The Kurozumi Plot

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A large panel shows the Moby Dick sailing on the open sea under a bright sky. Narration boxes state: 'AND APPARENTLY IT'S AS ROUND AS A MARBLE!' and 'THE WORLD IS MADE UP OF FOUR REGULAR SEAS AND ONE LONG ONE.' Smaller text adds 'HOW WONDROUS!' and 'ODEN'S VOYAGE CONTINUES SWIMMINGLY!'. In the next tier, Kozuki Oden sits with Toki, who holds a map labeled with seas including '南の海' and '東の海'. Oden says, 'I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO BACK TO.' Toki replies, 'I DON'T KNOW. MY PARENTS ALWAYS SAID THEIR HOMELAND WAS WANO.' Oden points at the map asking, 'WHERE WERE YOU BORN, TOKII' Toki answers, 'SO THIS IS HOW SMALL WANO IS COMPARED TO THE REST OF THE WORLD, HUH...' Below, a small horned figure sweats and asks, 'HMI WHY'S THATI' Toki smiles and says, 'THAT'S OKAY! WHEN I'M WITH YOU, I FEEL LIKE I'VE ALREADY REACHED MY DESTINATION.' Oden looks intense, declaring, 'WHAT A SHAME.' The small figure reacts with 'UFUFU♡ WHY, INDEED.'

Top panels show chaos near a building: a large cat-like creature grabs a man while shouting 'GET BACK HERE, YOU STUPID CAT!' as another man calls out 'OI, WHERE'S LORD OD—'. In the middle tier, a long-haired man in a feathered hat and ornate coat declares, 'THEY'RE PART OF AN ORGANIZATION. EVEN IF WE FIGHT THEM, MORE WILL COME TO TAKE THEIR PLACE.' A companion asks, 'WHY DON'T WE JUST FIGHT THEM!' The Whitebeard ship Moby Dick looms large with impact effects as voices shout 'THAT'S WHITEBEARD'S SHIP!' and 'IT'S THE MARINES! RUN!' A box notes 'WHITEBEARD HAD SWORN ENEMIES, TOO.' In the bottom panels, the long-haired man continues, 'FOR YOUR COUNTRY IS STILL FREE!' while gesturing. Oden stands with a serious expression saying, 'JUDGE THAT FOR YOURSELF AS WE CONTINUE TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD.' A woman in a spotted top adds, 'THEY'VE PROBABLY GOT SOME CRAZY GUYS ON THEIR TEAM!' Oden concludes, 'SO THERE'S AN ORGANIZATION OUT THERE THAT SPANS THE WHOLE WORLDI!' A small 'II' reaction bubble appears.

A flashback shows Kozuki Oden proudly holding up his newborn son on the deck of a ship. A voice declares, "A NAME THAT CONVEYS THAT HE WILL BE INVINCIBLE! YOUR NAME, SON, IS..." The crew cheers wildly with "HOGYA! HOGYA!" and "HE'S BORN!" as the baby cries. Oden's wife Toki smiles beside him while others shout, "OI! KNOCK IT OFF! HE NEEDS A BETTER NAME!" The infant is named "MOMO-NOSUKE!" and proclaimed "KOZUKI" amid the celebration. A note lists the names T sukune, Chikiwa, Kombu, and Tamago as foods that go in open dishes. Years later in Wano, Izo speaks with concern: "SERIOUSLY, THOUGH... EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THESE NEWSPAPER THINGS, THERE'S NEVER ANY INFORMATION ABOUT WANO IN 'EM. THERE'S JUST NO WAY FOR INFORMATION TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY, SAME AS ZOU." Another figure adds, "I HOPE KIN AND THE OTHERS ARE ALRIGHT." Oden, standing with Toki and the baby, replies to Izo, "IZO... I HAVEN'T YET FOUND THE ANSWER I'M LOOKING FOR! FOR THE SAKE OF LADY TOKI AND LORD MOMONOSUKE, SHOULDN'T YOU RETURN TO WANO SOMETIME SOONI" A woman warns, "LORD ODEN, YOU'RE ON WANTED POSTERS NOW. ABROAD, YOU'VE BECOME A FINE CRIMINAL. AND WE'LL BE FINE!"

