Becoming Samurai

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The story reaches far back into the past. Long, long ago, the minks and the Kozuki clan samurai of Wano made a solemn vow: "We are family!!" They promised that they would always assist one another when faced with hardships. Generations later, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi stand before that old bond and dream beyond their homeland. They do not know when the time promised in the vow will come, but they want to see the outside world. One of them looks toward Wano and says, "I'd love to see the outside world-nya!!"

At sea, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi wonder where to find the island they seek. They have heard there are many different islands in the world, even more than five, but hunger and bad luck end their voyage. When they wash ashore in Wano, the locals panic at the sight of them and Kawamatsu. They shout, "Dammit all!!! Wano is horrible!!" while the villagers scream, "Gyaaaah!! I have nothing to do with them!! I am a kappa!!" Someone says, "A kappa is still a demon, though." The frightened people call them "a cat monster, a dog monster, and a kappa" and demand, "Is this beach cursed!? Burn them at the stake!!"

The mob binds Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu to stakes and prepares to burn them. Oden arrives after gathering what he calls ingredients for that night's oden, only to notice the captives. At first he jokes, "Now I have enough ingredients to make tonight's oden... Hmm?" The three captives react in terror and outrage, but Oden turns on the villagers instead. He tells them, "You should all be ashamed!!" and says that being afraid of those who look different only highlights their ignorance. He asks, "How dare you bully a bunch of kids?! Disgraceful!!" When he frees them, the stunned children ask, "You're leaving us like this!?"

Oden brings the three rescued children to Kuri Castle. His retainers are startled and ask, "Why did you bring these monsters here, Sir Oden!?" Oden simply answers, "They followed me." Inuarashi and Nekomamushi thank him for saving them, though they were already starving, and devour the food with desperate joy. Nekomamushi complains, "This is so hot!! There's no way I can eat it!!" while also purring, "Purrrr nya nya nya!" The minks introduce themselves as Nekomamushi and Inuarashi of the Mink Tribe. They explain that their father mentioned the Kozuki crest and say, "Mentions our bond, too!! You're our family!! And now you're our saviour as well!! Still..." Oden can hardly believe he is listening to talking animals.

The meal continues with chaos. Nekomamushi cries, "But this is way too hot!!" and then shouts, "I have a cat's tongue!!" while Oden laughs, "Wahaha!! Hey, cat!! Oden would not be oden if it is not boiled and eaten hot!" Kawamatsu quietly eats and says, "This is yummy." He explains his own past: he and his mother drifted to Wano after their ship sank, but when they asked for help, people threw stones at them because they were fishmen. His mother was injured, so they could not return home. With her dying breath, she told him fishmen are always discriminated against in this world and that he would be more likely to survive if he claimed to be a kappa. Since then, he has lived off leftovers others throw away and now calls himself Kappa Kawamatsu.

The three rescued children are overwhelmed by Oden's kindness. Inuarashi says, "I am so grateful, not only did you save me, but you fed me delicious food, too. I will never forget what you did for me today." Nekomamushi realizes he has wasted food and cries, "Oh no, I forgot my manners. I wasted all that food!" while Inuarashi tells him he is acting like an adult. Oden laughs at Nekomamushi's struggle with hot food, but the meeting changes him too. He tells them, "Meeting you guys has made me realise... that there are many creatures in the world I have yet to see. Now I am really excited for my next voyage!!" Then he sends them off with, "Take care!!"

Oden tries to make the new arrivals leave, but they cling to him. They shout, "No, let us stay here!!" "You didn't even ask us!!" and "We don't wanna leave!!" His household is now growing too large, and the money is running low. Oden is scolded for lending more money to Orochi: "Why do you keep doing that!? You lent more money to that Orochi fellow, right!?" Oden admits that Orochi is on his own now after working for Yasuie, and says he cannot just leave him to die. The retainers try to train themselves, insisting, "We can do this!! Yasuie is no big deal!!" and chanting, "Tip... toe... slow and steady... This is the essence of walking like a ninja."

