The Flower Capital — Shogun's Palace
The once-extravagant hall where Kurozumi Orochi indulged in boundless luxury had now been completely cleansed.
Broken sliding doors had been replaced with fresh paper panels painted with flowers of the four seasons.
From the beams and pillars hung the crescent banners of the Kozuki clan, alongside colorful ribbons celebrating victory.
The air was thick with the aroma of roasted meat, the rich scent of rice wine, and the roaring noise of unrestrained celebration after surviving calamity.
"Drink up!"
"To the dawn of Wano!"
"To Lord Oden! To Lord Luffy!!"
The Akazaya samurai, the Straw Hat crew, warriors who had survived alongside Marco, and representatives of the common people—
All kinds of people sat together around enormous banquet tables, cross-legged or kneeling, abandoning all decorum as they devoured food with abandon.
Cups clashed.
Laughter thundered.
The sound nearly lifted the ornate ceiling painted with drifting clouds.
At the head seat—
Sat the new Shogun, Kozuki Hiyori.
Gone were the lavish garments and heavy makeup of her days as the courtesan "Komurasaki."
In their place, she wore a simple yet dignified pale-purple kimono, layered with a haori bearing the Kozuki crest.
Her long hair was neatly pinned up with an elegant ornament, revealing the face long hailed as the most beautiful in Wano.
But now—
That face held less fragile charm—
And more the quiet strength and composure forged through hardship.
Her clear eyes swept across the celebrating crowd.
They lingered—just for a moment—on a certain green-haired swordsman…
Before she turned away, a faint trace of shyness and concern flickering in her gaze.
The title of Shogun of Wano had passed through Kozuki Sukiyaki…
To Kurozumi Orochi…
And now—
At last—
Returned to the Kozuki family once more.
But not to Kozuki Momonosuke—
Instead, to Hiyori, the woman known as "the most beautiful in Wano."
(Incidentally, even Kozuki Oden himself had never formally taken the Shogun's seat after returning to Wano—remaining only the daimyo of Kuri.
His title as the "Unboiling Man" was, in a sense… well deserved.)
"My friends!" Hiyori's clear voice rang out, cutting through the noise.
Gradually, the hall quieted.
All eyes turned toward the young woman.
"Through your courage and your desperate struggle, the chains of evil have been broken. Wano… has finally welcomed the dawn it has awaited for twenty years!"
Her eyes shimmered faintly with emotion—but her voice remained steady.
"The name of Kozuki will guide this country into a new future."
She paused briefly, then continued:
"To restore order and stabilize the land, I hereby appoint the daimyo of each region as follows—"
"The daimyo of Kuri shall be Duke Inuarashi, whose loyalty and valor have never wavered!"
Inuarashi rose, placing a hand over his chest and bowing solemnly, the swords at his waist clinking softly.
"The daimyo of Hakumai shall be Denjiro—also known as Kyoshiro—who has endured twenty years in secrecy with both wisdom and strength!"
Denjiro's expression flickered with complexity before settling into a long sigh and a deep bow—perhaps both recognition and closure for his decades of hidden struggle.
"The daimyo of Udon shall be Raizo, master of ninjutsu and hero of countless deeds!"
Raizo stood with a grin, his signature scroll bouncing slightly behind him.
"The daimyo of Ringo shall be Kikunojo—Kiku—whose swordsmanship and loyalty are beyond question!"
Kiku flushed faintly, glancing at Izo beside her—alive, thanks to the altered course of fate—before rising under his encouraging gaze.
"The daimyo of Kibi shall be Kawamatsu, steadfast in belief and unyielding in devotion!"
Kawamatsu responded in his deep voice, patting a companion beside him.
The five newly appointed daimyo stood, receiving cheers and congratulations.
This signified more than the Kozuki clan reclaiming the Shogunate—
With Luffy and his allies still present—
It meant that trusted retainers now firmly controlled the core territories of Wano.
After the announcements—
Hiyori's gaze drifted once more toward a corner of the banquet.
There—
Roronoa Zoro leaned against a pillar.
Before him lay towering stacks of empty bowls and sake bottles, his three swords resting casually at his side.
