"Hawkins-sama…"
Not far from the smoke-filled Kasa Village, on a small hill, a group of samurai riding small dinosaurs turned to look at their commander, one of the Beasts Pirates' "Headliners."
With his long, flowing blond hair, tall and lean figure, and signature six vertical markings on his forehead, Hawkins had a gloomy air about him. His left arm was armored, and he wore black pants paired with an open-front white ruffled shirt. Calmly, he pulled out a set of tarot cards and said:
"If we continue forward… the probability of death is 97%."
Uh… That's not even "a slim chance of survival"—it's basically a death sentence.
Hawkins hadn't been with the Beasts Pirates for long, but his habit of consulting his tarot cards before making decisions—combined with his frighteningly accurate predictions—had already become well known. Especially among the samurai under his command, who had come to trust his abilities without question.
"So… should we…"
Turn around and leave?
After all, samurai were still human. They had families to care for, elders at home, children to raise. Marching toward certain death for no reason? Not worth it. This was just a routine patrol—no need to throw their lives away, especially since it wasn't like they had any chance of rising to the rank of "Headliner."
"Let's go. I already have a good idea of what's happening here."
Hawkins turned his mount toward the Flower Capital. He had already done two readings—one predicting that if they entered battle, they'd be wiped out completely. The second was to check their chances of escaping unscathed… which were less than 5%.
Based on the timing, the Straw Hat Crew had probably already infiltrated Wano. They were the only ones who could force him into a situation with no way out. But—
As his mutated, antlered beast carried him forward, Hawkins absentmindedly shuffled his tarot deck and performed another reading.
His gloomy expression suddenly froze.
A 63% chance?
Could it be that it's not just the Straw Hat Pirates involved?
Looks like I need to start making plans…
—
"This guy Hawkins… Did he eat the 'Fortune-Telling Fruit' or something?"
Watching everything unfold through his network of carrier pigeons, Roman stroked his chin. He had to admit—people really were built differently.
Hawkins had been obsessed with fortune-telling since childhood, and his accuracy was terrifying. Meanwhile, Capone Bege had been a little mafia kid, strutting around in a suit and tie, lollipop in his mouth, pulling out a gun whenever he was annoyed. Jewelry Bonney had been rummaging through trash cans for food. Kid and Killer had been making their own toys in an abandoned factory…
So, fortune-telling is actually Hawkins' own ability. The "Straw-Straw Fruit" he ate is more about curses, redirection, and enhancement.
Should we bring this guy to our side? As long as he doesn't run into a protagonist like Luffy, Hawkins' fortune-telling is extremely reliable. If we could just...
"Hey! Boss!!"
?
"It's Melody," Roman snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the annoyed girl in front of him. "What's the matter?"
"I've already asked you several times."
Seeing the girl's helpless expression, Nami smiled apologetically and explained.
"Roman always zones out when he's deep in thought. Don't mind it. I'm Nami."
Melody, who carried a bow on her back, shook hands in return. Then, she glanced between Roman and Nami before suddenly realizing something.
"Oh, so you two are... hehe~~"
?
"Just get to the point."
If it's nothing important, then scram!
Hearing Roman's impatient tone, Melody's expression turned serious.
"Boss, what's our next move?"
"Are we gathering all the samurai who oppose Kaido and Orochi to storm the Flower Capital? Or should we attack Onigashima first? Or maybe..."
"Don't rush. Tomorrow is the 'Fire Festival.'"
After finishing their meal, everyone in the room—including the Straw Hat crew, Law, the Yakuza bosses, and Tama with her master—listened closely as Roman explained the plan.
"The so-called 'Fire Festival' is Wano's annual celebration. Tama and the Yakuza bosses are already familiar with it. As the 'Shogun' of Wano, Orochi will travel to Onigashima to pay respects to 'Kaido, the Guardian Deity of Wano.'"
"But in reality, it's just an excuse for the officials and the Beasts Pirates to throw a huge banquet. That's when we'll strike!"
If an all-out war breaks out, no matter who wins or loses, the ones who suffer the most... will always be ordinary people!
A single sword slash from a skilled samurai could accidentally cut down dozens, even hundreds. And someone like Kaido—just one of his attacks could wipe out thousands.
So—
"Oh, so we're taking them all out in one go while they're gathered together?"
Zoro crossed his arms and grinned, his battle intent rising.
"A simple and straightforward plan. I like it."
"Hey, three-sword ronin, don't interrupt!" Melody shot Zoro an annoyed look. "Do you even know how many enemies we're up against? There are at least tens of thousands! And they're all elites. There are countless swordsmen who can cut through steel! Not to mention the five hundred Zoan users, the Flying Six, the All-Stars... How are we supposed to surround them with just our numbers?"
"Tch, it just means we'll have to swing our swords a few more times..."
