The instant Gern uttered the word "foolish," Yamato's body jolted violently.
Her face flushed red in an instant. She shot to her feet almost on reflex, her voice rising in urgent protest.
"That's not true! Oden was Wano's hero!"
"He… he endured everything—he acted like a fool, carried all that burden—for the sake of protecting this country and its people!"
"If my father, Kaido—and Kurozumi Orochi—hadn't used such despicable tricks at that crucial moment…"
"Oden-sama… he wouldn't have…"
Her words came fast, firm, unyielding.
That conviction—
It was the foundation she had built over years, from Oden's journal and Wano's legends.
"Wouldn't have what?" Gern cut in.
He didn't stand.
Still seated cross-legged, he simply raised his head, his calm gaze settling on the agitated Yamato.
"Yamato," his voice softened slightly, "you say he 'endured humiliation and hardship to protect Wano's people'?"
"But… did Kozuki Oden really need to do that?"
"If I remember correctly, when Oden first returned to Wano, he had overwhelming public support."
"He came back as a legendary samurai—'invincible under heaven.' His prestige was unmatched."
"He governed Kuri with order and strength. Daimyo across the regions—Shimotsuki Yasuie among them—placed their hopes in him."
"Even Hyogoro of the Flower Capital—the underworld boss—was a force that could have been rallied."
"At that time, Kozuki Oden…" Gern clicked his tongue faintly, "…with a single call to arms, could have unified those forces."
"Even if Kaido's power was immense, it wasn't insurmountable. At the very least, they could have mounted real resistance—bought time—perhaps even called for aid from the Whitebeard Pirates."
"But."
Gern's tone turned cold.
"What did he choose?"
"He chose to believe the flimsy verbal promises of Orochi and Kaido!"
"In the Flower Capital, he stripped naked and danced like a fool—for five years!"
"And with his own hands… little by little… he extinguished the flame of hope that had just begun to burn in the hearts of those who followed him!"
"And while he danced—Hyogoro and his entire underworld faction were slaughtered."
"The daimyo and samurai who still harbored thoughts of resistance were eliminated one by one."
"The very forces that supported him—were uprooted completely."
The courtyard fell deathly silent.
Only Gern's calm, merciless narration echoed—each word striking like a blade.
Yamato's face had gone pale.
Her lips parted—but no sound came out.
She had known Oden danced.
She had known he "endured."
But never—
Never had she seen so clearly what that endurance had cost.
Because…
None of this had been written in the journal.
And her own father, Kaido…
Had never spoken of it.
"Even then," Gern continued, "I still believe Oden could have fought back."
"A division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. A member of Roger's crew."
"With connections like that, in that era, he could have shaken the entire New World."
"At the time, the G-10 branch I later established didn't even exist yet. The New World was, for the most part, a pirate's domain."
"He could have sent out a call for help."
"Or taken his family and core retainers, broken out, and sought Whitebeard—or Roger's former crew!"
"If Whitebeard and Roger's remnants had truly arrived…"
Gern's lips curled faintly.
"If Kaido didn't run… then I'd personally argue with anyone who still called him the 'Strongest Creature.'"
A brief pause.
"Unfortunately… someone chose to keep dancing." Gern shook his head lightly.
"Until the very end—when he was pushed to the boiling pot—he finally realized…"
"…it was already too late."
"Oden-sama…"
Yamato wasn't stupid.
She might have been naïve—but everything Gern said…
Wasn't fabricated.
It was all—
Possible.
After all—
Even someone as straightforward as Luffy understood one thing:
When facing true villains—
The only answer was to fight.
"Heh… Oden's life was too smooth." Gern slowly rose to his feet.
"He was foolish by nature… yet blessed with extraordinary talent."
"Born strong. Worshipped by his people. Even picked up a beautiful wife along the way."
"Then he was acknowledged—accepted—treated as an equal by legends like Roger and Whitebeard."
"A life like that…" Gern's voice deepened slightly,
"…created a deeply rooted belief within him."
He spoke slowly.
Deliberately.
"'My instincts are always right.'"
"'The path I choose must be the correct one.'"
"'This world… will ultimately bend for my 'specialness.''"
"That," Gern said flatly, "is a kind of naïve arrogance."
"It made him incapable of recognizing true, unadulterated evil."
"He may have thought Orochi and Kaido were just… another kind of pirate. Or power-seeking madmen."
"That they could be swayed—by strength, by charisma, by the way of 'great men.'"
"But he didn't understand."
Gern's tone hardened.
"Kaido, perhaps."
"But Kurozumi Orochi? Never."
