Hiyori and Kawamatsu

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The next day, snow falls over Ringo's Bandit Bridge. Zoro still has the enormous monk pinned beneath him, but the quarrel has not ended. Gyukimaru asks, "What even are you?!" and Zoro snaps back, "Friend?! Enemy?!" The monk is exhausted and wheezing, yet Zoro refuses to let the matter drop. He demands, "What do you intend on doing with all the weapons you've stolen from passers-by?! Give me back my blade!" Gyukimaru tells him, "Don't throw away your life over a single sword."

Zoro rejects Gyukimaru's warning: "I refuse! Never! Not that sword!" Gyukimaru calls Shusui a stolen treasure of Wano and says, "The day that sword left this land is the day misfortune arrived!" He claims that loss incited the anger of the Sword God, defeat came to every village, and eventually the whole country was overrun. As their fight continues on the bridge, Hiyori realizes what sword they are arguing over and cries, "Shu-Sui?!" Then a new figure cuts in and orders, "Stop your quarrel!"

Kawamatsu enters the snowy battlefield with his blade drawn and laughs, "Kappappappa! Why, indeed." He finds the scene absurd: "Are a samurai and a monk fighting out here in the wilderness?! Neither of you wishes to kill the other! How droll." Zoro recognizes what Kawamatsu is and says, "A fishman?" Hiyori knows him at once and calls out, "Kawamatsu! Is that you?!" Kawamatsu turns toward her, stunned that she knows his name.

On Onigashima, Kaido and Big Mom continue their monstrous clash while their subordinates beg, "Lord Kaido! Please, stop!" Their roars shake the island, and the men panic: "When will their fight end?!" "They'll be at it through the night! This island won't last!" Queen decides that if the fight is going to continue, he should evacuate to the mainland. Another report matters more: there has still been no word from Udon. Queen says he will check on things, but others accuse him of simply trying to get away from Big Mom. Queen insists, "What do you mean?! I'll be back, I promise!"

Queen contacts Udon and Babanuki appears on the line: "Chief Jailer Babanuki here, reporting from Udon." Queen answers, "Yo. Queen here." Babanuki claims everything is ordinary. He reports that Straw Hat Luffy, Captain Kid, and the other troublemakers have been locked away in cells, and says, "I just wanted to report that nothing was out of the ordinary." Queen notes that Babanuki brought the snails back online and asks about help, but Babanuki says, "I brought quite a few men with me. If you're short hands, we can spare some. I'll head over." He is rejected. Queen thinks the man is still trying to make a casual exit from Onigashima, not realizing that Babanuki is lying under enemy control.

At Udon Prisoner's Mine, the call ends and the truth is revealed. Babanuki stands obediently beside O-Tama, Speed, and Chopper. O-Tama asks, "How was that, master?" and Speed praises him: "Mm. Well done. Good boy." Chopper is impressed and says the millet dango is fearsome magic, able to control enemies. It apparently works on animals and anyone with animal-type magic powers. Kinemon sees the advantage clearly: "Now we've got a few thousand samurai that are supposed to be locked up on our side! On the day of the final battle, we'll scare the crap out of our enemies!" Caribou demands credit, saying, "It's all thanks to you, Caribou!" and, "Indeed. Y'all owe me a favor now, see?"

Chopper is glad Luffy is recovering, and the men shout, "Lord Chopperaemon! This debt! We intend to repay it, even if it costs us our lives!" Chopper says they do not need to be in his debt because the virus was actually easy to deal with, though it sounded intense. Luffy is already back in action and asks for cheers: "Lemme hear it, boys!" The prisoners roar for "Luffy-taroo!" and "Boss Hyogoro!" The yakuzas of each village arrive as well, and one of the old bosses admits, "I never expected us to meet again. Not in this life." Hyogoro has earned enormous trust simply by bringing Lord Momonosuke back.

