One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

Six days after Kaido's defeat, all the gates of the Flower Capital were opened simultaneously.

The enthronement ceremony was originally scheduled for the fourth day.

However, the wounded on Ghost Island have not yet been transferred, and food and medicine have not been properly arranged in various villages.

After discussing with Hiyori, Momonosuke voluntarily postponed the ceremony until the situation stabilized before rescheduling it.

Before dawn, people from Kuri, Uwan, Suzuko, and Himi began to enter the capital.

Many people were dressed in tattered clothes, and their straw sandals were even worn through.

Most of them had never been to the Flower Capital in their lives, yet they still wanted to witness the Kozuki family regain control of Wano Country.

The area in front of the general's castle was not decorated with the luxurious gold and silver ornaments typical of the Kurozumi Orochi era.

The wooden platform, flags, and the Kozuki family crest used in the ceremony were all handmade by the people and artisans of the Flower Capital over the past few days.

You can even see splinters on the edge of the wooden platform that haven't been properly sanded.

The flags, of varying sizes, fluttered in the morning breeze.

Some have suggested that the distribution of food and medical aid should be suspended during the enthronement ceremony to avoid affecting its solemnity.

Hiyori, however, refused outright.

"The enthronement ceremony can begin later."

"But we can't let the people go hungry for another day just to see the Kozuki family take the stage again."

Therefore, even though tens of thousands of people had gathered in front of the general's city, grain carts and medicine carts inside the city continued to pass through the roads cleared by the crowd.

The entire Flower Capital gradually quieted down only after the heavy drumbeats resounded from the city tower.

Countless eyes turned to the high platform in front of the General's City.

Kin'emon, Denjiro, Kawamatsu, and others stood on either side.

Those samurai who survived the Onigashima war also changed into relatively neat clothes.

They did not cover their wounds.

The bandages and cracks in the armor were also part of the ritual.

A moment later, Momonosuke slowly walked out of the general's castle.

He wore a formal suit embroidered with the Kozuki family crest, and his father's famous sword, Ame no Habakiri, was hanging at his waist.

As an adult, he was tall and upright, with broad shoulders and a back view that were very similar to Kozuki Oden in his youth.

Many elderly people in the crowd who had seen Oden before instantly had tears in their eyes.

"Lord Oden..."

Someone instinctively called out that name, then forcefully wiped away their tears.

Only Kin'emon, who was standing nearby, could see that Momonosuke's fingers, hidden in his sleeve, were trembling slightly.

He barely slept last night.

When facing Kaido, he knew that if he retreated, Onigashima would crash into the Flower Capital, so he had no choice.

But now, standing before tens of thousands of people, he was even more afraid than he had been that night.

These people weren't waiting for him to become a dragon, nor were they waiting for him to shout out the same heroic slogans as his father.

They were waiting for the new general to tell them what to eat tomorrow, where to live after losing their homes, and when the poisoned land would be able to grow food again.

Kin'emon stood behind, neither reminding Momonosuke to imitate Oden nor preparing any exaggerated opening for him.

Momonosuke took a deep breath and walked alone to the center of the platform.

He did not spread his arms wide in the same bold and unrestrained manner his father once displayed.

He did not loudly proclaim that he would become a great general unparalleled in the world.

Under everyone's gaze, Momonosuke first bowed deeply to the people below the platform.

A commotion immediately broke out in the crowd.

Generals of the past never bowed down to ordinary people.

Momonosuke maintained his bowing posture, his voice slightly stiff from nervousness, yet it still carried clearly to the area below the platform.

"I am Kozuki Momonosuke."

"Twenty years ago, my mother used her abilities to send me into the future."

"So what have been a long and painful twenty years for you have amounted to only a few months in my life."

"I never went hungry at the quarry in Udon, and I never saw the weapons factory pollute the river."

"None of them lived under Kurozumi Orochi's nose for twenty years like Hiyori did."

Momonosuke raised his head and calmly faced the surprised looks from the crowd.

