Kin'emon and Momonosuke, under Ace's escort, returned to the guest quarters arranged for them.
"Rear Admiral Ace… About the Fleet Admiral's intentions…"
Kin'emon had noticed that the Rear Admiral in front of him referred to the Fleet Admiral as Sensei. That wasn't just a formal superior-subordinate relationship—this Rear Admiral Ace was undoubtedly the Fleet Admiral's most trusted confidant.
The Fleet Admiral had specifically instructed Rear Admiral Ace to "answer all of their questions truthfully…"
"Rear Admiral Ace, I have many doubts. Might I…?"
"Go ahead and ask. So long as it concerns Wano, you're entitled to know."
Ace shut the door and pulled over a chair before sitting down.
"I wasn't directly involved in the Wano operation, but I know everything that happened."
"Before we get into that, though, I suggest you read this document carefully—it'll be far beyond what you're expecting."
"…"
Kin'emon glanced at the file in his hands, then at the anxious Momonosuke. Gritting his teeth, he nodded and opened it. Together, they began to read.
…
Zou — Mokomo Dukedom, Whale Forest.
"Law-dono!"
Duke Inuarashi and Master Nekomamushi hurried toward Law.
"Law-dono—Raizo has arrived!"
Ever since they received intel from Marine Headquarters that Kaido was sending Calamity of Plagues Queen to capture Raizo, both Inuarashi and Nekomamushi had been on edge every single day.
Raizo had been separated from Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Momonosuke during the storm, something neither of the Minks had anticipated. The others had managed to land in Dressrosa and connect with the Marines to relay their status, but Raizo… Raizo had never reached Zou, which made them fear the worst.
They took some comfort in Raizo's skills as a ninja—he was resourceful, capable of dealing with danger in ways others couldn't. Still, worry gnawed at them.
Not long ago, Kin'emon and the others had located Zou and decided to split into two teams. Before the dust had even settled from that decision, news broke that Kaido had mobilized. That confirmed two things: Kanjuro was the traitor, and Raizo was in imminent danger.
If Queen's ship intercepted Raizo before he made it to Zou—he was as good as dead.
And Kanjuro… was still heading this way.
But now, Raizo had made it. Barely. Battered and exhausted, but alive. Finally, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi could breathe again.
"Inuarashi! Nekomamushi! What on earth is going on? And… who is this?"
Raizo hadn't even had a moment to gather his thoughts. The moment he set foot on Zunesha's back, he'd been intercepted by the Minks and rushed through the forest before he could even marvel at how his comrades looked older while he remained unchanged.
The Whale-shaped Tree… he'd heard the name before, but nothing could prepare him for seeing it in person.
"Raizo, it's a long story…"
Duke Inuarashi pressed urgently, "Law-dono, any news on Queen?"
"Queen?!"
Though Raizo came from twenty years ago, he had thoroughly investigated the current state of Wano after arriving in this era.
Kaido's three All-Stars—Conflagration King, Plague Queen, and Calamity of Arms Drake—he knew them well enough.
"Raizo, Queen is en route to Zou to capture you, nya~"
Nekomamushi licked his paw and stuffed his pipe into his mouth.
"Long story short, we've known about your group's 'time leap' for a while now… But for now, surviving this crisis takes priority.
Otherwise, we won't even have the right to seek revenge!"
"???"
Raizo looked completely lost. None of it made sense. But clearly, the man in the spotted hat holding a long sword was central to it all.
"Ever since Queen set sail, no further intel has come in. But based on normal sailing speed… it'll be any day now."
Law spoke gravely as he sent off a coded message to Marine HQ.
"Raizo's arrival has been reported. Now, we prepare for battle.
No need to worry about Kin'emon and Momonosuke—they've reached the G-5 branch in the New World. The Fleet Admiral himself has met with them."
"Even if Kaido came in person, he wouldn't take them from the Fleet Admiral—
That's the man who slew Whitebeard's top men with his own hands."
"…"
The Minks' pupils constricted. Raizo was stunned.
"Whitebeard?! Old cat, old dog—what's going on?! What happened to Momonosuke-sama and Kin'emon? What about Kanjuro?!"
"'Old cat' and 'old dog,' huh?!"
A vein bulged on Nekomamushi's forehead as he flexed his claws threateningly.
"I've got twenty more years of training than you! Wanna test that, huh?!"
"Enough, old cat! Focus!"
Duke Inuarashi nodded toward Law.
"Raizo, this is Trafalgar Law—a friend of the Minks and one of our allies."
"Let me tell you what's happened since you left…
And when I'm done, we're going to duel."
"…"
Raizo, having accidentally stepped on a live wire, could only shiver in silence as the two old Minks—faces grim—took turns explaining the unthinkable future that lay ahead.
…
New World, Marine G-5 Branch.
Kin'emon and Momonosuke stared, eyes wide, at the documents in their hands.
"…This… this is unbelievable!"
Tears and snot streamed down Kin'emon's face.
"Yasuie-sama… Denjirō…"
"The Fleet Admiral… he did so much for Wano!"
"Princess Hiyori… Her Highness is alive and well! Kawamatsu! Denjirō! You've done us proud—hahaha! Beautifully done!"
"Ashura… It's not your fault you couldn't stop their deaths… It's not your fault.
Even we never imagined we'd see each other again."
"So many comrades… Hahaha… So many have been resisting Orochi in silence!"
"Yasuie-sama… You saved us 20 years ago, and now again… We are utterly ashamed to rely on you once more."
"Even Sukiyaki-sama has returned from seclusion?!"
"And all these supplies… It's incredible!
Is this the might of the world's greatest military force?!
They delivered this much aid into Wano without a trace?!"
Kin'emon, overwhelmed, fell to his knees with a loud thud, prostrating himself before Ace.
"Rear Admiral Ace! I cannot imagine what Wano would look like without the Navy's help!"
"The amount of support given to the resistance over the past eight years is staggering!
Even if we had the will to fight, we would never have had the strength without it!"
"The grace of your Sensei—the Fleet Admiral—is too great for us retainers of the Kouzuki clan to ever repay! Please accept my deepest gratitude!"
Ace quickly moved to lift Kin'emon up, shaking his head with a warm smile.
"I only found out recently myself.
Before that, fewer than ten people in all of Marine HQ even knew about it."
"I wasn't all that shocked when I learned…"
Ace's eyes twinkled as he noticed Kin'emon's confusion and Momonosuke's dazed expression—clearly, the boy still hadn't fully processed the gravity of the information.
He smiled.
"Because that's the kind of person Sensei is.
His version of Justice… is to give people hope."
"It's not just Wano—he's helped other countries too, though the World Government isn't exactly fond of that…"
Then, Ace shared another bit of news—fresh from headquarters.
"Raizo has reached Zou. Queen hasn't arrived yet… but he'll learn about your status and Wano's situation soon."
"Start preparing yourselves…"
"No one who's ever worked with Sensei has ever regretted it."
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