One Piece: The user of the Nen-Nen Fruit, who overturned the sea.

"Of course I refused."

Kurozumi Orochi smiled wryly.

"How could I have agreed to such a stupid condition..."

Before the words were finished, two figures slowly walked in through the side door of the hall.

A hunched old woman leaned on a cane, followed closely by a samurai wearing a Hannya mask.

Kaido glanced at them and recognized them—Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru.

The two elders of the Kurozumi family were also "acquaintances" from their time with the Rocks Pirates.

"Kaido, it's been a long time."

Kurozumi Musashi's hoarse voice rang out as she walked to Kurozumi Orochi's side and gently tapped his head with her cane.

"Useless thing, getting scared over such a small thing."

Kaido grinned: "Old hag, you're still alive?"

"I'm tough as nails, I can live a few more years."

Kurozumi Higurashi sat down opposite Kaido and unceremoniously picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself a cup.

"But you, Kaido, still have such a fiery temper."

Kurozumi Seimaru stood silently behind her, like a statue.

"Stop talking nonsense."

Kaido took a swig of sake.

"What are you doing out here?"

"Let me tell you some things that this piece of trash, Orochi, didn't finish saying."

Kurotan Muchan took a sip of tea.

"Regarding Kozuki Oden..."

Kaido's eyes narrowed: "Oh? Tell me about it."

Kurotan Musashi put down his teacup and said slowly.

"Kozuki Oden appeared with the aim of opening the country, and he had already made his move against Orochi when the negotiations broke down that day."

"If it weren't for the Barrier-Barrier Fruit, we wouldn't have been able to stop his blade!"

The voice of Kurotan Musamura echoed in the hall, carrying a heavy sense of helplessness.

"Kaido, you know the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's ability—absolute defense, capable of blocking even the slashes of great swordsmen."

She paused, a flicker of lingering fear crossing her eyes.

"But that night, the moment Oden's blade touched the barrier, the barrier of Semimaru... cracked."

A hint of disdain flashed in Kaido's eyes. "Tch—!"

"That's just because you guys are too weak."

"You're right!"

Kurozumi Hachigami raised her head and looked directly at Kaido.

"However, I can sense that Kozuki Oden's strength is probably no weaker than yours, and perhaps even..."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

Kaido twirled his sake gourd, rapidly analyzing the intelligence in his mind.

The fact that the Barrier-Barrier Fruit has developed cracks means that Oden's slashing power has reached a terrifying level.

It's important to know that in the original work, the Barrier-Barrier Fruit maintained a record of "never being directly defeated" until Luffy's era.

"So you choose to continue submitting to me?" Kaido asked.

"It's not a choice, it's a necessity."

Kurotan Mugami said frankly,

"The Kurozumi family has no one strong enough to rival Oden."

Orochi is useless, and even Semimaru's barrier might not be able to stop a second attack. We need a powerful backer.

"And in the entire Wano Country, besides you, who else can stop Oden?"

She stood up and bowed deeply to Kaido:

"Kaido, on behalf of the Kurozumi family, I formally request your protection."

We will continue to submit to the Beasts Pirates, manage the internal affairs of Wano Country for you, and provide you with all the resources you need.

But in exchange, you must stop Kozuki Oden and preserve the Kurozumi family's status.

Kurozumi Semamaru also knelt on one knee, and although he remained silent, his posture spoke volumes.

Upon seeing this, the black charcoal serpent immediately knelt down and kowtowed:

"Lord Kaido, please protect us! We are willing to serve you like a slave, with no second thoughts!"

Kaido looked at the three people kneeling in front of him, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes.

The surrender of the Kurotan family was indeed valuable to him.

This family has been operating in Wano Country for hundreds of years, possessing a vast intelligence network, connections, and ancient secret techniques.

With their assistance in managing domestic affairs, I can save myself a lot of trouble.

But Kozuki Oden...

This guy's current threat definitely needs to be taken seriously.

"Hehehe..."

Kaido suddenly burst into laughter.

"Fine! Since you're so sensible, I'll agree!"

"Leave Kozuki Oden to me. You just need to keep Wano Country in check and don't cause me any trouble!"

Kurotan Musashi breathed a sigh of relief and straightened up:

"Thank you. But Kaido, I must remind you—Oden's target is not only the Kurozumi family, but also you."

His desire to open a new country means breaking the existing order, and you are now the de facto ruler of Wano Country.

"I know."

Kaido took a swig of sake, a fighting spirit flashing in his eyes. "Perfect, I want to see how much Kozuki Oden has improved since he set sail."

He stood up, his seven-meter-tall frame casting a huge shadow:

"Old woman, you go back and prepare. I will personally go and meet Oden."

"Understood." Kurozumi Mujou nodded.

After giving the Kurozumi family a piece of his mind, Kaido left without lingering.

On the ship back to Ghost Island, Roy descended from the sky and landed lightly on the deck.

Roy had the Beasts Pirates imprison Whiteface and CP with Seastone before he could approach Kaido.

Kaido glanced at it, then continued chugging his drink.

"Resolved?"

"Yes, I've already let one of the CP members go. He'll return to Mary Geoise with false information."

This would also shift the focus of world governments.

Roy walked to the ship's railing, gazing at the Flower City as it sailed further and further away.

"How are things going with the Kurozumi family?"

"They've completely given in."

Kaido grinned.

"However, they brought some interesting information—Kozuki Oden's strength is probably not simple."

"I already knew that."

Roy pondered for a moment,

"Kozuki Oden was exceptionally talented and was already one of Wano Country's top swordsmen before he set sail."

Having sailed with Whitebeard and Roger for many years, witnessed the vastness of the world, and fought against countless powerful figures, his strength must have undergone a qualitative leap.

Roy paused, then continued,

"The important thing now is to prevent internal strife in Wano Country and to avoid affecting our experimental base!"

"Internal strife?"

Kaido snorted coldly.

"With me around, who dares to cause trouble?"

Roy shook his head: "Kaido, although you are strong, governing a large country is like cooking a small fish. Suppressing with force can only maintain superficial peace."

"Kozuki Oden's reputation is still very high among the people of Wano Country. If he were to raise his voice, many people would respond."

Roy turned to look at Kaido, his expression serious:

"Our research base cannot withstand turmoil."

"Bloodline transplantation, gene editing, ancestry factor fusion... these experiments all require a stable environment."

If internal strife breaks out in Wano, the risk of the base being exposed will increase exponentially.

"Don't forget the World Government is also watching closely from the sidelines!"

Kaido took a swig of sake and squinted his eyes:

"So what's your solution?"

Roy pondered for a moment. In the original story, Orochi and Kaido used hostages to force Kozuki Oden to dance naked.

This caused them to lose the hearts and minds of the people of Wano Country, ultimately leading to their defeat of Oden.

This is also a good approach.

Once Roger ushered in the "Great Pirate Era," the World Government and the Navy will not have much energy to devote to Wano Country.

With the explosion in the number of pirates, Whitebeard's territory will inevitably be impacted.

That might be the best time to deal with Kozuki Oden.