World of Pirates: Epilogue (Extra)
Well, well, look what we have here~
A shameless author coming back like nothing happened...
Does anyone ever remember this story?
Well, sorry but not sorry... If you guys want a reason, that I guess you all deserve, I'm in the awkward period of transition to adult life... Ending of college, starting working, etc.
Anyway, I did not stop writing, I even wrote some other stories... That I may post too, but I left this one on hiatus because of the many reasons that I ranted. Some may remember, whatever... I like this story and one day I open my notifications to see people asking for a comeback. I have a little more time in my hands now so...
Let's goooo!
Let's start with an Extra to go back in shape, okay? Enjoy~
Ah, I almost forgot... Many people asked for it, so I finally made a P...A...T...R...E...O...N. Do I really need to write like this? Everyone does that...
If you guys want to support my work, I would be very grateful, it would be a good motivator to continue writing. I, sadly, do not have a lot of time in my hands anymore.
Here is the link, just remove the spaces: patreon . com / Evans269
By the way, the p*treon is under work, so there's not much there, but meh... I will add in the future.
Peace~
....
One Piece World, Country of Wano
City of Kuri, Backyard of Oden Castle
A certain group of individuals patiently waits on the spot, observing a certain open space ahead of them.
"Any minute now..." Yasuie, one of the people helping to rule Wano, comments to the others.
It was unnecessary to say, just some casual words to fill the silence. Everyone present is anxiously waiting for the moment when the Travellers of the past will arrive.
This event is kept as a "known secret" from the general population. They know that Momonosuke, Oden's heir, and the rest of the Scabbards will reappear thanks to Kozuki Toki's powers, but they don't know the details.
To give the Travellers time to adjust to the new Wano, the people who know about it made this decision to hide them for the foreseeable future.
Yasuie, the Scabbards that stayed, some other guards, feudal lords, and Hiyori, carrying a child in her arms, wait with certain because they trust the words of that person that confirmed this story. And their faith was rewarded...
*Swish*
Finally, a sudden but controlled flash of light brings the people that they are waiting for.
"Wah.!!" The newcomers shout in confusion, tensing while checking the surroundings.
Momonosuke, Kin'emon, Raizo, Kanjuro and Kikunojo. All of them are exactly like everyone remembers them.
There's a momentary pause in everyone's reaction. An awkward second where one group is still undecided about how to start explaining the very long new situation and the other group that understands nothing and is on guard...
Rightfully so because a second ago they are living a very traumatic event. Then suddenly everything looks normal. The night turns into day, there's no fire, no shouts, would be no danger too?
Even Momonosuke stopped his crying to look around, to check the situation properly.
The impasse was broken by Nekomamushi. He suddenly jumps very high in the air and drops back like nothing happened. A strange action that apparently has no meaning...
But his face was much more serious and grave, unfriendly even, when he landed back on the ground.
This makes the present-day group show a variety of expressions. Anger, sadness, resignation, and more.
Hiyori eyes become sharp for an instant before she assumes a calm smile again. More than a year of acting as a ruler taught her even more about keeping her head cool. And this is not even talking about the years that she needed to put up a facade in her time as Komurasaki.
She steps forward, genuinely happy to see everyone well.
"Everyone... Let me explain..." She starts saying, holding back some happy tears in her eyes.
The child in her arms looks at her curiously and then looks at these new people, alternating between the two, like he is trying to discover something.
"Mom!?" Momonosuke suddenly shouts
"! Fufu... No... no..." Hiyori was caught off guard and laughed lightly, that broke her composure a little and she couldn't keep to herself anymore. Putting her child down, she suddenly lunges forward to hug her small big brother.
"Uhh... For years I thought the worst... It's good that you're all alive!!" She cries while Momonosuke can't even react in shock.
....
"So this is really twenty years in the future?" Kin'emon asks again, his brain adjusting to the new reality. "And Kaido and Orochi are truly defeated??"
"Yes. More or less two years ago, Kin'emon." Yasuie answers
"We have a looot to catch up on, Kin-chan." Denjiro approaches with a smile
"Denjiro? What happened to your hair??"
"Hehe~ Don't you know hair loses color with age?" Denjiro laughs in a carefree way
"We are Twenty years older, so we are your seniors. Treat us with respect!" Ashura Doji adds in a teasing way
"Not only that, 20 years getting stronger." Inuarashi also teases Kin'emon and the others
"Don't worry, Kin-chan. We are gonna train you to our level~"
"You bunch of...!"
The group of samurai have their first brawl after two decades.
"Such lively atmosphere." Shinobu, the female ninja chuckles
"By the way, Hiyori-sama. I wanted to ask... What about this little kid?" Kin'emon pauses the all-out friendly fistfight to point to the kid in question.
"Oh... That's my son... Kenshin." Hiyori pulls the small boy by the hand "Say hello to you Uncle and retainers, Ken-chan."
"..." Kenshin is a cute and pretty boy with blue curly hair and shiny blue eyes. He obviously doesn't even have two years, but his build it's of a 4-year-old at least, maybe older.
Kenshin walks slowly to the front.
"Your... Your... Your... Your child?!?!" All of the Time Travellers shout in unison, eyes alternating between the kid and Hiyori, their mouth agape
"Fufu~ Yeah. Isn't he the cutest thing?" Hiyori fawns over her kid, showing her doting mother's side. "Go on, say 'Hi'." She urges Kenshin to greet the newcomers.
"..." Kenshin looks at everyone with curious eyes, his index finger on his mouth "My Uncle? But you're small..." He frowns cutely while looking a Momonosuke
"Obviously! I'm a child!" Momonosuke defends himself after being called a shorty
When Kenshin and Momonosuke are in front of each other is possible to see that Momonosuke is not that taller than Kenshin.
"I will explain better later, Ken-chan." Hiyori pats her head "It's that my brother didn't age since 20 years ago."
"Ooh... I see." Kenshin nods in understanding
Suddenly they hear a female voice approaching them "Damn, so I'm late!" She shouts while running at the group, raising a path of dust behind her
She is carrying her Kanabo over her shoulder, and grabbing a kid by the scruffle of his neck, like a bag.
"Yes, you are, Yamato. We are about to enter the castle to talk better." Hiyori says with a fond smile. The two became good friends during those two years.
"Damn... It's because of Ryusuke. He runs away at every chance he gets, I needed Long Yin and the others' help to find him this time. I thought he was on Onigashima, but he already run off here... I lost a lot of time looking for him." She says and raises her left hand to show the kid in question, still holding him by the collar on the back of the kimono, like a bag.
"Hi..." Ryusuke says uninterestedly while looking around at everyone, he is much different from his half-sibling.
"This is Yamato and Ryusuke. Ryusuke and Kenshin are half-brothers." Hiyori explains while gesturing to them.
"What?!?" Once again the newcomers receive a great shock.
"It's a long story..." It's all Hiyori says for now
At this moment, Ryusuke is struggling against Yamato's grip like a dog trying to run away.
"Mother Yamato! Ryusuke!" Kenshin starts moving at a moderate speed to the two, but suddenly he trips.
*Boom*
But instead of what would be expected, he didn't hurt himself on the ground after falling.
He destroyed the ground, creating a crater...
"Kenshin brat... Don't run suddenly, you don't have control over your strength." Yasuie admonishes him sternly, with his arms crossed.
