"...maybe the weasel was right," Penguin said glumly, slumping over the table in exhaustion. "The part timer clearly still doesn't want to be found, so we should just let her be..."

"We can't give up yet!" Shachi reprimanded him. "Captain's counting on us, remember?"

"But where else is there to check? We've been looking all day!"

"All day?" Shiori knelt across from them, setting down a laden tea tray on the kotatsu. She smiled sympathetically as she began distributing the steaming ceramic cups. "You two must be exhausted then!"

Shachi nodded gratefully and leaned in to take one. He eyed Shiori's relaxed expression over the rim of his cup before taking a tentative sip. It was somewhat of a miracle that they had crossed paths that day to begin with. She had encountered them near Tsukinoya on her way back from an errand and, upon learning of their plight, invited them to have some tea at her home for a short reprieve.

It was a kind offer, though the forwardness of it hadn't quite struck Shachi until now. He flushed a little in embarrassment and looked down. Was it strange to not think twice about it? he found himself wondering to himself. She was a young woman living alone after all, and she'd just let two pirates into her home without a moment's hesitation.

Thinking back to how she'd blindsided Arisa during their first encounter, maybe it spoke volumes of how much confidence she had in her own capabilities. Though it could also indicate a certain level of trust she had placed in them for whatever inexplicable reason. It was hard for Shachi to tell. She was cryptic in her own way.

Hell, everyone on this island seemed to be to a certain extent.

Either way, it wasn't as if he or Penguin harbored any nefarious intentions; they both were just glad for the opportunity to stretch their legs after hours of non-stop meandering.

"Did you say she was here this morning?" Penguin asked, blowing on his tea excessively before taking a sip.

"Yes. I don't know until when, though – I was out running some errands when she left."

"Ugh, of course." Penguin slumped over the low table again with a dejected sigh. "So we're back to square one. Assuming we ever left square one to begin with." He groaned. "...damn it, why did Ikkaku have to mouth off like that?"

"She must have her reasons for hating the Nightingale," Shachi mused, a small pang of guilt accompanying his words. With the benefit of hindsight, he could now clearly remember how genuinely uncomfortable their crewmate had gotten whenever that epithet came up in conversation.

Shiori's eyes flickered with an unreadable emotion at the mention as well. It was gone in an instant, however, replaced by a ruminative look as she clasped both hands around her cup and took a cautious sip of her own.

Penguin presently lifted his chin off the table, wearing a slight frown.

"Hey, Shiori-san. This might be a little insensitive for us to ask, but..."

Shiori looked up with an expectant smile.

"What is it now?"

"You knew the Nightingale when she was still alive, right? What sort of person was she?"

"Well. It might be overstating it to say that I knew her, really," Shiori answered carefully. There was a deliberate pause as her gaze meandered over to the courtyard garden. "For all of her independent ways, Towa-san was very particular about maintaining a particular front. There were very few people she ever let in in any meaningful way..."

Penguin hesitated.

"Was she similar to the part timer at all?"

Shachi frowned and turned to shoot his friend a warning look. But only an airy chuckle broke past Shiori's lips. She breathed out a small sigh as she set her cup down.

"...Arisa and Towa-san?" She shook her head incredulously. "No, they couldn't have been more different – especially back then. Believe it or not, Arisa originally didn't even want to be a yōkai hunter."

"Really?"

"Oh, yes. Don't tell her I said this, but she used to be as much of a chicken as Himuro when it came to yōkai!" Shiori let out a little laugh and leaned in, teasingly lowering her voice. "Looking back to when we were kids, it's hard to believe how much she's changed; younger me certainly wouldn't have believed it. God, she used to be such a crybaby!"

"What changed then?" Shachi tilted his head in curiosity.

Was she pressured into it? he found himself wondering.

"Well, there were expectations, certainly – that tends to be the case for most children with yōgari as parents. But... Towa-san wasn't really like that."

Shiori paused again and stared into her cup, her voice growing distant as the expression on her face.

"No, it wasn't so much the Nightingale who influenced Arisa's mindset as it was a choice made by someone else."

──────────────────

"Suzume! Suzumeeeeeeee!" The most undignified screech came sailing from over the rolling hilltops surrounding Benigoi Village, shattering the tranquility of that quiet spring morning. Its source - a scrawny scrap of a girl, no more than ten or eleven years old - soon came whizzing down the dirt path, her long dark hair whipping haphazardly behind her.

"Suzumeeee! Come quick!"

Catching sight of a flash of crimson kimono fabric from the river bank below, she swerved sharply and went charging down the marshy slope, limbs flailing ungraciously for balance. Another girl, looking to be about a year older, was sitting amongst the rocks, a pencil in hand and a half-finished sketch resting on her lap. She looked up from her work to shoot her visitor a scrunched frown.

"What is it now, Shiori?" she sighed.

"It's Arisa!" Shiori babbled, skidding to a stop next to her friend. "She's stuck!"

"Stuck?' Suzume repeated blankly. "Stuck whe- agh!"

She cut off with an undignified screech as Shiori grabbed her wrist, nearly yanking her wholly off the boulder with an insistent tug.

"C'mon! It's an emergency!"

"Fine, fine – I get it! Now let go!"

Scrambling out of the bank and retracing Shiori's steps, they beelined to the scene of the aforementioned emergency – the base of an old maple tree, more precisely.

