Chapter 273: Taking Them in Out of Pity

This world is truly twisted. Kakashi wasn’t particularly surprised by the information they had gathered.

After all, in Konoha, they knew of many dirty deeds across the shinobi world.

In times like these, it was common for people to trade their own children for money just to survive.

Compared to that, what the people here were doing seemed childish.

“Why is there no one around?”

Aoi Kanzaki looked around. This house appeared to be the best in the town, but the neighboring houses seemed abandoned, even though there should have been signs of life.

Only a few people passed by, but upon seeing Kakashi’s attire, they immediately bowed their heads.

It was clear that these people were deeply afraid of Kakashi and his group.

“We bought this place for a piece of gold. The people who lived here moved to another town,” someone explained.

“As for the neighboring houses, those people must’ve been tempted by our gold,” they added.

“So, we simply dealt with them and made this our temporary base,” Kakashi said calmly.

When a group of poor people sees a large piece of gold, they can’t resist their desires.

Once the thought entered their minds, it was already too late for them.

His men wasted no time—executing several people in the street for all to see.

It’s no wonder the townspeople were now so afraid.

Kakashi didn’t see anything wrong with what they had done.

Aoi Kanzaki swallowed hard. She originally thought they were here to kill demons, but now she realized these people were far more ruthless than she had anticipated.

In this situation, escaping seemed impossible, especially since Kanao was still in their hands.

“Since they harbored thoughts of killing for treasure, their fate was sealed,” Kakashi continued calmly.

“Death might be the best mercy for them.”

Even if it seemed cruel, it didn’t matter.

After all, these people weren’t exactly saints to begin with.

Aoi Kanzaki remained silent.

She was a member of the Demon Slayer Corps, but they only dealt with demons.

When it came to human society, her only real interactions had been with fellow Corps members.

“Don’t let it weigh on you. The enemies you face are just mindless mutated humans,” Kakashi explained.

“They have simple desires—eating people and fighting.”

“But these people—people like them can be more cruel than demons at times,” Kakashi added, acknowledging the harshness of reality.

It seemed that Aoi and the others had little experience with the darker sides of human nature, perhaps only having encountered kind people in the past.

They had no idea what the world was truly like.

“I understand,” Aoi nodded quietly.

She knew human society wasn’t perfect, but she couldn’t bring herself to wield her blade as easily as the people before her.

“Kakashi-sama, two people are approaching.”

At that moment, two shinobi approached Kakashi and whispered in his ear.

“Bring them over,” Kakashi ordered with a nod.

“Yes, sir!”

Moments later, two young people entered the small village. Despite being called a town, it was more like a village in size.

“Aoi!”

Shinobu Kocho’s eyes lit up when she saw Aoi Kanzaki. She rushed over to pat Aoi’s head and looked her over, noticing there were no visible injuries.

It seemed that these people had no ill intent.

“Introduce yourselves,” Kakashi said, noting the powerful aura around the newcomers. They seemed stronger than Kanao, and the blades they carried were sharp and full of strange energy.

They must be Pillars of the Demon Slayer Corps.

Still... they were weak.

Kakashi couldn’t help but sigh internally. He hadn’t expected these people to have been fighting monsters for over a thousand years. It was likely only their breathing techniques that had allowed them to hold on for so long, with countless sacrifices along the way.

He wondered how Mihawk was doing. Had he found the so-called powerful swordmasters?

“I am Shinobu Kocho, the current Insect Pillar, and this is Giyu Tomioka, the current Water Pillar,” Shinobu introduced herself, glancing up and down at Kakashi.

She didn’t sense any real danger from him. In fact, he seemed weak, like someone who could be cut down at any moment.

And yet, just thinking that made her heart race with unease.

“Two Pillars, huh? It seems like you two are people we can talk to,” Kakashi said with a nod.

“If that’s the case, follow me to meet Lord Raijin.”

Two breathing techniques... but they didn’t hold much value for them.

If they had been shinobi, Kakashi might’ve paid more attention. After all, these breathing techniques could have made for a powerful unit in the shinobi world.

A special unit capable of surprising enemies on the battlefield.

Unfortunately, they were in the world of pirates now.

Here, everyone’s physical abilities had been greatly enhanced. Simple techniques like these wouldn’t make much difference.

“Lord Raijin? He must be their leader,” Shinobu thought to herself.

Giyu Tomioka stood silently next to her, as he usually let Shinobu take the lead in negotiations.

He had no interest in asking questions.

“By the way, you’ve captured a lot of demons, haven’t you? Why haven’t you executed them yet?” Shinobu asked as they followed Kakashi.

She drew her blade, ready to finish off the demons they were dragging behind them if Kakashi gave the word.

“Kill them? No. They’re still quite useful to us,” Kakashi replied.

What we need are the living; the dead are of no use.”

Kakashi glanced at Shinobu and said.

Of course!

If they’re weak and useless, it's better they die early.

Keeping such people alive is a waste of resources, and Dressrosa doesn’t need lazy demons.

They want those with value, and those without are left to wither in the sun.

Maybe they still have potential, but once they turn into demons, their growth stops.

“Do they still have a purpose?” Shinobu clearly couldn’t understand what Kakashi meant.

But seeing that the man in front of her wasn’t going to explain further, she could only silently follow him.

