The five-year agreement was about to end.
For those five years, he had danced that humiliating dance everywhere, all to observe whether Orochi and Kaido would honor their promise.
Deep in his heart, there was still a trace of hope. A hope that they would keep their word and leave Wano.
And it was precisely that hope that made him believe in that vague, verbal promise.
Kanjuro had been executed by beheading.
His retainer, his family of twenty-one years, had been killed in such a brutal way.
A spy?
How could that be?
For twenty-one years, Kanjuro, who used stolen hair to make brushes and was called a monster… Kanjuro, who laughed and joked while eating oden with everyone…
How could he possibly be Orochi's spy?
But now, his retainer had been cruelly beheaded, and as their lord, he couldn't even avenge him.
Opening his eyes, he saw the head lying on the ground, those unclosed eyes staring straight at him.
In that instant, his hands tightened around Enma and Ame no Habakiri.
"Thud!"
"Thud, thud…"
Kin'emon, Denjiro, and the others all knelt down.
"Oden-sama… please… please put Wano first!"
"Wano… comes first!"
"Our lives… are worthless, but my lord… you must put Wano first!"
Looking at his retainers kneeling before him, countless memories flashed through Oden's mind.
Wano reduced to a weapons factory under Kaido. The suffering he had witnessed while traveling the seas.
In the end, Kozuki Oden slowly loosened his grip on the swords.
It wasn't just Wano.
The future of this country was tied to the future of the entire world.
Kanjuro…
At that moment, Rowan, standing beside Kuma and Dragon, was also watching Oden.
"That's why I've always thought you're not suited to be a ruler. Hesitating, unable to make decisive choices. You need your retainers and outsiders to remind you what matters most. You traveled the seas, yet you still trusted a pirate's promise… foolish…"
Before he could finish, Dragon grabbed him from behind.
Rowan turned his head. "Why are you pulling me?"
Dragon's forehead was still covered in sweat. "You usually lecture people, but not like this. Every word today cuts like a blade. Look at them, they might actually start fighting."
Rowan glanced at Denjiro and the others. "They're not our only option. Since our ideology centers on the common people, we can't choose Kaido. But wiping out both sides and rebuilding Wano ourselves isn't impossible either."
Kuma placed a hand on Rowan's shoulder. "Their eyes are practically bleeding from anger. You should say less. Otherwise even Rayleigh and the others will have a hard time."
Rowan thought for a moment and didn't speak again.
But in the next instant, he disappeared.
In the forest, special kunai shot out. A black flash flickered through the air, and five Beast Pirates grunts were instantly killed.
When Rowan reappeared, he frowned. "If we don't want to draw attention, we need to leave quickly. Otherwise Kaido's side will notice… they do read bounty posters."
Rayleigh and Roger exchanged a glance.
Then, together with Kin'emon and the others, they pulled Oden away from the scene.
Kuri, Daimyo Residence Reception Room.
At this moment, the atmosphere was completely different from before.
There was also one more person present Shimotsuki Yasuie, who had just arrived and already heard everything that had happened.
Inside the reception room, Oden and Shimotsuki Yasuie were seated. Kin'emon and the other retainers, along with Shimotsuki Hikogoro and the rest, stood behind them.
Opposite them sat Rowan and his group of five.
"…He came from a theater troupe. His parents died because of the Kozuki clan. Someone like that, sent as a spy for twenty-one years, couldn't be more suitable."
Rowan had already finished explaining his reasoning. He took a sip of tea and could still see the hatred in their eyes.
So all these samurai really have their brains in their backsides?
There was one exception.
Shimotsuki Yasuie, the daimyo of Hakumai, who had arrived after Oden.
"I can tell from your words," Yasuie said slowly, "that you seem to understand Wano very well. You also understand the history between the Kurozumi and Kozuki clans… even the rebellion from the past."
After speaking, Yasuie turned to Oden. "About the Kurozumi clan's rebellion… did you ever mention it while you were on the pirate ship?"
Oden froze for a moment, then immediately looked at Rowan. "How do you know all this?"
Behind his mask, Rowan let out a faint chuckle. "Your wife is also a Devil Fruit user. Even though she can only travel to the future and not return to the past, she can still glimpse certain fragments of what's to come. I can do the same."
