Meanwhile, deep within Wano Country, inside a hidden chamber of the rebel stronghold…
Flickering candlelight cast restless, wavering shadows across the walls, illuminating nine figures seated in a circle—each bearing a different expression, yet bound by the same heavy past.
The Nine Red Scabbards—Kozuki Oden's most loyal retainers—had finally reunited here, after crossing twenty years of time, blood, and death itself.
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 had intended to close his eyes and steady himself before the decisive battle.
But now—
His teeth were clenched tight, cold sweat beading across his forehead.
Inside his mind, a single scene replayed over and over again.
Dressrosa.
Hell.
Their young lord—Momonosuke—who once called out "Father!" with innocent hope…
Thrown into the air like refuse.
A flash of steel—
And then…
Two small halves of a broken body, blood spraying into the sky before falling helplessly to the ground.
And that man's voice—calm, detached, colder than death itself—
"What I conquer… belongs to me, doesn't it?"
"—Young Lord!!!"
Kin'emon's eyes snapped open as he let out a guttural, grief-stricken roar.
His body collapsed forward, forehead slamming into the ground, fingers clawing desperately at the floor. His entire frame trembled violently, his posture collapsing into a full prostration—utter despair given form.
"Kin'emon!"
"Lord Kin'emon!"
Denjiro, Kikunojo, Kawamatsu, Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, Izo, and the others rushed to his side, alarm written across their faces. Raizo and Ashura Doji looked on grimly, their expressions heavy.
"I'm… fine…" Kin'emon rasped, forcing himself upright again, though the agony on his face could not be hidden.
He swept his gaze across his comrades, voice hoarse:
"It's just… the young lord's fate… and that man…"
"Ten-shock Gern… Every time I recall his eyes… it feels like a nightmare I can't wake from…"
"Ten-shock! Again with that Ten-shock!!"
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi roared almost in unison, fury erupting uncontrollably.
Inuarashi's hand clenched around the hilt of his sword. Nekomamushi's claws extended instinctively.
"Back then, he humiliated Lord Oden with that same overwhelming power!" Inuarashi's voice trembled with rage."And now… now he dares to do this to our young lord?!"
"That man being alive is a stain on the honor of the Nine Red Scabbards!"
Nekomamushi bared his teeth. "That's right! First Lord Oden, now Lord Momonosuke… this hatred cannot be shared under the same sky! Once Kaido falls, I'll settle this score myself!"
Their past grievances—once fractured by time and conflict—had long since been reignited.
And now, with Momonosuke's brutal death, that hatred burned hotter than ever.
Yet, as their furious declarations echoed, not all shared the same unfiltered rage.
Denjiro frowned deeply, grief in his eyes—but beneath it, something heavier: caution. Understanding. The weight of reality.
Having spent twenty years in the shadows beside Orochi, he had seen too much darkness to believe anger alone could win against monsters.
Kawamatsu silently gripped his blade, Soto Musō, saying nothing.
Kikunojo glanced instinctively toward her older brother, Izo.
Raizo and Ashura Doji—men shaped by cunning and brutality—remained focused on the battle before them:
The alliance of the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates.
Compared to two Emperors of the Sea…
Gern, though terrifying, was still a threat from afar.
"Inuarashi, Nekomamushi… I understand your anger," Kin'emon said after a long breath, forcing his emotions down. His voice turned solemn.
"But… that man—Ten-shock Gern—he will come to Wano."
"…What?"
All eyes turned toward him.
"At Dressrosa… before I lost consciousness, I saw his eyes. I heard his words."
Kin'emon's voice trembled faintly.
"There was no reverence for the Kozuki lineage… no respect for Wano's history…"
"What I saw… was pure, unrestrained possession."
"In his eyes… Wano is not a land to be liberated."
"It is… a prize."
"A trophy he intends to claim."
Silence.
Heavy. Suffocating.
"That," Kin'emon continued, lifting his head, "is what frightens me most."
"Even if we give everything… even if we defeat Kaido and Big Mom…"
"What comes next… may be him."
"A man deeper than Kaido… clearer in purpose… and far more ruthless."
"When that time comes… what will we have left?"
"A broken country. Exhausted warriors."
"How do we fight him then?"
The chamber fell into an even deeper silence.
Finally—
"Regardless!" Denjiro's voice cut through the gloom.
"Our enemy now is Kaido and Orochi!"
"If they are not defeated, Wano will never see peace—there will be no future to speak of!"
"As for Ten-shock…" he narrowed his eyes, "we will cross that bridge when we come to it!"
"We are the retainers of the Kozuki clan!"
"We will never hand this country over to anyone!"
"That's right!" Kawamatsu rumbled. "Win this battle first! Protect Lady Hiyori! Carry on Lord Oden's will!"
"…Lady Hiyori…"
At her name, their eyes regained clarity.
She was the last true heir.
The final hope of the Kozuki bloodline.
"Protect Lady Hiyori! Restore Wano under her rule!" Kikunojo nodded firmly.
"And then…" Inuarashi growled, "we deal with the Marines."
"We'll make that man pay," Nekomamushi added, teeth clenched.
One by one, they declared their resolve.
Unity—was their only chance.
And yet…
Amidst this surge of determination—
One man remained silent.
Izo.
Former 16th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. One of Oden's earliest retainers.
He leaned quietly against the wall, fingers idly brushing the grip of his revolver, brows faintly furrowed.
His gaze rested on his impassioned comrades—
Complex.
Heavy.
Different.
Because he had seen something they hadn't.
He had witnessed the peak of the Whitebeard Pirates.
He had stood at Marineford—
Seen Edward Newgate, the strongest man in the world, return—if only briefly—to his prime.
And he had also seen…
That man.
Gern Reginald Sigmar.
The one called Ten-shock.
He had watched him stand against that very Whitebeard—
Not merely survive.
But clash head-on…
And even gain the upper hand.
That power.
That depth.
That overwhelming, suffocating presence—
Even Whitebeard had taken him seriously.
Izo would never forget it.
He reached out, gently tugging at Kikunojo's sleeve.
"…Kiku."
"Brother?" she turned, puzzled.
Izo slowly shook his head.
He said nothing.
But that single motion carried everything.
A warning.
A truth too heavy to voice.
A reality they were not ready to face.