HST: Chapter 294/295

Chapter 294: Regret

After learning the truth about Momonosuke and his companions' mistake in time travel, Caelan no longer had any questions.

He dispelled the Reality Marble and took Kozuki Toki back to the shogun's mansion. Naturally, she resisted fiercely.

However...

"With the power of the Command Spell multiplied a hundredfold, you will obey my command."

Caelan only increased his strength slightly, and Toki's resistance crumbled completely.

It felt as though her body no longer belonged to her, as though it had been bound by an invisible mark.

Unable to resist, unable to turn away, she followed Caelan back with light, careful steps. If not for the sorrow and resentment in her eyes, she would have looked like his most loyal attendant.

Caelan didn't mind. In fact, he found her obedience somewhat pleasing.

To make enemies kneel and allies smile, both brought a different kind of satisfaction.

For the first time, he thought the sky above Wano Country looked exceptionally bright. Perhaps it was because those who disgusted him most were gone.

Inside the shogun's mansion, Kozuki Hiyori lowered her head and stood motionless. She didn't cry. All she could hear were the faint echoes of Momonosuke's pleas for mercy.

The failure of the rebellion was undeniable, and the last strength of the Kozuki family had been crushed in Caelan's hands.

From this day forth, the Kozuki family was history.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

Footsteps echoed steadily through the corridor, calm and deliberate, as if wiping out thousands had been nothing more than a minor task.

Hiyori immediately knew it was Caelan returning. Perhaps he wasn't alone, but it no longer mattered who accompanied him.

She lowered her gaze and saw his boots before her, the edge of her kimono brushing lightly against them.

Then, she knelt and bowed deeply.

"Your servant, Kozuki Hiyori, welcomes Master back in victory."

Her voice was steady, yet it carried an unwavering tone of reverence.

Caelan raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Whether her submission was genuine or an act, he didn't care. Either way, he was satisfied.

Toki looked at Hiyori in shock and anger, unable to understand what she was witnessing.

From the memories Caelan had implanted in her mind, she knew what had happened between them, and she could not accept it.

This was the man who had brought ruin to their clan and struck down Momonosuke. Yet her daughter stood before him like this.

"Rise. I'm pleased," Caelan said with a faint smile, resting his hand on Hiyori's head.

"Yes, Master," Hiyori replied softly. "You've just returned from battle. Would you like me to prepare a bath for you?"

"We both need to clean up," Caelan said lightly. "Prepare it for me and the lady beside me."

"Yes, Master." Hiyori bowed, but when she looked up, she froze. The woman beside Caelan had green hair just like hers.

"Mother?" she whispered.

Caelan nodded. "Yes, this is Kozuki Toki, whom I have resurrected."

Hiyori's eyes trembled, but she quickly composed herself. "Forgive me, Master. I lost my composure. I'll prepare the hot spring at once."

"How could this happen? Hiyori, wake up!" Toki cried out, her heart filled with desperation.

But Hiyori ignored her and led them toward the hot spring.

The water's warmth filled the room with steam and mist.

Caelan leaned against the edge of the bath, calm and silent. Toki sat beside him, uncertain and uneasy, while Hiyori attended to him quietly from behind.

"It's amusing," Caelan said with half-closed eyes. "Not long ago, you stood against me. Now, you've accepted me completely."

He didn't know what she was thinking, but it didn't matter.

What intrigued him more was how the two women—mother and daughter—would react when forced to face each other.

He released the Command Spell that silenced Toki, allowing her to speak.

"Hiyori, stop this! You can't go along with him. He's our enemy!" Toki shouted, her voice trembling.

"Yes, he is," Hiyori answered quietly. "But then, why are you still sitting here?"

Toki's face turned red. "He's using some kind of spell to control me. I can't resist it."

"Mother, were you also 'forced' to stand by Momonosuke eighteen years ago?" Hiyori's tone grew colder. "That fool led our family to ruin."

"How can you speak that way about your brother!" Toki cried. "He's the chosen one who will lead Wano to salvation!"

"Salvation?" Hiyori laughed bitterly. "He's the one who brought our end. We tried to stop him, but he insisted on reclaiming the shogunate. When the time came, he was the first to beg for mercy."

"If he'd never returned, perhaps our family's fate would've been brighter."

"Hiyori, enough! Momonosuke only failed because the timing was wrong. We just need to wait. The true hero will appear in two years and restore Wano," Toki said firmly.

"With someone like Momonosuke as your hero, even the gods can't save Wano," Hiyori muttered.

Caelan listened quietly, finding her words oddly amusing.

"Hiyori, you mustn't say that!" Toki tried to protest again.

Hiyori turned to her, her eyes calm. "It's all in the past. The dead should rest. What matters now is serving Master well."

Toki fell silent, her expression filled with disbelief.

Caelan chuckled softly as he watched the two—so similar in appearance, yet so different in heart.

