The chaos in Wano had truly begun when Oden's dance ended. In front of the entire Wano, he was boiled to death in boiling oil.
But there was more. Another deal had been struck—an entertaining one—which stated that if Oden could endure the boiling oil for an hour, he would be set free.
And the man did it. For an entire hour, he suffered in that boiling oil. Truly a man born to boil.
Till his death, he only thought about Wano. He couldn't open the barriers of Wano while he was alive; however, he left behind a reason to believe in the next generation—until the man who could make his dream a reality came. At least the man's heart was in the right place.
The news of Oden's death spread like wildfire, and in no time, the Beast Pirates were chasing down every last one of his supporters. Villages burned, people screamed, and the skies seemed to cry with smoke and fire.
It was chaos, utter chaos. Even the innocent, who had nothing to do with this conflict, weren't spared. Many died, and many more would.
And this was just the beginning. The beginning of the grim fate Wano was about to see for the next two decades.
Yuta clenched his fists as he and Maki slipped through the chaos, keeping their hoods low. His heart screamed at him to jump in and fight, but his brain knew better.
'What kind of hero does that? Running around while innocents are dying.'
"Oi, Yuta," Maki whispered, yanking on his sleeve, "don't you dare go charging in like some wannabe hero. If your grandmother dies before we reach her, then we're doomed here forever!"
"I know, I know…" Yuta muttered, grinding his teeth.
He really couldn't do anything for once—his hands were tied. Any more changes, and the future might shift more than they could handle. They had already seen how dangerous it could be when they messed with time.
Perhaps this was the reason why the Time Devil Fruit took people into the future and not the past.
Yuta was a cheat through and through, though. His RCT was responsible for this entire fiasco. The only reason he shouldn't even exist here, in this time, was that he was bearing this rampant destruction and loss of life.
Of course, the most important reason he was rushing past all those victims without interfering was that he really had to save his grandmother.
Not only was she their key out of this place, but he also didn't wish to let her die. There was once a time when he couldn't save her—few could face time itself to save a life. However, right now she was young, much younger.
He would not let her die. Not here. Not like this.
"But it sucks just standing here while everyone's suffering. If this wasn't the past, then I would've shattered the entire plateau by now," Yuta grumbled.
Maki recalled the Dynamic Impact when this hothead fought Sukuna and felt bad for Wano—and the One Piece world in general.
Yuta later explained that only because of his own domain did the impact of his attack not cause more damage. His domain acted as a cushion and absorbed most of the force from his Dynamic Impact.
'What would this idiot do if he used that attack without the domain, or didn't use his domain to soften the blow? And now he also has Haki on his side…' Maki's jaw clenched.
"I'll throw you off the giant waterfall if you dare use that attack again," Maki threatened.
Yuta pouted but kept moving.
As for where they were going? It was obvious. They were going to meet his grandmother.
While he knew she was in Wano, finding her was no easy feat. Doing so just hours before an entire civil war broke out was even more impossible.
They tried, of course, but couldn't find her. Helpless, they had only one option.
Since they couldn't locate his grandmother anywhere during the search, they decided to use the manga knowledge he possessed. He knew one thing: when Lady Toki sent Momonosuke and the others into the future, she would be there too.
So, the only choice left for him and Maki was to wait at that place.
Easier said than done, when the entire nation was on the brink of erupting into a civil war.
Just lingering around where the wife and children of the fallen leader and hero once stayed was problematic as hell.
Yuta had to admit—they chose the worst time to linger near this place. But they somehow persisted.
Hiding wasn't something he was unfamiliar with, and with Haki, it was possible.
After hours of running and hiding through burning fields and fallen houses, they finally reached the estate. And just in time—because the scene before them made him freeze.
There she was. A beautiful woman with long, light green hair, standing tall even amidst the flames. Lady Toki.
And then, in a sudden burst of mysterious light, people started vanishing one by one.
"W-whoa! It seems like we're just in time!" Yuta whispered.
"Shut up before someone hears you," Maki hissed, smacking him on the head.
"Who will? You really think someone, with this much chaos happening outside, has time to ponder what we're doing here? And even if someone does, who cares about it?!"
They both crouched lower, watching as the last of the retainers disappeared. Yuta's heart raced. There was no doubt anymore—that woman was his grandmother.
Maki leaned closer, smirking. "Well, looks like Granny's got style. Way prettier than you."
"I'm adopted, for your information. And yeah, she is pretty. But so is every other female from this world."
She couldn't really argue. Forget facial features—the natural physics of girls in this world far surpassed anything from their own worlds. Maki could see all of them becoming supermodels back home.
A bit unfair, but what could she say? It was life. Since when was it ever fair—especially to Maki Fucking Zenin.
"And excuse me if I find your comment a bit rude! We might not be related, but I've got my own good genes, thank you very much," Yuta retorted.
Maki didn't reply to that. Maybe she didn't have an answer, or maybe it was just pointless.
Even as Wano burned around them, Yuta and Maki bickered quietly, waiting for their moment. And for the first time in a long time, Yuta felt a spark of hope. His grandmother was real. She was right there.
Yuta and Maki finally stepped out from behind the rubble when Momonosuke and the other members of the Red Scabbards were gone.
Lady Toki's sharp eyes instantly turned to them, her hand ready as if she could summon power at any second.
Her powers weren't meant for offense, but she had a few tricks. Still, when she thought about it, that too was completely pointless.
She had already decided to die. She could, of course, go into the future just like her son; however, there was no reason for her to live on when her husband was gone.
She had been running away for years—for 800 years, in fact. Now it was time to finally stop.
Though she worried about her daughter. To make sure the Kozuki line remained, she hadn't put all her eggs in one basket—in this case, her children, to be exact.
While her son was sent into the future, she let her daughter remain behind, in the care of one of the Red Scabbards, so at least one of them would survive.
"Who are you?!" As soon as Toki saw strangers approaching, she demanded fiercely, "Are you with Orochi or Kaido?!"
Though it didn't make much sense—Kaido had just left them to burn in this castle. If he wanted them dead, he would have done it himself. Why send people later?
"Wait, wait, wait! We're not with those guys!" Yuta waved his hands wildly. He was a bit anxious about her using her power to go into the future.
That didn't happen in the story—and it made sense, since she would be tired after sending Momonosuke into the future.
But Yuta was worried because it was a fact that she survived and even crossed dimensions—going to the MHA world.
He just hoped he wasn't the catalyst for that. If she wished to do that, at least take them with her, right?
Maki stepped in quickly, bowing low. "We mean no harm, Lady Toki. Please, hear us out."
Toki narrowed her eyes, unmoved. "If not with them… then why are you here, hiding in the shadows?"
"Uh… long story," Yuta scratched his head nervously. "But basically—we've been looking for you."
Toki's frown deepened. "Looking for me? Why?"
"Because…" Yuta hesitated, glancing at Maki. "Because we need you to go back home."
Toki's eyes narrowed slightly, confusion flickering in them. "Home?"
"Yes!" Yuta blurted out. "I swear we're not enemies. Just… please listen to us, okay?"
Silence fell for a moment, the air thick. Finally, Toki lowered her guard, though her suspicion remained.
xxx
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