"And what I know goes far beyond that."
"After returning from the Roger Pirates, you made a deal with Orochi. Because of those hundred lives being held hostage, you agreed to dance for five years in exchange for them leaving Wano. Isn't that right?"
"I've said this more than once, yet you still don't understand what that promise really means. In Wano… have you told anyone about it?"
At that moment, among the Kozuki retainers, a pink-clad kunoichi standing behind Raizo showed a flicker of shock in her eyes.
Rowan's mockery didn't stop.
"That's why I say you're not fit to be king. Not just you even your father, Kozuki Sukiyaki, was the same."
The moment those words came out, even Oden, who had still been in shock, slammed the table and stood up.
Fortunately, Shimotsuki Yasuie held him back, though his own gaze toward Rowan had turned cold.
"Insulting the dead like that… is going too far."
Rowan snorted. "That old man isn't dead at all. He just entrusted things to the wrong person. At a critical moment like this, he was afraid of losing face and afraid of responsibility, so he hid himself away."
"What?!"
In an instant, everyone on the other side was stunned—including all the retainers standing behind.
Oden shot to his feet. His father… wasn't dead?
Glancing at him, Rowan continued flatly, "Did you ever find his body? The one who made Orochi the official shogun was just someone with a transformation ability someone who could copy the appearance of anyone they touched. So where's your father's corpse?"
Shimotsuki Yasuie became visibly shaken. He pulled Oden back down and asked urgently, "Where is he?"
Facing all their expectant gazes, Rowan simply spread his hands. "How would I know?"
Even Yasuie couldn't hold his composure anymore.
But soon, Rowan gave them a thread of hope.
"He wears a tengu mask. Long nose. Probably calls himself Tenguyama Hitetsu. What I saw was him twenty years later. As for now… who knows which gutter he's hiding in, too afraid to show his face."
A gutter…
A metaphor for a rat.
Yet at this moment, Oden and the others couldn't refute it.
A lord who was clearly alive, yet because of his own mistakes, chose not to step forward causing all of Wano to fall into crisis.
They had no words to argue back.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Rowan tapped the table, drawing everyone's attention.
"Kozuki Sukiyaki's strength won't affect this war at all. A lord who has been 'dead' for years has almost no influence especially when the enemy has someone who can perfectly imitate others."
"There's no need to discuss him right now!"
Rowan stood up, his gaze beneath the mask turning cold.
"I've already told you about Kurozumi Kanjuro. Whether you believe it or not is up to you. As for Kurozumi Orochi, he's spineless. Cut off a few of his fingers and you'll naturally get your answer."
"Now, what I need to tell you is this. From the standpoint of the Revolutionary Army, the purpose of our arrival is to liberate Wano."
Liberate?
The word appeared for the first time. Even Oden instinctively interpreted it as opening the country.
But Rowan immediately denied it.
"Wano will open its borders. That's inevitable. But not now, and not twenty years from now. What I mean by liberation is completely severing the hereditary system of daimyo and shogun."
The moment those words fell, the people opposite him froze again.
Kin'emon's anger surged. Even while being held back by Denjiro, he nearly rushed forward. "I'll duel you!"
But the next instant, as their eyes met, fear rose uncontrollably from the depths of his heart.
It was only when Oden intervened that the tension eased.
Rowan then looked at Oden.
"Someone like you becoming king is the greatest irresponsibility toward a country. Kozuki Sukiyaki letting Orochi temporarily take the shogun's position, and your own stubborn decisions, both share responsibility."
"I've heard your son is timid and afraid of trouble. He cherishes himself when facing big matters, yet loves to flaunt his identity. What do you think your son will lead Wano into in the future?"
"Daimyo in Wano can be administrators, but they cannot be hereditary rulers. That is the Revolutionary Army's bottom line, and it will also be the future standard of this world."
Kozuki Oden lowered his head.
He would investigate Kanjuro's past. He would even confront Orochi afterward.
But right now, what occupied his thoughts was the issue Rowan had raised about rulers.
Momonosuke…
Would he become a qualified leader?
A child bullied by Hiyori. Someone who hides behind Toki when meeting strangers. Someone who loudly proclaims his father's name and his status as a Kozuki…
"Oden."