"..." The time Travellers' mouths are ágape once again after witnessing the scene.
Kenshin looks like a fragile kid, but he cracked the ground when he hit it with his head.
He slowly pushes himself with his arms and looks at his mother with tears in his eyes "Mama... The ground tripped me." He isn't really hurt, these are tears of frustration.
Hiyori holds back to not console him instantly. She knows her child, he doesn't need help to get up. He is only checking everyone's reaction to see if no one is mad or anything. It's what he does when he messes up.
Ryusuke approaches the fallen Kenshin slowly, eventually looming over his fallen half-brother.
"..." Ryusuke it's really the complete opposite of Kenshin.
Ryusuke it's a least a head taller than his brother. Even taller than Momonosuke. His head is full of black hair, long enough to reach his shoulders, and only slightly curly. His are red and sharp and on his head, a set of dark red horns rests pointing at the sky.
While Kenshin has an angelic appearance, you can say that Ryusuke has almost a demonic appearance. Sharp features, red eyes, and horns...
The two look like they can't mix together. Like Yin and Yang. It's hard to imagine them getting along...
"Ryu... The ground tripped me..." Kenshin whines at his brother
"Oh..." Ryusuke narrows his eyes while looking down at Kenshin "Then let's beat him up, Ken." He raises his clenched fist.
*Boom* *Crack* *Bam*
The two literally start bashing the ground with attacks, taking revenge with their own smaller hands.
They don't look alike but in the end, the two share the same brain cell.
"..." The scene is obviously weird to the Time Travellers.
The two children stomped and punched the ground seriously as it owed them money. And the ground cracking and being destroyed by their attack like it's made of salt.
"There, there boy... Stop it." Finally, Yamato crouches down to stop the two "The ground doesn't fight back. There's no honor in defeating it." She explains seriously
And the two nod, accepting her reasoning.
"Ehh?" Kin'emon points to the kids while turning his head robotically to Hiyori
"It's a long story..." It's all she can say now.
...
The group starts making their way to the castle.
"It really changed a lot." Kin'emon commented while looking at the city below them and the landscape beyond. "I didn't remember those floating islands..."
The city was worn down, to say the least, when Hector saved everyone. And thanks to his knowledge of modern infrastructure he remade it more efficiently and appropriately to guarantee people's living quality, while keeping the roots and traditional style.
"This is one of the things that we will need to explain as a whole." Hiyori says while walking to them, but she suddenly stops "But before that..." Her eyes became sharp and she looked at the Mink retainers, Inuarashi and Nekomamushi.
The signal was given. In an instant they moved faster than the eye could see, catching every one of the time travelers by surprise.
And they attack Kanjuro.
Putting him in a submission, his hands are held behind his back by Inuarashi, while Nekomamushi slaps some Seastone handcuffs on his calves.
"What!?" The time Travellers jump in shock "What's happening here?!"
"Calm down, Kin'emon. Just watch." Ashura Doji grabs him by the shoulder so that he will not do anything stupid.
"Nekomamushi..." Hiyori says in a chilling voice. Much different from the previous warm girl who reunited with her family some minutes ago.
The big mink cat sighs and shakes his head. He then opens his hand to show everyone a painting smearing his palm. It's possible to see some resemblance with a bird form and some letters.
"So it's true... Let me explain to the ones that don't know." Denjiro steps forward while shaking his head "I believe since long ago, all of us have the looming suspicions that there's a traitor between us."
"..." Only with these words, do the realizations start hitting the Travellers.
"Initially we thought that maybe was a servant of the castle, a guard... But Kaido and Orochi knew of all of our movements. Even when Oden-sama one day decided to act and immediately did so... They still knew and are waiting for us." Denjiro says with a heavy tone.
He is making public everyone's secret thoughts. The thoughts no one dared to have for long before dismissing them.
Seeing the situation, with Kanjuro on the ground it didn't take a genius to figure out where this is going.
"But the traitor is much closer... And our past experiences... The good times... The crisis that we overcame together blinded us." Denjiro sighs and looks down with a look of anger "Isn't right, Kanjuro?"
"..." Kanjuro still keeps a confused expression... On his role till the end.
"Denjiro... Are you saying?!" Kin'emon voice quivers
"Tell me, Kanjuro... What is your last name?" Denjiro asks, his voice carrying a strange power
"...Kurozumi." Kanjuro answers while keeping his confused face. The word leaves his lips on its own. "What? How?" He surprises even himself with the answer.
"!!"
"As the one tasked to keep the order and uphold the laws of Wano, Hector-Sama saw fit to give me a power that compels the people to tell the truth and to detect lies." Denjiro explains, his eyes hard.
That's the man who thought that he lost everything. He went through so much pain that his hair changed colors and even his body was restructured by his anger.
And now he is facing the traitor. Few things awaken anger like a traitor.
"Since when?" Denjiro asks
"Since the start..." Kanjuro answers without any falsehood
"As expected..." Denjiro sighs again
Hiyori moves forward, her eyes cold while looking down at the traitor.
Her leg blurs and she kicks his stomach with considerable strength.
"ARgh!!"
Kanjuro doubles over, puking his guts at the attack.
"That's for my parents... My Father took you under his wing, shared his roof, his roof..." She says through gritted teeth "You didn't deserve the Oden made by him. You can put it all out now."
"Hiyori-sama..." The time travelers are shocked by her attitude.
The small, sweet, and tomboy girl also can be ruthless.
Kin'emon is still shocked. He, Denjiro, and Kanjuro are the oldest followers of Oden after all.
"Kanjuro... Why?" He asks in a pained voice.
" 'Why?' It was simply my role..." Kanjuro answers with a bloodied smile.
"..."
"What we should do with him, Hiyori-sama?" Denjiro asks
"Death obviously... The only question is 'How'. Crucified, boiled, quartering, burned, decapitated..." Ashura Doji says in anger
But Hiyori keeps looking at Kanjuro coldly "Tell me, Traitor... Now that you are caught... Do you regret it?" She asks
"My only regret... It's that I can't die on the stage..." Kanjuro says plainly "What a pity... I missed the play..." He sighs, showing no remorse for his actions
"..."
"You're really a heartless monster... Exactly like my husband said." Hiyori spats "A person that can't have his own joy or sadness, so it takes from others. Death will not hurt you, right? So be it..." Hiyori turns around and doesn't even look at the fallen man
"..."
"Lock him up... Deny him the light that he longs so much. Let him live in the darkness of the backstage till his death." She gives her sentence "Give enough to him to simply survive. It will be a good payback to all the years that Kawamatsu was locked up."
She walks a little before catching her son in her arms and giving one last disgusted look at Kanjuro.
"His power will be a good gift to my husband when he comes back. He can serve some purpose one last time."
...
Months passed
Through the streets of the City of Kuri, Kenshin is running away desperately.
"Ken-sama~ "
"Let me smooch you~~~"
"So cutee~~"
A bunch of women of different ages are running behind him, raising dust and destruction on their path, pursuing the cute boy with hearts in their eyes.
The people around only laugh at Kenshin's misfortune. It appears that this is a recurrent scene.
The women continued running, but they didn't notice that Kenshi lost them and was hiding in an alley.
"*Haah* *haah*" He pants in fear, his kimono is in disarray and it's possible to see kiss marks all over his face "Women... Scary..."
