"Swoosh—"
With a flick of his hand, Law hurled Queen and his crew off the back of Zunesha, appearing beside Duke Inuarashi in a flash.
"Inuarashi-dono, allow me!"
"I'll leave it to you!"
Duke Inuarashi was drenched in sweat as he struggled against the infected, zombie-like warriors—especially since one of them was Nekomamushi himself.
The Mink Tribe warriors were forced to hold back, terrified of spreading the infection. Their defense line was on the verge of collapse.
Raising his left hand, Law shouted with resolve:
"Purify!"
A gentle wave of golden Holy Light swept through the infected Minks like rippling water. The symptoms of the plague visibly began to fade from their bodies!
"It worked!"
Duke Inuarashi's face lit up. "That fast?!"
Law shook his head.
"This was only possible because I channeled the Fleet Admiral's power. But this combat suit can't heal this many people by itself—after this, it's up to the doctors."
He tossed his sword to Bepo, who had just rushed over.
"I'll go scout ahead. Inuarashi-dono, please gather the doctors quickly!"
"The patients' strength has been completely drained by the plague, and many are wounded. The infection has been neutralized—it won't spread anymore. Focus on healing their injuries and restoring their strength."
"Understood! I'll go at once!"
Duke Inuarashi gave Law a deep bow.
"Law-dono, your kindness will never be forgotten by the Mink Tribe!"
"No need for that. Without the Fleet Admiral, I wouldn't have been able to do anything about this kind of plague…"
Law waved his hand.
"And those Plague Bombs the pirates brought—make sure to search thoroughly. Any that are left behind must be destroyed immediately."
"Got it!"
…
News of Law's battle with Queen had already reached Wright in full detail.
"Not bad at all, that kid Law. Holding his own against one of the All-Stars… The 'Super Surgery' series is just broken—especially effective against someone like Queen, who actually understands science."
Wright was in the middle of a call with Rosinante, who was practically glowing with pride at Law's growth.
"Well then, it's about time we made our move too…"
Once they were done discussing Law, Rosinante's tone turned serious.
"Kouzuki Momonosuke has officially formed an alliance with the Navy under his title as the head of the Kouzuki Clan. Yasuie-sama has even made contact with Kikunojo, and they've finalized the alliance terms together."
"As expected of the former Daimyo of Hakumai. With him taking the lead, everything fell into place."
"Of course… Kin'emon and Momonosuke will remain here for a while longer. The Lightforged Beacon is still a secret to them, so we won't send them directly to Zou or Wano just yet."
"They came from twenty years ago. Kin'emon can handle it, but Momonosuke… he's still just an eight-year-old child. I need to give him some 'training'—at the very least, he can't be someone who collapses in fear at the sight of blood."
Rosinante chuckled. "Yasuie-sama and Denjiro both agreed with this plan. Just a few months ago, that kid was still being doted on by his parents. It's amazing he hasn't had a breakdown already."
"Then it's settled. Once his training is done, I'll have Law take him to Zou."
"The crisis on Zou has been resolved. Raizo and the others are now free to focus on getting stronger."
Kin'emon was currently sparring with Cavendish.
As a samurai—Wano's unique term for a swordsman—he and Cavendish were evenly matched. Cavendish was captivated by Kin'emon's "Foxfire Style," especially his flame-splitting technique. To him, being able to slash flames was just… cool.
Kin'emon was already a formidable warrior. Cavendish, despite wielding the famed sword "Durandal," still hadn't mastered advanced Armament Haki. Only in his "White Horse" state could he barely suppress Kin'emon and his twin flame blades.
Their duel pushed both swordsmen to new heights.
Momonosuke's situation, however, was a bit more unusual.
After much discussion with Kin'emon, and finally grasping all the Navy had done for Wano, Momonosuke realized just how difficult those feats had been—and what kind of tragedy would have unfolded without them. Understanding this, he made a decisive choice.
As the son of Kouzuki Oden, Daimyo of Kuri, and the legitimate heir to the Shogunate of Wano, he formally proposed an alliance with Wright's Navy Headquarters.
Wano would join forces with the Navy to destroy Kaido—one of the Four Emperors—and vowed to end its isolation and open its borders.
The Navy would be allowed to station troops in Wano with a standard branch base under the command of a Vice Admiral, as long as Wright remained Fleet Admiral. Wano would stand as the Navy's staunchest ally.
Of course, this wasn't a decision made solely by a kid like Momonosuke. Once Momonosuke committed to the alliance, Wright gave Kin'emon and him secure communications with Wano and Zou.
After an "online meeting" with their retainers and Shimotsuki Yasuie, Momonosuke consolidated all their input and finalized the alliance terms.
With that, the entire Wano Resistance—aside from Kanjuro, who was still en route to Zou—had united under Momonosuke's banner, preparing for the final battle.
And everyone was in agreement—Kanjuro should be kept alive until the last moment, so he could continue misleading Orochi.
After all, they all wanted to know: Why did he betray them for Kurozumi Orochi?
Unlike the others who had lived through twenty years, Kikunojo and Raizo—who also traveled through time—struggled to accept the truth at first.
But reality left no room for denial. They could only try to adjust their mindsets, making sure not to give away any cracks when they next saw Kanjuro.
Momonosuke, having made it through all of this, was still somewhat dazed. But with Yasuie, Kin'emon, and Denjiro all in agreement, he had no choice but to undergo Wright's "willpower training."
So, what exactly was "willpower training"…?
Wright took parts of the "Lightbinding Ritual" and "Lightforged Trial" once used on the Vinsmoke family—specifically the segment focused on spiritual trials—and combined them with Tashigi's Nine-Tailed Fox illusion arts to create a specialized training method for mental fortitude.
He urgently summoned Kuina to replace Tashigi for this task.
Inside the training construct, Momonosuke would experience ten years of simulated mental struggle within just ten real-world days.
Wright would throw every kind of hardship and brutal trial at him—shaping his willpower, teaching him knowledge, ideology, and combat skills—transforming him into a worthy heir to the shogunate.
Of course, among the trials were more… personalized segments, such as "100 Ways a Lecher Dies."
As a veteran One Piece fan, Wright knew all the countless "ways to kill Momonosuke" that circulated among the fandom—and he was determined to make sure the little pervert never forgot a single one.
His simulated "deaths" would include (but not be limited to) Garp's iron fist, Smoker's suffocation, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki, Magellan's poison, Mihawk's black blade, Enel's electroshock therapy, Boa Hancock's petrification, and Ivankov's… well… let's not go there.
Wright's goal wasn't quite to spiritually castrate him—but at the very least, to forge a truly pure-hearted child who no longer harbored lowly desires.
Because really, using the guise of a child to act indecently? That's a death sentence in itself.
"He's going to become an outstanding Shogun. I guarantee it."
The proud smiles of Kin'emon, Yasuie, and Denjiro still lingered in Wright's mind.
Though… he might end up with a teeny-tiny case of… fear of romance? But that's a problem for way down the road. Not my department.
The Fleet Admiral stroked his chin smugly.
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