At the turbulent shores of Tokage Port, far from the main battle raging at Onigashima's entrance, Shinobu huddled behind a large reef with the rescued Kozuki Hiyori.
"Princess Hiyori, are you alright?" Shinobu asked, her voice filled with concern.
"I'm fine," Hiyori replied, looking at the bloodstains covering Shinobu's clothes. "But what about you? You're injured."
Although Black Maria's subordinates weren't elite pirates, there had been many of them. Shinobu, while a capable kunoichi, was not a frontline warrior. She had taken several hits while shielding Hiyori during their escape.
"Don't worry about me, Princess," Shinobu said with a determined smile. "As long as you are safe, it was worth it."
Hiyori's eyes filled with tears of gratitude. "What do we do now?"
"Please, don't worry. Lord Yasuie has planned for everything. All we have to do now is wait."
"Wait?" Hiyori asked, confused. She followed Shinobu's anxious gaze out towards the churning sea. Suddenly, a wide smile broke across Shinobu's face.
"They're here."
Hiyori looked out and saw a small boat skillfully navigating the violent waves.
"Princess, please follow me!"
Under Shinobu's protection, they made their way to the edge of the shore just as the small boat arrived. A familiar, warm figure stepped onto the land, and Hiyori's breath caught in her throat.
"Kawamatsu!"
"Princess!"
After more than a decade of separation, the sight of each other brought tears to their eyes. But Kawamatsu quickly composed himself. "Princess, we have no time to waste. Please, get on the boat. I will escort you to Kuri."
"Kuri?" The familiar name sent a wave of memories washing over Hiyori.
"Yes. Since you were captured, Kaido and Orochi have eyes all over Wano. Only Kuri, thanks to my brother Ashura Doji, is safe enough for us to find a place to hide. But…" Kawamatsu's voice grew heavy with shame. "Princess, after this, we may have to take you away from Wano. It is a disgrace for us, your retainers. However, I promise you, when Lady Toki's prophecy comes to pass in two years, we will return and reclaim everything that belongs to the Kozuki Clan."
"No," Hiyori said, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face. "This isn't your fault. It's because of me that all of you have been put in danger and forced to leave your home."
"Thank you for your understanding, Princess. Now, please, get on the boat," Kawamatsu urged. "Shinobu, I'm leaving things in your hands here."
"Understood, Brother Kawamatsu! You can count on me!"
Several minutes later, watching the small boat disappear into the vast, dark sea, Shinobu smiled. She then pulled out a firework and launched it high into the night sky.
On the small boat, which was being tossed violently by the massive waves, Hiyori held onto a rope for dear life. She looked back at the firework blooming in the distant sky. "Kawamatsu, we're leaving… What about everyone else?"
Kawamatsu stood confidently at the bow. "Don't worry, Princess. Lord Yasuie has planned for everything. They will all escape safely. Now, please, get on my back and hold on tight."
Hiyori was startled, but before she could ask why, the churning sea around them gave her the answer. Without hesitation, she climbed onto his back.
"Are you ready, Princess?"
"Yes."
With a powerful leap, the two of them plunged into the water. The reason Kawamatsu was chosen as Kozuki Hiyori's sole protector was simple: he was a Fish-Man.
High above, on the rooftop of the skull dome, Kaido watched the events unfold and finally understood the samurai's entire plan.
"Worororo… So that's how it is," he chuckled. "A very clever scheme!"
Eneru, however, looked down with a puzzled expression. The sea, which had been violent just moments ago, had suddenly become calm. He watched as samurai began leaping into the water like dumplings. "What's going on?" he asked.
Kaido showed no anger at all. With a grin, he explained, "The climate of Wano is unique. Even on a small island like this, the weather can change in an instant. These samurai used that to their advantage. Their goal was never to win a fight, but to escape by sea. They attacked the port to draw our forces there, creating a distraction. They're clever, I'll give them that. My men can't do a thing about it now. King, Jack, and the others are Devil Fruit users; the sea is their greatest weakness. And by the time we launch our ships, these guys will have already swum to the mainland."
Wano was a relatively small country. The closest point to Onigashima was Tokage Port in Udon, a straight-line distance of less than five kilometers. With the Beasts Pirates in disarray, it was impossible to organize a pursuit in time.
"I see," Eneru said. "But surely you aren't just going to let them escape, are you, Kaido?"
"Worororo… No rush," Kaido rumbled, his gaze sweeping cruelly across the land of Wano as he took a long gulp of sake. "The show is just beginning. After this is over, no one in this country will ever have the courage to defy me again!"
Back at the port of Onigashima, King's face was grimmer than ever as he watched the samurai dive into the sea and disappear. He had been so confident, believing he could crush them all. But not only had he and Jack failed to defeat the three Scabbards, they had been completely outplayed.
"Damn it!" King roared. He flew into the sky, unleashing a flurry of slashes from his sword to stop the fleeing samurai, but Nekomamushi and Inuarashi intercepted every attack. On the ground, Jack was held in place by Ashura Doji, unable to advance a single step.
Just then, several more figures burst out from the main fortress, breaking through the walls: Denjiro, Shimotsuki Yasuie, Izo, and Onimaru had arrived.
"Excellent!" Ashura shouted, a smile on his face as he saw his long-lost friends. The samurai's ranks had swelled.
As a Yonko crew, the Beasts Pirates had been thoroughly humiliated. Not only had the prisoners been rescued, but their home base had been invaded, and now the enemy was escaping right before their eyes. They could already feel the searing rage of their captain.
The samurai, however, paid them no mind. With Oden gone, Shimotsuki Yasuie, a former Daimyo, stepped forward to lead. "It has been a long time, my friends!" he called out. "I will not waste words. Let us fight side by side, for the future of Wano Country, and for the dawn that Lady Toki prophesied!"
"Yeah!" the samurai roared, their morale soaring to a peak that momentarily pushed back the seven powerful Beasts Pirates before them.
"The dawn, is it?"
High above, Kaido watched the scene, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Too bad. You'll never see it."
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