"My name is Kozuki Oden… also known as Yamato!!!"
Yamato stood tall, proudly declaring her identity to the entire world.
The already chaotic battlefield of the Summit War rippled with renewed commotion.
Among those most shocked were none other than the Whitebeard Pirates themselves—especially the veterans who had sailed alongside Whitebeard for over thirty years.
Kozuki Oden!!!
That name was impossible for them to forget.
After all, he had once been their comrade—serving as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates before Ace.
---
"Oi, oi, oi! What's going on?"
"Did I just hear the name 'Oden'?!"
"Who the hell is claiming to be Oden?!"
"Don't tell me Oden's actually here?!"
The captains of various allied pirate crews—like Ice Witch Whitey Bay—momentarily brightened at the thought, only to quickly shake their heads.
"No, Captain Oden died eighteen years ago!"
"Killed by that damned Kaidō of the Beasts!"
"Then who's going around calling themselves Oden?"
"Looks like she came along with Ace's little brother, that Straw Hat kid!"
"Probably just a fan of Captain Oden!"
The Whitebeard crew began to dismiss the matter, paying Yamato's self-proclaimed title little mind.
However, Marco, Jozu, Vista, and Izou all frowned, deep in thought.
Something about this rang a bell.
It didn't take long—
"Aha! I remember now!!!" Marco was the first to snap his fingers in realization, followed by Izou and Vista.
They recalled that two years ago, Ace had told them about his adventures in Wano. From his stories, they learned of someone in Kaidō's stronghold—Onigashima—claiming to be Kozuki Oden.
At first, this had thrilled them. Perhaps the news from eighteen years ago was wrong. Maybe Oden had survived, secretly imprisoned by Kaidō.
But later, they learned the truth.
The so-called Oden was not the real samurai of legend—but rather a strange young woman who idolized him.
Her true identity? None other than the biological daughter of their sworn enemy, Kaidō himself.
And now, here she was—having come all this way to help them rescue Ace.
In this moment, Marco, Izou, and the others couldn't help but think—
Damn it, Kaidō… you actually raised a good daughter!
"Gurararara!"
Whitebeard's booming laugh rolled across the battlefield.
"An heir to Oden's will… very well! With this, the Whitebeard Pirates are truly whole again! Men—forward!"
"Uoooooooh!!!"
With that thunderous rallying cry, the pirates roared in unison, their morale skyrocketing.
"Hmph! Whitebeard, you fool. She's just a snot-nosed little girl pretending to be Kozuki Oden!"
On the execution platform, Fleet Admiral Sengoku scoffed.
"Kozuki Oden… now that's a name from the past," Garp murmured, his weathered face tinged with nostalgia.
"Garp! This is no time for reminiscing! That's your grandson out there—go deal with him properly!" Sengoku barked.
Garp hunched his shoulders, saying nothing.
Just then, an elderly man with purple hair—Zephyr—climbed up to the execution stand.
"She's no ordinary girl—I can confirm it!"
"What do you mean, Zephyr?" Sengoku frowned.
"Even though they tried to hide their identities, I know for certain. Three days ago, in the New World, I fought those very same people!"
"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Three days ago, Straw Hat Luffy was infiltrating Impel Down. How could he be in the New World at the same time?"
Sengoku shook his head—until his expression shifted.
"Unless…"
"Unless the Luffy in Impel Down and the Luffy in the New World… are not the same person!"
Zephyr's gaze slid toward Garp.
"What are you looking at me for?" Garp asked nervously, shifting under the combined stares of Sengoku and Zephyr.
"Be honest—does Straw Hat Luffy have a twin brother?" Sengoku demanded.
"Ha?! Luffy with a twin brother? Don't be ridiculous! How could I not know if I had another grandson?!"
Meanwhile—
Sabaody Archipelago.
As Yamato's declaration echoed, the great plaza erupted in chaos.
"Hurry, hurry! Record this!"
"The mysterious girl who easily defeated a Vice Admiral of the Headquarters—her name is Kozuki Oden!"
"But that name… it doesn't sound like a woman's name. And why does it feel strangely familiar?"
"I feel the same way! Where have I heard it before…?"
Then—
"I've got it!" a reporter shouted, eyes wide.
"Kozuki Oden! The legendary samurai—comrade of Pirate King Roger—one of the men who conquered the Grand Line!"
"What?!"
"So she's a fake?!"
"Bah, I got excited for nothing!"
"Fake or not, her strength's the real deal—beating a long-time Vice Admiral that easily is no joke!"
"Exactly! With that kind of power, her bounty's got to be over a billion!"
"This is front-page news!"
The reporters chattered excitedly.
---
"A billion?! What kind of monster is she?!" Capone Bege twitched at the corner of his mouth.
"That Yamato girl… she might be stronger than me," King muttered, his eyelid twitching.
"This is too strange. Could it be that today… Fire Fist Ace will actually be rescued?" Urouge shook his head.
"No. Impossible. The Admirals haven't even gotten serious yet," Drake murmured, though his palms were sweating.Marineford, Summit War.
The consecutive defeats of Vice Admirals Dalmatian and Strawberry had sounded the alarm for the Marines.
Their attitude toward the Straw Hats had shifted from casual disregard to the highest level of alert.
More Vice Admirals, along with two massive battalions, moved in to surround and annihilate them.
"Uh-oh… this is bad! We're surrounded!" Usopp's face went pale.
"U-Usopp… are you scared?" Nami asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"Ha? Scared? Not a chance! I'm… totally not scared!" Usopp puffed himself up.
"M-Me neither!" Chopper added, raising his little claws.
"Hmph. No need to be afraid," Robin smiled.
