Unlike Oden, Hiyori leaped forward, pinned Momonosuke to the ground, and began punching his swollen face over and over with both fists.
"You idiot! Do you even understand what you've done?!"
Bang!
"Teacher Robin, and all the teachers who've patiently answered our questions all this time... you'll get them all killed!"
Bang!
A broken tooth flew out.
With his mouth full of blood, Momonosuke glared back at Hiyori and roared angrily,
"I want them to die! Those people are trying to take away the Shogun's position that was meant to be mine! Why can't I fight back?!"
Bang!
Another punch slammed his head into the ground.
Hiyori continued striking him without mercy.
"Wano belongs to all of its people! Not to you! And not to the Kozuki Clan!"
Bang!
"The reason the Kozuki Clan became Shogun in the first place was because our ancestors earned everyone's recognition! And what about you? Is a family name all you have?!"
Bang!
Her final punch landed.
Little Hiyori stood up, her eyes ice-cold.
"Someone like you... isn't worthy of being my brother."
At that moment, Lady Toki stood up and gently brushed the dust off Momonosuke's clothes.
His face was so swollen that he could barely open his eyes, and he immediately burst into tears.
"Mother! I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't!"
As though she hadn't heard him at all, Toki quietly continued wiping the dirt from him.
Then she picked him up and stood beside Oden.
"We'll stay with you until the very end."
Oden let out a long sigh.
"According to the information the Teacher sent us, the Navy has already sealed off the seas surrounding Wano."
"And the attack capable of erasing Wano in a single strike... no one would survive it."
"The only thing I can still do is commit seppuku and apologize to the Revolutionary Army's instructors."
"At this point, even that power capable of making ships float into the sky... may already be too late."
The moment those words fell, Momonosuke who was still sulking in Toki's arms froze.
What... had he just heard?
What did they mean by Wano being erased in a single strike?
What did they mean by it already being too late?
How could that be?
Lord Yasuie had told him that by relying on the World Government, they could drive the Revolutionary Army out of Wano.
When that happened, he would still be the sole heir to the Shogun's throne.
So why was Father saying that Wano would be destroyed?
"You're lying to me?!"
Faced with the threat of death, Momonosuke suddenly turned toward Oden.
But Oden no longer even wanted to look at him.
Instead, he spoke quietly to Lady Toki.
"For all these years, Lord Yasuie and the other daimyo have only understood the outside world through the newspapers delivered by seagulls."
"They don't understand the true nature of the World Government, nor do they understand Wano's destined position in this world."
"Out of loyalty to the Kozuki Clan... and perhaps because of a little selfishness as well... they were unwilling to give up the authority they held in their hands."
"I should have realized that long ago."
Lady Toki bowed her head slightly.
"This isn't your fault, my lord."
"The Teacher isn't in Wano anymore, is he? The people who will change the future of this world... will definitely be him and the Revolutionary Army."
Oden forced the corners of his mouth upward, trying to smile and say the same words.
But no matter how hard he tried...he simply couldn't.
Because that future...no longer had anything to do with Wano.
The mission that the Kozuki Clan had guarded for the past eight hundred years...
...had been destroyed just like that.
"Momonosuke gave them legitimacy. I knew about it, yet I did nothing to stop it."
"The fault lies with me, but he cannot escape responsibility either. So..."
Lady Toki slowly closed her eyes as tears slipped down her cheeks.
After a long moment, she crouched down and gently placed Momonosuke back on the floor, revealing a warm smile.
"Whether or not you are worthy of the Kozuki name, you are still a man."
"And a man who makes a mistake must bear the consequences of his own actions."
"Only then can he face his own heart without shame."
Momonosuke was terrified.
He flailed his arms wildly, collapsing onto the floor.
"No! I don't want to!"
"Mother! Mother, save me!"
After beating Momonosuke, Hiyori had remained silent the entire time, her small fists tightly clenched.
The floor beneath her had already become wet with tears.
