Meanwhile, deep within Wano Country—inside a hidden chamber of a temporary stronghold.
The flickering candlelight cast restless, wavering shadows across the walls, illuminating nine figures seated in a circle—each bearing a different expression.
The Nine Red Scabbards—the most loyal retainers of Kozuki Oden.
After twenty years of separation, of life and death, of time itself tearing them apart—
They had finally gathered here once more.
At the head sat Kin'emon, leader of the Scabbards, kneeling upright. His body leaned slightly forward, both hands pressed hard against his knees.
He should have been resting—eyes closed, conserving strength for the coming final battle.
But instead, his teeth were clenched so tightly they trembled, and cold sweat beaded across his forehead.
In his mind, the same scene played again and again.
Dressrosa.
That hell.
The young lord Momonosuke—who had once called out "Father!" with innocent devotion—
Thrown into the air like discarded trash by that man.
Then—
A flash of steel.
Two small halves of a body, severed cleanly, blood spraying in a blinding arc…
Falling.
Powerless.
And above it all—
That man's voice.
Calm.
Cold.
Absolute.
"What I conquer… belongs to me. Doesn't it?"
"—Young Lord…!!"
Kin'emon's eyes snapped open as a hoarse, broken roar tore from his throat.
His body collapsed forward, forehead slamming against the ground as his fingers clawed desperately into the floor.
His entire frame shook violently, bent into a posture of utter defeat—his back soaked through with sweat.
"Kin'emon!"
"Lord Kin'emon!"
Denjiro, Kikunojo, Kawamatsu, Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, Izō—all rushed forward, their faces filled with alarm.
Raizo and Ashura Doji cast heavy, silent gazes from where they stood.
"I… I'm fine…" Kin'emon forced out between ragged breaths, pushing himself upright again. But the despair etched into his face refused to fade.
He looked at his comrades, voice hoarse and strained.
"It's just… the young lord's fate… and that man…"
His voice faltered.
"Every time I recall the eyes of 'Heavenquake' Gern… it feels like a nightmare I cannot wake from."
"'Heavenquake'… that man again!!"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi growled almost in unison, their fur bristling as rage and humiliation surged uncontrollably across their faces.
Inuarashi's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. Nekomamushi's claws extended with a sharp click.
"Back then, he defeated Lord Oden in a way that was nothing short of humiliation!" Inuarashi's voice trembled with fury.
"And now… now he's done something so cruel to the young lord…!"
"A man like that drawing breath is an insult to the very name of the Nine Red Scabbards!"
Nekomamushi bared his teeth, voice dripping with hatred.
"First Lord Oden… now Lord Momonosuke… this is a blood debt that will never be forgiven!"
"Once Kaido is defeated… I'll settle this score with him myself!"
Because of the "butterfly effect" that man had created years ago, the two of them—once driven apart after Oden's death—had gone their separate ways, returning to Zou and even being exiled in turn.
They had spent years wandering, eventually joining Marco in Whitebeard's homeland.
Only now, following Marco to Wano, had the Nine Scabbards finally reunited.
And with Momonosuke's brutal death—
Old hatred and fresh fury had ignited into something far more dangerous.
Yet, as their voices burned with vengeance, the others did not all share the same reaction.
Denjiro (Kyoshiro) frowned deeply. Though grief and anger flickered in his eyes, what lay beneath was something heavier—worry… and resignation.
Having spent twenty years infiltrating Orochi's ranks, he had seen too much darkness.
He understood all too well—
Rage alone meant nothing before overwhelming power.
Kawamatsu silently tightened his grip on his blade, Sotomusō.
Kikunojo instinctively glanced toward her elder brother, Izō.
Raizo and Ashura Doji—one a master of ninja arts, the other a former bandit lord—harbored their own hatred, but their focus remained fixed on the imminent war:
The terrifying alliance of the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates.
Compared to those two Emperors of the Sea…
Gern—far away in Marine territory—felt like a more distant threat.
"Inuarashi. Nekomamushi. I understand your anger," Kin'emon said at last, drawing a deep breath as he forced his emotions down.
His voice grew firm.
"But… that man—Heavenquake Gern—he will come to Wano."
"…What?"All eyes turned to him.
"In Dressrosa… before I lost consciousness, I heard his words. I saw his eyes."
A faint tremor crept into his voice.
"That wasn't concern for the Kozuki bloodline. Nor respect for Wano's history."
He looked up, meeting each of their gazes in turn.
"It was… pure, undisguised possession."
"In his eyes… Wano is not a land to be 'liberated'."
"It is… a prize."
"A trophy… he intends to claim."
Silence fell heavier than before.
"That is what I fear most," Kin'emon continued, voice low.
"Even if we give everything—our lives—to defeat Kaido and Big Mom… even if we drive out the invaders…"
He clenched his fists.
"What awaits us next… may be that man."
"A man deeper than Kaido… clearer in his purpose… and far more… ruthless."
"When that time comes… what will we do?"
"We will be exhausted. Wano will be in ruins."
"How will we face him… then?"
The chamber grew suffocatingly quiet.
"…No matter what," Denjiro said suddenly, breaking the silence.
"Our first enemy remains Kaido and Orochi."
"If we cannot defeat them, Wano will never know peace—there will be no future to speak of."
"As for Heavenquake…" He exhaled slowly. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
"We are retainers of the Kozuki Clan. We will never hand over the country entrusted to us by Lord Oden!"
"That's right!" Kawamatsu added in a deep voice. "Win the battle before us! Protect Lady Hiyori! Inherit Lord Oden's will!"
"…Lady Hiyori…"
At the mention of Kozuki Oden's remaining child, Kozuki Hiyori—
Their eyes hardened once more with resolve.
She was the last hope of the Kozuki bloodline.
The rightful heir.
"The priority is protecting Lady Hiyori!" Kikunojo nodded firmly. "She will take the shogun's seat and restore Wano!"
"And after that…" Inuarashi and Nekomamushi growled, "we'll deal with that Marine!"
Voices rose one after another.
Unity—fragile, desperate—formed their only path forward.
And yet…
Amid the surging emotion, one man remained silent.
Izō.
Former commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 16th Division.
One of Oden's earliest retainers.
He leaned quietly against the wall, fingers absentmindedly brushing the grip of the revolver at his waist.
His brow was furrowed.
His gaze… complicated.
He had walked a different road than the others.
He had seen the Whitebeard Pirates at their peak.
He had stood at Marineford—at the war that shook the entire world.
He had witnessed his "old man," Edward Newgate—the strongest man in the world—return, if only briefly, to his prime.
And he had seen—
With his own eyes—
How that man…
Gern Reginald Sigmar—"Heavenquake"—
Had clashed head-on with that very Whitebeard.
And not merely endured—
But stood his ground.
Even pressed him.
That power.
That unfathomable depth.
That pressure… enough to make even Whitebeard take him seriously—
It was etched into Izō's bones.
Silently, he reached out and tugged at Kikunojo's sleeve.
"…Kiku."
"Brother?" Kikunojo turned, puzzled.
Izō shook his head slowly.
In his eyes…
Was something dangerously close to despair.
He said nothing.
But that single, quiet shake of his head—
Spoke volumes.