"I have always been willing to maintain a cooperative relationship with the World Government. After all, compared to it, Wano Country is far too small and still requires support from the World Government in many areas."
Oden raised his hand slightly.
Kikunojo, who had been waiting nearby, stepped forward and quietly poured sake for Rowan and the others.
By now, the few CPO agents had already grown accustomed to this kind of treatment.
They had been in Wano for three days, and ever since entering through the hidden port, the people of this country had shown them extraordinary hospitality.
When they had first chosen to enter through the hidden harbor, they had already prepared themselves for an ambush and were ready to retreat the same way they came at any moment.
But the samurai with the topknot had displayed an astonishingly friendly attitude the instant he learned who they were, repeatedly inviting them to visit the Flower Capital and meet his lord.
At first, they suspected it was a trap.
Perhaps they would be lured into the Flower Capital, only for a large force of Revolutionary Army fighters to appear and surround them.
But in the end, nothing happened.
Moreover, the Shogun of Wano, Kozuki Oden himself, warmly expressed his willingness to continue the same cooperative relationship that Kaido had previously maintained.
Ordinarily, the matter could have ended there.
However, the CP agents had another mission.
As one of the operation's leaders, Rowan lightly tapped the agent beside him and suggested that they conduct an on-site investigation.
"For the higher-ups, Wano itself isn't as important as the Revolutionary Army and the Cloaked Man. Let's investigate the country first and return to the Flower Capital in two days to discuss cooperation."
This was Rowan's suggestion.
Coincidentally, it was exactly what the CP agents had originally intended to do.
Now that Rowan had brought it up himself, they felt that this Marine officer genuinely wanted to uncover the truth.
Over the next two days, they toured Kuri, Ringo, Udon Prison Mine, and several other locations that had already been prepared in advance.
Or rather...
They simply passed through them.
Rowan would occasionally pull aside one or two carefully arranged locals and casually inquire about the Revolutionary Army.
The answers the CPO agents received were almost always the same.
They didn't know much.
The only thing they had heard was that Oden-sama had brought back reinforcements from overseas, and it was those allies who defeated Kaido and drove the Beasts Pirates out of Wano.
At the Udon mines, under Rowan's subtle guidance, the other CP operation captain questioned several workers as well.
The answer he received was exactly the same.
After two days, the investigation had reached a definite conclusion.
Both Rowan and the other captain submitted reports to headquarters.
According to their findings, after helping Wano defeat Kaido, the Revolutionary Army had already departed.
Wano was now under the rule of its native Shogun.
And that Shogun had once been a member of the Roger Pirates nearly six years ago.
In truth, the Five Elders were already aware of this.
The year Oden and Roger reached Laugh Tale, his appearance had naturally become known to the World Government.
There was even an old bounty poster bearing his face.
But back then, Kaido had been the one ruling Wano.
Kozuki Oden himself held no significance to the World Government.
Now, however...
Things were different.
Because the Roger Pirates had reached Laugh Tale.
And so, Mary Geoise needed time to deliberate.
Inside the Shogun's palace in the Flower Capital.
Kashii, the CPO captain working alongside Rowan, looked at Oden across the table.
"If I remember correctly, you were once a member of the Roger Pirates, weren't you?"
Oden smiled and nodded.
"I did indeed sail with Roger in the past."
"But Captain Roger has already disbanded the crew."
"Now, I am merely the Shogun of Wano, and the only thing I need to think about is the people of this country."
After he finished speaking, Rob Kashi stared intently at Oden, as though trying to find something hidden within his eyes.
But in the end, all he saw was complete sincerity.
At this moment, Mary Geoise had already received the report regarding Wano.
However, new orders had not yet arrived, so the CPO agents had no choice but to remain where they were.
Beside them, Rowan drained his cup of sake in one gulp.
"Since Shogun Oden once sailed the seas, then you should understand that in this world..."
"...no one can defy the will of the World Government."
"The Revolutionary Army may have helped you, but to the World Government, they are criminals."
"We don't particularly care whether we trade with Kaido or with Wano itself, but you must understand that. I hope you can keep that in mind."