From the conversation between her parents, and after several months of attending the Revolutionary Army's classes, she could understand exactly what everything meant.
"I'll go."
Little Hiyori raised her head, her eyes red as she looked at Oden.
"Father... the men of the Kozuki Clan shouldn't be like him."
"So I'll go and apologize to the Revolutionary Army's teachers."
"That's what someone carrying the Kozuki name should do."
Her resolute voice left both Oden and Lady Toki stunned.
Oden suddenly recalled something the Teacher had once jokingly said.
Perhaps, even back then...the Teacher had already seen that Hiyori was stronger than Momonosuke.
"Very well."
Oden reached out and gently ruffled Hiyori's hair.
"Don't worry."
"Your father will go with you."
Kawamatsu, who had been frozen in place this entire time, finally began to understand what was happening.
"Lord Oden... I..."
Oden let out a long breath.
"Come with us."
"Lord Yasuie is someone who always plans ahead."
"By this point... whatever he intended to do has probably already happened."
Kawamatsu's heart tightened, but he nodded calmly.
"I... will remain with Wano until the very end."
At that moment, a streak of black light flashed behind Oden.
"Ah."
"Oh? What's with all the long faces?"
The masked Rowan glanced around at everyone.
When he saw Momonosuke lying on the floor with his face swollen into something resembling a pig's head, he nearly jumped in surprise.
Still, the boy's clothing allowed Rowan to recognize him.
"So... it seems you've all found out."
Oden turned around and immediately dropped to his knees, his forehead touching the floor.
"I have failed the trust you placed in me."
"Because of my negligence, the thousands of Revolutionary Army members in Wano have been dragged into a dead end."
"The only thing I can do now... is offer my life in apology."
At that moment, little Hiyori ran over and tightly grabbed Rowan's sleeve.
"Teacher Spark, hurry and leave!"
"Wano is very dangerous now!"
Rowan reached out and gently rubbed Hiyori's head.
"Don't worry."
"The problem you're all worried about..was already resolved three hours ago."
"When you know someone has a problem, yet make no preparations, they'll always jump out at the most critical moment."
Three Hours Earlier
"Samurai from the Hakumai Daimyo's residence have mobilized."
"They're heading toward the shelters and the residence where the World Government agents are staying."
"Six groups of samurai and three groups of ninja."
"They've all been eliminated."
While his Shadow Clone remained with the CPO agents, Rowan's real body had been monitoring the situation around the shelters.
In truth, the moment the Wano investigation reached its conclusion, Rowan had already guessed that Shimotsuki Yasuie would make his move.
Because for people like them..this was an opportunity.
An opportunity to completely rid themselves of the Revolutionary Army and preserve their own class privileges.
Before that, Rowan had even considered simply killing them all and ending the matter once and for all.
But Wano's situation was no longer the same as it had been several months ago.
During those months, schools and public lectures had continued throughout the country without interruption.
And the samurai and nobles born into the upper class had already begun clashing with a small but steadily growing group of people whose minds had been awakened by those new ideas.
The other nearly eighty percent of the common people, however, felt that it had nothing to do with them.
After the Beasts Pirates had been driven out, their lives had returned to how they used to be. They could continue living, continue working, and continue surviving.
To them, who was right and who was wrong simply didn't matter.
Under those circumstances, Shimotsuki Yasuie the Daimyo of Hakumai, a noble who had generally treated his people well in the past, was not someone who could simply be killed to solve the problem.
Killing Shimotsuki Yasuie would be easy.
But after his death, that overwhelming majority of ordinary people in Wano would inevitably become estranged from the Revolutionary Army.
Some of them might even join the resistance against them.
So what then?
Kill them too?
Killing wasn't difficult.
At worst, it would only cost another Diamond Treasure Chest and nearly another year of time.
But if they slaughtered those people as well, then even those whose minds had already been awakened including the Revolutionary Army's own soldiers would begin to doubt the ideals they had always upheld.
Because those people were of the same class as them.
Because the beliefs and convictions they had always fought for did not permit the massacre of ordinary civilians.
