"Run! Let's escape!"
Momonosuke trembled as he pleaded through tears.
Inuarashi and Nekomamushi froze, staring at Momonosuke in disbelief, wondering if they had misheard him.
Shinobu and Kikunojo, who were tending to Raizo nearby, also paused and looked up at Momonosuke in shock.
"Let's run away! Just like before—let's leave Wano, go out to the sea, go somewhere else! I don't want to come back to this nightmare!"
Momonosuke clutched at Inuarashi clothes, his face streaked with tears and snot.
His handsome features bore a faint resemblance to Kozuki Oden, but their spirits were as different as heaven and earth—utterly incomparable.
Inuarashi felt a pang of disappointment.
After so many sacrifices, he had hoped to witness the unyielding fire of Oden legacy, to see Wano blessed with a brave, fearless and wise ruler.
But this… was the result.
When the winds were favorable, Momonosuke could ride the momentum, basking in the Straw Hats' influence to ascend the throne with an air of grandeur.
But the moment disaster struck, the moment danger loomed, he shrank back, hesitant and cowardly.
Inuarashi forced himself to make excuses for Momonosuke.
'Momonosuke-sama is still young.'
'He's suffered the loss of his family—he has trauma from Kaido.'
'Though his body has matured, his mind hasn't.'
Yet no matter how hard he tried to justify it, the disappointment in Inuarashi heart only grew, even showing plainly on his face.
"NO! Momonosuke!" Inuarashi rejected his plea outright, even dropping the honorific "sama" and calling him by name.
In that moment, In his mind Momonosuke transform from Wano rightful ruler to just a frightened child.
"WHY? We escaped before—why can't we do it again? Didn't my father endure humiliation his whole life? We can go to the sea, make powerful allies and bring them here to defeat Kaido!"
Momonosuke shouted wildly, his desperation making him reckless.
"ENOUGH!" Inuarashi snapped coldly, startling Momonosuke into releasing his grip.
"Shinobu, Kikunojo… take Momonosuke and flee. I will fight—even if it means death." He turned away, unable to bear looking at a face so similar to Oden any longer.
Nekomamushi sighed but said nothing, following Inuarashi as they strode toward Kaido.
"You won't run? Then you'll die horribly, just like my father!" A flash of hatred and malice flickered in Momonosuke eyes.
But when he turned away, it melted back into fear and helplessness as he threw himself into Kikunojo arms, sobbing.
"Kiku, let's go! Take Hiyori with us—Shinobu, please? It's too dangerous here. We can't stay!"
Though Kikunojo longed to join the battle she couldn't bring herself to abandon Momonosuke in his distress.
[A/N : imma use her as kiku pronoun cause kiku is confusing af]
Reluctantly, she and Shinobu gathered Momonosuke, Hiyori and the unconscious Raizo, fleeing toward the outskirts of the Flower Capital.
"Kosanze Ragnaraku!"
Kaido club sent Yamato flying high into the air, knocking the spiked club from her grasp.
"Perhaps as Caesar suggested, having Linlin daughter erase your memories directly would be the best choice!"
Kaido recalled the proposal Caesar had made to him last night.
Initially, he had disagreed, still holding onto hope that Yamato would come to her senses.
But now, seeing how Oden's notebook had brainwashed her—filling her mind with nothing but Oden, Oden, Oden, like some kind of obsession—he realized how futile that hope was.
Kaido had always acknowledged Oden strength. But he held nothing but contempt for the man's intellect.
When Kaido learned that Oden had sailed with both Whitebeard and Roger, he had genuinely panicked, fearing Oden might convince them to come after him in Wano.
Back then, Kaido could barely handle Whitebeard crew alone, let alone the Roger Pirates.
To his astonishment, Oden—despite having such powerful allies at his fingertips—had clung to an utterly foolish notion: not wanting to trouble Whitebeard or Roger.
With that mindset, Oden willingly embraced death, placing his hopes on some vague distant prophecy.
What absolute nonsense!
When Kaido heard Oden declare his willingness to die, he was left speechless.
Yet this very leader of Wano—this man—had somehow become the object of his own daughter fanatical admiration.
Kaido couldn't fathom it.
As King and Queen, along with the Tobiroppo joined the fray, the numerical advantage held by the Wano side vanished in an instant.
Law crew, Kid crew, along with Nami, Robin, Brook, and Sanji—all fought desperately against the seven opponents.
Sanji bore immense pressure, struggling to protect Nami and Robin while fending off King and Queen simultaneously.
Among them, only Sanji—with his awakened germa power—stood out. The others were simply outmatched.
"This isn't looking good, Robin-san! We need to retreat now! The situation's worsening by the second!" Sanji yelled after kicking Who's Who away.
"Mil fleur! Gigantesco Mano! Slap!" Robin shouted.
A massive white hand sprouted from the ground and smacked Ulti flat onto the battlefield.
"Kasuri Uta: Fubuki Giri!" Brook' blade severed one of Sasaki horns, the freezing sword energy instantly encasing the swordsman's body in ice.
"Demon God Wind Leg! Coarse Ground Beef Kick!"
Seizing the opportunity, Sanji unleashed his full power—a barrage of kicks raining down like a storm upon Sasaki frozen form.
The sheer force shattered the triceratops-man massive body.
Sasaki died instantly, without even a chance to scream.
"DAMN YOU!" Who's Who roared, lunging at Sanji.
BOOM!
A thick bolt of lightning struck from above like divine punishment, piercing Who's Who's body and pinning him charred to the ground.
"Nami-swaaaan! Perfect timing!" Sanji cheered.
Nami smiled as Zeus face materialized on her Weather Staff.
Enraged, King brandished Kawamatsu's sword and unleashed "Guardian Fire Dragon King!"—slashing through Kid pirates members like wheat before a scythe.
At the same time, Queen unleashed his full combat power, firing beams of lasers with far greater speed and destructive force than Franky could muster.
Combined with his formidable physique, he rampaged through Law pirates crew.
"Coil Power Decapitation QUEEN!"
Queen roared, grabbing Hyogoro body and swinging him around before hurling him straight at Ulti.
"Armored Headbutt!"
Ulti forehead turned pitch-black as she accelerated abruptly, smashing right through Hyogoro body!
A rain of blood scattered through the air!