An abandoned courtyard in the deep mountains of Kuri.
With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open. Kane placed Kozuki Toki on a relatively dry tatami mat. He closed the door behind him, shutting out the howling wind and bitter rain outside, along with the murderous wails of the Beasts Pirates.
He took off his spotless coat of justice and hung it casually on a wooden rack by the door. Underneath was a fine-quality white shirt with the sleeves rolled up slightly, revealing firm and well-proportioned forearms.
Hiyori cried out loudly in her damp and cold swaddling clothes, her voice so hoarse it was heartbreaking.
Kane said nothing and walked toward the floor hearth in the corner. He skillfully lit the charcoal fire and took out a bottle of fresh milk.
Kozuki Toki sat slumped where she was, staring blankly at his every move.
The man known as the Marine Monster to the outside world was now holding a wooden spoon, intently stirring the milk in the pot. The firelight reflected off his sharp-featured profile, showing less bloodlust and more of a strange tranquility.
[Inner Monologue: Tsk, this dilapidated house is really something. If it weren't for perfectly taking over Wano Country, I wouldn't be here playing house with a widow and her kid.]
Kane grumbled inwardly, but his face showed an extremely natural gentleness.
Once the milk boiled, he poured it into a small wooden bowl.
Scooping up a drop of the white liquid with the wooden spoon, Kane carefully dripped it onto the back of his hand to test the temperature.
Feed her. It's not good if she cries until her throat is ruined.
Kozuki Toki took it numbly, the warmth of the wooden bowl transferring to her palm. Hiyori smelled the fragrance of the milk, her small mouth instinctively drawing close as she sucked greedily. Inside the room, only the faint sound of the infant swallowing remained.
Your instep is still bleeding. If it's not treated soon, the infection will worsen.
Kane came over carrying a medical kit and took out medicinal wine and sterile gauze.
Kozuki Toki flinched, instinctively hiding her feet in her muddy skirt. Those jade-like feet, once well-maintained, delicate, and fair, were now covered in black mud, with thorns and gravel having carved bloody gashes into them.
Don't hide. In my eyes, right now you are just an injured person in need of redemption.
Kane's large hand reached out, grasping her slender ankle with a steady yet measured strength.
His palm was warm, dry, and powerful. Kane first used clean water to patiently wash away the mud and sand, then pulled the stopper from the medicinal wine.
Endure it for a bit, it'll be over soon.
As the medicinal wine was poured onto the wounds, Kozuki Toki hissed in pain, her thin body trembling violently.
Medicinal powder was sprinkled, gauze was wrapped around in layers, and finally, a neat knot was tied.
Having finished all this, Kane sat back in the chair opposite her, leaning forward slightly as his deep gaze quietly watched her.
Holding the sleeping Hiyori, Kozuki Toki looked up at the man.
She really couldn't help but compare.
Just a few hours ago, her husband, Kozuki Oden, was dancing a ridiculous dance naked in the mud of the marketplace, heartlessly cheering for the tragic death of his eldest son, Momonosuke, like an irredeemable imbecile.
And now, a stranger she had never met before, in this dilapidated house in the wilderness, was patiently picking gravel out of her wounds, boiling hot milk for her and her daughter, and giving her a final sense of dignity and protection.
One was a hero full of talk about benevolence and morality, yet who shrank back at the critical moment and became a useless failure.
The other was a Marine with god-like power, yet who showed extreme tenderness only to her.
Kozuki Toki bit her lower lip hard, the taste of blood filling her mouth.
Lord... Lord Admiral, why have you come to Wano Country? Kozuki Toki asked with a trembling voice.
The World Government is not blind. Kane folded his hands over his knees, his tone instantly becoming solemn and pained. Kaido has entrenched himself here and begun building munitions factories on a large scale, which has seriously disrupted the balance of the seas. I was ordered to infiltrate Wano Country to secretly investigate the inner workings of the Beasts Pirates. According to intelligence, the Kozuki Clan should have been an important force to keep Kaido in check. I had hoped to join forces with Lord Oden... who would have thought...
