On the decks of the ships, the coalition gathered to listen to Jinbe's plan. The scale of the force assembled to rescue Luffy and Usopp was truly unprecedented. It included the Straw Hat Pirates, the Heart Pirates, the Sun Pirates, the Nine Red Scabbards, and various Wano Country samurai. Lacking only a captain of Emperor-level strength, this assembly possessed a combined power that arguably surpassed any single Four Emperors pirate crew. On the vast ocean, no other crew boasted such a dense concentration of powerhouses. Unfortunately, due to Kaido's influence, many plot developments had shifted, leaving this formidable team fraught with internal friction. The cooperation between the Wano samurai and the external pirates remained merely superficial, lacking the true unity seen in the original timeline. Furthermore, Kaido had buried a dangerous thorn deep within this alliance.
At that moment, Kanjuro, one of the Nine Red Scabbards, listened intently to Jinbe's proposal. The plan was for the force to split into two groups: one, led by Jinbe, Zoro, Law, Sanji, and the Wano samurai, would serve as a decoy to draw the attention of the Big Mom Pirates. The second group—consisting of Nami, Chopper, Robin, and Brook—would infiltrate Totto Land under the cover of Aladdin, the former ship doctor of the Sun Pirates. Their objective was to kidnap Charlotte Brulee and use her Mirror-Mirror Fruit ability to locate and rescue Luffy and Usopp. The group relied on Robin's calm intellect to lead the infiltration. Once Luffy was secured, all parties would rendezvous and escape Totto Land together.
The plan appeared sound, but it entirely overlooked Kanjuro's true nature. He still vividly remembered the events of more than a month prior, when Lady Toki's power transported them twenty years forward in time. The state of Wano Country upon their arrival had left them in despair; the Kozuki name had been erased, and the entire nation had been subsumed by the Beasts Pirates. While Kin'emon and the others mourned, Kanjuro suffered as well, for his lord, Orochi, had been killed by Kaido. As a secret spy for the Kurozumi clan hidden within the Nine Red Scabbards, Kanjuro initially found this intolerable, seemingly losing the purpose of his existence. He had briefly considered living out his days as a simple member of the Scabbards, but then he was summoned before the Governor of the Beasts Pirates, the ruler of Wano Country, and one of the Four Emperors: Kaido.
As a member of the Kurozumi clan, he should have sought vengeance against Kaido for Orochi's death. However, the mention of a name shifted his perspective entirely: Kurozumi Tama, the current Shogun of Wano Country. Kanjuro chose to side with Kaido because Tama's existence gave his life new meaning. As a loyalist of the Kurozumi, he did not care if his master was Orochi or Lady Tama; his duty was to serve the surname Kurozumi, regardless of the individual. With this newfound purpose, he remained embedded among the Scabbards as a spy, relaying their secrets to the Beasts Pirates. As soon as Jinbe finalized the plan and distributed the Den Den Mushi for coordination, the groups departed under the cover of night. Kanjuro, assigned to the kidnapping mission alongside Kin'emon, transmitted the details of their strike to the Beasts Pirates almost immediately.
Night fell, the moon bright and the stars sparse. In the Calm Belt of the Grand Line, Kaido sat in his human form atop the pointed peak of the sunken Impel Down, drinking heavily. Before him, on six captured Marine warships, the prisoners fought under Doflamingo's control. Six individuals were ultimately selected, among them the Caribou Brothers, who were intended to be this year's Supernovas. Because Kaido had driven the Marines out of the New World, their remaining forces were concentrated in Paradise, effectively stifling the emergence of any new Supernovas over the past two years.
"Lord Kaido, I have brought the chosen individuals!"
Kaido stood slowly. His massive frame caused everyone present to tremble, their breathing hitching as they struggled to steady their nerves. Beneath his glasses, Doflamingo watched with a thoughtful, analytical gaze. It had been a long time since he had seen Kaido in his human form. He wondered if it was his imagination, but Kaido seemed younger. As a master of Observation Haki, Doflamingo felt a distinct shift in the man's presence. In the past, he knew Kaido was a monster, but he was a monster that could be measured and, theoretically, killed. Standing before him now, however, Doflamingo felt as if he were facing a bottomless abyss or a dark, infinite ocean. A crushing sense of powerlessness filled his heart, and for the first time, the proud Warlord bowed his head before Kaido.
Kaido felt a deep sense of satisfaction. Doflamingo was sharp—often too smart for his own good—but that arrogance had finally been tempered.
"Worororo, I presume I do not need to introduce myself!"
Kaido's defiance radiated outward. He looked at the assembled prisoners, indifferent to their names, for he only cared for those who could survive to be worthy of his attention. He squeezed his fist, and streaks of red Conqueror's Haki crackled around his arm, turning the air crimson. Everyone felt the suffocating pressure of a force that seemed absolute.
"I am not here to save you, but to select qualified subordinates. Next, we head to the center of this world—to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, to deal with those pig-like Celestial Dragons!"
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