Wano Country's coastal waters, near the great waterfall.
Fierce currents crashed against the cliffs around Wano, roaring beneath the waterfall.
Seawater poured down the cliffs with crushing force, forming Wano's famous natural barrier—the Climbing-Koi Waterfall.
For an ordinary pirate ship to enter Wano Country, it needed giant koi to pull the ship upstream through the deadly rapids.
But for the ship climbing right now, there was no need for that trouble.
"Kishishishi... This much is nothing!"
A gothic three-masted sailing ship rose beside the waterfall, lifted by Moria's shadows instead of the koi.
Below the ship, black shadows twisted into bats and thick hands. They grabbed the rock wall behind the waterfall and pulled the ship upward.
Moria had returned.
He had come back to Wano for revenge, and this time, he was not alone.
"Kaido... I'm coming for your head!!"
Meanwhile, on the deck behind Moria.
Aiden looked completely relaxed.
He lay back in a deck chair, casually tossing an apple in his hand, as if he were on vacation.
Suddenly, Aiden stopped tossing the apple.
As a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, his perception of conductors and magnetic fields was extremely sharp.
He turned toward the mountain, as if sensing something inside the rock.
"Strange..."
Aiden looked at the steep rock walls on both sides.
"This mountain structure in Wano Country... why does it feel a bit off?"
"The iron in these rocks is too dense. It almost feels like the whole country is wrapped in an iron wall."
Aiden tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest.
This was more than just rich mineral veins. Were these border-sealing mountains built artificially?
Aiden thought for a moment but did not say anything out loud.
However, he quickly put that doubt to the back of his mind. After all, this sea was full of strange things. He turned to look at Moria, who was working hard at the bow.
"How much longer do we have to climb this waterfall?"
"We're about to reach the top."
Moria pointed to the approaching light above.
"Up there is Wano Country's inner sea. Normally, that bastard Kaido should be at his main base, Onigashima."
"But that guy is a drunk. If he isn't on Onigashima, he's definitely in the Flower Capital drinking with that puppet Orochi."
"Yeah."
Aiden replied without getting up.
"Boom—!!"
The shadow hands pushed hard. The ship broke through the mist at the top of the waterfall and dropped onto Wano's inner sea.
At that exact moment.
Aiden spread his Observation Haki across Wano, checking Kuri, the Flower Capital, and Onigashima.
At this range, most movements in Wano could not escape him.
"Hm?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow.
He sensed Oden's death.
"So he died."
Aiden caught the falling fruit. He did not eat it, but casually placed it on the small table next to him.
To Aiden, a "hero" like Kozuki Oden, who had wasted too many chances, was not worth saving.
"Whatever, I didn't plan on saving that idiot anyway."
However, aside from Oden's death, something else felt wrong.
The events after Oden's death were not following the path Aiden remembered.
According to his memories of the original One Piece story.
After Oden died, some of the retainers should have headed toward Oden Castle with his final wish.
There, Kozuki Oden's wife, the Time-Time Fruit user Kozuki Toki, would use her powers to send Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, and Kiku twenty years into the future. Meanwhile, Kawamatsu would escape with Hiyori by water.
That was the original historical path.
But now...
From what Aiden sensed...
The retainers were not moving the way he remembered.
Instead.
They were scattering toward Kuri's forests, abandoned mines, and rivers.
Some had even actively stopped to fight their pursuers to cover their friends.
"What's going on?"
Aiden rubbed the center of his brow, trying hard to recall the Wano arc from his past life.
"Tch, Wano was too long. The details are blurry."
Aiden tried to find a reason for the abnormality in front of him.
"Or maybe they know the Flower Capital is completely surrounded by the Beasts Pirates right now, so they intentionally split up as bait and let Lady Toki move Momonosuke in the chaos?"
Although Aiden's Observation Haki was powerful, it did not let him identify every weak presence he had never met.
Aiden had never seen Kozuki Toki or Momonosuke, so he couldn't lock onto their faint presence. Naturally, he didn't know where the mother and son were at this moment.
But after thinking it over, Aiden felt the latter possibility was higher.
"Forget it."
