On the eve of the operation, David was at his guest room, looking outside at the sea of stars outside the Ryujin. So many thoughts were running through his head, all leading up to the confrontation in Wano.

"You thinking about something?" Richard asked, approaching David, fairly interested in what the blonde hero was pondering about.

"Probably. Back when I first started, I was just like any ordinary punk in Tokyo. But now, so much has happened, and… It's all leading up to this big clash in Wano. Honestly, I am a bit nervous." David said. "I mean, yeah. We have a very sizable force with us, so I know I am not alone in this fight. But… We all know how it is in war. There is always a chance that people could die… I just… can't help but think about what everyone back home is probably thinking."

"Neither can I, but I'm not one who knows your people." Richard shakes his head. "But I can tell you this. Sure, war might be brutal, but that doesn't mean that you have to lose something precious in it. Kaido's not going to fall easy, and neither will his men. Hell, I might even think that they might try to take someone down with them if they're going to fall. But what I know for sure is that I have no intention of letting good men and women die needlessly, much less Gus. Now I understand why that other me chose him as a successor. He's got a good head on his shoulders when it counts."

"Yeah, he does. It's probably saved the people here more times than can be counted." David said.

"Funny thing about humble origins… This Richard… Unlike me, he once too was an ordinary boy before he was dragged into all of this interdimensional-hopping." Richard remarked. "You and he? Might become good friends, you do tend to share a few likes from what I learned publicly about you. After all, who doesn't like a bit of rock, and some thrills?"

David laughed a bit. "Yeah, I suppose you have a point there. But when it comes down to it, this force we have assembled is the best we've got. If we fall, it's all over." David said.

"Lighten up a little. You sound like we could fail." Richard chuckled. "After all you've been through, you'd let some dragon overlord run you over? You've stared down universe-destroyers, and even beat down some person who literally almost won by reaping everyone's powers."

"Course not. Heck, I have ice powers, remember? If anything, Kaido should be scared of me." David joked. "I know Orochi is, for sure."

"Oh, he'll be wishing that we never came for him, that's for sure." Richard remarked with a slight hint of malice in it, before it then faded. "...Hey, David. Mind if I ask from you one thing?"

"Um… Sure." David said.

"...That other me… I hope that you'll get well with him." Richard stated, with a solemn expression on his face. "...He tries his best to be someone that could be looked up to, but he'd run himself into the ground, both physically and mentally, just to make others happier. Because that's what he thinks his happiness lies. He's fairly selfless… and yet he's selfish enough to do questionable things for that purpose. I only ask that you will one day accept him as he is. Because one day… you won't see him the same as you do now."

"Believe me, I know how it feels. I too felt that I have to do whatever is absolutely necessary to get the best result. However, there are some lines that I wouldn't cross. I'd never forgive myself if I did." David said.

"...But your lines are not the same with that other me…" Richard muttered under his breath, shaking his head.

"I know. But even so, I understand the pain that he feels. And should the time come, I'll do all I can for him." David said.

"That's all I need." Richard responded back, before tipping his head. "Take good care of him, Daves. Gods know he needs it."


Cheetah, Esmeralda, Glacius, Aslana and Roxy overheard their conversation from afar.

"So, it would seem that boy shares some hidden pain inside him as well." Aslana said. "I can see now why you all had such an interest in him. He normally exudes such confidence, and yet… Not even he is certain if our victory is a flawless one."

"I highly doubt it will be." Cheetah said. "But he doesn't seem bothered by it. I have confronted him enough times to know when he'll be fighting seriously or not."

"Yes… It would seem that there are several figures on his mind as well. King, most notably." Esmeralda said.

"I would imagine. I mean, if what was told was true, then…" Glacius said.

"He could be a Lunarian, just like him." Cheetah said. "However, between the two of them, even I am uncertain how their encounter would turn out."

"Hmm… if I remember correctly, David's bounty in this world is half a billion, or at least… As last recorded." Aslana said. "Whereas King's bounty is the highest out of any non-captain. 1.390 Billion."

