Momonosuke and the four scabbards found themselves inside an ancient hall covered in a thin veil of gray fog. At the center of the hall stood a long table adorned with two rows of chairs. At the head of the table was a throne with a figure sitting on it.

Neither of them could see his appearance but all of them felt a cold shiver run past their backs. They could feel the figure's gaze lingering on them, seeing through their very essence.

"I welcome you to my divine kingdom, young Kozuki." The mysterious being's ethereal voice echoed across the ancient hall.

Kinemon and the three remaining scabbards turned towards their master, who was slowly approaching the veiled figure.

"My mother and father talked a lot about you. They said your might would shine light into the darkness of the world. That your grace would shelter the innocent from evil's grasp...!"

Dante remained quiet as he listened to the future Shogun's speech.

"They believed in you, so why didn't you come sooner?!" The grief of a young child who lost his parents was given free reign as he entered the Fool's divine kingdom.

Dante sighed at the boy's accusations. He wasn't angry nor was he disappointed, the one standing in front of him was a child burdened by the actions of others and placed with the responsibilities that no child should bear.

Despite that, Dante saw the great man he would one day become. Wano's greatest shogun and the one to open up the nation's borders, fighting alongside the sun god Nika.

"I won't fight for you, nor will I perform a miracle and rid Wano of its problems. What I will do is provide you with the opportunity to fight yourself. Are you willing to endure pain and suffering, to train endlessly while putting your life on the line every day, for the one chance to save your country?" Dante had no intention of swooping all the problems in this world. His greatest goal in this second life of his was to enjoy himself. While he wasn't heartless enough to ignore the evil existing in the world, he wasn't saint enough to shoulder all of it by himself.

Instead, he wishes to provide a way out for the people, for them to work and achieve their freedom by themselves. Wasn't that much more meaningful than to be guided by the hand of an all-powerful god?

Momonosuke clenched his teeth and fists, how long would it take for him to become strong enough? What about the people of Wano? How many more lives would be lost because he spent his time training?

"I..." The words he wished to muttered remained clogged in his throat. To pronounce that he would accept the Fool's proposal would mean to sacrifice countless lives, but... what other choice did he have? With his pitiful strength and lacking support, he would die before even reaching Kaido or Orochi.

"Please, do not worry, Lord Momonosuke! We'll gather allies while you're training! We'll keep protecting the people of Wano for as long as we have to even if it means sacrificing our own lives!" Kinemon and the remaining three scabbards kneeled at their lord, offering a promise they intended to uphold no matter the cost, all but one of course.

The gray fog stirred with its divine might, snaking up Kanjuro's body and sucking him dry of energy. His Haki, his devil fruit power, all of it disappeared into the gray fog reaching the Fool's hand.

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"To lie in front of god, what a blasphemous act to perform..." The figure of the samurai clad in red spoke in place of the Fool.

"A lie?" Kinemon's broken stare landed on his friend, his brother!

"What part of it was a lie, Kanjuro?!" The thought of a traitor had long since slithered its way into Kinemon's mind but he refused to accept the harsh reality. To think one of the people he considered his brothers and sisters, one of the people lord Oden had saved, could turn out to be a traitor, it was preposterous.

"I... I don't understand! Lord Momonosuke, I would never betray you! Nor your father!" Kanjuro was flustered having been seen through by the mysterious being. Nonetheless, he believed in his acting abilities and was sure he could convince them that the Fool was lying! Yet before he could utter another word, the gray fog tightened the grip it had on him, making it hard to even breathe not to speak of formulating words.

Seeing the struggle of their comrade evoked mixed feelings in them. On the one hand, god's punishment should have been deserved but on the other, they still struggle to accept the fact that Kanjuro could ever betray them.

"See for yourselves, the past of this miserable wretch you call a brother." With a wave of Dante's hand, the mysterious gray fog stirred and shifted around them, transforming into the memories stolen from Kanjuro.

It showed the scene of his childhood where his parents were killed due to being members of the Kurozumi clan. Then it shifted to his first meeting with Orochi and the mission he had entrusted him with. Then they saw the countless times Kanjuro had informed Orochi about their position, their intentions, and even Toki's prophecy.

Kikuo, who was crying from the reveal, clenched her fists so tight that blood dripped down to the ground covered in a veil of gray fog.

"That's why they knew we would appear today? Why they knew to send a small army to 'greet' us?!" Her voice roared at the end, fury winning over the grief of betrayal as she unsheathed her sword, ready to slice the traitor down.

"Kanjuro..." Momonosuke was lost for words, he had never imagined that one of his father's trusted retainers would turn out to be a traitor.

"You were the reason Kaido knew about our attack?!" Kinemon put the pieces of the puzzle together in the scene of Kanjuro informing Orochi about their sneak attack. He was the reason that Oden lost and died at Orochi and Kaido's hand!

"Young Kozuki heir, what decision will you take? Will you follow me or will you carve your own way and gift yourself to Orochi and Kaido?" Dante knew the choice of words insinuated to Momonosuke that only one of the two ways would result in Wano's freedom, but a quick divination had proved his words right.

Momonosuke glanced at his retainers, at the traitor, the samurai clad in a right kimono, and finally at the mysterious figure sitting on the throne. The words of his mother echoed in his mind.

"Momonosuke, remember. In the future, there may come a day when you'll have to shoulder all of Wano. Don't let pride and arrogance cloud your judgment, as the shogun you'll have to prioritize the well-being of your subjects before your own!"

Then it shifted to the memory of his father dancing naked on the street like a fool, all for the sake of the country he loved.

Momonosuke approached Dante, kneeled down, and proclaimed with a steady voice.

"I will follow the great Fool. Please help me in saving my country!"

Dante smiled at the boy's decision. He looked up at the three scabbards still loyal to the Kozuki.

"Are you ready to uphold your promise to the future shogun?"

All three of them kneeled as well, repeating their solemn vow to protect Wano in his absence.

"Good. Do not die in vain, though." With those last words, Dante sent each of them to a different sea, for them to gather allies and build up a strong crew. Dante returned his gaze to the young Kozuki before summoning a purple fruit with yellow spots to his side.

"This holds the same power that Kaido possesses, the ability to turn into a dragon. It won't be enough to close the gap between you two but it's a start." Dante put the fruit in front of Momonosuke and watched him eat the fruit.

Unable to control his newfound powers, the boy transformed randomly from his human form into his dragon form and vice versa.

'Now before I start training him, I'll need to first get myself the greatest swordsman in the world as a marionette. But first I'll have to replace Kaido or Vegapunk won't be able to start the Seraphim project.'