"I'm so sorry, Suzu-chan… and all of you… for causing you so much trouble right to the very end."
"Don't talk about the end like that, Granny… I… I still want to… I want to spend more time with everyone…!"
The day after the pirate attack—
Even though the illness itself had been cured, it had already hollowed the elders out. It drained not only their strength, but the very thread of life holding them together.
To care for them all at once, everyone was gathered in the largest, sturdiest house in the village and laid down together.
Among them was one old woman whose condition was slightly better than the rest—enough that she could sit up and speak clearly. She called us over, then began to talk in halting phrases, her words fading into silence between breaths.
"No one knows my body better than I do… no, I suppose that's true for all of us elders here. That's why I need to tell you this properly, Suzu-chan."
She paused and met Suzu-chan's eyes.
"Suzu-chan… you must leave this island with these people. You're still so young. You have a long life ahead of you. You need to find your own life—one you won't regret."
"But… that's…!" Suzu-chan choked out.
"Either way… it's too late for us." The old woman's voice stayed gentle, matter-of-fact. "We don't have much time left. Death may come for us any day now. Even so… we can manage for a while with the stored food, and with the vegetables and fish we can gather nearby… and by the time those run out, we'll likely be… cough…"
Harsh as it sounded, it was probably true.
Even to an amateur like me, their condition was grave. Honestly, I doubted they would even live long enough to use the stockpiles they'd saved. Most of them looked like they had, at best, a day or two.
"That's why you don't need to be tied down here anymore, Suzu-chan," the old woman continued. "You've suffered enough. From now on, live as you please. Do what you want. And if you don't know what you want yet, then leave this island and find it. See the world. Touch different things…"
"…hick…"
"Don't grieve for us." The old woman smiled, calm and unwavering. "We've lived long, full lives. We came to this island thinking we would quietly wither away… but then we met you—our new 'granddaughter.' We got to live together. In the end, we made the best memories. There's nothing left for us to regret. So, Suzu-chan… please. Fulfill our last wish."
She paused, then spoke the words as if placing them carefully into Suzu-chan's hands.
"Be happy. Live joyfully, abundantly, and long—for all of us. That is our greatest joy. Our final wish."
Her arm looked almost too weak to lift, yet she forced it upward anyway. With a bony hand, she gently stroked Suzu-chan's head.
Her eyes were kind and serene—so peaceful you'd never guess she was speaking of her own death. They were a grandmother's eyes, wishing only happiness for her "granddaughter."
"That's… cowardly," Suzu-chan whispered, voice cracking. "Saying it like that… if you say it like that, I…"
"Heh heh heh…" The old woman chuckled softly. "That's right. Old folks like me have lived long enough to run our mouths and our minds endlessly… especially when it's about protecting our precious granddaughter."
Then she turned to us.
"…I'm sorry to trouble you both like this at the end." Her voice trembled, but her gaze didn't. "But please. I beg you. Take her away from this island. Take her somewhere she can live peacefully—happily. I trust you with her…"
"Yes," I said, bowing my head. "Leave it to us. Though… only if Suzu-chan wants to. Of course."
At my words, Leona, the old woman, and I all looked at Suzu-chan—not with pressure, just with quiet patience.
Suzu-chan fought desperately against her tears, tilting her chin up as if she could force them back inside. She met Granny's gaze head-on.
"Don't worry, Granny!" she said, voice wavering but loud. "I… I'll make it out there just fine, even if I leave this place! Someday… I don't know when—maybe decades from now—when I die and go to the other world and we meet again… I'll bring you a mountain of stories about the wonderful, happy life I lived! So… so don't worry… sniff…!"
"Heh heh heh… That's something to look forward to…"
Oops. Almost lost it there, Suzu-chan.
She was smiling—doing her best to smile—but the tears bright at the corners of her eyes gave her away.
The old woman didn't wipe them. She only smiled, relieved—truly serene—and kept stroking Suzu-chan's head until her arm could no longer lift.
---
A few days later—
Every last one of the island's elderly residents had passed away.
The three of us worked together to bury them all. And just like that, only the three of us remained on this island.
In the midst of it all, Suzu-chan led me to her house.
She would be leaving with Leona and me soon. Before we set sail, we had to prepare—sort her belongings, decide what to take, pack.
She'd said she didn't own much, so it should be quick.
…That was what I thought, but there was more here than expected.
"These aren't really mine," Suzu-chan said, rummaging through the stacks. "Most of it belonged to the old man and woman who brought me here. When they died, they asked the islanders to keep these things, saying I might need them someday. Since we're here anyway, it'd be a waste not to take anything useful."
If I remembered right, her grandparents were from Wano.
