As night fell, Wano Country lit up.
Even after twenty years of suffering under Orochi's rule, when the annual *Fire Festival* arrived, people still put on their cleanest clothes, took out the last of their food, and gathered wood to light bonfires—guiding the spirits of the departed and seeking protection.
Even in Kuri, the land once ruled by Oden, which had been devastated by Orochi, the night was unusually bright!
"The thousand samurai imprisoned in Flower Capital are all gathered here, along with 1,200 more who secretly responded to my call!"
Now revealing his true identity, Denjiro knelt on one knee.
"The Mink Tribe has sent 200 warriors, honoring our century-old alliance with Wano! We will fight to avenge the Kozuki Clan!"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi also knelt in declaration.
"I… I am just relieved that Princess Hiyori is safe…"
Wearing golden armor decorated with chrysanthemum crests, his face hidden behind a fierce *Hannya* mask, Kikunojo was sobbing.
"The *Head Mountain Bandits*—200 strong! We may be twenty years late, but this time, we fight to the death!"
A massive, burly figure stepped forward. His wild pink curls swayed as he moved. Once the mightiest of the Nine Red Scabbards, Ashura Doji had arrived as well.
"Princess, give the order!"
The towering Kappa, Kawamatsu, also knelt on one knee. And the one who commanded such respect from all six of the *Nine Red Scabbards*—
"Everyone, rise."
Dressed in magnificent armor, wielding Enma, stood the princess of the Kozuki Clan—Kozuki Hiyori!
Even though Wano was a country that favored men over women, with no other members of the Kozuki Clan left after twenty years of hiding, most samurai had chosen to pledge loyalty to her.
Even the 3,000 prisoner samurai from the quarry silently joined her side. (End of chapter)
"You all may not know this,"
Facing nearly six thousand samurai, Kozuki Hiyori showed no fear as she gestured to the side and introduced, "They are not outsiders. They are the Whitebeard Pirates—one of the greatest pirate crews on the seas, as famous as Kaido. My father once served as the commander of their second division. But because of Wano's closed borders, he never knew what had happened to us…"
There was no other way to explain why Oden hadn't sought the Whitebeard Pirates for help back then.
"And then there's the Straw Hat Pirates, known as the 'Fifth Emperor' of the sea! Their captain, Straw Hat Luffy, is a man of great courage and righteousness. He is sworn brothers with the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and will never stand by while a monster like Kaido remains in this world!"
"Now that they have learned of our plight, they have chosen to lend us their strength to help restore my father's honor! We must not fall behind—everyone!"
She raised the sword Enma high above her head. Though she was a woman, she stood as strong as any warrior.
"I will fight alongside you all—"
"We will win this battle!!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
…
"Whoa, that's a lot of samurai~~"
Among the assembled forces, the samurai of Wano formed the largest group, followed by the Whitebeard Pirates, who had arrived with a full crew. In contrast, the smallest force belonged to the Straw Hat Pirates—besides their own dozen or so members, there were about a dozen from the outlaws, and forty from Law's Heart Pirates. Altogether, they barely reached a hundred.
Compared to the two massive forces beside them, they seemed insignificant. But in this world, battles were never won simply by numbers. More often than not, the outcome of a fight depended on whose leader could hold out the longest.
"Luffy-dono,"
Dressed in full armor, Kozuki Hiyori walked over and gave Luffy a small nod.
"I am in battle gear, so forgive my lack of formality."
"Wano's six thousand warriors are assembled and ready. Please, give the order!"
"Luffy, this time, I'll follow your lead."
On the other side, Ace nodded with a smile. He had once declared his own ambition to become the Pirate King, but after spending so many years with the Whitebeard Pirates, his dream had quietly changed.
If Luffy were to become the Pirate King—
He had no complaints.
"Heh heh heh, then I won't hold back!"
Pressing down on his straw hat, Luffy leaped onto the lion figurehead of the Sunny, standing before the gathered warriors.
"I'm Luffy!"
"The man who will become the Pirate King!!"
As countless eyes filled with expectation, doubt, and scrutiny focused on him, Luffy spread his arms wide and shouted toward the sky.
"I'm gonna send Kaido flying! So—"
He adjusted his hat and grinned confidently.
"Let's cause some chaos!!"
"OOOOHHH!!"
"Crush the Beasts Pirates!!"
"Luffy, Kaido's all yours!!"
…
"Move out!"
Amid the roaring cheers, shouts, and battle cries, Roman, Ace, and Kozuki Hiyori led their forces toward the ships docked at the shore. The horn of battle had been sounded.
Now—
It was time for a real fight.
Onigashima.
The island's main structure was a massive skull, so large it loomed like a mountain. Two enormous horns jutted from it, dwarfing even legendary giants like Oars.
But today, the usually bustling Beasts Pirates' stronghold had fallen silent.
The grand hall was filled with the highest-ranking fighters of the Beasts Pirates, as well as Wano's samurai and ninja. Seated on the platform above them were the leaders of both sides.
Except—
"No… no way…!!"
Kurozumi Orochi, who only ever felt safe when he was near Kaido, trembled in fear.
"Kiku… Raizo… Ashura Doji… Kawamatsu… Inuarashi… Nekomamushi… they're all here!"
"Why are there still so many samurai?! I killed so many of them… And those pirate flags leading them… The Whitebeard Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates?!"
"Why… why are they bringing the samurai to attack us?!"
Blackbeard Orochi, terrified by Roman's earth-shattering sword strike, trembled like a leaf as he watched the images coming in from the scout ships. "Twenty years... Today marks the final deadline of those twenty years! So they really are here to take my head?!"
This time, the samurai and ninja under his command didn't laugh at their cowardly "shogun." The so-called "curse"—no, the "prophecy"—that they once dismissed as a joke was now unfolding right before their eyes.
