Tears instantly welled up in all three of Pudding's eyes. But this time, they were happy tears. "Mm!"
Ten minutes later, the Bruma Jackson set sail. Katakuri and Perospero stood at the harbor, watching the infamous pirate ship sail away.
"Hmph... They just left like that?" Perospero licked his candy cane. "I thought there would be more of a scene Peroperopero"
Katakuri looked at the distant horizon. The corner of his mouth beneath his scarf turned up slightly. "Pudding seems happy."
Perospero's expression was serious. "For an Emperor of the Sea to leave in such a hurry... I can't imagine what kind of major event is happening. Spread the word. All our islands are to strengthen their defenses. We are entering a state of emergency."
Meanwhile, at the highest point of the cake castle, Linlin had recovered her senses. She was destroying her room in a fit of rage. "Rhett brat!!! How dare you —"
She suddenly stopped. She clutched the spot on her back where the Black Tide Greatsword had pierced her. There was a wisp of blood mist there that she could not remove. It was silently seeping into her veins.
---
As the Bruma Jackson passed through the waterfall and entered Wano, Rhett stood at the bow. Blood mist billowed behind him like a cloak. His crimson eyes scanned the Flower Capital below. The streets were clean. Shops lined the roads. Children played at the street corners. At least in this respect, Wano looked like Totto Land. It meant Oden was doing a good job.
"Looks like Oden is governing well," Tesoro said, leaning against the railing.
Rhett chuckled. "Much better than that drunk Kaido."
The moment the ship docked, Kozuki Oden arrived in a hurry with the Red Scabbards. The shogun of Wano had dark circles under his eyes. He clearly hadn't slept in a very long time.
"Rhett! You're finally here." Oden walked up quickly. "Please, save my wife. Her condition is very bad right now."
Rhett jumped off the ship. Blood mist formed a red carpet beneath his feet. "Where is Lady Toki?"
---
Inside the castle, Toki was lying weakly on a tatami mat. When Rhett entered the room, a hint of color returned to her pale face.
"Lord Rhett..." She struggled to sit up. "I saw... a blood-red sun... swallowing Wano..."
Her voice was weak. "Twenty years from now... his successor will come to Wano... but by then, this place will already be..."
Before she could finish, she coughed up blood. Oden quickly supported his wife. Rhett's blood mist wrapped around Toki's wrist. Life force was flowing into her body through the mist. It was just a basic loss of life force. Rhett could easily replenish it.
As the life force poured into Toki's body, her condition visibly improved. Her thin body began to return to normal.
"Continue," Rhett said. He kept his voice as calm as he could.
Toki caught her breath and grabbed Rhett's sleeve with trembling fingers. "Someone... someone wants to rewrite 'that dawn'..."
"What is 'that dawn'?" Rhett was very confused.
Toki shook her head. "I don't know. I only heard that one phrase. Lord Rhett, when you left before, you told me to understand the meaning of time."
"You said that time is a manifestation of the Way. Through the flow of time, we can observe the workings and expressions of the Way in all things."
"You also said there is a state called 'carefree wandering.' That state means breaking free from the constraints of worldly affairs and the limitations of time, achieving a free and unrestrained spiritual state. But I haven't reached that state yet. My fruit awakened on its own. Then I saw that scene and heard that phrase. When I tried to listen more closely, I woke up."
"I understand, my lady. Don't worry. I understand. Please rest well." Rhett led the others out of the room. Oden followed and let out a sigh of relief.
"Um..." Oden scratched his head. "Toki, she..."
"She's fine." Rhett cut him off. "I've replenished her life force. She just needs to rest for a few days. Physically, there's no problem. She's just mentally exhausted. A good sleep will fix her."
"Captain." Tesoro had somehow appeared behind him. "What Lady Toki saw..."
Rhett withdrew his blood mist. "It doesn't matter."
"But —"
"Tesoro." Rhett turned. His crimson eyes were unusually deep in the moonlight.
"There are some things where knowing too much is not a good thing."
Tesoro paused, then nodded in understanding. "I see."
From that moment on, everyone tacitly avoided mentioning the prophecy Toki had seen.
"Grrrrooowl—"
Suddenly, Oden's stomach let out a loud growl. He smiled sheepishly. "Well, now that everything has settled down, my stomach is getting hungry. Everyone, I've had the kitchen prepare sukiyaki..."
Rhett's lips curled up. "Good timing. I'm hungry too. Everyone, let's have a banquet."
---
At the banquet, everyone sat around a large low table. The Red Scabbards took turns offering toasts. Denjiro told funny stories about the reconstruction of Wano. Kawamatsu performed Fish-Man Karate to everyone's amusement. It was as if the earlier tension had never existed.
"Uncle Rhett——!!!"
A clear child's voice suddenly cut through the quiet of the courtyard. Two small figures came running through the gate. Their wooden clogs clattered on the stone path. Hiyori was running too fast. She stumbled and nearly fell. Her older sister, Hizumi, grabbed her by the back of her collar.
"Slow down!" Hizumi scolded her sister, but she was running just as fast. Her hair bun had come half undone.
The moment Rhett turned around, the two little ones crashed into him like cannonballs. The blood mist automatically cushioned the impact, but it still pushed him back half a step.
"Oh, my little swordswomen are back?" Rhett crouched down and picked them up, one in each arm. "Let me see if you've grown any taller?"
Hiyori's small hands gripped Rhett's collar tightly. Her eyes were red. "Uncle Rhett, you lied! You said you would come see us in three months!"
Hizumi tried to keep a straight face, but her constantly blinking eyes gave her away. "I-It's been two years! My sister and I have been practicing our swords every day! We will definitely become great swordswomen just like you, Uncle."
Rhett froze for a moment. Then he laughed.
"It's my fault," he said softly, wiping the dirt from Hiyori's face. "But it looks like you haven't been slacking off. Wow, both of my little swordswomen have thicker calluses than last time. It seems both of you have been working very hard."
Oden stood by, laughing proudly. "Hahaha! These two girls have been driving me crazy! They wake me up early every morning to practice swords!"
"Rhett, let me tell you! My! Precious! Daughter! Hizumi defeated a child three years older than her last month!"
"Shut up! That part doesn't need emphasis."