As the user of the Horu Horu no Mi, Ivankov could freely change a target into a man or a woman, including himself. (T/N: Horm-Horm Fruit.)
'But to think he would transform into a woman and infiltrate this place... he had some nerve.'
"Jin-sama, you'd even take an ugly woman like that?" Pudding, exhausted from the day's activities and lying across Jin's lap, complained pitifully.
"What are you talking about?" Jin gave Pudding a light smack on the rear.
"Zehahaha! Jin-san's standards are just high! I think she's not bad. Back when I was still a nobody under the old man, I've had worse," Blackbeard joked.
"Oh, really? Then she's yours for the night," Jin said with a malicious grin.
Ivankov nearly fainted on the spot, 'Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! I'm just here to gather intel, I don't need to sacrifice that much!'
"Zehahaha! Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Blackbeard raised his glass, "A toast to our friendship! And congratulations to Captain Jin for acquiring Wano's number one beauty!"
After several collaborations, Blackbeard was fairly certain Jin had no interest in the title of Pirate King, which relieved him. That meant once the Straw Hat Grand Alliance was crushed, and he found a chance to take out that poser Shanks, his only remaining rival would be Kaido. The future looked bright.
"Would you like to have an older sister?" Jin asked the woman in his right arm, Komurasaki, who still wore the collar.
"Huh?" The equally exhausted Komurasaki was baffled by the question.
After all, she didn't have a sister, only a brother, though she didn't know if he was alive or dead.
...
"Zehahaha~ Morning, Captain Rin!" The next morning, Blackbeard waved with his right hand, his left arm around the tall woman from last night's banquet… the one with the frizzy purple hair, unremarkable face, but curvaceous figure.
Jin, who had just emerged from his room with Nami and Robin on each arm, almost burst out laughing.
"Had a good time last night?" He asked, barely containing his amusement.
"Zehahaha! Not bad at all. This Iva-chan was quite the tease, playing hard to get. I don't mind that type," Blackbeard scratched the beard on his chin, wearing a grin all men would understand.
"Hahahaha!" This time, Jin couldn't hold back and laughed heartily, walking away with the two women, leaving Blackbeard utterly confused.
'I wonder how he'll feel when he finds out who he actually slept with someday.'
Since Jin's arrival in Wano, he had temporarily commandeered the Shogun's Castle. Kaido, though not in a hurry to kill the now-useless Orochi, had simply kicked him out to make room for Jin.
We can choose the way of our future~
Try a brand new path, we can change the world~
We can change the world~
This boundless music brings transformation~
Messages in song reach even further~
This dream will come true, "I believe in you"~
A melodious voice suddenly drifted from a room. Jin opened the door next to his and found Pudding sitting beside a Visual Den Den Mushi.
The image projected from the snail's eyes onto the wall showed a slender girl, about Nami's age, with hair white on the left and red on the right, singing into a microphone with a heavenly voice.
"Ah! Jin-sama, you're awake." Seeing Jin, Pudding quickly made space for him.
"This is..." Jin raised an eyebrow.
"Uta, the world's most popular songstress right now. She's using the Marines' newest live-streaming Visual Den Den Mushi for a concert," Nami explained, "They say she's a staunch anti-pirate advocate who has inspired countless victims of piracy around the world."
That reminded Jin, 'Wasn't she the one who tried to create a weaker version of the Infinite Tsukuyomi in the original work? Shanks's adopted daughter?'
Jin wasn't particularly interested in Uta, but he remembered Koala was short on people.
He called her and asked if she wanted to try recruiting the songstress, though he doubted it would work.
After all, unlike Koala, Zephyr, and Kuzan, who were steadfast anti-World Government revolutionaries, Uta was different.
While she claimed to hate pirates, she secretly longed to return to the Red Hair Pirates as their musician. At her core, she was just a love-starved kid.
'But this thing is interesting.' Jin mused, his attention shifting more to the new live-streaming Den Den Mushi. A new, amusing idea began to form in his mind.
...
That afternoon, in the Shogun's Castle, Jin sat facing Kaido, a trademark smirk on his face, "I have a very fun idea."
"Oh~? Oden's son? Seeing that smile of yours, I think that brat is in for a world of trouble," Kaido stroked his beard.
"Tell your lackeys to hold off for two days. I'll make sure they have their fun later," Jin's smile turned increasingly twisted.
Kaido blinked twice.
Honestly, seeing that expression made even him a little nervous.
'What kind of depraved scheme has this guy thought up now?'
...
Kuri, Wano Country.
