One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

After the kiss ended, only the sound of the lamps gently swaying remained in the teahouse.

Viktor looked down at Hiyori, who was so close to him.

Her hand remained on the hilt of the second-generation Kitetsu, her eyes showing no sign of flinching.

"Are you really sure?"

"I asked," Victor asked.

Hiyori nodded gently.

"I had already planned this from the moment I sent out that invitation."

She sent out the second invitation tonight precisely because she knew they would part ways tomorrow.

The first time, she was the courtesan Xiao Zi, who invited him into the game while pretending to be innocent.

This time, she is Hiyori Kozuki, the shogun of Wano Country, and a woman about to bid farewell to her beloved.

I won't beg you to stay.

Hiyori looked at Viktor, her voice soft but without hesitation.

"I won't let you take me away."

So tonight, just tonight.

She raised her hand and removed the hairpin.

Her dark hair cascaded down her shoulders, and the composure and dignity that belonged to the general during the day seemed to have been temporarily set aside along with that hairpin.

That night, she no longer wanted to be a woman of the Moon, bound by family and country.

She just wanted to leave Viktor with a farewell that truly belonged to her before he left.

Victor took her hand.

This time, he did not evade the issue with silence, nor did he downplay that night as an accident.

"I haven't forgotten that night."

Hiyori's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Victor continued, "And it's not something you can just throw away."

Upon hearing these words, Hiyori's long-strained emotions finally softened completely.

But Victor did not kiss her again immediately.

He looked at her and asked:

"Do you still consider this as repaying a debt of gratitude?"

Hiyori was slightly taken aback.

She knew that Viktor wasn't just asking about tonight, but also about the night before the great battle.

At that time, she was indeed experiencing a mix of emotions.

His gratitude to his benefactor, his resolute decision to make a final gamble before Orochi and Kaido's downfall, and his attraction to Victor himself.

That night was not pure.

So tonight, she has to make things clear.

"At that time, I did think about using myself to repay some of the debts."

Hiyori said in a low voice.

"Orochi is still alive, and Kaido is still dominating Wano Country."

"I don't know if he will come tomorrow, or if I will be able to wait for my brother to return."

She looked up at Viktor, her eyes gentle yet more resolute than ever.

"But not now."

"Orochi is dead, Kaido is dead, and Wano Country has returned to Kozuki's hands."

"I no longer need to prove anything in this way, nor do I need to repay anyone with my own actions."

"Tonight is just a time when I want to see you."

"It's just... I can't bear to part with you."

At this point, Hiyori suddenly smiled softly.

"And... just in case, I added something to that cup of tea."

Viktor glanced down at the tea on the table, which had gone cold.

Hiyori's ears turned slightly red, but she quickly added:

"These are just ordinary herbs to supplement the couple's diet; their effects aren't as strong as last time."

Viktor was silent for a moment, then finally reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Sunlight was close to his chest, her long, loose hair falling between his arms.

"Now you've learned to explain first."

"After all, it seems Lord Victor remembered the last time for a long time."

Victor didn't say anything more, but lowered his head and kissed her again.

The kiss was very light at first.

Hiyori didn't back down; instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled deeper into his embrace.

The night breeze outside the teahouse stirred the curtains, and the lights inside flickered.

Hiyori's fingers slid down Viktor's shoulder, pausing slightly when they touched the still-healing wound on his chest.

She recalled the Susanoo on the verge of collapse beneath Oni Island.

I recall the awe-inspiring sight of everyone looking up when the nine giant tails supported the entire island.

She also recalled the overwhelming sense of relief she felt when she stood under the sunlight in the City of Flowers and first truly confirmed that the person had returned alive.

"Does it still hurt?"

She asked softly.

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

Hiyori knew that this was just his habitual answer.

She didn't expose him, but instead leaned down and placed a very light kiss next to the wound.

Viktor's breathing noticeably quickened for a moment.

Hiyori noticed his reaction, her cheeks flushed, but she didn't stop.

It was as if she was leaving behind a bit of her own tenderness for that war.

Viktor finally broke his restraint.

He picked up Rihe and carried her behind the screen.

The lights were separated by the screen, leaving only overlapping shadows and increasingly disordered breathing deep inside the teahouse.

Hiyori's sash slipped off onto the edge of the tatami mat, but her fingertips remained firmly gripping Victor's wrist.

She did not back down, nor did she regret it.

She simply used each of her proactive kisses to tell Viktor that this was her conscious and firm choice.

"Hiyori."

Viktor called her name softly.

