She, too, wanted to find a good man.
Yet yōkai of any real power were either unbearably ugly or riddled with rotten habits. Those with fine appearance and decent bloodlines never felt like a match for her.
So, for hundreds of years after the death of the Great Dog Demon, Sesshomaru's Mother (the Lady of the West) let the notion of finding another mate fade away.
Loneliness became her only home.
But… if it were that person, perhaps…
A faint rose washed over the Lady's cheeks.
If she were to look upon him, she feared he would look down on her—his station was so exalted, after all.
One Piece World — Wano Country
Whitebeard (Edward Newgate) and Marco had reached their destination.
They looked out over a ravaged land.
Both men's faces darkened.
"Our old friend's homeland's been turned into this," Whitebeard rumbled. "I was too negligent. I didn't expect that bastard Kaido would dare be so cruel."
His fury rolled like distant thunder.
Marco lifted his hands in a calming gesture. "Easy, Pops. We're here now. That's what matters. If we're here, it means this place can be liberated."
Whitebeard grunted. "Good. Let's move."
Behind them, the carp waterfall had already collapsed.
The entire site lay in ruins.
As the only way in and out of Wano, without the carp there could be no entry at all.
So Whitebeard had broken the place—and thrown open Wano's gates.
This was the wish Kozuki Oden had once whispered to him.
Now, Whitebeard had done it.
The two moved fast, arrowing straight toward the Flower Capital.
At that very moment, Kurozumi Orochi still wallowed in his delusions, sure that with Kaido watching over him nothing could go wrong.
He squeezed the people.
He ravaged the country.
The more Oden had longed to save it, the more Orochi had sought to destroy it.
Such was his nature.
"G-General… Whitebeard's here—with Marco!!!"
"Hic… what's a Whitebeard? I don't know him. You dare disturb my nap? Hm?!"
From within the shoji, nine serpentine heads twisted into hideous grins.
The retainer burst into tears. "General, please—wake up! Whitebeard is a Four Emperor stronger than Kaido. It's been a month since Lord Kaido went out!!!"
Kaido had gone to make trouble.
His target was the Dragon.
Everyone knew Monkey D. Dragon had beaten back two Yonko.
Now Whitebeard was here—but Kaido was missing.
What did that imply?
Either Kaido was dead, or Kaido had been defeated.
If his own life hadn't been in danger, the retainer would never have come to tell Kurozumi Orochi.
"You said… Lord Kaido?"
Orochi sobered in an instant.
A sharp, cracking noise sounded outside. Then came the groan of something vast splitting.
Boom.
A mansion a hundred meters across disintegrated into sawdust—
and drifted to the ground like a storm of splinters.
The earth shuddered in response.
It was Whitebeard's favorite technique: resonance—one of the most controllable, yet brutally offensive, moves in his arsenal.
Boom.
Boom.
Heavy footsteps approached, unhurried, unerring.
A figure like a giant emerged.
"W-White… Whitebeard…"
Kurozumi Orochi forgot how to breathe.
He had never imagined the man would arrive this quickly.
"Tch. You schemed to kill Oden," Whitebeard said, voice like a grinding boulder. "A vile swarm of maggots. Living in this world, you do nothing but waste air."
He wasn't in the mood for trial or talk.
He locked on to the target—
and punched.
Kurozumi Orochi convulsed. In the next instant he burst into a red mist and was gone—erased.
Everyone in the room who harbored vile intent died that moment as well.
The townsfolk stared, frozen with terror.
Even Yamato, late to the scene, stood stupefied.
Her enemy—dead, just like that?
"Friends of Wano," Whitebeard called, voice carrying over the rooftops, "I am Kozuki Oden's friend—Whitebeard. I came to slay the Kurozumi Orochi that poisoned your world—
and to crush those rotten beasts and pirate crews.
Don't be afraid. I'm here now. Wano will know peace."
In the silent city, a sound rose all at once—like rain bursting from a long-dry sky:
weeping, drums, the sharp clack of gongs.
They had hoped for this for over twenty years.
At last, they would no longer live under a boot.
Most here could not feed themselves. Except for those enslaved—who could eat—everyone else was left to fate.
"Excuse me… are you Uncle Whitebeard? I'm Kozuki Oden's daughter—Kozuki Hiyori…"
A beauty in oiran silks knelt before the old emperor.
At the same time, those still loyal to Oden rushed forward to present themselves.
Whitebeard's eyes grew complicated. "Child… you've suffered."
"No… truly, I haven't. It's enough that you came…"
Hiyori spoke—and sobbed.
She thought of her mother, her compatriots, all those dead.
Those twenty years…
The burden she had borne finally fell away.
Afterward, Marco took Ka Er to spread the doctrine, while Whitebeard accompanied Hiyori to Oden's grave.
He stood before the carved stone and found no words.
