The Dreams of the Strong

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Inside Udon, the gates stand behind Kid and Killer as they prepare to leave the conquered prison. Kid hears that Luffy intends to fight Kaido again and says, "So you're really gonna fight Kaido again, huh..." Luffy asks, "Yeah, you wanna come too?" but Kid snaps back, "Are you crazy?!" Kid has already heard what happened to his partner, and the broken machinery around Killer makes that anger visible. When Luffy says, "You saw what he did," Kid answers, "To my partner!" The alliance is over before it begins.

Kid refuses to trust anyone after what happened. He says, "I'm done with alliances!" and then, "I ain't trustin' anyone anymore!" Killer laughs through his SMILE curse with "KsssHHH!" while Kid tells Luffy, "Just be happy I don't feel like... killin' ya right here!!" He calls to his partner, "Let's go, Killer!" and declares, "We're goin' our own way from now on!" Their goal is not the prison revolt anymore: "We're gonna get our friends back!"

The story returns to "Udon inside the prisoner's mine," where the liberated prisoners cannot fully accept Luffy yet. They ask, "A pirate?!" and, "That Straw Hat kid's a pirate?! Just like Kaido?!" Some reject the idea outright: "Yes, but no!" and, "How can we trust him?! He'll just betray us somewhere down the line! A pirate is the last person I'd take help from!" Hyogoro tells them, "Look! The sea is vast, and there are many different kinds of pirates! Speak to him, and you shall see for yourselves! He does not lie. That man is the keystone of our plan to defeat Kaido!" But he can tell the men have regained their senses and something is still missing. Below, O-Tama apologizes from safety, "Tama... it's dangerous here... why are you..." and she answers, "I'm sorry, big bro." Raizo is asked, "Where did Straw Hat go?" and gets mocked for his age: "Raizo, you've always just looked super old! I can't even tell if you've aged 20 years or not!" Raizo shouts back, "So we're just straight up making fun of me now?!"

Chopper works over Luffy, who is still burning from the Mummy virus. O-Tama says, "But I'm glad you're okay!" while Chopper warns, "Look at him! He's definitely not okay. Don't touch him! I'm still working on finding an antibody." Luffy tries to wave it away: "Bluffing that it 'doesn't work on me'... if you'd just stayed put, I wouldn't have had to do all this! Viruses hurt, don't they?!" Chopper demands, "When will you learn that your actions have consequences?! Apologize to me!" Luffy mutters, "I'm zorry... it burts... help..." Momonosuke watches the prisoners and calls himself out: "You're a bit of an idiot, Luffy... but you really are amazing. I could never do such a thing." Nearby, someone yells, "Silence, you rude fool! I won't stand to be insulted like that!" Luffy warns, "Momo, if you hit him, you'll get the disease too," and tells him, "Let's go, Silly!" The crowd notices him at once: "They're waiting for out there!" "You're the one!"

Momonosuke understands why the prisoners stare. He thinks, "They see my father... the vast shadow of the family that has supported Wano all these years... the Kozuki clan! It isn't me... I'm not the one they see when they look at me." Yet the weight of that name does not let him run. He tells himself, "I've never felt so heavy with responsibility... Don't back down now, Momo!!" When the men shout, "Lord Momonosuke!" he steps before them. Hyogoro realizes, "Ah, that's it. What's missing is..." Momonosuke says, "I-I'd like everyone to listen to me. I will tell you all what happened that day at Oden Castle, and what my friends and I have been doing till now." The prisoners bow, crying, "We are so glad that you are well!!" and calling his survival "A dream!" and "Their life after the battle!" Kawamatsu, seeing that Momonosuke's royal figure has eased his fears, says he must leave quickly: "There is somewhere I must go, and people I must meet, before the final battle!"

In Wano Country, Kuri, the group reaches graves beneath the sound of rumbling earth. The Dolldrums have already gone to Onigashima, and the weight of twenty years settles over the survivors. Someone says, "This is the weight of 20 years." Another answers that they cannot know how difficult it is to keep believing, because "ten years was as long as they could hold out." In the land of legend, those who died waiting are now only grave markers. Ashura Doji says, "It's already been 10 years. We've aged. In twenty years, we'll be two steps away from the grave! And you still want us to wait for people we don't even know are coming?!" He insists that, with Lord Momonosuke alive, Kinemon and the others will certainly return.

