Shiro didn't know how much time had passed before he slowly surfaced from the haze of unconsciousness.
When he opened his eyes, the familiar wooden ceiling of the Virtue's infirmary cabin came into view.
He turned his head—
and saw only Robin sitting beside him.
His heart tightened.
Any lingering grogginess vanished instantly.
He struggled upright and asked anxiously:
"Robin… where is everyone? Did we win the battle?"
Seeing him awake, a glimmer of relief lit Robin's eyes. She gave a small nod.
"Rest assured, Captain… we won overwhelmingly.
Kaido and the Beasts Pirates have been completely wiped out.
As for Wano's shogun Orochi—his entire faction has been purged as well.
However…"
"However what?"
Shiro's breath hitched, tension shooting through him.
What he feared most was finding out that someone on the crew had been lost.
With how brutal the battle had been, he dreaded bad news.
Robin tapped her chin thoughtfully, confusion on her face.
"Well… Orochi is strange. He was cut down multiple times—fatally, even—but he just wouldn't die.
He's in the holding cell now."
Shiro finally exhaled, patting his chest.
"Oh, that's all? You scared me half to death!
I know exactly what's going on. Orochi ate the Snake-Snake Fruit, Model: Yamata no Orochi, a Mythical Zoan.
The fruit grants eight lives. Until all eight are exhausted, he can't fully die."
"So that's it," Robin murmured, enlightenment flashing in her eyes.
"Right… where is everyone else? Why is it just us here?"
Shiro glanced around the empty room, frowning.
He stood, walked to the door, and peeked onto the deck—also deserted.
"They're all still on Onigashima," Robin replied, following him with a soft laugh. "Helping Moria clean up the battlefield."
"…Helping Moria?"
Shiro blinked, stunned.
Moria—on this ship—was notorious for being the one who constantly needed "education by virtue."
Everyone teased him relentlessly.
Why would they suddenly volunteer to help him?
Robin gave him a doubtful little smile.
"Yes. You wouldn't believe it, Captain…
but right now, Moria is practically a celebrity in Wano.
After the battle, the people treated him like a savior.
They even petitioned for him to stay and lead the reconstruction of the country."
Even Robin didn't fully understand it.
How could the normally unimpressive, chronically bullied Moria suddenly be hailed as Wano's hero?
Shiro sucked in a sharp breath.
He never imagined that out of everyone, Moria would end up with such ridiculous luck.
"Robin… tell me everything.
What happened after I blacked out?"
Robin nodded and organized her thoughts, then began recounting the battle's aftermath.
—
After Shiro defeated Kaido, the others secured victories across the island as well.
Issho rose high into the air, gripping his shikomizue.
Raising his hands toward the heavens, he called:
"Meteor!"
A black void tore open in the sky—
and a blazing meteor roared downward with apocalyptic force, crashing straight toward King the Wildfire.
King barely evaded the direct hit, but the shockwave crushed him under its weight.
He never rose again.
Near the shore, Jinbe clashed with Jack the Drought.
In the water, the master of Fish-Man Karate was unstoppable.
He gathered the power of the sea and launched:
"Fish-Man Karate Secret Technique: Buraikan!"
T/N: Vagabond Drill or Martial Reliant Piercing
The impact blasted Jack across the waves, sending the massive mammoth crashing into open water.
A Devil Fruit user, Jack quickly lost his strength, sank, and drowned.
Crocodile's fight with Queen the Plague was equally fierce.
Queen unleashed every weapon in his modified body—
but Crocodile calmly conjured walls of sand to stop them all.
With a sweeping motion, he fired countless razor-sharp sand blades.
Queen was caught off guard; the blades tore through him, and he collapsed.
Elsewhere, Brook and Hachi also defeated their respective opponents.
Brook's Yomi-Yomi no Mi abilities and swordsmanship cut through his enemy with ease.
Hachi's Nine-Sword Style forced his foe into submission.
Zepp remained on Onigashima, fully focused on keeping the island afloat with the Float-Float Fruit.
He couldn't return yet.
But the biggest surprise—
was Moria.
In the final stretch of the battle, he rallied Wano's rebels, leading them in a sweeping assault straight to Orochi's stronghold.
The shogun's remaining forces—
Moria annihilated them without hesitation.
When the war ended, the people of Wano looked upon the man who had led them to topple their tyrants.
They fell to their knees, begging him to stay, to guide their nation into a new era.
And Moria?
Of course he seized the opportunity.
He put on a modest act, insisting he had "only done what he had to."
But before anyone could persuade him again, he eagerly accepted the role—
pretending—just barely—to do so reluctantly.
By the time Robin finished speaking, Shiro's initial shock had faded into a weary calm.
He rubbed his forehead.
The war was won, but the aftermath was a mountain:
Zepp was still holding up Onigashima.
Orochi needed to be handled properly.
And Moria's… situation… needed intervention before he got too comfortable.
"One thing at a time…"
With a quiet sigh, Shiro stood and made his way toward the holding cell where Orochi was imprisoned.
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