Wano Country, Flower Capital.
"What a wonderful day!"
"The annual *Fire Festival* has begun~~!"
In one of the only two lively places in Wano (the other being Ringo's Plantation Town), lanterns decorated the streets, illuminating the night. Children in masks ran around, laughing and playing, while adults set aside their worries for a drink and enjoyed the performances filling the roads.
Massive demon puppets allowed people to dance on their arms, fire-breathing "Yamauba" spirits warded off evil, the aroma of street food filled the air, and traditional goldfish scooping games entertained the crowds… But beneath this *celebration*—
"If only time could stop on this day forever."
For the older kids, this was their last carefree festival. From tomorrow onward, they had to start helping their families.
"Once the festival is over, we have to wait another year before we can drink again."
Living in the capital wasn't easy. If you didn't work yourself to the bone, your whole family could be thrown out.
"Damn it… If only Orochi didn't have Kaido backing him up…!!"
An elderly samurai covered his face with his hands, but the tears still rolled down his cheeks.
If Orochi had been acting alone, the samurai of Wano would have already risen up and executed him for his tyranny.
But behind him stood Kaido—the so-called strongest creature in the world.
One by one, Wano's greatest swordsmen had fallen to his spiked club…
And so, on this one day of the year, the people allowed themselves to forget.
To forget their hatred.
To forget their struggles.
To forget everything.
They put on their best clothes, sat by their doors, and watched the city lights, hoping their departed loved ones wouldn't worry for them.
"It's so lively, isn't it, Tama?"
"Master, this place… it's like heaven!"
Walking through the streets of the Flower Capital, Tengu the swordsmith held Tama's hand as the little girl's eyes darted around, overwhelmed by the sights.
"The big brothers said that if we defeat Kaido, then all of Wano can be just like—"
Oops. She accidentally let that slip!
"Hahaha, defeat Kaido, huh?"
But instead of reacting with shock, the nearby man holding a sake bottle simply chuckled. His drink was mostly watered down, but in his drunken eyes, there was a flicker of hope.
"That's a nice story, little girl. Tell us more~~"
"Yeah, just for today."
An old man holding a cup of water took a sip from his sake cup. "Orochi and his lackeys have all gone to Onigashima to worship their master. That's the only reason we can speak freely now!"
"So, little girl, go ahead and tell your story. Let everyone have a good laugh—"
"It's not a story!!"
?
"Big Brother Ace, Captain Luffy, Mister Roman, and many warriors from the outside world!"
"And a whole army of samurai they've rescued! I saw it with my own eyes—they've gathered a massive fleet and are setting sail for Onigashima tonight to take down Orochi and Kaido!"
?? This…
For a moment, the people in the street were silent. Then—
"Hahaha~~~!!"
"Oh no, that's too funny… I can't stop laughing…"
"That's the best thing I've heard all year! Even if it's just a dream—"
But soon, their laughter turned to tears.
"If only there really were samurai who could take down Orochi and Kaido…"
"Go ahead and dream all you want. At least today, no one will be killed for speaking their mind! Tomorrow, though, it'll be back to the same old nightmare."
"Little girl, it's been twenty years! I've seen warriors march off to Onigashima to fight Kaido twenty-three times. Not a single one of those brave men ever came back. But still… thank you for your words. They made my dead heart beat again, even if just for a moment."
…
As the crowd spoke with kind but hopeless words, the little girl couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Why won't any of you believe me?! I'm telling the truth—"
"Let it go, Tama."
Beside her, the masked swordsmith, Tenguyama Hitetsu, shook his head slightly.
"This country has suffered too much. It has tasted despair too many times. Even dreaming—today is the only day they allow themselves that luxury."
And this was the *capital*—the most 'prosperous' place in Wano. Life here was already unbearable for the common folk. Elsewhere, famine ran wild, bodies lay in the streets, most people suffered from heavy metal poisoning, and anyone who lived to fifty was considered 'long-lived.'
"Today… just for today, let them put everything aside and remember the past."
But children like Tama had no memories of the 'old' Wano.
To them, Wano had always been a land of choking smoke, poisoned rivers, and twisted creatures lurking everywhere. They had nothing to *remember*—only dreams of what *could be.*
"Big Brother Ace and the others will definitely win!"
"They fought against the *Four Emperors* out at sea before! And my brother Luffy—people from the outside world call him the 'Fifth Emperor'!"
????? *The* Four Emperors?
"I think I've heard of that… Two years ago, one of the Four Emperors started a war that shook the entire world…"
"Could it be that this time, it's really—"
Just as the people in the streets started to sense that something was different about this 'attack on Onigashima,' a deep rumbling filled the air.
Thunder rolled across the sky, drowning out the festival's noise. One by one, heads turned upward in confusion.
"What is… that?"
"That looks like… an island?"
As the massive, floating island drew closer, the air filled with crackling lightning, flashes of blinding light, and enormous flying slashes. And then—
A voice echoed through the sky. A voice that no one in Wano could ever forget.
"Ohohoho~~ You brats have some guts, don't you?!"
It was Kaido?!
In an instant, the once-cheerful crowd was frozen with fear, cold sweat breaking out across their backs.
But something was off. Normally, Kaido's voice was full of power, ruling over all with overwhelming strength. But now—it was hoarse, rough, lacking its usual force.
Even so, there was no doubt—
"It's him! It's really Kaido!!"
