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

Roy turned around and leaned against the ship's railing, the sea breeze ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead.

"I do have a solution! But it will take a while."

Kaido took a swig of sake and asked with interest, "Tell me about it."

"What was Kozuki Oden's greatest advantage? It wasn't his strength, but his reputation."

Roy spoke slowly,

"In the hearts of the people of Wano Country, he remains the heir who once traveled through Kuri, implemented new policies, and was known as the 'Foolish Prince' yet was deeply loved."

"So what we need to do is not to defeat him directly, but to destroy his reputation first."

Kaido raised an eyebrow: "How do you destroy it?"

"It's simple, just make him do something that will disappoint everyone."

A meaningful smile crept onto Roy's lips.

"Take advantage of his character weakness—his strong sense of loyalty and his deep attachment to 'family' and 'partners'."

Kaido seemed to have guessed something, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

Roy continued,

"Let Kurozumi Orochi arrest a group of people who support Oden, especially those he once helped and protected."

"Then he made a public threat—either Oden would dance naked in the streets of the Flower Capital every day, pleasing the Shogun and the Beast Pirates like a fool;

"Or, kill a hundred people every day."

"Given Oden's character, he would definitely choose to sacrifice his own dignity to protect the people."

Upon hearing this, Kaido couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hehehehe... Roy, you're quite the cunning one!"

Hearing Kaido's slightly mocking words, Roy rolled his eyes speechlessly.

"Don't call me treacherous. Isn't this exactly the plan you carried out against Kozuki Oden in the original story?"

However, Roy could only complain about these things in his heart.

"That's not all,"

Roy, speechless, added,

"We can set a time limit—for example, make him dance naked."

"If he agrees, he will release one hostage every day and allow Oden to lead Wano Country to open its borders in the future."

Kaido stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"That's a good idea. This period of time is enough for everyone to see the former hero turn into a clown."

"Even if he does gain his freedom by then, no one will support him anymore."

"That's right."

Roy nodded.

"Moreover, during this period, we have plenty of opportunities to gradually weaken his power and divide his retainers."

"Most importantly, it can ensure the stability of Wano Country and prevent World Government spies from taking advantage of the situation."

Excitement gleamed in Kaido's eyes.

"Great! I love this plan! We don't have to start a war right away, and we can slowly wear him down!"

But soon, Kaido thought of something else.

"But Oden isn't stupid. Would he believe us?"

"Therefore, we need Orochi's 'sincere' cooperation."

Roy said,

"We need to convince Oden that Kurozumi Orochi only wanted to humiliate him, not that he really wanted him dead."

"After all, killing him outright would provoke a greater backlash, while humiliating him would both vent our anger and destroy his prestige."

That makes sense.

Kaido grinned.

"That good-for-nothing Kurozumi Orochi is best at bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and manipulating power. It's perfect for him to play this role."

After discussing some details, Kaido immediately contacted Kurozumi Orochi.

When Orochi heard about the plan, he was first shocked, then his eyes revealed a look of excitement and cruelty.

"Lord Kaido... this... this is truly wonderful!"

Orochi's voice trembled with excitement.

"I've wanted to humiliate Kozuki Oden for a long time!"

"Let him dance in the City of Flowers every day, so everyone can see that their hero is nothing but a clown!"

"but……"

Orochi hesitated again, "Kozuki Oden is so strong, what if he changes his mind or forcibly saves someone..."

"With me around, would he dare to do anything reckless?"

Kaido snorted coldly.

"Moreover, the hostages will be dispersed and held in various locations, with heavy troops stationed to guard them."

If he dares to make any rash move, the hostages will die immediately.

"This...this is wonderful!"

Orochi was completely relieved.

"I'll arrange it right away!"

"First, arrest a group of people closely associated with Oden, then publicly announce the conditions!"

"Remember, when you're acting, you have to go all the way."

Kaido instructed,

"You need to act like a petty person simply venting their anger, not like someone with some grander scheme."

"You need to convince Oden that you only hate him, not that you want to destroy the entire Wano Country."

"Understood! Understood!"

The black charcoal serpent nodded repeatedly.

After the call ended, Kaido looked at Roy and grinned, "Roy, if your plan succeeds, Kozuki Oden will be completely finished. However..."

He paused for a moment. "Did you already plan all this out?"

Roy smiled calmly.

"This is just the optimal solution derived from intelligence analysis."

Our primary objective now is to protect the research base; any factors that could trigger large-scale unrest must be eliminated beforehand.

"And Kozuki Oden was the biggest destabilizing factor."

Kaido gave Roy a deep look, said nothing more, and simply raised his gourd.

"Cheers to our 'insidious' plan!"

Roy smiled, raised a wine glass he'd somehow acquired, and clinked it against Kaido's.

Two wine glasses collided in mid-air, making a crisp sound.

Meanwhile, in the Kuri region of Wano Country.

Kozuki Oden sat in a Japanese-style room in a secluded base, facing nine loyal retainers—the future "Nine Red Scabbards".

Kin'emon, Denjiro, Kikunojo, Ashura Doji, Kawamatsu, Inuarashi, Nekomamushi, Izo, Raizo.

The nine people sat together solemnly, discussing countermeasures.

"Lord Oden, Orochi has increased his defenses. The Flower Capital is now as solid as an iron barrel."

Denjiro reported to the authorities.

"Furthermore, according to intelligence, Kaido personally went to the Shogun's mansion and had a long private conversation with Kurozumi Orochi."

Oden frowned.

"Kaido himself has intervened... It seems that Orochi has completely sided with the Beasts Pirates."

"That's not all."

Ashura Doji said in a deep voice, "We have also discovered that some strangers have been active in various parts of Wano Country recently, acting suspiciously, and they are not ordinary merchants or travelers."

"They might be from the World Government."

Oden speculated,

"That good-for-nothing Kurozumi Orochi will do anything to protect his position."

"So what should we do now?" Kikunojo asked. "Should we attack the Flower Capital directly?"

Oden pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

"No!"

"A direct assault would result in too many casualties and would also affect innocent civilians."

"Let's concentrate our efforts on dealing with Orochi first."

A determined glint flashed in Oden's eyes.

"Orochi will lose his 'legitimacy' in ruling Wano Country once Orochi is eliminated."

"At that time, we will unite with resistance forces from various places and drive the Beasts Pirates out of Wano Country step by step."

"However, Orochi is protected by a user of the Barrier-Barrier Fruit."

Leizang reminded him,

"Last time you raided the General's Mansion, you failed because of the barrier."

"Barrier-Barrier Fruit..."

Oden gripped the sword at his waist.

"It is indeed a problem. But every ability has weaknesses, and we need to find a way to overcome them."

"Furthermore, we must contact those samurai and daimyo who still have their hearts set on the Kozuki family as soon as possible."

Oden continued his deployment, "Shimotsuki Yasuie, Fuzuki Miyuki, Amatsuki Tenfura... Although these people outwardly submit to Kurozumi Orochi, there must still be a spark of resistance burning within them."

"As long as this spark is ignited, Wano Country can rise again!"

The nine retainers responded in unison, "Yes, Lord Oden!"

After the meeting, Oden went outside alone and gazed at the bright moon in the night sky.

Having been away from Wano Country for so many years, he had seen the vastness of the world by following Whitebeard and Roger.

They also understood the drawbacks of Wano Country's isolationist policies.

This country needs to change, needs to engage with the outside world, and needs to embrace a new era.