Wano Country · The Abandoned Enma Shrine in the Eastern Forest Outside the Flower Capital
Kozuki Hiyori reluctantly handed over both the Enma Blade and Ame-no-Habakiri to Souta Kiryuu in exchange for her and Denjiro's safety and freedom.
"Now that's more like it. After all, neither you nor that lecherous brother of yours can wield blades. Keeping them is just a waste."
Souta accepted the two great swords, casually tossing Ame-no-Habakiri to Baby 5 to hold, while he drew the Enma Blade himself.
Immediately, a terrifying suction force pulsed from the blade, greedily draining at Souta's Haki.
"Oh? Interesting."
Souta unleashed his Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, forcing his overwhelming will into the blade to see just how much it could devour.
My power is nothing like that fool Kozuki Oden's!
The Enma Blade crackled violently with black and crimson lightning, so intense that Denjiro's heart trembled—he could almost see the shadow of Oden himself standing before him.
"This sword still falls short. Only a Supreme Grade Blade is worthy of me. You don't yet qualify to become my sword."
With disdain, Souta pulled his Haki back from the Enma Blade. It wasn't the sword choosing its wielder—he was simply rejecting it.
"You dare look down on the Enma Blade, the sword that cuts through Hell itself?!"
Denjiro roared in fury. This Souta Kiryuu had already insulted the Black Blade Shusui and Ryuma the Sword God; now he dared to mock Enma and Oden as well.
"Cutting through Hell? You mean grazing Kaido's hide once? What's so impressive about that?"
Souta sheathed Enma with a scoff, then casually tossed it to Law. "Go on. Try it. Let's see what it does to you."
Sure enough, Law barely drew the blade a few inches before his face drained of color. He hastily slammed it back into its sheath, planting it in the ground to steady himself as he gasped for breath, his pupils quivering.
His Armament Haki had nearly been sucked dry in an instant—the sword was monstrous.
Seeing Law's reaction, Denjiro finally regained some composure. Yes—Lord Oden's Enma was not something just anyone could wield.
But Souta's scorn still stoked bitter hatred in his heart.
"Exaggerating, aren't we?"
Capone Bege, chewing on his cigar, took the blade next. Yet he managed to draw even less than Law before he yelped and tossed it aside, the cigar falling from his mouth.
"Damn it! This thing's cursed—a demon blade!"
Bege, too, was left panting, eyes wide with disbelief. Could there really be a sword this terrifying?
Souta laughed darkly, picking up the Enma Blade and sliding it back into its sheath.
"Look at you all—so frail. Maybe I'll make you draw Enma once a day. Let you savor the feeling of being drained dry."
Law and Bege felt their hearts sink. Boss, seriously?! You're going to make this a game?
"Lord Souta… may we leave now?"
Hiyori asked timidly, terrified he might turn on them and kill them both.
"What's the rush? Don't you want to meet your grandfather?" Souta said with a sly grin. His objectives here were complete. Now he only had to wait for Kuma and Enel to return.
"Grandfather?"
Hiyori blinked in confusion. When she returned to Wano on Roger's ship, her grandfather, Kozuki Sukiyaki, had already been reported slain by Orochi. She had never once seen his face.
"You mean… the old shogun is alive?!"
Denjiro's eyes lit up, his whole body trembling with hope. The Kozuki line—he had thought it reduced to only Hiyori and the missing Momonosuke. Could it be that Sukiyaki still lived?
"Kozuki Sukiyaki isn't dead. If all goes well, my men will bring him here shortly," Souta said calmly before turning and leading everyone back to the Ark Maxim.
After a hurried whispered discussion, Denjiro and Hiyori decided to follow, trailing uneasily behind Souta's crew.
"Well, well. Not running away after all?"
Bonney teased with a smirk. As expected, no one ever escaped Souta Kiryuu's grip on their hearts.
"I… we'll wait a little longer before leaving."
Hiyori admitted awkwardly, while Denjiro's nerves remained taut. This Souta was truly unfathomable.
How could he know secrets even Kaido and Orochi themselves were unaware of? Did he have a seer among his crew?
Before his death, Oden and Lady Toki had prophesied that twenty years hence, a savior would arise to defeat Kaido and liberate Wano.
Could this man… be that savior?
Elsewhere, Shinobu was released from her petrification. Souta immediately had her blood drawn, ensuring no "accidents" would occur later.
The Ripe-Ripe Fruit's powers had to be archived. A backup user would be prepared in the second or third generation of Seraphim—or perhaps Shinobu herself would be fully reconstructed and broken into servitude under Souta's command.
Taming her loyalty, though, would be difficult. Wano's samurai and shinobi were fanatically stubborn.
Meanwhile, near Bandits' Bridge in the Ringo region…
A massive warrior monk, bristling with weapons on his back, staggered as bolt after bolt of lightning seared his body. Charred black, he finally collapsed—transforming into his true form, a Komagitsune (guardian fox).
"Hohoho! A Mythical Zoan that lets a fox take human form and even speak? Not bad—quite durable against lightning, too."
Lafitte descended, wings spread, hefting the battered fox with a grin. Donning special gloves, he carefully pulled a seastone collar from his pack and locked it around the beast's neck.
What thrilled him even more was Souta Kiryuu's uncanny foresight. With that kind of prophetic vision, the future of their crew would only accelerate further.
"Too boring. Not even a decent fight."
Enel chomped into a red apple, disappointed. He'd expected a proper battle from a Mythical Zoan user—yet the fox was nothing but trash.
"This fox hoarded weapons by the cartload. Call Bege later and have him haul everything away—there are plenty of famed blades among them, taken from samurai graves."
Lafitte grinned, his hypnosis forcing the broken fox, Onimaru, to reveal everything.
"I'm heading back."
Enel pulled a scrap of Vivre Card from his pocket. With a crack of lightning, he vanished along its path.
Lafitte sighed, shaking his head. He, too, produced a piece of life paper before taking flight toward the Ark Maxim, dragging Onimaru along.
In Amigasa Village of the Kuri region…
Kuma gently urged Tenguyama Hitetsu to surrender, even as he struck the man down with a single blow. Little Otama sobbed in terror, watching her beloved guardian collapse.
Even her pet, the massive guardian dog Komachiyo, had been swatted away in one slap, vanishing who knew where.
"I don't want to harm you. But you must bring the tools for inscribing Poneglyphs. Otherwise, this village may be destroyed entirely."
Kuma's voice was calm and soft—but his words were merciless. If he failed, Souta's crew would come themselves, and they would not be so gentle.
"Who… who are you?"
Hitetsu coughed blood, stunned. How could this giant know about the Poneglyphs? Had his true identity been discovered?
"Bartholomew Kuma, officer of the Souta Kiryuu Pirates," Kuma answered simply.
His gaze flicked to the wall. Hanging there was the Nidai Kitetsu. One glance told him this cursed blade would also be taken.
Once a poor Revolutionary, Kuma knew full well the value of legendary swords and cursed relics.