Aiden shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
He had no interest in protecting the Kozuki family. As for Momonosuke, he was probably only eight years old right now. Saying "Momonosuke must die" as a joke was one thing, but making him actually kill a child with his own hands was something Aiden definitely couldn't bring himself to do.
A child like that was not worth his attention.
To Aiden, the Kozuki family's grand play to reclaim their country had nothing to do with him.
His purpose for coming this time was very simple—kill Kaido and push his Armament Haki further.
While Aiden was thinking, a few pirate ships on Wano's inner sea noticed their arrival.
"Who is that?!"
"That's not one of our pirate ships?!"
"Is it an enemy attack?!"
On the surrounding patrol ships, the pirates shouted in panic and tried to turn their cannons around.
"Noisy."
Aiden didn't even lift his head. He released a small burst of Conqueror's Haki across the sea.
"Thud, thud, thud."
The pirates collapsed onto the decks, foaming at the mouth.
The entire inner sea instantly went quiet.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."
Aiden sat up from his deck chair and looked over Wano.
He could still see why Wano had once been called beautiful. The outline of the legendary "Country of Gold" remained, and cherry blossoms still fell from the mountains in the wind.
But the country looked damaged.
Heavy black smoke drifted in the sky above the Flower Capital in the distance. Those were the lingering embers from the end of the execution.
Further away in Udon, the ground still bore the marks of Oden and Kaido's battle.
Although the towering factory chimneys of the future hadn't been built yet, Orochi and Kaido's rule had already begun to rot the country. The air no longer smelled of flowers, but of blood and gunpowder.
"Such good scenery, completely ruined by that drunk."
Aiden frowned in disgust.
"Kaido's taste is as terrible as ever."
He stood up, his coat flapping in the wind.
Shusui vibrated faintly at his waist, letting out a low hum.
"Don't rush."
"That direction. Kaido should be right there."
Moria looked in the direction Aiden pointed and recognized the terrain.
"Over there... is the Flower Capital!"
...
Flower Capital, execution ground ruins.
The execution ground was already a complete mess.
Oden's corpse had already sunk into the boiling oil. Orochi was leading his men in a wild celebration in the city, and the operation to hunt down the Nine Red Scabbards was also spreading across the whole capital.
However, on the high platform of the execution ground.
Kaido had not left.
He still sat cross-legged there. He had long since dismissed his subordinates around him.
"Gulp... gulp..."
Kaido tilted his head back, pouring hard liquor into his mouth in large gulps. The spicy liquid ran down the corner of his mouth. As it passed near the deep cross-shaped wound on his chest, it brought waves of stinging pain.
But he seemed to not notice it at all.
Even after personally ending Oden, Kaido felt no joy.
"What a strong opponent..."
Kaido put down his alcohol bowl. He looked down at the smoking oil pot and muttered to himself,
"Kozuki Oden... you were strong."
Fighting Oden had given him something he rarely felt. Now that it was over, there was only silence.
"Hey, King..."
Kaido called out without thinking, wanting to hear his right-hand man's answer.
But the only response he got was the howling cold wind.
The spot next to him was completely empty.
"Tch."
Kaido frowned. The alcohol made him more irritable.
"That bastard... he's not back yet?"
"I told him to go to the G-6 Branch and kill a Marine brat. How is a small task like that taking more effort than me killing Oden?"
"Young people these days are getting more and more unreliable..."
"Whoosh—!!!"
Suddenly, a sharp tearing sound came from directly above his head.
It was too heavy to be a bird. Something large was falling.
Although Kaido was drunk, his instincts still reacted. He looked up.
"What is... that?"
Above him was not a dark cloud, nor a flying bird.
It was a battered and broken pirate ship!
Countless black shadows held it up as it crossed the walls of the Flower Capital and dropped toward the plaza beside the execution ground.
"Rumble!!!!!"
A huge crash rang out.
The ship smashed into the plaza, crushing buildings and throwing dust and rubble into the air.
Because of the earlier chaos, no civilians were in the plaza.
"Cough, cough, cough!!"
"Enemy attack?!"
