Chapter 1186: As Everyone Knows, the Organization Runs Solely on Undercover Agents_2

As the blade swung, a massive amount of flames shot out, igniting some debris in the alley.

“Demon Mage? Don’t underestimate me, this is a reward I’ve worked fifteen years for, completely different from the likes of you!”

The tips of the two bone sticks were enveloped in an earth-yellow energy, spinning in Hotei’s hands before being heavily smashed towards Kinemon in front of him.

Every contact between the sword and the stick sparked wildly, but Hotei paid no attention to the attached flames, completely ignoring them.

The principle behind Kinemon’s fire manipulation was a mystery, but one thing was certain: fire was not his specialty. Ordinary fire had little effect on Hotei, gifted with Ground Type abilities, though it was a bit hot.

“Indeed, I couldn’t beat you back then, but you think nothing’s happened in these twenty years? What makes you think I became this group’s leader by chance?”

The bone stick in Hotei’s hand suddenly flew out, tracing a strange arc in the air before smashing into Kinemon’s side.

“Speaking of which… how did Hotei become the leader?”

“Wasn’t it because he knows how to kiss up? Don’t be fooled by how strict he is with us, I’ve heard he’s good at flattering…”

The underlings nearby, hearing Hotei’s questioning of Kinemon, started whispering among themselves.

“Shut up! Is this the time to talk about this? Capture these bastards first, this is a rare achievement!”

A nearby samurai solemnly stopped those gossiping, continuing the attack as there were others here besides Kinemon.

“So fond of using bones, you must be enjoying being a dog.”

Though he was struck hard at the kidney, Kinemon continued to mock Hotei. Such words couldn’t affect him, but Hotei’s body suddenly experienced something unusual.

As he tried to swing the stick again, he lost the ability to move.

“Ninja Technique: Body-Binding Technique! Do it, Kinemon!”

This move was Raizo’s serious ninjutsu, capable of binding the enemy’s actions, at the cost of being unable to move himself. In a 1v1 scenario, this move becomes the technique of staring each other down, with nothing either side can do but watch.

In the original Ghost Island battle timeline, Raizo used this move against Fukurokuju amidst the flames, defeating him using a strategy of endurance and resilience.

In this small-scale skirmish, his Body-Binding Technique was even more effective.

However, this move’s limitations were significant; the stronger the target, the harder they were to bind. Raizo had taken a long time just to find the opportunity to bind Hotei.

Opportunities for the Body-Binding Technique were limited, and it wasn’t just them here. While Raizo controlled Hotei, he was also surrounded by other samurai, swords piercing his body within moments.

“Raizo! Hotei, die by my hand!”

Seeing Raizo prefer being attacked to dodging or resisting, desperately controlling Hotei’s movements, Kinemon didn’t waste the opportunity.

With a cry of pain, he swung his dual blades at Hotei’s head.

…

Crack…

A faint sound of bone cracking was heard, and an X-shaped scar appeared on Hotei’s bone helmet, but that was all.

“Too bad, you should have struck my neck!”

When it was Cubone, it wore merely a bone mask on its head, rumored to be its mother’s skull, though this rumor wasn’t credible as Pokemon are oviparous creatures, and when Cubone hatches, it already has the mask on its head.

When Cubone evolves into Marowak, the mask becomes part of a special exoskeleton.

The structure of inner and outer skulls made Marowak’s head the hardest part of the body, and Hotei’s own trait was still a rare battle armor.

In the game, this meant it couldn’t be hit in a weak point, but in reality, it meant its vital areas had even tougher bone armor defenses.

Kinemon’s attack couldn’t kill Hotei, but Raizo, who was attacked, had already fallen. As Hotei, liberated from the binding, was about to attack again, the sky suddenly darkened, and a heavy black rain fell abruptly, accompanied by a voice that struck fear in him.

“Stop.”

“My… My Lord!”

Suddenly Kaidou appeared here, causing the Shinsengumi members to halt their attacks.

“No, it’s fake! The My Lord isn’t this young! Keep going!”

After a brief hesitation, Hotei noticed the problem: this Kaidou was too young. Even though the voice was the same and the appearance was similar, his face lacked the marks of time.

He realized the truth, but the others were slower to react. The reverence for Kaidou was ingrained in these people, giving Kanjuro the opportunity to break free.

With one swift move, Kanjuro snatched Kinemon from Hotei’s grasp, leaping high, and from the strange ink cloud emerged a giant bird, carrying the two away.

As for Raizo…

Kanjuro was powerless to help in this regard; rescuing Raizo, who was stabbed multiple times, was too risky. Even he couldn’t be sure of success, so he had to escape quickly with Kinemon.

From the fake Kaidou to the current bird, all this was Kanjuro’s handiwork.

Originally an undercover agent, he had always hidden his painting skills, producing abstract creatures that were extremely unwieldy.

But after Kurozumi Orochi’s death, as an undercover agent without a master, coupled with his role-playing nature, Kanjuro fully embraced his identity as a Kozuki retainer.

Unless Kurozumi Orochi revived, he would remain a loyal Kozuki retainer. Thus, he no longer hid his true painting skill.

While fending off the samurai in front, he continually splattered ink droplets, ultimately forming Kaidou in the painting.

In the original timeline, he once painted Kozuki Oden, deceived other retainers with it, and used the fake Oden to carry explosives, killing Ashura Doji.

Kanjuro’s true painting skills were exceptionally good, even surpassing Usopp, but unfortunately, Kanjuro didn’t know what Kaidou looked like after 20 years. Everything was drawn based on the past, quickly exposing himself.

Yet, he still bought precious time. The ink cloud in the sky was also his ability, allowing him to paint more freely. The escape bird was drawn using this ink cloud.

The more realistic the drawn creatures, the smoother their actions. Compared to the chubby ducks Kanjuro typically drew, this giant eagle flew significantly faster.

Furthermore, during the flight, Kanjuro continually used the ink cloud to create numerous decoys, flying in all directions to distract and confuse Hotei and the others.

“Ink Fire: Ukiyo Kaun Ezu!”

As Kanjuro’s ability was activated, the ink cloud in the sky began to disperse and fall. However, during its descent, these ink paintings exhibited the characteristics of flames, possessing the ability to burn.

This was the terrifying aspect of Kanjuro’s Brush-Brush Fruit ability; objects created with his ink could possess the qualities of original materials. Turning raindrops into arrows or ink clouds into fire were part of his powers, making him one of the most troublesome among Oden’s retainers to deal with.

“This bastard…”

“Leader Hotei, what should we do?”

“Call for aid from the Air Cavalry, have them deal with those bastards, and the rest of you come with me to put out the fires! Contact the fire brigade, have them hurry and assist. These guys truly don’t care about anything…

And you, you watch that ninja! Don’t let him escape too!”

Seeing parts of the street ignited by Kanjuro’s ability, Hotei was enraged. He never imagined these people, who accused him of oppressing Wano Kuni, could act even more ruthlessly when the time came.

In order to retreat successfully, they not only released numerous decoys but also set fire to the town below.

What was supposed to be a mission to capture these people ended up creating a major commotion in the bustling district, complicating the aftermath.

Hotei’s message was quickly relayed, and the Squirtle Fire Brigade gathered within a minute, boarding Altaria to reach the scene, while the Air Cavalry encountered the falling Kaidou…