The laughter in the courtyard gradually quieted, and Reed's gaze returned to Kozuki Toki's room. A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, a mix of anticipation and worry.
After resting for several days, Toki had wanted to wake up and chat with everyone, but their concern for her health persuaded her to rest a few more days.
So today, Kozuki Toki personally spoke to Reed.
Reed sat opposite her, blood mist slowly swirling around him, silently reflecting the turbulence within his heart.
"After the Toki Toki Fruit awakens, it truly can allow someone to return to their original time," she said.
The blood mist surged violently, and Reed visibly brightened.
"Toki, you just said… you can go back to the past?" Reed's voice was low, tinged with an almost imperceptible tremor. How could he not be excited?
Toki nodded gently, her hands folded in her lap. "Yes, but reversing time consumes a tremendous amount of life energy. In my current state, it would be difficult to maintain, and it would put a significant strain on my body."
Reed's expression darkened instantly. He clenched his fists, his voice rough. "Too much strain on your body? Forget it, forget it, forget it. We won't do it then. I can't let my selfish desires put you in danger."
A brief silence filled the room, broken only by the soft crackle of the candlelight. Toki looked at Reed, a trace of warmth in her eyes. "Lord Reed, you are always so considerate of others."
Reed offered a bitter smile, remaining silent.
Wait a minute! Reed had found the key point.
He suddenly lifted his head, the blood mist surging. "Wait, you just said… it only consumes life energy? In other words, returning to the past is a process that consumes life force, right?"
Toki was startled by his reaction and instinctively nodded. "Yes. That is the crucial condition. I thought you would be happy when I told you because I know you seem capable of replenishing others' life energy."
A slow, crooked smile the kind of smile the Dragon King would give spread across Reed's face. He even felt a sense of betrayal toward himself; yet he had to praise the great River God once more. His eyes gleamed bright red:
"Life energy… haha, life energy! I can replenish life energy!" He stood, the blood mist surging like a tidal wave. "Kozuki Toki, the one thing I never lack is life energy!"
Reed was not exaggerating. After all, looking at the recent Wano conflict alone, how many had died in the mist he wielded? And he had not used the mist extensively, mostly conserving it. The largest consumption of his life energy had been when he prolonged Roger's life, and at that time he was destitute.
Before Toki could fully react, Reed had dropped to one knee, speaking solemnly: "Please allow me to accompany you back to the past. I will replenish your life energy throughout, no matter how much it consumes. I will bear it all!"
His voice was firm and powerful, a dawn breaking in the darkness. Toki stared at him in bewilderment. After a moment, hope kindled in her eyes. "If that is truly the case… perhaps we can give it a try."
"Then I will start by topping you up. Can I replenish you to 18 years old? What do you think?"
Toki blushed slightly. "How old would I need to be to return to 18? I feel a bit shy, after all, I'm already a mother of two."
Oden knelt heavily before Reed, bowing repeatedly.
"Brother Reed, please, this is very important to me."
Toki's face flushed even deeper.
Reed's restoration of life energy came at a cost, roughly five hundred to one. That is, to extend someone's life by one year, it required the equivalent of about five hundred lives. But Reed didn't care; he was the Pirate King. As long as the Great Pirate Era did not end, he had plenty of room to exercise justice.
Toki spoke seriously to Reed. "Lord Reed, when you return to the past, you must minimize your influence on events and ensure developments align as closely as possible with the original course. At the very least, people must believe that what occurs truly happened and had tangible consequences. Those who toy with time will ultimately face time's punishment."
Reed understood immediately.
"Let me see if I understand correctly. For example, if I told Tesoro yesterday I ate an apple, and then I went back to yesterday and found I hadn't eaten it, but still told Tesoro I did, that would be feasible, right?"
"If I go further and said I told Tesoro yesterday I ate an apple, but I didn't actually eat it and didn't tell him, but since eating an apple is such a trivial act that it doesn't affect the future, I could just do it myself, correct?"
Toki nodded. "Major events cannot be altered, but minor ones can. That is the current limit of my Devil Fruit."
Reed nodded. "This is already incredible." In the world of novels, time has always been the supreme domain. Time reigning over space exists for a reason it is not idle talk.
Reed reached out, and the blood mist wove delicately around Toki's wrist. "Let's begin. I will ensure your safety."
Before anyone could react, Reed's blood mist surged like a tide, rapidly spreading through the courtyard. In the crimson fog, dense life energy nearly solidified, the air itself seeming warmed by it. Tesoro and the others felt the immense power, their faces reflecting surprise. Reed rarely infused his blood mist with such concentrated life energy; it was usually used for destruction and absorption.
"Captain, what is this…" Tesoro began, but Reed raised his hand, the blood mist in his palm forming a radiant sphere a pure orb of life energy.
"Kozuki Toki, please use my life energy," Reed said firmly, offering the orb. "Use as much as you need. It's more than enough. The time will be around the first year of the sea calendar."
Toki was stunned not just by the immense life energy she sensed, but also because Reed had mentioned the time. She hesitated. "But… this might put a significant burden on you."
Reed chuckled. "Don't worry. Life energy is the one thing I never lack." He turned to Oden, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oden, looks like I win this time. Fate isn't always precise, is it? I succeeded this time. I'm going to slap all of you so hard, the sound will echo, hahaha."
Oden scratched his head, laughing heartily. "As expected of Brother Reed! He always finds a way!"
Hiyori and Hizumi looked up from the candy pile, curious. Hiyori tugged on Reed's cloak. "Uncle Reed, what are you talking about?"