-Real World-
Compared to the jubilant celebrations among Kaido's supporters and subordinates, the restoration forces of the Kozuki clan—the displaced core leadership of Wano Country—seemed to have a dark cloud of sorrow perpetually floating above their heads. Their expectations for the future were profoundly pessimistic, bordering on hopeless.
Although half of Lady Toki's legendary prophecy had technically come true—Kozuki Momonosuke and Kin'emon had indeed survived their journey through time—they now faced what appeared to be an absolutely invincible enemy. The bounty on Kaido of the Beasts stood at an incomprehensible ten billion and ten million berries, vastly exceeding even the bounty once placed on the previous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger himself.
In the future timeline shown by the Sky Screen, Kaido would control Joy Boy's legendary power, and even the ancient Zunisha—the Elephant Lord who had walked the oceans for millennia—would obey his commands. The opponent was essentially a god made flesh, an existence that made resistance itself seem futile. How could anyone even begin to conceive of defeating such an overwhelming force? Was there truly no chance whatsoever for Wano Country to be restored to its rightful rulers?
Kikunojo, one of the legendary Nine Red Scabbards, possessed the appearance of a strikingly beautiful woman. However, beneath that feminine exterior existed the soul of a warrior—he was actually male, Izo's younger brother and an authentic masculine samurai despite his chosen presentation.
After returning early from the future timeline through Lady Toki's time-traveling Devil Fruit, Kikunojo had chosen to remain in Wano Country to collect intelligence on the occupying forces. He currently worked as a waitress in O-Tsuru's teahouse, calling himself O-Kiku when interacting with outsiders to maintain his cover identity.
Today, the teahouse continued receiving guests according to its normal schedule. Due to the Sky Screen's influence, many citizens of Wano Country had developed the habit of watching dramatic broadcasts while drinking tea, which had substantially increased O-Tsuru's business revenue. The establishment had become a popular gathering place for those seeking entertainment and community during uncertain times.
O-Tsuru was blessed to have survived and eventually reunited with Kin'emon—the man she had waited years to see again. But they had been separated once more almost immediately after their reunion, torn apart by the demands and obligations of the Kozuki clan's restoration efforts. The woman harbored understandable complaints and resentment in her heart about this cruel timing.
Additionally, the Sky Screen might soon expose an even more pessimistic vision of the future. O-Tsuru desperately didn't want her husband to walk down a path of no return, charging toward certain death in the name of honor and loyalty. Even if it meant living an ordinary, humble life in occupied Wano Country—even if it meant being bullied daily by members of the Beasts Pirates—being alive was infinitely better than becoming a cold, meaningless corpse. The woman had endured more than enough separation from her loved one. She couldn't bear to lose him permanently.
O-Tsuru did not dare utilize the chat room function provided by the Sky Screen or speak publicly without extremely careful consideration. She was terrified that she wouldn't be able to restrain herself from directly contacting her husband if given the opportunity. Women in Wano Country were raised to fear becoming burdens to their husbands, drags on masculine duty and honor. She sincerely hoped from the depths of her soul that Kin'emon would always remain safe, even if that safety required staying far away from her.
"O-Kiku," O-Tsuru said quietly, her voice barely audible over the teahouse's ambient noise. "Who do you think will be the next Devil Fruit user exposed by the Sky Screen?"
Kikunojo noticed the tears gathering in O-Tsuru's eyes, threatening to spill down her carefully composed face. He understood that the female proprietress had reached her psychological breaking point, teetering on the edge of emotional collapse. But the samurai believed in one fundamental truth from beginning to end, clinging to it like a lifeline: he believed that the Kozuki clan could and would save Wano Country once again. Faith was all they had left.
"That person is definitely not Kaido," Kikunojo said with quiet conviction, keeping his voice low so nearby patrons couldn't overhear. "The third person being evaluated is certainly our young master, Kozuki Momonosuke."
Just as the two fell into contemplative silence, processing this prediction, the Sky Screen's chat room function suddenly ceased operating. No one across the entire world could continue posting messages to the global platform. Soon, the patrons gathered in the teahouse noticed this dramatic change and began making excited noise, the volume of conversation rising sharply. Everyone understood what this meant: the third person in the Sky Screen's character evaluations was about to be revealed.
"It's finally time!" one patron exclaimed.
"The third person must be Lord Kaido!" another declared with confidence.
"There is no Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user stronger than that man," a third voice added. "Wano Country will forever belong to the Beasts Pirates!"
The noisy crowd filling the teahouse uniformly turned their conversation toward Kaido of the Beasts, speculating and celebrating in advance. The background image of Wano Country that had been frozen in the Sky Screen's chat room interface began changing quietly before everyone's watching eyes. The picture gradually faded away like morning mist, replaced by new video material preparing to load. That particularly familiar male narrator's voice—the one that had introduced both Artoria and Eren—once again began speaking slowly to the entire global audience...