In Hakumai, Yasuie captures Oden's followers trying to steal money. He asks, "Why were you trying to steal so much money?" They answer, "Because Sir Oden needed money!!" Yasuie knows exactly what kind of people Oden has gathered, muttering, "That damn Oden... He sure recruited some odd characters..." Instead of punishing them, he says, "I will give you the money you tried to steal...!!" His own attendants panic that Hakumai will run out of money, but Yasuie gives even more and tells them, "Take this, too!! Use it wisely." When the retainers ask whether he truly loves Oden, he stares them down and prepares to explain what their loyalty must become.

Yasuie tells Oden's followers what to do with the money: "To dress properly." He tells them to learn manners, buy books, and fill themselves with knowledge and wisdom. If they are hoodlums who want to become Oden's retainers, they are far too crude as they are. He even corrects how they speak, telling them the formal term samurai use to address themselves is "sessha." The group begins to change, awkwardly practicing etiquette, studying, and trying to behave with dignity. When Oden sees them suddenly acting strangely, he asks why they are being so creepy. They answer with stiff politeness, "Lord Oden, we bid you a good morning!!" while others warn that if they continue as they were, they would only bring shame to his name.

Yasuie's lesson is not about appearances alone. He tells the retainers that Oden will one day be the shogun of Wano, and the people who support him through it all must be the best samurai in the entire country. A servant's duty is to protect their master, but Yasuie pushes further: "All of you must make yourselves the capital's... No... the entire country's... guardians!!!" Three years later, thirty years before the present, the Flower Capital hears that the daimyo of Kuri and his followers are visiting. Some still dismiss them, saying, "Lord Oden and his retainers are thugs, after all," while others prepare to hide their money. Meanwhile, the little mountain boar is being corralled: "Wait there, Mr. Mountain!!" "Mountain Jr.! Get in the crate!!"

When Oden's party arrives in the Flower Capital, the old rumors collapse before what the people see. Someone cries, "Look! The party from Kuri has arrived!" Another asks, "Oh my!! What? They are... his samurai...?" The crowd wonders whether Oden's retainers were always so dignified, and some think it almost looks like a shogun's procession. Their majestic and dignified appearance takes the onlookers' breath away. At the castle, Oden's father is moved too: "Yo, Dad!!" Oden calls, and Sukiyaki answers, "Oden!! You have grown into a fine man, indeed!!" Oden says, "If I have become a fine man, it is thanks to you... But I am not sure I have changed one bit." Oden visits after hearing his father has fallen ill, and when he sees Sukiyaki's energy, his worries disappear. The narration says this was the last time the two would ever speak.

That same year, at Kuri's Port Itachi, a pirate ship has somehow climbed the waterfall and reached Wano. The cargo hold is flooded and the provisions are as good as gone, so the crew expects the repairs to take a week. Someone senses other humans nearby, while others are baffled: "So why is there a sea and an island up here...!?" A pirate says they climbed the waterfall, though not everyone seems sure how. The captain is Edward Newgate of the Whitebeard Pirates. News reaches Kuri Castle that Lord Oden has gone to the coast. His retainers hear that a pirate ship has been spotted at Port Itachi and panic, saying its crew must be strong and that Oden might chase them off. But as something incredible approaches, they shout, "Hey, all of you... stand back...!!"

Oden comes crashing toward the Whitebeard Pirates with pure excitement. He laughs, "Ha ha!!!" and calls out, "I have been waiting for you!!" Whitebeard congratulates the crew for surviving the terrible weather and the waterfall, but immediately senses danger: "This doesn't look good." Oden does not hesitate. He charges at Whitebeard, announcing, "My name is Kozuki Oden!!! We may not know each other, but...!! I want you to let me... join your crew!!" Whitebeard blocks the attack and recognizes the force behind it. The chapter ends with Oden's direct challenge to the outside world standing in front of him.

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