"Even though I now have the body of an adult, my mind is still that of a child who doesn't understand politics."

The expressions of several former officials changed.

They never expected that Momonosuke would publicly admit his shortcomings during his enthronement ceremony.

For someone about to become a general, such frankness seemed too weak.

Momonosuke continued:

"That's why I won't pretend that I've become like my father."

"I will learn, and I will definitely make mistakes."

"I may not be able to repair all the houses immediately, nor can I get the contaminated land to grow rice again in a single day."

His fingers stopped trembling.

"But no matter what happens, I will never abandon this country and run away again."

The crowd gradually quieted down.

Momonosuke neither attributed Kaido's defeat to the Kozuki family nor claimed all the glory for himself.

"I was not the one who defeated Kaido."

"Those who won this war were those who never stopped resisting over the past twenty years."

"They are the samurai and civilians who, even knowing they might die, still took up arms and set foot on Onigashima."

"They are also a group of friends from overseas who are willing to risk their lives for Wano Country."

"Without them, the Kozuki family wouldn't be standing here today."

This speech was neither majestic nor did it contain any flowery language that would be repeatedly praised by historians.

However, the people below the platform, who were initially uneasy because he admitted his shortcomings, gradually calmed down.

What they saw was not another high-ranking general.

Rather, it is someone who is equally afraid, but willing to acknowledge their fear and take responsibility.

After the speech, Momonosuke did not immediately accept the seal symbolizing the shogun's power.

He turned around and looked behind the platform.

Hiyori, dressed in a white and red kimono embroidered with the Kozuki family crest, slowly walked onto the wooden platform.

Many people in the Flower Capital have seen Komurasaki.

Only at this moment did they truly connect the famous courtesan of the capital with Oden's daughter, Hiyori Kozuki.

Momonosuke looked at his sister, then at all the people.

"I inherited the name of the Kozuki family."

"The one who truly accompanied Wano Country through these twenty years and witnessed firsthand the suffering you endured was Hiyori."

"Therefore, the future of this country should not be decided by me alone."

A more pronounced murmur arose from the crowd.

Momonosuke clenched his fist and solemnly announced:

"From this day forward, Hiyori Kozuki will share the throne with me as Shogun."

"Wa no Koku will have two generals."

Silence fell instantly below the platform.

There has never been a precedent in Wano Country where two generals jointly govern.

There is no tradition of women formally becoming generals.

Several former retainers who had served the Kozuki family were about to speak when Denjiro had already knelt down on one knee.

"Denjiro greets General Momonosuke and General Hiyori."

Kin'emon knelt down immediately after him.

Kawamatsu, Hyogoro, and the other samurai bowed their heads in turn.

More and more people realized what was happening and bowed to the Guangyue siblings standing in the center of the platform.

Rihe did not refuse.

She stepped forward and explained in a steady voice the responsibilities that the brother and sister would have from now on.

Momonosuke will be primarily responsible for samurai, national defense, and the Kozuki family's external affairs.

Hiyori was responsible for food, finance, management of the Flower Capital, and reconstruction of various villages.

Major decisions involving war, taxes, and land must be signed jointly by the siblings.

If the two disagree, the matter should be discussed by the Red Scabbards, representatives from various villages, and people familiar with the relevant affairs, rather than being decided by one of them based on their status.

These are not just two generals.

This was also the first time Wano Country had attempted not to entrust the fate of the entire country to one person.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Tenguyama Hitsuchi slowly walked up to the high platform.

He removed his mask and revealed his identity as Kozuki Sukiyaki.

A huge shock immediately arose among the crowd and the retainers.

Instead of seizing the opportunity to regain power, Sukiyaki bowed down to the people.

"Back then, I failed to protect this country."

"I have neither the qualifications nor the face to reclaim the position of general."

He held up the seal symbolizing the power of the Kozuki family with both hands and walked up to Momonosuke and Hiyori.

