Kikyo

"..."

Who is she?

Kozuki Oden looked at the woman, saying nothing.

Because even speaking now was a luxury, he couldn't waste energy; he had to conserve his strength for a counterattack. If this woman wanted to kill him, at least he could still escape.

However, what happened next shocked him.

"What are you doing?"

Kozuki Oden finally couldn't help but speak.

The woman walked over and didn't attack him. Instead, she wrapped his wounds with bandages and prepared some herbal medicine nearby.

"You are seriously injured and need treatment."

There was a hint of pity in the woman's eyes, but Kozuki Oden felt incredulous.

She wanted to save him? Didn't she know who he was?

Kozuki Oden knew better than anyone the current atmosphere in Wano. The people of this country probably wanted to devour his flesh and drink his blood, let alone quartering him.

But this woman wanted to save him?!

Was she insane?!

Thinking this, he finally voiced his question. "Do you not know... who I am?"

The woman continued making some kind of herbal concoction. She spoke softly, "Who you are is none of my concern. I only saw someone on the verge of death and wanted to help."

Kozuki Oden was now wrapped up like a mummy, with bandages covering almost his entire body, leaving only his eyes and nose visible.

It was unavoidable; his entire body was burned beyond recognition. While this level of bandaging would be necessary for a normal person with such extensive burns, Kozuki Oden didn't need it. Though he appeared no different from an ordinary person now, once he regained his strength, these injuries would quickly heal.

At the moment, he didn't speak. He tilted his head and looked at the woman working with the herbs, asking coldly, "Woman, what is your name?"

"Kikyo," she replied calmly. "You'd better speak less and prepare to live like this in the future."

With that, she stood up, bringing the herbal concoction to Kozuki Oden's side.

"Open your mouth."

Kozuki Oden frowned; he didn't like being ordered around by others. But he also didn't want to waste his strength on this woman.

Moreover, he couldn't shake the feeling that Kikyo was no ordinary person.

In that case, he might not even win against her.

Damn Himura Kenshin, damn Maguma, damn Roger, damn the World Government...

If it weren't for them, he wouldn't need to resort to faking his death, and he wouldn't be in this situation now.

But he made up his mind. When he regained some strength, he would leave this place as soon as possible.

Being discovered made him very uncomfortable.

But for now, he obediently opened his mouth, and Kikyo's lips curved slightly upward. Then she poured the liquid into his mouth.

It wasn't just any herbal medicine; it was a super soldier serum!

Although this serum was meant to be injected, taking it orally could also have some effects.

The super soldier serum not only made a person physically robust but also had a purifying effect on the soul. In other words, it could make good people better and evil people more wicked!

And the remnants of Hojun within Kozuki Oden's body needed a dark heart to grow stronger. The super soldier serum was used for this purpose.

This serum would make Kozuki Oden, who was already dark and evil, even more so, allowing Hojun to absorb more power.

Kozuki Oden had already passed the stage where Hojun made him stronger. After Kozuki Oden resurrected with Hojun's power, he became completely enslaved by it, though he didn't realize it yet.

Perhaps...

In the distant future, these remnants of Hojun would gradually evolve into a new type of Hojun seed.

And Kikyo was the person assigned by Genichi to help Kozuki Oden through this stage.

Actually, Genichi didn't draw Kikyo's card.

But she was created based on Kikyo's appearance because Mukade Mogura died.

Mukade Mogura was a mimic person who ate the Mimic-Mimic Fruit, capable of assuming anyone's appearance. After her death, the fruit was eaten by Mr. 2 later.

Now, Genichi wouldn't give him this chance, especially since Maguma was there at the scene. Of course, he directly controlled the Mimic-Mimic Fruit for his rebirth.

Later, Genichi had a telekinetic eat it, gaining the ability to change others' appearances at will.

Kikyo was created in this way.

Originally, the Mimic-Mimic Fruit could only mimic people the user had seen. However, this wasn't a problem for Genichi. He only needed to create a mechanical replica of Kikyo's appearance; fundamentally, this was to imprint the image of Kikyo in the mimic person's mind.

So this Kikyo was just a telekinetic controlled by Genichi indirectly. Otherwise, it would be disgusting for him to take care of Kozuki Oden himself.

Meanwhile, Kozuki Oden, seeing the herbal concoction, initially had no hope. But when the liquid entered his mouth, he was stunned.

As the liquid entered his body, he felt his soul ignite.

His body reacted, and his soul yearned for the herb. He looked at Kikyo with burning eyes.

He regretted his decision; he canceled his previous decision. Yes, he wasn't ready to leave!

At least, not for a short while.

He wanted to drink more of that herb!

"What did you make me drink?!" he exclaimed.

But at the same time, he also wanted to know what Kikyo had done.

"A type of herb that will help you recover," Kikyo replied as she rose once more. This was the first time Kozuki Oden had officially seen her face.

Her pitch-black eyes seemed to carry some indescribable sorrow, and her lustrous black hair was tied up with a white ribbon, complementing her delicate features. She was undoubtedly a beauty.

Kozuki Oden, born as a general's son, later a daimyo of Kuri, and finally a general in Wano, had seen countless women over the years. He had even abducted women from the people, sparking a harem dispute. However, none of those women could compare to Kikyo.

Especially her gaze, the mixture of melancholy and sadness, as if something had deeply affected her. That gaze was irresistible.

She wore a white top with a red kimono skirt and had a bow and arrows on her back, resembling a shrine maiden. But would a shrine maiden shoot arrows?

"What you've given me... is a lifesaver. Please keep in mind... to come here every day."

Kozuki Oden's voice was hoarse from his almost burnt throat.

"But remember..."

"Come here every day."