Wano Country, Onigashima.
"Public execution?"
Kaido sat upright on the throne while holding a gourd of sake in his left hand and a newspaper in his right. He drank as he read the paper, baring his teeth in a grin as he laughed. "My captain... Even after being dead for so many years, he still makes the World Government afraid! Worororo!"
"After all, he was Rocks, once called the man most likely to become the king of the world."
Standing beside him, King, who is one of the three calamities of the Beasts Pirates, spoke in a calm tone. "Governor, should we take this opportunity to make a move against the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"Make a move? Such an interesting thing, let's just obediently watch!"
Hearing the words of his right-hand man, Kaido laughed happily, his face looking drunk. "Let that old guy, Whitebeard, quietly go save his son!"
King: "..."
Hearing his captain's reply, King was somewhat surprised that his captain would make such a decision, but he did not say anything further.
At this moment, after taking a big gulp of sake, Kaido laughed again and said, "I've heard that Wano Country has been quite lively lately!"
"It really has been lively."
Those words instantly pulled King's thoughts back. Without any hesitation, he nodded and said, "The previous Shogun of Wano Country did not die!"
"The previous Shogun of Wano Country? Oden?"
Kaido frowned, and much of the drunkenness on his face faded, as if he were somewhat surprised. "That guy didn't die? That can't be right! Could it be that the ghosts of the dead have really returned?"
"It wasn't Kouzuki Oden, but Kouzuki Sukiyaki, Kouzuki Oden's father."
Hearing his captain's confusion, King fell silent for a moment before continuing: "In addition, Governor, Kouzuki Oden did not become the shogun of Wano Country!"
"Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot about that. Oden's position as shogun was snatched away by that guy, Orochi. Worororo!"
Kaido seemed to recall something and let out his unique laughter again.
This time, however, the laughter was filled with emotion and complexity. But after only a moment, he spoke again with a meaningful tone. "So, Kouzuki Oden is dead, yet his father, who was supposed to have died even earlier than him, is still alive?"
"Yes! And that's not all."
King nodded and continued: "Among the Nine Red Scabbards, aside from Kin'emon, whose death has already been confirmed, all the others are still alive. Even Kouzuki Oden's daughter, Kouzuki Hiyori, is alive, living under the alias Komurasaki."
"Komurasaki? Why does that name sound a bit familiar to me?"
"She's the oiran that Queen likes!"
"Worororo, I remember now, that extremely beautiful oiran, right! I never expected this. How interesting!"
Hearing King's reply, Kaido could not help but be stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "These guys really hid themselves deeply! Could this be the meaning of that prophecy back then? Orochi must be having a headache now!"
"... When he heard this news, Kurozumi Orochi was indeed extremely angry. He directly issued a wanted order, wanting the entire country to capture the surviving members of the Kouzuki family. However, there aren't many people in Wano Country who listen to him now."
King shook his head and said in a calm tone. "Because of the Kouzuki family's reappearance, that old prophecy has spread again. Countless people have begun to follow Kouzuki Sukiyaki, hoping that the Kouzuki family can lead Wano Country to drive out Kurozumi Orochi and welcome peace once more!"
As he spoke, he fell silent again for a moment. "At present, the Kouzuki family has already gathered quite a few samurai. They are no longer hiding and are preparing to reclaim the rule of Wano Country."
"Samurai? These guys really can't be wiped out completely!"
"And that's not all."
Seeing his captain frown, King hesitated for a moment before continuing: "Kurozumi Orochi somehow got in touch with Umbrella Corporation and purchased artificial Devil Fruits from them."
"There are also rumors that the Kouzuki family has obtained artificial Devil Fruits as well. Now the entire Wano Country has become extremely chaotic. Governor, do we need to intervene? Or force Umbrella Corporation to sell artificial Devil Fruits to others?"
"Artificial Devil Fruits? That fellow, Ian, actually sold artificial Devil Fruits to both Kurozumi Orochi and the Kouzuki family?"
Kaido was taken aback for a moment, but quickly waved his hand indifferently, grinning as he laughed. "No need to bother. As long as it doesn't affect our mines, let those guys fight it out properly! I'll settle accounts with that fellow, Ian, later. Worororo, right now, I am in no mood to deal with such boring matters."
As he spoke, he lowered his head again, looking at the bounty notice in the newspaper. He gritted his teeth, a meaningful glint flashing in his eyes as he smiled and said: "Marshall D. Teach... King, do you think my captain's son can survive?"
...
At the same time, while the entire sea's attention was drawn to the news of Marshall D. Teach's public execution, on the other side, the Straw Hat crew, who longed to become stronger and to rescue their companions, were also sent to various places.
Some were sent to islands filled with man-eating plants and were nearly devoured by them; some fell into the Torino Kingdom, and were treated as hotpot ingredients; some landed on a unique artificial sky island and received friendly hospitality; some fell outside a castle and encountered an enemy who had previously dressed him up as a toy; some... fell into a magic circle and was treated as the demon satan by the locals; and some... Landed in a desert together with a duck.
At this moment, Princess Vivi, who had fallen into the desert together with her duck, looked around in confusion. "Karoo, don't you think this place feels a bit familiar?"
"Gah!"
"Just as I thought? You also feel this place is familiar!"
Seeing Karoo nod, Vivi immediately understood what he meant, and her heart became even more puzzled.
Such a familiar desert!
After sweeping her gaze around, the sense of familiarity in Vivi's heart grew even stronger.
Then, as if she had guessed something, she jumped straight out of the sandpit, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief. "Th-this place isn't..."
However, before she could finish speaking…