A heavy sigh.
This sigh struck heavily against Kozuki Toki's heart, painful to the very marrow of her bones.
I arrived too late. Kane closed his eyes, his voice full of regret. If I had understood the situation in Kuri a few days earlier and intervened decisively... those Red Scabbards who died protecting you might not have had to lose their lives. Your innocent son and the civilians of this land would not have had to suffer such a catastrophe.
As a high-and-mighty Admiral, he actually took all the blame upon himself for failing to save a few samurai from a non-allied nation and for the sake of the devastated civilians!
At this moment, Kozuki Toki's emotions could no longer be suppressed.
The accumulated despair of many days, the pain of losing her son, the guilt over the tragic deaths of the retainers, and the bone-deep hatred for her husband Oden found an outlet at this moment.
She covered her face, her shoulders shaking violently, as she wailed and sobbed recklessly.
Between her sobs, she poured out everything: Kaido's deception, Orochi's despicableness, the loyalty of the Red Scabbards, and the horrific sight of Momonosuke being crushed into a pulp under falling rocks.
Kane did not speak the entire time.
He simply took a snow-white handkerchief from his breast pocket, which carried a cool and fresh scent, and gently handed it to her.
His eyes were compassionate, as if he could see through her eight hundred years of loneliness and despair.
To think such an absurd thing happened. Kane's voice was pained, carrying an unspeakable anger. You have suffered, Madam. A piece of scum like Oden is not fit to be a husband, let alone a father!
The phrase not fit to be a father completely severed the last shred of Kozuki Toki's ridiculous attachment to Oden!
She tightly gripped the handkerchief that still held Kane's body heat and wept uncontrollably. In this small tiled house, all her defenses were completely shattered within Kane's gentle trap.
...
Over the next few days, Kane indeed proved what a reliable man was through his actions.
Kozuki Toki experienced a rare time of peace.
Whenever a small, oblivious patrol of the Beasts Pirates came near, Kane always acted first. He never drew his blade in front of Kozuki Toki; he would simply snap his fingers, and invisible wind blades would silently turn those pirates into a mess of shredded meat on the ground, without even a scream being heard.
He left early and returned late every day, bringing back clean water, fresh food, and information from the outside world. During the day, he would sit under the veranda, teasing Hiyori with a grass-woven grasshopper in his hand, his tall frame bathed in sunlight, the cold, hard lines of his face softening.
And every time the night was deep and quiet, Kozuki Toki would often hide behind the door, watching Kane in the courtyard under the moonlight.
Kane, in his white coat, would quietly wipe that black Zangetsu, which emitted a terrifying aura, with a cotton cloth.
Looking at that broad back, the resentment, pain, and despair that had accumulated in Kozuki Toki's heart gradually twisted into an obsession, which completely sprouted under the scorching flames of revenge.
The Kozuki family was completely finished.
Oden, her husband in name only, was already a useless person.
The retainers were all dead, and the only male heir had been reduced to pulp.
Only she and the infant Hiyori were left, completely abandoned by this cold world.
She had nothing left.
Except for... revenge!
And the Admiral before her, with his unfathomable strength, was her only hope.
She had to hold onto this man. Once he finished his investigation and returned to Headquarters to report, she and Hiyori would once again become prey to be slaughtered at will.
Moonlight filtered through the window paper, spilling onto Kozuki Toki's pale face. Her eyes, initially numb with despair, became crazed and determined like never before.
For revenge.
For the deceased Momonosuke.
To nail that useless failure Oden to the pillar of shame.
She would give up everything.
Even if it was herself.
...
Outside, the sound of rain gradually subsided.
Kozuki Toki slowly stood up. Wearing thin clothes, in the dead of night, she gently knocked on Kane's door.
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