The winds of Wano still carried the lingering tang of gunpowder.
In the distance, the floating wreckage of Onigashima still hung in the sky like a scar carved into the land.
On a patch of open ground in the mountains, two figures stood side by side.
The mountain breeze rolled through the grass, whipping their clothes into fluttering folds.
Yamato had her signature kanabō slung over her shoulder, her long white hair blown into a wild ss.
Every so often, she lifted a hand to scratch at the horns on her head, her steps quickening more and more.
Finally, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She leaned toward the man beside her and blurted out, bold and unfiltered:
"Hey, Rei Ao—where exactly are you taking ?"
Her voice was bright and clear, full of that boyish, straightforward cheer.
Hearing that, he turned his head, raised an eyebrow, and said,
"What are you in such a rush for? It's not like I'm going to sell you."
"Sell ? Who would even dare buy ?"
Yamato rolled her eyes and slamd the kanabō into the ground with a heavy thunk, making the earth tremble.
"I'm Kaido's daughter—the forr 'young master' of the Beast Pirates. Who'd want to take on a hot potato like that?"
As she spoke, she leaned in again, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
"But you just said we're going to your 'won's kingdom'? You an… Amazon Lily? That island from the stories—the one that's all won?"
"Who else would I an?"
Rei Ao chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair, ssing up her already chaotic white strands even more.
"Besides there, where else could possibly hold all the treasures I've collected?"
"Who's your treasure?!"
Yamato's face instantly went red. She slapped his hand away and took a step back.
She glared at him like she ant business, but there wasn't a shred of killing intent in her eyes—only embarrassnt.
After all, Rei Ao was her savior, the light that found her in the dark.
Seeing her act tough while clearly flustered, Rei Ao couldn't help letting out a low laugh.
He didn't argue. He simply stopped walking.
His gaze swept over the empty grassland ahead, and he spoke lazily:
"Still, before we head to the won's kingdom… there are two more people I need to bring along."
"Two people?"
Yamato blinked, tilting her head at him.
"Who? You've got acquaintances in Wano?"
"You'll see in a second."
Rei Ao played it mysterious, the corner of his mouth hooking into a teasing smile.
Then he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The crisp sound rang out sharply in the open mountains.
The next instant, the air that had been completely empty suddenly crumpled like a sheet of paper, twisting violently.
Two blinding flashes of white light streaked out—and with two startled cries, two figures slamd down onto the grass in front of them.
A sweet, heavy scent of powder and perfu—mixed with the clean, cool fragrance of cherry blossoms—spread through the air at once.
Yamato's eyes went wide.
Her kanabō fell from her hand with a loud clang.
Staring at the two people on the ground, her face went deathly pale.
She couldn't stop herself from blurting out, "Black Maria?! Kozuki Hiyori?! How the hell did you bring those two here?!"
The first to steady herself was a towering figure—like a small mountain.
Nearly eight ters tall, she radiated an overwhelming pressure even out here in the open mountains.
The woman wore a black, low-cut, off-the-shoulder kimono embroidered with huge blue roses.
Along the hem were scattered, shimring petal-like decorations. As she stumbled, the fabric swayed, revealing glimpses of smooth, snow-white skin—dazzling enough to make your eyes blur.
Her hair was arranged in an elaborate shimada-style updo, and her long blond locks glead in the sunlight like satin.
A slender katana was tucked diagonally into her hair like a hairpin, rocking slightly with her movents.
A pair of vivid crimson horns rose from her head, throwing her pale skin into even sharper relief.
Her erald-green eyes—like jade soaked in spring water—were filled with shock and wariness as they swept across the surroundings.
Pearl earrings trembled softly at her ears.
A turquoise obi was tied at her waist, embroidered with layered white petals that rose and fell faintly with each breath.
Near her shoulder blades, on the bare skin of her upper back, two bold black characters were tattooed—"女难"—surrounded by curling floral patterns that stood out glaringly against her white skin.
It was none other than Black Maria, one of the forr Beast Pirates' Flying Six.
Just ten seconds ago, she'd still been deep in Wano, in a hidden hot-spring inn.
She had been sitting on a cushioned tatami mat, a long smoking pipe between her fingers, calmly giving her loyal subordinates instructions for what ca next.
With Kaido defeated, the Beast Pirates had fractured and collapsed.
She had taken what remained of her faction into hiding, avoiding both the Navy and Wano's samurai.
She was planning to lie low until things cooled off, then sail out to sea and rebuild her own power.
But just as she took a drag, exhaled a smoke ring—
the world in front of her suddenly spun.
The voices around her, the sound of hot spring water—gone in an instant.
And when she opened her eyes again, she was in this desolate mountain wilderness, facing two strangers.
Black Maria's expression imdiately darkened.
Coldness pooled in her green eyes as she instinctively tightened her grip on the pipe.
Her muscles tensed all at once, her whole body snapping into combat readiness.
And beside her stood another woman—petite and delicate.
She had long, beautiful jade-green hair, styled in the proper princess coiffure of the Edo-era nobility.
A pink cherry-blossom hair ornant was pinned into the bun, quivering lightly as she moved.
She wore a brocade kimono embroidered with pine and crane motifs—its colors elegant and restrained, making her refined features look even more graceful and her bearing more dignified.
Even in her panic, she still held onto the poise of a high-born lady.
Only her beautiful almond-shaped eyes betrayed her—filled with fear and helpless confusion.
She was Princess Kozuki Hiyori of Wano.
Ten seconds ago, she had still been in her bedroom at the shogun's residence in the Flower Capital.
She'd been reading the diary her father, Kozuki Oden, had left behind—so moved her tears were on the verge of falling.
The samurai were in council elsewhere. The entire room had been quiet, and she had been alone with her thoughts.
Then suddenly, the world lurched.
The diary slipped from her hands and hit the floor.
It felt as if an invisible hand seized her, dragging her through endless space in a single breath.
When she opened her eyes again, she was in a completely unfamiliar place.
Hiyori staggered, nearly falling to the ground.
She recoiled instinctively, clutching the sleeves of her kimono tightly in both hands.
Looking at the three people before her, her body trembled. Her voice shook as she spoke, small and unsteady:
"…W-Who are you? Where is this? Why am I here?"
Her voice was soft, thick with panic.
Even after losing her country, even after years surviving in the streets as a courtesan, she had never experienced anything this bizarre.
One mont she'd been in her room—then the next, she was in a remote mountain wasteland.
It was completely outside anything she could understand.
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