CHAPTER 47 — STATE OF WANO
Yamato stared at the stupid boy sleeping in her lap. She watched his calm breathing and relaxed expression, looking at how completely unguarded Kai was while he slept.
A mischievous smile slowly spread across her face as she raised her hand and gently poked his cheek.
Kai frowned in his sleep, his eyebrows drawing together in displeasure. He shifted slightly, rolling his head against her lap as though trying to escape whatever was disturbing his peaceful nap.
Yamato grinned at his adorable expression and reached out to poke his cheek again, letting out a quiet, mischievous giggle.
Kai frowned even harder, his eyes squinting in annoyance. Still half-asleep, he raised one hand and waved it vaguely in the air before rolling over in Yamato's lap.
His hand found her waist, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, settling down with a small smile like a lazy cat that had finally found the most comfortable place to sleep.
Yamato blinked in surprise before giggling again. She looked down at the boy hugging her waist and tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Should I keep poking him?" she wondered aloud, staring at his peaceful face for a while.
After remembering that he had freed Wano just for her, however, she sighed and shook her head. "Fine, fine. Sleep all you want."
She muttered with a smile, then gently stroked Kai's raven-black hair instead of continuing to tease him.
Kai seemed to find the gentle touch extremely comforting, and the smile on his face grew wider as he nestled closer to her.
"Sleepy cat," Yamato murmured affectionately, her lips curving into an even wider smile.
A gentle breeze swept through the surrounding trees as the sun slowly rose over the horizon.
The long night finally came to an end, and golden rays of sunlight spilled across the island, illuminating Yamato and Kai as they rested beneath the tree.
The peaceful morning stood in sharp contrast to the tremendous battle that had shaken Onigashima only hours earlier.
A few minutes later, Toki came searching for them. She soon spotted the pair beneath the tree and stopped in her tracks, looking at the rather amusing sight before her.
Yamato was leaning against the tree, fast asleep, with one hand resting in Kai's hair and the other on his shoulder. Her long white hair, tipped with green and blue, flowed gently in the breeze.
Kai had both arms wrapped around Yamato's waist, lying comfortably in her lap.
The warm morning sunlight fell upon them, making the scene look almost peaceful enough to belong in another world.
Toki watched them for a moment before letting out a long, amused sigh.
"Sigh... Why do I keep forgetting that they're still teenage brats?" she muttered, shaking her head with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
Kai was already at the level of a Yonko.
His strength was undeniable, and there was little doubt that he was a walking monster in human skin.
Even Loki, the accursed prince of Elbaf, had only managed to tie with Kai during their stay in Elbaf.
Yet Kai was still incredibly young, with limited combat experience compared to the years of fighting that many other powerful warriors had accumulated.
Loki, after all, had grown up fighting beasts in the Realm of the Dead and had faced countless giant warriors.
Despite that experience, he had only managed to draw with Kai, who was still developing his abilities.
Toki couldn't help but wonder just how terrifying the boy would become when he finally reached his full potential.
Then there was Yamato, who was a monster in her own right.
She was the same age as Kai, yet she had already reached a level where even Toki had to take her seriously.
Yamato possessed all three types of Haki and had already learned Conqueror's Haki coating at such a young age.
She was approaching Yonko-level strength, and all she lacked was greater Haki power and advanced forms of Observation and Armament Haki.
"Well..." Toki looked at the two teenagers sleeping soundly beneath the tree and smiled faintly. "I suppose I should let them sleep for a while."
She turned away, allowing the warmth to disappear from her expression as her face gradually became cold. "Meanwhile, I should take care of the rats."
Her body dissolved into countless blood-red bats, which scattered into the air with a soft fluttering sound.
Using the extraordinary senses granted by her Vampire Devil Fruit, combined with her Observation Haki, Toki could detect movements across an unbelievable distance.
Covering most of Onigashima was child's play for her. Within moments, she located the so-called rats of the World Government: the spies who were attempting to send information back to the Government and the Navy.
Soon, Toki began flying all over Onigashima. Every stop she made resulted in the death of several spies, leaving behind only dried, mummy-like corpses whose blood and vitality had been completely drained.
She didn't even need to draw Ame-no-Hibikiri to deal with them.
While Toki was eliminating the spies hidden among the Beast Pirates, news of the defeat of Kaido's forces and Orochi's death began spreading throughout Wano.
"Hey, did you hear? The Kozuki samurai fought against Orochi and the Beast Pirates!"
"Tsk! That's quite outdated information. Everyone in the Flower Capital already knows that a war broke out at Shogun Castle, led by the new Shogun, Kozuki Hiyori!"
"Yeah, but everyone ignored it at first because nobody believed a girl could accomplish anything. They thought it was just another pointless struggle."
"Well, with Kaido there, it was understandable that people had little hope. But Shogun Hiyori wasn't alone. She had help, and the Beast King Kaido has been defeated! Wano has finally been liberated by Shogun Hiyori and Lady Toki!"
The news spread rapidly as Shinobu and the other samurai moved throughout the country, informing the people of their victory.
They praised Hiyori at every opportunity, proudly referring to her as the Shogun and the new Shogun of Wano.
Although a few people still opposed the idea of a woman ruling the country, most ordinary citizens cared little about such arguments.
For them, Hiyori was the hope they had been waiting for. She represented the end of their suffering and the beginning of a new Wano, one where they could finally live without fear of Kaido and Orochi.
At the same time, many daimyo and nobles found themselves in a state of panic.
Their former allies had fallen, their protection had vanished, and the new rulers were unlikely to overlook their corruption.
"Damn that Orochi! How could he and Kaido lose?" one noble shouted, frantically gathering his possessions.
Others cursed both Orochi and Kaido as they scrambled to collect their wealth and prepare their escape.
Some attempted to bribe their guards, while others secretly arranged ships to carry them away from Wano.
However, they had no idea that Ashura and Denjiro were already preparing to deal with the corrupt nobles and samurai.
Their orders were absolutely clear: no corrupt noble or samurai would be allowed to remain in the new Wano.
Those were Kai's orders.
Ashura Doji, unlike other of Oden's retainers, had always been loyal to Oden himself rather than the Kozuki family as a whole.
After Oden's death, he had lost his purpose and spent years wandering in despair.
Now, however, he had found a new lord in Kai, whose strength and actions had gradually earned his loyalty.
As Ashura led a group of bandits toward the homes of the corrupt nobles, he couldn't help but recall the first time he had met Kai.
Kai had arrived at the location that Denjiro and Ushimaru had discovered, wearing his Oni Samurai clothes and mask.
They had already tried to contact Ashura, but the stubborn samurai, who followed only Oden and had suffered another lost to Kaido, had ignored them.
Rather than sending someone else, Kai had decided to meet the man in person.
Ashura and his bandits had reacted exactly as Kai expected. They immediately attacked the strange Oni Samurai, refusing to listen to anything he had to say.
Kai, however, had fought them alone for three entire days before finally defeating them.
After that battle, Ashura had grudgingly agreed to follow Kai.
Yet as time passed, he witnessed Kai's incredible growth and watched him purify the rivers of Wano, gradually developing a deep loyalty toward the young man.
"Come on, everyone!" Ashura shouted, raising his weapon as he led the group forward. "We can't disappoint Lord Kai and Shogun Hiyori! Deal with those corrupt nobles and help build the new Wano!"
"Yes!"
"For the Shogun!"
"For Lord Kai!"
The samurai and bandits roared in unison, their voices echoing through the streets as they marched toward their targets.
For the first time in twenty years, they were no longer fighting merely to survive. They were fighting to ensure that the suffering of Wano's people would never return.