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

King's search warrant spread throughout the entire Beasts Pirates that very night.

Before dawn, the port of Ghost Island was already bustling with activity.

Squads of Beast Pirates soldiers boarded ships and set sail towards the main island of Wano Country.

The leaders were all high-ranking officers of the Flying Six, each holding a search warrant hastily prepared by Jin overnight, containing only a few lines of text—

Tenguyama Hitetsu, a swordsmith who wears a mask with a long nose. Find him, bring him back, and you'll be richly rewarded.

There is no portrait, and no more detailed description.

With just these few pieces of information, finding a person in the vast country of Wano is like finding a needle in a haystack.

But King didn't care, and neither did Kaido.

As long as he's still in Wano Country, the Beasts Pirates will find a way to bring him out.

Over the next two days, the Beasts Pirates ransacked every town, village, and street on the main island of Wano Country.

Soldiers went door to door, questioning people, ransacking shops, and stopping passersby to check their identities.

Some complained, some cried out, but no one dared to rebel.

The central figure in all of this—Tenguyama Hitetsu—is currently in a small hut in the back mountains of Amigasa Village, completely unaware of the impending danger.

Amigasa Village is a small place, located in a valley on the edge of Wano Country. It has inconvenient transportation and a small population.

The Beasts Pirates came here a few times back then, but found that there were neither minerals nor labor here, so they never came back.

Kozuki Sukiyaki chose to hide here precisely because of this.

His current identity is "Tenguyama Hitetsu", a swordsmith.

He wore a long-nosed celestial dog mask, dressed in coarse cloth, and lived in a small wooden house in the back mountain.

He forges swords in the backyard during the day and studies ancient texts left by the Kozuki clan at night.

He would occasionally go to the village to exchange his knife for rice and grain, living a secluded life and avoiding conflict with the world.

For over a decade, there has never been a problem.

But today, a problem has arisen.

On the third day at noon,

When Kozuki Sukiyaki went to the village to buy rice, she noticed that something was wrong with the atmosphere there.

The usually deserted streets were now filled with several groups of Beast Pirates members, who were knocking on doors and questioning people.

He vaguely heard the words "Tengu Mountain Flying Through", and his back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He didn't even buy rice; he turned around and headed towards the back of the mountain.

His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat the whole way.

The face beneath the mask was taut, each step faster than the last, until finally it was almost a run.

The Beasts Pirates are looking for him.

Why would you contact him?

He had been living in anonymity for over a decade, even using a false name when forging knives, and had severed all contact with anyone who might expose his identity.

Even former members of the Kozuki family didn't know he was still alive.

How did they know?

There was no time to think about Kozuki Sukiyaki.

All he knew was that he had to leave immediately and disappear without a trace before being found.

He took a shortcut around the village entrance and ran back along the dried-up riverbed.

Halfway there, two soldiers from the Beasts Pirates appeared in front of them.

Those two people were obviously searching the area.

Seeing Tenguyama Hitetsu, who was wearing a long-nosed mask, running towards them, the two exchanged a glance and simultaneously drew their weapons.

"Halt! You're Tenguyama Hitetsu?!"

The Kozuki Sukiyaki has never stopped.

He sidestepped the first soldier's slash and struck back, knocking the man to the ground.

Before the other soldier could react, the purchasing basket in his hand had already smashed into the man's face, scattering rice all over the ground.

While the two soldiers were rolling on the ground and howling in pain, Kozuki Sukiyaki had already rushed into the woods behind the mountain.

His movements were so agile that they didn't seem like those of a blacksmith.

Although he is old and not as strong as before, he still has the foundation he built as the shogun of Wano Country, and those young soldiers simply cannot keep up with him.

He walked through the woods, around the stream behind the mountain, and slipped into his cabin through a secluded path.

He started packing his things as soon as he entered the door.

Ancient books, forging tools, and the second-generation Kitetsu sword he had treasured for many years—everything that could prove his identity had to be taken away.

Quicker, even faster.

The Beasts Pirates could catch up at any moment.

But he was still too slow.

As he was stuffing the ancient books into the package, three terrifying auras descended from the sky, crashing down without any attempt to conceal themselves outside the wooden house.

Kozuki Sukiyaki's hands stopped moving.

The package slipped from his fingers, scattering the ancient books all over the ground.

Although his Observation Haki was not as sharp as it was in his youth, he could still clearly sense the intensity of the three auras outside the house.

A somber, sharp line, like a knife hanging in mid-air. It was Ash.

A violent and savage beast, like a wild animal ready to tear everything apart at any moment.

It's Kaido.

There's one more dish—

Cold sweat beaded on Kozuki Sukiyaki's forehead.

This aura is completely different from the previous two.

It is not very aggressive; in fact, it can be described as quite peaceful.

But that kind of peace is not weakness, but a sense of absolute control.

Emperor of Heaven, Roy.

Three powerful figures appeared outside his small wooden hut at the same time.

Can't run away.

Kozuki Sukiyaki took a deep breath, put the tengu mask back on, and smoothed out the wrinkles on her coarse cloth clothes.

He walked to the door, paused for a moment, and then pushed it open.

Kaido, Roy, and King stood in the open space in front of the wooden house, surrounded by several soldiers from the Beasts Pirates.

When the soldiers saw Tenguyama Hitsugu emerge, they instinctively took a step back.

Their two colleagues, whom the blacksmith had previously knocked down, were still on the ground.

Kozuki Sukiyaki stood at the door, his mask concealing his expression, but it couldn't hide the sudden surge of aura emanating from him.

It wasn't murderous intent, nor was it intimidation; rather, it was a dignity that refused to bow down, no matter the circumstances.

He was once the shogun of Wano Country and the head of the Kozuki clan.

Even if one lives in anonymity for more than a decade, this pride etched into one's bones will not be worn away by time.

"Flying over Tengu Mountain".

Roy spoke first, his voice calm and measured, as if he were calling the name of an old friend.

"Or perhaps I should call you—Kozuki Sukiyaki. The former shogun of Wano Country."

Kozuki Sukiyaki's body trembled almost imperceptibly.

Kaido's eyes narrowed, and King's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

None of them knew Tenguyama Hitetsu's true identity, and Roy had never mentioned it before.

Everyone present knew what the name Kozuki Sukiyaki represented in Wano Country.

Kozuki Oden's father.

The last monarch of the legitimate government of Wano Country.

The silence lasted for a few breaths.

Then Kozuki Sukiyaki raised her hand and slowly removed her mask.

Beneath the mask was a wrinkled but still dignified face.

His hair was white and his eyes were sunken, but the light in his eyes had not yet been extinguished.

"I am no longer a general."

His voice was hoarse, but every word was clear and steady.

"Just an ordinary commoner from the village of Meigashi. Tenguyama Feiche."

May I ask what brings these three distinguished guests to my humble abode?

Roy smiled.

Stop pretending.

"I've come here for only one thing—to tell me where Hades is hiding."

Kozuki Sukiyaki's expression changed in that instant.

It wasn't the kind of feigned surprise, but a genuine shock that welled up from the very marrow of my bones.

He had been a blacksmith for over a decade and had long since developed a calm and collected demeanor, but the word "Pluto" coming from the mouth of someone he hadn't expected still broke through his defenses.

The location of Hades's hiding place is a top secret passed down through generations of the Kozuki clan.

Only the head of the family knows that even Oden died before he could inherit the family business.

This secret should have been buried with him in his grave.

How did Roy know that?