The sudden declaration plunged the Cake Island shoreline into an eerie, suffocating silence. Everyone turned their heads stiffly to find Kanjuro, who should have been miles away, standing blankly with a Den Den Mushi held tightly in his hand.
The scene caused a ripple of shock through the crowd. Initially, the Nine Red Scabbards did not seem to fully grasp the gravity of the situation. Kin'emon, looking genuinely puzzled, asked, "Kanjuro, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be guarding the Big Mom Pirates?"
He moved to confront him, but Shimotsuki Yasuie suddenly stepped forward and blocked his path. Kin'emon froze, stunned by the old man's sudden intervention. Yasuie stared at Kanjuro with a solemn, piercing expression and demanded, "Kanjuro, is what Miss Robin says the truth? Did you truly betray Lord Oden?"
At that moment, the realization finally struck Kin'emon and the other Nine Red Scabbards. Their subconscious minds recoiled, desperate to reject the possibility. "How could that be? Kanjuro, he..."
Before they could finish, Kanjuro's cold, wild laughter cut through the air. "Hahahahahahahahahahaha!"
The laughter hit every Wano samurai like a physical blow. Their faces contorted with pure disbelief.
"That is right," Kanjuro sneered, his eyes glinting with malice. "I was the one who informed Lord Kaido about your plan to save the Straw Hat. Unfortunately, plans rarely survive contact with reality, but it doesn't matter anymore. None of it is important."
The Nine Red Scabbards turned pale, some unable to hold back tears of betrayal. "Kanjuro, what nonsense are you spewing?" one cried out. "Don't joke around! This isn't funny! We are companions!"
Hearing the word "companions," Kanjuro's face twisted into a mocking, cruel smile. "Hey, hey, don't get it wrong. I was never your companion. The only reason I stayed by your side was because it was Lord Orochi's command. Oh, I forgot to tell you—my real name is Kurozumi Kanjuro. The reason Lord Oden failed back then was because I fed your plans to defeat him directly to Lord Orochi."
The truth landed with the weight of a mountain. Kanjuro was a traitor, a member of the Kurozumi Clan just like Orochi. The expressions of the Nine Red Scabbards shifted from shock to burning, murderous rage. They moved to strike him down, but Yasuie held them back again.
Yasuie, his voice trembling with disbelief, asked, "Then why are you revealing yourself now? And why pledge your loyalty to Kaido? Don't forget that Orochi was killed by him!"
Kanjuro looked at the samurai with a crazed, fanatical expression. "The reason is simple. I pledge my allegiance to the Kurozumi name. While I felt despair when I first heard of Lord Orochi's death and briefly considered living as one of the Nine Red Scabbards, that was before Lord Kaido found me and introduced me to that young master."
Kanjuro's eyes glazed over with a disturbing, obsessive adoration. "Ah, I have never seen such an intelligent, wise, and kind master as Lady Kurozumi Tama. I realized then that Lord Orochi's era was over. From this day forward, my life belongs solely to her."
The display of blind devotion further enraged the Nine Red Scabbards. Kin'emon roared, "We will definitely defeat Kaido, liberate Wano Country, and return it to the Kozuki Clan!"
Kanjuro simply laughed, his mockery dripping with disdain. "Hey, why do you think you can defeat Lord Kaido? Just because you managed to defeat Big Mom? What if I told you that all of this was within Lord Kaido's expectations? Including this Straw Hat pirate's white form!"
The crowd gasped. Kin'emon roared in sheer fury, "Impossible!"
"Can't accept it? Then let me tell you the truth," Kanjuro said, his voice dropping to a menacing tone. "From the moment Lady Toki sent you to this era, Lord Kaido knew of your arrival. Kin'emon, why do you think you were able to leave Wano so safely? It was because Lord Kaido deliberately let you go. Even Momonosuke being taken to Punk Hazard was done under Lord Kaido's direct command."
The blood drained from the faces of everyone present. If it were true, Kaido was a monster of terrifying foresight. Yasuie stepped forward, his voice steadying the group. "Don't be ridiculous, Kanjuro. Even if Kaido is one of the Four Emperors, such a thing is impossible."
"Why not?" Kanjuro grinned, raising the Den Den Mushi.
Under their terrified gazes, the snail suddenly opened its eyes, shifting its features into a terrifying, familiar visage. A deep, booming voice echoed from the device. "Oden's samurai, it seems you have forgotten—my mercy is only offered once!"
A freezing gust of wind swept across the deck. All the Wano samurai felt their hearts stop. The horrors of two years ago flooded their minds.
"Kai... Kaido!"
The panicked cry echoed across the sea. Many of the samurai began to tremble so violently that they could barely hold their weapons. Yasuie's expression hardened as he roared, "Calm yourselves! Have you forgotten whose samurai you are?"
"I... I..." The warriors stammered, paralyzed by an ancient, ingrained fear.
Kin'emon forced himself to step forward, his voice shaking but filled with defiance. "Kaido! I will kill you to avenge Lord Oden!"
"Revenge?" The voice of the Emperor boomed with cold, cruel humor. "Even your 'Fool' of a lord was no match for me. You think you can succeed? Has your lord's foolishness truly been passed down to all of you?"
Kin'emon and the others trembled, unable to form a retort as the crushing reality of their own weakness weighed upon them. Just then, Luffy stepped forward.
"Kaido, right? I don't care who you are or how strong you claim to be, but I promised Kin'emon I would defeat you and liberate Wano!"
A heavy, static-filled breath echoed from the Den Den Mushi, followed by a disdainful laugh. "Straw Hat, you actually want to defeat me?"
"That's right! I will definitely defeat you!" Luffy shouted, his fists clenched tightly, a beaming, defiant smile on his face.
"Then, do you want to hear who is with me?"
"Luffy, don't listen to him!"
Luffy's expression changed instantly. His confidence vanished, replaced by a sudden, chilling unease as he recognized the voice that followed.
"Grandpa... Damn you, Kaido! What have you done to him?!"
"Don't worry, you'll hear his voice now."
"Kin'emon... boo hoo hoo... save me, it's so scary!"
The Wano samurai reacted in horror. "Young Master!" "Lord Momonosuke!" "Damn you, Kaido, what have you done to Lord Momonosuke?"
Kaido did not bother to answer. On the shoreline of the Red Port, feeling the sea breeze, Kaido looked toward the distant silhouettes of Marineford and Mary Geoise, which had already fallen to the Beasts Pirates.
"I don't care about your liberation," Kaido stated coldly. "Three days. I will give you three days. After that, I will publicly execute them in Wano. Straw Hat, let me see if you still have the luck and strength to save your grandfather."