"Guhahahahaha…"
"As expected of Kozuki Oden's retainers. Such loyalty!!!"
Watching Kin'emon and Raizo collapse to the ground, clutching the wounds in their abdomens, Kurozumi Orochi suddenly threw his head back and laughed wildly.
Kin'emon, lying on the ground, struggled to raise his head. Through dim, fading eyes, he stared fixedly at Momonosuke in Orochi's hand.
"W-We already did as you said… so let… let Lord Momonosuke go!!!"
"Guhahaha, don't worry. I, the shogun, am not a man who goes back on his word."
Under Kin'emon's unblinking glare, Orochi casually tossed Momonosuke onto the ground beside him, then sneered:
"When we get back, I'll brand him with the crest of the Kurozumi clan and make him a household slave. He can handle chores and menial labor!"
"I guarantee he'll live out the rest of his life in peace…"
"That is, if he doesn't resist!"
"Guhahahahaha!!!"
"You bastard!!!"
Kin'emon suddenly clenched his fists and forced his body upright.
To brand the heir of the Kozuki family with the Kurozumi crest—such humiliation was even worse than simply killing the young lord. To retainers like them, it was the ultimate disgrace.
At that moment, how could Kin'emon not realize he had been toyed with by Kurozumi Orochi?
But…
Even if he had known, what could he have done?!
Unaware of what had happened to Kaido and the Beasts Pirates, Kin'emon had believed this was already the best possible outcome.
No matter what, at least the young lord's life had been preserved.
As for what would happen in the future… that would depend on the young lord's fate.
Blood streamed continuously from Kin'emon's wounds, carrying his life away bit by bit.
Perhaps his vitality really was extraordinary. Beside him, Raizo—who had merely been stabbed by a short blade—was already breathing out more than he breathed in, at death's door. Yet Kin'emon still had enough strength and awareness left to regret his own failure.
And just then, a sudden change occurred!
A swift blur shot past Orochi's side. Before anyone could react, it snatched up Momonosuke from the ground and, in the blink of an eye, arrived beside Kin'emon and Raizo.
"Kin'emon! Raizo!?"
"Are you two alright?!"
Denjiro, his pompadour-like hair piled atop his head, turned back abruptly and asked in anguish.
"Y-You are!?"
Kin'emon looked up in confusion. The unfamiliar face before him gradually overlapped with a figure from his memory, and he cried out in shock:
"You're Denjiro!!!"
"That's right, it's me!!!"
Denjiro set Momonosuke down beside Kin'emon, then drew the long sword at his waist with one hand.
"There'll be time to catch up later."
"Can you still move?!"
"Cough—cough!!!"
Kin'emon coughed up a huge mouthful of blood, which spilled from the corner of his lips.
But in the next moment, he suddenly yanked the blade out of his abdomen, pressed one hand against the wound that pierced straight through him, and, relying purely on sheer samurai spirit, forced himself back to his feet.
"I… can still fight!!!"
"Don't be ridiculous!"
The corner of Denjiro's mouth lifted as he put on a relaxed expression.
"Who said I need an injured man to fight?"
"If you can still move, then hurry up and take the young lord and Raizo out of here!"
"I'll handle things here!!!"
"Denjiro!" Kin'emon shouted.
But immediately after, Denjiro roared even louder:
"Idiot! Do you really want the Kozuki bloodline to end here?!"
"Or do you seriously think your wounded body can hold off thousands of men!?"
"Don't forget! I've had twenty more years of training than you…"
"My strength has long since surpassed anything you can imagine!!!"
"..."
Kin'emon clenched his fists tightly, tears filling his eyes.
But after a brief moment, he nodded heavily.
"…Alright!"
"We'll wait for you to join us!"
With that, Kin'emon scooped up the terrified, stunned Momonosuke in one arm and the wounded, weakened Raizo in the other.
Then, without another word, he turned to flee.
Seeing this, Orochi's face instantly darkened to a color blacker than charcoal itself.
He roared furiously:
"Kyoshiro!!! What are you doing!!!?"
"Kyoshiro?!"
Denjiro drew his second katana. Ryuo—the blackened power of Armament Haki—instantly coiled tightly around both blades.
"I'm no damn Kyoshiro!!!"
"My true identity is Kozuki Oden's retainer—Denjiro!!!"
"Kurozumi Orochi, your life ends here!!!"
As he spoke, Denjiro lunged forward and slashed toward Orochi.
