One of the biggest revelations in One Piece chapter 973 is the confirmation about Denjiro being Kyoshiro. If this chapter teaches us something, it is that we can be right with our hunches. That means we can also be right about one of the longest hunch or theories about the traitor in the alliance.

One Piece chapter 973 and previous chapters showed us more about Oden’s Nine Red Scabbards. In fact, the whole flashback about Oden showed us their true colors. With that, it is safe to assume that the traitor is among them. But for us to b sure, let us have a brief review on how they became associated with Oden.

Kinemon, Denjiro, and Ahura Doji

Among the scabbards, I believe we can trust these two the most. They were literally fanboys of Oden and were grateful for being saved by him. Later, they continue to prove their loyalty by serving Oden in many ways.

While Oden was away living his life as a pirate, Kinemon led the rest of the scabbards in keeping Kuri under control. Denjiro also brought money to keep the town running. And In One Piece chapter 973, we found out the truth about Denjiro’s loyalty by secretly infiltrating Orochi as Kyoshiro.

As for Ashura Doji, he is obviously not the type to betray Oden. They may have been enemies at first, but Oden reformed him from being a common thug to a respected samurai. He may have lost his faith for a long time but at least he was honest about it.

Inurashi, Nekomamushi, and Kawamatsu

Although Inurashi and Nekomamushi tried to blame each other in One Piece chapter 973, it is tough to think they would betray Oden – a member of the Kozuki family who is sworn brother to the minks.

If someone is going to betray Oden, there has to be a good reason or motive for doing so. Kawamatsu does not have any motive for doing so, so I believe he can’t be the traitor. After all, Oden welcomed him when everyone else treated him as a monster.

Kiku, Izo, and Kanjuro

I lump in Kanjuro with the brothers mainly because the story of how they were associated with Oden is somehow similar. Kiku and Izo were hungry orphans who struggled to make a living by dancing on the streets. Kanjuro was a weirdo who earned by selling paintbrushes made of human hair.

Kiku, Izo, and Kanjuro owed their life to Oden for saving them on the brink of starvation. I cannot imagine anyone who would bite the hands that feed them. Especially in the land of samurais with great pride.

Raizo, the main suspect

I will say it upfront. Raizo is the main suspect as the traitor. Here are the reasons why:

1. Raizo was a member of Kozuki Oniwabanshu, an elite ninja squad who defected to Orochi. He left the Oniwabanshu because he felt rejected for being ugly and could not find a romantic relationship with any kunoichi. This alone is fishy. If we will recall, there are a lot of uglier members of the Oniwabanshu.
2. He joined Oden at a time when Orochi’s plan was already in motion. Surprisingly, the Oniwabanshu did not take long to defect to Orochi once he got the position of Shogun. This could mean that Orochi and the old folks working with him already had some dealings long before Orochi became Shogun.
3. I will skip to the latter part of the story when Oden returned to Wano. When Kinemon was about to tell Oden about the country’s status under Orochi’s reign, Toki stopped him. Oden insisted to hear the truth. And since the matter was sensitive, Kinemon asked Raizo to take the children out of the room. This means that among the Nine Red Scabbards, Raizo must have been in charge of keeping the children safe.

Why this is important is found in chapter 970. When Oden was about to win against Kaido, Kurozuki Higurashi transformed herself into Momonosuke. Meaning, Higurashi had contact with someone from inside Oden’s castle who was close to the children.

Also, Raizo is a ninja capable of almost perfect espionage. In addition to that, how else could have Jack known that Raizo was kept hidden in Zou?

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Image credits: One Piece official Twitter account

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Lambert Nathaniel
193 Posts

I am a university teacher who can't get enough of anime and manga. My class' group names are based on my favorite characters, especially from One Piece. I read manga or watch anime every chance I have. I started reading manga just a few years back and I was hooked the first day. I usually follow fan pages and am consistently given a Top Fan Badge. I also love baking and cake decorating and trying to make anime-themed cake designs.

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