On the seventh day after the smoke of war had cleared, the Kozuki residence was unusually lively.
"Lord Rhett! It's the real Lord Rhett!" Two small figures came running down the corridor. Little Hiyori, dressed in a pink kimono, nearly tripped over her wooden clogs, but her older sister Hizumi grabbed her just in time. They hid behind a pillar, their four sparkling eyes fixed intently on the visiting pirates.
Rhett teased: "Little Hizumi, little Hiyori, have I evolved from a heinous villain into a great hero?"
Hiyori pouted: "Lord Rhett is not a villain at all. Lord Rhett is making fun of us. I'm not talking to you anymore."
But even as she said this, the little girl kept stealing glances at Rhett.
Oden laughed heartily as he greeted them: "Hahaha! This is how it should be when distinguished guests arrive!" He spread his arms wide, ignoring the blood seeping through the bandages on his left shoulder. "Come, come, let's drink three barrels of sake first, then we can talk business!"
Rhett had barely glanced at Oden when he felt two soft little things clinging to his legs.
Rhett raised an eyebrow at the two little dumplings stuck to his sides. Hiyori was using all her strength to try and lift the Black Tide Greatsword, her little face turning red from the effort.
Hizumi, meanwhile, tugged on the corner of his cloak and announced with "overwhelming dominance": "I'm going to become a greater swordmaster than Lord Rhett!"
"Oh?" Rhett crouched down, and the blood mist in his palm condensed into two miniature blood dragons. The little dragons affectionately nuzzled the girls' noses, making them giggle.
"Then you'll have to learn this first—" He snapped his fingers, and the blood dragons suddenly transformed into chibi versions of Oden, somersaulting in the air with exaggerated hairstyles.
"Wow!" Hiyori jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Lord Rhett is even more amazing than in battle!"
Rhett chuckled softly. This was why he liked being around children. Their world was so small. In their eyes, defeating two future Emperors of the sea was far less impressive than creating a tiny somersaulting figure. They were so easily satisfied.
Perhaps this was what adults called innocence.
"Of course," Rhett nodded with mock seriousness. "But to become a great hero like me, you two little heroes will have to keep working hard..."
He suddenly reached out and poked Hizumi's bun-shaped hair. "Look how tiny you two are. How can a strong person not eat properly? First, you have to eat a big bowl of rice every day."
"I'll eat five bowls!" Hizumi eagerly raised her hand.
"What about you, little Hiyori? You're probably not even as tall as five bowls of rice stacked together. Don't eat so much that your stomach hurts," Rhett continued teasing.
The residence was filled with laughter, a sound that had been absent for too long.
"Lord Rhett is very good with children. He's truly a gentle person," Lady Toki said as she knelt by the tea table, watching the man being pestered to "do another magic trick."
She noticed the faint glimmer in Rhett's eyes when Hiyori said, "I want to become a hero who protects everyone."
The children's words were innocent and sometimes didn't even follow logic, but Rhett responded to every single one. Being a grown-up who doesn't ruin the fun—that was Rhett's own unique romance.
"Ah, well..." Rhett caught Hizumi as she jumped at him and lifted her onto his shoulders. "I've raised a lot of children. Do you think people will give me the title 'King of Preschool Teachers' in the future?"
"Now appearing—'King of Preschool Teachers' Rhett. Hahahaha."
His voice grew softer. "A child's dreams deserve to be taken seriously."
The tea cups rose with wisps of steam, freezing this warm moment in time. Until Hizumi suddenly grabbed Rhett's earring and shouted, "Then what is Lord Rhett's dream right now?"
The courtyard suddenly fell silent.
Rhett looked at the cherry blossoms beginning to fall outside the corridor and chuckled softly. "My dream right now..."
He gently put the two children down.
"Rather than a dream, it's more of a request."
Rhett stood up.
When he raised his head, the playful look in his eyes had faded. "Lady Toki, I have a request!! This is very important to me."
Lady Toki stood up and gave a slight bow.
"Lord Rhett, you are too polite. Even if my abilities are limited, I will do my utmost."
Rhett stood still and asked softly: "Your Devil Fruit ability—can it awaken to the point of going back to the past? In the future, will you be able to gain the power to reverse time?"
"Reverse time..." She murmured softly, her fingers unconsciously tracing the ancient bracelet on her wrist. "As I am now, I cannot. My current ability only allows me to send people into the future."
The air in the courtyard suddenly froze. Tesoro watched his captain nervously, afraid that this disappointment might be too much for him.
But Lady Toki's next words left everyone stunned.
"However, if it is your request..." She looked up at Rhett, a gentle ripple of emotion in her eyes. "I am willing to try to awaken this power."
Rhett's body trembled almost imperceptibly.
He pressed a hand to his chest and suddenly bowed deeply.
"As long as it doesn't endanger your life, I beg of you." His voice was hoarse beyond recognition. "Whatever it takes, no matter how long I have to wait..."
The entire Blood Dawn crew bowed simultaneously, following their captain's deep bow.
"We beg of you."
Oden turned to his wife and said, "Hahaha, I told you Rhett's mind works faster than mine, didn't I? Hiyori, Captain Roger was my captain. I have failed the Roger Pirates. This is my request too. I beg of you."
He then bowed deeply to his own wife. The Red Scabbards saw their leader bowing—they supported it!!—and followed with deep bows of their own.
Apart from the two little ones who had no idea what was going on, the entire courtyard was full of people bowing.
Lady Toki looked at these warriors, covered in wounds, and slowly reached out as if to lift them.
Her fingertips stopped just before touching Rhett and eventually withdrew.
"On the day you parted..." Her voice was as light as falling cherry blossom petals. "It must have been very painful for you too, wasn't it?"
The blood mist suddenly churned violently. Rhett remained in his bowing position.
Then the blood mist enveloped Rhett, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.
"You... could have become very good friends with my big sister..." Rhett's voice broke in the wind, but his emotions were unreadable. "As long as it doesn't threaten your life, I beg of you."
Lady Toki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, a flame of determination had ignited in her gaze.
Her plain white back seemed to merge into the moonlight. "I will become stronger. You have helped us so much. I will work hard—hard enough to take you back to that dawn of regret."
The blood mist gradually dissipated. Rhett's figure reappeared, still holding his deep bow, and he called out to Lady Toki: "Lady Kozuki Toki, I will remember this kindness forever."
With her footsteps, the blood mist spread across the corridor. Beneath the thousand-year cherry tree, the first new bud was breaking through the charred bark. Rhett looked at that tender green shoot—did it represent new beginnings?