After looking around one last time, he jumps to the roof and starts going back to the castle.
He sneaks around and jumps a wall to reach the castle garden.
"Welcome back, Kenshin-sama"
"Hiih!" Kenshin jumps in fright before slowly turning around
Standing there, Shinobu The Bewitching Kunoichi.
She looks like she is in her younger days thanks to Hector helping her out.
"Shi-Shinobu... Are you following me? Since when?"
"It's not me following you, but I knew that you would come back using this route." She says cryptically.
"Hmpf!" Kenshin snorts and pouts before turning around and starting walking away while kicking the ground "If I knew that, I would have used Kuso-ka to run away from those women..." He continues with the biggest pout possible.
He didn't call the Cloud Guardian to teleport him away because it would give his position to his mother instantly. What he didn't know was that security around him was getting tighter and tighter as he started to run away.
Shinobu chuckles and shakes her head fondly at the little boy.
"Why are you starting to act like your brother?" Shinobu asks while following him. Kenshin was not the type to run around creating trouble.
"Hmpf, at least Ryusuku is having fun! And I'm here stuck with Momonosuke."
"...here is your Uncle..."
"He is annoying. That's what he is! A crybaby. A weak crybaby!"
"...he is family."
"Ryusuke is my brother! And Momonosuke doesn't like him, so I don't like him either! Hmpf!" He turns his head away again and runs inside the castle.
"..." Shinobu can only stay in place and sigh
The three kids are at odds for some reason.
First, Hector's sons kicked Momonosuke's ass in a friendly spar.
Ryusuke ends up hitting Momonosuke a little too hard, coupled with Momonosuke discovering that he is Kaido's grandson, which makes Momonosuke avoid Ryusuke and treat him coldly.
Ryusuke doesn't have an opinion about it. He doesn't even appear to notice that Momonosuke doesn't like him. He is simple like that.
Kenshin on the other hand, it's a little more perceptive... He doesn't like the way that Momonosuke treats his brother. Coupled with the adults saying to be "understanding of Momonosuke's circumstances" it appears to him that everyone is spoiling and prioritizing Momonosuke over him and his brother.
Everyone is paying more attention to the newcomer Momonosuke.
It's somewhat understandable. Momonosuke needs help to adapt to the New Wano, the new time, and his new training as a future shogun. But to Kenshin's young mind, it looks unfair.
....
"So this is happening, huh?" Hiyori says with a sad sigh after receiving Shinobu's report
She walks to the window of her office in the castle of Kuri, or Castle of Oden as it is more popularly called.
She watches the beautiful view. The weather is good, the clouds don't hinder the sky, and they complement it in a picturesque visage together with the floating lands and shiny chains. Greeneries and beautiful mountains go to as long as your sight allows. She feels a sense of pride in her chest, it's her husband's work.
"Maybe I should have a talk with him... He is smarter than his peers. Maybe I can explain everything Momonosuke went through..." She says
"Isn't too heavy of a topic to bring to a two-year-old kid?" Shinobu asks "Just let them be... Kids fight, they will come around."
"Maybe... But I also think that it will be of the best if their relationship was fixed earlier than later." Hiyori explains her point of view "And also... Momonosuke needs to be the one apologizing first." Her voice is a little harder now
"..."
"I know how he treated Ryusuke... And he is the older one. Much older. He should be the one acting maturely. If not, he will never have Kenshin's respect."
"..." Against that Shinobu doesn't have much to say
"Pass the message to one of the scabbards. Or maybe Yasuie-san... Momonosuke needs a man-to-man talk. After that, I will talk with Kenshin."
"I will pass the order." Shinobu bows before disappearing.
"..."
Hiyori continues looking at the vast expanse of Wano before saying "Continue watching Kenshin..." She says seemingly to the empty air.
Suddenly the shadows move and a dozen of Ninja Shadowkhan appear in their black outfit, grey skin, and eyes shining red. They respecifully bow before sliding away silently, mingling in the shadows.
Anyone who knows the specifics must find it weird that Hiyori has the Shadowkhan, Hector's personal demon ninjas, at her disposal when he is nothing in this world anymore. The Shadowkhan are linked to the Shadowkhan realm in Hector's being... They can't be separated and sustained a universe away from him. When he came back, the Shadowkhan should have followed him back even if he wanted to keep them here...
But Hector can always cheat the rules a little.
The key to what he did was using the Soru Soru no Mi powers.
First, he ripped each Shadowkhan individually from his Shadowkhan Realm, then he imbued them with Soul Power before they disappeared to turn them into homies.
Now they can exist independently from him and stay here.
Obviously, there are downsides... First, without the Shadowkhan Realm, they can't regenerate anymore, so if they are damaged or destroyed it will be for real. Second, now they are like "hybrid homies", they have the same weakness.
And it was a costly process because Hector lost the Shadowkhans that he "ripped off", weakening his Shadowkhan Realm and losing his progress with it.
How many Shadowkhans he ripped off? All of them.
Each and every single one that he had. The Ninjas and even the ones of the other types, like the Sumo, Bat, Razor, and Samurai khans that his realms started producing.
He went back to Marvel at square zero on that aspect.
But he doesn't mind. It will heal with time in some months.
He knows that his creations are the most loyal people that he can leave behind to take care of his family, he will not be stingy with them.
.....
Some days later
"Hah!" In the training grounds of the castle of the Flower Capital, Momonosuke swings his training sword under the supervision of Kin'emon.
On the other side, Kenshin observes Momonosuke's swings with an uninterested expression.
"Kenshin-sama, you should practice too..." A tall man with a rectangular nose says at his side.
He is a former CP agent, reformed by Hector, and also a known Character from the franchise. Kaku, the Giraffe Zoan and sword user that fought Zoro.
In the end, Hector's charisma was enough to convert people who worked for the former World Government after he destroyed them.
"No, I shouldn't. Why I am doing this again?" Kenshin turns to Kaku
"..." Kaku can't answer that.
Normally, Kenshin shouldn't have practiced swordplay that earlier in his life, but thanks to his well-developed physique he could convince the people to give him some teachings.
So, it proved too easy for him and he stopped from now. Because the next step is dangerous for his age.
He is being forced to practice in a tentative to make him closer to Momonosuke.
But Kenshin doesn't see this way. In his vision, he is being punished for no reason.
Repetitively swaying a sword for nothing is what, if not punishment?
And Ryusuke, his brother, is out there playing. Free.
"You shouldn't make light of the way of the sword!" Suddenly Momonosuke intervenes, having heard the exchange between Kenshin and Kaku.
"..." Kenshin turns to him slowly. His eyes are fixated on Momonosuke like the older boy is an idiot.
"..." 'He is really his son...' Kaku sweatdrops while looking at Kenshin's expression.
That expression that judged you unworthy of even explaining something. So he just stares down at you like you're a waste of effort.
"What? You should take your training seriously!" Momonosuke continues, unaware of the reason for Kenshin's silence
"..." Now Kenshin narrows his eyes.
"..." 'Ugh, This can be bad' Kaku is being hit by some PTSD. Bad things tend to happen after those blue shiny eyes are squinted.
Suddenly Kenshin raises his arm which is holding his training sword, and brings it down.
*Swish* *Boom*
Luckily not in Momonosuke's direction, because his movement made a deep trench on the ground
"...!"
