Under the brilliant sun, the coastline of Wano shimmered, a beautiful and dreamlike vista of sand and sea. But this idyllic scenery was a cruel lie. Not far from the coast, nestled in a bamboo forest that had lost its vibrant green, was a small village of dilapidated wooden houses.
This was Amigasa Village, located in the Kuri region of Wano Country. It was once famous for weaving straw hats, a place that, if not prosperous, at least never knew the gnawing pain of true hunger. That all changed when Kurozumi Orochi became Shogun and allied with Kaido. Their weapons factories poisoned the rivers and the land, stripping the people of the clean water and fertile soil that had sustained them. Starvation became a way of life. Regular meals were a forgotten luxury, and it was not uncommon for villagers to simply waste away from hunger.
The village was visibly dying, growing smaller and quieter with each passing year. The people wanted to flee, but with nowhere to go, they were trapped. Their only moments of fleeting hope came when a pirate ship from the outside world would wash ashore, a rare miracle that brought with it food and fresh water. But these small windfalls were never enough to halt the village's slow, inevitable demise.
In the last few days, however, a different kind of change had come.
Among the ramshackle houses, the emaciated villagers gathered in small groups, their voices hushed as they discussed the news that had swept through the land.
"Hey, did you hear what happened?" one man asked.
"Of course, I heard," another scoffed. "Orochi is dead. And they're renaming Wano Country to 'New Onigashima.' Can you believe it?"
A third man looked around. "Why aren't you guys more surprised? Orochi was the one who killed Lord Oden!"
"Surprised? Why would we be surprised?" the second man shot back. "So what if he killed Oden? All I want right now is a single bowl of rice and a sip of clean water. Besides, Oden... hmph. Haven't you heard what people are saying? The Kozuki Clan never gave a damn about our lives."
"How can you say that?" a woman protested. "Lord Oden protected us!"
"Protected us? Protected us from what!" a man yelled, his voice cracking with bitterness. "I think those people are right. If it wasn't for that Fool Lord, we wouldn't be in this mess! If he hadn't gone sailing off to sea, how could Orochi and Kaido have ever taken over Wano? It's all his fault! And now his samurai followers have just abandoned us? Damn them all..."
"No, the Kozuki Clan wouldn't abandon us," the woman insisted weakly.
"How could they not?" another villager chimed in. "Plenty of people saw it with their own eyes. The Fool Lord's daughter left Wano with all her samurai, and the Beasts Pirates themselves escorted them off the island! If they cared whether we lived or died, why would they leave?"
"That's right! They took all the samurai who followed them but never once thought about the rest of us..."
"But..." the woman tried again.
"No buts! We've been completely abandoned by them."
"No, what I wanted to ask," a different man interrupted, "is it true what they're saying? That the old Shogun, Sukiyaki, is still alive?"
"Damn it, I'd rather he were dead," came a furious reply. "If he really is alive and I ever see him, I swear I'll give him a beating myself. Watched his own son and granddaughter die and did nothing. Watched Orochi torture us for years and did nothing. A man like that is better off dead!"
"They never cared if we lived or died!" the crowd murmured in agreement.
"The Kozuki Clan are all fools! A bunch of big idiots!"
"Hahahahaha....."
Walking along the village path was a strange old man wearing a red tengu mask. A pair of white wings was strapped to his back, a bag hung from his waist, and he moved silently on tall stilts. He listened to the villagers' bitter gossip, his own spirits sinking with every word. Without looking back, he continued toward the forest.
Soon, he arrived at a giant tree with a large shrine built into its roots. The old man pushed open the door and saw a six-year-old girl inside, clutching her head and crying.
He paused, then slowly walked over to her. "Tama, what's wrong?" he asked in a raspy, aged voice. "Did something happen?"
Hearing the familiar voice, the girl named Tama slowly looked up. She bit her lip to stifle a sob, her tear-filled eyes wide with desperate hope. "Lord Tengu," she asked, her voice trembling, "has the Kozuki Clan... really abandoned us?"
The masked old man's body went stiff. Looking at the small girl before him, he didn't know what to say. His silence was an answer in itself, and Tama's face fell, her expression growing even sadder.
Just as a fresh wave of tears threatened to spill, the old man finally spoke. "No... they won't. The Kozuki Clan will definitely return!"
Instantly, pure joy lit up the girl's face. "I knew it! Everyone else is lying! The Kozuki Clan will come back to save Wano Country!"
She began jumping up and down happily inside the small shrine. The sight caused the old man's expression to shift subtly behind his mask. After a moment of thought, he unfastened the bag from his waist and handed it to her. Tama took it, and when she peeked inside, her face broke into a radiant smile. It was full of clean, white rice.
"Tama, I might be busy for the next few days, and I won't be back," the old man said. "You must take good care of yourself. Consider this rice my early birthday gift to you."
The girl's smile faltered. "Lord Tengu, are you leaving, too?"
The old man nodded silently.
Tama's bright smile immediately returned, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I understand. I'll take good care of the house. Master, you have to come back!"
"Mm," he grunted in affirmation. He looked up at the sword hanging on the wall, took it down, and walked off into the distance. Tama watched her master slowly disappear from sight. She felt a powerful urge to cry, but she stubbornly held her tears back.
She first tidied up the house as she was taught, then carefully hid the precious rice. She was determined to save it to eat on her birthday. For now, she would find something else.
She went to the beach and searched the forest, but her luck was poor. By the time the sun began to set, casting a golden glow across the shore, Tama still hadn't found a single thing to eat. She could only rub her rumbling stomach and walk dejectedly along the coastline.
That's when she saw him. A strange, impossibly burly figure was sitting on the sand where the waves lapped at the shore, gazing at the distant sunset. A large sake gourd rested beside him as he drank and enjoyed the view.
Tama grew nervous. She instinctively thought he was a pirate who had washed ashore, just like Ace had all that time ago. But she knew that good people like Ace were the exception; most pirates were bad guys.
Her natural curiosity made her sneak a few glances. When it seemed the man hadn't noticed her, she prepared to slip away. But just as she turned to leave, a deep voice boomed in her ears.
"Hey, kid. Got anything to eat?"
Tama jumped in surprise and spun around. She finally got a clear look at the man. He was shockingly tall and looked incredibly fierce. His tone, however, was surprisingly gentle, and he was looking at her with a smile. For some reason, Tama found herself thinking that with a build that large, he must get even hungrier than she did.
"Hey, kid, what are you spacing out for?" the man said. "If you don't have anything, then forget it..."
"No, no, no! I do!" Tama said anxiously. "Please wait right here!"
She ran back to the shrine as fast as her legs could carry her. About twenty minutes later, she returned, carefully carrying a bento box. She nervously held it up with both hands in front of the man. When she opened it, the fragrant steam of a full bowl of white rice rose into the air.
The man looked at the bento box, which wasn't even as big as his thumb, then simply grabbed it and poured the entire bowl of rice into his mouth.
This man was, of course, Kaido. And he had come to this forgotten village with only one purpose in mind: to find the new Shogun of Wano Country.
Kurozumi Tama.
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