The next morning, sunlight filtered through the paper windows, painting the little inn room with warm orange hues. Yuta stirred first, rubbing his eyes with a groan, before realizing he had been hugging Maki like a pillow the entire night. She was still out cold, breathing softly.
"Luck seems to finally shine on me," Yuta muttered with a grin, blinking at the clock on the wall. His smile bloomed wider. "Eighteen hours?!"
Seeing how long they had slept, he was wide-eyed.
Just then, Maki stirred, stretching like a cat before glaring half-asleep at him. "You talk too loud in the morning…" she mumbled, burying her face into the futon again.
"Come on, get up. If we don't wake soon, others will think we died in here."
By the time they both properly got up, the innkeeper looked like he had witnessed a miracle. "Never in my life have I seen anyone sleep that long without waking once," the old man said, shaking his head in disbelief.
To the innkeeper's confusion, nothing happened between the couple either—though he had tried to listen. Nothing.
How lazy are youngsters nowadays anyway? Not even enough energy to show love for each other?
Tsk, Tsk, Tsk, Tsk..., these youngsters should have seen me in my youth, entire brothels run dry before I was satisfied...
Of course, after that much sleep, their stomachs roared like sea kings. Soon, the inn was filled with chaos again.
"Oi, don't steal my dumplings this time!" Maki snapped, smacking Yuta's hand with her chopsticks.
"You were too slow again!" Yuta grinned, already munching on the dumpling.
The poor innkeeper almost fainted as another small mountain of plates started forming. Still, compared to yesterday's madness, they ate much less. By the time they pushed the bowls away, both leaned back with satisfied sighs.
"Alright," Maki said, stretching her arms. "No more sleeping. Let's actually look around. We never got our date, remember?"
Yuta smirked, scratching the back of his head. "Well, kind of. I'm almost afraid to go on another date anymore." He groaned to himself. Maki could definitely relate.
And so, for the first time since they had landed in this strange world, they weren't running, fighting, or collapsing from exhaustion. They stepped out into the streets of Wano, ready to explore.
The village around them, Amigasa, was small but lively. Wooden houses lined the narrow paths, their tiled roofs curving gracefully in Wano's traditional style. Colorful paper lanterns swayed gently in the breeze. Children ran past laughing, chasing each other with wooden swords. Vendors called out from stalls, offering skewered fish, steamed buns, and bright fabrics.
"It's… peaceful. It feels like I came back to traditional Japan, not to another world," Maki said softly, almost surprised.
"Yeah," Yuta nodded. 'Who let Oda cook, bro copy-paste reality into his work.'
Together, they wandered beyond the village. The rolling fields stretched wide, golden with rice ready for harvest. Cherry blossoms bloomed along winding paths, their petals drifting through the air like pink snow. Maki reached out, catching a falling petal in her palm, staring at it with a faint smile.
"You know," she said, "If I didn't know better, I'd think this world had no problems at all."
Yuta glanced at her. "Yeah. But I guess that's why people fight so hard to protect it. This place will one day rot and burn from the inside, under the rule of Kaido and Kurozumi."
Hell, I'm sure the current beast pirates wouldn't even be strong enough to handle a head-on fight if we launched one. However, who could say whether that would change the future for good or worse. Not like he had manpower to wage that kind of war or the confidence to surely beat Kaido.
"For a minute, I just want to not care about what the consequences could be," Yuta sighed, knowing that would throw the future into chaos.
Maki, with understanding, nodded and held his hand, continuing their date.
They continued onward, reaching a hilltop that overlooked a wide river. The water shimmered under the sunlight, clear and calm. Small boats floated by, fishermen waving cheerfully as they passed. From the distance, a pagoda-style castle could be seen towering majestically, framed by the surrounding mountains.
"This is… way better than any date spot back home," Yuta admitted.
Maki smirked. "Careful. You're setting a high standard for yourself. How are you going to beat this when we go back?"
"Who knows, perhaps next time we can go to see how after life looks like. Meet some souls and Shinigami alike" Yuta shrugged.
He was just a joke, but Maki for some reason felt that maybe joking about something like that wasn't a good idea.
She laughed, shaking her head. For once, there was no weight on her shoulders, no battles, no curses, no desperate survival. Just her and Yuta, walking side by side, enjoying the beauty of Wano.
As Yuta and Maki strolled deeper into the lively streets of Wano, something caught Yuta's eye. Right in the middle of the road, a tall, burly man was dancing wildly, swinging his arms and hips in a ridiculous rhythm. The villagers clapped along, half-cheering, half-laughing at the sight.
Maki tilted her head. "What… is he doing? Some kind of street performance?"
Yuta froze. His mouth went dry. That familiar mustache, that huge grin, that carefree aura—there was no mistaking it. "That's… Kozuki Oden."
Maki blinked. "Who?"
Yuta slapped his forehead. "Seriously? The legendary daimyo of Wano, the man who sailed with Whitebeard and Roger, and the guy who fought Kaido! That's Oden!"
Maki squinted at Oden's goofy dance. "…Legendary? He looks more like a drunk uncle at a festival."
Yuta's eye twitched. "Don't say that too loud, truth can't be said this lightly!"
Still, seeing Oden with his own eyes confirmed everything. They were truly twenty years in the past. That meant one thing—his grandmother should also be alive somewhere in Wano. If anyone could help send them back to the future, it would be her.
But Yuta's mind wasn't only on going home. The memory of Kaido's hybrid form, his terrifying strength, and the crushing pressure of Conqueror's Haki still burned in his chest. Yuta clenched his fists. "Keeping up with him is doable but actually beating a Yonko... I'm not there yet."
His face took a serious glint as he let out a sigh. He knew of this fact, training with Whitebeard and that fight in Cake Island again Big Mom was indication enought that he wasn't ready to face a Yonko in a life and dead fight.
He need to gets stronger, completely master all of his powers. Only then he can face them.
Technically he doesn't has to, Luffy will brust out his Gear 5 against Kaido sooner or later, however, he doesn't wish to rely only on that.
Who knows how the story will go after he had made so many changes. No... he'll have to get strong.
Maki raised an eyebrow. "So you're planning to train while we're here?"
"Exactly," Yuta nodded. "I've got time, and I know just the people."
"You know someone?" Maki raised an eye.
Yuta smirked. "Hehe… don't underestimate me, I know more than most give me credit for. There is a old guy in Wano who can teach us—his Haki is top-tier. And then…" His eyes flicked back to Oden, who was now spinning around in circles, shouting, "ODEN IS ODEN!" while children laughed. "…there's also Oden himself. If anyone can teach me how to use Conqueror's entanglement, it's him."
Maki groaned. "So, basically, you're going to learn from a crazy dancing guy and a grumpy old man."
"Hey, this is twenty years in the past. He isn't that grandpa yet."
She sighed, but a small smile tugged at her lips. "Fine. But don't drag me into any weird training rituals. I'm not dancing naked in the street like that guy."
"Really, must be quite a show…" Yuta grumbled. Of course, he didn't mean in the streets.
xxx
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