The New World.
Crimson Empire, Flower Capital.
Deep within the dimly lit basement of a nondescript house nestled in a shadowed alleyway, an oppressive silence filled the air. Though the city above was bathed in daylight, this place remained cloaked in darkness, the only source of illumination a lone, flickering white candle at the center of a worn wooden table. The flame trembled unnaturally as if responding to a phantom wind that had no place in this enclosed space.
From the surrounding darkness, uneven breaths could be heard, betraying the tension of those hidden within.
Then, breaking the silence, a sharp, childish voice rang out.
"Kin'emon, it's already the seventh day! This is our last chance! Are there truly no Kozuki warriors left who remain loyal?" The voice, strained with frustration, belonged to none other than Momonosuke, his small frame barely visible in the dim candlelight. "Have the retainers of our clan been brainwashed by that cursed Buggy Pirates?!" His hands curled into trembling fists. "Did they see our signal and simply choose to ignore it?! How could they turn their backs on us?!"
A shadow stirred.
"Lord Momonosuke, do not despair." Kin'emon, kneeling close by, spoke in a firm, reassuring tone. "I refuse to believe our samurai would abandon the Kozuki name. They are men of honor! Men who once stood beside Lord Oden!" His voice wavered slightly, but he forced himself to remain resolute. "They must have seen our call for aid. They must be gathering in secret as we speak!"
But across the room, another figure scoffed, his voice carrying a bitter edge.
"Kin'emon, are we still lying to ourselves?" Kanjuro leaned forward, his expression hidden beneath the shadows. His tone was heavy, as though he had long carried the weight of doubt. "Face reality. The fact that no one has come… it speaks volumes, doesn't it?"
Momonosuke flinched, but Kanjuro pressed on.
"They were Lord Oden's men, yes. But look at Wano now. Look at the Flower Capital. Do you not see how the people look upon the Kozuki crest? With scorn. With contempt. With open disgust, as if they would gladly trample it beneath their feet! How can you still believe we have a future here? How can you still believe we can reclaim our land?!"
"Enough, Kanjuro!"
Kin'emon's voice erupted in fury, his hands shaking as they clenched into fists. "We are the last samurai who can save this country! If even we lose faith—"
Creeeak.
The sudden sound of a door opening cut through the room like a blade.
Instantly, all three figures tensed. Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Momonosuke moved as one, hands flying to the hilts of their swords, their bodies taut with wariness.
At the entrance, silhouetted against the dim light, stood three figures.
For a long moment, neither side spoke. The tension was suffocating, an unspoken weight pressing down on the room as the two groups simply stared at each other.
Then, finally, the tallest of the three newcomers let out a deep sigh.
"So it is you." His voice was filled with disbelief and something else—something almost mournful. "Kin'emon… Kanjuro… and Momonosuke."
As the three figures stepped fully into the light, their faces became visible at last.
And Kin'emon, his heart hammering in his chest, finally saw who had come.
"Kikunojo!"
"Ashura Doji!"
"Kawamatsu!!!"
"You guys are alive! You're alive!"
Tears welled up in Momonosuke's eyes as he stumbled forward, his voice cracking with emotion. "We've been waiting for so long, fearing you wouldn't come! But I knew it—I knew it! The retainers of the Kozuki Clan are the most loyal!" His chest heaved as sobs wracked his small frame. "This proves it! There's still hope for the restoration of the Kozuki name! The revival of Wano—!"
Kin'emon was equally overcome with emotion, his hands trembling as he took a step forward, eager to embrace his long-lost comrades.
But just as he reached out, a firm hand yanked him back.
"Kin'emon, don't be so hasty," came Kanjuro's cold voice. His tone was sharp, cutting through the thick wave of emotions like a blade. "They're not here to welcome us."
"…What?"
Kanjuro's words were like a bucket of ice water dumped over Kin'emon's head. His excitement froze in an instant.
Momonosuke's sobs quieted as he blinked through his tears, confusion flickering across his face.
Only now did they truly look at Kikunojo, Ashura Doji, and Kawamatsu—and what they saw made their stomachs twist.
The three stood before them, not with joy, not with relief, but with cold, unreadable expressions.
No, it wasn't just that. Their eyes… were filled with hostility.
But why?
And why were those gazes locked not on Kin'emon, not on Momonosuke… but on Kanjuro?
Something was wrong. Kin'emon swallowed hard, his throat suddenly dry. "What's the meaning of this?" he finally asked, his voice laced with unease.
Slowly, the three warriors shifted their gazes toward him.
Kikunojo was the first to break the silence. With a weary sigh, she spoke.
"Kin'emon, if you truly remain loyal to Lord Oden… then take Momonosuke and leave the Crimson Empire. Find a quiet place. Live in peace."
Her voice was calm, but her words hit like a hammer.
