"Since you don't believe me, then how about we play a gamble—one big enough to change fate itself?"
The smile in Tenma's eyes grew thicker as he leaned forward slightly, an aggressive pressure rolling off him.
"If I really do pull it off, then everything you have—your freedom and even your life—will belong to me.
No running away. No seeking death. How about it?"
Hearing this wager, Kozuki Toki instinctively wanted to shake her head and refuse.
But in the very next instant, a flash of insight struck her.
She suddenly recalled Tenma's earlier methods.
This man had already proven that he could achieve his goals through extreme threats—and had even managed to take her and Hiyori overseas to evade pursuit.
If she stripped away the coercive parts, then for her, wasn't this gamble essentially the only lifeline left in this abyss of despair?
Reason told her it was impossible.
But what if… what if a miracle really did happen?
Even in the worst case—if Tenma truly went head-on against Kaido and Orochi and failed—she and Hiyori could take advantage of the chaos to break free from his control.
At that point, she could still follow the original plan and plant the seeds of revenge for twenty years in the future.
So before that, she had to stabilize this man who never played by the rules.
Having thought it through, afraid that Tenma might change his mind, Kozuki Toki took a few rapid breaths and answered without hesitation:
"Fine! I'll gamble with you!"
Seeing her tense expression, as if she feared missing her chance—watching her step by step walk straight into the trap he had woven—Tenma nearly burst out laughing.
He had to raise a hand and rub his nose to hide his amusement.
Using sheer force and threats could also get results, but that was the inferior option.
Only when the other party willingly entered the game—finding a reason that could convince their own heart—could such a relationship last long and remain stable.
In truth, killing Kurozumi Orochi and eliminating Kaido as a hidden danger had been Tenma's core mission in Wano from the very start.
What's more, that so-called "huge problem," Kaido, had already reached a tacit understanding with him.
Kozuki Toki thought she was making a risk-free bet.
She had no idea that in Tenma's eyes, this was simply a bonus picked up for free.
"Since we've reached an agreement, then come with me, Lady Toki."
Tenma turned, pushed open the door, and strode outside.
At this point, Kozuki Toki had no way out. She clenched her teeth and followed him with heavy steps.
"Mother!"
The moment they stepped out of the dim room, a childish voice full of surprise rang out.
A small figure immediately threw herself into Kozuki Toki's arms like a fledgling returning to its nest.
"Hiyori!"
Kozuki Toki's eyes instantly reddened. She hugged her daughter tightly, then frantically checked her from head to toe.
Only after confirming that Hiyori was unharmed—and hadn't been shackled like herself—did the weight on her heart finally lift.
"Mother, I'm fine! It's all thanks to Big Brother Tenma. He saved us from the bad people, let us live in this big house, and kept us safe!"
Kozuki Hiyori looked up as she spoke, gazing at the tall, upright Tenma with eyes full of admiration and gratitude.
For a young girl who had just experienced the destruction of her family and the separation of loved ones, such salvation in utter despair carried a weight beyond words.
Hearing her daughter's words, Kozuki Toki looked at Tenma with a complicated expression. A bitter smile tugged at her lips as she gently stroked Hiyori's hair.
"Yes… as long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
"Mother, what's this?"
Hiyori didn't understand the complex emotions in her mother's eyes, but she quickly noticed the cold metal cuffs around her wrists.
"These are a precaution—to stop your mother from doing something foolish," Tenma said calmly, arms crossed, bluntly revealing the truth.
"You see, your mother was just about to leave you behind and go sacrifice herself alone, to do something extremely dangerous."
Outside, Orochi's and Kaido's forces were everywhere. Stepping out now would be a death sentence.
At those words, Hiyori's little face instantly turned pale. She burst into tears with a wail.
"What?! Mother, no!! You're all I have left now! I don't want to live without family! Waaaah—!"
She had held back her tears while watching her mother send off her brother amid the flames consuming Oden Castle.
But now, in a place of safety, hearing such news, all the pent-up emotions exploded, and she cried her heart out.
"No… I won't. Mother would never do something like that. I would never leave Hiyori alone."
Affected by her daughter's emotions, Kozuki Toki also began to weep, holding Hiyori tightly and whispering comfort.
The scene of deep mother-daughter affection was touching.
But Tenma knew very well that if the gamble failed, for the sake of that twenty-year prophecy, Kozuki Toki would still choose self-sacrifice without hesitation.
"The outside world is in chaos right now—extremely dangerous. You'll stay here and behave yourselves. Someone will take care of your daily needs."
"Do you understand, Lady Toki?"
Tenma deliberately stressed his words, casting her a meaningful glance.
With that, he walked straight toward the main hall, not sparing another look at the mother and daughter clinging to each other in tears.
"Emelie Chord."
At Tenma's call, a tall, beautiful woman in an exquisite kimono hurried over and stood respectfully at his side.
"Go tell Lira Blackveil and the others. From now on, your only task is to keep an eye on the two in that room—especially Kozuki Toki."
"Even when she goes to the toilet, someone watches. Understood?"
Tenma reached out and lightly patted Emelie Chord's fair, delicate cheek.
A blush instantly bloomed on the girl's face, but her eyes were resolute as she nodded firmly.
In such a vast, empty estate, there were naturally more people than just the three girls Tenma had brought with him.
But before he had time to win over local loyalty, the only people in all of Wano he could fully trust and command were these three.
Even though they were ordinary women and no match for a capable fighter like Kozuki Toki, they only needed to serve as watchers and alarms—making it clear she was always being observed.
That was enough.
With everything arranged, Tenma lifted his gaze toward the magnificent structure towering at the highest point of the Flower Capital—
Orochi Castle.
He didn't have time to play babysitter here.
The most critical—and also the simplest and most brutal—step of his entire plan was about to officially begin.
…
In stark contrast to the anxious crowds whispering in the streets, at this very moment, an extravagantly lavish victory banquet was being held inside the shogun's residence.