With the young master already dead, whether to conceal it or not no longer held much significance.
After all... the shogun's bloodline of the Land of Wano had been completely severed!!
At this thought, Kin'emon's heart ached even more intensely.
The others listened to Kin'emon's words, their expressions growing somewhat complicated.
They felt as if this man's very spirit had been drained away...
"So what do you plan to do next?" Sanji inquired. "Take Momonosuke's body back to the Land of Wano?"
"Yes."
Kin'emon nodded and said, "No matter what, the young master must be buried in the Land of Wano after his death."
That way, even in death, the young master could be reunited with his family.
For this, he was willing to die if necessary!
"And after that?" Sanji continued to ask.
"After that..."
Kin'emon pursed his lips, unconsciously glancing at the sword at his waist.
"You're not planning to commit seppuku, are you?" Meiser suddenly spoke up.
"Correct."
"Failing to protect the young master is my dereliction of duty," Kin'emon said. "Therefore, I must atone with my death."
"What a boring set of values."
"What did you say?!"
Kin'emon instantly grew furious. Was this bastard looking down on samurai?
With that thought, Kin'emon angrily placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, appearing ready to take action if Meiser did not give a proper explanation.
"I said your samurai values are truly boring," Meiser said expressionlessly. "When there are clearly better choices, you insist on atoning with death at every turn...
"Do you all love dying so much?"
"Then go ahead and die."
"Take your cowardice and die."
Hearing Meiser's words, Nami instinctively tugged at his arm. What on earth was this guy saying?
Wasn't saying such things now a bit too hurtful?
But Luffy and the others seemed to have sensed something, so they did not move, simply standing there watching.
"What do you know?!"
Furious, Kin'emon gently placed Momonosuke's body on the ground, then angrily rushed up to Meiser, saying, "What is wrong with us samurai being loyal to the shogun?"
"I never said whether you were right or wrong," Meiser calmly met Kin'emon's gaze, adding, "I just find your values boring."
"When there are clearly better ways to be loyal, you insist on suicide... Is that how your shogun taught you?"
Kin'emon, still in a state of anger, was momentarily stunned by these words. Better ways to be loyal?
What did that mean?
"Think it over carefully," Meiser said. "Think about why you've ended up in this situation."
"Think about where your life should truly be used."
With that, Meiser no longer paid any attention to Kin'emon, turning to walk toward Merry and the other two, intending to get another bowl of soup.
As for Kin'emon?
If not for the fact that they had all gone through this adventure together, he wouldn't have bothered saying those words.
"Where it should be used..."
Standing in place, Kin'emon furrowed his brow. Apart from dying, what other use could he have?
To avenge the Shogun and the young master?
But what after revenge?
Leaving aside whether he could defeat Kaido, even if he could... would the Land of Wano still be the Land of Wano without its Shogun?
For a moment, Kin'emon felt lost.
Just then, Kin'emon noticed Perona's gaze, and at the same time... a thought flashed through his mind.
"Moria...
If I remember correctly, there was a man named Moria in the Land of Wano too!
But that man died decades ago!
Could this man named Moria now be related to that hero?"
Thinking this, Kin'emon spoke up, "Miss Perona, may I ask what the full name of that man called Moria is?"
"Lord Moria's title, you mean."
Perona lowered her head in thought for a moment, then said, "It's Gecko Moria."
If she remembered correctly, Moria was indeed that name.
Upon hearing this, Kin'emon's body trembled.
"Gecko Moria...
No, it should be Kozuki Moria, right!
If so, this man must be a descendant who inherited the name of that hero of the Land of Wano!"
At this thought, Kin'emon's expression grew somewhat excited.
"How old is he now?"
"I'm not sure. Lord Moria has never mentioned his age," Perona shook her head. "But... he should be around forty or fifty years old."
Hearing this, Kin'emon's body trembled again.
"Come to think of it, we never did find that hero's body back then..." Kin'emon murmured to himself.
Does this mean that what Miss Perona is looking for isn't that man's descendant, but Kozuki Moria himself!
That man... never died at all!
At this realization, Kin'emon's mood grew even more excited.
He knew it, it must be that man!
In that case, he had one more reason to return to the Land of Wano!
Though I won't pledge loyalty to Kozuki Moria, this man still carries the bloodline of the Kozuki family!" Kin'emon thought to himself.
So there would be no issue with him becoming the Shogun of the Land of Wano, thus solving the problem of the land having no Shogun.
As for himself...
If he survived the war against Kaido by some fluke, he would commit seppuku to atone.
With this thought, Kin'emon solidified his resolve.
"Why do you ask?" Perona inquired curiously.
"It's nothing."
Kin'emon shook his head, clearly not intending to share his thoughts about Moria with these people just yet.
These matters would have to wait until he met Moria in person.
Then, Kin'emon looked earnestly at Luffy and said, "Lord Luffy, I intend to join you in the fight against Kaido!"
Upon hearing this, Sanji immediately showed a look of surprise—had this guy changed his mind?
It seemed Meiser's words had taken effect.
Luffy grinned, showing his teeth, and asked, "You want to come with us too?"
"Yes!"
Kin'emon nodded earnestly and said, "Although my strength is not great, I can at least be of some use."
As a native of the Land of Wano, he would certainly be able to assist the Straw Hat Pirates.
Moreover, he could also gather like-minded samurai to join the fight against Kaido!
"Then let's go together," Luffy nodded and said.
He didn't plan to ask Kin'emon if he had any other intentions, as that had little to do with him.
He only needed to know that Kin'emon intended to join them in taking down Kaido.
Law glanced at Kin'emon, thinking it wasn't a bad idea to have a local samurai from the Land of Wano with them, so he didn't say anything more.
