Flower Capital, Wano Country
"Kanjuro, we're heading to Onigashima to meet with Kaido and plan our counterattack. I'll be leaving the capital in your hands. I trust your ability to manage things here."
Shogun Kurozumi Orochi's snake-like smile was full of confidence as he issued his command.
"Yes, Orochi-sama! Leave everything to me!"
The underworld boss of the Flower Capital, known to most as Kyoshiro the Sleepy, bowed deeply, hiding the flicker of emotion in his eyes.
As Orochi's entourage departed, Kyoshiro's polite smile faded. His expression hardened.
A short while later, Kyoshiro returned to his base on Rasetsu Street. He climbed to the top floor, opened the sliding door, and stepped inside.
"Boss Kyoshiro, what's wrong?"
A woman dressed in a resplendent kimono asked curiously, her painted lips pursed in concern.
"Princess," Kyoshiro's tone was solemn, "the dawn of Wano is finally coming."
The woman froze.
Her true identity was not the oiran Komurasaki—but Princess Kozuki Hiyori, daughter of the late Lord Oden.
"Papa Whitebeard... is Papa Whitebeard really coming?" Hiyori's voice trembled with a mix of disbelief and hope.
Kyoshiro—whose true name was Denjiro Akasaka—nodded and pulled a newspaper from his robe.
"If Orochi is this flustered, summoning all his troops in panic, then it must be true. Whitebeard, who once took Lord Oden away, and Fairy Tail, the rising force of the seas—this news can't be false."
Hiyori's eyes shone, her expression resolute.
"Fairy Tail... the light of the seas, heroes to the people. Denjiro, if they come to Wano, take me to them. Please!"
"Princess..." Denjiro's heart trembled.
"Kozuki blood flows through my veins," Hiyori continued. "Even if Fairy Tail made a pact with Whitebeard, as Princess of the Kozuki clan, I cannot simply stand aside."
Denjiro straightened, bowing deeply.
"Understood, Princess Hiyori!"
Onigashima – Base of the Beasts Pirates
"Lord Kaido, Shogun Orochi has arrived!"
A member of the Beasts Pirates bellowed the announcement. Moments later, Orochi's procession stepped into the massive Skull Dome, laughter echoing through the air.
"Hehehehe... Kaido, I brought all my troops as you requested! Ten thousand ninjas and samurai of the Shogunate Inspection Force—every last one!"
"Oooooh!"
Kaido's booming laughter shook the hall.
"Excellent! With Orochi's ten thousand and my own, that makes over twenty thousand troops!"
"And once our elite cadres return from abroad," another roared, "the Beasts Pirates' strength will exceed thirty thousand!"
"Even if Whitebeard allies with Fairy Tail, what can they do?"
Morale surged through the ranks of the Beasts Pirates.
"Mhahahahaha! That's right!" bellowed Queen the Plague, Kaido's third-in-command, puffing on a cigar. "Wano's natural defenses will crush any invasion! Even if they muster a massive army, they'll lose eighty percent before setting foot on our shores. Once they do—our thirty thousand troops will wipe them out!"
Laughter and cheers filled the hall.
But not everyone shared that confidence.
Standing silently, the masked King the Wildfire furrowed his brow. He knew—numbers didn't decide wars. The strongest individuals did.
And if Whitebeard and Fairy Tail truly joined forces…
They would be facing a storm unlike any other.
At that moment, several underlings rushed in carrying a massive transponder snail.
"Lord Kaido! Incoming communication from the Four Emperors Big Mom!"
Kaido's eyes narrowed. "Put it through."
The snail's lips twisted into a familiar grin as a chilling laugh came through.
"Well, well, it's been a long time, Kaido!"
The unmistakable voice of Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, echoed through the hall.
"What do you want, Linlin?" Kaido growled.
"Nothing much, just checking in. You've got quite the problem on your hands!"
"Get to the point!"
"Well, well, don't be so short-tempered. We used to be good friends, didn't we? You still owe me a big favor."
"That was decades ago!" Kaido snarled.
"No, no," she chuckled darkly, "a favor like that can't be forgotten so easily."
Kaido's hand clenched around his sake gourd. With a crack, it shattered.
"You still haven't repaid that debt, Kaido. I can't let you die before you do."
"Spit it out, Linlin. What do you want?"
"It's simple. Since Whitebeard can find foreign help, why can't you? You could, for instance, ask me. Of course, it'll cost you—say, your Road Poneglyph... and some of Wano's fine weapons. Mmm...?"
Kaido's expression darkened, a vein throbbing in his temple.
"So that's your game, Linlin. Trying to profit off my war? Dream on! Whitebeard's an old man half in the grave, and Fairy Tail? A bunch of cocky brats drunk on victory over the Warlords! I'll show them who truly rules this world!"
Big Mom laughed gleefully.
"Well, well, such confidence! I look forward to seeing you prove it, Kaido!"
New World – Dressrosa
At the Marine base's command center, Vice Admiral Tsuru's tone was grave.
"Guildmaster Sugisawa Yuuto, our intelligence suggests that Big Mom's pirates may be moving in response to this conflict."
Yuuto leaned back calmly, eyes sharp but unreadable.
"Thank you for the warning. But it's nothing to worry about."
His words carried quiet confidence.
Moments later, the massive ship of Fairy Tail began to rise into the sky.
"President Yuuto, let's head to this island first," Ace said, holding up a permanent log pointing toward the Whitebeard territories.
"The ship's route isn't up to you," Nami replied, hands on her hips.
"So where are we headed, Miss Navigator?" Sabo asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" Erza answered flatly.
"Wait—hold on!" Koala, Sabo, and Ace all looked around in sudden realization. Their hearts pounded.
"This course... we're heading toward Wano Country, aren't we?!" Koala asked, her voice tight.
"Any problem with that?" Juvia asked, tilting her head.
"With this ship's speed, there's no way Whitebeard's fleet can keep up!" Ace said urgently.
Yuuto's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Ace, I think you're misunderstanding something."
His eyes gleamed.
"I accepted your commission. But I never said I'd be allied with the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Wha—what!?"
The deck fell silent, the wind howling around them as Fairy Tail's flagship cut through the sky toward Wano.
The storm had begun.