His single eye half-lidded, he seemed uninterested in the lively festivities—only occasionally taking a swig of alcohol.
That aloof, solitary swordsman aura—
So out of place amidst the celebration—
Yet inexplicably drew Hiyori's attention.
—
Elsewhere—
In the loudest, most food-devouring section of the banquet—
A different kind of contest was unfolding.
"Whoooa!! Another ten bowls! No—make it twenty!!"
Monkey D. Luffy's cheeks bulged as he shoveled food into his mouth, his rubber arms moving so fast they left afterimages, rapidly devouring the mountain of food before him.
"Hey, Straw Hat-ya, watch your table manners," Trafalgar Law muttered, chewing more carefully—but no slower.
A considerable stack of empty plates had already accumulated in front of him.
His expression appeared calm—
But his gaze occasionally flicked toward a certain striking presence beside Luffy.
Eustass Kid, meanwhile, took a more direct approach—tearing into massive chunks of meat with his hands, juices dripping as he ate with satisfied grunts.
His eyes, too, subtly drifted toward that same figure.
The object of their attention—
Was Yamato, seated beside Luffy, devouring food at an equally astonishing pace, her smile radiant.
Still dressed simply, her long white hair tied back, her horns visible—
She blended effortlessly into the celebration.
Eating meat.
Drinking deeply.
Competing with Luffy in high spirits—
Even chatting animatedly with him about Ace.
But deep within the eyes of Law and Kid—
There was a trace of gravity.
Of calculation.
They had witnessed Yamato's power firsthand during the battle of Onigashima.
That terrifying combat ability—
Combining Conqueror's Haki coating, the Mythical Zoan Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami, and overwhelming physical strength and ice powers—
Along with her fearless resolve to clash head-on with Kaido—
Placed her solidly at a commander level.
Perhaps even beyond.
Her potential—
Her bloodline—
Were enough to unsettle even them.
And beyond that—
Her close connection to the late "Fire Fist" Ace…
Her clear admiration for Luffy and the Straw Hats…
Her evident desire to set sail—
All pointed toward a possibility.
A dangerous one.
In the minds of both Law and Kid—two captains driven by ambition and strategy—
The same conclusion formed.
If…
If Yamato were to join the Straw Hat crew…
Then—
Captain: Monkey D. Luffy — freshly victorious over the "Strongest Creature" Kaido, his bounty destined to skyrocket—undoubtedly rising to Emperor-level.
Roronoa Zoro — disciple of the world's greatest swordsman, having wounded Kaido on Onigashima—firmly at commander level.
Jinbe — the "Knight of the Sea," former Warlord, master of Fish-Man Karate—top-tier strength and experience.
Sanji — awakened Germa lineage, enhanced by his Raid Suit, boasting immense speed and durability—enormous potential.
And then—
Yamato — Mythical Zoan user, wielder of Conqueror's Haki, capable of clashing directly with Kaido—commander level.
Such a lineup…
On a single ship—
One newly crowned Emperor—
At least three top-tier commanders—
And more rising powerhouses besides…
This was no longer merely a "strong pirate crew."
This was—
A force capable of carving out vast territory in the New World—
One that even the established Emperors would be forced to treat with utmost seriousness—
Perhaps even form alliances against.
A true—
Undeniable—
Emperor-class crew.
From this day forward—
The balance of the seas would be rewritten.
Law silently cut a piece of meat and placed it in his mouth, chewing slowly.
Kid tore into his food with a heavy bite.
The two exchanged a glance—
Each seeing the same weight of urgency in the other's eyes.
Wano had been liberated—
But the struggle for the seas had not.
And at the center of it all—
That straw-hatted boy—
Still eating without a care in the world—
Seemed utterly unaware.
He patted his stomach and turned to Yamato with a grin.
"Hey, Yamato! You wanna go out to sea too?!"
"Yeah!!"
Yamato's eyes lit up as she nodded vigorously.
"I want to sail with you, Luffy—to see my father—"
"No… to see just how vast this ocean really is! To fulfill Oden's dream!"
"No problem!!"
Luffy burst into laughter and stretched out his hand.
"Then come along!!"