Toki Kozuki had been discussing something with Whitebeard for an entire afternoon. It wasn't until evening that she asked Kin'emon to call Reno and Hiyori back from their stroll.
Reno was led by Kin'emon into a room where the Den Den Mushi on the table in front of Toki was still connected, the call yet to be ended.
Seeing this scene, Reno asked with a puzzled look, "What on earth could you two have been talking about for an entire afternoon?"
Reno thought to himself that since Toki had once been aboard Whitebeard's crew, maybe the two of them shared some special relationship.
With that thought, Reno's gaze turned strange as he sized up Toki. He silently mused, This future mother-in-law of mine doesn't look like that kind of person, though...
When Toki saw Reno's strange expression after his question, how could she not realize what this little rascal was misunderstanding?
Her face flushed slightly as she snapped at Reno, "What kind of nonsense is running through that little head of yours?"
"I was just explaining Wano Country's current situation to him. The situation is extremely complicated, so it took quite a while, that's all!"
"If you dare let your thoughts wander again, don't blame me if I forbid you from stepping foot in Oden Castle ever again!"
Toki knew that such misunderstandings had to be cleared up immediately. If this little guy really held on to such thoughts and spread it to Kozuki Oden's ears, causing a falling-out between him and Whitebeard, she'd be in deep trouble.
Reno had only briefly entertained the idea in a moment of whimsy. He didn't truly believe Toki would have anything going on with Whitebeard, so he dismissed the notion after a moment of observation.
But no sooner had he dismissed the thought than Toki issued her warning. Instantly, Reno put on an innocent and naive expression and retorted, "I was just curious about what kind of topic could take so long to discuss. Is even that considered nonsense?"
Toki, hearing his rebuttal, gave him a suspicious look, studying him for a while before finally dropping the matter when Reno didn't seem to be pretending.
If Kozuki Oden had been present, however, he would have immediately seen through Reno's act. Whenever Reno lied, he'd put on a look of innocence or feigned innocence, but unfortunately, Toki didn't know this.
Once she was convinced Reno wasn't lying, Toki put the matter aside and turned to him. "I've explained Wano Country's situation to Captain Whitebeard, but we haven't finalized a battle plan yet. He said he wants to hear your opinion before making a decision."
When Toki heard Whitebeard say he wanted Reno's opinion, she was taken aback. She had assumed Reno was merely a guest aboard the Whitebeard Pirates, but it turned out he held significant weight there—enough that even the battle plan required his input.
Hearing this, Reno picked up the Den Den Mushi on the table and said, exasperated, "Uncle Whitebeard, I'm only five years old. I don't know anything about war. Don't ask me, alright?"
"Gurararara…"
Whitebeard's laughter boomed through the Den Den Mushi as he responded, "If you were an ordinary five-year-old, of course, I wouldn't ask. But you're far from ordinary!"
Reno rolled his eyes but could only sigh and start analyzing. "The enemy isn't particularly strong. If it's a head-on confrontation, the big guy can handle it on his own."
"The key issue now is how to rescue the hostages. If we fail to do that, not only will Kaido's group remain our enemies, but even the big guy might turn against us for their sake."
As Reno spoke, he mused to himself, Looks like if I don't get involved, Whitebeard won't find a way to meddle in Wano Country's affairs.
Initially, he had intended to leave this matter to the Whitebeard Pirates and watch from the sidelines. But somehow, it seemed he was being dragged into taking action himself!
Annoyed, Reno turned to Toki and asked, "How many hostages has Orochi taken? And where are they being held?"
Toki, seeing that Reno was already planning how to rescue the hostages, didn't dare delay. She quickly replied, "There are about four or five hundred hostages, all being held in Udon."
Reno didn't respond immediately but instead continued, "Find me something that can prove my identity. When I go to rescue them, I'll need the hostages to trust me completely in order to get them out safely."
Hearing this, Toki's face lit up with joy. From Reno's words, it seemed he really had a plan to save the hostages!
She had spent an entire afternoon discussing the matter with Whitebeard, only for them to come up empty-handed. Yet now, Reno had come up with a solution right away!
Elated, Toki quickly took out a token from her bosom and handed it to Reno. "The hostages are all people from Kuri. This token represents Lord Oden's authority. With it, the hostages will trust you unconditionally!"
Taking the token, Reno pulled out a small knife from his belongings and handed it to Toki. "Later, find a spacious location somewhere large enough to hold hundreds of people and place this knife there. Make sure it's guarded so no one touches it."
Toki, puzzled, accepted the knife and examined it. It looked like an ordinary knife nothing special about it.
Seeing her confusion, Reno casually made up a story. "This knife fused with a Devil Fruit under unique circumstances. Not only does it possess its abilities, but it can also recognize a master, granting its owner a portion of its Devil Fruit powers."
"What?!"
Toki was so shocked her jaw dropped, as if she could swallow an egg. After a moment, she regained her composure and asked skeptically, "Are you kidding me? An object fused with a Devil Fruit? Do you realize what you're saying? Is this true or false?"
Just as she finished her question, Whitebeard's voice echoed through the Den Den Mushi on the table.
Seeing their reactions, Reno silently speculated, Could it be that the technology to fuse objects with Devil Fruits hasn't appeared yet?
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