"Uncle," Hiyori said softly, "please don't drown in guilt. Father always told us you didn't know what happened to us. The country was closed off. No news could get through."
Such is the flaw of isolation.
"Oh…" Whitebeard's shoulders sagged. "If he'd said one word, Wano would never have fallen this far."
Whether Roger the Pirate King—
or Whitebeard himself—
both were men of loyalty and righteousness. With one sentence, either would have come, without even asking why.
In the end, they had trusted that things would settle themselves. Oden had died; the land had been given to tyrants.
Why had it come to this…
Hiyori knelt by the stone, tears flowing. "Mother told me Father was proud. He felt Wano's fate was his responsibility—he didn't want outsiders to interfere…"
Oden was a man who cared for face.
But sometimes, it is better to set face aside.
After a time, Hiyori wiped her cheeks and rose. "I'll go to sea with you. I said before that if Wano was saved, I'd dedicate myself."
"Good. Serving God is no burden at all," Whitebeard said. "Perhaps one day Oden will be resurrected…"
Whitebeard felt no contradiction about offerings to God.
It was not about killing.
Serving God in the divine realm was a good thing.
Now that Dragon and Whitebeard's paths barely crossed, he was searching for another pure and lovely girl; there were only two goddesses in God's Domain at present and that was not enough.
If there were more…
They could unify the world even faster.
With Hiyori, the task felt one step nearer completion.
East Blue — Windmill Village
"Seems everyone did well," Monkey D. Dragon said, regarding the hundreds of Devil Fruits piled before him with calm satisfaction. "Perfect timing for a sacrifice to summon a Goddess."
His petite secretary Koala tilted her head. "Summon the Empress, or the Mermaid Princess?"
"We'll see," Dragon said. "It depends on fortune—and on God's arrangement."
When Orochimaru summoned, it had been by designation.
For Rin Tohsaka, the descent had been random.
Who would come this time? It was a serious question.
The golden altar was unloaded from the ship and set upon the shore. The crew arranged devil fruits of many colors atop it like a mosaic of rare gems.
At last, Dragon began the rite.
"Great Eternal God, I am Your loyal believer, Dragon. I have gathered a hundred Devil Fruits. I beg You to send down a Goddess…"
This was not a grand festival.
So there was only one altar.
God's Domain
Liu Che was fishing with Kikyō and a few others when the system's chime whispered in his ear. He smiled. "You keep playing. I've got a few things to handle."
Kikyō felt his arms withdraw. A small pang of loss touched her heart—though she let nothing show on her face.
Matters in the lower realms took priority.
Lovers' business could wait.
Ding… your follower has sacrificed one hundred Devil Fruits, triggering a 100,000× amplification. After fusion, the area of God's Domain expands by 10%, and divine power increases by 10%.
Ding… your follower requests the descent of a Heroic Spirit.
So it was Dragon.
It seemed the One Piece world could be officially taken in hand.
In that case… let Shirahoshi descend.
Thinking of Shirahoshi, Liu Che's head ached. The sweet mermaid princess had picked up strange ideas from somewhere; every time they met she found a way to tangle herself up.
If only she could master coquetry…
She'd only learned half—and dropped the chain at the critical moment. More outrageous than Rin Tohsaka.
For example, she would wait until he was about to bathe… and then swoon the moment he stepped in. She had such little courage—and yet one glance at him left her too shy to lift her head.
Ridiculous.
He had asked her why.
Sea Empress Ji had explained the girl's troubles. Poor child—too pure-hearted. In the end, Liu Che found himself the one who had to wait for her at bedtime.
Still… lately she had become less shy when she saw him. Perhaps that was a woman's growth.
In a breath, Shirahoshi, Boa Hancock, and Dongfang Huaizhu—each having received his oracle—appeared before him.
"This time," Liu Che said lightly, "believers in the lower realm have sacrificed to Me. You will go down and resolve the matter. The three of you—together."
Shirahoshi's eyes kindled. "Is it my world?" she whispered.
"Mm. Huaizhu's world sails smoothly. It's the lower realm that needs help."
Of all the goddesses, Dongfang Huaizhu bore the strongest immortal aura—and the deepest feeling. Liu Che intended to let her roam a bit, to broaden her horizons, to see the customs of other worlds.
"Thank You for Your grace," Dongfang Huaizhu said, joy glimmering in the pale-yellow sweep of her dress.
The three stepped onto the altar, and their consciousnesses slipped free of their bodies.
One Piece World — Descent
Three pillars of light fell from the sky—
cyan, pink, pale yellow.
Divine radiance braided together, and three figures took shape.
Two were familiar to Dragon; the third wore the elegant air of Tushan's world—Dongfang Huaizhu herself.
"We greet the arrival of the three Goddesses," Dragon said, bowing as his followers prostrated themselves.
Dongfang Huaizhu drew in the faint briny scent of the sea and smiled. "Rise, all of you. So this is the lower realm… how interesting."