"!!"
Momonosuke and Kin'emon are slackjawed in surprise after seeing the display.
"Don't talk about what you don't know..." Kenshin says with a deadpan voice.
"That... That doesn't mean anything! Only that you have a strong body!" Momonosuke tries to argue
"It means that I'm stronger than you." The younger one says with the smuggest smile possible.
This only angers Momonosuke further, making him growl at the blue-haired boy.
"Just you wait! I will grow and surpass you!"
"You're older than me. I will grow too."
"I will not stay behind you for long. I'm Momonosuke! That is what my name means... 'Second to None'! It was given by my Father, Kozuki Oden!"
"Is that so? Is that so? I'm Kenshin! My name means... My name means..."
The two kids argue back and forth before Kenshin suddenly realizes that he doesn't know what is the meaning of his name. He never asked
"You don't know what your name means?" It's Momonosuke's turn to act smug
"Hmpf. Stay right here! My name's meaning is awesome! KUSO-KA!!"
Kenshin's shout makes a very conspicuous blue cloud in the sky stir.
"Take me to my mom!" He shouts again and a blue portal starts swirling close to him. Fearless he jumps on it.
Kaku can only sigh before following him fast. He will need to give the context to Hiyori.
.....
"Mama! Mama! Mama!!"
"What happened, Ken-chan?" Hiyori was in the middle of a meeting with some Scabbards and Yasuie when Kenshin suddenly appeared through a portal. Kaku following behind.
"What does my name mean?"
Hiyori gives Kaku a glance, making the man sigh and tell an abridged version of the events.
"Kenshin-sama argued with Momonosuke. That was one of the topics."
"I see..."
"Moooom~ Tell me~ What does my name mean???" Kenshin throws a tantrum to get her attention
"Well..." Hiyori put a finger in her mouth while looking at the ceiling to remember "Your father named you. He went through a loooooot of names. Some that I thought were good too, but he paused and changed it when she saw me seriously considering it."
Kenshin has a laser focus on his mom's words. Even the other big shots present are paying attention.
"In the end, he settles for Kenshin."
"And what does it meaaaans?"
"Well, it means 'Modest' before everything." Hiyori gives her son a knowing look "Are you being modest, Kenshin?"
"..." Kenshin sweatdrops while looking around nervously. Just earlier he act exactly the opposite of modest.
Hiyori chuckles after seeing her son's antics "Fufufu~ Your Father knew (and made that) you would be above your peers, Ken-chan. He named you in the hope that you would be humble beyond all that." She caresses her son's soft hair with fondness in her eyes, it's so much like her husband.
She continues "He also told me about the man from which he took the name, but I will tell you later, okay? You behaved badly today."
Kenshin's eyes shine hearing his mother, but then his face morphs into one of disappointment.
Hiyori once again giggles seeing her son's face, she can read it so easily "Ryusuke's name was also given by your Father. And it also came from, apparently, another someone your father admires. Why don't you go ask Yamato about it?" She urges him.
He smiles broadly before jumping for her lap and shouting from Kuso-ka to open a portal.
"Fufu~"
"Kekeke. He comes and goes as he pleases. Remembers someone?" An old-timer laughs
"It's on his blood. Hahaha"
....
In another part of Wano, sometime earlier
Ryusuke tilts his head while watching a ship on the dry beach, overturned.
It's a very colorful ship, with a lion head on the front.
"Pirates... Bad guys?" He asks himself while fearlessly walking to the ships and the castaways sprawled on the sand.
He thinks this way because they didn't use the port.
But even so, he doesn't fear them. Rarely does he fear something.
He approaches the group.
"Oh, this one is dead!" He approaches a skeleton in strange clothes and makes a prayer to the dead man.
"Oy oy oy! Are you dead too??" He crouches down and starts slapping the head of a black-haired man.
The head of the man is flattened by the strikes.
"Eeeeehh? That's fun!" Ryusuke says while he keeps slapping the bouncy head
"Who are you? And what are you doing?" Suddenly a big blue fishman emerges from behind the ship
"Oh! Like Kawamatsu..." Ryusuke comments
"What are you doing, kid? Don't go around hitting unconscious people." Jinbei says while approaching the fallen Luffy and grabbing him.
"I'm not hitting him, I was trying to wake him." Suddenly Ryusuke turns hostile and points at Jinbe "And don't give me orders! You're the invader here!"
"...well, that's kinda true. But we mean no harm." Jinbe says reasonably "We are only here to visit an old friend."
"Oh, then it's okay." Ryusukue believes in him easily.
.....
Eventually, almost everyone in the Thousand Sunny woke up on the beach.
"Who is this cute child?? Kyah~" Nami fawns over Ryusuke, hugging his head against her breasts "Hm? You look familiar..." She stops, frowning, while looking at Ryusuke's deadpan face
"This kid... Switch with me!!!" Sanji beats the ground while biting his lips enough to bleed.
While Ryusuke is being smoldered, he turns around and raises his hand to the sky, and says "I'm okay."
"What is that?" they look at the direction he turned, but they don't see anything
"Just warning my protectors... They could've killed you guys." Ryusuke says in a flat voice, finally getting away from Nami and putting some distance.
"Protectors?"
"It would not be easy..." Zoro says while looking at the direction, but not seeing anyone.
"Is this kid some kind of bigshot?? Let's go. I smell something troublesome! We are not kidnapping him!!!" Ussop raises his hand and tries to signal to the invisible protector.
"Are you rich?" Nami approaches him again, trapping him in her arms.
"Can you tell us a little about Wano?" Robin also approaches, smiling gently at the boy
At this point, the last member of the Voyage wakes up.
"Ugh... The sea... So dangerous." A rabbit girl rises to her feet groggily
"Finally, woke up Carrot. I was almost worried." Chopper comments.
"I'm good, Chopper-aniki it was just that- Aaaaaaaaaaahhh" Carrot pauses what she is saying when she notices Ryusuke "Ryu-chaan!!" She shouts
""""""?""""""
"Do you know him?"
"Do you know me?"
Everyone, even Ryusuke, is confused.
"I saw you when you were a baby. I visited you with the bosses. You don't remember... That's natural." Carrot approaches the kid and pats his head.
"His birth made you come here from Zou?" Robin says and starts looking at Ryusuke more attentively. She is already guessing his identity
"Yeah. He is the son of Hector-dono. One of the two." Carrot says What is nothing special "Where is Kenshin?" She turns to Ryusuke again
"You really know us... Ken must be training..." Ryusuke answers easily.
"""""""!!!!!""""""
Now everyone is looking at the small creature with different expressions.
"The son of that guy?" Nami is holding Kenshin by his armpits, but putting him at arm's length
"You guys know my father?" Ryusuke tils his head
"Yeah, we met him some years ago..."
"Is wavy hair here?" Luffy asks with a big smile
"Dad is out." Ryusuke answers without expression.
"Eh? Where?"
"Don't know. Out since forever..." Ryusukue shrugs
"Own~ Did he abandon you? That bastard! When I see him again, I will beat him for you!" Nami hugs the poor child
"..." Ryusuke simply maintains his impassive face
Suddenly, blue mist starts appearing from nothing close to them.
The fighters put a stance first while the rest follow suit.
"Someone is coming..."
"So close and I don't even notice..."
