One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

When Kin'emon hurriedly returned to the Shogun's castle with news that the Straw Hat Pirates were about to leave, Momonosuke and Hiyori were still dealing with post-war affairs.

The council chamber was piled high with records sent from various villages.

Grain allocation, workshop renovation, wounded care, prisoner trials, and the list of those who had not yet had their names recorded.

The land of Wano has just seen the dawn.

But what awaited the two generals after dawn was not relaxation and celebration, but an entire country devastated.

Upon hearing Kin'emon's words, Momonosuke's pen immediately stopped on the paper.

"Setting sail tomorrow?"

His first reaction was shock.

According to Momonosuke, Luffy, Victor, Zoro, and the others have not fully recovered from their injuries.

The Battle of Ghost Island had barely ended, and these people hadn't even had a proper rest before embarking on a new voyage.

"Lord Luffy said they've rested long enough."

Kin'emon lowered his head.

"Moreover, the last piece of the historical text on the road sign has most likely already fallen into Blackbeard's hands."

Momonosuke fell silent.

Hiyori sat to one side, her fingertips gently pressing against the account book on the table.

She had known all along that the Straw Hat Pirates wouldn't stay in one country for long.

Victor and his companions also have a voyage that must continue.

But when that day actually came, she still felt a strange unease.

Like a ray of light that has just shone through the window, not yet fully warming the room, it is about to rush off to the distant sea again.

Momonosuke ultimately did not say anything to persuade him to stay.

He is no longer just a little kid who would hug Luffy and cry, but the shogun of Wano Country.

He couldn't let his own reluctance stop his friends from pursuing their dreams.

"At least..."

Momonosuke said in a low voice:

"Let's give them a proper send-off."

Hiyori raised her head and nodded slightly.

This time, it wasn't a private banquet hosted by the Kozuki family.

Rather, it is the entire Wano Country that is bidding farewell to those who saved them.

The two generals' orders quickly spread throughout the Flower Capital.

A farewell banquet will be held in the city that evening.

However, this banquet will not requisition food from ordinary people's homes, nor will it use extravagance to mask the hunger and suffering of the common people, as was done in the Great Serpent Era.

The main ingredients for the banquet were supplied by the warehouse that the Kozuki family had taken back control of.

All supplies must not affect the grain carts and medical clinics for the wounded in each village.

Even so, after the news spread, some people still took the initiative to send the small bag of rice they had just received to the city gate.

Some brought freshly brewed sake, while others brought fish that had just been caught from the river.

There were also craftsmen who were rescued from the Rabbit Bowl quarry, who worked through the night to make a row of lanterns with the words "Benefactor, have a safe journey" written on them.

The lanterns were not well made, and the handwriting was somewhat crooked.

But on each lamp was written the nation's belated gratitude, twenty years overdue.

The Straw Hat crew was preparing for their departure.

When Kin'emon returned to the camp to explain that the two generals had decided to hold a farewell banquet for them, Luffy's eyes lit up almost instantly.

"banquet?!"

Chopper immediately jumped in front of him.

"We're setting sail tomorrow, so you absolutely can't eat until you can't move tonight!"

Luffy nodded seriously. "I understand."

Just as Chopper breathed a sigh of relief, he heard him continue asking:

"How much meat was served at the banquet?"

"You didn't listen to a thing!"

Victor stood to the side, offering no objection to the banquet.

They really should leave.

But before leaving, accept a formal thank you from Wano Country.

They are just as important to Momonosuke, Hiyori, and this newly liberated country.

Robin also said softly:

"This banquet is not just a farewell party for us."

"The people of Wano Country also need a truly special celebration of their own to confirm their identity..."

"The era that belonged to Kaido and Orochi has ended."

As night fell, the Flower Capital was illuminated by a long-awaited continuous display of lights.

This time, the bustling streets were no longer the fire festivals that forced people to wear smiles during the Orochi era.

Long tables were set up in front of the granary, along the street, by the bridge, and in the square.

The elderly, children, warriors, craftsmen, geishas, ​​former prisoners, and people from all over the country sat together.

No one was driven to a corner because of their tattered clothes, and no one bowed their head because of their different background.

When the Straw Hat Pirates entered the banquet hall, the entire street erupted in deafening cheers.

"Straw Hat Luffy!"

"Victor!"

"Lady Nami! Lady Robin!"

"Lord Zoro! Lord Sanji!"

People called out their names as if welcoming heroes returning from legend.

Luffy laughed loudly and charged straight towards the nearest meat table.

While reminding him not to wander off, Nami couldn't help but be touched by the genuine smiles of the people.

Usopp straightened his back, trying to project the majesty of the "Billion Dollar Pirate," but he was quickly surrounded by a group of children who demanded that he recount how he commanded the battle on Onigashima.

The Straw Hat crew, despite being pirates, are being treated like heroes by the entire city.

When the banquet reached its most lively moment, Momonosuke walked up to the high platform.

He did not prepare a lengthy general's address, nor did he have the officials beside him read any flowery articles.

Facing the Straw Hat Pirates and the city's residents, he simply lowered his head deeply.