Maybe there'd be some distinctive craft or specialty from there… but nothing jumped out at first glance.
There was a flat, wide woven hat like something you'd see in an old period drama. A sword that must have belonged to her grandparents. And then—
"…A scroll?"
"Mama, what does that say?"
"Give me a minute… The paper's so deteriorated I can barely make it out. And the handwriting is so ornate…" I squinted. "Suzu-chan, can you read this?"
"No idea," she said, taking it carefully. "But I can read and write. I should be able to decipher it… later."
"Eeeh? Why not now?!"
"It's just…" Suzu-chan's eyes slid away, embarrassed. "This kind of thing is like cleaning your room and finding an old book full of memories. You start reading and suddenly it's night and you haven't cleaned anything. I know how that goes. I'll explain later. Just wait."
…She said it so convincingly that I couldn't even argue.
It's been over ten years, but I still remember when Stella and I lived together. During a big cleanup, I found an old favorite book, got completely absorbed, and by the time I looked up it was dark. Stella had been furious—You've made an even bigger mess!—but now it was a warm memory. Whew.
Leona looked dissatisfied at being put on hold, but she managed to swallow it down.
The three of us worked together and sorted everything.
In a little over an hour, we were done. Everything Suzu-chan needed to take with her was ready.
It wasn't much, really.
The woven hat. Two swords that were apparently family heirlooms—well-made, possibly even famous blades. A few scrolls that looked important.
And then—
An inrō? A little medicine case, like the one they dramatically raise in Mito Kōmon to make all the villains scream, Hahー! It even had a family crest.
The craftsmanship was meticulous. If someone owned something like this, then in Wano… they probably weren't ordinary.
And the crest… I couldn't quite place it.
It looked like a flower with five petals, or something like that.
"Hey, Suzu," Leona said, poking at it. "What's this? A toy?"
"No." Suzu-chan shook her head. "It seems important, but they never told me what it was. I figured I'd keep it for now… but look."
She pulled the inrō apart lengthwise. It snapped open cleanly.
"It's built like this, so I'm guessing it's just a small case. Storage, maybe."
"Huh…" Leona leaned closer. "It's so elaborate, though. And what's with that weird mark?"
Well, inrō weren't really symbols of power in the first place. They were just containers—medicine, personal items, small necessities.
"So what about that scroll?" I asked. "The one you were reading earlier."
"Ah." Suzu-chan held it up. "It says: 'Kurozumi Family Secret Manual.' It's faded and damaged, so I'll need time to decipher it properly… but it looks like an instruction manual for swordsmanship or something."
"Kurozumi…" Leona repeated. "That's your last name, right?"
"Huh?" Suzu-chan blinked, then gave a small, awkward smile. "Oh. Right. I never actually introduced myself."
She sat properly on the floor, back straight, and bowed with formal politeness.
"My name is Kurozumi Suzu. I'm from Wano Country, and I'm a descendant of the Kurozumi Family… though I honestly don't know anything about the Kurozumi Family myself." She raised her head and looked at us steadily. "Nice to meet you, Sue and Leona."
Kurozumi Suzu…
So that was her full name. It fit her perfectly.
"Right," I said softly. "Nice to meet you. Then… shall we get going? Once you're on the ship, make yourself at home. Just relax."
"Take care, Suzu!" Leona grinned.
"Mm-hmm!" Suzu-chan answered brightly, and the three of us left her house.
I doubt we'll ever return to this place again.
When Suzu-chan walked from the village to the port and stepped onto the ship, she looked back at the village just once.
She didn't say anything aloud—maybe she whispered I'll be back in her heart.
Then she flashed a bright smile and leapt aboard.
---
By the way—just a small aside.
Some time after the Poison Island incident—years later, in fact—
the custom in the Jibairane Kingdom of sending elderly people to Uubasuten Island via the regular monthly service began to dwindle… and eventually disappeared altogether.
I don't know why.
"It wasn't me who solved those difficult problems; it was my elderly mother. The elderly have lived longer than us, experienced more, and possess a wealth of invaluable knowledge."
"Let's take Grandpa's carrying frame back instead of throwing it away. We'll need it again when it's Dad's turn."
"Why am I breaking off branches and dropping them? So you won't get lost on your way back. These are markers to guide you."
Around the same time, several children's picture books with similar themes—published under a pen name by a shell company to conceal that they were written by yours truly, the Pirate Literary Master—appeared across the world and became a sensation. Adults as well as children called them "profound."
Rumors spread about countries, regions, and villages that mistreated their elders, and those places began to face public scorn and condemnation.
Whether those events are connected…
I can't say for sure.
To be continued...