"There are other factors to determine one's strength besides the bounties on their heads." Esmeralda said. "Glacius and I did enough jobs for Theodore to know this for a fact. But still, the fact remains that Orochi still wishes to have him killed. For what reason, we do not know."

"It would probably be best for his sake if we handled Orochi ourselves. Killing a shogun isn't something he probably would live with a clear conscience." Glacius said. "Plus, if his name rings true, it's going to take more than one decapitation to truly kill him."

"Well yeah. Orochis have eight heads, you gotta cut them all down." Roxy noted.

"I'd imagine that the Nine Scabbards want him dead as well, considering the events that transpired." Cheetah said.

"We may have to coordinate with them if it comes to it. But the five of us are a pretty solid combination for his kind of thing. I think we can handle it if it comes to it." Glacius said. "One of the most deadliest for it, from what I am seeing."

"Yes. Nesma and Belladonna too." Esmeralda said.

"So then, Jungle Cats 'til the end?" Roxy asked.

"Oh, you bet!" Glacius said.


Meanwhile, Spade was conversing with Baril and Natyal on the upcoming battle in the Edens Zero's lobby.

"This could be our best chance to save everyone." Natyal said.

"The one we really have to watch out for is Ajakil." Baril said. "The other knights will be just as formidable. Especially Pedrol and Nitez, since they returned to Tormal."

"And there's…Rime." Spade said.

"I know you want to save her more than anything. But considering who her universal counterpart is, it will not be easy." Natyal said. "Spade… Baril and I, we don't hold anything against you, for what you did in the past."

"It was not of my own will that happened." Spade said. "Many things have changed after our first mission in the Land of Erion, which led to our group's name, and at the end our most grueling battle there."

"Yes, the prophecies spoke of five disasters that would lead to Armageddon, a monster, a king of death, a fire, a cauldron, and a dragon. At the end of it, two crownless lords would lead in the rebirth of the new world created from its near destruction." Natyal said.

"To this day, the prophecy has been realized. If all ten of us hadn't guided the five souls that were meant to fight the appropriate disasters, Erion would never have been reborn." Baril said. "And now, here we are, divided thanks to Tormal. And once again at war."

"Even so, we will fight and rescue our lost comrades, and free Wano from its solitude." Spade said.

"And though we might not defeat Tormal and save everyone, we still will continue to oppose him, no matter how long it takes, or whoever he allies together with." Baril said.

"Spade, I want to ask you." Natyal said. "I've been close to Kaido and all the enemy has to offer for all this time. I can't even begin to describe how powerful they are, especially those two Emperors. Do you believe in your comrades to win?"

"After everything we went through and all the battles we've experienced…I do." Spade said.

"Then I shall believe it too." Natyal said. "I will do all that I can to turn the tide. Baril, there is no need to hold back anymore. Your full power will be needed."

"Y-Yes! I will do all that I can." Baril said.

"Good…because we have a war to win." Spade said.


In the Galaxy King's Indoor Gym, Hope was practicing his baritsu strikes on a sandbag as he ducked and weaved around the bag as he punched it, working up a sweat before Mark and Ace arrived.

"Unusual for me to be hitting the bags, right?" Hope asked the two.

"This is the first time I've seen you doing this. Believe it or not." Ace said.

"Then clearly you need to workout more often, pal." Mark teased lightly. "Anyway, not to be discouraging or anything, but considering what we're heading into…is baritsu really going to be effective?"

"This is the style of fighting I've grown to use now. I've gotta keep it in shape. I learned it from Mokichi to become a better fighter." Hope said, doing more strikes. "I have to be in top shape. This is the biggest conflict we've ever been in yet, and I have to be ready. I haven't come face to face with a force so dangerous like this since All For One… and I wasn't even there to see him go down."

"Even so, his bloodlust was immense." Ace said.

"Anyways, I'm getting ready because there's gonna be a lot of fighting to do. The tougher opponents will be the higher-ups and the captains. I'm sure a lot of our forces have eyes on ones in particular already. Davids set to collide with King, the Fatebreakers have major beef with Queen… and to be honest… I have a target myself." Hope said.