"Without the Straw Hat Pirates, I would never have been able to return to Wano Country."

"Without Lord Luffy, I would never have had the courage to face Kaido."

"If it weren't for Lord Victor holding up Onigashima, the Flower Capital wouldn't be lit up tonight."

Momonosuke's voice trembled slightly, but he still tried his best to make sure everyone could hear him clearly.

"I thank Lord Luffy, Lord Victor, every member of the Straw Hat Pirates, and everyone who risked their lives in the Onigashima war."

"It was you who brought Wano Country back to dawn."

"Compared to you... I feel utterly ashamed."

Luffy felt extremely uncomfortable listening to this and waved his hands, shouting:

"Peach! Don't say things like that again!"

Momonosuke tried to hold back his tears, but when he heard Luffy's familiar voice, his eyes immediately welled up with tears.

He cried as he shouted even louder:

"I will definitely become a shogun who ensures the people of Wano Country have enough to eat!"

"Wano Country will always be a partner and ally of the Straw Hat Pirates!"

Below the platform, Kin'emon was already in tears.

Many people also wept softly.

This time, they cried not out of fear and loss, but because they were finally able to release the emotions that had been building up for twenty years under the lamplight.

After Momonosuke stepped down, Hiyori walked to the other side of the platform.

She sat down slowly, holding a shamisen in her arms.

As the music began, the entire street gradually quieted down.

The first few notes were low and long, like the twenty years that Wano Country was shrouded in darkness, and also like the souls of those who could never return to the banquet.

Upon hearing the melody, Brooke took out her violin and joined in.

Franky tapped out the beat with his metal arm, while Usopp led the children in clapping in response.

Soon, the people also began to gently tap their wine cups and wooden tables in rhythm.

The originally solemn music gradually transformed into a piece truly befitting a banquet.

Laughter returned to the streets.

When Hiyori stopped playing, she looked in the direction where the Straw Hat Pirates were.

Her gaze lingered briefly on Viktor.

She is now Kozuki Hiyori, and also the shogun of Wano Country.

She could keep some feelings in her heart, but she couldn't let them overshadow the nascent future of this country.

Victor saw her too.

The two did not speak in front of the city's residents, but only briefly exchanged glances across the lights and crowds.

Hiyori's lips curled up into a gentle smile.

She believed that no matter how far the ship sailed into the sea...

He will always remember the moonlight, the aroma of sake, and certain flavors that belong only to them in Wano Country.

The banquet lasted until late at night before gradually coming to an end.

Momonosuke and Hiyori came to the Straw Hat crew again.

This time, they didn't try to stop them.

Momonosuke said seriously:

"The Wano Country Council will strive to restore food supplies, rebuild workshops, and train new samurai."

"Next time you come, I will prepare an even bigger feast than tonight."

Luffy immediately extended his little finger.

"It's a date!"

Momonosuke was stunned for a moment, then hooked his finger tightly.

"It's a date!"

Hiyori then walked up to Nami and Robin.

"The Kozuki family will guard the secrets of Hades and the ancient underground kingdom."

"Until the time truly comes for us to open our doors to the world."

Robin nodded slightly.

Nami earnestly reminded him:

"Rebuilding the country costs far more than hosting a banquet; beware of former officials using various accounts to embezzle the budget."

Hiyori paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"I will remember that."

This is not just ordinary politeness.

Rather, it was a promise made by the two generals to the Straw Hat Pirates.

They will safeguard the future that this war has won.

The banquet finally ended, but the lights of the Flower City remained on.

Luffy stood on a high place and raised his arms high to his crew.

"Set sail tomorrow!"

"To all nations!"

"Take the last red stone!"

The Straw Hat crew members responded one after another.

Cheers spread along the street, as if trying to catch up with the wind that was about to sail out to sea.

At the same time, in the sea outside Hezhi.

A naval surveillance ship, hidden in the shadows, is observing the movements in the direction of the waterfall using a special Den Den Mushi (snail phone).

After receiving intelligence from the Flower Capital's infiltrators, the ship's officers immediately relayed the message to the distant fleet.

"confirm."

"The Straw Hat Pirates will leave Wano Country tomorrow."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, then it mimicked Kizaru's lazy tone.

"Is it finally coming out?"

"It's been quite a long wait."

On the nautical chart, several warships are anchored in the waters outside Wano Country, in a position that can intercept major shipping lanes.

They did not rashly attack the border because the waterfalls and high walls of Wano Country were too complicated.

The Straw Hat Pirates, Kozuki Samurai, Law, and the Whitebeard Pirates, who may also intervene, all contribute to the uncertainty of the situation.

However, if the Straw Hat crew were to leave the protection of the high walls and waterfall, the situation would be completely different.

On the flagship's deck, Kizaru gazed at Wano Country at the edge of the night, his Justice Cloak billowing in the sea breeze behind him.

"This is such a hassle~"

The laughter from the farewell banquet still lingers in the City of Flowers.

Meanwhile, in the waters outside the island of Wano, the net of encirclement, cloaked in the guise of justice, has quietly tightened.