One Piece: With Sign-in System

"What do you mean by that?"

Sanemi Shinazugawa frowned as he turned to Ron.

But Kagaya Ubuyashiki had already caught the implication in Ron's words and murmured thoughtfully, "Ron, you mean… to use her as bait, to lure Muzan Kibutsuji into showing himself."

Ron nodded with a calm smile. "Exactly. Instead of blindly scouring the world for a demon who can blend in with humanity, why not make him come to us? Isn't that far more efficient?"

The others exchanged glances, silently weighing the idea.

"Risky," Obanai Iguro said after a moment, "but worth trying. I support it."

Kyojuro Rengoku nodded firmly. "A defensive strategy that shifts into offense… it's bold, but it could work!"

Muichiro Tokito silently nodded in agreement, face expressionless as always.

Shinobu Kocho looked toward Ron, brows knitting. "But if we use Nezuko as bait… Tanjiro won't agree to it, will he?"

"Why not?"

"It's dangerous, obviously."

"Dangerous?" Ron's lips curled upward as he met her gaze. "Is there any place safer than right here?"

At his words, Shinobu's eyes widened in sudden realization. "I see! You mean to use Nezuko as bait—by placing her here, at the Demon Slayer Corps headquarters, then luring Muzan to come for her. And when he does, we strike with all our might and bring him down right here!"

"At headquarters, huh…" Tengen Uzui's eyes lit up.

It made perfect sense.

It was the ideal strategy—draw Muzan out, minimize the risk, and utilize every asset the Corps had. The terrain was in their favor, and every Hashira could fight at full strength.

Rengoku, Iguro, and Shinazugawa were visibly energized by the plan.

But Mitsuri Kanroji still wore a worried expression. "If it really works, that would be amazing, but… can it really go that smoothly? We're talking about Muzan Kibutsuji—the first demon in history, who's lived for over a thousand years and taken countless lives…"

Shinobu, Uzui, and Gyomei Himejima all bowed their heads slightly, recalling the comrades they'd lost to demons in the past.

Kagaya spoke softly, but his words carried weight. "Of course, defeating Muzan won't be easy. Even if this plan succeeds, there will be unexpected variables… and sacrifices. But for the first time, we can finally see a sliver of hope."

"Muzan always causes a commotion whenever he's trying to conceal something—he's cunning, always drawing our attention elsewhere. If we can't force him to reveal himself, we'll never find him. It's infuriating. But that's exactly what he wants. For a being with infinite life, time is the ultimate weapon. But for us humans… it's a curse."

"My time is running out," he continued, looking at each of them, "yet the demons continue to roam free, devouring humans from the shadows, feeding off Muzan's power. We owe it to those who have died. We have only one mission now—kill Muzan Kibutsuji."

The room fell silent. The Hashira's expressions grew grave, steel-like determination flashing in their eyes.

Kagaya turned toward them again, his voice calm but resolute. "You who are gathered here now… I believe you are the most powerful generation of swordsmen since the era of the original Breathing Styles during the Sengoku period. You are the ones who have shown me that Muzan can be defeated."

"Master…" Mitsuri looked at him, eyes welling with emotion.

Sanemi stepped forward and bowed deeply. "Master, no matter the cost—we will kill Muzan Kibutsuji."

Rengoku clenched his fist and slammed it into his palm. "We will give it everything we've got!"

The others all nodded, their expressions unwavering.

Ron gave a slight smirk and spoke again. "I see you're all prepared. But resolve alone isn't enough."

Every eye turned to him.

"Do you know how powerful Muzan and the Twelve Kizuki truly are? Have any of you ever fought an Upper Rank demon head-on? Do you even understand their abilities? The last time anyone killed one of them was over a hundred years ago. Even the lowest among them—Upper Rank Six—has taken down Hashiras like it was nothing."

His voice was calm—far too calm for the content of his words.

"Muzan possesses five brains and seven hearts. His regeneration is instant—he can heal the moment he's injured. Even if he's reduced to mincemeat, he'll recover without breaking a sweat."

Everyone fell silent.

"Upper Rank One—Kokushibo, the blade demon—was once a swordsman who used the original Breathing Styles."

"Upper Rank Two—Doma, the ice demon—you're all well aware of what he's capable of."

"Upper Rank Three—Akaza, the martial demon. Through relentless training and battle, he's pushed himself to the very edge of what a demon can become. His power may already exceed Doma's. Once he breaks past that limit, even decapitating him with a Nichirin blade won't be enough to kill him."

His voice still hadn't risen a single octave, but every Hashira now wore a grave expression.

Even Tengen and Sanemi, who were always so sure of themselves, had fallen into a heavy silence.

And Kagaya… had furrowed his brows.

"I've said it before—if the Demon Slayer Corps were to go head-to-head with Muzan Kibutsuji and the Twelve Kizuki right now, there's a very real chance you'd all be annihilated."

Ron cast a sideways glance at the group as he continued, "The plan to draw Muzan out—I've already handed it to you. Your resolve seems solid. But your strength… still isn't enough."

"Don't joke around with me!"

Sanemi Shinazugawa clenched his fists tightly on his thighs, head bowed, his voice low and strained with fury. "So what, you're saying we don't even stand a chance of killing him?! What the hell do you think we've been fighting for all this time?! Do you think all of us have bled and trained day in, day out just to hear that?! If we can't kill that bastard, then what's the point of it all?!"

His body trembled—not just from rage, but from despair trying to claw its way out.

Everyone fell into heavy silence.

Ron glanced at him sideways. "Are you stupid?"

In the quiet of the room, those words rang out with startling clarity.

"What?!" ThisisasamplefromMyVirtualLibraryEmpire.ReadtherestonM-VLEMPYR.

Sanemi instantly shot to his feet, veins bulging and eyes bloodshot with fury. He glared at Ron, voice cracking with rage. "You bastard—what did you just say?! You calling me stupid?! What part of what I said was wrong, huh?! Say it! Yeah, fine, I admit it—I can't beat you! But me, and everyone else here, we're all prepared to throw our lives away if that's what it takes to kill Muzan! And now you come in here and dismiss all of that with a single sentence?! Who the hell do you think you are?! You think this is some kind of joke?!"

"Sanemi."

Even as Kagaya Ubuyashiki softly called his name, Sanemi didn't flinch. He was locked in, red-rimmed eyes boring into Ron like blades. His fury was unrelenting.

"A damn outsider we know nothing about… acting like you've got everything figured out. You strut in here with that smug face and big words—but what's your real goal? Why the hell did you come to Demon Slayer HQ, anyway?!"

Ron calmly took another glance at Sanemi, then stood up slowly.

"…As expected, a fool."

Sanemi's pupils contracted sharply. He couldn't take it anymore.

With a shout of rage, he lunged forward and threw a powerful kick at Ron, the kind meant to break bones.

Ron's eyes flickered, bright azure irises igniting like blue stars.

A brilliant surge of invisible force exploded outward.

BOOM—!

Sanemi's body was hurled back like a cannonball, smashing through layer after layer of wooden walls before finally blasting out of the building entirely, crashing into the courtyard beyond with an earth-shaking thud.