My Gang of Swordsmen

“Enough!”

Like a bolt from the blue… a loud shout filled with strong energy erupted from the crowd behind Shimizu Gosaku, interrupting his arrogant words.

The sudden shout had a distinctly old tone… the person shouting should be a middle-aged man.

Aoto didn’t recognize the voice, but Shimizu Gosaku seemed to know the owner of the voice.

Because the moment that loud shout fell, Shimizu Gosaku’s expression froze abruptly.

Immediately, his ferocious eyes seemed to be cleansed, gradually restoring clarity.

Then, a look of panic crept into his eyes and cheeks…

At that moment, everyone present turned their gaze toward the direction of the middle-aged male voice—only to see a middle-aged man with hands behind his back, wearing a low-brimmed conical hat, leading a young man and walking slowly toward Aoto and the others. The crowd standing in their way immediately stepped aside, creating a wide single path.

The middle-aged man wearing the hat was someone Aoto didn’t recognize. But the young man was someone he knew—it was none other than Sasaki, whom he had just met.

Noticing Aoto’s gaze, Sasaki smiled and nodded at him.

The middle-aged man, who had become the focus of the entire scene because of the earlier shout, approached Shimizu Gosaku with steady strides, unaffected by the surrounding stares.

A bizarre situation unfolded at this moment.

Shimizu Gosaku, who was hysterical like a madman moments ago, suddenly shrank like a mouse meeting a cat when the middle-aged man appeared… His face was filled with fear.

“Uncle…”

As soon as Shimizu Gosaku uttered these words, the crowd erupted in astonishment… even Aoto couldn’t hide his surprise.

Called “Uncle” by Shimizu Gosaku… many murmured in disbelief to themselves, “Could it be…”

…

…

After hearing from Sasaki that his nephew was drinking nearby and was already drunk, Shimizu Eiichi stood up expressionlessly while ordering Sasaki:

“…Sasaki, postpone the painting boat work for now. First, accompany me to find my troublesome nephew.”

Whether when giving the order to Sasaki or when setting out to find Shimizu Gosaku, Shimizu Eiichi maintained a composed face… making it difficult to discern his thoughts.

For Sasaki, “finding someone nearby” was an exceptionally simple task.

He mobilized all his subordinates, instructing them to fully deploy and search for Shimizu Gosaku’s whereabouts.

Shortly, a report came back: Shimizu Gosaku was seen fighting in XXX.

Leading Sasaki, Shimizu Eiichi reached the reported location, where he saw his nephew arrogantly confronting Aoto…

In that moment, Shimizu Eiichi, who was known for his calm demeanor, had his pupils shrink slightly.

At that moment, the middle-aged man—namely the leader of the “Shimizu Clan”: Shimizu Eiichi, looked at Shimizu Gosaku expressionlessly.

Slap!

Suddenly, with thunderous speed, he slapped Shimizu Gosaku hard on the right cheek!

Shimizu Eiichi used considerable force.

Shimizu Gosaku staggered three full steps to the left before falling heavily to the ground.

Being slapped in public… Shimizu Gosaku showed no sign of anger or resentment.

He sat on the ground, covering the slapped area, his head hung low. Not only did he show no dissatisfaction with Shimizu Eiichi’s action, but he didn’t even dare to look up at him.

“You little brat…”

Shimizu Eiichi spoke calmly.

“I’ve warned you countless times not to cause trouble outside.”

“…”

“What happened tonight? Why did you disregard my warnings once again?”

“…”

“I really don’t know how to punish you… causing trouble is one thing, but you even involved Lord Niō.”

“…Eh?”

Shimizu Gosaku, who had been sitting quietly with his head lowered, finally uttered a sound.

He slowly lifted his head, looking at Shimizu Eiichi with astonished eyes.

In an instant, the previously noisy surroundings fell silent.

The onlookers gathered there were full of surprise and excitement.

The faces of Shimizu Gosaku and his subordinates changed markedly.

Ozuki Minoru, Chang Ci, and others turned pale, their expressions dominated by intense shock.

All these changes… were because they clearly heard the title that had just come from Shimizu Eiichi’s mouth—Niō!

“Niō…” Ozuki Minoru murmured the awe-inspiring title of the Samurai, rumored to have single-handedly subdued Edo’s “Radical Anti-foreigner Warriors.”

—Is he really… Shimizu Eiichi…

Aoto slightly lowered his eyelids, carefully observing Shimizu Eiichi’s face.

This was his first time meeting the leader of the “Shimizu Clan.”

The first impression Shimizu Eiichi gave Aoto was… ordinary.

Ordinary features lacking anything notably ugly, yet devoid of striking elements, easily categorized as commonplace.

If not for the prominent burn scar on his left cheek, Shimizu Eiichi would be the type to instantly blend into a crowd and pass unnoticed.

His height was also quite ordinary… by Aoto’s estimation, Shimizu Eiichi was less than 160 cm tall, probably only about 157 or 158 cm.

Similarly average was his build, neither robust nor slim.

In short—based solely on appearance, it would be impossible to recognize this man as the leader of “Edo’s First Yakuza Group.”