Toki was locked in a cell by the Kuja female pirates under Shakky's command.
A few days passed.
She heard a commotion outside the door. The female pirate guard bowed respectfully to an arriving figure and said, "He's inside, Commander."
Toki, looking somewhat haggard, looked up and saw a man around thirty years old walk up to her through the cell door.
Toki recognized him…
Nishikawa Makoto. The strongest man of this era.
She had been transported to this era for a few years now and naturally had some understanding of it. To be honest, when she heard about Makoto's deeds from those on the Whitebeard Pirates, she thought she was listening to some mythical story, wondering if someone could really possess such power?
"How do you feel, Mrs. Kozuki?" Makoto raised an eyebrow and asked Toki on the other side of the cell.
"You devil!" Toki's face was pale, her voice trembling as she scolded Makoto.
Although the Kuja Pirates hadn't told her, she had guessed that Makoto was the culprit responsible for turning Wano Country, as well as retainers like Kin'emon and Kawamatsu, into their current state. No one else could have done such a thing.
Looking back now, Toki also realized that the Whitebeard Pirates' attitude towards their couple had been off for the past two years.
But she had been busy raising her child these years and hadn't had time to pay attention to other matters.
She never expected to encounter such a huge incident upon returning to Wano Country.
Recalling the sight she had witnessed beside that huge pit called the [Rebirth Pool] and the tragic state of Kin'emon, Raizo, and the others, Toki trembled with fear.
Even though she had witnessed hellish scenes eight hundred years ago, none had left such a deep shadow as that Rebirth Pool.
It was a way of living worse than death… both tragic and laughable, completely destroying a person's dignity, making them live like the lowliest maggots.
Even knowing that the man before her was the strongest of this era, capable of toying with the World Government as he pleased, remembering the tragic state of Kin'emon and the others, Toki couldn't help but question: "Have you not considered their suffering at all?"
Makoto smiled and asked back, "Do the people of Wano Country even count as people?"
At these words, Toki was momentarily speechless. Seeing the natural expression on Makoto's face, she suddenly didn't know how to argue. Because she could see in Makoto's eyes that he genuinely thought that way. He truly didn't believe the people of Wano Country counted as people... at best, they were un-evolved monkeys wearing human skin.
Just then, Beam, who had come in with Makoto, knelt on all fours and said to Makoto, "Chainsaw-sama, standing too long is tiring. Please have a seat."
On the other side, Yu rolled his eyes, thinking this guy was still such a bootlicker.
Seeing this, Makoto didn't stand on ceremony and sat down directly on Beam's back, stating his purpose to Toki… he wanted to use the power of her Time-Time Fruit to jump twenty years into the future.
Before that, he would provide her with good food and lodging. With that, Makoto crooked his finger at the Kuja female pirate at the door, signaling her to open the cell and release Toki.
However, before the lock could be opened, Toki vehemently declared, "I would rather die than help you!"
Although Toki didn't know what Makoto's group wanted to do in the world twenty years later, he was the villain who had occupied Wano Country and made Kin'emon and the others wish they were dead. She absolutely could not help them.
Yu's face darkened, and he wanted to transform and shoot Toki. But Makoto raised his hand to stop him and said calmly, "Madam, don't force me to threaten you with your child."
At these words, Toki's face changed drastically.
Makoto continued, "I personally hate harming children or threatening people with them. But your child, especially your eldest son, in my eyes, is just like those people of Wano Country… not even human. I wouldn't mind throwing him into the Rebirth Pool for a rinse."
After hearing this, Toki's face turned completely white. She opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately said nothing. But she knew Makoto wasn't joking.
Seeing Kozuki Toki in this state, Makoto knew she had agreed. The Kuja female pirate walked over, unlocked the door, and pulled Toki out of the cell.
Toki's legs were weak, and she staggered as she walked.
Just as Makoto stood up to leave, Yu suddenly said, "Senpai, when I came earlier, I heard from the Kuja doctor that before they locked that woman up, they examined her and said she was already pregnant. If we want to threaten her, one child should be enough, right?"
Yu could also tell that Makoto truly hated that kid named Momonosuke. Since this woman was now pregnant with another child, that Momonosuke probably had no value left.
At these words, Toki stumbled and nearly fell to the ground. Fortunately, Makoto reached out in time and grabbed her.
Toki couldn't see that Oden was a fool, proving her intelligence wasn't very high. But no matter how low her intelligence, she couldn't fail to understand the meaning of Yu's words. He was clearly planning to harm her eldest son, Kozuki Momonosuke.
"I'll help you!" Toki shouted quickly, her voice carrying a hint of near-hysterical urgency. "Don't harm Momonosuke!"
Yu found it amusing. He crossed his arms, a mocking smile on his lips. "Do you know about Senpai's Sharingan ability?"
Toki looked bewildered.
Yu laughed even more exaggeratedly. "It seems Whitebeard didn't tell you much about Senpai."
His tone carried a playful mockery, as if looking at a lower animal. "With the Sharingan, he could hypnotize you into doing anything in an instant. If Senpai wanted to use your ability, he wouldn't need your consent at all. The reason he came to you was just to see how stupid the woman who could fall for Kozuki Oden really is. It seems your IQ is even lower than we imagined."
Toki's face changed dramatically. She truly hadn't heard about this. She didn't know whether what Yu said was true or false, but at this moment, the initiative was indeed in their hands.
Makoto didn't comment on this, simply leading Toki out of the cell. He wasn't in a hurry to kill Momonosuke right now. After all, this one was 'heavyweight'. Killing him off too quickly would be too easy for the brat.
As promised, Makoto did treat Toki very well during this time. He let her stay in the Shogun's Mansion, which only the current Empress Tritoma and his own women were qualified to live in.
Of course, Momonosuke wasn't qualified to live there. They set up a simple shed for him right next to the Rebirth Pool. If he dared to cause trouble, he could eat with Kin'emon and the others in the pit.
On the way, Toki couldn't help but ask Makoto, "Why... do you have such hostility towards a child who just learned to speak?"
She really couldn't understand. Momonosuke was only two years old, could barely speak properly. Who could he have offended?
Makoto couldn't be bothered to explain. He simply replied, "Because I'm strong enough to do whatever I want."
Toki fell silent. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but ultimately said nothing.
To be honest, if the questioner were a 'normal person' like Smoker or Fujitora, Makoto wouldn't mind exchanging a few words.
But for these people from Wano Country, especially those from the Kozuki Family… Makoto genuinely felt that saying even one more word to these people was a waste of his life.