The Beasts Pirates members on guard duty around the area instantly fell into a panic.
On the high platform, the shockwave sobered Kaido up a little. He tightened his grip on his kanabo and stared through the dust.
"A sneak attack on my turf?"
"Do you have a death wish?!"
The dust gradually cleared.
Two figures slowly appeared at the bow of that broken ship.
One of them was nearly seven meters tall. That reddish-purple hair and huge build made Kaido recognize him at once.
"Worororo..."
Kaido laughed low.
"I was wondering who it was..."
"If it isn't Moria? You defeated loser, you're actually not completely dead yet?"
"What? You escaped with your life, and now you want to come back and die?"
However.
Moria did not argue back.
He stepped half a pace back, giving the center position to Aiden.
Kaido looked past him and locked onto Aiden.
.
He stepped half a pace back, giving the center position to Aiden.
Kaido looked past him and locked onto Aiden.
Aiden stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at Kaido as if he were something mildly interesting.
That look... made Kaido very unhappy.
"A Marine?"
Although Kaido was drunk, he was still Kaido. He stared at Aiden and spoke in a low voice.
"Hey, brat."
"Who are you? Why are you in Wano Country?"
"This is not a World Government affiliated nation. We don't welcome you World Government lapdogs!"
Saying this, Kaido paused for a moment.
The severe pain in his chest reminded him that his current condition wasn't suited to starting another huge battle. If the Marines were invading in full force, it would be a bit of a problem.
"If you're lost, get out of here right now while I'm in a good mood."
Hearing this, Aiden smiled.
He looked at Kaido, who reeked of alcohol and was clearly still wounded, and spoke in a tone as plain as if he were just chatting.
"Kaido, you're being a bit unreasonable here."
"Didn't you mess with me first?"
"Hm?" Kaido froze for a second. "When did I mess with you?"
"You're quite forgetful."
Aiden sighed and pointed at his own nose.
"A few days ago, didn't you send a birdman to wreck my Hachinosu?"
"He blew up my port, injured my subordinates, and was shouting about getting some fruit back."
"What? You're not admitting it now?"
"Hachinosu? Yours?"
Kaido stared at Aiden, trying to place his face through the dim light and alcohol.
That face... was young, arrogant, and familiar.
Kaido suddenly remembered. The alcohol left his head at once.
"Wait... this face..."
Kaido pointed at Aiden, his tone filled with shock.
"You're that Marine brat... Reaper Aiden?!"
"That's impossible!!"
Kaido stood up, his massive body making the platform creak.
"Didn't the newspaper say you killed a Celestial Dragon and were already locked up in Level Six of Impel Down?! How could you be here?!"
"And... that newly built dump, the G-6 Branch, what does that have to do with you? Isn't there just some small fry there who ate the fruit I reserved?!"
Kaido was truly confused.
He had sent King to G-6 because the intel showed it was just an ordinary new branch. If he had known earlier that the one stationed there was Aiden—who even dared to kill a Celestial Dragon and could clash head-on with two Admiral candidates—he absolutely would never have let King go alone!
"Impel Down?"
Aiden smiled, laughing a bit mockingly.
"How could a place like that hold me?"
"As for the G-6 Branch... it's a shame, but that's exactly my territory. And that bird you sent, unfortunately, messed with the wrong person."
Hearing this, Kaido went still.
He understood at once.
Why had King been gone so long without returning? Why couldn't he be reached? Why was there a Marine attacking the Flower Capital directly?
"Since you're here..."
Kaido stared at Aiden, a bad feeling rushing into his heart. He looked around and even looked up at the sky.
"Then where is King?!"
"Where did that guy King go?! Why did only you come?!"
"King?!"
Aiden smiled.
To Kaido, that smile looked worse than an insult.
"Clang—"
Aiden slowly drew Shusui from his waist.
Shusui slid from its scabbard with a clear ring.
Kaido recognized the sword at once.
Ryuma's blade.
"Don't rush, Kaido."
Aiden held the sword in one hand. Purple lightning ran along the blade.
"Don't rush."
"He's quite lonely down there."
"I'll send you down to see him... right now."