"The Mermaid Kingdom, whether it's real or not, use your own eyes to feel it. You people, ah, you're just too out of touch," Rosse sneered.
"You have the right to say that to me?", Toki retorted.
She wasn't any good thing herself, so how good could Rosse be?
Down to earth?
In the end, who's really the one looking down from above?
"This really isn't the same."
Rosse's lips curved slightly, "You don't know the sufferings of the world, so you impose your will on them. But I do know the sufferings of the world, and I still impose my will on them."
"Then aren't you even more detestable?", Toki gave a cold laugh.
What kind of twisted logic was this.
Knowing it's evil, yet still forcing it on others, that's knowingly doing evil anyway.
"No no no, at most they'll hate me, but they'll feel you are disgusting," Rosse chuckled lightly, gazing into the direction of Ringo, as if brewing something.
"Do you know? In the tally of losses from the Holy Land incident, the total dead numbered 200,000, most of them slaves and laborers. As for the world nobles and Celestial Dragons, only 2000 of them."
"What does this have to do with anything?", Toki slightly furrowed her brows, feeling a little uncomfortable inside.
Before yesterday, if she faced this number, she'd probably just say, 'Serves them right.'
But yesterday, thousands of lives perished before her eyes, those severed limbs and corpses, even now vivid in her memory.
And the world government's direct death toll reached 200,000. Even if according to Kozuki Oden's way of thinking, only those ones deserved death, there might have been many children among them too.
Just imagining such a scene, Toki couldn't bring herself to say, against her conscience, that she could be completely indifferent.
But feelings aside, some things would not change.
Since the destruction of Wano was a predetermined outcome, then she'd rather choose one that didn't look so pathetic.
"Ringo's total population is about a million, right."
Seeing Toki nod silently, Rosse said with a light smile, "If I slaughter everyone in Ringo, the explanation can be revenge. You, making Ringo sacrifice itself entirely, the explanation is that you let Wano unite, giving them the chance to die with honor in battle rather than with their necks stretched out to be slaughtered. Then, who do you think they'll hate more?"
"Hate me. Yes! I'll be the one that makes them feel disgusted," Toki admitted calmly.
She understood Rosse's meaning. After a day of torment, she had thought it through clearly.
In other aspects, she might still feel lost. But regarding Wano, she had already completely let go.
"When I was young, it was Wano's most powerful era. Back then, Wano was even more prosperous and mighty than the Giant Kingdom. Even the Mermaid Princess could speak on equal terms with the Shogun of Wano."
"In my heart, Wano holds an extraordinary place."
"But the Wano of today is no longer the Wano in my memory. Eight hundred years have passed, and the changes here are too great."
"More closed off, more ignorant."
"Since Wano has already reached the point of inevitable decline, then my choice is to give it a dignified funeral."
Toki raised her head gently, once again revealing an extraordinary brilliance.
If not for her mentality still being a little lacking, she might have awakened Conqueror's Haki right there.
"Well said," Rosse laughed softly, clapping rhythmically.
Brilliant, truly brilliant.
To hear such words from Toki in Wano, his grand stage was worth building.
All along, whether seizing power or raising strength, the ultimate goal was Rosse wanting to become the one and only.
And why become the only one?
Rosse's answer was: only such a life is exciting enough.
Encounter brilliance, achieve brilliance, that had always been Rosse's greatest drive moving through this world.
Drink the strongest wine, watch the best play, fight the strongest men, taste the most beautiful lips.
To see Toki fully blossom herself, Rosse was genuinely delighted.
In his eyes, just in terms of mentality, Toki was far better than Kozuki Oden.
Of course, this also had to do with the mentality as well.
But if it were Oden, he wouldn't have had the patience to wait at all.
After all, Toki could bring him joy in every way, whereas Oden, he didn't want to see him one bit.
Suddenly, Rosse thought of something, raised an eyebrow lightly, and said, "By the way, I heard Kozuki Oden went to the Flower Capital again today to dance naked? Are you sure he's doing it to save people, and not because he actually has that kind of hobby?"
"Uh...", The moment Oden was brought up, the bold, spirited Toki just now suddenly lost her momentum.
Oden... really was becoming her black history now, Toki felt helpless inside.
"He probably does. Sometimes at the mansion, he'd also dance that kind of dance to entertain," Toki thought seriously for a moment and gave an answer that nearly stunned Rosse.
'So he really has that kink?'
'No wonder he could keep at it for five years.'
"Tch! Now I suddenly mind a little," Rosse chuckled.
"You bastard!", Toki instantly understood, glaring angrily at Rosse, "It's clearly already brand new, this body has only ever been touched by you!"
Before Rosse had his fun, he had even helped her develop her fruit ability.
The Toki Toki no Mi, as the name suggests, a fruit that could affect time.
It not only allowed her to leap through time, but also to retain her youth forever, though the limit was a thousand years.
And since she could preserve her youth, reverting her body's condition became possible too.
Though Toki felt it was meaningless. Just switching to a clean new body won't make the memories disappers.
But back then, to make Rosse pay a price, she had gone all out.
Not just that time. She refreshed her state almost every day, facing Rosse in the best condition.
"Hahaha! Just kidding," Rosse laughed wickedly. In truth, he didn't care about these things.
The Toki Toki fruit indeed was one that could give him extraordinary experiences.
Now he just wondered if the Slip-Slip fruit and the like could bring him even stranger ones.
Thinking of this, Rosse's lips curved slightly upward, and he gave a light pat to Toki's softness.
Although her body was 20 now, she wasn't truly an 20-year-old girl.
And after being with Rosse for so long, how could she not know his habits? She understood instantly what he meant.
Rolling her eyes at him, Toki helplessly bent down a little.
This posture made it easier to exert force, and also allowed closer fit.
Since she couldn't resist, then she might as well enjoy it.
Anyway, in such things, she didn't really lose out, right?
Toki lightly drew in a breath, slowly emptying her thoughts, her eyes gradually growing unfocused.
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