Chapter 26: This Is the future Toki
Although the Amatsuki Toki standing before him looked a few years younger than the woman he remembered from the original tale, Roy recognized her immediately.
Her long green hair draped gracefully over her shoulders, a delicate ornament pinned on the right side. She wore a pink kimono-style miniskirt reminiscent of Wano's traditional garb and yellow short boots. Her sword—a finely crafted katana—was now in the hands of the traffickers who had captured her.
It seemed Toki had fallen victim to human traffickers.
Yet something puzzled Roy.
First, Toki was supposed to arrive in the future—during Oden's voyage to Wano, according to the story's timeline. How did she end up here, in his era? And why did she look so young?
Second, as far as he remembered, Toki possessed the Time-Time Fruit, which allowed her to travel through time at will. So why hadn't she escaped? The chains restraining her were normal iron, not seastone.
While Roy was deep in thought, Toki noticed the strange group standing outside—one small, one enormous, and one… floating flame.
The towering giant was intimidating, his presence alone enough to make her heart pound with unease. Being captured by pirates is no different from being sold by slavers, she thought bitterly.
Then her gaze fell on the red-haired boy standing beside the giant.
He looked so out of place—young, handsome, and confident, with a calm that didn't match his age. There was an odd aura about him, one that made her instinctively wary… yet somehow, she couldn't help but find him trustworthy.
Am I losing my mind? she thought. First I'm tricked by slavers, now I'm judging pirates by their looks.
"Hey! Are you listening?!" shouted the swordsman leading the slavers. "We are—"
"You talk too much."
Before he could finish, Pandora darted forward, its small mouth opening wide as it unleashed a burst of flame.
The air sizzled.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
The swordsman screamed as fire consumed him, his weapon clattering to the ground. Within seconds, his voice vanished, leaving only a smoking corpse behind.
"C-clang! Clang!"
The remaining slavers drew their blades, trembling as they faced Roy, the giant, and the burning spirit.
"W-wait! Don't be rash!" one stammered. "We're part of the largest auction house in Rommel!"
"Out of my sight."
The giant snapped his fingers. A deafening boom echoed as the slavers were blasted away, bones cracking, blood splattering across the street.
Roy didn't even glance at them. He caught Pandora midair, rubbing its round body before walking toward the slave cart.
The women inside lifted their heads, eyes filled with hope and disbelief. Each wore the same expression—a mix of fear, exhaustion, and the faintest spark of hope.
Roy looked at them with quiet disgust—not at them, but at what had been done to them.
The nobles who bought women like livestock… what vulgar, pathetic creatures.
Without a word, he gripped one of the iron bars. Metal groaned under the pressure of his fingers.
"Creak—"
The bars bent outward like soft clay. With a few more pushes, the rest followed, twisting under his monstrous strength until there was enough space for the captives to slip through.
"You're free," Roy said simply.
Tears welled in several women's eyes. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
Roy searched the corpses of the traffickers, found the keys, and unlocked the chains one by one.
"Go. The farther you run, the better," he urged. "If you're caught again, it won't end well."
He and the giant didn't fear the auction house—they could burn it to ashes if they wanted—but these women were ordinary. They wouldn't survive another capture.
"Thank you, little brother," one woman said tearfully, reaching to hug him. Another leaned down as if to kiss his cheek in gratitude.
Roy stepped back, face flushing. "N-no need for that! Seriously!"
He waved his hands frantically. Sure, he was a little S, but that didn't mean he'd accept random affection. He had standards—and a code.
"Save that for your future husband!" he blurted, pushing the last woman aside with an embarrassed groan.
The surrounding giants snickered, and Pandora flickered with amusement.
"Doing good deeds is exhausting…" Roy muttered, brushing off his coat. "I'm surrounded by perfume and chaos."
At last, a soft voice spoke from behind him.
"Thank you. My name is Amatsuki Toki."
Roy turned. Toki had stepped out of the cage, her chains falling away. Up close, her beauty was even more striking, and her aura carried both elegance and melancholy.
He smiled. "I'm Harold Roy. Glad to help. Aren't you leaving? You'll get caught again if you stay here."
"Leave…" Toki's eyes dimmed. "But I don't know where to go."
Her voice trembled slightly. Since arriving in this time, everything familiar to her had vanished. Her home, her family, her era—they were all gone, scattered across centuries.
Her only goal was to reach Wano, yet that dream felt impossibly far away.
Worse, ever since she arrived here, her Devil Fruit refused to respond. No matter how she tried, she couldn't summon the power of time. It was as though something far greater suppressed it completely.
Roy studied her expression carefully. "So… you really have nowhere to go?"
He couldn't help but feel a mix of curiosity and concern. Why hadn't she used her fruit to escape? What had brought her to his time?
Still, as he looked at her—at the sadness in her eyes—something else stirred inside him.
She was older, yes, but… that didn't matter.
In fact, he felt a sudden spark of motivation.
Improve my relationship with her, huh?
After all, he'd met her first. That counted for something.
It might not be easy—but Roy smiled faintly.
It's definitely not impossible.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +40 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]