The sun slowly rose above the sea.
Unlike the peaceful Wano Country of old, the land was now a scene of devastation.
Burned wooden homes had become heaps of charcoal. Thin wisps of smoke rose from the ruins, and the acrid smell of burning filled the battlefield.
After last night's chaotic fighting, the battlefield had fallen quiet. It looked desolate.
Wano Country's samurai crawled out from among the wreckage. They dared not leave the battlefield, for Kaido's men would seize the land the moment they did.
The sunrise also signaled one thing: the war was about to begin again.
"Get up! Stay on guard! Come on, all of you, stay alert!"
A samurai captain roared across the battlefield, startling the bleary-eyed samurai awake.
Exhaustion and hunger washed over them, but no one complained.
"What's going on? Why have those raiders pulled back?" one samurai asked, staring at the pirates who had retreated far into the distance.
"Did we drive them off?"
Joy began to spread among Wano Country's samurai.
"This is wonderful! Send word to the daimyo at once. We've driven back the Beasts Pirates!"
Cheers rose among the samurai. They thought this hellish war was finally coming to an end.
"Wait. Look over there. Who are those people? They don't seem to be Kaido's men."
A samurai stood on the roof of a mostly collapsed house. The joy drained from his face, and a hint of despair appeared in his eyes.
"Why are there still so many of them? Is heaven determined to destroy Wano Country?"
Ahead of Wano Country's lines, a crowd of people in mismatched clothes shuffled toward the battlefield, their faces vacant.
"Form a defensive line! Now! We can't give up a single step!"
At a samurai's shout, the others formed several orderly ranks and prepared