An Eternal Bond

The War Begins

Aight, let's back track a bit since I missed a few things.

"Listen," Luffy began. "If you wanna fight on my side, then you'll watch me whoop Kaido's ass!"

"Luffy, I'm told that Kaido did that first."

"I want to do that too!" Yamato insisted. She looked us straight in the eye, her eyes full of pure sincerity about what she was saying. "But do you know how many times he beat me as a kid? Every time I challenged him, he'd make me pay the price!"

I looked at Luffy, then back at Yamato. "He said he could take it off, though."

"But it's bound me for twenty—"

"It's been 2 years since Whitbeard's Paramount War!"

My ears perked up at the name and I glanced at the crack in the floor—or, ceiling. The three of us gathered around the gap, listening carefully to the announcement said to be displayed onscreen.

"And finally, the world has churned into motion! The Shichibukai were not disbanded by some bad decision by the world government! It is a sign that the navy force has a new force capable of stopping us!!"

I furrowed my brow. A new force? Is this why the Beast Pirates had to form an alliance with the Big Mom Pirates? And if that's the case, then how are they so sure that there's a weapon of some sort with the navy? I thought it was simply because two of the Shichibukai took over cities, and two others rebelled.

"We have decided to join together with the Big Mom Pirates to seize the Ancient Weapons! In other words—"

The grand speech was interrupted by Big Mom barging into the plaza. "Did I hear you say my name, Kaido?"

I felt a chill go down my spine simply from looking at her. She was a lot larger than I had anticipated, and she had things that were supposed to be inanimate objects following her and laughing.

"Luffy." I took his arm, pointing down near Big Mom. "Nami's over there." He squinted. "And Carrot, too."

"Took you long enough, Linlin." Kaido said.

"Well, I'm here, aren't I? If we bicker and fight, it'll stay out of reach, but when we join sides we'll pull it in range!"

It was an odd saying, to say the least, but I had a feeling I knew what this was leading up to.

"Listen up, everyone!" Big Mom announced. We're putting our weight into piracy business! At long last..."

"We're going to claim the One Piece!!"

"The One Piece..." Yamato muttered in awe.

"Hey, that's what I'm gonna get!"

I scanned the cheering crowd, chanting about the ancient weapon that they were going to build, and put my hand on Luffy's arm. "Robin and Jinbei, over there."

"You're really good at seeing through those disguises." I blinked, looked at Luffy, then at Robin and Jinbei. "How... good do you think these disguises are?"

"Which raises the question.... Followers of Orochi! You must choose!"

I looked at Yamato. "Who's Orochi?" She pointed at the elevated area, next to Kaido. "The smaller one with a small crown. He's the ruler of this region."

"With its imposing waterfall defences, Wano is a natural fortress!" Kaido continued. "Neither the navy nor the World Government can reach it easily. If we expand and turn the populace of the flower capital into a labour source, then it will become a lawless land that all manners of Pirates around the world can call paradise!"

"Now hold on a moment!"

We all turned to Orochi, his finger right in Kaido's face. Or, at least, I think it would've been if he wasn't so small next to Kaido.

"You're in my territory! Who do you think allowed you to make those weap—"

Then, time seemed to slow as a single slash of Kaido's blade lopped off Orochi's head like a knife to vegetables. I put my hand over my mouth to stop a gasp and I moved away from the gap, wide eyes and trembling.

"Y-Y/N..." Luffy put his hand on my shoulder. "Is there anyone else on that scaffold?"

I put my hand on the wood beneath me and closed my eyes. "There's... four— no, five. There's a smaller, weaker one. I barely sensed them at first." I looked down into the gap in the ceiling. "Him. Right there. The little boy."

"That's Momo! MO—!" I put my hand over Luffy's mouth. "Don't scream out for him yet. I want to hear Kaido's plan."

"The concerns of the Kurozumi Clan and the Kozuki Clan mean nothing to us! You have five seconds to choose, followers of Orochi! Fight us now or die! We are turning this place into a pirate empire in preparation for the World War! Tonight Onigashima becomes Flower Capital!! Wano will be no more!!"

The plank of wood beneath us finally gave in when Yamato broke it with her elbow. "Not even for a second, stupid dad!!"

"Hey, show me the way, they're gonna kill Momo!"

"Luffy, wait!" I pointed at Yamato's shackles. "Oh, right." He put his hands on the shackles and I turned the area around my chest to diamond. "B-Be careful."

He gripped the shackles and... "Well. It seems like your father wanted you dead."

"HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM WHEN YOU NEARLY GOT BLOWN UP BY MY STUPID FATHER?!!"

I landed and skidded backwards. "That was one heck of a blow." I muttered, looking at my charred clothes. I held out a healing flame to Luffy, but I think he thought I was trying to burn him since he stepped back.

"It's Marco's healing flame. Are you hurt?"

"Oh. No, I'm fine."

I was about to ask Yamato but she was already walking up to her father, fury in her eyes. "Wait, Yamao!"

Yamao?

"It's YamaTO!"

"Well, we made it in time... but we're not the ones who start this battle!"

Just as he said that, the walls behind Kaido were broken down and the Akazaya Samurai came barging in.

"Your swords can do nothing to me!" Kaido said, but then he hesitated. I don't know why, but I heard him yell out, "Oden!" And I heard the loud proclamation that Izo had taught me,

"SUNACCHI!"