Kanjuro stepped out of the daimyo residence, his wide robes swaying. After confirming no one was following him, he used his large brush to paint a giant eagle.
The drawing was lifelike, and once his ability activated, it moved like a real creature.
Leaping onto its back, the eagle soared into the sky.
Kanjuro glanced down at the residence below. By now, the foolish expression he usually wore had completely vanished.
Reinforcements from the outside sea… the ship Oden once boarded… that was the Pirate King Roger's ship. Among those who came, one he recognized Rayleigh, the vice captain of the Roger Pirates.
As for the others two wore cloaks and masks, one had a towering build, and another looked physically weak, constantly sweating.
But from what he sensed, all of them possessed immense strength. From the moment they entered the residence, they had already detected the surveillance hidden in the shadows.
This had to be reported to Lord Orochi immediately. These reinforcements from the outside could disrupt the plan to completely seize control of Wano.
Although the time spent together had been enjoyable…
I've never forgotten my original mission.
"Ah!"
A sharp sound tore through the air as a kunai shot toward him.
Kanjuro's pupils shrank, but he quickly let out a cold snort.
That aim… compared to a ninja, it's terrible.
"What are you thinking?"
"—?!"
Rowan stepped onto the eagle midair using Geppo, drawing his blade in the same motion and slashing down.
"Slash!"
Kanjuro retreated rapidly as the eagle was split in two. Both of them began falling through the air.
With a swift motion of his brush, Kanjuro created a crude cloth-like object to slow his descent. After rolling upon landing, he looked up, his gaze locked onto Rowan.
"Aren't you here to support Wano? Why are you suddenly attacking me?"
The moment Rowan landed, he kicked off the ground. The explosive force propelled him forward at a speed comparable to Soru.
His blade swung again.
"Clang!"
Kanjuro coated his brush with Armament Haki, but he was still forced back.
"I'm not here to support you."
"I'm here to liberate you."
As those words fell, Rowan appeared behind him. During their earlier clash, a Flying Thunder God mark had already transferred from the ground to Kanjuro's position.
A horizontal slash followed.
"Slash!"
Blood sprayed as a deep wound tore across Kanjuro's back. He rolled forward, barely turning around in time.
If he hadn't stepped forward just now, that strike would have completely crippled him.
"Hah… y-you must be mistaken. I am also one of Lord Oden's retainers. Why would you—"
Before he could finish, Rowan appeared behind him again.
The black Armament Haki was split apart, and a second wound crossed over the first on his back.
Kanjuro clenched his teeth, enduring the pain.
So decisive… he won't even listen to explanations. If this continues, I'll die.
That ability to suddenly appear behind me… it must be some kind of sorcery. But in terms of perception what they call Observation Haki in the outside world I'm completely outmatched.
But the information hasn't been sent yet!
If I had known it was this serious, I should've drawn a bird and sent it ahead immediately.
"Not bad. You're pretty good at dodging."
Rowan spoke as he slowly stepped forward, his blade raised.
"As a professional actor, even at a moment like this, you're still thinking about not being exposed. Impressive. Then again, when you're dealing with an idiot like Oden, I can see why you'd be confident."
At that moment, Rowan's Observation Haki picked up a figure rushing toward them at high speed.
A surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted, condensing into the seemingly ordinary blade in his hand.
A single strike.
The instant his speed exploded.
"Slash!"
"Thud."
Blood sprayed from the neck as a head fell to the ground, the eyes still filled with panic.
The sudden burst of speed from that strike was so fast that even Observation Haki couldn't react in time.
"AAAAAA!!!"
A furious roar echoed from the distance as a nearly half-naked figure charged toward them in rage.
Rowan looked at him without hesitation, raising his blade once more.
Conqueror's Haki gathered into the weapon, while Armament Haki coated the blade like flowing black currents.
"Bastard!!"
A blue slash of power came crashing in, tearing up the ground as it advanced.
"Boom!!"
The sheer force of the collision sent Rowan flying backward.
Even as a rushed strike fueled by rage, Kozuki Oden's raw strength and Haki placed him firmly among high-tier fighters.
"Crash!"