[SKY SCREEN NARRATION BEGIN]
[Thirty days have passed in what feels like merely the blink of an eye. I apologize for making you all wait so long. The third person I will be evaluating this time possesses a background easily a hundred times more privileged than the first two individuals featured.
He can truly be said to have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, raised in luxury and comfort from his earliest days.
While his noble surname brought him a happy and carefree childhood, it also brought him catastrophic disaster at a tragically young age. He recognized the brutal reality of this world while surrounded by flames and death, and became absolutely determined to grow stronger through any means necessary—even sacrificing everything for power—until he finally defeated the usurper who had stolen his birthright and restored the nation of Wano Country with his own hands.
Kozuki Momonosuke.
People in later generations hold deeply divided opinions about this individual. The discourse eventually became completely polarized into two opposing camps. One side worships him and calls him the Savior of Wano Country.
The other side derides him with name like the Tyrant of Wano Country, Kozuki the Debauched, and similar names suggesting moral corruption and abuse of power.]
The image appearing in the Sky Screen showed a boy slightly over one meter in height. His head was shaved except for a traditional samurai topknot, and he wore the distinctive clothing style of Wano Country. But beneath the appearance of a child, the boy displayed the lustful behavior patterns of a fully grown adult.
The young Momonosuke was positioned between two curvaceous beauties, his expression resembling that of a satisfied pig as the Sky Screen's camera captured him shamelessly enjoying the softness of the women's breasts pressed against him from both sides. The two women serving him were unfamiliar faces.
[Kozuki Momonosuke and his sister Kozuki Hiyori were born together while their parents sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates. During those early days aboard Edward Newgate's ship, the boy was protected by a crew of the world's strongest warriors. This period was probably the most relaxing and carefree time in his entire life.
If nothing unexpected had occurred, he would have inherited his father Kozuki Oden's position as Shogun after the family's return to Wano Country, then enjoyed a life of luxury and privilege throughout his days. But reality follows a consistent pattern: if nothing unexpected is supposed to happen, then something unexpected will definitely happen.]
[The harsh life circumstances after returning to Wano Country forced Kozuki Momonosuke to recognize the darkest aspects of human nature at an extremely young age. This traumatic experience formed the foundation of his adult character, which developed in directions completely opposite to his father Kozuki Oden's noble idealism.
This psychological divergence manifested clearly in his subsequent behavior throughout life. Perhaps it was the tragedy that befell his original family—watching his parents murdered and his nation stolen—that ultimately prompted the birth of this controversial Tyrant of Wano Country.]
[The dramatic shift from the privileged existence of a Shogun's son to having his country and family completely destroyed by the Beasts Pirates represented ups and downs that would break most adults. Such trauma did not knock down this eight-year-old boy, though the psychological cost would become apparent later.
The difficulties and suffering involved in his survival can only be truly understood by the person who lived through them. Only Kozuki Momonosuke himself swallowed that bitter fruit of loss and grief, then transformed his burning hatred into motivation to become stronger at any cost.
The boy has the proud blood of the Kozuki clan flowing through his veins. The saying holds true: a hero's father produces a heroic son. Kozuki Oden's exceptional natural talents were passed on to his son Kozuki Momonosuke almost completely. With this genetic foundation already laid in advance, it became the starting capital that allowed him to shake the entire world in the future.]
[In Kozuki Momonosuke's life—which has received such mixed reviews from historians and common people alike—he lived out the archetypal style of a protagonist. And he was the particular type of protagonist who made steady progress step by step through his own tireless efforts, never relying on external forces or inherited power to simply be handed victory.
He finally avenged both his father and mother through personal strength.
Joy Boy's infinite lifespan and unlimited regeneration status made Kaido functionally impossible to kill from the very beginning of their conflict. Death was simply not an option that could be achieved. As a second-choice solution, Momonosuke could only seal his enemy using ancient techniques.
He finally threw Kaido—the Beast King who had murdered his parents—into the Sea Eye, that mysterious passage to the ocean's deepest darkness. The validity period of the sealing technique employed is ten thousand years.]
[After eliminating the biggest military support sustaining the traitorous Kurozumi clan's occupation, Kozuki Momonosuke effortlessly recaptured control of Wano Country. From that victorious moment forward, the position of Shogun has always remained in the hands of the Kozuki clan and has never fallen into the possession of outsiders.
Even after the collapse of the World Government that had ruled for eight hundred years, and the coming and going of the Holy Roman Empire, Wano Country still stood tall and independent on this ocean.
The position of Shogun of Wano Country has never been interrupted or seized from the Kozuki clan's grasp across the centuries. It has become a dynasty that will last eternally in the most literal, practical sense of that word.
The Kozuki line watches the ebb and flow of the ocean's tides, witnessing empires rise and fall while their own throne endures forever.]