From the blue cloud-like portal a small silhouette appears
"Ryuuu~ Check it out! I just discovered the meaning of my name! Hm? Who are you people?" Kenshin appears together with another tall figure
"Eh? Roronoa? The Strawhats?!" Kaku puts a fighting stance while facing the pirate group.
"You are... That Giraffe Guy."
"The Cipher Poll?!?" The Strawhats are ready for a fight.
Fearless, like he is not feeling the tension, Kenshin walks to Ryusuke, who is still in Nami's arms, and talks to him like everything is normal.
"Ryu, let's ask Mama Yamato from where your name came from."
"Hm... Fine, let's go!" The kid jumps from Nami's arms and the two start walking away.
"..."
Everyone stays in an awkward silence.
"Cipher Poll, what are you doing here?" Ussop points at Kaku, from behind Zoro, and asks while shouting
"I live here. You guys that need to answer some questions."
They argue while Ryusuke and Kenshin move away
"Who are those people?" Ken asks
"Dumb pirates, they don't know how to use the port."
"Oh, they're dumb."
...
Eventually, the misunderstanding was cleared.
The group decided to go together to Kuri to find Yamato. The boys try to not abuse too much of Kuso-ka's teleportation abilities.
"And what about the Sunny?" Franky asks
"We can simply carry it there, no?" Ryusuke asks confused, going to the ship and lifting the whole thing over his head
"!!!!!!" The Strawhat group's eyes pop off their sockets and their jaws drop
"No Ryu, there are some places that are too narrow to carry a ship. Let's ask Kuso-ka to transport it to the port."
"But we shouldn't use Kuso-ka all the time...It takes the fun of traveling and spoils us." Ryu repeats the words he heard in the past
"We're not traveling... The ship is. It's okay if we don't go."
"Oooh~"
Then the two shout for Kuso-ka to open a huge portal and Ryu throws the ship as it weights as much as a pillow.
"Hey, be careful with that!" Franky shouts
"Don't worry. Kuso-ka is not that dumb even though he is a little dumb." Ryu gives a thumbs up to Franky like he gave all the necessary information, even when he is not making any sense.
"Kaku, go check the ship." Kenshin says, to get rid of Kaku.
"..." Kaku expression. changes but in the end, he sighs "Whatever, there's nothing that can hurt you guys here anyway." But he still takes a Den Den Mushi out to warn another ex-CP agent who is in Kuri that the boys are going there.
Then he jumps in the portal.
"I'm going too!" Franky shouts and follows Kaku
The rest of the Strawhats stay with the kids
"Are you two really Hector's children?" Nami asks the obvious
"Oh, so you know our father... Yes." Kenshin says dismissively and starts walking to a path in the forest.
"..." The Strawhats look at each other before Luffy starts following the two, then Carrot, and then the rest.
...
"Can you put me down?" Kenshin says with an exasperated tone while being carried by Nami. Her arms underneath his armpits while she hugs him close to her chest.
"No! You're simply so cute~ I can't believe that that devil made two cutes like you two!"
"Fufu~ Well, it's not that hard to believe because he is very presentable himself." Robing says at her side while carrying Ryusuke, who looks equally done with life.
"These two... Uggghhhhh... Why I am not a child???" Sanji continues to cry blood
"I would be crying blood too... If I had blood... And eyes! Yohohohohoho"
"Hey, Ken-chan. What about the Cipher Poll? Why are they here?" Nami tries to get some information
"Cipher what?"
"That guy Kaku..."
"Kaku is here since forever..."
"From his perspective, it must be true.." Robin says "How old are you?"
"Two..."
"Two??!" The Strawhats are again surprised
The kids look at least almost 8 years old.
"Everyone is always surprised..." Ryu says calmly from Robin's arms.
Robin on her part, is frowning slightly while the pieces of a puzzle fall in place.
"There are others like Kaku here?" Nami is good at prying for information discreetly, a skill she developed during her time as a cat burglar.
"Yes... There's a lot, but you must be asking about Kaku's group, right?" Ken guesses correctly. He is a smart kid and he can understand they're talking about the people closer to Kaku "There's Lucci, Stussy, Blueno, Grog..."
"Lucci?!?!"
"The Pigeon Guy?"
"Why are they here? They are bad people!!" Nami shouts
"They are not. Stop slandering my people or I will get angry..." Kenshin says frowning, a strange pressure emanating from him
"But... But..." Nami gives Robin a glance.
But the raven-haired woman smiles gently. "With the ending of the World Government, Hector-san must have taken them in."
"But..."
"It's okay, it's not because they worked there that they are all fully evil. Even I was evil before and you guys took me in, right?" She smiles at the Strawhats.
"..."
"Robin-chwwwaannn! Your heart is bigger than the Grand Line! I love you even more now!!"
They finally get out of the dense forest, having a clear view of Wano for the first time.
From their point of view, they can see grasslands that stretch far and wide, pristine rivers that cross the lands unintended, floating islands surrounded by beautiful clouds, and rays of light that pass through the clouds giving the whole pace a picturesque beauty.
And this is without talking about the animals and Flowers that add much more to the scenario, making it very alive.
"Wow~"
"It's beautiful here!"
"It was that floating islands?"
"They are being held on Earth by these giant chains?!
They can see some structures on top of the islands, and the chains are huge enough for some carriages to use it as a bridge to reach the islands.
They can also see Kuri at a distance, a beautiful and colorful city that surrounds a castle on a mountain, and a huge cherry blossom tree behind it. There's also some sort of Building in the tree.
From their high point of view, they can even see the port. In the past, the port was far from Kuri, but the city expanded slowly, with a road that connects the two.
"That's where I threw the ship..." Ryu points "I can see my mother ship from here, so she must be there too..."
"You can see the ships from here?" Ussop puts on his glasses to check "You have an excellent vision!"
"You guys are fun...*Munch* Impressed with everything..." At some point, Kenshin escapes Nami's arms and reappears eating a fruit.
"Where did you find that fruit?" Choppers ask, the two are the same height.
"It looks good!" Luffy smells the air "I'm hungry..."
"There... Just ask the Sakura tree for it?" Kenshin points at a small Cherry blossom tree close to the road
"Boy, are you crazy? Ask a tree?" Ussop says in disbelief "That tree doesn't give fruits, I know it..."
"Hey tree, give me some too..." Luffy is already asking for it, raising his hand like a beggar
"Oy Luffy, don't fall for the kid jok- What!" Ussops starts admonishing his dumb and naive captain before his eyes bulge outs
From a branch, a fruit instantly grows and falls on Luffy's hand.
"!!"
"Ooh!" Luffy eyes shine and he eats the fruits in one bite "Give me more!" And the tree obeys, dropping fruit after fruit in his mouth.
Another impressive thing is that they are all different types of fruits... Mangoes, strawberries, oranges, apples. The tree also appears to understand Luffy and starts dropping bigger and bigger fruits.
"What is with this magical tree?" Nami asks in shock
At this point, the rest of the crew also went forward to ask for some fruits. Sanji even asks for specific and rare fruits, but the tree never fails to deliver them.
Even Vegetables! Carrot acquired for a... carrot and received one without a problem.
"Is this the All Blue?" Sanji asks in genuine curiosity
"Can you explain, Ken-chan?" Robin smiles friendly at the kids while crouching down to be at the same eye level as them.
Kenshin shrugs "It's just Mirutsuri."
