Toki could be considered one of the few normal people in the Kozuki family—
At least, that’s how Orin saw it.
A gentle and refined face, paired with an intelligent and considerate smile, her sky-blue hair tied high, gave her a grace that was gentle without being ek.
She was the very image of a model wife.
Oda really did treat Oden like his own son, forcefully pairing him with such a virtuous and capable woman.
As for how Orin felt about Lady Toki...
He didn’t have any particular ideas. After all, what kind of won hadn’t he seen before? A re married woman—frankly speaking, as long as he raised his arm on the seas, countless won would abandon their husbands and children to rush to the Sabaody Archipelago in pursuit of wealth and glory.
He just thought it wasn’t easy for the Kozuki family to have a normal person like her.
At the very least—
She wasn’t one to chase impossible dreams.
"You saved our lives in our mont of crisis. For that, we are already endlessly grateful. I dare not ask for more."
Toki’s lips curved into a smile.
Her generous and dignified deanor truly displayed the bearing of the matriarch of a great clan.
She waved her hand, signaling the surrounding samurai to withdraw.
Denjiro and the others hesitated at this sight, but under the resolute gaze of Kozuki Toki, they eventually bowed their heads and stepped out.
Orin raised an eyebrow at this scene.
Surely it wasn’t what he thought it was?
"Lady Toki, you are...?"
Orin noticed Kozuki Hiyori looking at him, her eyes shining with admiration and dependence. He returned her a smile—
Unexpectedly, the young Hiyori blushed shyly.
Kozuki Toki didn’t notice this. Instead, she looked at Orin with great solemnity, a faint trace of sorrow flickering in her eyes.
"Orin-kun, you once journeyed with Oden to the Final Island, so you must know... Twenty years from now, a true savior will co to liberate Wano."
Lady Toki softly recounted the secret Oden had once told her.
He had even suggested she leap twenty years into the future, straight to the era she wished to reach.
But because of family and love, Kozuki Toki had ultimately stopped her ti travel, choosing instead to die alongside him.
"Yes, that’s true. It’s the new era that Captain Roger had been waiting for."
The corner of Orin’s mouth curved upward.
But it really had little to do with him.
After all, he wasn’t a person of the new era, nor did he have any burden or responsibility to push history forward.
For him, it was more like observing from a god’s perspective—or manipulating things from behind the scenes.
Besides, with the monsters of the new era joining the seas, things were bound to get lively—
And Orin loved a good commotion.
"Then... I have an unreasonable request, but I hope you will grant it. The Kozuki family will be forever grateful to you!"
Suddenly—
Lady Toki dropped into a full dogeza. Orin was montarily stunned, then instantly vanished from where he stood, reappearing to the side.
(T/N: Dogeza is a Japanese term referring to a deep, prostrating bow where one kneels on the ground and touches their forehead to the floor.)
Such a heavy gesture carried too much karmic weight—
And he didn’t like accepting that kind of debt.
"If you ever have the ability in the future, please... take care of my son, even just a little. I will be eternally grateful!!!"
Toki’s eyes were brimming with tears. She had already resolved to die. Hiyori would be cared for by the samurai of her holand, but the son who would leap twenty years ahead—into an unknown era—was the one she couldn’t stop worrying about.
As a mother, she could only do everything within her power.
And a mother’s plea is sothing few could easily refuse.
"I understand. If I have the chance, I’ll look out for him a little."
Orin didn’t commit too much.
At most, in the future Punk Hazard and Dressrosa "dungeons," he could tell Doffy not to make things too hard for him.
Taking a useless person seriously would only drag himself down to their level, wouldn’t it?
Orin remained unmoved inside, but still gave a mother one last gesture of kindness.
Even such a vague, practically empty promise was already a great comfort to soone who was about to face death.
...
Kozuki Toki died.
Leaving behind a prophecy of the future.
Orin didn’t change a thing—
Or rather, he had never planned to.
After all, he already knew the plot. None of these events could affect his mood.
In this world, the strong laugh, and the weak weep.
Orin didn’t like this country, but he did enjoy traveling and indulging himself—especially in a nation with such deeply ingrained servility.
"This way, honored guest~"
Pleasure houses were everywhere, the won in their bright kimonos dolled up to perfection. Spotting such a free-spending young gentleman, they all eagerly stepped forward.
Orin was already a regular in places like this—more familiar than his own ho.
After all, with money, you could do whatever you wanted.
"Ten of you! All at once!!"
It was ti to savor the foreign flavors. His extravagant spending drew the attention of every geisha in the establishnt.
"What an idiot of a young master. We’ll have to squeeze him dry..."
"Yeah, it’s been a long ti since we’ve seen such a rich fool."
On the top floor, the madam and her companions watched Orin’s "rich and foolish" deanor with sly smiles.
Sches like the one Komurasaki (Hiyori) would one day employ to fleece her clients had existed long before—
Using beauty to lure them in, draining their wealth, then kicking them to the curb.
...
Orin strolled into a private room with a group of geisha draped around him.
There was nothing too risqué—mostly music and massages.
The strumming of the shamisen filled the air with a Tokyo-like atmosphere as Orin enjoyed the massage without asking for much more.
After all, this was a closed-off nation. Even if he wanted extra "flair," they probably couldn’t pull it off.
An hour later, Orin lay on the bed with his hands behind his head, eyes closed in comfort. The geisha, having finished their service, had quietly withdrawn.
A sliding door creaked open, and the madam entered.
"Forgive the intrusion, my lord~"
Hearing this, Orin slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the sly-faced madam.
"It’s about ti to settle the bill."
"Is that so? How much?"
Orin smiled casually.
"Adding up all the costs... it cos to about... ten thousand platinum~"
"That much?"
From what he knew, platinum was already an expensive currency in Wano—
Ten thousand platinum? That could buy several houses in the center of the Flower Capital.
"But I don’t have that much money. What should I do?"
The madam’s eyes darkened slightly in disbelief. Judging by Orin’s attire and his earlier "ten at once" attitude, he didn’t look like a poor man.
Clearly, he just didn’t want to pay.
"Honored guest, I hope you understand—we sell art, not our bodies. If the shogun’s close retainers or samurai caught wind of this, we could easily claim you forced the geisha into selling their bodies. That would count as.... you know..."
At that, Orin burst out laughing.
"If I don’t pay... doesn’t that an it doesn’t count?"
(T/N: In China, people really hate Momonosuke, I don’t know why, maybe it has sothing to do with historical events. I don’t like it.)
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