Shimotsuki Yasuie spoke.
"They won't keep their promise. And the people who have come to support us their bottom line is only rejecting hereditary rule."
"And more importantly, it means they have no intention of taking control of this country in the name of a shogun or daimyo."
Those words made things clearer for Oden.
But…
Oden glanced at the masked Roger and Rayleigh.
Rayleigh's expression clearly showed he didn't know the Revolutionary Army's stance.
But Roger's gaze beneath the mask made it obvious he understood.
What he had seen at Laugh Tale flashed through Oden's mind, and something finally clicked.
"Then what kind of person does the Revolutionary Army consider a more suitable and qualified leader?"
Rowan replied,
"A four-year term. Rotational governance. The capable rise, the incompetent fall."
"If your son has the ability to govern this country, then he can still become a daimyo or even a shogun."
"But if he doesn't, then he is just another citizen of this country not some useless ruler who stands above everyone else simply because he carries the name Kozuki and lives off the labor of the common people."
At this point, Roger spoke up.
"Of course, the specifics of elections will be decided in the future. For now, Oden, you will still manage Wano. The transition from hereditary rule to elections cannot happen overnight. The people of this country haven't awakened yet."
"But after this war, Wano must implement the Revolutionary Army's ideological education and awaken the people's thinking. That's something I believe you won't have a problem with, based on what I know about you."
Their gazes met.
Even Rayleigh, standing nearby, showed a subtle change in expression, as if recalling something.
The three of them understood without words and lowered their heads at the same time.
Everything they had seen at Laugh Tale…
The hidden truth of this world, and the meaning behind the sound of the Drums of Liberation.
This word liberation was the first time since Laugh Tale that he had heard it from somewhere else.
And there was also that final sentence from there.
Oden slowly raised his head and met Rowan's gaze. "If everything you've said is true… then on behalf of the Kozuki clan, I agree."
As his words fell, Oden stepped forward to the center, then turned to face his retainers.
He bowed deeply.
"My retainers… I am not doubting Kanjuro's loyalty to the Kozuki clan. After this, whether it is through Orochi or by digging three feet into the ground, I will uncover the truth."
"If, after Wano is freed from Kaido and Orochi's control, it turns out that Kanjuro was innocent and died unjustly… then even at the cost of my life, I will seek justice for him."
"I swear it in the name of the Kozuki family!"
Those words nearly made Kin'emon and the others break down in tears.
One after another, they knelt, pleading that they understood their lord's difficulties and asking him to withdraw his vow.
Watching this scene made Rowan feel extremely awkward.
Perhaps it was because of the memories he carried. Ever since arriving in this country, he had felt an underlying irritation.
In those memories, whether it was Hiyori, Shimotsuki Yasuie, or even that cheek-pinching girl who hadn't been born yet, he had a favorable impression of them.
But whenever the country as a whole came to mind, it always triggered sarcasm and a sense of dissatisfaction.
Still…
"Liberating Wano."
When he thought of it like that, it sounded much better.
His mood improved instantly.
Soon, the discussion moved into its latter half.
They discussed the placement of the four thousand troops that would arrive the next day, and when Kaido's Beast Pirates would gather at Onigashima.
Choosing this timing was no coincidence it was the same point in time when Oden, after realizing he had been deceived, would originally have led his nine retainers to attack Onigashima and be ambushed.
The Beast Pirates' gathering there should be starting soon.
Additionally, as long as Oden was still alive, that cautious bastard Orochi would definitely still be holding hostages. They needed to find an opportunity to kill him as well.
Onigashima was actually a good place. After dealing with Kaido, it could serve as a new base for the Revolutionary Army, and Vegapunk's research facility could be relocated there as well.
Since the World Government's attention was focused on the Revolutionary Army, it would be better for the research facility not to be located together with the main headquarters.
Liberating Wano… hahaha!
The thought made Rowan feel unexpectedly pleased.
Once the people's thinking was truly awakened, titles like daimyo and shogun could be abolished step by step.
Whether Kozuki or Shimotsuki…
In the end, all of it would be swept into the dust of history.
Under liberation, there would be no such thing as rulers or nobles anymore.
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