On the ship, Whitebeard tells Oden, "YOU'RE GETTING THE SECOND DIVISION!" Oden protests, "ER, I DON'T REALLY WANT— I MEAN..." but the crew erupts with "DO IT!" "THAT'S A GREAT IDEA!" "I WANNA BE A DIVISION CAPTAIN!" "ME TOO!" and "WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE PEOPLE IN THE CREW NOWADAYS. HOW ABOUT ITI WE'LL SPLIT INTO FIVE DIVISIONS. YOU'RE APPOINTING DIVISION CAPTAINSI" Later, a young boy is found as "ANOTHER ORPHAN." Whitebeard says, "GOTCHA. GET ON BOARD!" The boy pleads, "PLEASE! I DON'T HAVE ANYWHERE ELSE TO GO!" and is asked, "WHAT'S YOUR NAME, BOYI" Whitebeard notes, "WOULD COME TO THE SHIP JUST AS WE DID. FROM TIME TO TIME, PEOPLE YOU'RE NOT REALLY FISHERMEN, ARE YOUI YOU'RE PIRATES!" Oden stands on the deck thinking, "I STILL FEEL THAT I HAVEN'T SEEN ENOUGH! I HAVEN'T THE SLIGHTEST CLUE HOW TO BRING THIS ADVENTURE OF MINE TO AN END." A crewmate shouts, "CAPTAIN! DID YOU SEE THATI! SOMETHING WAS FLYING OUT THERE!" Whitebeard replies, "WE'VE GOT TO SCOUT THE AREA FIRST! BUT NO MATTER HOW FAR I SAIL..."

Meanwhile in Wano, chaos erupts as a narrator states, "SOMETHING HUGE WAS HAPPENING. ENOUGH TO CALL THE DAIMYO OF EACH VILLAGE TO THE FLOWER CAPITAL. THE SHOGUN IS DEATHLY ILL!" People rush through the streets while a voice cries, "LORD SUKIYAKI!" A box reads, "MEANWHILE, IN WANO..." In a private chamber, retainers discuss the crisis. One says, "AND IN CASE SOMETHING UNToward WERE TO HAPPEN TO ME, I WILL APPOINT A REGENT TO SERVE UNTIL ODEN'S RETURN." Another insists, "BUT, SEEING AS ODEN IS CURRENTLY NOT HERE, OF COURSE, LORD SUKIYAKI! TO CONTINUE AFTER ME AS THE NEXT SHOGUN. I WOULD LIKE ODEN." A figure bows and declares, "I CHOOSE THE MAN THAT ODEN DOTED ON LIKE A YOUNGER BROTHER." The shocked retainers react with "OROCHII! WHY ARE YOU—" and "LIKE A YOUNGER BROTHERI! ODENI!" as Kurozumi Orochi is revealed kneeling before the dying shogun. Orochi states his name: "OROCHI KUROZUMI."

Kurozumi Orochi stands tall and declares with fierce conviction, "TO ATONE FOR THE FOOLISH SINS OF MY GRANDFATHER, I SHALL USE WHAT LITTLE CAPABILITY I POSSESS TO PREPARE THE THRONE FOR ODEN'S ASCENSION! HUMBLY ACCEPT THIS GRACIOUS OPPORTUNITY TO CLEAR THE MALIGNED KUROZUMI NAME. FOR BESTOWING ME WITH SUCH A CHANCE, I FEAR I SHALL REMAIN INDEBTED TO LORD SUKIYAKI AND LORD ODEN FOR AS LONG AS I LIVE!" A retainer whispers, "SO YOU'RE A KUROZUMI, HUH. WHY'D YOU KEEP THAT A SECRETI" Orochi replies, "AH, I APOLOGIZE." He continues bowing, "PLEASE, LEND ME YOUR STRENGTH! TILL THE DAY LORD ODEN RETURNS! I SWEAR TO SERVE AS A MERE PUPPET." In a close-up, Orochi's face twists with intensity as he mutters, "I APOLOGIZE..." while dramatic sound effects and motion lines emphasize the tension of his vow.