"Oden Two-Sword Style: Paradise Totsuka!!!"
Denjiro shouted in fury.
"You bastard! Kanjuro!!!"
Orochi casually barked out an order to Kanjuro—whose identity had already been exposed—commanding him to intercept Denjiro.
But suddenly, a furious female shout rang out from the distant sky.
"You damned kidnapper, and you still dare try to murder someone in broad daylight!?"
"Thunder… Bagua!!!"
Boom!!!
From the far-off shoreline beyond the forest came a deafening explosion like the roar of thunder.
In the next instant, a storming blast wrapped in endless freezing air erupted from the sea, perfectly predicting Denjiro's position and swallowing him whole in an instant.
Blazing lightning illuminated the silent night, and with it, every trace of shock and disbelief on the faces of those present became crystal clear.
"Denjiro!!!"
Kin'emon, who had only just made it a short distance away, stared with bloodshot eyes at Denjiro being struck by the sudden attack, fury surging through him.
He immediately turned toward the direction the attack had come from and saw, to his horror, a pirate ship bearing the flag of the Beasts Pirates sailing toward their location.
At the bow stood a valiant-looking woman, her eyes gleaming as she locked onto him.
Whoosh!!!
As if sensing Kin'emon's gaze, the figure on the ship leapt high into the air, swinging a massive kanabo down toward him.
"Damn it!!! The Beasts Pirates!!! Why now of all times!?"
"Is heaven truly determined to destroy the Kozuki family?!"
Kin'emon's heart was filled with despair.
But even in such a hopeless situation, he still didn't hesitate. He set Momonosuke and Raizo down on the ground, then drew the katana at his waist to face the enemy.
Clang!!!
The massive kanabo and the sharp blade collided in midair, throwing off a shower of blazing sparks.
However…
Severely wounded as he was, how could Kin'emon possibly be a match for Yamato, whose strength rivaled that of a top Yonko commander?
In less than a few seconds, Kin'emon was blasted flying by Yamato's overwhelming force. He smashed violently into the nearby forest, snapping several huge trees before finally crashing to a stop.
And because of that, his injuries worsened even further—just a tiny bit more and they would have become fatal.
"Hmph! Human trafficker!"
After blasting Kin'emon away, Yamato cast a disdainful look toward the direction he had flown.
Then she strode over to Momonosuke, put on a gentle smile, and picked him up.
"Don't worry. It's okay now."
"You're safe."
Saying that, Yamato carried Momonosuke toward Orochi's formation and handed him over.
"Here! I got your child back for you."
"Really, be more careful! Don't go losing track of your own kid!"
"…Huh?"
Hearing Yamato's words, every single person present stared wide-eyed at one another in stunned silence.
In the end, Orochi was the first to react. He grabbed Momonosuke by the collar with one hand.
"Yes, yes, yes, many thanks indeed!!!"
"Guhehehe…"
"Hehe~" Yamato, believing she had done a good deed, smiled innocently, then patted her chest in heroic fashion. "Since we are born beneath heaven and earth, it is only right to draw our blades when faced with injustice!"
"This is but a trivial matter, not worth mentioning!!!"
For the first time, Yamato had spoken lines straight from Oden's journal out loud, and she felt genuinely pleased with herself.
However, at that very moment…
Bang!!!
A sudden gunshot instantly plunged the scene into silence once more.
On the utterly silent shore, Yamato stared dumbfounded as Momonosuke was shot clean through the forehead. He dropped to the ground with a thud.
The only male heir of the Kozuki family, the future shogun of Wano Country, and perhaps someone whose status might have risen with Luffy's in the future—Kozuki Momonosuke…
Just like that, less than three hours after arriving from twenty years in the past, he was dead.
If a land of the dead truly existed in this world, then Kozuki Momonosuke would surely want to ask his mother, Kozuki Toki:
You sent me from the past into the future… just so I could die!?
"Y-You… what are you doing!?"
Yamato looked at Kurozumi Orochi in confusion and anger. She could not understand why he had just personally killed his own "child."
But Orochi only gave a sinister grin.
"What am I doing?"
"Obviously, I'm accepting Young Master Yamato's help and completely eliminating the danger the Kozuki family poses to Wano Country!!!"
"If Young Master Yamato hadn't suddenly shown up, then Kozuki Oden's son would've escaped!!!"