A massive army of samurai, led by outsiders, was surging toward Onigashima! They covered the sea so densely that just a glance was enough to tell—
"Damn, there must be at least ten thousand of them!"
With a cigar in his mouth, the rotund "Plague" Queen tilted his head and glanced at the trembling Orochi, his mocking voice ringing through the hall.
"Twenty years, and yet this many samurai still want you dead. Some 'shogun' you turned out to be."
"K-Kaido... You have to protect me!"
Panicked, Orochi turned to the towering Kaido, desperate for protection. He knew his own limits—his samurai and ninja might barely hold off the Nine Red Scabbards, but the enemy wasn't just them.
The Whitebeard Pirates were here. So was the rapidly rising Straw Hat crew.
Unlike the clueless fools in Wano, blinded by their country's isolation, Orochi knew full well how powerful those two pirate crews were.
They were the closest thing to a "Four Emperor" crew without actually being one. And now, they had silently made their way into Wano's waters.
Orochi's forces stood no chance against them.
That meant—
"Kaido! Their target must be you!"
"They're here to take your place! Kill them now, or we're all done for!!"
Orochi wasn't stupid—he quickly figured out what was going on and tried to tie his fate to Kaido's. But—
"The gears of the world are finally turning."
The poetic words coming from Kaido's brutish mouth left Orochi completely baffled.
"The Marines didn't abolish the Warlords because they lost their minds. It's because they've gained enough power to control the entire sea!
"And the 'God' of the Celestial Dragons… has finally broken free from an 800-year-old cage. He's no longer confined to that prison called Mary Geoise!"
"Oi, Kaido! What the hell are you talking about?!"
But Kaido ignored him. Instead, he spread his arms wide, addressing everyone in the hall.
"That's why we're joining forces with the Big Mom Pirates—to seize the greatest power in the world: the Ancient Weapons!"
"You might have heard of 'Pluton,' but I bet none of you know… its core is actually a book!"
Kaido's revelation immediately grabbed the attention of his officers, samurai, and ninja. Even those holding drinks forgot to take another sip.
"Oi! Kaido, are you insane?! That kind of secret—"
"Shut up!"
With just a glance, Orochi froze as if an invisible hand had gripped his throat, turning him into a lifeless statue.
Kaido didn't even bother looking at the weakling again and continued roaring at his officers below.
"That book is on this island! In this country! It's in the hands of those rebels who have resisted us for twenty years!!"
"If it weren't for that treasure, I'd have burned Flower Capital to the ground long ago!!!"
So that's why.
The lower-ranked fighters nodded to themselves. Those rebels were indeed tough—over twenty of their own had already died at their hands, including two of the Flying Six. But the rebels were still weaker overall.
Until now, many had wondered why their leaders hadn't just wiped them out with overwhelming force. Now, it made sense.
"But today is different—"
BOOM!!
The nearby building exploded, and from the wreckage, a woman in full courtesan attire emerged.
"Ma~ma~ma~ma~ma~~~"
Big Mom laughed wildly.
"What we couldn't get as enemies… will be ours the moment we join forces!"
BIG MOM spread her arms wide, surrounded by a swarm of newly created Homies: Wall Spirits, Lantern Ghosts, Paper Umbrella Demons, Broom Gods, and the trickster squad known as the Heavenly Evil F4… Alongside her were Zeus, the thundercloud, and Prometheus, the blazing sun, making her appear like the ruler of a hundred ghosts descending upon the battlefield!
Honestly, with the power of the Soul-Soul Fruit, calling BIG MOM the ruler of a hundred ghosts wasn't an exaggeration at all.
"So that's the strongest old lady in the world… *cough* I mean, the Courtesan Queen!"
"Seeing her up close, that pressure is unreal…"
Even though the people present were all high-ranking officers with bounties in the hundreds of millions, they still felt an overwhelming, ocean-deep terror in the presence of one of the Four Emperors—BIG MOM.
"Exactly! And so—my crew!"
Kaido glanced at his subordinates, all of whom were waiting eagerly for his orders.
"It's time to do what pirates do best—burn, kill, and plunder! We'll seize the Ancient Weapons, then push forward and take the One Piece! After that, we'll conquer the entire world!!!"
"Uooooohhh!!!"
"Hahaha! Now that's what I call excitement!"
"Boss Kaido, just tell us who to cut down! Leave the rest to us!!"
As the bloodthirsty cheers echoed, Kaido nodded in satisfaction, then turned his gaze to another group.
"Samurai of Wano—choose."
?
"Wano, protected by its natural cliffs, is the perfect stronghold. I will turn the Flower Capital into a massive weapons factory, producing more arms and recruiting more soldiers! This will be our base for attacking the Marines and the Celestial Dragons—"
"Wait a minute, Kaido!!"
Kurozumi Orochi, standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer.
"The Flower Capital is mine—"
Squelch!
With a single flash of the blade, what countless Wano samurai had failed to do was accomplished with ease. Kurozumi Orochi's head was split in half in an instant. And the one who did it, of course, was Kaido.
"Alright, Orochi's men—I'll give you five seconds to decide."
??!!
Given Kaido's strength, was there anyone among Orochi's followers who could possibly stop him? More importantly, none of them had ever expected Kaido to turn on Orochi so suddenly. After all, they'd been working together for twenty years…
"Will you join me as pirates? Or will you resist and die avenging Orochi?"
The so-called Shogun of Wano was nothing more than a pawn in Kaido's hands.
The promised day had come. The final battle was near. Pawns were no longer important. The only thing that mattered now was gathering all possible strength to challenge the man who had ruled over the world for the past eight hundred years!
"Make your choice!!"
To live—or to die.
(End of Chapter)
----
You can read 30 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu