In the secret chamber of a merchant house in the Flower Capital.
"Eight lives?"
Seeing the shocked expressions of Hiyori, Kyoshiro, and Kawamatsu, Roman nodded.
"That's right. Snake-Snake Fruit, Mythical Zoan model: Yamata no Orochi. Such a powerful Devil Fruit, and that idiot Kurozumi Orochi only used it as a survival tool. It's just…"
An embarrassment to every 'serpent' across the multiverse!
In other worlds, anyone who dares to call themselves 'Orochi' is always an insanely strong, legendary villain. But this Kurozumi Orochi…
A complete joke.
"Damn it, so he had this hidden trick up his sleeve!"
Kyoshiro clenched his fist and punched the tatami mat in frustration. Originally, he and Hiyori had planned to take the risk of assassinating Orochi directly, but now it wasn't just a near-impossible task—it was outright suicide.
But to Roman, it was no big deal.
"Don't panic. It's just eight lives."
"Now that we know his ability, all we have to do is guard his 'corpse' and kill him each time he revives. That so-called 'eight lives' nonsense is just a joke."
"It's not that simple. Orochi is protected by three warriors close to the level of sword masters, along with the many ninja of the Oniwabanshu. Even as one of his most trusted men, I never had a chance to get close enough to strike."
Kyoshiro sighed.
No matter who this outsider really was, the fact that he had rescued Kawamatsu and managed to find him meant he was no enemy. Otherwise, by now, he and Princess Hiyori would be facing members of the Beasts Pirates—possibly even the Flying Six or the All-Stars.
"In that case, let's settle everything once and for all."
Roman smiled slightly and got straight to the point.
As a great leader once said: "Politics is all about increasing our numbers and reducing the enemy's."
Roman firmly agreed with that idea.
If you have the numbers, why fight alone? Humanity has always relied on teamwork to stand at the top of the food chain. Even Luffy wouldn't have made it this far without the people around him.
So:
"Let's get straight to it. The Straw Hat Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates are teaming up to take down Kaido! Since you also have a deep hatred for him, are you interested in working together?"
"You're with the Straw Hats?"
"The Whitebeard Pirates—?!"
Although they had suspected it, Kyoshiro and Hiyori never expected Roman to be this upfront.
They thought there would be some kind of back-and-forth first…
"Can't be helped. I already made my presence known to all of Wano by splitting the sky in half with a single strike at the quarry.
Oh, and by the way—Kurozumi Orochi has already fled in a panic to Onigashima with his men. You, his so-called 'trusted aide,' didn't get the news?"
"This…"
Kyoshiro's face stiffened.
Because he needed to discuss plans with Hiyori, he had ordered his most loyal subordinates to guard his residence and not allow any interruptions—
not even from the Shogun himself!
He never expected…
"Well, that works out."
Roman clapped his hands.
"Since Orochi has run off early, this is the perfect time for you, as his 'trusted aide,' to step up. Weapons, food, medicine, prisoners from the jails—you take charge of everything."
"Got it. This is a great chance!"
Although Orochi's escape meant Kyoshiro and Hiyori lost their shot at assassinating him (not that it would have worked), it left behind a Wano Country in complete chaos!
And now, as Orochi's only remaining 'loyal subordinate' in the capital, Kyoshiro—also known as Denjiro—could do whatever he wanted.
"I'll gather our forces as quickly as possible, but if Orochi tries to give remote orders using the communication snails…"
Wano didn't have regular Den Den Mushi, but they had their own unique 'communication snails' that worked the same way.
Which meant…
"Don't worry. I've already had someone jam the communication between Wano and Onigashima."
CP0 agents were masters of infiltration, assassination, and negotiation. Jamming communications was child's play for them.
And now, with Wano's ruler gone and its strongest fighters absent, wasn't this the perfect time to take control?
"This… was all part of your plan?"
Attack Udon, free the prisoners—check.
Strike fear into Orochi with a sky-splitting slash—check.
Let Kyoshiro take control of Wano's resources—check.
With this, they had everything: manpower, weapons, medicine, ships.
But…
All of it depended on an insane amount of information.
At the very least, Kyoshiro and Hiyori had no idea how this outsider knew so much about them.
"I have my sources."
Roman chuckled. What was he supposed to say—that Wano's entire storyline was practically public knowledge to him?
"Anyway, our goal is Kaido's head!"
Roman stood up and reached out his right hand to Hiyori, who was the rightful ruler of Wano.
"Given this situation, forming an alliance is the smartest choice. As for what happens after… we can think about that once we take down Kaido, right?"
"That's right."
The elegant yet strong-willed courtesan stood up, her fair hand gently shaking Roman's.
"Looking forward to working together."
——————
"We need bandages and sutures over here..."
"Those who have been treated, come this way and have some light food first..."
By the time Roman shifted his focus back to the Straw Hat Crew's mobile base, the place was filled with noise and activity. It wasn't just the Straw Hats—members of the Whitebeard Pirates had also been roped into volunteer work, along with villagers hired from the nearby "Scavenger Village." Together, they barely managed to settle the prisoners from the Udon quarry.