"Prepare yourselves, Straw Hats—you end here!" Vice Admiral Onigumo roared.
"Tch, so annoying," Luffy muttered, biting his thumb in preparation for Gear Third.
But before he could act—
"Wait, Luffy!"
Jinbe leapt from the Thousand Sunny, landing in front of him.
"Your real opponents are still ahead—save your strength!" Jinbe said firmly.
"Jinbe is right, yohohoho!" Brook chimed in.
"Leave this to us!" Franky revved up his Black Rhino bike with a confident grin.
"Jinbe! To think you'd be mixed up with the Straw Hats—do you really want to throw away your Shichibukai title?!"
Vice Admiral Momonga's stern voice rang out.
"As far as the Shichibukai title's concerned… I quit two years ago."
Jinbe smiled calmly.
"Two years ago? What nonsense is that supposed to mean?"
Vice Admiral Stainless and the others exchanged baffled looks, then shook their heads. This wasn't the time to fuss over such details.
They tightened their formation and launched a fierce assault on the small, outnumbered group of Straw Hats—
When suddenly—
"Rose Storm!!!"
The air filled with a swirling downpour of red rose petals. Gorgeous to behold—but each petal was a blade of killing intent, every one carrying razor-sharp sword energy.
"Oi, Marines! Don't ignore us!"
Flower Sword Vista, 5th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, returned to the battlefield in a flash.
"Boss Jinbe, I'm here to help you!"
Namur, 8th Division Commander, rushed in behind him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire roared like cannon blasts as Izou, 16th Division Commander, fired twin pistols with surgical precision, ripping a hole through the Marine encirclement.
"Woo-hoo! Izou's here too!" Usopp cheered from the sidelines.
"Hm? Straw Hats and their lot… do we know each other?" Izou asked, frowning.
"We don't know you yet—but we will, two years from now!" Usopp replied without missing a beat.
"Two years from now? How odd…" Izou shook his head, but didn't dwell on it.
"Come on, follow me!"
"If you want to gang up on the few with the many, you'll have to go through us first!"
"Marines, your real opponents are the Whitebeard Pirates!"
One after another, the other commanders charged in—7th Division's Namur, 10th Division's Curiel—followed by the New World pirate captains who had been battling elsewhere: the Ice Witch Whitey Bay, the Bohemian Knight Doma, the Decalvan Brothers.
Now, all of them were pouring in to reinforce the Straw Hats.
It was as if Luffy's very presence—the protagonist of the pirate world—had drawn every major force to his side.
The effect was undeniable.
Of course, it wasn't only the "main character's aura" at work. The Whitebeard Pirates had also been given direct orders from their captain.
Whitebeard had seen enough from the brief moments when Luffy and Yamato struck—enough to know that Ace's younger brother was no green rookie. This boy would play a critical role in Ace's rescue.
And that display of strength? Merely the tip of the iceberg.
Without hesitation, Whitebeard ordered Vista and the others to form a strike formation centered around the Straw Hats—break the Marine lines here, rally morale, and set the stage for the true decisive battle.
With the Whitebeard commanders and allied captains converging, the fighting erupted again in full force—Marines and pirates clashing in a brutal, chaotic melee centered on the Straw Hats.
"We can't just sit back and do nothing!" Usopp shouted, fired up. He took aim with his giant slingshot.
"Special Attack: Green Star—Bamboo Javelin Grove!"
A Pop Green seed hit the ground, instantly sprouting into a forest of sharp bamboo spears, impaling and hurling away dozens of unsuspecting Marines.
"Special Attack: Green Star—Sargasso!"
"Special Attack: Green Star—Impact Wolf!"
From his sniper's perch, Usopp rained down long-range attacks, explosions and surging vines tearing apart Marine formations.
"Rumble Ball—Flexibility Power Enhancement!!!"
Even timid Chopper joined the fray, transforming into Kung Fu Point and striking down enemies left and right.
"I'm graduating from the 'coward group' too! Zeus—let's do it!"
Nami declared with resolve.
From her Sorcery Clima-Tact, the cheerful but dimwitted cloud Zeus floated out.
"Leave it to me, Nami! I'm all charged up!"
White clouds turned to dark thunderheads, rapidly expanding to cover hundreds of Marines.
"What's going on?"
"Is it going to rain?"
"Why did it suddenly get dark?"
A few Marines glanced up in confusion.
"Wait—scatter! Now!" a Rear Admiral barked, but it was already too late.
"Today's forecast: thunderstorm! Watch the lightning strike!!!"
Nami swung her staff down.
BOOOOM!!!
Thunder roared as deep blue bolts of lightning poured down like rain, electrocuting hundreds of Marines in seconds.
"Mil Fleur—Gigantesco Mano!!!"
Robin crossed her arms, unleashing her Hana Hana no Mi to its fullest. Two enormous white legs manifested and stomped across the battlefield, scattering Marine soldiers like leaves.
"Woo-hoo! That move's amazing!"
"Straw Hats, you ladies are incredible!" Whitebeard Pirates shouted, showering them with praise.
"N-no, it's not just me!" Nami said, blushing.
"Nami-swan! Robin-chwan! You're both so beautiful and amazing!" Sanji spun in delirious joy.
Robin only smiled, her eyes drifting briefly to Sanji… then Zoro.
Even Chopper was in the fight now—but Zoro and Sanji still held back, guarding the Sunny from cannon fire.
It wasn't fear that kept them still.
"You ready to go all in?" Sanji asked quietly.
"Hmph. Time to settle a score from two years ago," Zoro replied, voice low and firm.
He drew Kokuto Enma from its sheath.
His target—Admiral Kizaru.