Roya gently patted Toko on the head and said,
"But there's always a cost. If the Devil Fruit powers fail to activate, this—"
"—is what happens."
Kozuki Hiyori nodded sorrowfully.
"It's just as you said, my lord. They don't care at all about the lives of the common people. They force-feed these fruits to civilians—if the powers manifest, they're thrown into the quarry as laborers."
"If they fail and develop symptoms like this, they're all dumped into Ebisu Town, left to die."
"Every day, countless people die of exhaustion, starvation... Please, my lord—help us overthrow Orochi and Kaido's rule!"
"If you're willing to aid us, I—I would give you anything!"
With that, she dropped to her knees before Roya, lifting her tearful eyes to look up at him with heartbreaking vulnerability.
From that angle, there was no man alive who could easily deny her plea.
Roya cleared his throat lightly and helped her to her feet.
"Don't worry. Kaido's reign must end."
A spark of joy lit up Hiyori's face.
But Roya continued,
"Just not yet. First, arrange for me to meet your brother—Momonosuke."
Hiyori's expression, which had just brightened, dimmed again for a moment. Hearing Roya mention her brother caused her thoughts to wander shyly.
After all, her brother, who had traveled through time from the past and remained just six years old, was now her last living blood relative.
To her, Momonosuke was more like a father than a brother—many things could only be decided with his blessing.
Her cheeks flushed a rosy red.
"My lord, I've only just reestablished contact with my brother. That's why I faked my death, to shed the identity of a courtesan and join the rebellion openly."
"Uh... tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll take you to the Kuri region to meet him at our army's camp."
Roya raised a brow and nodded.
"Tomorrow, then. Let's see what kind of price Orochi is willing to offer once he realizes I'm in contact with Momonosuke."
With that, he turned and entered the inner room.
Hiyori watched his retreating figure, then looked at Toko, already fast asleep on the bed.
After a moment's hesitation, she bit her lip, made up her mind, and quickly followed Roya inside.
---
Under the cover of night, several black-clad figures silently vaulted over the walls of the Shogun's residence, leaping down the cliffs below.
It was Marco, Squard, and the others.
Using the darkness as cover, they sped through the capital and made their way toward the southern prison quarry.
Once at the perimeter, they hid in the shadows, completely suppressing their presence.
Marco closed his eyes to focus, then whispered,
"I've located Kidd and the others—left side, third prison corridor. Inside cells seven, nine, and eleven."
"The one guarding this place is Jack the Drought, one of Kaido's top three disasters—and the strongest among them."
"Until Lord Roya confirms the identity of Prototype Zero, he doesn't want a full confrontation with Kaido. So we need to be extremely cautious—don't alert Jack."
The others all nodded, then split into pairs and began silently making their way toward the designated cells.
Using Roya's secret techniques, they had compressed their presence to an almost imperceptible level. Unless someone physically saw them, not even Observation Haki could detect them.
Soon, the six of them reached the cell doors and produced the keys they had prepared in advance, ready to unlock and extract the captives.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted near the quarry entrance.
Marco swept the area with his Observation Haki and growled,
"Someone's attacking the quarry. Abort the mission. Withdraw—now!"
Inside his cell, Eustass Kidd, who had already awoken, muttered,
"Marco... we're already at the damn door. Can't you at least open it before you go?"
Marco tossed the key inside.
"Take care of yourself, friend."
Without another word, he led the others to retreat in the opposite direction of the disturbance.
Soon, the sounds of clashing weapons and shouting filled the entire quarry.
Countless warriors surged in like a tidal wave, flooding every corner of the prison zone.
---
The next morning, Kozuki Hiyori awoke from a sweet and pleasant dream.
Still half-asleep, she heard Toko's bell-like laughter echoing from the next room.
She quickly wrapped herself in a robe and stepped outside—only to be met by Toko crashing into her arms.
Looking down, Hiyori saw a radiant grin spread across Toko's face.
But something about it was different.
She instinctively sensed it—this smile was genuine. Not a twisted result of poison or artificial fruit, but a real smile, born of joy.
Eyes wide with joy, Hiyori cupped Toko's face.
"Toko... has the poison been cured?"
Toko nodded vigorously, tears of joy welling in her eyes.
"Princess... the poison's gone! I'm cured!"
Hiyori's eyes filled with tears as well.
She hastily composed herself, smoothed out her clothes, and turned to Roya—who had been silently watching with a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Lord Roya!"
Roya waved a hand dismissively.
"It was nothing. Now get ready—we're heading out to meet Momonosuke."
Hiyori nodded firmly and took Toko back inside to prepare.
A short while later, she reappeared, dressed in a stunning cherry blossom-patterned red kimono.
Her makeup was light, enhancing rather than covering her natural beauty.
Perhaps it was the good mood, but her entire aura glowed—graceful and radiant.
With light, confident steps, she walked up to Roya and boldly wrapped her arm around his.
The two walked side by side, with Toko happily skipping along behind.
As soon as they stepped outside the main hall, they found Kurozumi Orochi already waiting at the entrance.
His eyes flicked quickly over Hiyori's face, and then he forced a smile.
"Lord Roya, I've arranged a tour of Wano's most famous landmarks. It would be my honor to accompany you. What do you say?"
Roya glanced at him and replied coolly,
"I was just about to visit Mt. Atamayama in the Kuri region. You can be my guide."
Orochi's face immediately turned ashen.
Mt. Atamayama was the territory of Ashura Doji, a Kozuki retainer, and home to a large number of samurai openly hostile to the Kurozumi clan.
Everyone in Wano knew that.
In fact, Orochi strongly suspected that the recently reappeared Kozuki Momonosuke was hiding in the thieves' camp on Mt. Atamayama.
And now, on the very first day, Roya wanted to go there—and was asking him to lead the way?
What was he planning?
Orochi's mind spun with dread.
"Could it be... this is a setup? He's going to drag me there and offer me up as some kind of dowry to marry Hiyori?!"
Roya, sensing Orochi's chaotic inner thoughts, sneered and said,
"If I wanted to kill you, not even hiding under Kaido's bed would save you."
"Now quit wasting time—start leading the way."
Orochi jolted with fear. He knew full well Roya was speaking the truth.
Hurriedly, he called for carriages and horses.
A column of riders cleared the road ahead, flanked by heavily armed soldiers on both sides.
In a grand procession, they departed the Flower Capital and began the journey northward toward the Kuri region.
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