"Or…" she continued, glancing away for a moment before steadying herself, "you can forget the past. Stay here. Work under the empire for three years, and you'll be granted citizenship. It's your choice."
"Kiku! Do you hear yourself?!" Kin'emon roared, his fists shaking with rage. "Even now, you can barely bring yourself to say Lord Oden's name! Is that why I waited?! Is that why I spread the Kozuki crest throughout the capital, hoping—believing—that my comrades would answer the call?!" His breath was ragged, his chest rising and falling as his anger boiled over. "Tell me the truth! What happened to Wano?! What did that outsider do to you?! Why—why has your loyalty wavered?!"
Momonosuke clenched his fists, his face flushed with fury.
"Exactly!" he shouted, stepping forward. "It's only been twenty years! Can your loyalty not endure the test of time?! We kept our promise—we have returned, just as we vowed we would!" His voice cracked, but he pressed on, his eyes burning with determination. "And now that we're here, you abandon our cause?! Why?! Why?!"
His breaths came fast and shallow, his entire body trembling.
"Kaido is dead!" he roared. "Now, all that's left is to overthrow this wretched Crimson Empire! Once we do, we can restore Wano together!"
Silence fell over the room.
Kikunojo, Ashura Doji, and Kawamatsu said nothing. They simply stared at him.
Time dragged on, and impatience gnawed at Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and Kanjuro as they awaited a response.
Then, suddenly—
A scoff broke the silence. And then—
"Oh? Hahahaha!"
A booming laugh erupted from Ashura Doji, his voice filled with scorn.
"Ashura Doji! What the hell are you laughing at?!" Kin'emon bellowed, his face twisting with anger. "Have you forgotten how Lord Oden gave his life to protect us?!"
But Ashura Doji's smirk only deepened, his eyes cold and sharp as a blade.
"Protect?" he spat. "Then tell me, Kin'emon—what exactly did Kozuki Oden protect?"
Kin'emon's breath caught in his throat. His face stiffened, his mind reeling.
He couldn't answer.
"You—you traitor!" Momonosuke's voice cracked with fury. He jabbed a trembling finger at Ashura Doji, his small body quaking. "You've been brainwashed by those evil Buggy Pirates, haven't you?! You're traitors! All of you!"
Just then, Kikunojo spoke.
Her voice, usually gentle, was now cold and distant.
"An agreement?" she repeated. "A mere twenty years?"
Her expression darkened, her eyes burning with an emotion neither Kin'emon nor Momonosuke could name.
"Momonosuke… do you have any idea what your so-called 'twenty-year agreement' has cost the people of Wano?" Her words cut like a blade. "Do you understand the humiliation, the suffering, the deaths that have piled up during those years?"
Momonosuke's lips parted, but no words came.
Kikunojo's gaze was unrelenting. "You speak so easily of twenty years," she continued, her tone laced with quiet fury. "Did you ever once consider what those twenty years meant for the people left behind?
"The ones who were slaughtered by Kaido's men."
"The ones who starved to death under Orochi's rule."
"The ones poisoned by the river's toxins, their bodies wasting away with no one to save them."
"The ones torn from their families, thrown into factories, worked to death like animals."
"The ones forced into experiments, their lives stolen for nothing."
She took a slow, deliberate breath.
"Do you know what all those people had in common?" Her voice dropped to a whisper. "They all waited for you."
The weight of her words crashed down like a tidal wave.
Kin'emon staggered, his mind spinning. But still, he forced out a hoarse cry.
"That was Kaido's doing!" he shouted, desperation creeping into his voice. "He's the one to blame! That's why we came back—to end his rule!"
His fists clenched, his body trembling. "Kiku, it's not us who are running away—it's you!" He forced himself to meet her gaze, his eyes burning. "We are samurai! We do not fear death!"
A bitter chuckle echoed through the room.
"Hahahaha…" Ashura Doji shook his head, looking at Kin'emon with something close to pity. "You don't get it, do you?" His voice was quiet now, but no less sharp. "If the pain isn't your own, then you don't care—is that it?"
He took a step forward, eyes gleaming with fury. "Let me tell you something, Kin'emon—Momonosuke."
The air around him crackled with emotion. "This is all because of Kozuki Oden's arrogance, his stupidity, his weakness."
Kin'emon's breath hitched. "Wano didn't fall because Kaido was too strong. The Roger Pirates could've wiped out the Beasts Pirates if they wanted. Whitebeard's crew could've crushed Orochi without breaking a sweat. But Oden? He did nothing."
Ashura Doji's fists tightened at his sides. "Instead of fighting for his people, he chose to be a clown—dancing like a fool for five years.
"Five. Years. How many people died in those years, Kin'emon? How many suffered? And for what? For some half-baked promise, Kaido never planned to keep?!"
"And you dare call yourselves samurai?!" His voice rose, fury and heartbreak twisting together. "What is a daimyo—what is a samurai—without Honour?!"
