One Piece: Why did Shimotsuki Yasuie sacrifice himself? Explained

Wano arc is the longest-running arc of One Piece and has been a big part of the Straw Hat Pirates' journey. The Straw Hats entered Wano in an alliance with the Heart Pirates and Kid Pirates, hoping to defeat the Emperors Kaido and Big Mom.

There were many moments during the Wano arc that changed the tides of One Piece. Zoro received Enma, the demonic sword that helped him inflict damage on Kaido, and the three worst generation pirates that invaded Wano awakened their devil fruits, including Luffy's Gear 5 and many other moments.

But leaving these big moments aside, Wano also broke the hearts of fans with its themes. like the execution of Yonoyasu (real name: Shimotsuki Yasuie). He manipulated the enemies into believing that he was Ushimitsu Kozo, a former ally of Oden, and died while doing so. But why did he take such a harsh step and offer his life?

Shimotsuki Yasuie's sacrifice greatly helped the revolution against Kaido in One Piece

Shimotsuki Yasuie as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Yasuie sacrificed himself in One Piece to divert the attention of the village officials from the Kozuki family's secret message. The message was circulated around Wano by the Nine Red Scabbards for the samurais to gather a point so that they could enter Onigashima to claim Wano back.

Unfortunately, the Beast Pirates also got this message and decided to surprise these others by meeting them at the meeting point before they could reach it. So, Yasuie, disguised as Denjiro, did a robbery, changed the map coordinates, and during his execution, told everyone that he created the map and it was just a little joke,

In One Piece, Shimotsuki Yasuie was the former daimyo of Hakumai and a very close companion of the Kozuki clan and Oden. He was offered the position of the Shogun of Wano but declined because he wanted someone from the Kozuki clan to carry on the legacy.

After Oden set sail with Whitebeard and his crew, he lost respect in the eyes of the people of Wano. After his return, no one respected him, but Yasuie still considered him the same. These two developed a good relationship due to this, and when Oden was about to fight Kaido, he left his family in the care of Yasuie.

While Oden was still in Wano in One Piece, he was famous for his violent behavior. Due to this, he was exiled from the Flower Capital. Yasuie allowed him to stay at his place, alongside his servant Kurozumi Orochi. Yasuie also got to interact with the Nine Red Scabbards, and just like Oden, he gave them leeway in every way because he thought these people were the future of Wano.

After Oden and the Nine Red Scabbards left to fight Kaido, Yasuie, and his men went to secure Oden's family. Unfortunately, Oden died, and so did his wife. After his death, Wano changed completely as Kaido took over, and tyranny became common.

Unfortunately, Orochi was favored by Kaido and was appointed as the shogun of Wano. He gave the daimyos the choice to work under him, which included his former master Yasuie, but they all declined this offer and were hunted. Yasuie was the only one left alive and resided in Ebisu town afterward.

During the Wano arc of One Piece, the Nine Red Scabbards and Oden's son Momonosuke returned and made their plans to meet at a certain spot and attack Onigashima to take back Wano. But the enemy also got word of this message.

Seeing such a thing, one night, Yasuie committed a robbery in the Flower Capital and intentionally got caught. He had presented himself as Denjiro during the robbery to get the attention of people but when he was crucified, he revealed his true identity.

He started by calling out Orochi and claimed that the message of the meeting place that was being circulated in Wano was just a joke he created. Orochi then came in public and killed Yasuie right in front of the eyes of the public. Zoro was angry over his death because his people couldn't stop laughing at him due to the SMILE fruit.

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After he was killed in One Piece, the officials of Wano thought that as the creator of the message died, there would be no meeting. So, the Beast Pirates continued their celebrations at Onigashima without any thought.

But the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance gathered at the meeting point without the interference of Beast Pirates. The meeting map was also changed a day before Yasuie was executed, which helped the samurai gather at a revised place without getting hunted by Kaido's forces. All thanks to Yasuie, Luffy and his group entered Onigashima without any prior loss.

FAQs

What were Yasuie's last words?

Yasuie was executed in chapter 942 of the One Piece manga and in episode 940 of the anime. His last words were optimistic and an encouragement to the rebels:

"Cover the children's eyes!! For now the final Daimyo serving Kozuki... nay, the friendly oddball of Ebisu town... shall make the final grand journey!! In fact, I think I'll go singing!!! And a-one, and a-two!!"