Rain pours over a ruined temple courtyard as a biwa player strums wildly. An elderly woman with flowing hair stares ahead and declares, "YOU... WILL BE SHOGUN!" A massive impact erupts with "KRASHH! VOOM VOOM VOOM!" and "バン!!" as the biwa player reacts in shock. In the next panel the woman continues, "I SEE THE FUTURE! I SEE IT..." while the biwa player shouts "KRAKK KRAKK!" and "VOOM VOOM VOOM!" A young man with curly hair recoils in terror, yelling "Y-YOU SCARED ME! DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT, OLD LADY! WHO EVEN ARE YOUI!" as the woman looms with a crazed grin and the biwa player plays "NIKYOKYO KYOKYO!" amid flying debris and impact lines.

The elderly woman continues her tale while the curly-haired youth protests. She explains, "NO. HE WAS KILLED. BY THE KOZUKI CLAN!" and "NOT THE SPECIFICS. I HEARD HE COMMITTED HARA-KIRI." The youth shouts, "BUT... SURELY HE COMMITTED SOME SORT OF CRIME! WHAT ABOUT COMPETING FOR POWER IS A CRIMEI!" She replies, "DO YOU NOT KNOW YOUR GRANDFATHER'S STORYI" A wide shot shows the ruined castle under rain with musical notes as she states, "THE PREVIOUS KOZUKI SHOGUN WAS UNABLE TO HAVE CHILDREN. TO HAVE AN HEIR! THOSE AT THE TOP REWRITE THE LAW AS THEY SEE FIT. CRIMES CEASE TO BE SUCH!" Silhouettes of the five daimyo families appear labeled "FUGETSU," "AMATSUKI," "UZUKI," "KUROZUMI," and "SHIMOTSUKI" while she adds, "THEY WONDERED WHO THE NEXT SHOGUN WOULD BE! AND AS EACH ASSERTED THAT THEY SHOULD BE THE ONE TO TAKE UP THE THRONE, YOUR GRANDFATHER MADE PREPARATIONS. QUIETLY. THE FIVE DAIMYO FAMILIES THAT SERVED THE KOZUKI GREW RESTLESS."

The woman recounts, "THE SIGHT OF HIS DAIMYO DROPPING LIKE FLIES WORRIED THE SHOGUN, AND EVENTUALLY HE FELL ILL TOO. ONE AFTER ANOTHER, THESE SHOGUN COMPLAINED OF INTERNAL STRIFE, AND THEN DISAPPEARED. PREPARATIONS TO POISON EVERY LAST ONE OF THE CRAFTY DAIMYO THAT STOOD IN HIS WAY." She reveals a vision of a baby held aloft: "HE WAS BORN. AN HEIR! SUKIYAKI KOZUKI! THE PLAN WAS NEARLY COMPLETE! AND JUST WHEN THE WORLD ITSELF WAS WITHIN REACH..." The curly-haired youth stares in horror as she concludes, "YOUR GRANDFATHER WAS FORCED TO COMMIT HARA-KIRI, AND YOUR HOUSE WAS DISBANDED! ITS LANDS, CASTLE, AND STATUS, ALL STOLEN! ACCURSED SUKIYAKI! NOT ONLY WERE THE KUROZUMI UNABLE TO TAKE OVER WANO, THEIR PLAN WAS REVEALED!"

The woman rages, "SO WHO IS TO BLAME FOR THE DESTITUTE LIFE YOU NOW LEADI! LEFT WITH NOTHING, THE KUROZUMI NAME WAS SLANDERED BY THE PEOPLE, AND YOUR PEOPLE WERE FORCED OUT ONTO THE STREET!" The youth demands, "WHOSE FAULT IS ITI!" She screams with wide eyes, "YES! IF HE HAD NOT BEEN BORN, YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOGUN ONE DAY! SUKIYAKI KOZUKI! THE ONE OF ILL BIRTH!" A massive close-up shows the youth's furious face shouting "SUKIYAKI KOZUKI!" amid "KRASSH! VOOM VOOM!" She presses, "IT MATTERS NOT WHO I AM! ARE YOU... A KUROZUMI—" The youth, now revealed as Orochi, interrupts with a manic grin, "INDEED! ACCURSED SUKIYAKI! FELL SUKIYAKI! I... I HAVE BEEN ABROAD FOR MANY, MANY YEARS. I HAVE LABORED LONG AND HARD."

