Kozuki Oden immediately summoned his three retainers to rendezvous.
Although he possessed significant confidence in his own strength, the intelligence reports suggested that the fifteen-year-old girl was exceptionally powerful, perhaps more than a single man could handle.
One must remember that Oden was not like the Shogun or the chauvinistic constables; he had sailed with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and had seen countless young prodigies. While a fifteen-year-old dominating the seas was rare, it wasn't impossible. He had encountered powerful women before, so he did not underestimate his opponent. Instead, he viewed the intruder as a formidable foe and called upon his three primary retainers.
Soon, Oden met with his trio: Kin'emon, clutching his katana; Kanjuro, his face painted like a kabuki actor with thick hair and a giant brush as a weapon; and Raizo, who possessed a massive head but a remarkably sturdy build.
However, trailing behind the three retainers was a small "tail"—a child with a traditional samurai topknot, wearing a peach-colored kimono identical to Oden's. With his prominent nostrils and a mischievous glint in his eyes, he was the brat who would one day annoy the world: Momonosuke.
"Momonosuke! What are you doing here? Get back home at once!"
Oden barked at the boy first, then shot a reproachful glare at his retainers.
"Our apologies, Oden-sama..." Kin'emon lowered his head in shame. "When young master Momonosuke heard the news, he insisted on coming. We simply couldn't..."
The Kozuki clan was one of the highest-ranking families in Wano, second only to the Shogun. As the son of the Daimyo, Momonosuke's status was comparable to that of a World Noble's son in Mariejois—he could act with near-impunity within the country. When he threw a tantrum, Kin'emon and the others had no choice but to bring him along.
"Nonsense!" Oden fumed, commanding, "Kin'emon, take Momonosuke back immediately—"
BOOM!!!
Before Oden could finish, a violent explosion rocked the city gates behind him. Kin'emon and Kanjuro nearly had their eyes pop out of their sockets as they watched over a dozen samurai sent flying through the air, crashing heavily to the ground.
Oden turned and witnessed the scene himself.
"Forget it! The three of you follow me. Momonosuke, go back now!"
Seeing the severity of the situation, Oden had no time to coddle his son. He ordered his retainers to move out. Watching his father and the retainers disappear, the four-year-old Momonosuke's eyes darted around as he let out a cunning smirk.
How could he miss out on something this exciting?
…
"Fighting a nation of samurai is unexpectedly entertaining!"
Loli A stood surrounded by a sea of warriors, her hands in her pockets as she laughed. Half of the samurai surrounding her already lay dead.
She had seen quite a few unique abilities, likely a combination of Haki and self-taught techniques, and some that were clearly Devil Fruit powers. However, the people here seemed ignorant of what Devil Fruits were, instead referring to them as "curses" or other such nonsense.
Suddenly, a flash of fire lit up the sky. Loli A looked up to see a bizarrely shaped giant bird flapping its wings frantically tens of meters in the air.
Kanjuro was controlling the painted bird, while Kin'emon leapt from the sky, his katana erupting in flames as he unleashed a crescent-shaped fire slash.
"Another one with a strange ability."
Loli A ignored the encroaching flames and charged straight through the inferno. Kin'emon was stunned by her recklessness. By the time he regained his senses, Loli A was already in his face, her black gun, Jackal, pressed against his blade.
"Jackpot!"
"Kin'emon, look out!"
Suddenly, a barrage of kunai rained down. In a split second, Kin'emon forcefully twisted his body in mid-air, clearing the line of fire and allowing the kunai to strike Loli A's body.
"We did it!"
Raizo stood on a nearby rooftop, pumping his fist in excitement. Taking advantage of the opening, Oden followed up by throwing kunai of his own, though these were covered in explosive tags.
A moment later, a series of massive explosions sent a pillar of fire into the heavens. The power of the explosive tags was immense.
"Even if she didn't die from the fall, that blast should have finished her."
Raizo felt triumphant, believing no one could survive such an explosion. Of course, had he ever encountered Kaido or a Logia user, he wouldn't have been so optimistic.
A hundred meters away, tucked behind a corner, Momonosuke poked his small head out, whispering excitedly, "As expected, Father is the strongest!"
The flames from the explosion continued to burn, spreading to nearby houses. Seeing this, Oden waved his hand and ordered, "Put out the fires!"
At that moment, a pool of blood teeming with eyes erupted from the sea of fire, swallowing the flames whole. Loli A's body slowly rose from the depths. Her form was now composed of shadows, save for a single crimson eye on her face that matched the eyes in the pool.
"What kind of monster is this!?"
"The previous attack... wasn't enough to kill her?"
The onlookers cried out in disbelief.
"A power user...?" Oden whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
"Hah..."
Loli A raised her hands high. Countless shadow hands surged out of the pool of blood. With a violent downward sweep of her arms, the hands, originally only a meter long, extended instantly to dozens of meters.
Oden on the ground, Raizo on the roof, and Kanjuro in the sky were all caught in a split second. Their flesh was torn asunder, leaving them heavily wounded.
This blood-soaked scene terrified Momonosuke, who was watching from hiding. The final image etched into his soul, a true childhood trauma, was that dark shadow slowly stepping out from a pool of blood covered in staring eyes.