While Onigashima burned with fanatical fervor, the atmosphere throughout Wano Country had grown suffocatingly oppressive. Under Kaido's violent rule, every benefit flowed to the Kurozumi clan while the nation's citizens bore all burdens and suffering.
The Sky Screen's revelations showed Kaido achieving even greater strength 5 years hence, while Kozuki Toki's dying prophecy seemed poised for fulfillment. The people harbored flickering hopes that the Kozuki bloodline might somehow liberate their homeland from the Yonko's iron grip.
Everyone in Wano understood that the Kurozumi family served as mere puppets, yet their usurpation of the Shogun's throne had transformed the isolated nation into one massive factory. Daily existence had become increasingly unbearable for ordinary citizens, and whispered dissatisfaction with Kurozumi Orochi festered in shadows throughout the country.
Any regime built on violence would ultimately face destruction by superior force. Intelligent observers could already foresee the Kurozumi clan's inevitable fate—time would prove the futility of their ill-gotten power.
Within the Shogun's mansion, Kurozumi Orochi had lost all appetite for wine and women. This cowardly snake who bullied the weak while cowering before the strong lived in constant terror that Kaido might replace him at any moment.
The Emperors had granted him the Shogun's position, which meant the Yonko could revoke it just as easily. When Kaido offered to make Kozuki Momonosuke the shogun title and All-Star, those words carried deadly serious intent.
"Damn the Kozuki clan," Orochi muttered darkly, his serpentine features twisted with paranoid fury. "These persistent ghosts refuse to stay buried. After all these years, why must they crawl back from the darkness? I cannot lose this position—I must act preemptively."
The Kurozumi family had schemed for generations to steal the Shogun's throne from the Kozuki bloodline. Having finally tasted the fruits of their ancestral plotting, Orochi refused to surrender power to its rightful heirs. He would protect his stolen birthright at any cost.
Orochi understood that losing his current position would trigger immediate betrayal from the ninja and samurai forces under his command. These mercenaries would simply find new masters to serve, leaving the Kurozumi clan vulnerable to complete annihilation.
Kozuki Momonosuke's Sky Screen performance revealed the same stubborn idealism that had doomed his father. Driven by parental revenge, the boy would never spare Kurozumi Orochi—he wanted to reduce his enemy to ash and scatter the remains. No negotiation was possible; peaceful power transfer would be tantamount to suicide.
Fukurokuju, captain of the Orochi Oniwaban, observed his lord's distress with calculating eyes. The elderly ninja's elongated earlobes swayed as he leaned forward with calculated counsel.
"General, the Sky Screen's timeline suggests Kozuki Momonosuke and Kin'emon have already returned to our seas," Fukurokuju advised in his reedy voice. "The only real combat strength comes from the samurai retainers—Oden's son shouldn't have matured yet. We possess a narrow window to eliminate him."
The Sky Screen showed Momonosuke claiming he wasn't fully grown, taking 5 years to develop that impressive physique. The Kurozumi clan needed to strike while their target remained most vulnerable. Only death could permanently eliminate such a dangerous loose end, just as they'd dealt with the mentally unstable Kozuki Oden.
The Kozuki bloodline had ruled Wano for countless generations. By exterminating their heirs completely and allowing the older generation's memories to fade, coupled with years of historical revisionism, the Kurozumi family could permanently nail their predecessors to shame's pillory. Only victors possessed the right to write history.
"Deploy the Orochi Oniwaban to search the seas for Kozuki Momonosuke before Kaido locates him," Orochi commanded, his voice gaining strength from decisive action. "We'll need Doflamingo's intelligence network—finding one person across these vast waters requires exceptional resources."
Kurozumi Orochi maintained profitable relationships with the Heavenly Yaksha through arms and human trafficking operations. As one of the underworld's premier information brokers, Doflamingo could mobilize networks spanning the entire Grand Line.
"Doflamingo's services don't come cheap," Orochi complained, his natural avarice warring with survival instincts. "That greedy bastard will bleed us dry."
Despite his extravagant lifestyle and hedonistic indulgences, the false Shogun's fundamentally petty nature recoiled from major expenditures. If Kozuki Momonosuke didn't represent such an existential threat, this pathetic man might have ignored the problem entirely.
"Offer Doflamingo a ten percent increase in arms trading profits," Fukurokuju suggested pragmatically. "Such wealth would motivate even the most mercenary businessman to provide assistance."
The ninja captain had delivered his counsel—whether General Kurozumi Orochi accepted this advice remained his decision alone. The blood feud between the Kozuki and Kurozumi clans demanded careful consideration of all options.
"Let me consider this further," Orochi muttered wearily, sinking back against the woman beside him. This beautiful oiran, resplendent in traditional kimono, represented his favorite among many concubines.
The conversation had unfolded within earshot of this courtesan, but Kurozumi Orochi felt no concern about potential eavesdropping. He believed Komurasaki would never betray her generous patron. Even if she repeated their words to other citizens, who would believe an entertainer's gossip?
The woman called Komurasaki massaged the General's temples with practiced skill, her expression radiating devoted affection while her heart churned with barely contained emotions.
Beautiful women excelled at deception above all else. Finding an appropriate excuse, Komurasaki departed after ensuring Kurozumi Orochi had fallen into peaceful slumber. The mansion's ninja guard made no attempt to intercept her—these subordinates understood implicitly that interfering with this particular woman would bring severe consequences.
Returning to her private residence with her personal maid, Komurasaki dismissed all other attendants before addressing the empty room.
"You can emerge now—we're completely alone."
"What emergency prompted such urgent contact?"
The smiling oiran's mask fell away, revealing features etched with profound sorrow. She relayed every detail of the conversation she'd overheard in the General's mansion.
"Kurozumi Orochi plans to collaborate with Doflamingo. Brother Momonosuke faces mortal danger, and I don't know how to prevent it. I can only request your assistance."
Both Komurasaki and Kyoshiro lived double lives. The woman's true identity was Kozuki Hiyori, fallen princess of Wano Country. The man's real name was Denjiro, one of the legendary Nine Red Scabbards. Together, they represented the restoration movement's hidden strength within Wano's borders, secretly preparing for over a decade for the Kozuki clan's eventual return.
"Though the timeline has accelerated by 5 years, this development favors our cause," Denjiro analyzed with strategic precision. "Lord Momonosuke's future strength derives from his association with Buggy the Clown. If we successfully facilitate that connection, the Sky Screen's promised future should manifest as predicted."
The prophetic visions had provided answer sheets for this crucial examination. By following the established path, Denjiro believed Wano's liberation could become reality.
The solution lay in delivering Momonosuke to Buggy before Kaido or Kurozumi Orochi could locate him. The time had come to call upon old friendships and set destiny's wheels in motion.