Onigashima

"It looks like we're in big trouble."

Zoro frowned as he looked at Cifer, whose words were calm yet whose aura was astonishing.

"Yes, if we go against him, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Sanji casually lit a cigarette, his curled eyebrows twitching slightly.

"Um... Does Lord Zoro Juro know the person who killed Orochi?"

Despite it being an obvious fact, a blue-haired girl with her head covered by a cloth still spoke up.

"With him here, Wano Country will definitely be saved, but whether it will be your 'Kozuki' clan's Wano Country is hard to say."

Zoro had no intention of lingering any longer and decisively turned around. He needed to find Luffy and Law as soon as possible to discuss attacking Kaido.

The remaining members of the Scabbard Nine, who were hidden in the crowd, also lowered their heads and left.

Inside the prison cell, the Kanjuro was completely dumbfounded.

"No... don't bully my daddy! Hahahaha~"

Although Toko was terrified and her face turned pale, she still trembled as she stood in front of her injured father.

"Why... why do they laugh even though they're clearly terrified of Cifer?"

Chopper noticed something was wrong.

The little girl in front of me was trembling all over, clearly terrified, and despite tears streaming down her face, she was still laughing.

"It's SMILE. I've heard of it before. It's a failed Artificial Devil Fruit. Eating it won't give you any abilities, but it will make you unable to swim."

"Moreover, they will be deprived of all other emotions except for smiling; whether it is sadness or anger, they can only laugh."

The intelligence network of Las Noches is terrifyingly large. Cifer is a hands-off manager, but Lucci is the ship's helmsman and part-time intelligence expert.

"They are so pitiful..."

As a princess, Shirahoshi, as always, had compassion for these innocent citizens.

"Chopper, are you capable of solving this?"

Robin looked down and touched the little guy who was still licking his lollipop.

"It's hard to say... I've never encountered this situation before; a diagnosis is needed first..."

Chopper frowned as well; in a sense, this was no longer an illness or injury.

"Let's put those things aside for now, go have a meal first, and then we'll get down to business."

Cifer tore through the void, he sensed Kaido's presence on Onigashima.

"Think about it carefully yourself. The time limit is Kaido's death. The fate of the people of Wano Country is in your hands."

After glancing at the Shimotsuki Yasui and uttering his last words, Cifer and his group left gracefully.

"Kanjuro... why don't you become the shogun of Wano Country!"

After all this turmoil, some people have begun to believe that the Kanjuro might be the only ones who can lead them to a better life.

Although the Kozuki lineage was once a hereditary general, they have been missing for 20 years, while the Kanjuro patriarch has transformed into a "Buddha" to protect them.

Of course, there are also many staunch supporters of the Kozuki Clan.

"Gentlemen, please stop talking!"

The Kanjuro waved their hands in refusal.

As the last surviving member, he had served the daimyo of the Kozuki Family. Knowing that the Kozuki Family still had descendants, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.

In the shadows, unnoticed by anyone, the headless body of the Kurozumi Orochi, which should have been lying there, had vanished without a trace.

Moments later, on Onigashima.

The "Fire Festival," originally scheduled for a few days later, has been moved forward due to the invaders.

Kaido, the admiral of the Beasts Pirates, along with two of their All-Stars, the Tobi Roppo, the Babanuki, the True Impactor, the Gifters, and the Standbys, all gathered together.

Despite the imminent start of the war, the members of the Beasts Pirates indulged in eating, drinking, and singing.

"Shouldn't they have prepared a share for us?"

Suddenly, the space above Kaido's pavilion shattered, and Cifer and his group emerged from it.

"Certainly!"

Kaido beckoned, and his True Impactor began bringing wine and meat to the table. The meeting of these two Sea Emperor unwittingly created a contest of power.

Kaido's imposing yet stern expression contrasted sharply with Cifer's indifference, plunging the entire venue into silence.

"That's... the man we're going to fight tonight?!"

The henchmen below, though they only glanced at it, felt as if their lives were about to come to an end.

"Kaido, release Yamato!"

After a few sips of wine, Ace couldn't hold back his words any longer and shouted while standing on Kaido's table with one foot.

"I remember now, it was you who came to Onigashima to cause trouble a few years ago while I was away!"

Kaido initially intended to reward him with a Thunder Bagua, but ultimately refrained from doing so, instead glaring fiercely at him.

"What do you mean 'when you weren't here'? You were clearly the one who happened to be away! Otherwise, I would have defeated you right then and there!"

Ace blushed slightly, but remained arrogant. Kaido silent, only drinking.

Seeing that war had not yet broken out, the noise below began to return.

"Drake, why did you betray Mr. Kaido?!"

Jin had already taken off the mask he had worn all year round and looked at Drake, who was sitting on the far side of Cifer's group, with dissatisfaction.

"You're wrong about that. I actually joined Las Noches first."

Drake showed no mercy, stating that he had never intended to join the Beasts Pirates.

"Waaaaah~ So you wanted to make a move on me all along? Then why wait until now!"

Kaido didn't care about the mere Tobi Roppo; he could easily find a replacement if he wanted to. His gaze fell on Cifer.

"Your head is only temporarily placed on your neck. As for when you want to take it back, that's entirely up to you."

Cifer didn't care whether his words would cause the other party to flip the table, answering the question as casually as when he was going to eat.

"Woo-la-la-la~ That's interesting!"

Kaido the sake in his hand in one gulp, and then ordered his subordinates to fetch more sake.

"Today, everyone, eat and drink your fill. Only one Sea Emperor will emerge alive from Onigashima!"

"Yes!"

The Beasts Pirates' morale was boosted, and the crew members began indulging in feasts and drinks, with no one knowing whether they would see the sun rise tomorrow.

"Kaido! You have to help me this time!"

Amidst the commotion, a shout suddenly pierced through the crowd and reached the ears of those in the attic.

The supposedly dead Kurozumi Orochi reappeared on Onigashima, followed by a man with purplish-red hair and a face that looked like it was covered in heavy makeup.

In the latter's hand, there was a little devil with only a tuft of hair tied up on his head.

"He's still alive?"

Lucci was somewhat surprised; he had seen it clearly—his entire head had flown off.

"Orochi? What are you doing here?!"

Kaido showed no kindness towards this so-called general; from beginning to end, he had only been using him.

"You... we're bound together! Without me, your rule over Wano Country won't be smooth!"

Orochi didn't really want to come, but right now he could only rely on Kaido Momonosuke his subordinates!

Even with the latter alone, it wouldn't be easy for him to escape Wano Country; he could only pin his hopes on Kaido.

"That kid looks pretty cute!"

When Robin saw the bruised and battered child being held hostage, she felt a pang of pity and wanted to use her powers to rescue him.

"No need."

Cifer reached out and stopped Robin from doing what she was about to do.

He disliked the Kozuki Clan.