"He doesn't care about honor. Doesn't recognize 'specialness' beyond power."
"Their only goal is to plunder, dominate, and destroy."
"Negotiation… and naïveté…"
"In front of people like that—are nothing more than catalysts for your own destruction."
"Oden…"
"Lived inside the 'legendary narrative' of his own life."
"He believed he would be the hero who turns everything around at the last moment."
"Just like his adventures with Whitebeard…"
"With Roger…"
"Always finding a way out. Always turning danger into safety."
"But what he didn't understand…"
Gern's voice turned cold.
"…was that in real struggles—of politics, of a nation's fate—there are no such 'last-minute miracles.'"
"What you get…"
"…is a bottomless abyss formed by missed opportunities."
"That—"
"…was his 'foolishness.'"
"Not a lack of strength."
"But a fatal flaw in perception."
"A delusion born from a life that had gone too well."
When Gern finished—
Zoro frowned deeply, lost in thought.
But inwardly—
He agreed.
Because from a purely factual standpoint—
Oden had been foolish.
King, on the other hand, closed his eyes.
Whether he was reflecting on Oden…
Or Kaido—
No one could tell.
Yamato's gaze was still unfocused.
Yet she struggled, desperately, to find something to refute him.
"But my father… Kaido…"
"Kaido is a pirate." Gern raised a brow, cutting in calmly.
"A plunderer. A destroyer. An emperor of the sea who sought to establish order through violence and fear."
Then—
His tone shifted.
"But…"
"…I have to admit."
"Kaido… was a good opponent."
He looked at Yamato, as if explaining something she needed to understand.
"In his world, there's a logic—twisted, but direct."
"He respects strength."
"Especially… strength in single combat."
"If you can make him acknowledge you in a direct fight—even temporarily…"
"He will give you 'respect.'"
"So, that decisive duel between him and Oden back in Ringo…"
A trace of complexity flickered in Gern's eyes.
"I imagine Kaido himself was conflicted."
"He acknowledged Oden's strength."
"Perhaps even admired his spirit."
"But to achieve his ambition…"
"He had to win."
"And the methods used… were far from honorable."
"Even so, after everything, he still chose to cooperate with Orochi…"
"That conflict…"
"…might be one of the reasons he later became obsessed with finding a 'true opponent'—even trying to cultivate someone capable of killing him."
At the mention of Oden and Kaido's duel—
Yamato's eyes flickered.
She seemed about to say something—
But no words came.
And then—
As if suddenly remembering something important—
Gern spoke again.
"Oh, right. Speaking of people you know…"
His tone turned slightly strange as he looked at Yamato.
"That war… the one where Ace died—Marineford."
"Ace!!!"
The name alone made Yamato's expression sharpen instantly.
"During that war…" Gern observed her reaction, continuing unhurriedly,
"your father, Kaido… also set out for Marineford."
Yamato froze.
"What? Father… he…"
"That's right." Gern nodded. "His intentions are unclear—but he did come."
"He just… never made it to the battlefield."
"Because…"
Gern paused deliberately.
"…he was intercepted."
"In the outer seas surrounding Marine Headquarters."
Yamato leaned forward slightly, holding her breath.
"Who?!"
Gern looked at her eager expression.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
But instead of answering—
He suddenly stepped back.
Then—
Before anyone—Zoro, who had been quietly listening, or King, who stood silent—could react—
Gern's arm moved like a blur.
Reaching behind him—
He grabbed someone from the shadow beside the massive wooden gate—
And yanked them forward.
The figure, who had been slumped weakly against the doorframe, was dragged into the courtyard, limp—exposed to the sunlight.
Blood-stained.
Dust-covered.
Barely conscious.
One of the Four Emperors—
"Red-Haired" Shanks.
Gern held him by the back of his collar with one hand, lifting him slightly—
As if presenting some rare curiosity.
Facing the utterly stunned Yamato—
He spoke, almost cheerfully.
"The one who stopped Kaido…"
"The one who prevented that war from escalating further—into a global catastrophe…"
"…was Red-Haired Shanks."
"Ta-da! Surprised?!"
"Pff—!!!"
Off to the side—
Zoro, who had quietly slipped over to the veranda during the strange lull and taken a swig from a sake flask—
Choked instantly.
He sprayed the drink straight out of his mouth.
Yamato, meanwhile—
Was completely frozen.
Her gaze shifted between Shanks…
And Gern…
Her mind clearly short-circuiting under the sheer impact of the scene—and the information.
There was no helping it.
The amount of information—
The absurdity of the situation—
It was simply too much.
For anyone to process in an instant.