"You're not the only one who has a score to settle." Ace said

"Still have it out for Perospero for what happened on X's world?" Hope asked. "That wasn't your fault. Pedro chose to take the fall for us."

"I know. But I want to ensure Pedro is fully at peace." Ace said. "While I won't kill unless it's necessary, I'll make sure Peresporo feels the pain Carrot felt from losing Pedro."

"That's unless she beats you to it." Hope said. "Honestly though, I haven't let something go either. Y'know that target I'm locked on? Well… it's a big one. Even after all this time, I thought I let it go. But I still want to do it, y'know?" he struck a powerful blow on the sandbag. "I want… to fight Big Mom!"

"...I want in." Mark stated.

"Are you two out of your minds?!" Ace said.

"You've been traveling with me all this time, and you're just realizing that?" Mark asked half-jokingly.

*BONK!*

"You sure you wanna do that Hope?" Ty asked, walking in. "I mean, we all barely got away from her last time. The woman's a walking tank."

"I know. It seems crazy. The thing is though, it was something I had considered a while back." Hope said. "When we first started our travels with David, and we found out Sanji was getting married off in the first place in Hyrule, I wanted to find Big Mom and give her a piece of our minds. I mentioned it again during our first time in the Injustice dimension when she was there to invite Superman to the Tea Party. Twice I was shot down, and after seeing her in action, I agreed with the counterarguments. But now…. I feel like I'm ready to take her on. Kaido can be left to the ones calling dibs on him, but… I want to fight Big Mom now more than I did back then."

"Fine. Guess as long as Mark is backing ya." Ty said. "Just don't die, okay?"

"I'm not gonna die. Besides, this is the perfect opportunity to attack her. She's down a crucial homie ever since Nami snatched Zeus, and as of right now, she's all alone with no backup from her kids." Hope said.

"If that hag thinks she's going to get out of this as Queen of the world, ohhoho, she's wrong. Dead wrong." Mark smiled, punching his open palm. "It's settled then. Me and Hope are gonna take Big Mom down for good!"

"But Ty, why exactly are you here? I know you're part of the Mythos Hearts guild as an adventurer, but you didn't have to put your life on the line like this. After almost being a permanent collection piece for Big Mom… why come back and do this?"

"...I couldn't stay away." Ty said. "I mean, many famous yakuza are participating. I may never see something like this ever again, man."

"Understandable. I saw how you were geeking out when Hyogoro arrived." Hope said.

"How could I not after seeing him? He's Hyogoro the Flower." Ty said. "Back when Oden was still around, he was the top Yakuza boss in Wano, everybody under him was treated with respect. And now here he is still kicking and fighting alongside us? Amazing." he said.

"Yeah. Luffy seems to be on good terms with him too. Wonder how they hooked up?" Hope asked. "Questions for later, I guess."

"Yeah. But speaking of Wano's Yakuza, Kaido's got the current boss backing him. He's called Napping Kyoshiro. Guy's pretty deadly." Ty said. "But I'm sure it's nothing we can't handle. Just hope you two know what you're doing taking on Big Mom."

"It might be crazy, but its what I really wanna do, and this time no ones gonna turn me away." Hope declared. "So where's Jexi?"

"He's in his room…preparing." Ty said as the four felt a strong aura hitting them. "Seems he's as excited as everyone here."

"Yeah… I can feel it. He wants to fight Kaido as badly as I want Big Mom." Hope said.

"Yep. He's gonna have the time of his life when he and Luffy get to Kaido." Mark chuckled. "Well, I'm gonna get back to training out in the countryside with the rest of the team. See you guys when we get back!" he waved as he walked out of the gym.

The groups continued to hone themselves as they waited until the night of the raid. However, when the night of the raid came, only the Red Scabbards were seen waiting at the appointed dock.

"Our allies seem to be late." Inuarashi said.

"Should we wait a bit longer?" asked the feminine samurai known as Kiku.

"No…we made a promise to Lord Oden. We must continue on without them." Kin'emon said as they started pushing a rowboat into the sea. "Lady Shinobu…please continue to look after Lord Momonosuke."

