Chapter 61

The sky over Kuri turned black. Clouds swirled unnaturally, not from weather, but from the sheer pressure of a creature descending.
“VORORORORO!”
A massive blue dragon coiled through the clouds, his roar shaking the very foundations of the ruins of Oden Castle. **Kaido**, the King of the Beasts.
“Straw Hat!” Kaido’s voice boomed like thunder. “Come out! Or I’ll blast this mountain to dust!”
Below, amidst the burning rubble where Speed and Tama lay injured, Luffy’s eyes were shadowed by the brim of his straw hat. His veins bulged.
“He hurt Tama…” Luffy growled, steam erupting from his shoulders. “I’m not running. I’m ending this now!”
“Luffy, wait!” Law shouted from the forest edge. “It’s too soon! We aren’t ready!”
“I’m ready!” Luffy bit his arm.
**”Gear Fourth: Boundman!”**
He launched himself into the sky, a rubber ball of pure rage.
“Kuri is under my protection!” Kurumi appeared beside him, using *Geppo* to run on the air. Her eyes were sharp, her *Analytical Foresight* active. “If he fights, I fight. We take the head of the dragon together!”
**The Sobering Strike**
Luffy reached the dragon first.
“GOMU GOMU NO… ELEPHANT GATLING!”
Hundreds of massive, Haki-coated fists rained down on the dragon’s head. The sheer force drove Kaido out of the sky. He crashed into the ground, reverting to his human form-a towering oni with a kanabo club, swaying drunkenly.
“Hic… that actually hurt…” Kaido wiped dirt from his face. He looked at the two ants standing before him. “Straw Hat… and the Time Witch…”
“Now, Kurumi!” Luffy shouted. “Kong Organ!”
“Zafkiel: First Bullet – Aleph!”
Kurumi accelerated to blinding speed. She circled Kaido, firing *Haki-infused Sea Prism Stone* bullets at his joints, while Luffy pummeled his chest.
*Bang. Bang. Bang.*
*Boom. Boom. Boom.*
The attacks hit. Dust and debris exploded.
But when the smoke cleared… Kaido was just standing there. He sighed.
“Is that it?”
He raised his kanabo, *Hassaikai*.
Kurumi’s *Analytical Foresight* screamed.
*Danger Level: Infinite.*
*Evasion Probability: 0%.*
*Block Probability: 0%.*
She saw the swing before it happened. It wasn’t a technique. It was just speed and power that defied logic.
“Luffy! Dodge!” Kurumi screamed, trying to push him.
Too late.
“Thunder Bagua.”
*CRACK.*
Kaido moved so fast he vanished. He appeared behind them.
Luffy’s eyes rolled back into his head. He collapsed, bouncing once before lying still, blood pooling around him.
Kurumi, who had tried to create a *Time Barrier* at the last second, felt her barrier shatter like glass. The shockwave alone hit her ribs-the same ribs Vergo had broken, the same ribs Big Mom had rattled.
“Gah…!”
She flew backward, crashing through three houses before embedding herself in a stone wall. Her vision went black.
**The Drunken Decision**
Kaido walked over to Luffy. He looked down at the unconscious boy who was glaring at him even in sleep.
“He’s still staring…” Kaido grunted. “Throw him in Udon. Break his spirit. He’ll make a good soldier.”
Then, he turned to the wall where Kurumi was slumped. She was breathing shallowly, her flintlocks still gripped in her hands.
Kaido leaned in, sniffing her.
“This one…” Kaido hiccuped. “She smells like time. And defiance. She took the shockwave and didn’t die.”
He picked her up by the back of her kimono like a doll.
“Yamato…” Kaido mumbled, thinking of his rebellious “son” who kept claiming to be Oden. “That idiot child won’t listen to me. Needs a keeper. Needs a strong partner.”
A lightbulb (dim and drunken) went on in Kaido’s head.
“VORORORO! I KNOW!”
He held Kurumi up to the moonlight.