And so, Rowan chose to wait.
He waited for those people to expose themselves.
And he waited for Oden, as the Shogun of Wano, to make his own choice.
"Looks like it's my turn now."
As he spoke, Rowan stood up.
In an instant, he vanished from where he was and appeared not far from the Hakumai Daimyo's residence.
The Revolutionary Army troops surrounding the estate bowed slightly.
One of the squad leaders stepped forward.
"Teacher."
Rowan nodded.
"The Navy has already surrounded Wano."
"If our existence is exposed, then what awaits Wano will be the World Government's complete annihilation."
"And for the sake of protecting their own noble privileges, they made the most foolish choice possible."
"The work of awakening the people of Wano... must continue."
The moment those words fell, the eyes of every Revolutionary Army soldier around him burned with determination.
Their mission was to liberate the people of Wano.
It was only natural that those nobles who benefited from the old order would resist.
But they were not afraid.
The ideals they shared allowed them to empathize with the suffering of others, and many of them were reminded of the disgusting nobles who had once oppressed their own homelands.
"Teacher, we can help too."
Rowan shook his head slightly.
"There's no need."
"Wano is still in a transitional period."
"Shogun Oden... will stand with the people."
With that, Rowan stepped forward and knocked on the gates of the Daimyo's residence.
At that very instant, his Observation Haki sensed every presence inside becoming tense.
The gate slowly opened.
The servant who opened it recognized the masked Rowan immediately and instinctively tried to slam the door shut.
But Rowan had already appeared behind him.
Without another glance, he walked toward the only room in the estate that still had its lights on.
Samurai and retainers gradually gathered around him.
No one questioned him.
No one tried to pretend ignorance.
For him to come here at this hour meant only one thing he already knew what they had done.
And the people they had sent out to report to the World Government...were likely already dead.
"Let him in!"
The door to the brightly lit room was pushed open.
Shimotsuki Yasuie looked directly at Rowan, his gaze unwavering.
The encirclement of samurai and ninja opened a path, and Rowan calmly walked into the reception hall.
Inside, besides Shimotsuki Yasuie, there was also a man wearing a tengu mask—
Kozuki Sukiyaki.
"So this is your final trump card?"
Rowan looked at the cowardly former Shogun.
"A man who abandoned his own people in the face of danger just so he could survive."
"The only value you still have is the Kozuki surname that can fool the common people."
Sukiyaki's breathing became slightly uneven, but he said nothing.
Instead, Shimotsuki Yasuie spoke.
"At that time, Lord Sukiyaki had absolutely no way of defeating Kaido."
"In that situation, preserving his life and waiting for another opportunity was the correct decision."
Those words made Sukiyaki nod in agreement.
He clearly believed the same.
Rowan, however, had no interest in arguing about the past.
He spoke directly.
"From this moment until the World Government's investigation is over..."
"...none of you are allowed to leave this estate."
Shimotsuki Yasuie did not seem surprised by the order.
In fact, he did not even ask about the people they had sent out to deliver their report.
When this Revolutionary Army teacher appeared here, it meant that the Revolutionary Army had been watching him all along.
Under those circumstances...no one was getting out.
"You're not going to kill me?"
Shimotsuki Yasuie asked another question.
Rowan looked at him.
"Right now, the Shogun of Wano is Kozuki Oden."
"Whether you deserve to die or not should be decided by him."
"What the Revolutionary Army wants is the liberation of all of Wano, not a living hell built on blood and corpses."
"You deserve death, but the Revolutionary Army shouldn't be the one to carry it out."
"Oden?"
Shimotsuki Yasuie frowned, while Sukiyaki, standing beside him, clenched his fists.
"You want Oden to execute us?"
"How could he possibly agree? That fool may be reckless, but he's still a member of the Kozuki Clan."
Rowan looked at the two of them.
"In fact, if I hadn't prepared in advance...wano might already have disappeared from the world."
As he spoke, Rowan turned toward Sukiyaki.