"Of course." said a small ninja in pink.

The samurai soon departed to the sea as they headed to Onigashima.


On said island…

"So…you seem rather…calm with all of this." Tormal said as some wait staff tended to the man known as Kurozumi Orochi.

"You have people coming for your head." Shez said.

"I'm not that worried…that silly raid will never reach me." Orochi said, unaware that David stood near his side as a disguised samurai. "You see…I have a spy in their ranks."

"A spy?" Zenos Road asked. "Rather ingenious, I must admit. (Rather reluctantly)."

"Ghuhuhhu. How do you think Jack knew where to find Zou? Or how a lot of their plans were leaked? Or even how a lot of their funds were taken? See…this individual…he belonged to a famous theater troupe. However, his parents were cut down onstage by the lynch mobs because they were Kurozumi. I took them in and gave him a role. To become a Kozuki and play the part all throughout his life. He was so committed to the role, he was willing to die alongside that fool Oden." Orochi said as he laughed.

"If I may be so bold, I must ask…who is this spy? The alliance has a certain charisma shared amongst many of their members. What if they are able to sway this man to their side?" Zenos Road asked.

"Ghuhuhuhu! They won't sway him. Like me…we are Kurozumi…our hatred for this country is what's kept us going. He's such a good actor…he's even fooled himself." Orochi said.


On the rowboat, the seas were turning fierce as the samurai held on.

"There has to be someone who leaked the plan." said the fishman samurai known as Kawamatsu.

"You mean one of us is a traitor? I cannot believe that." Kin'emon said.

"No! No! Let us put this matter to rest." said the red haired samurai known as Kanjuro as he smiled evilly. "By revealing that it was ME who leaked it all!"

At this… the other samurai were shocked at what Kanjuro said. None of them, after so long, could believe he was the spy. Even after jumping ahead in time 20 years into the future and escaping from Kaido and Orochi in the past, witnessing Oden's death and the fall of the Kozuki dynasty.

"Allow me to introduce myself… my name is Kurozumi Kanjuro! That should clear things up. Your allies will not be arriving. In fact, you are all done for." he said as multiple warships belonging to the Beasts Pirates arrived.

"Hey, samurai in the rowboat. Just like the intel said. And is that our spy?" one of them asked.

"Yes…it is I." Kanjuro said before he was beheaded by Kin'emon.

"How dare…" Kin'emon said before hearing a whistle as he saw Kanjuro on the shore with Momonosuke held hostage. "But how is…" he said as the one he slain turned into a painting.

"This is the power of the Brush-Brush Fruit as you know. I can make all of my images come to life." Kanjuro laughed.

"But you couldn't draw that well." said the ninja known as Raizo. "Was that part of your deception as well?!"

"Geez…are we about done with all this?" a voice called out.

"Huh?" Kanjuro said before looking out to see multiple ships crossing into the ocean. "What is this? I could have sworn I told those destroyer corps where the ships were."

"Who are they?!" one of the Beast Pirates on the warships asked.

"I thought we sank all the enemy ships!" another said.

"You call that measly force a 'destroyer corps'?" A haughty female voice rang, as the source revealed itself to be a KANSEN with a officer cap, black hair, a shark-like grin, and cruiser rigging that had shark-like qualities. "You mock me with such insulting ships. My little group didn't even need to use my full power to sink them!"

"A talking ship!?" a number of the Beasts Pirates said in shock.

"No, look closer! It's a girl!" one other said.

"Girl? No, my name is KMS Deutschland…" Deutschland remarked, as her smirk turned malicious, before her fellow KMS KANSEN appeared beside her. "...And you will learn to fear my name when I tear your fleet apart."

"Wait…I feel something…" Kawamatsu said as a submarine emerged under the rowboat.

"Taking a rowboat out in a storm like this? Are you samurai idiots?" Trafalgar Law said.

"Good thing we caught on to your little crusade or you all would've been dead." Rhatla said.

The Beast Pirates ship soon took fire from one side.

"Those samurai waited at the wrong port like morons." Kidd said as he stood on his ship with his crew.

"Yep. Everyone else is there already." Agursu said.