"The future of Wano Country should be entrusted to those who are truly willing to take on this responsibility."

Momonosuke and Hiyori simultaneously reached out and grasped the seal, one on the left and one on the right.

The brother and sister turned to face the tens of thousands of people in front of the general's city.

Momonosuke loudly announced:

"From this day forward, Wano Country no longer belongs to Kurozumi Orochi, nor to Kaido of the Beasts!"

Hiyori took over his words.

"It belongs to everyone who lives on this land."

After the words fell, a brief silence enveloped the entire Flower City.

The next moment, cheers erupted like a wave from the front of the crowd, spreading all the way to outside the city gate.

Some people shouted Momonosuke's name, while others shouted "General Hiyori" for the first time.

Many people simply hugged their loved ones tightly, letting their tears fall freely.

Only at this moment did they truly believe that the Kozuki family had returned.

That dark night that lasted for twenty years will never come again.

After ascending to the throne, the Kozuki siblings did not announce the construction of a new palace, nor did they request a nationwide celebration for several days.

Together they issued their first official announcement after becoming generals.

The grain warehouses that were temporarily opened will remain open.

All forced labor will be permanently abolished.

The weapons factory ceased production of munitions and was gradually transformed into workshops manufacturing agricultural tools, building materials, and daily necessities.

The members of the Beasts Pirates will be tried in public according to their respective crimes, and no one is allowed to use vigilante justice.

For those who died in the Onigashima War, Wano Country will hold a unified funeral before reconstruction begins, recording every name that can be identified.

Finally, Hiyori looked down at the people below the platform.

"Today's ascension to the throne does not mean that Wano Country has been restored."

"The real change is not changing the flags on the city walls."

"But tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and every day thereafter, we can ensure that people have enough to eat and children have clean water to drink."

Cheers erupted again.

This time, it's not just because of the Kozuki family's name.

Rather, it was because people were hearing for the first time that someone standing in the general's position publicly promise to return food, land, and livelihoods to them.

The ceremony lasted until evening.

Back in his private courtyard behind the general's castle, Momonosuke immediately lost his composure from the high platform as soon as he was out of sight of outsiders.

He took off his heavy formal attire, lay down on the wooden corridor, and let out a long breath.

"The general's clothes are heavier than Onigashima..."

Hiyori sat to the side, unable to suppress a soft chuckle.

She was equally exhausted, but she did not mock her brother for not being authoritative enough in front of the people.

Momonosuke turned over, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"Hiyori, did I...act like a general today?"

Hiyori thought about it seriously for a while. "My brother doesn't seem like Father today."

Momonosuke's expectant look vanished instantly, and his shoulders slumped.

Hiyori continued:

"But you are like Kozuki Momonosuke."

"That's enough."

Momonosuke paused for a moment, then finally smiled with relief.

After the courtyard quieted down, he suddenly remembered the Straw Hat Pirates who were still recuperating at the makeshift clinic.

"How are Lord Luffy and the others?"

"Lord Luffy has woken up, and Lord Victor is also able to get out of bed briefly."

"The injuries of the others are basically stable, only Lord Zoro has not yet woken up."

Momonosuke sat up immediately after hearing this.

During his enthronement ceremony, he publicly thanked all those who participated in the war on behalf of Wano Country.

But that gratitude belonged to the general and his allies; it wasn't what he truly wanted to say.

"Do not hold a large banquet."

Momonosuke said seriously:

"Many people are still starving, and many families are preparing for funerals."

"Prepare a small banquet here so that Lord Luffy and his crew can have a good meal."

"I want to thank them personally as a friend."

Hiyori nodded in agreement.

Momonosuke then summoned Kin'emon and Denjiro.

"Please go to the temporary clinic."

"Tell Lord Luffy and the others—"

Momonosuke paused for a moment, a childlike smile appearing on his face.

"It wasn't the two generals who summoned the Straw Hat Pirates."

"It's Momonosuke and Hiyori who want to invite their friends over for dinner."