36. Not Enough To Satisfy Greed

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Listening to Alex's whispered words, Toki thought he was teasing her again. Flustered, she quickly got up, as if escaping.

Watching her graceful figure as she walked away, Alex called out, "You waited until the very end. Don't you have something to discuss with me?"

Hearing this, Toki stopped in her tracks and turned back to Alex, her face tinged with both hope and nervousness. "If it were you... you could open the gates of Wanokuni, right?"

Alex tilted his head slightly. "Is that what you want, or are you seeking to fulfill your late husband's dream?"

Toki didn't hesitate and replied honestly, "Both."

"I'm someone who escaped from the past to the present, traveling eight hundred years forward to find the one who could fulfill this vision. I thought those in the palace who shared my ideals would bring this dream to life…" Her gaze softened with sorrow as she continued, but then her eyes met Alex's, filled with a plea. "Now, you have the power to make this shared dream a reality."

Alex gave her an unreadable look. "You're not making any sense."

Unfazed, Toki clutched her sleeves, her hands tense with anticipation.

"However," Alex continued, "opening Wanokuni to the world is one of my goals as well."

The tension visibly lifted from Toki's shoulders, her face lighting up with joy.

"But don't get too excited just yet," Alex warned. "it can't happen now."

Alex's gaze turned calculating. Opening Wanokuni mean that Pluton, the Ancient Weapon hidden within Wanokuni, would finally surface. That, he suspected, was the aim not only of Kozuki Oden but also of those from the ancient past.

However, with his current strength, Alex knew he wasn't ready to face Kaido. If they moved too soon, it could provoke Kaido, and possibly even draw Charlotte Linlin and the Marines—and perhaps the World Government itself—into the fray.

He wasn't yet strong enough to contend with those forces.

Understanding his words, Toki nodded, a hint of empathy in her expression. "I know. Just hearing you say this is enough."

She paused, a thoughtful glint in her eye. "Besides, I come from eight hundred years ago… from that so-called 'void century' in history. Aren't you curious about it?"

Alex looked at her knowingly, recognizing her cautious tone. She was a survivor from the fateful void century, but if she knew more, she would've revealed it by now. "People's pasts don't interest me. Focusing on the present and future matters more. And you… you're your own person, regardless of the one hundred years of history."

He chuckled lightly, as if recalling something. "You also made a backup plan, didn't you? Sending Kozuki Oden's retainers and son into the future. Now that Wanokuni is free, I wonder if you'll regret that decision."

In twenty years, those retainers and the Kozuki heir would reappear in Kuri. By then, Alex would have brought real change to Wanokuni. Who knew what fascinating events might unfold?

Toki couldn't fully understand Alex's thoughts, but she listened closely to his words. She had sent them forward not only to escape but with a deeper purpose, one she wasn't hiding from him.

"There will be some regret," Toki murmured. "I sent them twenty years into the future, but it's already set. I won't seek them out in twenty years."

"By then, the world will have undergone monumental changes. A great war, one powerful enough to split the sea, will shake the New World. The central figures in this war will each have the power to challenge Kaido."

Toki left it there, but her words made her reasoning clear enough for Alex to understand the significance of the twenty-year gap.

"Is this a prophecy?" Alex asked with a hint of amusement.

"Perhaps," Toki replied. "This is the news brought back by those from Raftel. So, I can only place my hopes on the world in twenty years."

She looked at Alex intently. "I just didn't expect another gamble would arise before then."

Alex gave her a knowing smile. "Now that you mention wagers, didn't we only agree on dealing with Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido?"

That smile turned more calculating. "Since I'm helping you achieve your dream, shouldn't I add a few conditions of my own?"

"Didn't you just say this was your goal too?" Toki protested, a little flustered.

"It's my goal… for now."

His sudden, playful change of tone left Toki speechless. She knew this side of him well enough by now, and though it sometimes made her feel helpless, she couldn't bring herself to feel any real frustration. After all, this was the same man willing to risk everything on a wager for her sake.

With a quick, decisive motion, Toki blushed, moved toward him, and gave him a swift, soft kiss. Then, just as quickly, she turned and fled from the room.

Alex touched his cheek where she'd kissed him, smirking. "Hardly enough to satisfy my greed," he murmured.

At that moment, a voice with a wry edge spoke up. "Shogun Alex… she is Kozuki Oden's..."

Without turning, Alex replied smoothly, "Shinobu, you saw it too. She was the one who made the first move."

Shinobu emerged from the shadows, her lips curled in a slight smirk. Though she hadn't been there long, she had overheard Alex's "conditional" interest in helping Wanokuni. 

With a resigned sigh, she thought, 'He may be Shogun Alex, but he's still a man in his prime.'

Though Toki was an unusual choice, Shinobu's background as a former member of the Oniwabanshu gave her a certain… flexibility in perspective. She'd also grown up hearing tales of Oden's past and, frankly, had seen that Toki didn't seem forced.

Deciding to let it pass, she said nothing about it, simply bowing as Alex spoke again.

"So, Shinobu, you sought me out directly. What's the matter? It's not time for the shadow guard's report."

In handling Wanokuni's internal affairs, Alex had recently reassigned Shinobu to serve directly under him as one of his elite guards.

The Oniwabanshu, the once elite ninja force directly under the former general Kurozumi Orochi, had been renowned in Wanokuni. But Alex saw them for what they were: formidable in name only. 

Since taking the title of Shogun, Alex had set out to reshape this organization. He had split the Oniwabanshu's responsibilities, dividing them into "guard" and "intelligence" roles, and added a new "administrative" division. 

These were the foundational elements of the three elite divisions he intended to create as part of Wanokuni's new order.