"You know what's buried beneath Wano, don't you?"
"The Ancient Weapon, Pluton."
"I've heard it's an enormous battleship capable of destroying an entire island with a single shot."
"But why such a weapon exists beneath Wano... even you don't know."
"After Oden sailed the seas, he learned many truths about the world."
"One of those truths was Wano's future mission and that Wano stands in natural opposition to the World Government."
Rowan then shifted his gaze toward Shimotsuki Yasuie.
"Because of its isolation and centuries of closed borders, Wano was largely ignored by the World Government."
"Its natural defenses and its unique Seastone craftsmanship also played a part."
"Those reasons allowed the World Government to turn a blind eye to this special country."
"But now, Wano's uniqueness has been combined with us and with me, the man who killed three Celestial Dragons."
"So tell me..."
"...what do you think they'll do?"
Hidden within those words were many secrets concerning Wano and the World Government.
As the Daimyo of Hakumai, Shimotsuki Yasuie finally understood.
Turning to Sukiyaki, he asked,
"Lord Sukiyaki..."
"Does the World Government also possess an Ancient Weapon?"
Sukiyaki slowly removed the tengu mask covering his face.
"I don't know."
"All I know is that something truly exists beneath Wano."
"As for what it represents, and the true reason Wano has remained closed to the outside world for all these centuries..."
"...I don't know."
After a brief pause, he continued,
"But the Kozuki Clan, and Wano itself, have indeed inherited some kind of mission."
"It's simply that too much time has passed."
"Many things have already been forgotten, both by the Kozuki Clan and by Wano."
"I don't know exactly what Oden learned while sailing the seas."
"However..."
"Those giant stones that record history...were indeed created through the craftsmanship of Wano's stonemasons."
Rowan chuckled softly.
"The Poneglyphs record the true history of the Void Century eight hundred years ago."
"Three years ago, the scholars of Ohara in the West Blue researched them."
"In the end, all of Ohara was destroyed by a Buster Call."
"And studying the Void Century is considered a capital crime under the laws of the World Government."
"Everyone in the outside world knows that."
"Perhaps your retainer, Shimotsuki Hikogoro, already knows it as well."
With those words, Rowan stood up to leave.
After pushing open the door, he spoke without turning back.
"When the people's minds awaken..."
"...every old system and every feudal order will eventually be crushed into dust beneath the wheels of history."
"Think carefully about your future."
Flower Capital, Shogun's Palace
"That's the situation."
"The matter at Hakumai has already been dealt with."
"Shimotsuki Yasuie, the daimyo of the other two regions, along with all the samurai and retainers involved their punishment is yours to decide."
Rowan looked at Oden.
"The choice is entirely yours."
"The Revolutionary Army will not interfere."
After hearing everything that had happened three hours earlier, Momonosuke who realized he would not be executed after all, let out a sigh of relief.
Then he collapsed onto the floor and fainted.
No one paid any attention to him.
Even Kawamatsu felt, deep down, that this child was nothing like Lord Oden.
On the other hand, Princess Hiyori, despite being so young, had shown no fear in the face of death.
After quietly listening to Rowan's entire account, even the knot that had been tightening around Oden's heart finally loosened.
Originally, he had wanted to ask the Revolutionary Army for their opinion.
But now it was obvious that the Teacher truly intended not to interfere.
And that left Oden himself trapped in indecision.
More than ten years ago, Lord Yasuie had helped him countless times.
When Kuri had still been a lawless wasteland, it was Yasuie who had provided most of the funds that allowed Oden to transform it into a proper region.
More importantly his own father was among those awaiting judgment.
The man who had made a terrible mistake and then spent years hiding under a false identity, surviving in obscurity.
His thoughts were in complete chaos.
Time passed, second by second.
After the emotional turmoil, little Hiyori, who could no longer stay awake, was taken away by Lady Toki to rest.
Momonosuke was carried away as well.
But before they left, Oden looked at his son one last time.
It was as though he had finally made up his mind about something.
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