Wano Country.
A large man was dancing wildly in the streets, acting like a fool, wearing nothing but a cloth covering his privates.
This man was Kozuki Oden.
It was something he did every week. Everyone laughed at him, disappointed in his behavior. Only his wife, children, and nine loyal retainers stood by his side.
Kozuki Oden grinned broadly, striking exaggerated poses.
"Hehe, Mom, look! Foolish Oden is dancing again. It's so funny!" A little girl giggled, pointing at Oden and eagerly tugging at her mother's sleeve.
"Don't look. Let's go home," the woman said, casting a disdainful glance at Oden. She muttered under her breath, "To think he's the son of the former shogun, Kozuki Sukiyaki, and the daimyo of Kuri… How could he abandon himself like this? What a disappointment."
"HAHAHAHA! Foolish Oden, keep dancing! Dance!"
"Foolish Oden!"
"Foolish Oden!"
"Ah-ha~ Ding-ding-dong-dong~"
As if deaf to the insults around him, Oden continued his ridiculous dance without a care.
"This is only the first year. Four more to go. I must hold on—for the hostages, for my family, for the chance to sail away. That truth… I must open Wano's borders! This country can't remain isolated any longer. I have to endure. Once the ships are ready, Kaido and Orochi will leave. Then…"
The thought made him laugh again.
"Back then, Roger offered to help me, but I refused. How foolish of me… No! I was right! This is my burden to bear!"
Though his heart burned with resolve, his face remained that of a grinning fool.
As Oden played the idiot, one person watched him intently.
It was a woman—a kunoichi, slender with a petite mouth, a high nose, and a face as fair as peach blossoms. Her twin tails and pinkish attire gave her an air of mature charm, yet with a touch of cuteness.
This was Shinobu, once a retainer of the Kozuki Family.
"Kozuki Oden… I overheard your deal with Kaido and Orochi. You… are a true man."
Flower Capital, Shogun's Castle.
Kurozumi Orochi sat on the floor, guzzling sake.
"Report, Lord Orochi! Kozuki Oden is dancing in the streets of the Flower Capital!"
"HAHAHAHA! Good, good. Keep watching him."
"Yes!"
Gulp, gulp… Orochi drank greedily, his eyes gleaming with cunning and triumph.
"Yahahahaha! Yahahahaha! If Kozuki Oden knew that everything five years from now is a lie, I wonder how he'd react? Yahahahaha! YahaHAHAHA!"
Gulp, gulp…
"Kozuki Oden is no longer a threat to you, Shogun."
An old man emerged from the inner room, holding a biwa. This was Kurozumi Semimaru, Orochi's ally and a user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
"Exactly, exactly. Hehehe, Kozuki Oden is just a fool, easily tricked!"
A grotesque old woman followed, her appearance eerie and unsettling. This was Kurozumi Higurashi, user of the Clone-Clone Fruit.
"Yahahahaha! Well said! Wano belongs to me, Kurozumi Orochi! What right does Kozuki Oden have to challenge me?!"
Higurashi smirked. "Hehe, Lord Orochi, as long as Kaido keeps producing seastone cuffs, weapons, and experimenting with Devil Fruits, all that power will eventually be yours."
"Of course! It's all MINE! I am the ruler of Wano! Even Kaido obeys my orders! I am Kurozumi Orochi—who dares defy me?!"
With that, Orochi's body twisted and expanded, transforming into a monstrous eight-headed serpent—Yamata no Orochi. Each head hissed menacingly, the central one adorned with a crown.
"Hehehe…" Higurashi chuckled darkly, while Semimaru remained silent.
Time passed swiftly. The sky paled at the edges as evening approached.
Wano Country, Kuri.
Kozuki Oden's Residence.
Oden sat at the head of the room, his nine retainers standing before him:
Kin'emon
Denjiro
Kanjuro
Kikunojo
Raizo
Ashura Doji
Kawamatsu
Inuarashi
Nekomamushi
Oden grinned. "Momonosuke, Hiyori, come here. Let your father hold you."
"Yes, Father!"
Kozuki Momonosuke was the first to rush into Oden's arms.
Oden's eyes crinkled with joy, tears welling up.
"Mmm… Momonosuke is so polite. Your father is so happy."
"Nn… nn!"
Little Hiyori, still unable to speak, toddled toward him, arms outstretched.
"Ah… Hiyori is so adorable. Come here."
Oden embraced both children tightly. This moment—more than anything else—was his greatest happiness. No matter how much he was mocked during the day, none of it mattered now.
Beside him, Kozuki Toki smiled softly.
"Oden… will you dance in the Flower Capital again tomorrow?"
"Yeah, Toki."
Kozuki Oden rubbed his face against Momonosuke and Hiyori's cheeks while replying to Kozuki Toki, grinning from ear to ear.
"Can I put on clothes before dancing?"
"No."
The nine retainers below shouted in unison: "So blunt with your answer!!!"
"HAHAHAHA!"
Kozuki Oden burst into laughter, his mouth wide open.
"I think it's pretty fun. Dancing like this every week helps me relax—it's a form of training."
The nine retainers below yelled in unison: "Train your *ss!!!"
"YAHHAHAHA!"
Kozuki Oden laughed even harder. Everyone in the room was family he cared about—what did a little hardship matter?
Kin'emon crossed his arms, exasperated, and said to Kozuki Oden: "Unreliable Lord Oden, what exactly are you trying to achieve by doing this? Can't you even tell us?"
"That's right, Lord Oden. We are your loyal retainers—you should tell us."
Denjirou adjusted his glasses, equally puzzled. Kozuki Oden's change was just too drastic.
Kozuki Oden waved his hand with a laugh: "Haha, I just thought of it on a whim—"