This area, once ruled by Oden, but was now a wasteland. Precisely because it was ungoverned, it had become the secret base for the Straw Hat Grand Alliance.
"Kaido's Beast Pirates have roughly 20,000 combatants. According to the intelligence brought back by Morley and Ivankov-san, Blackbeard brought three of his captains and 5,000 men. Adding Orochi's 10,000 men, the enemy's total force numbers 35,000," Sabo, now wearing a kimono, sat cross-legged in a dilapidated hut, analyzing the situation for everyone present.
"In terms of numbers, we're evenly matched," Vista, the commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' 5th division, interjected.
Indeed, the Straw Hat Grand Fleet had 5,000, the Whitebeard Pirates' remnants 10,000, the Revolutionary Army's forces 10,000, the Kozuki Family's samurai, and the 5,000 Mink's warriors they recruited from Zou.
Because Big Mom had been eliminated earlier, Pedro, who should have died on Whole Cake Island, was still alive.
He, along with Inuarashi and Nekomamushi, led the Mink Tribe's forces participating in the Wano battle.
Thus, the Straw Hat Grand Alliance also mustered 35,000 troops, matching the enemy.
"Then our chances of winning are still great! We will surely see Momonosuke-sama reclaim the Shogun's seat!" Kin'emon, representing the Nine Red Scabbards, said excitedly.
"That is, provided that man truly doesn't intervene," Marco, one of the top fighters of the Straw Hat Grand Alliance, said gravely.
The room fell silent.
Yes. The news of Jin's arrival in Wano had been secretly relayed to them by Carina.
That man alone possessed the power to turn the entire tide of the battle.
Even though the intelligence gatherers, Carina and Ivankov, reported that Jin had stated he wouldn't participate, they were still terrified!
He was the freak who could beat Celestial Dragons and Admirals into submission and then turn around and wipe out an Emperor.
Whether he acted or not, his mere presence on the island was a deterrent!
"Why is everyone so scared? Kaido is right before us! Are we going to run away?" Suddenly, Momonosuke, holding a wooden sword, shouted indignantly, "If you won't go, fine! Even if I have to go alone, I will challenge Kaido!"
Marco was momentarily speechless, 'It's easy to be brave when you've never seen Jin.'
He also doubted this eight-year-old would actually set foot on the battlefield. Even if he wanted to, his retainers wouldn't allow it. He just needed to wait comfortably for the war to end and then become Shogun.
"I won't run away!" Luffy declared, "That red-eyed guy... this time, I will definitely punch him into the sky!"
The pre-Gear 5 Luffy probably didn't even rank in the top five within the Grand Alliance in terms of strength, but he was undoubtedly the key figure uniting the four factions.
Hence, their alliance was named the [Straw Hat Grand Alliance] and not the [Whitebeard Grand Alliance] or [Revolutionary Grand Alliance]…
Though the Kozuki side had suggested [Kozuki Grand Alliance] or [Momonosuke Grand Alliance] and they were flatly rejected.)
"Luffy is right. War is never a sure victory. And if we miss this chance, do you think we'll get a better one?" Sabo, the world's number one brother-con, also voiced his support.
Having obtained the Mera Mera no Mi in Dressrosa, Sabo was undoubtedly a main force on their side.
"...Then let's discuss the battle plan," Marco said, seeing the determination of the three other representatives. He couldn't very well say more.
"Our target is tomorrow's Fire Festival! When the Beasts Pirates and Blackbeard's men are dead drunk, we'll charge in and take their heads!" Kin'emon said eagerly, "I'll use my Devil Fruit power to disguise everyone in Beasts Pirates' uniforms. Once we infiltrate successfully, the first group will cause a disturbance inside. When chaos erupts, they'll signal the forces outside, and we'll attack from both sides!"
"What a wonderful plan." Kanjuro, who had been silently observing from behind Kin'emon and the others, suddenly spoke.
"Hehe! Right? I think this strategy is excellent too," Kin'emon, unaware of the oddity in Kanjuro's tone, grinned.
"Watch out!" Marco and Sabo shouted simultaneously, their Observation Haki flaring.
But the attack was too sudden and came from one of their own. Even Sabo and Marco couldn't react in time.
By the time they raised their guards, Kanjuro had already drawn the giant brush-sword from his back and swung it horizontally.
Several of the surrounding Red Scabbards were caught off guard and sent flying.
Luffy, Sabo, and others on the periphery were also caught by surprise, stumbling and nearly falling.
Sabo caught Raizo, who had flown towards him, and looked up.