"I don't understand. They said we had to sink a few samurai in a rowboat. These guys are pirates and talking ships." some of them said.

"And they're the Worst Generation. I thought they were locked up." another said.

"Well, clearly you thought wrong." Zamazenta said.

The Thousand Sunny then sailed up to join the Polar Tang and Victoria Punk as it carried the Straw Hats and the Dimensional Heroes.

"Here at sea, you don't go picking on a few samurai in a rowboat. When you're at sea, you fight pirates!" Luffy said.

"Couldn't have said it better myself. I think it's about time we waste them." Valfor said, the Reformed Society and Brave Adventurers aboard the Victoria Punk as several other ships with all the other allies were behind them.

"We've made it all here." Richard remarked, before the rest of the KANSEN docked off the ship, as they landed onto the water. "Now then, let's see how your pirates handle a fight against real navy firepower."

"Wait, I thought those lizards said everyone is off to our turf already." a Beast Pirate said.

"And you believed us?" Rhatla asked.

"I'm sorry, everyone. The plan was leaked." Kin'emon said.

"What are you talking about? The plan wasn't leaked at all." Jexi said. "This was part of your plan, right?"

"Huh?" Kin'emon asked.

"That's what this guy said." Meowth said, pointing to a man with a large blue pompadour.

"Greetings, Red Scabbards! I am the Yakuza Boss of the flower capital, known as Napping Kyoshiro. The 200 men of the Kyoshiro family are at your Disposal!"

"Are you kidding me?!" one Beast Pirate asked.

The man raised his sword and cleaved one of the ships clean in two as it sank.

"Whoa!" Ethox said.

"I told you guys he was dangerous." Ty said. "Though I was wrong about him being our enemy."

"You were. Hey! Why did you wanna join us exactly?!" G. Aqua called.

"I owe the Kozuki clan an immense favor. Kin…40 years ago…the Mountain God Incident was caused by the greed of your younger years." Kyoshiro said before cutting off his pompadour.

"Kin?" Kin'emon said before going to tears. "Is…is that you? Denjiro?!"

"It's been too long, old friend. About 20 years." said the man now revealed as Denjiro.

"Boss Kyoshiro is one of the Nine Red Scabbards?!" Kanjuro said in shock.

"Denjiro!" Momonosuke cried.

"Sorry to keep all this secret. But I had no choice, or else the betrayer in your party would have leaked it and had me killed." Denjiro said.

"If the situation were different, you would've came to us on the day we met at the Ryujin headquarters." Mirror Match said. "But you chose to stay on the side of the enemy just in case."

"Indeed. And because of that, I was able to successfully liberate all the imprisoned samurai. We fight for the Kozuki…no…for Wano!" Denjiro said. "And it was thanks to Kin. He cleverly misread the location of Tokage Port when it was truly Habu Port where we would meet. Just to throw off the betrayer. Of course, Orochi is a man who lays hallow in the capital. He misread the distance and made his move last night…when everyone was already here."

"What?!" Kanjuro said.

"So all the allies that you and your hero friends gathered followed the plan perfectly, hiding themselves behind the maple forest along the wharf at Habu ort until the moment of the plan arrived!" Denjiro declared.

"Exactly. As you can see, we are all present and accounted for." Zacian said.

"Seems the samurai is rather clever. He made a move on his own to mislead our enemies. We'll have to make sure not to lose this one." Ainz said.

'With all of us here, I don't think we need to worry about that." Shun'ei said. "We'll mop up this mess and get back to the mainland, okay?"

"That's great. Because I'm starting to feel lonely over here." David said in a joking tone on the comm.

"Don't worry. We'll take out these ships and come join the party." Jexi said.

"Take a look, Beast Pirates! The Raid on Onigashima hasn't lost a step!" Hope called as all the allied ships appeared through the mist one after the other and let out a loud cheer.

"(Damn it. We haven't stopped a thing! Curse you, Kin'emon!)" Kanjuro thought.

"(Wait…so…this whole time…it was supposed to be Habu Wharf? Not Tokage Port?)" Kin'emon thought.