Ashura's memories show why the surviving rebels broke. They refuse to bend the knee to Orochi, saying, "We don't even have food! We'll die of illness before the battle even happens." Kaido's army destroys their well and burns their crops while they shout, "It's Kaido's army!" and, "They destroyed our well!" "They burned our crops!" Shutenmaru says, "We can't take this anymore." The men would rather die fighting than leave as samurai no longer: "Quit complaining! This isn't a dog's death! If we don't gather as much men as we can under the Kozuki name, we don't stand a chance!" They raise their swords and cry, "If we're not long for this world, we want to leave as samurai. At least... let us die with our swords in our hands! Don't stop us!"

The old rebels remember the words they used as children. They ask, "D'ya remember? When we were kids... we had a chant we'd scream to test our courage. We knew that people get scared, because they value their own lives!" Then they turn the thought into a battle cry: "To throw away our names and thoughts! We'd yell that we needed... clear your mind and dive into the fray!" The shout becomes "NO LIFE AND NO FEAR!" as boats race toward death. They call across the water, "Come back! Come back, men!" but the men keep going. The chant that once tested courage becomes the sound of desperation.

At the graves, Ashura asks, "Why so long... why twenty years?" Kinemon says, "Only the one who sent us can know," and Ashura answers, "There must have been some reason!" Even so, he has no intention of doubting Lord Oden's aims. He tells the men, "Oi, men! The time has come! Eight days from today, on the night of fire festival! Under the Kozuki banner, we will raid Onigashima and end the terror of the pirate Kaido and Shogun Orochi! If you've got the guts, join us!"

Ashura's men answer immediately. Swords rise as they shout, "Of course, leader!" "We've waited for this day!" and "We won't let Lord Yasuie's death go to waste!" Kinemon greets Ashura by name, and Ashura snaps back with old familiarity: "You guys are the same as you were that day, right, Kinemon? Once upon a time, we were the same age, but now we're 20 years stronger than you lot!" Kinemon accepts the challenge: "Right, Inu?" Inuarashi says, "You bet," and the old retainers needle each other while someone warns, "Shut up, you old coots. You better not hold us back." Ashura laughs that if none of them can stop a fight, then it will be "between Red Sheaths."

The scene shifts to the forests around the Flower Capital. A ninja falls under the trees with a sharp impact, and Zoro finishes a clash despite his injuries. He hurls an enemy away with enough force to crash through the leaves, then steadies himself as another opponent curses him. The fallen pursuers and Zoro's wounds show that he has been fighting through the forest while protecting the people with him and moving toward his next objective.

Deep inside the forest stands Enma's Temple. Zoro breathes hard after the chase and says, "Sheesh, just how many troops are in this ninja army?!" He looks over the fallen enemies and adds, "Hopefully that's all of them..." Inside the temple, Hiyori slides open the door and apologizes: "I'm so sorry. I'm just in your way." Zoro answers, "It's okay, though. Yeah, you are." As they sit, he says, "I don't mind where we are, as long as there is somewhere I can hide. I'm more worried about O-Toko. I hope she's okay. My friends have her. She's safe. Can't say the same about her state of mind, but... More importantly, I need to find that guy that took my sword." Hiyori asks, "If you died on me, I dunno what I'd say to Momonosuke. D'ya wanna go back to that house in the snow?"

Zoro refuses to rest while Shusui is gone. Hiyori says, "Why, I'll guide you, of course. The bandit's bridge in Ringo, right?" Zoro answers, "I need to get it back before the final battle." Hiyori reminds him, "You do not know the value of this famed blade, Shusui!" but Zoro only says, "My belt feels too light..." He promises, "I'll get revenge for Tonoyasu. I swear it." Hiyori, still grieving, says, "I won't forgive that bastard Orochi..." and then, "Let me... kill Orochi myself!"

In the Flower Capital, Law stands bloodied before Hawkins. Hawkins asks, "What's the matter?" and notes, "You've been acting strangely." Law answers only, "Ah..." The guards press him: "It's nothing. Let's just get this over with." Hawkins says, "Yeah. Our task is simple. The sooner you talk, the sooner this will be over." Law looks up from his bonds, and Hawkins reveals what he has understood: "This man's crew and the Straw Hats are connected. What in the world are you plotting in Wano?! Time for you to spill the beans." The chapter ends with Law silent under interrogation, while the note announces, "The indomitable Law next issue: a color cover!"

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