The villa in the Sabaody Archipelago, with its steaming hot spring, felt like a paradise.
"Ah, a hot spring! A big, white hot spring!"
Kyle leaned against the warm stone wall of the pool, his arms spread wide. On either side of him, Sakura and Rin carefully wiped his shoulders, their touch gentle. The rising steam blurred the girls' delicate features, leaving only the soft blush on their cheeks visible.
"Sigh…"
A long sigh cut through the peaceful quiet.
"Before you know it, I'm almost a forty-year-old man," Kyle said, a touch of fake sadness in his voice. "Time doesn't wait for anyone."
"You're not an old man, Lord Kyle!" Sakura immediately argued. Her small face was flushed red, either from the heat or from her passionate defense. "You're the most handsome and powerful man in the world!"
"That's right!" Rin nodded eagerly beside her, her voice soft but firm. "Lord Kyle will never get old!"
Listening to their earnest defenses, Kyle kept his eyes closed, simply leaning his head back and letting the warm water wash over his neck.
"Well, what can I say to that, girls? Let's start another round!"
Ripples spread across the surface of the hot spring…
Later that night, everything was quiet.
On the large bed, Sakura and Rin were fast asleep. Their breathing was even, and their cheeks were still flushed with contentment. Kyle lay between them, but his mind was far from sleep. In the silence, his thoughts were exceptionally clear. Two years had been enough time to completely change the direction of the world.
His mind drifted to the distant Wano Country.
Moriah's crow had brought him the final news from that isolated land. The five-year agreement between Kozuki Oden and Orochi had finally ended. The naive samurai only realized at the very end that the so-called promise was just a trick Kaido used to break the spirit of Wano's people.
Furious, Oden had led his retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards, in a desperate attack on Onigashima. But the plan was leaked by a traitor, and the outcome was inevitable.
Kozuki Oden was defeated, ending his legendary but foolish life in a pot of boiling oil. Orochi became the Shogun, just as he had always wanted, while Kaido became the true ruler of Wano, pulling the strings from the shadows.
Kyle sighed softly.
The man was already dead; judging him now was pointless. Oden was simply too naive. He thought every powerful person on the Grand Line was as honorable and loyal as Roger or Whitebeard.
I just wonder... is that brat named Momonosuke dead or not?
As soon as he thought of the boy, Kyle felt a sense of physical disgust. He was just a child but had the mind of a lecherous old man, always using his age to take advantage of women. But what disgusted Kyle even more was the damn idea of bloodline being everything.
Momonosuke was a coward. He was weak, useless, and felt no guilt for the sacrifices his allies made for him. So why were so many people willing to risk their lives for him? Was it just because the blood of the Kozuki clan flowed through his veins?
Because he was a Kozuki, the Nine Red Scabbards protected him with their lives. Because he was a Kozuki, Luffy would one day help him become the Shogun of Wano. He didn't deserve his position, yet he could gain everything without any effort.
To hell with that bloodline nonsense!
Kyle's eyes turned cold. He would never help a good-for-nothing person he found so disgusting. If that was the case, then Wano needed a new "hero." It needed a hero who could legitimately take control of the country. A man who had once faced Kaido directly and had managed to survive.
In Kyle's mind, the pale, massive face of Gecko Moriah appeared. In the future, he would personally push this "hero who resisted Kaido" onto the stage of Wano Country. Protecting the innocent people of Wano would also be a way to honor the memory of Oden's famous stew.
…
Kyle got up gently, careful not to disturb the sleeping girls beside him. He casually slipped on a silk robe and walked barefoot across the floor. Moonlight streamed through the large windows, casting a soft, silver glow over his study.
Two letters rested quietly on his desk. They hadn't been delivered by a News Coo but had been brought silently by one of the crows a while ago.
Kyle opened the first letter. The paper was filled with Crocus's strong, bold handwriting and carried the faint scent of disinfectant.
"Kyle, thank you for the information. I've brought Brook back, but his situation is… a little unusual. It's complicated, but Laboon is very happy. That song, 'Binks's Sake,' is finally complete."
Decades of waiting and a promise that had spanned life and death had finally reached a happy ending. A small, genuine smile formed on Kyle's face, a look of true relief.
He opened the second letter. The handwriting was wild and messy, full of arrogance. It was from Jabba.
"Kyle, I found a wife, and she's a super big one! I hear your territory keeps getting bigger. You're not a kid anymore, so I'm sure you have plenty of people around you. Listen to your old brother and take care of your body. Don't wear yourself out too young. Hahahaha!"
Kyle's face instantly darkened. That old bastard. Still so improper at his age.
He casually crumpled the letter into a ball. With a flick of his finger, the paper ball flew in a perfect arc and landed cleanly in the trash can in the corner.
The old crewmates from Roger's ship had all moved on to live their own lives. Kyle's thoughts drifted back to the past year when he had run into Shanks and Buggy separately. Both were already becoming well-known rookies on the sea.
He had met Shanks in a tavern on some nameless island. The boyish innocence Shanks had on Roger's ship was gone, and the sword named "Gryphon" was now at his waist.
"Brother Kyle, I'm going to start my own pirate crew!" Shanks had said, raising his glass. His expression was more serious than Kyle had ever seen it.
"Have you decided where you're going?" Kyle asked, clinking his glass against Shanks's. The sharp sound was lost in the noise of the crowded tavern.
"I'm going to see this world, and then… find an answer." Shanks didn't say more, but Kyle guessed it had something to do with his Celestial Dragon bloodline.
Kyle asked him how Buggy was doing. Shanks didn't answer. He just grabbed his glass, drank the strong liquor in one gulp, and let out a hearty laugh.
His meeting with Buggy had been in the East Blue. Captain Buggy was leading two new crew members he had carefully chosen, bragging about his "great adventures" in a run-down bar.
"You see! I am the future Pirate King! Captain Roger's will is going to be inherited by me, Captain Buggy!" Buggy shouted, standing on a table with his arms spread wide, spitting as he gave a speech to his wide-eyed followers.
But when he glanced over and saw the black-haired man drinking alone in the corner, his whole body froze, and his speech stopped suddenly. The next second, his eyes lit up, and his head and limbs flew over to Kyle in a frantic scramble.
"Waaah—Brother Kyle! What are you doing here? Did you come all this way just to see me?"
After giving him some encouragement, Kyle asked about Shanks. Buggy reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He flew into a rage, cursing the red-haired bastard for being an ungrateful traitor.
His thoughts returned to the present.
Kyle walked to the window and looked down at the Sabaody Archipelago, bathed in moonlight. In the distance, the lights of the coating craftsman's workshop were still on, and the tourist area was still alive with activity, even late at night.
This world, under his watch, was steadily moving toward a new era. The legends of the old generation had found their own paths, and the sparks of the new generation had already been lit.
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