Oden smiled sincerely.
"Of course."
"Compared to the World Government, the Revolutionary Army is insignificant."
"I am the Shogun of Wano, so naturally I must put the people of Wano first."
The CPO's words carried an obvious threat, yet Oden proved to be surprisingly easy to deal with.
The meeting at the Shogun's palace ended with both host and guests thoroughly satisfied.
The CPO agents were pleased with Oden's attitude.
And Oden himself was quite satisfied with his own acting.
However, the moment the CPO group left, Oden wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with a guilty expression.
He had still been nervous...
After all, according to the intelligence that "Sensei" had sent over, the outcome of this investigation would determine the survival or destruction of all of Wano.
A weapon capable of destroying an entire island with a single strike...
Back when he had sailed with Captain Roger, why had no one ever mentioned something like that?
"Shogun-sama, it doesn't look like they have any intention of leaving yet."
Denjiro frowned.
"We've still got three more prepared performances. If they stay for too long, then..."
Kin'emon spoke up.
"Should we discuss it with the Revolutionary Army and ask them to temporarily leave Wano?"
"Kehehehe!"
Amid his peculiar laugh, Kawamatsu looked toward Kin'emon.
"Do you intend to make every person in Wano an ungrateful traitor?"
Just as Kin'emon was about to explain himself, Oden raised a hand to stop him.
His gaze swept across all of his retainers before he smiled.
"You've probably all been curious about what I experienced after I left Wano."
"After all, I sailed with Captain Roger and reached the final island, Laugh Tale."
As he spoke, Oden slowly let out a deep breath.
"There, I learned many things."
"The Void Century."
"The meaning of the letter 'D.'"
"And the great upheaval that awaits the future."
"But unfortunately... I cannot tell you any of it."
"The only thing I can say is this."
"Wano Country holds immense significance to the world, and by its very nature, it stands opposed to the World Government."
"Other countries and islands may be able to choose compromise and surrender in exchange for a miserable existence."
"But Wano..."
"...will only be met with destruction."
As those words fell, the argument that had almost broken out instantly disappeared.
During these past few months, Kin'emon, Denjiro, and the others had already come to understand the Revolutionary Army's unwavering stance against hereditary rule.
It could even be said that abolishing inherited privilege was the very core of the Revolutionary Army's beliefs.
Yet because of their loyalty to the Kozuki Clan, they had never truly been willing to accept those ideals, even though their lord himself had approved of them.
But now, that same lord whom they trusted so deeply had personally revealed Wano's destined position in the world.
In an instant, all of their previous thoughts were shattered.
"Among the World Government's investigation team..."
"...is there also someone from the Revolutionary Army?"
Denjiro asked.
Oden knew there was no point trying to hide it from them.
After all, the investigators had followed the exact route that had been prepared in advance.
To anyone sufficiently clever, it was far too obvious.
"I don't know who it is."
"But there should indeed be someone among them."
"Although, judging from today's behavior, those two overly aggressive captains probably aren't the ones."
Oden rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment.
Finally, he waved everyone away, instructing them to keep a close watch on the investigators' movements.
After everyone had left, Oden remained seated, carefully thinking over whether there were any flaws in their preparations.
As long as there was still time, they could patch any remaining holes.
Just then, the door beside him slowly creaked open.
A little boy with his hair tied in a topknot quietly slipped inside.
"Momo? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Momonosuke gently pushed the door shut behind him before walking over and kneeling in front of Oden.
"Father..."
"I... I believe this is an opportunity!"
"An opportunity?"
Oden blinked in surprise.
"What kind of opportunity?"
Momonosuke's heart was pounding wildly.
He had spent the last two days preparing exactly what he wanted to say.
But now that he was standing before his father...
Fear had gripped him so tightly that he couldn't force the words out.
After waiting for a moment, Oden smiled and said,
"You are also a member of the Kozuki Clan. If you have any good ideas, then speak them."
"Pooling everyone's wisdom, isn't that what they call it?"
"Pooling everyone's wisdom" was a phrase Oden had learned from the Revolutionary Army's schools.
Momonosuke frowned tightly.