Kin'emon flinched as if he'd been struck. "I'll tell you this—the samurai of Wano died the day Kozuki Oden threw away his dignity. He didn't just shatter the pride of the samurai—he shattered Wano's hope."
A heavy silence hung in the air.
Ashura Doji's breathing was ragged, his fists trembling at his sides. Then, with one final glare, he spat, "And now—you expect us to help you bring Wano back?"
Kin'emon could feel his heart pounding in his chest. "You want to drag Wano into another war? Shatter what little peace we've managed to build? Throw the people—who barely survived the last nightmare—into the abyss all over again?!"
Each word was a dagger to Kin'emon's chest.
To Momonosuke, it was like a boulder crushing his soul.
Neither could move.
Neither could speak.
Because for the first time—
They realized they had no answer.
Among all of Oden's retainers, Kin'emon was the only one who truly understood whose ship Kozuki Oden had sailed on. But he had never spoken of it.
Even when Wano faced its darkest hour, he had chosen to believe in Oden's decisions. He had placed faith over doubt, and in the end, that choice had cost Wano dearly.
Hundreds of thousands of people had perished for their foolish trust.
The rest? They had been enslaved for twenty years, forced into a life neither truly human nor ghost, existing in a hellish limbo under Orochi and Kaido's rule.
And now—
As Ashura Doji's words crashed down upon him, Kin'emon felt as if the very ground beneath him had turned to fire. His throat felt dry. His hands trembled.
After a long, suffocating silence, Kin'emon finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "So that's why the others… the rest of Oden's retainers… they won't come here?"
Across from him, Ashura Doji scoffed.
"What else did you expect?" he said coldly. His voice held no anger now—only contempt.
"The three of us came only to see what kind of nonsense you had in mind," he continued. "But I didn't think you'd be so shameless—talking about 'reviving the Kozuki Clan,' about 'restoring the country.'"
His glare sharpened, and the air in the room grew heavy. "Do you intend to throw Wano back into chaos just to soothe your guilt?"
Kin'emon clenched his fists, but Ashura Doji didn't stop.
"Kozuki Oden and Buggy-sama?" His voice carried unmistakable disdain. "That's like comparing the dirt beneath our feet to the sun in the sky.
"As your former comrades, let me warn you—don't make the wrong choice. If you do anything to harm Wano, we will not show mercy."
Kin'emon barely had time to react before—
Shfftt!
All three of them—Ashura Doji, Kikunojo, and Kawamatsu—knelt in solemn resolve, grasping the hems of their robes. With a swift, practiced motion, they drew their blades and sliced cleanly through the fabric, severing the bonds of brotherhood.
The whisper of steel against cloth echoed like a funeral bell.
Kin'emon's pupils shrank in horror. Their message was clear. They had severed all bonds.
"Why?!" Kin'emon gasped, his chest tightening. He clutched at his heart as if trying to physically hold himself together. Then, suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
He looked up, his voice trembling.
"You three came… but Tsuru… she didn't." His breath grew shallow. "That means… she didn't survive these twenty years, did she?"
His knees nearly buckled. His voice barely came out. "Tsuru… I—I'm so sorry…"
But before he could say another word—
"No." Kikunojo's voice cut through the air like a blade. "Tsuru-san is alive."
Kin'emon's head snapped up. "What?!" His eyes widened in shock.
Kikunojo remained expressionless. "She's alive. And well."
Relief flooded Kin'emon's face. His lips parted, the weight in his chest lifting ever so slightly. "Truly?! She's alive?!"
Kikunojo gave a slow nod."But..." Her gaze turned ice-cold.
"You should have known, Kin'emon. You should have known Oden had sailed with the Pirate King. That he was Whitebeard's sworn brother. And yet, you never once tried to stop him. You, his so-called retainer, never even tried to understand his nature."
Every word struck Kin'emon like a slap to the face. "You let your blind loyalty lead Wano to ruin," she continued. "And when Tsuru-san learned of this, she wanted nothing to do with you."
Kin'emon felt the air leave his lungs.
"She doesn't want to see you," Kikunojo said firmly. "And she never will."
Kin'emon took a step forward, his voice trembling. "W-Wait! What do you mean?"
Kikunojo's expression didn't change. "Tsuru-san has moved on, Kin'emon." Her voice was void of sympathy. "She has found a man who cherishes her, someone who truly takes care of her."
She let the words settle before delivering the final blow. "They even have a child. And they are happy."
A single breath.
And then—
"W-WHAT?!"
Kin'emon shot up like a struck animal, his entire body shaking. His face twisted with disbelief, his voice rising in a frantic shout, "Kiku! What the hell are you saying?!"
Kikunojo tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "Do I need to explain it further?" she asked coldly.