Eventually, the group stopped in front of a forest.

“You all go up first,” Kakashi said to the others.

“Yes!” they nodded, grabbing the chains and leaping from branch to branch, moving higher into the sky.

At the very top, they disappeared from view.

“What...?” Shinobu and the others were shocked. Where did those two go?

“Now, I’ll take the three of you up next. Don’t resist!”

Kakashi hoisted Aoi on his shoulder and placed a hand on the other two’s shoulders.

In the next instant!

Shinobu felt as if she had turned into an arc of lightning, and suddenly they were moving, vanishing from where they stood.

When she opened her eyes, her hand instinctively went to the blade at her waist.

But what she saw next shocked her even more.

They were surrounded by a sea of clouds!

And they were standing in midair.

“Welcome to the Sky Fortress! Unfortunately, you’re not the first to visit here.”

“If you want to look around, after you meet Lord Raijin, you’ll be free to tour the area.”

“Of course, some important places will be off-limits, so the areas you can visit are quite limited.”

Kakashi put down Aoi, shrugged, and began walking down the path.

“We’re really in the sky!”

Shinobu’s scalp tingled as she realized the gravity of the situation.

These people seemed quite extraordinary.

“Those missing girls are all up ahead!” Giyu Tomioka suddenly spoke, looking toward the girls on the street.

The girls lined up in a long row, respectfully watching Kakashi.

Although they had been captured, they were treated well here.

Most didn’t want to leave anymore; they just wanted to live here.

“Ah, you mean those girls! Many of them were abused, and some lost their families to demon attacks.”

“So, we took them in, gave them plenty of food, and we’ll find them good homes eventually.”

Kakashi noticed the looks Shinobu and the others were giving him and casually offered an explanation.

But his words didn’t convince Shinobu and the others.

After all, they had heard that many of these girls were taken without reason.

What were these people really planning? They would have to investigate slowly.

“What about Kanao?”

Shinobu turned to Aoi and asked.

“There!”

Aoi pointed to a girl who was sitting and staring absentmindedly at the sky.

She clearly hadn’t noticed them yet, lost in thought.

“Well...” Shinobu smiled softly, knowing Kanao’s personality.

As long as she was safe and hadn’t been mistreated, that was all that mattered.

The three followed Kakashi toward the central palace.

“We’re here!”

Kakashi knocked, and only after hearing a voice from inside did he open the door.

“Hahaha! So, you’re the Pillars from the Demon Slayer Corps?”

A loud voice boomed.

Shinobu looked up and saw a handsome man sitting on a throne, accompanied by a woman.

Even though they hadn’t interacted before, the man’s laughter was like thunder, roaring in their ears.

“Shinobu Kocho of the Demon Slayer Corps greets Lord Raijin.”

Shinobu bowed and spoke softly.

“No need for such formality! Honestly, I’m not that interested in the Demon Slayer Corps. I’m more curious about your information.”

“I’ve looked into your group. For a thousand years, you’ve been fighting demons, but you’ve never managed to eradicate them.”

“But don’t worry. Now that we’re here, we’ll help you wipe out every last demon.”

“All demons will become history, never to return. Even the progenitor of demons won’t escape.”

Raijin grinned at Shinobu.

He didn’t care what she had come for.

All he wanted was the Demon Slayer Corps' intel.

Might as well get straight to the point.

“You really intend to help us eradicate all demons? Even Kibutsuji Muzan?”

“That man is incredibly powerful. We haven’t even found a trace of him!”

Shinobu was shocked by how arrogant Raijin sounded, claiming he’d eliminate all demons.

If that were possible, the Demon Slayer Corps would have done it a thousand years ago.

Even now, with all their preparation, they hadn’t succeeded.

They couldn’t even track Muzan down.

“Don’t worry! He’ll slip up soon enough! Or, if we get a lead on one of the Upper Moons, Muzan won’t be far behind.”

“So, let’s share information. You provide your intel, and we’ll handle the rest. You won’t even need to send your Demon Slayers.”

“Our people will take care of everything!”

Raijin smiled.

It wouldn’t be long now—Muzan’s days were numbered.

With so many ninjas on the move, tracking down demons would be a breeze.

“By ‘taking care of everything,’ you don’t mean capturing the demons, do you?”

This time, Giyu Tomioka spoke, sensing something odd.

These people seemed unusually interested in demons.

“Exactly, but you don’t need to worry! They’ll never return to this world.”

“I wouldn’t lie to you. We’re only interested in Muzan.”

Raijin didn’t bother to hide the truth.

“…”

Tomioka fell silent again.

“I’ll have to consult with our leader first,”

Shinobu said, not making any commitments, as this decision wasn’t hers to make.

But one thing worried her, and she glanced outside.

“One last question. What are you planning to do with the children outside? You’re not going to use them for…”

“What are you talking about? Those children will be my future citizens. I’d never do something so cruel!”

Raijin waved his hand, cutting her off.

He already knew what she was getting at.

But using those girls as demon feed? Raijin wasn’t that heartless.

Though he had conquered many lands, he had little interest in civilians.

He was more focused on strong warriors.

The Uchiha weren’t the type to bully the weak.

And as long as they didn’t rebel, those under Uchiha protection would be safe for life.

(End of Chapter)