Rowan was sent crashing through a giant tree before coming to a stop. Rising from the splintered wood, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Still not quite enough…
Meanwhile, Oden had already dropped to his knees beside Kanjuro's corpse, his emotions overflowing, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Why…? Why would you do this?!"
He turned toward Rowan.
"The five-year promise is almost over! Why would you attack my retainer?!"
Rowan removed his mask.
Kin'emon's face appeared before Oden.
"What do you think? A promise? You really believe Kaido and Orochi are going to leave?"
"Kin'emon?!"
Oden froze in place, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.
But Rowan didn't let him stay confused for long.
With a quick hand seal, a puff of smoke appeared, and his face shifted again—this time into Denjiro's.
"You idiot. What you see isn't always the truth. You traveled the seas with Whitebeard and Roger, yet after returning to Wano, your understanding is still this shallow."
Rowan looked directly at him.
"You think a man like Orochi who endured for decades before seizing the shogunate would honor any promise? Or do you think Kaido, a pirate, would keep his word?"
With the rapid changes in appearance, Oden now understood.
This person was neither Kin'emon… nor Denjiro.
"A Devil Fruit ability… You're an outsider!"
Oden slowly stood up, gripping his sword with one hand.
"You killed Kanjuro. No matter who you are, that fact won't change. So…"
"Are you really going to fight?"
Rowan met his gaze calmly.
"I came here at the request of Hikogoro. Rayleigh is here with me, and I've brought forces capable of liberating Wano. If you attack me now, then Wano will have no future left."
"Rayleigh…?"
How could that be?
"Anyone brought by Rayleigh would never lay a hand on my retainers!"
Kozuki Oden's Haki surged with fury, thunder crackling through the air. Flowing Ryuo gathered densely along Enma and Ame no Habakiri, almost becoming tangible.
"Anyone who harms my retainers… will not be forgiven!"
The moment his voice fell, Oden lunged forward. Dual swords flashed like lightning as he charged straight at Rowan.
"Boom!"
Two massive trenches were carved into the ground yet Rowan was nowhere to be seen.
"I haven't reached Admiral-level strength yet," Rowan's voice sounded from behind Oden, "but this new power is enough for me to kill fighters at that level."
At the same time, he casually lifted Kanjuro's severed head.
"I don't have perfect control over that power yet. If I accidentally killed you, it would mess up my plans."
"As for this guy his real name is Kurozumi Kanjuro. Does that surname remind you of anything?"
The instant his words fell, two cold flashes of steel slashed toward him.
"Boom!"
The ground exploded again, but within Oden's Observation Haki, the one who killed Kanjuro had vanished once more.
"A sorcery…? A Devil Fruit ability? How is that possible?!"
When his Observation Haki caught Rowan again, the figure had already reappeared beneath a tree not far away.
Oden gripped his swords tightly.
Changing appearance and instantaneous movement those were two completely unrelated abilities.
No one could eat two Devil Fruits. Naturally, no one should possess two entirely different abilities either.
"Who exactly are you?!"
Rowan shook his head slightly.
"I already told you who I am, but you're too dense to believe it. I also told you Kanjuro's surname, and you chose to ignore that too."
"Kurozumi Kanjuro. When he was young, his parents worked in a theater troupe. They were killed during the purge after that rebellion. Kurozumi Orochi gave him the Brush-Brush Fruit, and with his talent for acting, he perfectly played the role of your loyal retainer."
Under his calm explanation, Oden's brows tightened deeply.
At that moment, people from the Kuri daimyo residence arrived the earlier commotion had been far too loud.
"Sir, what's—"
Rayleigh had just begun to speak when he saw Oden… and Kanjuro's severed head.
Before he could react, Kin'emon and the others had already rushed forward, crying out in grief over the corpse of a traitor they didn't yet understand.
Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji drew their swords, turning toward Rowan and his group.
"You're not here to help Wano at all! Who exactly are you?!"
"Oden-sama, please allow us to avenge this hatred!"
"Kill them!"
"Bastards!"
The tension between both sides instantly reached a breaking point.
Hikogoro, who had come along, was completely stunned.
Had he brought enemies here?
