Chapter 6: The Choice for the Future

Pain coursed through my body as I struggled to sit up. My ribs ached from the impact, my throat was still sore from Kaido's crushing grip, but none of that mattered right now.

The panel was still open in front of me.

[Copy System - Select Skill to Copy]

Kaido (1 Skill Available for Copying)

✅ Mythical Zoan: Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu (Fish-Fish Fruit, Azure Dragon Form)

✅ Advanced Armament Haki (Destructive Level)

✅ Drunken Fist Combat Style

✅ Monstrous Durability & Recovery

✅ Flame Clouds Manipulation

I took a deep breath, my mind racing.

Kaido was nearly unkillable because of his monstrous durability and recovery. No matter how much damage he took, he always got back up. That was his greatest strength—it was why even legends like Oden and Luffy had struggled to defeat him.

I wasn't strong yet.

I wasn't fast yet.

But I could make sure that I survived.

With that thought, I made my choice.

[Selected: Monstrous Durability & Recovery]

The moment I confirmed it, a sudden heat spread through my body, like molten steel being poured into my bones. Every muscle, every nerve, every cell felt like it was being reinforced.

The pain in my ribs vanished instantly. My bruised throat felt completely fine—as if Kaido had never touched me.

I clenched my fists, my skin feeling tougher, stronger. My body had changed.

I might not be able to defeat my enemies yet, but I had taken the first step toward being unbreakable.

The Retainers Arrive

Just as I adjusted to my new power, the doors burst open.

Kin'emon. Denjiro. Kawamatsu. Kiku. Raizo. Ashura. Neko. Inu.

The Nine Red Scabbards had arrived.

They were injured, bleeding, exhausted, but their eyes burned with fury and determination.

"Lady Toki!" Kin'emon gasped, his sword still dripping with blood. "We must hurry! The enemy is surrounding the castle!"

The room was filled with tension, an unbearable weight pressing down on everyone present. The retainers stood solemnly, the flickering candlelight casting long shadows over their battle-worn faces.

My mother, Kozuki Toki, had just spoken the words that sealed our fates.

"We will not survive this night. Oden has fallen. Wano has fallen. But the Kozuki Clan… will endure."

Silence.

The retainers, still bleeding from their battles, hesitated.

"No!" Denjiro burst out, his fists trembling. "We will fight to the death for Wano! We will avenge Oden-sama!"

"The people need us!" Kin'emon added desperately.

My mother's expression did not waver. "If you stay, you will die."

The words cut through the air like a blade.

None of them could refute it.

Because they all knew she was right.

This wasn't just about revenge.

It was about survival.

About ensuring that one day, someone would rise up and finish what Oden started.

One by one, the retainers lowered their heads in reluctant acceptance.

"We will follow your will, Lady Toki," Kin'emon finally said, his voice heavy.

Toki nodded. Then, she turned to me.

The Choice I Had to Make

I clenched my fists.

I didn't want this.

I wanted to save her.

But I couldn't.

The castle was surrounded. There was no escape for her. Even if she left, she would just be hunted down and killed.

I gritted my teeth. I had to accept it.

This was her choice.

Her final gift to us.

"Who will go forward?" she asked softly.

The retainers hesitated.

They wanted to protect Wano now, not twenty years in the future.

And in the end, only a few of them stepped forward.

Kin'emon, Kanjuro, and Raizo.

The others clenched their fists but stayed behind.

Hiyori was crying silently, her small hands clutching my mother's kimono.

I forced myself to remain still.

I wouldn't cry.

I wouldn't break.

I had to be strong.

Toki turned to me, her expression unreadable.

"Momo," she said softly. "You will live."

Then, she raised her hands, calling upon her power.

A strange, blue glow filled the room, wrapping around me and the chosen retainers. Time itself bent to her will.

"Momonosuke," she whispered. "One day, you will return."

I felt the pull of her Time-Time Fruit, the strange, shifting sensation of being untethered from the present. Everything blurred—the walls, the retainers, even the burning castle.

This was it.

This was the moment.

But at the last second—I acted.

A Different Path

I could already feel myself slipping through time.

But before the power completely enveloped me, I activated my own Toki Toki no Mi ability.

I focused all my energy inward, forcing the same blue light to surround only me.

I gritted my teeth, pushing against the force of my mother's power.

I wasn't going to wait 20 years while my country suffered.

I was only going forward three months.

That was enough.

Enough to disappear from Kaido's sight.

Enough to not be found.

Enough to return faster, stronger.

The sensation of time shifting grew stronger, heavier, pulling me apart from Kin'emon and the others.

I caught one last glimpse of my mother's warm smile.

And then—

Everything went white.

The Future Awaits

When I woke up, the world was different.

I gasped, my body jerking upright as I sucked in cold, clean air.

The burning castle was gone.

The sounds of battle had vanished.

I was alone.

The night sky stretched above me, endless and unfamiliar. The land beneath me was quiet, untouched by the fire and chaos of the night I had left behind.

I had moved forward three months.

Not twenty years.

Kin'emon and the others… they were in the distant future now.

Hiyori was still in the past.

Some retainers had remained behind.

And my mother…

I clenched my fists, grinding my teeth to stop the scream building in my chest.

I was still in Wano.

And from this moment on—I would no longer be weak.