Zoro was clearly unimpressed, but Roman raised a hand to calm him down.
"That's true. Whether it's Orochi's forces or the Beasts Pirates, they're nothing like the weaklings from Fish-Man Island."
There's no army here that can be taken down in an instant with Conqueror's Haki. These are warriors who've survived the brutal trials of the Grand Line. Unless someone gets hit with a close-range burst of Conqueror's Haki, at most, they'd just be stunned for a second.
"And I have more bad news—BIG MOM's crew has followed us here. By now, they've probably already made contact with the Beasts Pirates on Onigashima..."
—!!!
The moment Roman finished speaking, everyone immediately stood up, turning southward with serious expressions.
Crack—
Even though the sky was bright and clear, lightning suddenly exploded in the distance.
In the next moment, blinding white light filled the entire sky. Jagged bolts of lightning branched out wildly, illuminating the sky and sea with an eerie, ominous glow.
A few seconds later, a dragon's roar echoed alongside the crashing of thunder.
Not far away, the ocean surface froze for an instant—then suddenly surged into massive waves!
At the same time, countless fish and shrimp floated belly-up to the surface, lifeless.
From the sky, birds dropped one by one, while two overwhelming auras clashed, grinding against each other like millstones, sweeping across the land and sea.
"This is..."
That dragon's roar was all too familiar to Tama and the Yakuza bosses.
It belonged to the creature that had ruled Wano for twenty years—the "strongest creature" alive.
But—who could possibly be fighting Kaido on equal footing?
"It's BIG MOM."
Among everyone present, only Roman remained seated.
After all, his doves had already been observing the battle from afar.
On Onigashima, he had seen two figures wrapped in Haki, locked in a fierce clash.
"Looks like those two Four Emperors are already fighting."
"This… this… this is… amazing!"
Usopp was terrified by the scene in front of him. Even though the two Four Emperors were fighting far away, the shockwaves from their battle still reached them. But—
"If BIG MOM can take down Kaido… No, even better if they both end up badly injured! Then we can take advantage of the situation~~"
Seeing Usopp trembling, not knowing if it was from excitement or fear, Roman calmly shook his head.
"Not gonna happen."
"Don't forget, BIG MOM and Kaido used to be on the same crew. They know each other's strength better than anyone. Even if they fight for days and nights without a winner, it wouldn't be surprising. And in the end—"
"What… what will happen in the end?"
Hearing Usopp's hopeful question, Roman coldly spoke just two words.
"An alliance."
"The two Four Emperor crews will join forces… to deal with small troublemakers like us hiding in the shadows."
"!? We're doomed! Nooo~~"
The self-proclaimed "bravest warrior of the sea" clung to Chopper and cried, making the nearby delinquents look at them with disdain. But thanks to the ridiculous reaction, the heavy atmosphere from earlier lightened up. One of them even had the mood to joke, "Boss, how come you didn't mention that another Four Emperor is on our tails? I could've at least prepared a coffin and my last words~~"
"I can't do this anymore. I've got a disease called 'Get Close to Onigashima and You Die.' We should leave while we still can…"
"Relax. It's just two Four Emperor crews."
Roman waved his hand calmly. Two years of planning had all led to this moment.
"Everything is going according to plan. Once we free the prisoners from Udon's labor camp, we'll gain a group of samurai who hate Kaido to the core. Combined with the delinquents and… other reinforcements, we won't be outmatched in numbers or strength."
…If only it were that simple. The young bandaged vice leader frowned.
Only those who had fought Kaido knew how terrifying he was. Speed, strength, skill, defense, Devil Fruit abilities—every aspect was at the highest level on the seas. His physical toughness was beyond ridiculous. No matter what kind of attack landed on him, it was like scratching an itch. It was enough to make anyone despair.
And that Four Emperor called "BIG MOM" could fight Kaido evenly, which meant she was also one of the strongest on the seas. So—
"Boss, let us handle this 'BIG MOM'—"
"No."
Before the bandaged vice leader could finish, Roman waved his hand again.
"I'll take care of BIG MOM. She's a physically tough elemental mage, and I just happen to be the same type. I'll hold her off. You guys will have to deal with the rest of the BIG MOM Pirates."
"…Fine."
Taking on the most dangerous task himself? Looks like I underestimated this "Boss" after all…
"Hehehe, Roman will be fine," Luffy grinned.
Luffy trusted his crew completely, just as they trusted him. "Then Kaido is mine! I'm gonna send him flying!"
"Kaido isn't called the 'strongest creature in the world' for nothing. Beating him won't be easy. But I found a helper—"
"Eh? No way, I refuse!"
Seeing Luffy's look of disgust, Roman smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, when that helper appears, you definitely won't refuse. But before that, let's go over our strategy..."
(End of Chapter)
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