Summary:
As the damaged Mammoth sails alongside other ships, a recovering Jack asks his men if he looks dead, which they vehemently deny as he tears up the newspaper with his obituary.
At Zou, Kin’emon apologizes to the Nork tribe as he removes his kimono, confirming his position by revealing the tattoo on his back. The Norks recognize that Kin’emon bears the Kozuki family crest as Raizo, and the Straw Hats watch the interaction in surprise, having been under the impression that the Norks would be hostile to the samurai. Nami reveals that she heard that Inuarashi and Nekomamushi also have ridges on their backs, meaning that their bonds run deeper than she originally thought. Kin’emon expresses his delight that both rulers are alive, and they reciprocate the sentiment, but they immediately start arguing again despite their subjects’ attempts to stop them.
Suddenly, Momonosuke calls out for them to stop fighting, wondering how they became so bitter after becoming friends, and tells them that he won’t let them fight, especially if his father was the reason. He says that his father would be sad to see them like this, and Inuarashi and Nekomamushi lie on the ground in front of him, apologizing. The Straw Hats wonder what Momonosuke meant when he talked about his father because Kin’emon is right there. The Norse begin to wonder what Momonosuke must be like if rulers bow before him, and Kin’emon confirms that Momonosuke is indeed a master. He tells the Straw Hats that he and Momonosuke are not father and son, but Momonosuke is the son of Lord Kozuki Oden, the daimyo of Kuri in the land of Wano. The Norks apologize for not recognizing Momonosuke when Kin’emon reveals that they pretended to be father and son to avoid drawing more attention to the young lord.
The Straw Hats react with surprise at Kin’emon’s revelation, but Luffy doesn’t care about Momonosuke’s position. The two argue, which angers Kin’emon, but Kanjuro tells them to leave them alone. Momonosuke then takes refuge in Nami’s embrace, which infuriates Kin’emon, but Nami is fine with it as she deduces that Momonosuke’s father must be very rich, which angers Zoro and Usopp. Meanwhile, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi reluctantly decide on a truce to avoid upsetting Momonosuke, and the Minks celebrate as the two hold hands.
Later, Nekomamushi and Inuarashi take the Straw Hats, Lawa, and the samurai to the whale-shaped tree where Raizo is. The pirates begin to get excited at the prospect of meeting a ninja, imagining Raizo as the stereotypical hooded ninja. They reach a hidden entrance at the back of the whale’s tail and go down a long flight of stairs when they start hearing screams from inside. The excited Straw Hats reach the bottom where they see Raizo chained to a red poneglyph. Raizo has a disproportionately large head and doesn’t look at all like the ninja they thought he was, which left them shocked and disappointed. Raizo shouts that he saw severe wounds on the minks who brought him food and asks why they didn’t give it to the enemy and if the country is really safe now.
Raizo and the samurai are delighted to be reunited and Raizo is freed from his chains and Robin notices the Kozuki family crest on the wall as well as a red poneglyph. Robin wonders why it’s red, and Inuarashi replies that it’s apparently for another purpose. He gives Robin permission to read it as the pirates tell him to perform various ninja arts. Raizo wonders why the pirates are obsessed with him, but Franky says that all men are obsessed with ninjas. Raizo yells at the pirates to stop forcing their imaginations on him because he doesn’t do some stereotypical ninja actions and is too ugly to do others. He says that ninjas aren’t artists, but as the Straw Hats turn away glumly, he gives in and performs a Smoke Release Jutsu, a Clone Jutsu, and throws flower shurikens as he strikes a pose that enters the Straw Hats.