"Guhahahahaha…"
Clearly, Orochi knew who Yamato was. At the very least, he knew of Yamato's existence and had heard some things about her strange, half-crazed personality.
And only then did Yamato suddenly realize…
She had done a good deed that led to a terrible outcome!!!
She stared blankly at the dead, wide-eyed Momonosuke, then at the retainers of the Kozuki family lying grievously wounded on the ground from her own blows, now glaring this way because of Momonosuke's death.
At that moment, Yamato felt as though her mind had gone completely blank. Every sound in the world vanished, leaving behind only a sharp, piercing ringing that echoed through her mind.
"I… indirectly killed Kozuki Oden's son?!"
"I… killed Kozuki Oden's son!?"
Yamato, who had always wanted to become Kozuki Oden, felt as if her entire sky had collapsed.
At that moment, the Beasts Pirates' ship, which had been slowly approaching, finally reached shore.
Led by Who's-Who and the other Tobiroppo, a large group of Beasts Pirates quickly disembarked and efficiently spread into formation along the coastline.
Who's-Who hurried at once to Yamato's side, as if worried that Orochi might attack her, and moved to protect her.
Seeing Yamato's dazed expression, Who's-Who was momentarily stunned as well.
But he quickly came to his senses and shouted viciously toward the front:
"Kurozumi Orochi, what did you do to the new Governor-General of the Beasts?!"
"The new Governor-General of the Beasts?"
Orochi froze for a moment.
Clearly, he had not expected the transfer of power within the Beasts Pirates to happen so quickly—or so secretly.
He hadn't heard a single thing about it.
And seeing the Beasts Pirates fully armed and ready, a dangerous look also appeared on Orochi's face as he stared directly at Who's-Who.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?!"
"Why are you here?"
When Kaido had still been alive, Orochi already considered himself Kaido's equal in status.
Now that Kaido was missing and his whereabouts were unknown, how could Orochi possibly think highly of these underlings of Kaido's?
And what Who's-Who said next only made Orochi laugh even harder.
"Hmph! Kurozumi Orochi, you've oppressed the people of Wano Country for years. We came today to uphold justice and wipe out a scourge like you!!!"
"Guhahahahaha…"
"What absurdly arrogant words!"
Orochi laughed savagely.
Still, having just witnessed Yamato's strength, he knew very well that the forces on his side were no match for the Beasts Pirates.
Even if they were now a dragon without a head—no, a dragon with a new head.
But that didn't matter.
The reason Kurozumi Orochi had been able to hold firmly to the seat of shogun all these years was not because he lacked means of his own.
"You really dare oppose me, Who's-Who!?"
Orochi honestly took a step backward, hiding behind his subordinates.
But his mouth remained just as overbearing as ever:
"Don't tell me you don't know… the Kurozumi clan has always been cooperating with the World Government!?"
"CP0 checks in regularly to confirm my safety!"
"If they find out you've laid a hand on me…"
"You should know exactly how miserable your end will be, shouldn't you?!"
"CP…0!?" Who's-Who's expression changed.
This was indeed something he had not anticipated.
And a deal important enough for the World Government to dispatch CP0 directly was more than enough to show how highly they valued Kurozumi Orochi.
For a moment, even Who's-Who hesitated, unsure whether he should continue trying to seize control of Wano Country.
But just then, a voice suddenly came from above everyone's heads.
"Oh? CP0? I'd quite like to see whether they've got the guts to come looking for trouble with us."
The moment the voice sounded, ripples abruptly spread through the space overhead.
A figure had appeared there at some unknown moment, as though he had always existed in that spot from the very beginning.
In the next second, a massive Hyperspace Hole tore open the moonlit sky, ripping a gap dozens of meters wide through space itself.
A ship bearing the flag of the Straw Hat Pirates slowly emerged from the pitch-black, mysterious spatial wormhole.
And standing on its deck were one world-famous figure after another.
The ones who had come…
Were none other than Red, who had arrived in Wano Country ahead of schedule and been watching the drama unfold from above for quite some time, along with the Straw Hat Pirates who had come with him!
Whoooosh—!!!
A nameless wind suddenly blew in from the direction of the sea, but it felt like piercing frost as it stabbed into the hearts of everyone present except Yamato.
At that moment, whether they were Orochi's men or the pirates of the Beasts Pirates, all of them revealed expressions of utter terror as they stared at the unexpected visitors in the sky.
(End of Chapter)