"Roman, we have a lot of supplies, but we clearly didn't plan for treating and feeding thousands of people..."
Sanji walked over, concern on his face. Roman nodded.
This was the biggest weakness of the Straw Hat Crew—not enough people!
Even elite pirate crews like Roger's or Red-Haired's had at least dozens or even hundreds of members. They also carried enough supplies to last through a low-intensity battle.
But the Straw Hats? Before Roman got his "Bag Bag Fruit" ability, they even had to lock their fridge—otherwise, Luffy would eat everything, and the rest would go hungry. Their supply shortages were beyond frustrating.
Most of the time, the crew had to rely on local forces to solve problems. Otherwise, they'd be stretched way too thin.
But—
"It's fine. A large batch of supplies and reinforcements will be here soon."
The ruins of Kasa Village—destroyed thanks to Luffy's arm-wrestling—had been cleared into an open space by Nami. Usopp had grown a bunch of plant-based houses for shelter. Chopper was treating the severely injured, while Marco flew overhead, scattering his healing blue flames. Meanwhile, Sanji and Pudding were preparing recovery meals...
With everyone working together, the half-dead prisoners from the quarry weren't exactly back to full strength, but at least they were ready to pick up weapons and fight.
"Did Roman make these katanas?"
For the past twenty years, weapons had been strictly controlled under Orochi's rule in Wano. Only samurai who pledged loyalty to him were allowed to carry swords. Most of the prisoners had no choice but to fight with Roman's creations.
Luckily, his paper swords were just as strong as regular steel.
"What a convenient ability," Ace commented.
Roman just shrugged.
"No matter how useful an ability is, it's only a tool. In this world, strength is what really matters."
At this point, Roman no longer found it strange that Devil Fruit users focused on making their abilities combat-related.
In this world, if you couldn't defend yourself, you'd just end up as someone else's pawn.
Take Wapol, for example. Sure, he made a comeback with Wapometal and was acting all high and mighty. But the moment he ran into a Celestial Dragon, he'd be scared out of his mind. And if the Marines wanted something from him, they'd take it without question.
Whether he profited or not was debatable, but the Marines and the World Government definitely never lost out.
Meanwhile, Orochi—who controlled Wano's valuable resources—was bold enough to pull a gun on a CP0 agent and humiliate him, knowing the guy wouldn't dare retaliate.
"Anyway, soon we'll—huh?"
Roman's gaze landed on a tall woman with long, straight black hair. She wore a pale yellow kimono adorned with chrysanthemum patterns. From her appearance, she was the very image of a traditional Wano beauty.
"Roman, listen... For guys like us who are already married—"
…?
Roman glanced at Sanji, who was speaking to him in a serious, almost lecturing tone. He thought for a second about whether this version of Sanji—full of righteousness—was better than the old, flirtatious one.
Then he simply lifted his leg and walked straight toward the tall beauty.
"Sir, may I ask…"
"Kikunojo."
The moment Roman spoke, the towering three-meter-tall beauty's face changed. But his next words stopped them from making a move.
"Your brother, Izo, is over there. Go talk to him and get the details."
?! "I have never…"
"Alright, Izo will explain everything to you."
Roman couldn't be bothered to say more to this tall 'beauty'—too much effort, too much trouble, and they might not even believe him. It was easier to let their brother explain.
Oh, right. This towering beauty was actually a man—the younger brother of Izo, the 16th division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Speaking of which—
"Once this battle is over, if you want to become a woman, you can ask our ship doctor, Chopper, for a gender transition surgery."
???
Leaving behind a dumbfounded Kikunojo, Roman went to find Luffy, who was busy helping move supplies.
"Luffy, I'm leaving the rest to you guys."
Luffy and the others had spent half the day eating, drinking, and resting, while Roman had been running all over Wano Country, gathering allies and making connections. Physically, he was fine, but mentally, he was feeling a little drained. Especially after pulling off that sky-splitting sword strike—not to intimidate, of course, but to win over the prisoners at the quarry. That had taken a lot of energy.
"Hehehe, no problem! Roman, go get some rest."
Waving a hand over his shoulder, Roman turned away and entered his *Paper Dance: Moving Straw Hat Mansion* technique, shutting his eyes and quickly falling asleep.
The sun was setting, which meant Wano's *Fire Festival* was about to begin. And that also meant—two of the old-generation Four Emperors were about to face their young challengers!
The preparations were complete, the allies were assembled.
Although Ashura Doji kept saying "the samurai era is over," with his Mountain Bandit gang's keen awareness, he must have already noticed the gathering army here. A little inquiry would be enough to bring him into the fold—Roman didn't need to worry about that.
Despite Roman's outward confidence, going up against *two* of the Four Emperors… would be no easy task. If they won this battle, the Straw Hats would truly earn their title as the *Fifth Emperor*!
For now, all they could do was rest, conserve energy, and wait for the decisive battle. Everything else could wait until victory was in their hands…
With those thoughts swirling in his mind, Roman drifted into sleep.
(End of Chapter)
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