In the span of less than two seconds, Kanjuro had grabbed Momonosuke with his left hand like a chick and swiftly drawn a lifelike crane with his right hand, leaping over ten meters into the air.
"Kanjuro! What are you doing!?" Kin'emon, whom Luffy had set back on the ground, cried out in disbelief.
"I originally planned to act tomorrow, but Orochi-sama just gave the order to bring Momonosuke to him today. My apologies," Kanjuro revealed an unprecedented sinister smile to the Red Scabbards below.
"What's going on, Kanjuro-san? Why are you doing this!?" Kikunojo, another Red Scabbard and Izou's younger brother, cried out.
"Kurozumi Kanjuro! That is my true name. Does that make it clear?" Kanjuro said coldly.
The faces of all the Red Scabbards changed dramatically.
"Waaah! It's so high! Save me! Everyone, save me! Waaaahhhh-" Momonosuke, held tightly by Kanjuro, burst into tears, bawling loudly.
Despite the tense atmosphere, Marco and the others were dumbfounded, 'Wait, weren't you just confidently declaring you would challenge Kaido? And now you're crying over a little height? The contrast is a bit much, isn't it?'
"Do you think you can get away?" Sabo's right arm burst into flames as he leaped into the air, aiming for the crane drawn by Kanjuro's Devil Fruit Ability.
"Fire Fist!"
A massive pillar of fire over ten meters in diameter shot towards the sky.
But just as Sabo's attack was about five or six meters from Kanjuro...
Boom-
It was as if an invisible mirror had appeared in mid-air. Another colossal pillar of fire descended from above, perfectly blocking Sabo's attack.
Sabo, in his elementalized state, paled.
Luffy, Marco, Vista, and the others wore similar expressions of shock.
'That was... Fire Fist!'
The two opposing pillars of fire collided, causing a violent explosion high in the air before gradually dissipating.
By then, Kanjuro, still holding Momonosuke, was already flying far away. Momonosuke's cries for help continued to echo from the distance.
But what made the faces of those below turn even graver was the additional figure now riding on Kanjuro's crane. A figure that felt hauntingly familiar to Luffy, Sabo, Marco, and the others below.
Slightly curly black hair reaching the shoulders, a physique that wasn't tall but was solid and powerful, and the distinct Whitebeard Pirates' tattoo on the back.
'Is... is it him?'
"Wait!" Luffy and Sabo immediately lost their composure and prepared to give chase.
"Don't be reckless!" Marco instantly transformed into his Phoenix form, blocking their path, "As much as I want to go too, we cannot act rashly now! This is very likely an enemy trap!"
"That's Ace! I can't be mistaken! That has to be Ace!" Luffy struggled to break free.
This time, even his first mate, Zoro, had seen enough.
He pressed Luffy to the ground with the scabbard of Shusui against his neck, "Calm down, Luffy! Marco is right! This is probably a trap!"
Since Komurasaki was... occupied, Zoro hadn't been forced to exchange Shusui for Enma, thus avoiding his fate as a mere sword stand.
The moss-head really ought to kowtow to Jin in gratitude.
"That silhouette, the Mera Mera no Mi's ability and the technique... I can't think of anyone else but Ace," Sabo, usually more level-headed, was also struggling to stay calm.
"Devil Fruit's Abilities are varied and unpredictable. Didn't Luffy know someone with the Mane Mane no Mi who could change faces freely? And Teach has a crew member with the Nine-Tailed Fox Fruit, who can supposedly transform into anyone. Don't be fooled." Marco warned. (T/N: Clone-Clone Fruit.)
"But the technique? That was clearly Ace's Fire Fist!" Sabo argued.
"I don't know. All I know is that now is not the time to act," Marco insisted through gritted teeth.
As the one who had originally invited Ace to join the Whitebeard Pirates, his bond with Ace was no less than Luffy's or Sabo's.
But as the most experienced person present, he knew they absolutely could not charge deep into enemy territory alone.
"Stick to the plan! We'll find out what's going on when we attack Onigashima tomorrow!" Marco felt utterly exhausted. It feels like he's surrounded by problem children.
"But Momonosuke-sama has been taken! Won't he be in danger!?" The Kozuki Family's retainers were frantic.
Momonosuke was their reason for living, their very lifeline. The Will of Fire… no, the Will of Oden embodied! Everything was for their Momonosuke-sama!
"You have his Vivre Card, don't you? If anything happens to the Vivre Card, we'll move early. But until then, we cannot act." Marco felt even more weary.
'After this war is over, I'm going back home to get married.'