"Are you saying this is a candy?"
"Yeah, brother tanuki, here's the instruction sheet."
"I've said it so many times! I'm a reindeer! Reindeer! Not tanuki!"
Chopper defended his species while taking the instruction sheet from the bag of candy.
[This product contains no harmful ingredients, 100% made from natural plants. Do not swallow in one bite. Not suitable for children under three. Elderly and children must consume under supervision. We bear no responsibility for accidents.]
"This is too dangerous, let me check it for you first.
It looks like a Rumble Ball. Smells like a Rumble Ball too."
As he spoke, Chopper picked up a Rumble Ball, examined it, then sniffed it before finally tossing it into his mouth.
"This taste… strawberry? How did this person manage that?"
Rumble Ball was Chopper's own invention, no one knew it better than him. The one before his eyes looked very similar in appearance, yet its taste was completely different, giving Chopper a fresh, novel experience.
Chopper himself has a sweet tooth, with cotton candy being his favorite. Candy made from the modified version of Rumble Ball fit perfectly into his tastes.
"Don't rush, let me check a bit more."
Looking at the eager gazes of the children around him, Chopper turned toward a Rumble Ball of what seemed to be a different flavor, then once again sank into the ocean of sweetness.
Half the bag of candy disappeared in no time. Only then did he come to his senses, restraining his appetite and returning the rest of the candy to the children.
"Ahem, I've finished checking. These are just ordinary candies. You can go ahead and eat them."
For a reindeer of his age, he wasn't a child anymore, so competing with these human cubs for candy was a bit embarrassing for him.
Luckily, the arrival of the chief eased his embarrassment. After shooing away the children, the chief handed Chopper another fresh bag of candy.
"Do you like this? There's more. This time I traded more herbs for it."
"Oh, I couldn't possibly…"
Though his words feigned embarrassment, Chopper's hands were already moving. This kind of candy held a powerful temptation for him.
"It's fine. After all, you've helped us a lot. And these things aren't very expensive."
The island's residents had been at odds with the strange birds living here, but Chopper's arrival helped resolve their conflict. That was why the chief said so.
"These candies… were they brought by that man who rides the iron bird?"
"You should have heard of them. Beasts Fruits, the company with the broadest trade network across the seas right now. Though, their products are quite expensive."
"Beasts Pirates… so that's how it is."
Chopper clapped his hands, recalling what had happened back on Sky Island.
"To modify the Rumble Ball like this, that person must be a genius. And Brook's actually there too? Looks like he's living it up."
On the wrappers, Chopper even saw Brook's promotional ad. The Soul King was arguably living the most comfortable life among the Straw Hats.
At that very moment, however, the "genius" Chopper spoke of suddenly sneezed.
"Achoo! Who was just captivated by my dashing figure? As expected, I'm indeed the most handsome one!"
"Uncle Queen, stop being narcissistic. I think the chances are higher that b*stard father is plotting against you again."
"…Miss Yamato, please don't say such things when I'm eating. Even the taste of my Oshiruko has gone bad."
Just hearing Kaido's name made Queen lose his appetite. He didn't even know why Kaido had let off Yamato and the Ice Substitute she had prepared, only to suddenly set his sights on him instead.
"That's just the truth, Uncle Queen. You might as well accept your fate."
"Miss Yamato, I advise you not to be too happy too soon. Normally, Boss Kaido won't let you off either. Isn't that right, Hawkins?"
Yamato and Queen's bickering had long since become routine, and in the middle of their quarrels, some innocent bystanders often got dragged in.
Seeing Queen use Hawkins every day to test for good and bad luck, Yamato also grew interested and had Queen call Hawkins over as well.
"Er… Oni Princess, I'm sorry, but as for your future, everything is unknown."
Hawkins's tarot cards scattered across the ground. He had encountered this kind of situation before—unable to predict, unable to calculate. Everything related to her was a complete mystery.
"How boring. Uncle Queen, the things you believe in don't seem very reliable."
"No, no, Miss Yamato, you must understand, it's not that he's unreliable. This should be Lord Arceus's power. No one can predict his future. If anyone could, it would only be himself."
Queen defended Hawkins, but he was also defending his own face.
He could never admit that Hawkins's divination was useless. If he did, it would mean he had been a fool all these years.
"You're right. I'd better go find Dad and have him check what will happen in the next few days. This seems like a new idea."
Leaving Queen and Hawkins behind, Yamato turned and walked away, leaving the two blonds, or rather yellow-haired men, lost in their thoughts.
Kuri.
Mandrell returned to Onigashima as promised with his daughter and entrusted her to Meowna and Wolff. Although they were still children, in today's Wano Country, there was almost no one who could threaten them.
Maylo, being half-Mermaid, hadn't inherited Rusalka's habits but instead lived like Mandrell, who was human. At the moment, they were by the river catching fish.
Normally, children weren't supposed to go near the water, but this rule obviously didn't apply to Maylo, who had half-Mermaid bloodline.
"Got it!"
Maylo emerged from the water holding a fish half as tall as herself. The ecosystem of Wano Country caused ordinary animals to grow much faster, and they were generally larger than their species in the outside world.
Just as they were about to light a fire to roast the fish, a sudden commotion came from behind them. The sound of whole stretches of trees being crushed reached their ears.
Just beyond a mound of earth, Kozuki Momonosuk and his retainers from twenty years ago appeared in the present-day Wano Country.
The original Oden Castle had long since been demolished over these twenty years, turned into forestland. As for Momonosuke and the others, nobody paid them the slightest mind.
Kaido did not believe in prophecies. He had never taken that matter seriously back then. Even Kozuki Oden himself had not been his match, so there was no way he would believe that a group who had skipped twenty years of training could do anything to him.
To Arceus, Momonosuke was even less worthy of attention. Aside from plates, there were few matters that warranted his personal attention. Even Queen, the most concerned with his own life, did not think those runaway trash could possibly do anything to him.
But for the Kozuki family, it was another matter entirely.
Those who stayed behind did not know when the others would return. Those who had been sent away did not know what had happened in the future.
"Lord Momonosuke, please be careful. The current Wano Country must already be a living hell."
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