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The Second Half of the New World.
The Closed-Off Land of Wano.
Onigashima, Headquarters of the Beasts Pirates.
Inside the massive skull-shaped fortress, the sound of heavy drinking echoed.
A towering figure with two horns, an unbelievably muscular body, and a ghostly presence sat there, chugging sake from a giant gourd. His overwhelming aura was enough to make anyone feel terrified.
Beside him lay the latest bounty poster—Wilhelm, with a bounty of one billion berries—and a fresh newspaper featuring his face on the front page.
"Dad, let me go! I'm starving! I want to be Oden!"
A nine-year-old girl with horns similar to his sat tied up against a boulder, her face bruised and swollen. Thick iron chains restrained her.
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, crying out, "Let me go, Father!"
"Oden? Again with Oden?"
Veins bulged on Kaido's forehead. His bloodshot eyes darkened as he glared at the little girl who kept shouting about being "Oden."
Without hesitation, he raised his massive fist and struck her hard.
"Ten days locked up with those samurai wasn't enough? You didn't learn your lesson? How did I end up with such a stupid son?!"
Boom!
"Aghhh! It hurts!"
The girl screamed as blood trickled from her forehead.
Kaido took another swig of sake, his fingers brushing over the massive X-shaped scar on his abdomen—a wound that never stopped aching. He ignored the girl's cries completely.
Ever since he teamed up with Wano's shogun, Kurozumi Orochi, and took over this naturally fortified, resource-rich land, Onigashima had become the stronghold of the Beasts Pirates.
A year ago, after executing Kozuki Oden—the rightful heir of Wano and a former member of the Roger Pirates—Kaido couldn't understand why his own child started worshipping the very man he killed. Every day, she shouted about becoming "Kozuki Oden."
It infuriated him.
What frustrated him even more was how the battle ended. Kaido had planned to defeat Oden in a fair fight, proving his superiority. But things didn't go as expected.
That old hag from the Kurozumi Clan, with her Clone-Clone Fruit powers, transformed into Oden's son, Momonosuke, right at a critical moment. Oden hesitated—just for a second—but that second cost him the fight.
Kaido, in his arrogance, had stayed in his massive Azure Dragon form for too long, making himself an easy target. Oden took advantage of that and delivered a powerful strike, leaving a permanent X-shaped scar on his abdomen.
It was a humiliation that still haunted him.
Even worse, because of that dirty trick, the victory didn't feel earned. Oden fell too quickly, making it an unsatisfying win.
That frustration never left Kaido's heart.
"If you die from this, then you're just weak!"
With a cold, emotionless expression, Kaido spoke as if the girl wasn't even his own daughter.
"Listen—when you stop this nonsense, I'll let you eat."
"No! I'm going to be Kozuki Oden!"
Bang! Bang!
"Aghhh!"
"Oden!"
Boom!
"Agh... Ahhh..."
Kaido struck her over and over, punishing her for defying him.
With a deep sigh, he took another swig of sake. Annoyed, frustrated, and lost in thought, he ignored the bloodied girl's cries. He didn't even bother calling for a doctor.
"What a thick-headed brat," he muttered. "And to think I raised you as my 'son'... Nothing like Linlin's kid."
He glanced at the newspaper again. The image of Wilhelm, young and full of ambition, stared back at him. The article listed a series of Wilhelm's astonishing feats...
Kaido of the Beasts had finally understood what it meant to be someone else's son.
Meanwhile, in the First Half of the New World…
Dressrosa, King's Plateau.
Scarlet stared blankly at the newspaper that had just fallen from the news bird.
"An attack on the Holy Land, Mary Geoise? A bounty of one billion berries?"
She couldn't believe it.
The eldest princess of Dressrosa never imagined that Wilhelm—the same boy who was around her age and the hero who once saved her from pirates—would become a pirate himself. Not just any pirate, but a notorious one with a bounty of one billion berries.
She turned to look not far away.
There, drenched in sweat, was her younger sister, Viola, practicing swordsmanship under the guidance of Cyrus, the commander of the kingdom's army.
At that moment, she finally understood why her sister once said, "We don't belong in the same world as him."
Scarlet muttered to herself, dazed, "Viola… is this why you're pushing yourself so hard?"
On the Training Grounds…
Clang!
Viola, only ten years old, had been training for hours. She was exhausted, her small hands gripping her sword tightly.
Cyrus, watching her closely, spoke in a firm voice, "That's enough for today, Your Highness."
"Not yet…"
Sweating heavily, Viola kept swinging her sword, her face full of determination.
Cyrus frowned. "You're still young. Pushing yourself too hard—"
Before he could finish, she interrupted, her voice unwavering. "Increase my training."
She had made up her mind.
Ever since that incident—since Wilhelm's words had shaken her—Viola refused to remain weak. She had been training relentlessly for months.
But deep down, she knew…
Her reason for becoming stronger wasn't just to protect her family.
It was also because she wanted to get closer to him.
Even if, in the end, she could only watch his back as he walked ahead.
Cyrus, taken aback by her determination, finally asked, "Your Highness, why are you working so hard?"
Viola, still catching her breath, fell silent for a moment. Then, gripping her sword tightly, she answered with conviction.
"Because… I have a reason to become stronger."
Cyrus studied her closely. His sharp instincts told him the reason went beyond just duty.
He glanced toward a nearby table, where a wanted poster lay. The bounty belonged to Charlotte Wilhelm, the so-called 'Noble Son of Sengoku.'
With a sigh, he murmured, "What an incredible person… It's hard to believe he's only fifteen. He's even younger than Princess Scarlet."
At That Moment…
Boom! Boom!
A loud noise echoed across the sky, drawing everyone's attention.
Viola, Cyrus, and the others instinctively turned toward the source.
Far in the distance, above the sea, an enormous ship floated in midair, propelled by powerful gusts of wind.
It was heading straight for Dressrosa.