At the main entrance to Onigashima, the port was in turmoil.
"You bastards, let me go!" Sasaki roared, struggling against the Sea Stone chains that bound him. "I'll kill you, Shutenmaru! How dare you betray Kaido-sama!"
Sobering up from a drunken stupor, Sasaki, one of the Flying Six, found himself a prisoner. All of his subordinates had been defeated, and the port was now swarming with Wano samurai disembarking from a fleet of ships. He knew instantly that he had failed spectacularly.
Damn it, how did this happen? he thought furiously.
Sasaki had been suspicious of Shutenmaru—or Ashura Doji, as he was once known—from the very beginning. King had been suspicious, too. Shutenmaru had rejected the Beasts Pirates' offers countless times, so for him to suddenly accept an invitation at such a critical moment was highly suspect.
However, the Beasts Pirates couldn't pass up the opportunity. They had long coveted the strength of Shutenmaru and his Touyama Pirates. To refuse him now might mean losing the chance to recruit them forever. So, King had decided to accept his surrender, but with a clever precaution. He stationed Shutenmaru and his men at the port, far from the central fortress, where they couldn't cause any real damage if they betrayed them. He had even assigned Sasaki to watch over them, a measure that should have been foolproof.
King's plan had been sound, but he had severely underestimated Sasaki's incompetence. He and his men had been taken down without a fight, caught completely off guard by Shutenmaru.
Sasaki had been reluctant to take the assignment in the first place. In his ambitious mind, the only person in the crew worthy of giving him orders was Kaido himself. He saw King as a rival, someone whose position as an All-Star he would one day challenge and claim for himself. But now, he had messed up in the most humiliating way possible. He refused to believe it was his fault. No, he rationalized, with my tolerance for alcohol, there's no way I could have gotten that drunk. They must have drugged the sake!
"Damn you, Shutenmaru!" he bellowed. "Using such despicable tricks! Let me go so I can face you in a proper duel!"
A short distance away, Ashura Doji was speaking with Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. He glanced back at the shouting Sasaki with indifference before turning his attention back to his comrades.
"Why not just finish him off?" Nekomamushi asked, looking over at the captive.
Ashura shook his head. "No. Our goal has always been to rescue Hiyori-sama and Denjiro. Killing Sasaki changes everything. If we execute a Flying Six, Kaido will hunt us to the ends of the earth. We'll have nowhere to run, not even to Zou. He knows where it is."
Duke Inuarashi nodded in agreement. "You're right. We don't have the strength to face Kaido in an all-out war just yet. Humiliating him like this is enough for now."
"I just didn't expect all of you to come," Ashura said, his gaze softening as he looked at the two Minks, a memory of happier days with Oden flashing in his mind.
"We all remember Lady Toki's prophecy," Nekomamushi replied with a grin. "We've been preparing for this day. In two more years, we will defeat Kaido and take back Wano Country for good!"
"Oden!!!" the three of them declared in unison, their eyes filled with unshakeable resolve.
Just then, a cold, menacing voice cut through the air. "I'm sorry, but whatever this prophecy is, you won't live to see it fulfilled. Your lives end here."
The three samurai looked up in horror to see two figures emerging from the shadows of Onigashima's entrance.
"One of the Three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates, King the Wildfire!"
"And the All-Star, Jack the Drought!"
Meanwhile, a fierce battle was raging in the Udon Quarry. At the center of the conflict was Queen the Plague, another of the Three All-Stars.
"You damn scumbags!" he shrieked, his voice echoing across the quarry. "You made me lose face in front of King! I'm going to kill every last one of you!"
His primary opponent was the legendary yakuza boss, Hyogoro the Flower. The clash between pirates and samurai raged on, a brutal reminder of the conflicts that had plagued Wano for over a decade.
In the Flower Capital, Shogun Orochi awoke with a terrified gasp, his body drenched in cold sweat. He had just had a nightmare that he was being executed, his head mounted on a pike in the city streets while the people he ruled spat on his name.
It wasn't the first time he'd had this dream. For the past month, such nightmares had haunted his sleep. The terror had begun when he discovered the true identities of Komurasaki and Kyoshiro. The realization that his most beloved courtesan was Kozuki Oden's daughter and his most trusted bodyguard was Oden's retainer had shattered his sense of security.
Even now, the thought filled him with dread. Although his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, the Yamata no Orochi, granted him multiple lives, he couldn't bear the thought of his secrets being exposed. Besides, each life he lost only deepened his paranoia. After all the terrible things he had done over the years, there was a long list of people who wanted him dead. This fear had grown into a poison, making him suspect everyone around him. If the people closest to him were his enemies, who could he possibly trust?
For the past month, Orochi had canceled his banquets and avoided the company of women. He hid in his room day after day, crippled by fear, praying for the day of the execution to arrive. Once Hiyori and Denjiro were dead and their hidden supporters were rounded up, he believed he would finally be safe.
Suddenly, a loud commotion from outside his chambers made him jump. "What's going on?" he shrieked. "Why is it so noisy?"
A member of the Oniwabanshu cautiously opened the door. "Orochi-sama, it's terrible news! We've just received word that Onigashima is under attack!"
"What do you mean?"
"It's Kozuki Oden's samurai!" the ninja reported. "They've appeared to rescue Kozuki Hiyori and Denjiro! There are thousands of them! Onigashima is in chaos!"
Waves of pure terror washed over Orochi's face. "Who?" he whispered, his voice trembling. "Who is there?"
"The former Daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie. Four of Oden's retainers: Ashura Doji, Kawamatsu the Kappa, Duke Inuarashi, and Master Nekomamushi. The 16th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Izo. And the former boss of the Flower Capital's underworld, Hyogoro the Flower. They've gathered a force of at least six thousand samurai and are storming Onigashima! The prisoners from the jails have also been released, and the Oniwabanshu are trying to contain them!"
With every name spoken, the color drained from Orochi's face. He couldn't believe it. In the country he ruled with an iron fist, so many enemies were still hiding in the shadows. Shouldn't they all be dead by now? he thought wildly. Why aren't they dead?
Overwhelmed by panic, he had only one thought. "Kaido..." he stammered. "Where is Kaido? Get him back here now!"
But where was Kaido?
He had already returned to Wano. After retrieving the Devil Fruit from Punk Hazard, he had rushed back, eager to see the results of his test. He wanted to witness the true strength of the samurai forces that even the World Government feared.
And from his vantage point, he watched the chaos unfold. He had to admit, they were impressive. The mighty Beasts Pirates, the crew of a Yonko, were actually being pushed back.
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