Wano Country, Oden Castle
Chiga and Kalifa suddenly appeared outside the ruins of what was once Oden Castle. Kalifa scanned the area and noticed the blackened, scorched ground, burn marks scattered throughout, and several gravestones in disrepair. At the center stood one particularly large marker engraved with the words: "Grave of Kozuki Oden."
Kalifa's eyes widened slightly. As a former CP9 intelligence agent, she was well-acquainted with the name.
"This is Kozuki Oden's grave?" she asked, stunned.
Uchiha Chiga gave a faint smile. "It's the real deal."
"Unbelievable... He was the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and journeyed to Laugh Tale with the Pirate King. How could someone like that just... die?"
"Simple," Chiga said, his voice dismissive. "He died from his own stupidity."
He didn't elaborate further. Instead, he gestured for Kalifa to stay put. "Stand back."
Chiga's eyes glowed faintly purple. In the next instant, an invisible force blasted out from his position. Shinra Tensei.
The entire area trembled as the ruins and gravestones were flattened under an immense repulsive force, turning the once cluttered site into a flat, empty space.
But Chiga wasn't finished.
His body levitated slowly off the ground, hovering mid-air as his right Rinnegan began to ripple outward—black concentric rings radiating powerfully. Ocular energy surged around him like a rising tide.
The power settled into place, and he activated the Rinnegan's specialized technique—Nenjinriki (Chronos Will).
A grey vortex spiraled into existence below him, expanding across the clearing. The swirling energy accelerated the flow of time within the bounded space.
Suddenly, streaks of golden light shimmered within the vortex.
Chiga ceased his ocular output. The grey vortex dissipated as quickly as it had formed.
Where the light once shone, five figures now stood—four adults and a child.
Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Kikunojo, Raizo, and Momonosuke.
These were the five individuals who had been sent into the future by Kozuki Toki using the powers of the Toki Toki no Mi during the burning of Oden Castle.
While the Devil Fruit was dubbed the "Time-Time Fruit," Chiga had long found its abilities questionable. It could send people forward in time, but not back. Hardly what one would expect from something with dominion over time itself.
He had always theorized that its so-called time travel was nothing more than freezing a person's moment in time, allowing them to reappear later as the world caught up. His Rinnegan's Nenjinriki allowed him to control time directly within a space—confirming his theory.
The five figures blinked in confusion. They looked around at their surroundings—flattened, scorched, unrecognizable.
Nothing looked the way they remembered. No familiar landmarks. No castle. No people—except for Kalifa, standing a short distance away.
Spotting her, both Kin'emon and Momonosuke's attention immediately locked onto her, their typical perversion creeping into their expressions.
Kin'emon nudged Momonosuke with his elbow and whispered, "Young Master, that woman looks like a local. Go ask her what year it is... and find out what's going on."
Back then, Kin'emon hadn't yet started pretending to be Momonosuke's father, so he still addressed him formally.
Momonosuke nodded obediently and trotted forward, putting on a pitiful expression as he approached Kalifa. Once he reached her, he even forced a pathetic whine into his voice:
"Big sister, we were attacked by bandits and barely escaped. Can you tell us what year it is? And what's happened since we've been gone?"
Kalifa narrowed her eyes slightly. As a trained former intelligence agent, she instantly saw through the little brat's performance—and his wandering gaze.
Sure enough, she caught the glint of mischief behind his fake tears, when Kalifa didn't respond, Momonosuke immediately reached out to grab the hem of her kimono, intending to take advantage of his childlike appearance.
However, Kalifa wasn't the type to tolerate such behavior. In her eyes, the only man allowed to touch her was the boss—anyone else, even a child, was strictly off-limits.
Without hesitation, she raised her leg and kicked Momonosuke square in the face. The boy was sent flying before he could react, but Kin'emon caught him just in time. Raizo and the others quickly gathered around in concern.
When they saw Momonosuke's tear-streaked face marked with a dark clog-shaped imprint, Kin'emon and the others were outraged. This was the son of Oden—how dare this woman!
Kin'emon, holding fast to his outdated view of male superiority, was especially infuriated to see Momonosuke struck by a woman.
He immediately drew his katana, which suddenly burst into flames. As the leader of the Nine Red Scabbards, his strength might not be the greatest, but he had enough presence of mind—certainly more than that idiot Kanjuro.
Kalifa's kick had been lightning-fast, clearly not something an ordinary person could do. He quickly assumed she was a subordinate of Orochi, who had a known penchant for surrounding himself with beautiful women.
With that in mind, Kin'emon slashed forward, sending a blazing arc of fire toward Kalifa.
But Kalifa didn't flinch. She stood her ground calmly—because she knew that the moment someone dared attack her, the boss wouldn't remain idle.
Sure enough, a figure descended from the sky and swept away the flames with a casual wave of his hand.
It was Chiga, who had been watching everything unfold above.
He had laughed out loud when Kalifa kicked Momonosuke. She wasn't one to tolerate spoiled brats, and the scene reminded him of Hancock. If it had been her instead, Momonosuke would be in much worse shape right now.
Originally, Chiga hadn't intended to interfere. But when Kin'emon dared to attack his secretary, that crossed the line—someone like that no longer deserved mercy.
Kin'emon's heart clenched when he saw Chiga land before him. This man was clearly with the woman—and terrifyingly strong.
He'd seen enough of the world to know when he was in danger.
A dark smoke began to rise from Chiga's hand as he fixed Kin'emon with a deadly glare.
"I hear you can cut through flames," Chiga said coldly. "Let's see you handle this."
From his palm, a jet-black flame erupted, expanding rapidly into a sea of fire that rushed toward Kin'emon like a tidal wave.
Cold sweat broke out across Kin'emon's brow. This strange flame radiated intense danger. It wasn't just heat—something deeper, more sinister. But with such a massive wall of fire bearing down on him, dodging wasn't an option. Gritting his teeth, he activated his Foxfire Style, slashing at the flames in desperation.
But the moment his blade touched the black fire, it froze solid—instantly crystallizing under an impossibly low temperature—then shattered into tiny ice fragments.
Kin'emon's eyes went wide with horror.
"Damn it! Everyone, get back—!"
Before he could finish, the black flames engulfed him completely.
Seconds later, the flames vanished, leaving behind a human-shaped block of ice where Kin'emon once stood.
A gust of wind swept through—and the ice statue shattered into glittering shards, disappearing into the air.
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