Wano Country, Kuri.
Five years ago, Kozuki Sukiyaki, the Shogun of Wano Country, fell gravely ill. Kurozumi Orochi joined forces with Kurozumi Bizen, using the power of the Mane Mane no Mi to make Kurozumi Orochi the Shogun of Wano Country and seize control of the nation.
To take revenge for everything the Kozuki clan had once done to the Kurozumi clan, and to prevent Kozuki Oden from returning and taking everything back, Kurozumi Orochi began wiping out the strength of the samurai who served the Kozuki family throughout Wano Country.
Because of that, the samurai who had once devoted themselves to the Kozuki clan now lived in misery. Many of them could only be described as destitute.
Across all of Wano Country, except for the Flower Capital, the common people had also fallen into poverty. The once-beautiful Wano Country was no longer what it used to be.
They had believed that once His Highness Oden, the lord they served, returned, everything would change. But the answer they received was that the very His Highness Oden they had placed their faith in now danced naked in front of Shogun Orochi's castle every day, acting mad and playing the fool. He had become the Foolish Prince.
As for why he did such a thing, Kozuki Oden had never told them.
And so, time passed. Three years went by.
The former His Highness Oden of Wano Country had completely become a fool.
He was now known throughout Wano Country as the Foolish Prince who danced naked every day.
Although Kozuki Oden had never explained the reason behind it, the samurai who trusted him had never given up searching for that reason, nor had they ever stopped resisting Orochi and Kaidou.
Even if they no longer had His Highness Oden, they still had his wife: Toki-sama, a woman who, more than Oden himself, seemed fit to be a Daimyo.
And today, they had gathered here because of the strange situation that had appeared in the Flower Capital.
At this very moment, Kozuki Oden was dancing naked in the Flower Capital, while the woman named Kozuki Toki had been pushed forward by the Nine Red Scabbards to become their leader.
Kozuki Toki understood that, as a woman, she should not be making decisions in her husband's place, especially in Wano Country, a nation where men held authority. But with her husband clearly hiding something difficult to speak of, if she did nothing, his retainers might truly fall apart.
As the leader of the Nine Red Scabbards, Kin'emon knelt on the ground and reported everything that had happened today, word by word, to Kozuki Toki, who sat in the seat of honor.
"Today, Kurozumi Orochi ordered everyone to clean the streets, wear new clothes, and prepare to welcome guests. Something major must be happening!"
Denjiro, wearing small glasses and looking quick-witted, also spoke anxiously.
"Kaidou alone has already caused us endless trouble. If Kurozumi Orochi finds another ally, Wano Country will truly be finished, Toki-sama."
A troubled look crossed Kozuki Toki's beautiful face as she sat in the main seat.
"It is not that I fail to understand that. But I am only a woman."
"If you could persuade His Highness Oden..."
Kin'emon spoke anxiously, but the moment the words left his mouth, even he felt they sounded foolish.
Seeing this, Kozuki Toki said with a pained expression, "I will personally write letters for you to deliver to the four Daimyo. But how much use they will be, I cannot guarantee."
The Nine Red Scabbards were overjoyed. They all bowed to the ground at once and said, "We're counting on you, Toki-sama!"
...
Wano Country, the Flower Capital.
Amid the pleasant sound of kabuki music and flower petals filling the sky, the Flower Capital had never been this lively before.
Perhaps only during Wano Country's Fire Festival could a scene like this be seen.
To welcome that mysterious guest, Kurozumi Orochi, the current Shogun of Wano Country, personally set out for the port. Guards accompanied him on both sides the entire way, making the procession grand and imposing, as if they were preparing for battle.
Watching this scene, several members of the Nine Red Scabbards who had just finished delivering the letters all looked grim.
Their hearts were heavy. Although they had Toki-sama's letters, after reading them, the four Daimyo had all shaken their heads.
It was not that they were unwilling to resist. On one hand, Kurozumi Orochi was now, in name and fact, the Shogun of Wano Country. Unless they had a proper reason, they had no justification to rebel. On the other hand, they had resisted before, but whether it was the sorcerer beside Orochi who could create barriers, or Kaidou of the Beasts Pirates, every attempt had ended in defeat.
And their only hope, Kozuki Oden, had now become the Foolish Prince despised by everyone in Wano Country.
Seeing no hope of victory, the Daimyo no longer wanted to make meaningless sacrifices.
That left the Nine Red Scabbards furious, but even more than that, they felt powerless.
Still, they would not give up. They would wait for the day His Highness Oden came to his senses and led them once again to reclaim Wano Country.
Just then, countless cannons fired in salute, and colorful streamers rained down from the sky.
At the far end of the road, protected by a massive number of guards, a huge and luxurious carriage drawn by eight horses appeared in everyone's sight.
Under the lead of people arranged in advance, the surrounding crowd burst into cheers and applause.
Only the Nine Red Scabbards, wearing straw hats to hide themselves, looked severe.
Soon, the man they had hated all their lives appeared before them.
Kurozumi Orochi, the man who had seized the position of Shogun of Wano Country through despicable means and turned their His Highness Oden into the Foolish Prince, was now sitting arrogantly in the center of the carriage, his face filled with excitement.
At that moment, several of them tightened their grips on the weapons at their waists, struck by the urge to rush forward and assassinate him. But all of them held back, because they knew there was no chance of success.
Sitting to Kurozumi Orochi's right was the man known as a monster, the captain of the Beasts Pirates: Kaidou of the Beasts.
And to Kurozumi Orochi's left sat a red-haired youth with two long swords at his waist, leisurely watching the people of Wano Country.
Seeing this, Kin'emon instinctively said, "To be seated alongside Kaidou, he must be Kurozumi Orochi's new ally!"
Beside him, Denjiro's expression was also grave as he said tensely, "I can feel it. He's a monster no weaker than Kaidou, and he may be even more terrifying..."
Aki, who was even more beautiful than a woman, heard this and said with an ugly expression, "We have to go back and tell His Highness Oden and Toki-sama so they can prepare early!"
Everyone nodded and prepared to return.
But just then, they noticed that their friends, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, were staring at the red-haired youth with wide eyes and looks of disbelief, muttering under their breath.
"How is this possible... Why is Enel's older brother here, and with Kurozumi Orochi...?"
Everyone immediately reacted.
"What? Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, do you two know this person?"
The two snapped back to their senses and nodded. In the end, Inuarashi spoke.
"It's not just us who know him. His Highness Oden and Toki-sama know him too. Back when we followed Captain Roger to Skypiea with His Highness Oden and Toki-sama, we spent a few days with him. We weren't especially close to him, but we got along quite well with his younger brother, Enel..."
This time, everyone was truly shocked.
They had never expected that the person who had suddenly appeared, someone they had assumed would be an enemy, would actually have such a connection to them.
And just then, as if he had heard their words, Yemu, who was riding past in the luxurious carriage, waved to them in greeting...