One Piece: Dream of Immortality-Chapter 537: Dishonest Deals

"Should we leave?" CP0 agent Joseph asked.

"What for? They'll kill each other, then we'll swoop in and kill the survivors. We'll finally be rid of these nuisances," agent Maha said.

"Hmm, perhaps Joseph is right," agent Guernika agreed tentatively. "I'm not certain that this battle will be as even as our intelligence suggested."

"The agents who compiled that intelligence should be shot, then," Maha concluded.

"Agreed," Joseph said.

"That's an issue for when we return to Mary Geoise. For now, we must decide if the risk of remaining is worth the chance we can nip these problem children in the bud," Guernika said.

"Where do you think you're going?" A new voice entered the discussion.

The three CP0 agents turned to look at the Shogun of Wano strolling into the room like he owned the place.

Guernika spoke up, "You misheard-"

"LIAR! I listened to your plotting! I heard everything!" Orochi squealed. "Before today, I would have had you all tortured and beheaded for your treacherous words!"

"However," Orochi's voice dropped back into its deeper tone. "With Kaido making it clear that he plans to usurp me, I quite like the idea of your lot dealing with them all in one fell swoop. This should be agreeable to you as well, no? After all, with Kaido out of the picture, I am the one who gets to decide where all of Wano's exports go. Do you have any ideas as to where?"

Orochi smiled as he saw a contemplative look cross Guernika's face. The other two wore masks, so he couldn't tell what they were thinking, but Guernika was the one who called the shots thus far.

"That's a decent offer, but the reward does not match the risk," Guernika finally said.

Orochi clicked his tongue. "What more do you want? Wano will not join your World Government as a tributary!"

"If you will not budge on that point, then perhaps you could spare us some of your loyal men. If the reward is not enough, then it only makes sense to decrease the risk, no?" Guernika offered.

That put Orochi in a tricky spot. He was pretty sure that Kaido had been planning to kill him tonight, if not for the interruption to his little speech. If all his loyal men were killed, then he'd be at the mercy of these odd-ball, foreign ninjas and be forced to acquiesce to every one of their demands, no matter how unfair.

"I can spare a few..." Orochi decided to relent, but only a bit.

Guernika smiled, and if that didn't set off alarm bells in Orochi's head then he would deserve to have it lopped off.

...

*BOOM*

The battle up on Onigashima's roof raged with ever growing ferocity, as did many other fights within the castle. However, other places on the island were comparatively quite peaceful.

"AaaAAAaaah..." Kanjuro yawned.

Couldn't they have just killed him?

Why did they leave him here just to be bored out of his mind? He wished it wasn't just a figure of speech to be bored to death, because that would be a mercy compared to this.

He couldn't even watch Kaido kill those dumbasses since they stowed him below deck. Oh well, he can at least be satisfied that they would die, even if he didn't get to watch.

*creak*

Kanjuro turned his head as best as he could from inside the barrel. "Oh?"

"What are you doing stuffed in a barrel, Kanjuro? Have a falling out with your comrades?" A blonde teenage girl with round eyes asked him.

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"Judging by your weapons, you're one of Orochi's ninja?" Kanjuro guessed. "Release me."

"Why would I go and do that?" she asked with a tilt of her head. "You're the enemy."

"I'm Orochi's spy," Kanjuro said. "I tried to grab Momonosuke, but they tricked me. The boy was the devil in disguise."

The girl widened her eyes in surprise. "We knew he had to be getting inside information somehow, but we never suspected it was you..."

She narrowed her eyes. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"They put me in a barrel filled with seawater before they went to fight Kaido," Kanjuro rolled his eyes.

"Good point," the girl scratched her head. "Doesn't mean you're on my side, though."

"My full name is Kurozumu Kanjuro," Kanjuro revealed.

"Wow... That's certainly a motivation." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "Oh, I'm Chome, by the way."

"I don't care," Kanjuro said.

"Maybe you should!" Chome said. "No one else is coming. I'm the only shot you've got."

It was Kanjuro's time to narrow his eyes. "You're running away."

"Yep!" Chome nodded. "Orochi's done for; only a matter of time. I don't think Kaido will come out of this unscathed either, even if the others don't agree with me."

"... I see, so that's what you want," Kanjuro sighed.

Chome smiled ear to ear. "You're smarter than you look! I'll let you out, then you'll use your ninjutsu to get me off this rock! I don't care what you do from there."

"Deal," Kanjuro agreed instantly.

Chome studied him, even skipping over to him and getting a really close look at his face.

"You don't seem like you're lying..." Chome rubbed her chin. As a ninja, reading people was a vital skill to have in all matters.

And Kanjuro was reading to her as disgruntled, but otherwise honest.

She nodded in satisfaction. Immediately, she grabbed a crowbar and popped the top of the barrel loose, then tipped it over.

*sploosh*

Briny water soaked the wooden floor and Kanjuro pulled himself free from the cramped container. He stood and took a moment to stretch.

"Hurry, hurry! I don't know how long until Kaido decides to cut his losses and drop us all to our doom!" Chome hurried him.

"Oh? It seems that the situation is a bit more dire than I expected..." Kanjuro said. "Nothing to worry about, I know just the thing to save you from that fate."

"Yes, yes! A big bird to fly me down will do-" *shing* "-nnnuh...?" Chome looked down at her own sword sticking out of her chest.

"I'll need something to paint with though." Kanjuro's warm eyes stared into her own, telling her that she could trust him in spite of the blade piercing her still beating heart. "Your hair and blood will do nicely~"

Kanjuro pressed his foot against the girl's chest and pushed her off of the sword. It was a bit small for his frame, but a sword was a sword. He could always kill somebody else for theirs.

"Now then, I've got a brush to make!" Kanjuro set to work shaving Chome's head.