"Then eat up," Sanji pointed to the food Kin'emon had placed on the ground and said, "Otherwise, if you starve to death, you won't be able to make it to the Land of Wano."
"I understand."
Kin'emon nodded, then quietly walked over to Momonosuke's side, sat down, and began eating.
No matter what, he had to strive to survive!
To live until the day Kaido was defeated and a new shogun was appointed!
"Are you just going to let him stay here like this?" Sanji sat down beside Kin'emon, glanced at the charred corpse lying on the ground, and said, "You know what will happen if it stays here for too long, right?"
Hearing this, Kin'emon fell silent, and his eating movements unconsciously stopped.
Of course, he knew what would happen!
But what else could he do?
Hang the young master's corpse outside the ship?
What if something ate it?
If that happened, he would truly have to commit seppuku right then and there.
But if he let the young master remain here, the corpse would eventually decay, and the Straw Hat Pirates might...
"Alright, stop overthinking it," Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, blew out a smoke ring and said, "What I meant was for you to temporarily entrust the corpse to us. We have a way to preserve it."
As soon as he said this, the Straw Hat Pirates instinctively turned their gaze toward Meiser, but remembering there were others present, they shifted their attention to Merry instead.
Seeing this, Law's eyes flickered briefly, but he said nothing, simply watching.
"You... you mean..."
Kin'emon seemed to realize something as well, his expression growing somewhat excited.
If Miss Merry could indeed preserve the young master's corpse intact and bring it back to the Land of Wano, then he wouldn't have to worry about anything happening to it along the way!
"Exactly."
"Merry's Sealing Technique can temporarily store a corpse."
After saying this, Sanji paused briefly before continuing, "Just like how she preserved the pirate ship before."
This way, Kin'emon wouldn't have to worry about the corpse being destroyed for some reason during the journey.
"I... I understand."
Kin'emon took a deep breath, then put down his food and walked over to Merry. Bowing his head earnestly, he said, "Miss Merry, please seal the young master away for now."
"When... when we reach the Land of Wano, return him to me."
"No problem~"
Merry nodded and said, "Leave it to me."
After speaking, Merry drank the soup from her bowl in one gulp, then flew over to Momonosuke's corpse.
After thinking for a moment, Merry took out a small Sealing Scroll.
Soon, under Merry's manipulation, Momonosuke's corpse was placed into the Sealing Scroll and temporarily stored.
"Here."
Merry handed the Sealing Scroll to Kin'emon and said, "It's done."
"Is that all?"
Kin'emon carefully took the scroll and glanced at it, then asked, "Are there any precautions to take?"
"No."
Merry shook her head and said, "The Sealing Scroll isn't as fragile as you might think. It won't be damaged unless someone deliberately tries to destroy it."
After saying this, Merry paused briefly before continuing, "Besides... the Sealing Technique's formula isn't so easily broken."
On this point, she was quite confident.
After all... this Sealing Technique was taught to her by Meiser!
"Not easily broken, huh..."
Kin'emon looked at the scroll in his hand, a conflicted expression appearing in his eyes.
Under normal circumstances, this item should remain with him, as that would give him a sense of security.
But what if it were damaged while in his possession...
After pondering for a moment, Kin'emon turned his gaze to Merry's little pouch.
"Miss Merry, may I ask you a question?"
"What is it?"
Merry tilted her head and looked at Kin'emon, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Hadn't she explained clearly enough?
"That's a spatial ability, right?" Kin'emon pointed at Merry's little pouch and said.
Merry glanced down at her pouch, then nodded and said, "Yes, this is my Space Pocket."
"How strong is its defense?"
"Only I can open it," Merry replied.
This was also why everyone felt comfortable leaving things with her.
Upon hearing this, Kin'emon fell silent for a moment before solemnly returning the scroll to Merry and saying, "Then... I must ask Miss Merry to temporarily keep the young master's body for me."
"Once we return to the Land of Wano... please return the young master to me."
This would ensure the young master's body remained safe to the greatest extent possible, so he had to do this.
Merry was visibly taken aback upon hearing Kin'emon's words, clearly not expecting him to say such a thing.
However, she didn't answer immediately, instead instinctively glancing at Sanji, who was standing beside her.
Seeing this, Sanji smiled and said, "Just follow your own thoughts."
Such matters required respecting one's partner's own opinion, so he wouldn't say anything more.
After a moment of silence, Merry looked at Kin'emon and said, "In that case... I'll keep it for you temporarily."
With that, Merry raised her hand and took the scroll from Kin'emon, casually placing it into her little pouch.
Seeing this, Kin'emon breathed a sigh of relief. Now, no one could harm Momonosuke's body.
This was good... this was truly good!
"Thank you, Miss Merry!" Kin'emon bowed his head and said.
"It's nothing."
Merry shook her head, then turned and flew toward Zoro's direction, clearly intending to eat a bit more.
Watching Merry leave, Kin'emon thought to himself: If the young master were still alive, he would surely like such a kind-hearted girl.
It's a pity the young master is already dead, otherwise there really might have been a chance to bring these two together.
Thinking this, Kin'emon sighed silently in his heart.
Afterward, he returned wordlessly to where he had been before, picked up the food, and continued eating.
No matter what, he had to do his utmost to preserve his strength—only then could he unleash his full combat power to help Lord Luffy and the others defeat that bastard Kaido!
Seeing this, Sanji smiled. It seemed Kin'emon had completely pulled himself together.
Then, as if noticing something, he asked in surprise, "Where did Law go?"
How come that guy disappeared?
At his words, a trace of confusion also appeared in the others' eyes.
Right, where did Law go?
"That guy's up there," Meiser pointed toward the orange tree area and said, "He took Caesar up there just now, saying he wanted to make a call to this time's opponent."
"Make a call?"
Question marks appeared above the others' heads. What did it mean to call the enemy?