"Mirutsuri?"
"One of the guardians..." He points at the castle on the Horizon, not the tree behind it.
"She is all over the country." Ryusuke adds
"Parts of her." Kenshin explains "In the past a tyrant ruled Wano..."
He starts moving his hands and making faces to tell his tale.
"People went hungry... But my father saved them and to anyone never go hungry again he created the Guardian Tree, Mirutsuri. Her roots go all over the country, creating small versions of her... Travelers and hungry people just need to ask and she will give them fruits and vegetables... It's nothing luxurious, but this way no one will starve." He finishes with a big and satisfied smile.
"..." Robin looks at him with an unreadable expression.
"No one starves? That's nice!"
"Can't people abuse this?" Nami asks
"Yeah, like asking for a lot and selling it." Ussop continues
"People are respectful and grateful here. Hmpf!." Kenshin argues
"And Mirutsuri is not dumb..." Ryusuke adds
The Guardian Tree is a last resort, or a treat, to the poor. It will never affect the production... Because the production is great from the beginning.
Most people who use Mirutsuri services are Travellers and people who can't acquire something at the moment. Some even leave something in return, like money and other products, like hats, small sculptures, and other foods, like an offering.
"I already like this place!" Luffy says, fat from eating a lot.
"And what if someone tries cutting it?" Zoro asks
"..." Kenshin and Ryusuke look at him like he is an idiot. "She is a guardian..." It's all they say, like is enough explanation, before resuming they walk to the port.
....
In the Port
"Oyyyy, Frankyyy!" Luffys shouts as he runs to the Sunny.
The rest of the crew pays a little more attention to their surroundings. They notice the lively atmosphere of the this Port Town, everyone greeting Kenshin and Ryusuke with smiles, it looks like a nice place.
"..." The more perceptive ones of the crew notice the people equally measuring them up like they are ready to jump them if they hurt the two boys.
Robin carefully collects information with her powers as they finally reach their ship.
"Ey, isn't that..." Nami starts
"Yes..." Robin says
Just a little beside the Sunny a ship dwarfs the rest, with a completely different aesthetic. First, there are no sails, it shines with its metallic exterior of black and white, sleek, beautiful, and menacing.
Hector, the Devil, famous ship Dawn.
"Never saw it..."
"Me neither, only in the newspapers."
They are close enough to listen to Luffy's sudden shout and see the reason for it.
"Strawhat..." Rob Lucci says with a displeased face
"Pigeon Guy!" Luffy points "What are you doing close to the Sunny?"
"Did you forget I am also a shipwright? I was making sure your ship has nothing dangerous on it..." Lucci scoffs
"He was trying to check on it, but I can't trust him enough!" Franky exclaims to the side
"If you all don't comply, I would have to remove you..." Lucci raises his hand "Please, do not comply." "A savage grin spreads through his features.
From the side Kaku sighs, the situation is escalating quickly, and he hopes that whoever he calls has arrived already.
"Luffyyy~ Stop this already! We're in their territory!" Ussop, the guy that can smell Danger, shouts.
"Hey Ken-chan! Help us out here! Tell Lucci to stop!" Nami turns to the small boy
"...but this looks fun." He deadpans at her
"You're his son alright!!!" Nami shouts, her teeth become pointy because of her anger.
The situation is getting tense, the Strawhats are not gaining any fans from the locals from starting a fight with Lucci. To them, he was an ex-enemy, a killer... But to those locals, he is one of the Neo Beast Pirates' Commanders.
He was a direct subordinate o fone Hector's wives, and gained some reputation for being strong, increasing his reputation with these samurai.
Talking about Hector's wives...
"What is happening here?!" A voice cuts the tension... no mostly likely crushed the tension
"Yamato-sama!" The people chorus at her arrival.
The tall woman appears from the sky and lands on top of Dawn, looking down on everyone below, a frown marring her face.
"Oh~ What a beautiful lady~" Sanji easily becomes a wiggly worm, sparming around.
"Sanji... That's a Yonko." Jinbe warns
"And Hector's wife..." Robin completes, she easily guessed "Ryu-chan mama, right?" She smiles at the boy from confirmation.
Ryusuke gives her a thumbs-up while maintaining his calm face.
"Kaku, what is all this ruckus? Hm? Wait a minute..." She shouts before pausing "You're Ace's brother! Monkey D. Luffy!" She smiles while pointing her Kanabo at him
"You know my brother?"
"Yes, he talked a lot about you!" She laughs "And my husband too..." Her smile morphs into something more savage "He said that if you one day come here for the Road Poneglyphs... To kick your ass!"
*Gulp* The whole place trembles as a wave of Conqueror's Haki washes over them.
...
But a fight did not break out at that moment.
"Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me~" Kenshin sways Yamato while grabbing her shoulder.
Yamato is not a hot-headed individual who would jump into a fight without explaining some things beforehand. Not anymore at least...
So, she invited them to one of the mansions she could use.
"Wait, I'm trying to remember..." Yamato makes a face of concentration while stopping her son whom she never birthed from annoying her by asking for the meaning of their names.
Around the room, the Strawhats sit while eating and drinking from what some serving girls brought them. The two ex-Cipher Polls are on the corner awkwardly.
"If I'm not wrong... Hector told me the tale of Kenshin, a samurai bloodthirsty enough to be called a Manslayer." Yamato says while making a pensive expression.
"..." Her words attract the attention even of the ones that have nothing to do with the matter.
"But he changed his ways, making an oath to never kill again... He even started using a katana with a reverse blade."
"A katana with a reverse blade?" Zoro frowns while drinking some sake "He fought without the edge then?"
"Yes, and even though he went through many tribulations that almost made him return to his blood path, he never took the easy way and killed his opponents." Yamato then smiles at Kenshin and ruffs his hair "He said that your existence had a similar effect on him, Ken-chan. It made him look at the world a little more positively and be more kind. Always trying his best to solve issues with recurring to the last resort."
"...oh~" Kenshin looks fascinated by this piece of lore.
"Isn't the same guy that massacred Mary Geoise?" Nami whispers to her people
Robin: "..."
"There's more to that story..." Lucci heard her and said in a serious tone "I was there..."
The Strawhat crew looks at him strangely, but he doesn't explain further. What does he mean? Didn't Hector erase the land of the Tenryubito from the map? What more happened there? Did he spare some of them? How?
"...and what about me?" Ryusuke asks, interested now
"Well, the 'Ryu' is obviously because we wished you to be a dragon among men~" Yamato snatches her son, hugging him so that she could tickle his sides.
This makes him laugh loudly and fight back till she shows Mercy and stops.
"The 'suke' parts also come from some people that he admires. Kind people... He also wished you to be kind." She smiles at him fondly "There's one in particular that he told me about... He was a kind person, but very misunderstood because of his appearance, people Always thought that he was a delinquent and created trouble with him, but at his core, he was a kind person even though he didn't show it that often. Even with all the discrimination... Your grandfather did some bad things, I don't even know if I should talk about it, but he feared that you would be avoided or discriminated against, he couldn't stop it from happening... So he wished that you wouldn't stop being kind because of other people's bad feelings." She ruffs her hair too "I think the name of the guy was Yusuke or something like that."