But… Lord Yasuie clearly said.
"Rayleigh!"
Oden's voice rang out. He didn't step forward to embrace his former crewmate. Instead, he simply stared at him.
"On our ship… if a companion is insulted… or killed… what would the captain do?!"
Rayleigh frowned, glancing at the head in Kin'emon's arms, then at the masked Roger beside him.
After a moment, he sighed and answered,
"Kill the one responsible. No matter what…"
Oden nodded. Then he raised Enma.
"Kozuki retainers!"
"Yes!"
Kin'emon, Kawamatsu, Ashura Doji, Denjiro, Raizo, and Kikunojo all roared in unison.
The cat, the dog, and one ninja had stayed behind at the daimyo residence to protect Kozuki Toki and the two children.
At this moment, Roger, standing on this side, nudged Rowan's shoulder. "You've never been someone who kills indiscriminately, so why did you suddenly kill Oden's retainer?"
Rowan replied, "That guy was a spy planted by Kaido. If I'd been any slower, he would've reported our arrival. Since CP0 already has dealings with them, they would've discovered us very quickly."
"Honestly, I don't know whether your old brother is just too stupid or if that guy's acting was too good. More than ten years, and no one noticed a thing."
Hearing this, Roger frowned, then let out a sigh.
In this situation, the fact that Rowan still hadn't bothered to explain already revealed a lot.
Rowan didn't like Wano. He liked Oden even less. That much had been obvious from his tone and words back at the daimyo residence.
The Revolutionary Army needed Wano's strength but that strength referred only to Pluton. Oden himself was powerful, but compared to Kaido, he was likely just about equal. As for the Nine Scabbards, compared to the Beast Pirates, they were far too weak.
So now, he had to do something.
Others might not know, but as the warden of the prison space, Roger understood very clearly once Rowan decided to come to Wano to deal with Kaido, it meant he had already opened a treasure capable of killing Kaido.
On top of that, he had recently killed another Celestial Dragon, and even a CP0 agent with Admiral-level strength had died.
If Rowan truly made up his mind, Oden and the others wouldn't stand a chance.
"Oden!"
Masked, Roger stepped forward. The familiar voice made Oden freeze.
Roger walked straight up to Kozuki Oden without any guard, removed his mask for less than a second, then put it back on.
After that brief moment, he spoke, "You should understand what opening Wano's borders means. If you're still willing to trust me, hold back for now. Once we return to your residence, I'll give you an explanation."
Opening Wano's borders…
That first sentence wasn't just a warning it was proof of his identity.
Because the face Oden had just seen was covered in cracks. And from the newspapers, he had already seen Roger's execution long ago.
At this point, Rayleigh, who had also sensed Rowan's shifting attitude, stepped forward.
Among the five of them, even the captain himself was now aligned with the Revolutionary Army. Alone, Rayleigh wouldn't be able to change anything and the cloaked man's abilities were far too mysterious.
What Roger had said that night was limited, but it was clear enough: they possessed the power to eliminate either Kaido or Oden's side.
"Clang!"
Two blades blocked his path.
Rayleigh smiled casually and pressed the swords down. "Nekomamushi and Inuarashi both know me. Don't be rash."
But Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji didn't budge.
Rayleigh turned to Denjiro. "You should understand clearly. If this continues, what kind of ending awaits Wano? For the sake of your loyalty as retainers, are you willing to let your lord, your lady, and this entire country fall into suffering and destruction?"
Those words struck deep into their hearts.
Even Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji understood the current state of Wano.
If they clashed with these people now, Wano would only face destruction. Oden, Lady Toki, even the young heir none of them would survive.
The two blades lowered.
Rayleigh stepped closer to Oden and spoke in a low voice, "I came here with this body that still has some strength left to help not to watch Wano be destroyed and an old companion die."
Wano… destroyed…
Though often seen as simple-minded, Kozuki Oden could understand that Rayleigh wasn't exaggerating.
If they fought now, Wano would truly have no future.
Oden lowered his head, eyes shut tight, not daring to look at those eyes lying on the ground.
----------
Patreon Advance 30 Chapters: patreon .com/OneFic