Although he was afraid, he also understood that if he didn't speak now, he might never get another chance.
"Father!"
"Hm?"
"The Revolutionary Army is using their kindness to force us into repaying them! They're using their favor to cut off the roots of the Kozuki Clan!"
"We... why don't we take this opportunity to report them to those people?"
The instant those words left his mouth, Oden's expression changed.
But Momonosuke was becoming more and more excited, completely failing to notice the change in his father's face.
"If the Revolutionary Army is trying so hard to hide themselves, then they must not be able to fight against the power backing those people!"
"So we have a choice!"
"As long as we expose the Revolutionary Army, Wano will still belong to us!"
"The Kozuki Clan has ruled Wano for eight hundred years. Just because those people drove Kaido away, they expect the Kozuki Clan to give up the position of Shogun!"
"That's making all of Wano betray the Kozuki family!"
"Father!"
"You are the Shogun of Wano and the lord of the Kozuki Clan."
"We are the true rulers of Wano!"
By the time he finished that long speech, Momonosuke seemed to have exhausted every bit of courage he possessed.
Oden's face had already darkened as he stared at his son.
Perhaps...
He had been wrong.
During the most important years of the boy's childhood, because Toki had fallen ill, he had allowed her to take both children back to Kuri.
At the time, Lady Toki had needed to restore her own reputation while also governing Kuri and remaining vigilant against Orochi.
For all those reasons...
This child had become what he was today.
So the Revolutionary Army's ideas really were correct...
Entrusting the fate of an entire nation to a single family and a single bloodline was fundamentally wrong.
Because no one could guarantee that the descendants of the Kozuki Clan would not one day produce a fool like the one standing before him.
Someone capable of leading Wano toward destruction.
But Oden understood his own son.
Even those words just now...
They could not possibly have been thought up by Momonosuke himself.
Cowardly.
Weak-willed.
Without even the slightest trace of the spirit worthy of the Kozuki name.
"We? The rulers?"
Compared to himself, this child, only nine years old, had already developed such an obsession with power.
"Momonosuke."
"F-Father..."
Oden's voice became heavy.
"Who taught you to say those things?"
"Was it Shimotsuki Yasuie?"
"Or someone else?"
Momonosuke froze.
He remembered the instructions the Daimyo of Hakumai had given him.
Closing his eyes tightly, he answered,
"I... I thought of it all by myself."
"As a member of the Kozuki Clan, I simply couldn't ignore it."
"Couldn't ignore it?"
Oden abruptly stood up, looking down at his son from above.
"Do you also think you would have no way to face the ancestors of the Kozuki Clan?"
"And that you must inherit the position of Shogun?"
The position of Shogun!
Momonosuke's fists clenched tightly.
Two images flashed through his mind.
In one, he was driven out of the Shogun's palace in the Flower Capital.
Even the Daimyo residence in Kuri would no longer belong to him.
To survive, he would have to labor every day just to feed himself.
In the other...he inherited the title of Shogun.
Living a life of endless luxury within the Flower Capital's palace.
Anything he desired would be brought before him.
Even all of the beautiful women of the pleasure district...would belong to him alone.
The two visions alternated back and forth inside his mind.
Momonosuke was certain of one thing.
He did not want to live the life of an ordinary person.
He was a member of the Kozuki Clan.
He was the future Shogun of Wano.
"I..."
Momonosuke stood up and met his father's gaze.
"I am the sole heir of the Kozuki Clan."
"And I am Wano's future Shogun!"
"Father—"
"Shogun?"
Oden interrupted him.
"Do you even know what the responsibilities of a Shogun truly are?"
"You know nothing."
"The Shogun you imagine... is someone like Orochi, free to do whatever he wants?"
Momonosuke did not back down in the slightest.
"As the ruler of Wano, the lord stands above everyone else."
"Isn't enjoying those privileges only natural?"
"Didn't Father also cause the so-called 'Harem Incident' when you were young?"
"These are the rights granted by the name Kozuki."
"To govern the country while enjoying that power—there's absolutely nothing..."
Slap!
Oden's arm left an afterimage.
Bang! Crash!