Unfortunately, some people will have some bad impressions of Yamato and Ryusuke because of Kaido. It's hard to change other people's feelings, Hector simply desired that his son wouldn't change because of it... He knows that if he keeps being an honest person, he will reach everyone's heart. After all, it's his son.
Thankfully, Yamato's honesty changed a lot of people's views, and is rare for people who still ahs some misgivings regarding the two or the Beast Pirates.
"Oh, that guy can be nice too..." Nami sighs a little happy
"Wavy-hair is cool dude." Luffy says with his mouth full "He gave me food, he can do ninjutsu and he saved Ace."
"Oy oy Luffy, the order of importance of those things is a little wrong..." Ussop deadpans.
While giving a playful chokehold on her kids, Yamato turns to the rest of the room.
"Oh Carrot, long time no see!" She exclaims
"Yamato-dono! Garchu!" The rabbit mink hugs the tall woman and rubs her face with her own.
"Garchu... I guess you brought them here, right?"
"Yes, they helped me when I was stranded on the sea, and I brought them to Zou." Carrot answers "They are searching for the Road Poneglyphs..."
"Yes, Hector collected them." Yamato reveals to the Shock of the rest
"Did he..?"
"...reached Laugh Tale?"
"No idea... I asked once but he only laughed" Yamato shrugged "Then he would say something like 'it's not for me'."
"..."
"You guys came to the right place to get them... Wano is the key to two of them!" She reveals with a big smile
"So you can give them to us?!" Ussop exclaims happily
"No." She denies fast, making the guy fall face first on the ground.
"Why??"
"My husband's instructions are clear... That place is not for the weak!" She smiles savagely "You guys need to defeat me to take my Road Poneglyph and after that, I will reveal the location of the other one."
"Sounds easy enough." Zoro also smiles predatorily
Luffy also rolls his arms, with a big smile.
"I can't hit a woman..." Sanji adds
"Shitty cook, I was not counting you anyway."
"What did you say, mosshead?! Maybe I should deal with you so that you can cut a hair from Yamato-sama!"
"Oh no!! Sanji changed sides!!!"
.....
"Well, that's it..." Yamato says blandly after one-shotting Luffy and Zoro.
The tip of her kanabo touching the ground, a silver-colored Kanabo, that she swung just once top ut down the top Fighters of the Strawhat Pirates.
"There's no problem if you all go against me. Are you guys gonna try too?" She turns to look at Jinbe, Sanji, and the rest.
"It can't be..." Nami covers her mouth in Shock
"Luffy..." Ussop mutters.
Choppers rush to treat the two.
"That's a Yonko... The top of the world. It's not because you can see it that you can reach it." Lucci says, half scorn for the Strawhats half reverence for their display of strength.
"As much as it hurts to admit, I don't think we can win right now." Jinbe says seriously. He is probably the most familiar with a Yonko power level.
"That's fine too!" Yamato gives him a thumbs up "You guys can challenge me again, and even train here in Wano. Hector said that there's things to learn here." She says friendly even though she just pummeled them on the ground, trampling over their dignity.
She starts walking away, her sons following her while waving goodbye to them.
"Anyway, I think I'm forgetting certain things, but just go talk with Hiyori. She will remember it" She says her goodbyes over her shoulder.
...
On the sea, close to Wano
A very distinct ship travels through the waves, getting closer and closer to Wano.
"We can already see it... Wano!" Captain Kid grins largely while eyeing the turbulent Waters and small mountains poking out of the water.
"Are you sure about that? 'Wano is the place where the Devil rests' it's what the people say." Killer one of the Worst Generation and the acting First Mate of the Kid Pirates says "No unwanted pirate ever put their feet there and came back to tell the tales... The ones that come back, swore their loyalty to Wano and the Beast Pirates."
"We can't move forward with stomping that place." Kid grins remain ferocious
"..." Killer looks at Kid's side, at the lack of his arm, but decides to say nothing. He will follow his captain's orders.
"Men! Forward!" Kid shouts to pump up the morale.
*Caw*
Suddenly, they hear a sound... Like a bird. It's Loud and appears to be from everywhere.
The experienced Grandline dwellers that they are, the crew quickly entered battle mod. Any change in the Grandline is a potential Danger, after all.
*Caw*
The same sound again, a prelude to something... They can feel it...
Then a yellow light starts shining through the heavy clouds, cutting them like nothing, making them look like they are in midday time...
....
Exactly half a minute earlier in Wano.
Mirutsui, the Guardian Tree, the real body that stays behind Oden's castle.
A huge and beautiful tree that provides a pleasant shade and protection to the residence of Hiyori and her family.
On that tree, lays a nest.
*Caw*
The sound makes everyone in the city look up, like the bell of a church.
*Caw*
"A second one... Kinrasu-sama is going to take care of it." I civilian comments before going back to his affairs.
It appears that the numbers of "Caws" have different meanings and no one looks worried now.
A yellow light shines on the nest on the Guardian tree for an instant, before the rays of light disperse.
"Poor fellas..." A guy sighs and shakes his head before going back to hit a nail with his hammer.
....
*ShiinG *Zssss* *Boom*
It happened in an instant... First came the yellow light... Then came the heat... And finally the impact.
Victori Punk, the ship of the Kid's pirates was obliterated in an instant.
Kid and his tribulation are eliminated.
...
Dozens of kilometers away, the "confront" was seen by another notorious group of pirates.
"Whoa, Wano is really forbidden territory, huh?" Yassop whistles while lowering his telescope
"Just for certain people... Like us. Hahahaha!" Shanks laughs uproariously
"That's what you gain for getting on the bad side of that Hector Guy." Another laugh
"What then, captain? Should we try force in..." Ben Beckman asks while taking a drink.
"..." Shanks gets a little serious, he looks over the edge of his ship, and his gaze appears to Pierce through the miles, looking at the wreckage of Kid's ship.
Right there, on the remains, the winner stands like showing off his superiority.
A huge golden crow perched on one leg, looking down on the water, water that is boiling by his sheer presence. His feather appears to be made of gold and fire, the air is distorting because of the heat.
The crow suddenly looks up, directly into Shanks's eyes.
The Red Hair can see the haughtiness, the arrogance, the challenge on these pupils that appear molten gold.
Kinrasu, the youngest of the Wano Guardians, the most arrogant one and with a troublesome personality... But his arrogance doesn't allow him to slack on his job.
The crow opens his wings and flies high in the air, and then flaps them again...
If all Guardians made a pirate crew, Kuso-ka would be the navigator Mirutsui would be the cook, Long Yin the captain, and Kinrasu would be... the sniper.
*Shing*
Countless rays of light pierce the air and instantly reaches the ship of the Red Hair pirates.
Shanks obviously saw that and blocked the rays of light, causing them to diverge into the air and the sea, creating huge explosions that shook the ship.
When he looks up, Kinrasu is not even there anymore... He returned to Wano.
It was only a warning.
He could have sniped Kid from Wano too, that's how powerful he is, but Kinrasu showed up to check his work.
"It appears that we're not welcomed..."
"You think? Hahaha!"
The Red Hair pirates retreat.
.....
It's funny that the whole spectacle, the fact that Kinrasu went personally and even antagonized Shanks was born from a single sentence from Hector.
"Don't let any red-haired pirates in..." He joked once.
....
"My husband talked about you..." Hiyori leads Robin through some secret passages of the castle.