Hearing this address, Hiyori's eyes welled up slightly, but she smiled and kissed him, trying not to actually cry.

This night was more sober and longer than the last one.

That's why every touch feels especially solemn.

Hiyori took the initiative to remove the last layer of restraint.

Victor reached out and gripped her waist tightly.

She let out a soft gasp, then bit her lip, as if afraid of disturbing the night outside the teahouse.

But the more suppressed the voices were, the more fragmented and clear they became.

The lights flickered.

The shadows on the screen sometimes drew closer and sometimes overlapped.

The tea on the table had long since gone cold.

Hiyori's hair was loose in Victor's arms, her sash fell to the side of the tatami mat, but her fingertips remained tightly gripping his wrist.

She doesn't ask for promises.

But that night, she kept confirming that she had truly been embraced by him.

As the night deepened, a few strands of the woman's hair on the couch were soaked with sweat and clung to her long, fair neck.

His eyes were veiled with a hazy mist, his gaze distant and unfocused.

Victor's eyes darkened, and the woman couldn't help but let out a few low moans.

After a short while, the teahouse gradually quieted down.

Hiyori leaned against Viktor's chest, her breathing still not fully calm.

A few strands of her dark hair were damp with a thin layer of sweat, clinging to her fair neck, and there was still a lingering mist in her eyes.

She remained silent for a long time, then suddenly asked:

"Will Lord Victor quickly forget Wano Country after leaving?"

"Won't."

"Will you forget me?"

Viktor looked down at her.

"I took your knife."

"As long as it's still here, I'll remember who gave it to me."

After listening, Hiyori smiled softly.

This suits them better than any vow.

She knew that pirates wouldn't stay in one place, and she also knew that Viktor didn't belong to Wano Country.

So she won't chase after him.

She wants to stay here.

To become a true Kozuki Hiyori, and to work with Momonosuke to help this country, which has just awakened from the darkness, rise again.

As dawn approached, the earliest footsteps of Flower City could be heard outside the teahouse.

In the distance, some people began to gather up the lanterns left over from last night's banquet, while others pushed grain carts toward the city gate.

Another day belonging to the new land of Wano has begun quietly.

Victor got up to leave.

Hiyori also sat up, personally straightened his clothes, and re-tied the cord of the second-generation Kitetsu.

She moved slowly, but she didn't cry.

The gentle warmth of last night was gradually withdrawn from her heart, transforming her back into the dignified and composed general she was during the day.

She looked at Viktor and said softly:

"Lord Victor."

"Go find Laugh Tale."

"Let's help Luffy become the Pirate King!"

She paused for a moment, a faint smile appearing in her eyes.

"Then bring Nami and Robin back here..."

She knew very well that the people who would truly stay with Viktor until the end were Nami and Robin.

Therefore, she hopes that when he returns to Wano Country next time, he will not be filled with regret or indebtedness, but with a smile after fulfilling his dream.

Hiyori raised her head, her eyes clear and firm.

"I will stay here."

"To make this country a place where you can laugh freely when you come back next time."

Viktor answered softly:

"Then I'll look forward to it."

One goes to find the final island.

One stayed behind to rebuild the country.

This is the most suitable agreement between them.

Hiyori didn't see him off at the door.

She simply stood inside the teahouse, watching Victor leave with the second-generation Kitetsu.

Morning light shone through the crack in the door, falling on the Yamato sword case that had been closed again.

And Kozuki Hiyori finally kept this night, which could not be recorded in history, quietly in her heart.

Because she knew very well that if Viktor really stopped for her, then he would no longer be the Viktor she loved.

……

When Victor returned to his temporary lodgings, Nami and Robin were already awake.

The two sat in the room, as if they had known he would return at this time.

Nami noticed the second-generation Kitetsu that was hanging from his waist at first glance.

She crossed her arms, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Dao and Victor's faces.

"So, what did you bring back this time?"

Viktor paused for a moment, then said with a smile:

"knife."

Nami squinted her eyes.

"A normal knife?"

Viktor thought for a moment and answered seriously:

"Demon Blade".

Nami's forehead vein twitched slightly.

Robin couldn't help but chuckle.

"At least this time, he didn't touch his nose."

Nami looked at Viktor, as if she wanted to say something.

But in the end, she just hummed softly and didn't press the matter further.

This is not because she doesn't care at all.

But she knew that the matter was over.

Hiyori will not go to sea with them.

Victor has also returned here.

Outside the window, the morning light gradually rises in the City of Flowers.

The farewell to Wano Country has been completed.

Next, the Straw Hat Pirates should return to the sea.