CHAPTER 191- Run, or Die Trying

BOOOOM!!

Ashura Dōji's Togen Totsuka, infused with decades of mastery and the full weight of his will, crashed down upon Luo Yu's colossal Susanoo.

A shockwave thundered outward.The air itself twisted into a raging hurricane, and the earth, within tens of meters, cracked and crumbled like paper under a typhoon.

Amidst the destruction, Ashura's eyes lit with a flicker of joy.

It landed! It worked!

This move—this ultimate technique—had been his obsession for decades.No sparring partner had ever endured it long enough for him to truly test its limit.

But now…

Just as the triumph began to bloom on his face, he looked up—hoping to see cracks, even the faintest chip in the shell of Luo Yu's terrifying golden avatar.

He saw nothing.

No damage. No cracks. Not even a scratch.

His expression went pale.

Is this... the kind of power the Land of Wano has been missing all along?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the sky darkened.

Overhead, three golden seals ignited in the heavens—Luo Yu's signature move: the triple-cast finale.

A pressure far deadlier than any sword filled the air.

And then…

"Ashura, you idiot! We told you to run!"Nekomamushi's voice rang out in panic, already nearing his limit.

"You still standing there like a stump?!"

Ashura didn't respond.Frozen.

Nekomamushi and Inuarashi didn't hesitate further. With grim resolve, they burst into motion, charging straight toward him like arrows.

They'd seen Luo Yu fight before.

They would not bet their friend's life on Luo Yu showing mercy again.

BOOM!!!

The attack detonated.

A gale-force explosion consumed the three samurai.Dust and debris blanketed the world, the sky dark with smoke and sand.

For several long minutes, silence reigned—until finally, the dust began to settle.

When the battlefield cleared, a giant crater nearly 100 meters wide had been carved into the earth.

At its center knelt three bloodied figures, barely conscious, panting like survivors pulled from hell.

Ashura coughed, wincing through the pain that coursed through every bone in his body.

He turned to Nekomamushi and Inuarashi, stunned.

"Didn't you two sell me off? Why the hell would he hit me so hard if I'm worth something?! Isn't he worried I'd just drop dead before he gets his money?"

Nekomamushi rolled his eyes and collapsed flat on his back.

"Hard? That was gentle."

"Compared to last time, he went easy on you."

Ashura blinked.

"Last time?"

Inuarashi chuckled bitterly, also lying flat in the dirt.

"Do you know what our first lesson was when we joined his crew?"

Ashura frowned.

"Fighting with all your strength and never running?"

The two gave him the most pitying look he'd ever seen.

"No. The first lesson was: how to run faster."

"When this admiral gets in a rush… even his own men are targets."

"Next time we tell you to run, you run. Fast."

"Because if he uses that move again, not even we'll risk saving your stubborn ass."

Ashura sat there, dumbfounded.

He'd seen all kinds of fighters in his life.But a battle style where your first responsibility was to flee?

That was beyond logic.

And yet… just moments ago, he'd tasted it.That final attack—it hadn't even been Luo Yu's strongest. He was sure of that now.

If that was the admiral holding back…

Just how powerful was he truly?

As if summoned by thought, Luo Yu strolled casually toward them, liquor gourd in hand.

He sipped and spoke in that same lazy, maddeningly calm tone:

"If you're not dead, get up. You've got work to do."

"I only gave you two days. Half of that is already gone."

"If you're not done by the deadline… don't blame me for leaving you behind."

He turned and walked off, the golden light of Susanoo fading like a memory behind him.

Ashura Dōji stared, stunned again.

What deadline? What work? What the hell is going on?

But before he could speak, the other two had already groaned into motion.

"Don't ask," Nekomamushi muttered.

"When he talks like that, it means one thing—he wants all samurai in Wano dead."

"Get up. Patch the wounds. We've gotta move."

"We're going straight to Kuri now," Inuarashi added grimly."Ashura, scatter your men—tell them to spread out. We need to find every surviving fighter."

Meanwhile...

On the main road between the harbor and the Flower Capital—

Orochi's entourage raced forward in anger and humiliation.

Having been mocked by both Kaido and Queen moments ago, his face was dark and ugly.

"Bastards! I'm the shogun of Wano! How dare they treat me like that?!"

He crushed his sake cup in one trembling hand, voice rising to a furious howl.

Around him, no one dared speak.They had grown used to these tantrums.

Only Kyoshiro—better known as Denjiro, deep undercover—laughed and replied smoothly:

"Orochi-sama, don't take it to heart."

"If Wano could have resisted Kaido back then, that fool Kozuki Oden wouldn't have died like a dog."

"Thanks to Kaido, we get to play shogun in peace. No war. No pirates. Just endless riches. Isn't that right, Komurasaki?"

Beside him, Kozuki Hiyori—disguised as the courtesan Komurasaki—was momentarily lost in painful memories.

She hated hearing her father slandered.But she knew Kyoshiro's words were always meant for Orochi's ears—not hers.

Every insult he voiced cut him as deeply as it did her.

But the act had to go on.

Smiling sweetly, she played her part:

"Hehehe~ Boss Kyoshiro is absolutely right."

"Thanks to Lord Orochi's wisdom, even Kaido dances like a puppet."

"Now that the Beasts Pirates are gone, though… I do worry."

"If any remnants of Oden's loyalists rise up, what has Kaido left behind to protect us?"

Her smile was flawless.But behind her eyes—rage smoldered like coals beneath snow.

The rebellion was stirring again.The clock was ticking.

And this time… they wouldn't fail.