The Land of Wano was divided into six regions: the Flower Capital, Kuri, Kibi, Udon, Ringo, and Hakumai.
Off the coast lay Onigashima, the island fortress of the Beasts Pirates.
At the heart of the Flower Capital stood the grand Shogun's Palace.
Inside, the short, bloated, snake-eyed Kurozumi Orochi lounged on silk cushions, a beautiful woman draped across his arms.
"What? Kaido's asking for money again?!"
His face twisted in anger as he slammed his cup down.
The palace guard captain Kyoshiro (in truth, Denjiro in disguise) bowed respectfully beside him.
"Yes, Shogun-sama. Kaido's envoy is waiting outside for your response."
"Tch! That drunk beast's always taking, never giving!" Orochi snapped. "I barely have enough to fund my own pleasures!"
Kyoshiro bowed lower, his voice calm but his eyes glinting with hidden amusement.
"Then should I dismiss him, Shogun-sama?"
Orochi hesitated.
Kaido was his greatest shield—offending him outright could be fatal.
But the miser in him balked at parting with the gold he'd squeezed from Wano's starving citizens.
Then, the woman in his lap—Komurasaki—leaned close, her voice soft and sweet.
"Shogun-sama, I heard Lord Kaido only needs the money because he's invented something called Mutant Cells. They can instantly double a person's strength!"
"What?!" Orochi's eyes bulged.
He'd been so lost in pleasure that he hadn't even heard the news shaking the world.
Kyoshiro quickly joined in, feeding the flames.
"It's true, Shogun-sama. The Beasts Pirates' strength has skyrocketed. They're twice what they used to be. Meanwhile, we haven't changed at all…"
SLAM!
The table cracked beneath Orochi's palm. His face darkened with fury.
"That damned Kaido! He hides a treasure like that from me, then dares ask me for money?!
Kyoshiro! Send men to Onigashima at once! Tell Kaido to hand over one hundred of those Mutant Cells!"
"At once, Shogun-sama."
Kyoshiro's lips curled in a faint, knowing smile as he exchanged a look with Komurasaki.
Both understood perfectly.
He was no loyal retainer—and she was no courtesan.
They were Denjiro and Kozuki Hiyori, the loyal servants of the late Kozuki Oden.
Their mission: avenge Oden by tearing Kaido and Orochi apart from within.
And now, the perfect opportunity had presented itself.
A day later, Kyoshiro's "messenger" arrived on Onigashima.
He stood arrogantly before Kaido's throne, speaking in Orochi's name.
"Lord Orochi commands you to deliver one hundred Mutant Cells immediately!"
The hall fell silent for a heartbeat—
Then Kaido's laughter turned into a thunderous roar.
"What did you say, worm?!"
The sky itself darkened.
Thunder rolled, clouds swirled, and Kaido's killing intent burst forth like a storm.
The envoy's legs went weak; he stumbled back, nearly tripping over himself.
"I-It wasn't me! It was Shogun Orochi's order!"
He fled screaming before the echo of Kaido's roar even faded.
"That snake thinks he can command me?!" Kaido bellowed, lightning crackling around him.
"He's courting death!"
At once, Queen, grinning from ear to ear, stepped forward.
"Heh-heh, Kaido-sama, looks like that fat slug's forgotten who's in charge. Want me to teach him some manners?"
King and Jack also volunteered, eyes gleaming at the thought of crushing Orochi's guards.
But Kaido didn't answer them. He turned instead toward the man sitting calmly nearby.
"What do you think, my son-in-law?"
Even the Calamities went silent.
Kaido valued Luo Xing's opinion above all others now.
Luo Xing had come today to learn from Kaido himself.
After all, this was the man who had trained Luffy in the original timeline—master of Haki infusion and awakening alike.
If there was a true "battle teacher" on the seas, it wasn't Rayleigh or Garp. It was Kaido.
When Kaido asked for his view, Luo Xing's eyes flickered thoughtfully.
He remembered his promise to Yamato—to change Wano, to free its people.
Perhaps this was the moment to set that plan in motion.
"Teacher—ah, I mean, Father-in-law," Luo Xing said with a smile. "You're right. That wretch Orochi has grown too bold."
"He's merely a tool—your lapdog. Yet he dares bark orders at you?
If it were up to me, I'd say kill him outright… and appoint Yamato as Wano's new shogun."
The hall fell silent.
Even the Calamities froze.
They'd only planned to discipline Orochi, not eliminate him.
But Kaido threw his head back and laughed.
"Wororororo! My son-in-law always understands me best!
That pathetic snake—I've wanted him dead for years! The only reason I kept him alive was because…"
Kaido paused, a rare flicker of hesitation in his eyes.
"Yamato never wanted to rule. She refused every time I asked her to be shogun."
Luo Xing smiled faintly.
"Leave that to me, Father-in-law. I'll convince her."
Kaido's face lit up with delight—and a trace of fatherly bitterness.
"Hah! So my daughter only listens to you now. Seems once you marry her off, there's no getting her back, eh?"
He laughed it off, though a part of him still grumbled internally.
(Did her elbow ever bend inward for her old man?)
With that, Kaido entrusted all matters of Wano to Luo Xing's hands.
The young inventor bowed slightly.
"Understood. I'll handle it."
He turned to leave, already planning how to approach Yamato about their next step.
But before he could take two steps—
Pururu… pururu… pururu…
The Den Den Mushi on his desk began to ring.
Luo Xing glanced down—and froze.
The snail's face had lipstick, heavy lashes, and a mischievous grin.
It was unmistakable.
Incoming call: Big Mom.
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