A young man with wild hair stares in shock as his face is copied onto others. "WHAAAAI! THAT'S MY FACE!" he yells. Nearby figures laugh "NNIKYOKYO KYOKYO!" and "KSHA!" while a woman and a monstrous face appear, one saying "LOOK AT MY FACE." The mysterious cloaked figure presents a spiky fruit, declaring "I WILL GIVE YOU POWER. ENOUGH POWER TO BECOME SHOGUN YOURSELF! IF YOU HEED MY WORDS... THIS IS THE POWER OF A FRUIT KNOWN AS THE CLONE-CLONE FRUIT." The young Orochi, eyes wide with ambition, responds "THAT TALENT CAN FORGE YOU FORMIDABLE SUPPORT! THE ARTISANS OF WANO ARE QUITE SKILLED... GATHER MONEY. PRODUCE WEAPONS. I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES!"

Orochi reacts with alarm: "YES! AND THIS MAY BE A COINCIDENCE, BUT... THE MONEY IN OUR TREASURY'S ALL GONE, TOO!" A man reports "OROCHI'S GONEI" while another offers sympathy. Orochi introduces himself: "MY NAME'S OROCHI. MY FAMILY ALL DIED TO ILLNESS, AND..." Signs mark HAKUMAI and KURI. He realizes "I SEE. I GOT IT!" and recalls owing Lord Yasuie. In the Flower Capital, townspeople beg "PLEASE! GIVE ME SOME MONEY! AGAINI!" as Oden appears, prompting "ODENI! WHAT'S THE MATTER... LORD ODEN!"

Orochi waves farewell with "NIKYOKYO KYOKYO!" and "FAREWELL!" while praising a young companion's usefulness and offering to keep him at the castle. In a grand hall, he pleads with Lord Sukiyaki: "PLEASE, OROCHI..." and "YES, LORD SUKIYAKI!" A close-up shows Orochi's determined face: "I'VE FINALLY CLAWED MY WAY UP HERE!" Later, news spreads of Lord Sukiyaki's death as Orochi and a laughing ally react with "NIKYOKYO KYOKYO!" and "MUHAHAHAHA!" amid the chaos.

On the sea, the Whitebeard Pirates' ship sails amid panicked fish. "THE FISH ARE FREAKING OUT! IS THIS THE SIGN OF AN IMPENDING CATASTROPHEI!" someone shouts. Marco calls out while Oden's group spots an island. "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS ON THAT ISLANDI!" they exclaim as wild beasts—a gorilla, tiger, and massive serpent—rampage. "YOU'RE KIDDING ME! EVEN THESE WILD BEASTS ARE RUNNING AMOK!" The crew panics with "WAAAHH! HOGYAA!" as Oden reassures Hiyori and Momonosuke: "WAHAHAHA! IT'LL BE OKAY... IT'S NOTHING."

On a tropical island beach, Gol D. Roger and Edward Newgate stand face to face as their crews clash around them. Roger grins widely in the opening panel, laughing "EHEHE!" while Whitebeard growls, "WHITEBEARD, EHI IT'S BEEN A WHILE, ROGER." Nearby crew members shout, "WE JUST FOUGHT A BATTLE, ROGER" and "WHITEBEARD'S SHIP'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS ISLAND!" Roger’s men cry out "CAPTAIN ROGER!" and "CAPTAIN!" as one pirate yells, "GO SUMMON GARP OR SENGOKU!" Roger dismisses them with "YOU LOT ARE JUST BORING ME." Whitebeard, towering with his naginata, declares, "AS IT IS, I DON'T HAVE MUCH LONGER! THIS MAY WELL BE THE LAST TIME WE SEE EACH OTHER, WHITEBEARD!" Roger responds with fierce excitement, "LET'S HAVE A LITTLE FUN, THEN! A BATTLE TO THE DEATH, BECAUSE WE'RE BOTH SO VERY ALIVE!" Silvers Rayleigh stands ready with his sword, noting "THEY'VE COME ASHORE. THE BIRDS..." as Roger raises his fist and shouts "ALLLL RIGHT!" A young pirate in a straw hat crouches nearby clutching a book labeled "CHAP," watching the confrontation. Massive impact lettering "ドドドド" shakes the foreground as the two legendary pirates prepare to clash, with the narration box declaring "FINALLY, THEY CLASHI!"

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