The regional yakuza bosses are introduced: from Kibi, Snake-Eye Yatappe; from Ringo, Moon-Flower O-Cho; from Hakumai, Broken-Hat Tsunagoro; and from Udon, Blood-Letter Omasa. They are glad the others are safe but ask not to be showered with praise, joking that it makes them feel like they should wash after a bath. Hyogoro gives them their mission: "Now, we must away! We will gather up the remaining rebels that are in hiding throughout the country!"

Luffy laughs at the old bosses, saying they are all characters, and tells Hyogoro, "Looks like you're pretty important too, gramps!" The bosses immediately threaten him for disrespect, shouting, "You're going to pay for that, kid!" and suggesting they should rip out his nails, cut off a finger, or tear off an ear. Hyogoro stops them because the boy saved his life. As Luffy leaves, Hyogoro warns, "Be careful in the future." Luffy answers, "Like I care, ya bastards!" Now that Udon is settled, he says he may finally have a report for Kinemon.

At Kuri's abandoned port, Port Itachi, Franky reacts to the ships and learns the thief was Kinemon himself. He says, "What the-?! I see! So the Kuri man that went to steal the blueprints some time ago was actually you!" Kinemon has found what they need: "The blueprints to Kaido's mansion on Onigashima! We've been looking for these for so long! We can use these to plan our strategy on enemy soil!" Nearby, Inuarashi growls, and Ashura snaps, "Quit butting in, Inu!" Kinemon praises Ashura, but Ashura warns that flattery still does not work on him.

Kinemon asks Raizo whether Luffy was rescued, and the report astonishes him. He hears, "3500 men?! And you saved Luffytaro?! And you found and released Kawamatsu?!" The prisoner's mine has become their base of operations, but Raizo explains there is still more to address. The number of men who will fight alongside them has shot up, yet there is another problem: all of them produce only weapons for export, while many weapon factories stand around Wano. There are still more men who wish to fight alongside them, but the rebellion cannot outfit them properly yet.

The missing weapons are exactly what the samurai want to use: swords and spears. Possession of weapons has been forbidden across Wano by Orochi, and if they cannot outfit the men who want to fight for the rebellion, the chance will not last long. Kinemon recognizes the problem as serious. He orders Raizo to gather as much detail as possible about the situation, while Kinemon himself will depart for Braided Hat Village and make that his base of operations. He also says he has some developments to share later, but first he must check the final troop count.

Back at Ringo's Bandit Bridge, Hiyori calls, "Kawamatsu!" and says she never would have thought she would meet him here. Kawamatsu answers that the fact she is alive and well fills him with happiness. Hiyori apologizes for running back then, saying, "I'm so sorry... Back then, I was so scared!" Zoro remembers what she told him: after her parents died, she was raised by a kappa. Kawamatsu admits he could not bear to see her waste away year after year and could not bear the thought of Hiyori dying to save him. She remembers that he always gave her any food he found.

Hiyori apologizes again: "I got so scared... I'm sorry for running!" Kawamatsu only laughs that she has gotten quite fat in the years since, and she calls that a kind reason. Before their reunion can settle, a cannon booms from the snow. Kawamatsu notices movement, but the shot crashes into him and knocks him down while Hiyori and Zoro look on in alarm.

Gyukimaru sees armed men approaching and asks, "Who comes?!" The newcomers shout, "Wahahaha! We're here for revenge, Gyukimaru!!" and accuse him: "You've stolen away so many of our weapons! We're takin' 'em all back today! These guns can take out a wild beast." Zoro asks whether these men are Gyukimaru's friends, but that does not matter to them. One points a gun and orders, "Lady Hiyori, get down. Doesn't matter! Shoot 'em all!"

The attackers fire, but Kawamatsu rises through the smoke and slashes them away, forcing them to cry out. Gyukimaru flees again, and Zoro shouts after him, "Oi! Wait! Why are you running again?!" As the chaos settles, Kawamatsu stares after Gyukimaru and wonders, "How do they know each other?!" Then his face fills with relief. He says, "Haa-haa- Lord Kawamatsu! I'm so glad! I'm so glad! I'm so glad you're okay!" The chapter closes on Kawamatsu's emotional reaction to the familiar figure before him.

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