Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Hm… they've finally shown up."
Wright tapped the top-secret intelligence report from Wano Country he'd just received and nodded to himself.
"At least I still remember who the traitor is. As for what happens after that, I have no clue... but that's more than enough. We identify the mole, and from there, it's all about force."
"And as for this little brat who keeps talking about 'justice'… yeah, I need to teach him a lesson."
"How can you expect to grow without getting a taste of how cruel the world really is? Especially when you're the leader of an entire nation… then the lesson has to be even more painful, right? Hahaha…"
"Oi? Rosinante? Sounds like you might need to take a little trip to Wano."
Wright dialed Rosinante through his Den Den Mushi.
"That traitor—I'm almost completely certain it's him. It's just that no one wants to believe it without concrete evidence… and honestly, that's human nature."
"But based on how things went down during Oden's execution, this traitor really did plan to die with him—as a true retainer of the Kouzuki clan."
"A die-hard loyalist like that isn't going to blow his cover before the battle with Kaido begins. On the contrary, we can use this gap in intel to mislead him."
"So I want you to go oversee naval operations in Wano… we've prepared so much for this. Kaido's expression when the curtain rises is going to be priceless."
"Oh—and have Ace and Kuina hold down G-5 for me. The two of them together are as strong as a pair of Vice Admirals."
Rosinante was also eager to go—curious to see firsthand what kind of person this master of deception really was.
In the original timeline, the war to defeat Kaido took place on Wano's most sacred annual celebration: the Night of Fire Festival, which was still about six months away.
That was the only time of year Wano held such a grand festival. The Shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, would take his elite guard to Onigashima, loosening their grip on the rest of the country—making it the perfect time to strike.
And that likely hadn't changed. If anything, they now had far more time to prepare.
"If things go as expected, they'll head to Zou, to seek out the other two of the Akazaya Nine—Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. In that case, we'll need to make arrangements there too."
Wright smiled. "Zou is a giant elephant constantly on the move. Without a Vivre Card, there's no way to reach it precisely."
"Log Poses don't work. If they don't have a Vivre Card, they'll have to scour the general area until they get lucky. So either they have Inuarashi or Nekomamushi's cards, or they'll waste a lot of time."
"True enough," Rosinante agreed. "But that's not a problem for us."
"We can't just hand over that kind of help—not when it could shift the entire power dynamic."
Wright shook his head solemnly.
"If they come to the Navy for help, we can collaborate. But if they don't trust us—or outright reject working with us—then our support for the Resistance ends there."
"If that's how it turns out, so be it. At least all our plans to take down Kaido are nearly in place. Regardless of what the samurai think, our end goal remains the same."
"But the attitude of young Lord Kouzuki will decide whether the Navy helps defeat Kaido—or dismantles his entire power structure."
"…"
Rosinante was silent for a moment before sighing softly.
"You're right. The samurai of Wano are not a force to be underestimated. Their view of the Navy will determine how we treat them in return."
"Will they emerge as a sovereign nation, opening their borders? Or will they become another liberated territory under Marine jurisdiction?"
"After all, Wano isn't a World Government member state. For the Navy to act, we need a justifiable reason."
Back when Law had only just become a Warlord of the Sea, Wright had already assigned him a mission:
Find the mythical island of Zou.
Law's navigator, the polar bear Bepo, was a member of the Mink Tribe native to Zou.
At that time, Bepo still hadn't made up his mind to leave the island—torn between the call of the sea and his longing for his older brother, Zepo. One careless misstep led him to fall off Zunesha's back…
After many trials, Bepo ended up in the North Blue, where he eventually met Law and Wright. At that point, Bepo had no concept of "the Four Blues" or "the Grand Line."
Wright had warned him back then—don't ask about Zepo.
But once Law became a Warlord, Bepo finally earned the right to search for news of his brother.
That's when he learned the truth: Zepo had been part of a pirate crew that had once served under one of the Four Emperors—Big Mom.
But in the very year they had departed from the North Blue, Zepo's crew tried to steal Big Mom's treasures. She crushed them.
Zepo had 30 years of his life span stolen on the spot. He died immediately.
One of Zepo's old crewmates, Pekoms, had been separated from them years earlier—and had since joined the Big Mom Pirates.
At that time, using his standing in the crew, Pekoms helped Zepo's captain, Pedro, avoid having 70 years taken—30 from Zepo, and another 40 that Pedro himself owed. He negotiated it down to 50 years, allowing Pedro to just barely return to Zou alive.
Bepo was devastated—but such was the brutal reality of the pirate world. And so, he and Law accepted Wright's mission, hoping to return to Zou and learn the full story from Pedro himself.
With Law's Warlord status and Wright's assistance, they were able to use Marine intelligence to narrow down Zou's location.
After months of searching, they finally found Zunesha and climbed its enormous back—becoming the first outsiders to reach Zou in years.
Thanks to Bepo and Law's medical expertise, they were warmly received.
In fact, Law's methods brought about a medical renaissance for the Minks—much like Wright had done on Fish-Man Island.
Through Bepo's connection and his miraculous surgeries, Law quickly earned the trust and respect of the entire Mokomo Dukedom.
As for the two bitter rivals—Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, once loyal Akazaya samurai—they had become estranged following Oden's death in the "Boiling Oil Execution," each blaming the other for leaking intel.
Now back on Zou, they ruled separately: Inuarashi by day, Nekomamushi by night—swearing never to speak again.
Still, they both knew about Lady Toki's prophecy.
And the news Law brought with him from Wano forced them to take things seriously: Shimotsuki Yasuie-sama was alive. So were Denjiro and Ashura Doji. Princess Hiyori and Kawamatsu too!
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had once sailed with Oden aboard both Whitebeard's and Roger's ships.
They had just barely recovered from hearing of Whitebeard's death during the Paramount War—and now they were hearing this:
The Navy, of all people—Warlords, even—had been secretly aiding the Wano Resistance for years?!
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