Kin'emon staggered back, his mind refusing to process it. "Tsuru… with another man…?" His voice barely rose above a whisper. "She… she wouldn't…"
But Kikunojo's gaze didn't waver. "Why wouldn't she?" she asked sharply.
Her next words were razor-sharp, each one cutting deeper than the last.
"Did you think she would spend twenty years waiting for a man who let Wano fall to ruin? That she would remain faithful to someone who abandoned h, r— or a cause that led to nothing but suffering? Did you even consider that she might deserve happiness, too?"
Kin'emon staggered as if Kikunojo had stabbed him through the chest.
For the first time, the weight of it all crushed him. He had lost her.
Not just to time.
Not just to fate.
He had lost her because of his own choices.
Plop!
With a lifeless thud, Kin'emon collapsed onto the ground as if his very soul had been ripped from his body.
Nearby, Momonosuke's mouth hung open in sheer shock. Kin'emon… had been cuckolded?! "Kin'emon, pull yourself together!"
Panic surged through Momonosuke as he frantically shook his retainer by the shoulders. "Didn't we swear to revive the Kozuki Clan together?! To overthrow this country and restore Wano?!"
Before Kin'emon could respond—
"Hehehe!"
A young voice echoed from above, laced with amusement.
"Now, let me see who's foolish enough to talk about toppling our glorious Crimson Empire." The moment the voice reached their ears, Kikunojo, Ashura Doji, and Kawamatsu all tensed. Their faces paled before they swiftly bowed in unison.
"Lady Ain!"
Their greeting was filled with unmistakable respect—and fear. But the woman in question?
She merely waved a hand, her tone dismissive. "No need for all that."
Without hesitation, Ain leaped down from the upper floor, landing with effortless grace before turning her sharp gaze toward Kin'emon, Momonosuke, and Kanjuro.
Momonosuke, witnessing how deferential the others were to this woman, quickly switched gears.
With the cunning of a cornered rat, he scrambled forward, putting on his most sycophantic tone.
"O-Oi! Big sister, don't listen to their foolish ramblings!" He straightened up, trying to act dignified. "Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't waste time on such nonsense! Instead, perhaps we could—"
Boom!
Before he could even finish his sentence—
Ain's heel met his gut with devastating force.
Momonosuke's body launched through the air like a ragdoll, the impact sending him crashing into the wall with a thunderous crack.
A split second later—
Pfft!
A bloody tooth shot from his mouth as he slumped against the cratered wall, his wide eyes filled with sheer disbelief.
"Lord Momonosuke!" Kin'emon's despair was instantly replaced by rage.
Springing to his feet, he rushed to pull Momonosuke free, holding the battered boy in his arms before turning to Ain with a furious glare.
"You wretched woman!" he bellowed. "How could you strike a mere child so cruelly?! He's just a boy!"
Ain's cold, violet eyes flickered with indifference.
Then—
Fwoosh.
A wave of pink flames ignited around her body, casting eerie shadows across the dimly lit room. Her gaze sharpened. "I've been listening for quite some time."
Her voice was calm, yet it carried the weight of undeniable authority. "This child isn't just any child—he's Kozuki Oden's son."
Her lips curled into a sneer. "Trying to restore the Kozuki Clan is one thing… but plotting to overthrow our Crimson Empire?"
The air in the room grew heavy. "Anyone who dares to shatter the foundation of what this dream he has built—no matter who they are—must be eliminated."
Her tone turned venomous.
"And this brat…?" Her eyes flicked toward Momonosuke's limp body with utter disgust. "He's not just a threat. He's revolting."
Kin'emon gritted his teeth.
Ain's expression darkened. "As expected, Lord Buggy was right."
The pink flames around her flared. "Like father, like son."
She took a slow step forward, her presence utterly suffocating. "If our empire ever fell into the hands of fools like you, it would only be a matter of time before history repeated itself."
Ain's next words sent a chill down Kin'emon's spine. "So even if he is just a child… I will not let him live."
"Kanjuro!"
Kin'emon's voice shook with urgency as he clutched Momonosuke tighter. With his free hand, he unsheathed his blade, his stance steady despite the turmoil within him.
"If you want Lord Momonosuke's life," he growled, "then you'll have to step over our dead bodies!"
Ain's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Kill him?"
Her voice dripped with mockery. "Oh no, Kin'emon. That would be far too merciful."
The pink flames around her twisted as her fingers twitched ever so slightly. "I wouldn't let someone like him die so easily."
Her gaze locked onto the unconscious boy in Kin'emon's arms for the first time. There was pure malice in her eyes. "I will make him feel the same pain the people of Wano suffered for twenty long years."
She exhaled slowly, savoring the moment. "The SMILE Mineral Toxic Prison…"
Her smirk deepened. "That should be a fitting fate for him."
Kin'emon's blood ran cold. "After all, someone must pay for Wano's sins."
---
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