"Good things, I hope." The archaeologist says diplomatically
"Yes, he likes you a lot." Hiyori smiles
"..." Robin doesn't know what to say to that.
What can you say when a woman tells you that her husband likes you a lot?
They reach a stair and start going down.
"He had many side projects and one of them was to collect poneglyphs. He kept all of them down here for you..." Hiyori says
"I... I'm very honored and grateful."
"Fufu~ Don't be, he will get bashufull~ He is not good at accepting thanks." Hiyori laughs to herself, like remembering something.
"..." Robin doesn't know what to say anymore. In truth, she has something to ask, but it could destroy Hiyori's good mood "It's a beautiful country. Everyone likes it very much." It's what she decides to say
"Fufu~ Thank you." Hiyori smiles gratefully before noticing something "Oh, let me show this first..."
The two walk a little to the side to find what looks like a window
"This is..." Robin's eyes widen
"Old Wano." Hiyori explains.
Robin looks at the submerged city with awe "So this what it means to open the borders of Wano."
"Exactly."
"And what are those things?"
In the antique Japanese-style city, some round and metallic objects stay floating in the water, like submarines. It looks out of place, something that looks too modern and clean, contrasting with the dilapidated and filled with algae ancient city.
"I don't know..." Hiyori shakes her head "My husband put them there. He said it would be useful when the borders are open again and we reclaim our submerged land. I guess it some robots that will help in some way..."
"..." Robin still looks in awe, something or someone closed an entire country! Like it raised raised the ground to make a bowl. She knows the reason for that." Pluton is here, right?" She turns to stare at Hiyori's eyes.
"Yes." She answers easily
"Did Hector-san take it?"
"He checked on it, to make sure it was safe, but never touched the subject." Hiyori looks thoughtful "My husband is a patient man who wouldn't mind explaining things slowly and step by step that even people like me would understand... All these things that he never said... I can only guess he wanted us to discover for ourselves... And make our own interpretations."
"..."
"The Void Century, the Ancient Weapons, the Last Island... He would explain to me how the stars burn and how the light takes years and years to reach this planet. He would tell me about things that I would never imagine... But these secrets, he wouldn't talk... Like he doesn't want to taint our perspectives with his words."
"..."
"I think he felt like an Outsider... If I hadn't snared him with a child, I think he would get even less involved, Fufu~" Hiyori laughs at her own joke.
"..." Robin keeps a blank expression. On her face, her mind running a mile for a second. She is one of the people that are the most aware of the secrets of the words...
Many pieces of the puzzles are falling into place. She is very close to accomplishing her dream.
"Let's go. The Poneglyphs are just a little below here." Hiyori resumes her descent, making the archaeologist follow her.
.....
Back to the Thousand Sunny, the full crew of the Strawhat Pirates is in the Middle of a meeting.
"Aaah~ This place is nice~" Nami says refreshed after a good bat in an onsen.
"The library is great too! You have to check it later, Robin!" Chopper exclaims
"Fufu~ I will do it later, but we have some things to talk about before that."
"What happened with the cook?" Zoro asks as he looks down on the depressed Sanji.
"He saw his sister, and like any other girl, she appears to be infatuated with Hector." Ussop explain
Sanji hits the ground with his forearm "That dammed Hector, how can he be so Lucky to have two beautiful wives like that?!" He curses the man "And my sister, and Stussy-san, and all other others! Grrrrrr. While I was suffering in that hell, he was living his best life! I hate him! I envy him! I want to be him!!!"
"...It would be good for you to not badmouth the man too much. People here respect him a lot." Jinbe advises "Much like in Fishman Island."
"Yes, we are gonna stay here for some months, so no need to antagonize the hero of our hosts." Nami warns the dumb ones of the crew
"Yeah... Do you guys know that there's a guardian that is water? Literally the water around the country!" Ussop adds fearfully "We can never leave without his permission!"
"It's not a surprise that he did that..." Robin comments absentmindedly
"What do you mean, Robin?" Nami asks
She looks at them before sighing "The first time I met Hector he sounded like a very free-spirited guy on a vacation... Going around doing whatever fancies him."
Some people nod in confirmation.
"Then suddenly he destroyed the World Government." Robin says "I remember some days before when he visited the Revolutionary army, he went to talk with Dragon about something..." Then she blushes a little
On that day, she tried to eavesdrop on the conversation but all her ear could hear was a very close whisper of "Naughty~" Then Hector licked and nibbled on her ear lightly, the sensation traveled through her entire body that day. She was exposed and discovered nothing.
"*Ahem* Calculating the time, it coincides with the earlier stages of the pregnancies of his wives..." She closes her eyes to center herself before explaining
"So you mean..." Nami is catching up.
"Trees that give unlimited snacks anywhere, a cloud that controls the Weather and can transport people, water that will never let them drown, floating islands filled with interesting things that don't exist here..." Robin says seriously "This whole place is one big playground to them... To his kids."
"..."
"He even destroyed the whole World order because of them. So I think we should be good at not messing with them. He probably feared that something similar to what happened with Roger and Ace would repeat itself..."
"..."
"Okay, I will stop trying to make Ken-chan take me to the Treasury." Nami raises her hands in the air.
.....
Somewhere on Wano
Kenshin was observing a line of ants when he felt something weird.
"?" He reaches his shoulder with his small hand, and then he looks around.
He suddenly feels like he is being observed, that someone is close...
Then suddenly a burst of energy emanates from his body.
"Whoa!" He exclaims in shock, that he never felt better, like he is being lifted in some way. He also feels some extra things... He can't explain exactly...
In some way, he is being passively upgraded...
Like a game that wasn't played for a long time, all the patches catching up with him... Similar to the internet that can download the upgrades, it's like Kenshin is finally connected with something... Or someone.
On another corner of Wano, Ryusukue feels something similar.
No one noticed the small crack high in the sky... Like reality is breaking. Then some fingers appear from the other side and start stretching the crack.
On Oden's Castle, Hiyori was looking at the Horizon through a window. Reminiscing a little while enjoying the scenario, a visage that she enjoyed a lot in the past with a certain someone.
Her eyes then widen, she can feel a presence in the room... He is not trying to hide from her, he is just behind her... But she is afraid to be a trick of her mind... She is afraid of looking back and seeing nothing there. Not seeing him...
"Sorry for my tardiness..." She can hear his voice from behind her. Like how she remembered it, but something more... A certain weight that can only grow with the experiences of life
"I was trapped in a dead dimension slaved by outer gods..." He says like he was stuck in the traffic. He probably is the only one that can say something so ridiculous and be serious.
Hiyori can't help but laugh at his tone, she feels his hands touching her waist and she can't help herself in leaning on him. She still didn't look back, but as he hugged her from behind she could say that his build had grown. He is taller, and more muscular... But the warmth coming from him is the same.
"If this is a dream, can you let sleep a little more..." Her words are soft as she closes her eyes and relinquishes in the feeling.
"I will make your whole life a dream, my love." He whispers to her "This time, I'm here to stay, and no one in all creation can deny me that."
.....
A.N.: Hope you all enjoyed.
Ah, there's another novel I wasl posting in QQ, that I put the chapters here in Webnovel too.
If you guys like JJK and Waifu Catalogue, the name is "Potential Man"
And the schedule of the chapters will be weekly, but the chapters will be a little smaller to balance.
Bye bye, till next time.