

  "And there's also Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the heir of the Shimotsuki ! He's a desdant of the Swod Ryuma. The Swod oopped an invasion of fn enemies, so the Shimotsuki would never harm us!"

  "That damned Kouzuki —they should have been buried long ago!"

  "Yes! While we oners starve, the Shogureasure vaults overflow with gold, silver, and food."

  "Exactly! Even the dogs in the Shogu ten times better than us. The scraps they toss away to feed pigs are better than what they give us peasants!"

  "That tyrant Kouzuki Sukiyaki deserved to die!"

  "I heard the bastard poisoned himself—he should have been hanged and flogged instead!"

  "Curse him—"

  In front of the Shogunate Mansion

  A massive crowd of Wano’s citizens gathered. Uhe supervision of Shimotsuki Kouzaburou and his fellow warriors, orderly liretched far and wide.

  Using the official registries found in the Shogunate, each family received three days’ worth of food rations. These rations were based oandard of three meals a day—the norm ito Land Kingdom’s isnds—not the meager, watery gruel that Wano’s people were used to, barely one or two meals a day. For these starving citizens, the distributed food could st over ten days if rationed carefully.

  The citizens were overwhelmed with joy. Some destitute and starving peasants eve openly, dropping to their knees aedly bowing to the Fallen Angel Pirates. Were it not for Shimotsuki Kouzaburou stopping them, they would have tinued until their foreheads bled.

  Ihe Shogunate Mansion

  The vast warehouses were filled with piles of gold, silver, and treasures, a sight so overwhelming it left onlookers in awe.

  "El-sama," said Ruth—who had previously impersonated Kouzuki Sukiyaki but had now returo her true form—"based on our estimates, the food stored in the Shogunate and other official warehouses will only be enough to feed Wano’s people for half a month at this rate."

  "It doesn’t matter. This is just the beginning. We o give them a taste of hope first, to dissolve their resistance," El said nontly, holding the delicate, doll-like Suur in his arms. "Besides, we brought plenty of food and seeds. Once we quer the ions, we’ll immediately pnt crops."

  Ohe situation was stabilized, he po showcase a few "miracles" to fully wihe hearts of Wano’s citizens. With Wano’s abundant resources, it wouldn’t take long for the try to achieve self-sufficy.

  At that point, he would establish factories, implement policies, and flood the market with Totto Land goods through the Hell Trading pany. With no other options, the people of Wano would willingly toil to survive, effectively being his bor force.

  "Daddy, will there be more battles?" asked Thor, roached with a fsh of light. "I want to fight otlefield too!"

  "Thor-sama, you’re still too young… that’s far too dangerous!" Ruth tried to dissuade him.

  "It’s fine. A gem ot be polished without fri," El replied calmly, showing no . "I’ll be watg, so there’s o worry."

  Bringing the children along wasn’t just fhtseeieo temper them. Hearing this, Linlin, Gerd, and Lilian voio objes, as El had already discussed it with them in advance. As members of the Kukulkan Family, these children were destio stand at the pinnacle of the world. Their lives could never be ordinary. Only through trials of blood and fire could they truly grow strong.

  "El-sama…" Ruth began again, seeing his firm stahis time, she did nue further and simply tinued rep:

  "The news of the Totto Land Kingdom’s capture of the Flower Capital has already spread. While I’ve officially revoked the titles of the regional lords, many ndlords and nobles have begun aniziance forces, gathering their private armies of samurai to retaliate. If we want to pletely take trol of this try, we’ll o eradicate them."

  "Then we’ll deal with them all at once," El said coldly, his eyes filled with indifference. A pure carrot approach wouldn’t work—he he stick as well.

  "The heads of those ndlords and nobles will serve as a perfect warning."

  ", our forces will secure the Flower Capital and its surrounding vilges. There’s o rush forward—first, send a letter of 'amy.' Use the agents under your and to incite resistan the ions. Five days from now, let them gather and attack the Flower Capital together. Then we’ll crush them in one decisive strike!"

  "Uood!" Ruth replied with vi.

  …

  "Everyone, charge—"

  "For Wano!!"

  "Kill these invaders!"

  "For the honor of the samurai, fight these outsiders to the death!"

  Five days passed quickly. Frions such as Udon, Hakumai, Ringo, Kuri, and Kibi, a loosely anized army of tens of thousands of samurai and peasants—wielding spears, hoes, and other makeshift ons—gathered. Their ranks were chaotic, but their fighting spirit was high as they marched on the Flower Capital.

  "Open fire!!"

  As the anding officer, Shimotsuki Kouzaburou gave the order. The Totto Land Kingdom forces, already lined up and prepared outside the Flower Capital, had heavy ons in position.

  "Boom! Boom!"

  Dark, heavy ons roared to life, belg fierce fmes. Oer another, bck onballs exploded among the enemy ranks, sending peasants and samurai flying in all dires. Blood and limbs scattered across the battlefield, painting a horrific se. The peasant militia immediately colpsed into chaos, fleeing in panic, while the samurai, fearless aermined, charged forward.

  "Attack—"

  "Kill them all!"

  "Bang! Bang!"

  "g! g!"

  "Arghhhh—!"

  The battle quickly devolved into brutal close bat. The heavily armored Homies Army and the flying Angel Homies Army stuhe samurai, who found their attacks iive.

  "Damn it! What are these monsters...?"

  "They’re invincible—nothing pierce them!"

  "Curse this...!"

  "Ahhh—!"

  In the midst of the chaos, Lucifer, the "Sin of Pride" and a Queen-css ander, stood tall, overseeing the battlefield. Under her and, dozens of Bishop-level and Rook-level Four-Winged Fallen Aook formation. Their bed, on-like arms hummed ominously as they raised them in unison, each glowing with a dazzling light.

  "Buzz... Buzz..."

  The bck ons lit up, unleashing torrents of blinding ser beams.

  "Boom! Boom!"

  "Ahhhhh—!"

  Explosioed across the battlefield. The beams pierced through samurai bodies with ease, tearing through armor and flesh alike, and then struck the earth, causing massive, fiery bsts. The sheer heat sent soldiers flying like paper dolls, their screams lost amidst the deafening explosions and rolling waves of fme.

  The se was devastating.

  "Ah…"

  Covered i and blood, Shimotsuki Ushimaru—now wielding the legendary bdes Enma and Ame no Habakiri, gifts from El—watched the age unfold. He sshed down two advang samurai but couldn’t tear his gaze away from the battlefield. His pupils tracted in shock.

  "Is this… real? Is that the rumored secret on of the Homies forces? Such overwhelming power…"

  Nearby, Shimotsuki Kouzaburou, the seasoned master swordsma a chill run down his spine. As a respected figure in the Fallen Angel Pirates, he had heard whispers of the Homies Army’s upgrades under Ryan, one of Totto Land’s leading stists. Yet witnessing such powerful ser teology firstha him utterly astonished.

  "This… pletely defies reason.”

  Bleam