“You! You’re strong! You’re pretty! You’re perfect!”
“Perfect for what… you oversized lizard…” Kurumi wheezed, barely conscious.
“TO BE MY SON’S WIFE!” Kaido roared, his voice echoing across Kuri. “Yamato needs a spouse to tie him to Onigashima! You will marry Yamato and give me strong grandchildren! VORORORORO!”
Kurumi’s brain short-circuited. *Wife? Yamato? Grandchildren?*
“I… object…” she managed to whisper before passing out completely.
“OBJECTION OVERRULED!” Kaido threw her over his shoulder like a sack of rice. “King! Queen! Take the rubber brat to the mines! I’m taking the bride to the castle! Prepare the wedding!”
**The Plan Shifts**
From the shadows of the ruins, Law watched in horror as his allies were decimated.
“That idiot…” Law gritted his teeth. “He rushed in. Now the Captains are captured.”
He vanished, retreating to the rendezvous point.
**The Crew’s Reaction**
The next morning, the news reached the hidden base in the Northern Graveyard where the crew was regrouping.
“CAPTURED?!” Laki slammed her rifle onto the table. “And Luffy is in the mines?!”
“It’s worse,” Law said, rubbing his temples. “Kaido took Kurumi to Onigashima. He… he declared her the fiancée of his son, Yamato.”
Silence filled the room.
Then, Hiyori (Komurasaki) stood up. Her aura was terrifying.
“Ex-cuse me?” Hiyori smiled, but her eyes were devoid of light. “Did that beast just propose to *my* partner on behalf of his son?”
“It appears so,” Law backed away slightly.
“Unforgivable,” Perona floated up, her ghosts swirling with jealousy. “I barely agreed to share with *you*! I am NOT sharing with a Kaido-spawn!”
“We have to save her!” Chopper cried. “Is Yamato a monster too?!”
“We stick to the plan,” Laki said coldly, though her hand trembled on her weapon. “The Fire Festival is in two weeks. That’s likely when the ‘wedding’ will happen.”
She looked at the map of Onigashima.
“We infiltrate. We raid. And we crash another wedding.”
Hiyori pulled out a hidden dagger from her kimono.
“I will go to the Capital,” Hiyori said. “I have my own role to play with Orochi. But mark my words… if this ‘Yamato’ touches her…”
She sliced the corner off the table.
“…I will cut off more than just a topknot.”
**Onigashima: The Bride’s Cell**
High in the skull dome of Onigashima, deep within the VIP quarters, Kurumi woke up.
She wasn’t in a dungeon. She was in a lavish room filled with food, sake, and fine silks. But her wrists were bound with *Sea Prism Stone* cuffs.
The door slid open.
A tall figure walked in. They wore a hannya mask, a thick rope belt (nio-da suki), and massive horns.
**Yamato.** The “Son” of Kaido.
Yamato looked at Kurumi, then scratched the back of their head nervously.
“So…” Yamato’s voice was surprisingly feminine, though trying to sound deep. “My dad got drunk again. He says we’re married now.”
Kurumi blinked, testing the cuffs. “And what do *you* say, Ogre Princess?”
Yamato ripped off the mask, revealing a beautiful woman with flowing white-to-teal hair and bright orange eyes.
“I say,” Yamato grinned, “my dad is an idiot! I’m Kozuki Oden! And Oden doesn’t marry people against their will!”
She sat down cross-legged in front of Kurumi.
“But… you fought my dad, right? And you survived? That’s so cool! Tell me everything! Did you punch him? Did he cry?”
Kurumi sighed, leaning back against the wall.
*Out of the frying pan… into the Oden.*
“Fine,” Kurumi smiled wearily. “I’ll tell you a story, Yamato-chan. But first… can you get these cuffs off? My wives are going to kill you if they find us like this.”
Yamato blinked. “Wives? Plural?”
“It’s a long story,” Kurumi closed her eyes. “Welcome to the harem, Oden.”
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SPOILER ALERT
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Is she an Ally or enemy ?