The night was still young.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 295: Together

While Caelan was enjoying himself, the entirety of Wano Country was gripped with fear.

The citizens of the Flower Capital saw with their own eyes the six thousand captives who had marched in protest. Now they were being loaded onto carts, two hundred at a time, and transported toward Rabbit Bowl.

Along the way, several Marine officers, including Yamakaji and Tokikakke, announced the orders through loudspeakers.

[The Supreme Commander is merciful. The rebels will be dealt with according to their crimes.]

The townspeople, already terrified by the sight of chained prisoners, felt their fear deepen upon hearing this proclamation.

This was no mercy at all. It was judgment.

"These people are doomed. They won't last a week!"

The onlookers stared at the unconscious captives on the carts with pity.

They had merely joined a march, causing no harm to Caelan, yet now their lives were forfeit.

"Isn't that man too cruel?" one citizen whispered.

"These people were deceived into joining, yet they're punished like this. Isn't it too severe? They didn't do anything. Shouldn't mercy be shown?"

He trembled as he spoke, afraid that such cruelty might someday fall on him.

"Hush," another man hissed, pulling him back. "At least those six thousand still have their bodies. The four thousand samurai... they're gone. Even their shadows have vanished."

The first man froze, his legs shaking violently.

He remembered the whispers, the rumors of warriors disappearing without a trace, their spirits seemingly devoured by something unholy.

The crowd that once murmured with sympathy fell silent. Gradually, their whispers turned into words of fearful praise.

"They brought this upon themselves. How dare they go against someone like him!"

"They should've known better. Now the next order will only make things worse for us."

"Idiots. Why couldn't they just stay quiet?"

Anger and fear mixed in the air. The citizens began to justify Caelan's actions, convincing themselves that his rule was unshakable.

After all, this was the man who had crushed both Kaido-sama and Orochi. He was a godlike being who could not be challenged.

The newly arrived Neo Marines spread stories of Caelan's previous feats throughout the land, terrifying the populace even further.

They learned that the man ruling Wano was not merely invincible here—he was a monster feared across the entire world.

No rebellion could possibly threaten him. To resist meant death.

As the long line of prisoner carts vanished down the road, fear and awe toward Caelan grew stronger in every heart within the Flower Capital.

Soon, the news reached Kuri, Ringo, Hakumai, and the other regions of Wano. The entire nation trembled.

No one had imagined Caelan's methods would be so ruthless. Four thousand samurai had been wiped out in an instant, and six thousand more were captured without warning.

No matter how much the people grumbled in secret, in the end they bowed to fear.

They began to revere Caelan as a demon god—dreaded, yet worshiped for his power.

…

In a ravine deep within Kuri, Yamato raced through the forest toward the Flower Capital. Branches whipped against her face, but she ignored the scratches.

When Caelan appeared on Onigashima, the entire Beasts Pirates crew had rushed out to confront him. Seizing the chance, she escaped and found the key to remove her handcuffs.

She had planned to help those fighting against Kaido, but by the time she arrived, they were gone.

Back then, she hadn't known who was battling her father, only that someone was challenging him. She assumed they would fail, so she fled to Kuri instead.

Believing herself to be Kozuki Oden's successor, she wanted to visit Kuri—the land Oden once ruled—and trace his legacy there.

During her travels, she heard the rumors spreading about Caelan.

"I didn't expect the old man to lose and become someone else's mount," Yamato laughed, thinking of Kaido.

She had always despised her father. Learning that he had been defeated and turned into a mount made her burst into laughter.

Truly, this was what people meant when they spoke of a loving father and filial daughter.

After her laughter faded, Yamato's expression turned serious. "That beast was no good, but that so-called God Slayer isn't any better. He destroyed the Kozuki clan's warriors."

She had always regarded the Kozuki retainers and Momonosuke as her allies, her people. Hearing that they were all gone filled her with anger and sorrow.

If she had received the news earlier, she would have gone to fight alongside them.

But it was too late. Momonosuke, Kin'emon, and the other Kozuki samurai were dead. The four thousand retainers had vanished, and the six thousand followers had been taken away.

The Kozuki family's hope was all but gone.

"I can't save the dead, but I can save the living," Yamato muttered, determination flashing in her eyes.

She quickened her pace. She had to reach the Flower Capital and plead with Caelan to release the captives.

As for why she didn't simply storm the stronghold and free them herself—she hadn't thought that far ahead.

Wasn't that what Oden had done? When faced with conflict, he went straight to talk to the other side.

Following her idol's example was the only thing that felt right.

"Wano is the Kozuki family's country. Why won't anyone return it to them?"

The question echoed in her mind, but no answer came.

Orochi, Kaido, and now Caelan—all had taken Wano for themselves. Why had the Kozuki clan failed against them all?

"Is it because they were too foolish?" she wondered briefly, then quickly shook her head.

No, it wasn't their fault. It was simply because there were too many evil people in this world.

(To be continued.)