"Damn it… Why is *he* in the Flower Capital?! Don't tell me that island in the sky is—"
*Onigashima?!*
The grand Fire Festival of the Flower Capital came to an abrupt halt. Every single person stared anxiously at the massive island approaching overhead. The full moon was hidden behind its colossal form. The only light came from the flashes of battle above, the storm of lightning and slashes clashing in the sky.
And through it all, a single voice rang out—steady, unwavering.
"Kaido, tonight—you're going down!"
?
"That's right! I'm setting sail with Ace. After I send you flying out of Wano, I'm heading out, Kaido—!"
?!
Amid the sounds of battle and shouting, a series of broken, furious roars echoed from above. The silent crowd below was left in a daze, as if they were dreaming.
Was Kaido really fighting someone up there? And—could it be—Kaido was actually at a disadvantage?!
"Ohohoho~~ You ignorant little brats. Since you're trying so hard, let me tell you the 'truth' about this world!"
In the skies above Onigashima, the massive, battle-scarred dragon looked down at the young fighters below—just as wounded, but still refusing to fall. His huge mouth opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp fangs, several of which had been broken off.
"You think the title of 'Pirate King' is just for show?"
"Whoever reaches Laugh Tale and claims that throne must bear the duty of challenging the *god* of the Celestial Dragons!"
?!
Ace and Luffy both froze. Their dream—always had been, and still was—to become Pirate King. But they never expected the title to be connected to the Celestial Dragons… And what did he mean by *the god* of the Celestial Dragons?
"Wait, does that mean the Marines… even the Admirals would attack?"
Hearing Luffy's confusion, the massive dragon let out a loud, mocking laugh.
"The Marines? The Admirals?"
"They're nothing but the Celestial Dragons' lapdogs!"
"Do you really think the Marines obey those pathetic Celestial Dragons because of some nonsense about being the 'descendants of the creators'?"
"And those so-called righteous Admirals—do you think they don't *know* what the Celestial Dragons really are? Haven't you ever wondered why they never dare to—"
"Rebel?"
In a world where individual strength could surpass entire armies, a single Admiral was as powerful as a thousand troops. If even two or three Admirals saw the Celestial Dragons as a problem, then Mariejois, the so-called Holy Land, should have been wiped off the map by now.
But—
"You get it now, don't you? The Celestial Dragons aren't just a bunch of idiots. The *god* behind them—that's the real reason those pigs have ruled unchecked for 800 years!"
Kaido narrowed his massive dragon eyes, watching the shocked expressions of the young fighters below. They were stunned by his words—giving him precious time to recover!
Even with the power of the Fish-Fish Fruit, Mythical Model: Azure Dragon, taking attacks infused with three layers of Conqueror's Haki and another compressed with double Haki had left him badly wounded. Otherwise, why would Kaido suddenly stop fighting to start explaining *world secrets*?
This was just a stalling tactic.
"Throughout history, many warriors as strong as me have stormed the Red Line to challenge them… but have you ever heard of their legends?"
…No. Not a single one.
There was only one explanation—
"The World Government erased them from history."
Robin, who had just defeated Black Maria with her *Hundred-Armed Guanyin* technique, stepped forward. She had long noticed it—so many ruins across the world told the same story. These islands once held great civilizations, only to mysteriously turn to rubble.
"Ohohoho, that's right, Nico Robin—"
Kaido's massive golden eyes locked onto her.
"You're even more important than you realize! The ability to read Poneglyphs makes you the *key* to the great treasure hidden on Laugh Tale!"
"Only by claiming the One Piece and taking control of the Ancient Weapons can one have the power to challenge the so-called *god* of the Celestial Dragons—the force that has ruled this world for 800 years! Only then can the world truly be *free!*"
"Now do you understand?"
"Compared to the battle I'm fighting, you're just a bunch of kids playing in the sand!"
"Roger—because of his illness—had no choice but to sacrifice himself to kickstart the Great Pirate Era. But the one who will *inherit* the Pirate King's will must be the one to break the 800-year chains of this world! And that person—"
"Can only be me!!"
Kaido's speech was cut off by a loud voice from below.
Luffy raised his head, locking eyes with the massive dragon above.
"The one who's gonna be Pirate King is *me!* I don't care about some 800-year-old grudge—I just want to be the freest person on the sea!!"
"You've got guts, kid..."
To be the freest person on this vast ocean, the Celestial Dragons were the ultimate obstacle! And Luffy had made it clear—whether it was the Celestial Dragons or some so-called "god," they could all come at him!
"Anyone who stands in my way—I'll send them flying!"
*Whoosh—*
A single finger pointed toward Kaido in the sky.
"Right now, I'm sending you flying!!!"
...
As Luffy's words echoed across Onigashima, even the Flower Capital below fell into complete silence. Even those who couldn't see the scene felt as if they were witnessing a towering figure standing tall against the heavens.
"It's big bro Luffy!!"
Tama's excited cheer snapped the people in the streets out of their daze. Their foggy minds finally pieced together everything that had just happened.
Could it be...
Had the dragon-slaying samurai—no, in the words of the outsiders, a true dragon-slaying hero—finally appeared?
Meanwhile, on Onigashima—
"I know you're stalling for time to recover, but—"
Roman, his body shimmering like a diamond, waved his hand, and the now-drained "lifeblood paper" scattered and flew back into his grasp.
"To be honest, we were doing the same thing—trying to recover. If you had just held on a little longer, maybe we'd be the ones falling instead. Kaido~~"
"?! You damn brat!!"
"Everyone, attack—!"
(End of chapter)
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