Filled with fury, he struck Momonosuke with a single slap, sending him flying.
The wooden sliding door shattered apart as his body crashed through it.
In the end, however, it was still his own son.
He had not used Haki, otherwise that single blow might have killed him.
Even so, Momonosuke's entire face had swollen into that of a pig, his eyes filled with confusion and terror.
"The position of Shogun carries responsibility, not indulgence!"
"The children of the Kozuki Clan are meant to bring honor to the family, not use the Kozuki name as an excuse to do evil!"
Oden's voice was filled with anger as he strode toward the doorway.
Seeing this, Momonosuke desperately kicked his legs against the ground, trying to get as far away from his father as possible.
That single slap had completely destroyed the tiny bit of courage he had managed to gather.
He couldn't understand.
Why had things turned out like this?
Lord Yasuie had told him that the Revolutionary Army wanted to uproot the Kozuki family.
If they succeeded, then from that day onward, the Kozuki Clan would no longer be the destined rulers of Wano.
And he...would never become the next Shogun.
So why...
Why was his father, who was also a member of the Kozuki Clan, so furious that he would strike him?
Clearly...
Clearly Lord Yasuie had said that Father was only forced to accept the Revolutionary Army's reforms because of their overwhelming military strength.
"As Shogun, your duty is to let all the people of Wano live in peace and prosperity."
"To ensure that everyone in this country can live a better life."
"That's why my own father was not a good Shogun."
"His weakness allowed Wano to fall under the oppression of the Beasts Pirates."
"The people could barely survive."
"So until you truly inherit the will of the Kozuki Clan..."
"...that surname alone means nothing!"
At that moment, the commotion finally drew the attention of Kawamatsu, who was in charge of guarding the outside of the Shogun's palace.
He rushed inside immediately.
Close behind him was Lady Toki, carrying little Hiyori in her arms.
Shing!
Seeing the broken doorway, Kawamatsu instantly moved in front of Oden and drew his sword, vigilantly scanning the surroundings for enemies.
Meanwhile, Lady Toki looked at her son's horribly swollen face and hurried over, pulling him into her embrace before turning to Oden.
"Was there an enemy?"
Oden slowly shook his head.
The way he looked at Momonosuke was filled with confusion.
Seeing Oden deny it, Lady Toki instinctively looked down at the boy in her arms.
"Did you do something wrong?"
Perhaps because his mother had arrived, Momonosuke suddenly felt emboldened again.
"I did nothing wrong!"
"Father is the one who's wrong!"
"Lord Yasuie and the others have already said it..."
"Wano belongs to the Kozuki Clan!"
The instant those words left his mouth.
Oden's pupils contracted violently.
A terrifying wave of Haki burst forth and crashed directly toward Momonosuke.
In that instant...Momonosuke's eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
He could feel it.
His father had genuinely wanted to kill him.
The sheer terror left Momonosuke trembling uncontrollably, even though Oden's Haki had vanished the instant it was released.
"What..."
"What did you just say?!"
Oden slowly walked toward him, his right hand already resting on the hilt of his sword.
Momonosuke shook violently, burying his head in Lady Toki's embrace, his entire body quivering.
"Kawamatsu!"
"Y-Yes, Lord Oden!"
Kawamatsu was completely bewildered.
He still had no idea what had happened.
But one thing was certain.
The killing intent Oden had just released...had truly been directed at Lord Momonosuke.
"Go!"
"Inform the Revolutionary Army immediately!"
"Tell them that Shimotsuki Yasuie has betrayed us. By now, he has probably already gone to report everything to the World Government."
"I... have failed the trust they placed in me."
For a moment, everyone present except Momonosuke froze.
Inside Kawamatsu's mind, he could already see the destruction of Wano.
Lord Oden had only just explained Wano's true position in the world.
They had worked so hard alongside the Revolutionary Army, making countless preparations.
And now...
Everything might be ruined.
Bang!
A small figure suddenly rushed forward and threw a punch, knocking Momonosuke out of Lady Toki's arms and onto the floor.
At that moment little Hiyori's face was filled with pure anger.
----------
Advance Chapters: patreon .com/OneFic