"Arisaaaa? Oi, Arisaaaaa!" Shiori called up, circling the trunk and waving frantically like one on the verge of being driven to distraction. "Don't worry! Look, Suzu's here now! We'll get you down together!"

There was a small rustle of leaves, and then a small, pale face slowly emerged from the greenery. A little girl with silver hair and large blue eyes sat huddled up on one of the limbs near the top, clinging onto the branch for dear life.

"S-S-Suzume?" the eight year old called out haltingly, peering down at them with wide, frightened eyes. She swallowed hard, as if on the verge of holding back tears.

Suzume blinked in wonder, before mustering a reassuring smile and stepping closer.

"No – don't look down if it scares you!" she advised. "How on earth did you manage to get so high up?"

"I d-dunno," the little girl hiccuped. "J-just.... Fumi wouldn't stop crying... and I wanted to find her so bad... But now we're both stuck up here. I'm sorry!"

A faint meow sounded, and a tiny kitten's head popped up from behind the crook of the child's arm. They both looked so ridiculously terrified, peering down wide-eyed from over the branch with their faces pressed side-by-side, that Suzume couldn't help but stem back a small giggle.

"Su-zu-me!" Shiori whined, stamping her feet childishly. Arisa's eyes snapped over to her other friend, her lips starting to wobble a little as her distress steadily mounted.

"Alright, alright!" Suzume quickly reverted to a firmer tone. She ventured closer to the trunk and cupped her hands to her mouth. "Arisa, like I said – don't look down, okay? Reach for that branch up there – no, the one next to your head. There!"

"But w-w-what about Fumi?" Arisa stammered.

"Don't worry about Fumi; she's a cat. See, she's clinging to you just fine. Now hold on to that branch and turn around very slowly..."

"We need to go up to get her!" Shiori fretted.

"Not yet," Suzume answered, eyes never leaving the tree as she followed Arisa's tentative movements as she crept down to a lower branch.

"It's because you're scared, isn't it!" Shiori clenched her fists. Her magenta eyes blazed with irritation. Turning her back to the older girl, she marched over to the trunk and grabbed the branches. "Fine! I can go then –!"

"And get stuck with them?" Suzume answered practically. She grasped the back collar of Shiori's kimono and swiftly thrust her back. "Arisa was able to get up there on her own, so of course there should be a safe way down."

"But still –!"

"As long as she doesn't freeze up, it'll be better this way."

"S-Suzume?" Arisa called anxiously from above.

"Yes, we're still here!" Suzume squinted up into the foliage. "Alright, now look to your bottom left. See that branch down there? The one that looks like a fork? Put your foot there, very slowly now..."

──────────────────

"...why do you always have to be so careless?" Sixteen-year old Takagishi Koga clapped a hand to her face in exasperation. "You should have come to me first! What if she fell and bumped her head?"

"But she didn't!" Suzume argued back. "It all turned out fine in the end, so why do you have to chew us out over it?"

"Do you ever stop to consider what could have happened? It was far too dangerous!" Koga stopped short with a sigh. "You need to remember that Father isn't training Arisa like you or Shiori. She's just a little girl – you shouldn't expect her to be able to handle all the things you're expected to, alright?"

Suzume pouted and turned her back to face the courtyard garden visible from the open doorway.

"Fine," she muttered beneath her breath. "...I'm sorry."

A few paces away, Arisa and Shiori sat side by side at the edge of the veranda, the former anxiously watching the scene unfold as she cradled the purring Fumi on her lap.

"But it was all my fault, Koga-nee," Arisa spoke up timidly. "Just like last time at the cliff. So please don't yell at Suzume anymore..."

"Fumi's to blame if anything!" Shiori rolled her eyes at the kitten and reached out to tickle her chin. "Aren't cats supposed to be good at climbing, you little loser?"

"Hey!" Arisa swatted her hand away, bristling. "Don't bully Fumi – she was just as scared as I was!"

Suzume lifted her chin, cracking a small smile as the cat meowed loudly in agreement.

Koga sighed again and wiped her hands on her kimono as she rose to her feet with an inconspicuous glance at the reddening skies. Dusk was fast approaching, and she no doubt was thinking of dinner preparations.

"Well, thank goodness nothing happened in the end." she said, shaking her head. "I don't even want to think about how Towa-san would have reacted if she knew."

A small shadow crossed Arisa's face as she continued to stroke Fumi's fur.

"Whatever," she huffed out soon after Koga had left the room. "It's not like she would care."

"Hey, don't say that!" Shiori chided.

"Why? Isn't it true?" Her scowl deepening, Arisa stared downwards as Fumi stretched her back and sprung off her lap into the shrubbery. "She lied to me! I barely ever get to see her anymore."

Shiori and Suzume exchanged worried looks. It was partially true, as much as they both hated to admit it. Arisa had only been here for several months, but the frequency of her mother's visits were growing worryingly scarce. It must have been especially difficult towards the beginning, when Arisa had barely known anyone on the island. Then, she had been more terrified than angry, clinging to her mother at every chance she was given. But now that she had acclimatized and made friends, that same loneliness had metastasized into open bitterness over the perceived betrayal.

"I'm sure she misses you a lot," Suzume said slowly. "It's just that she's been so busy lately..."

Shiori nodded.

"Especially since she's on the council now! Being a yōgari is a lot of work."

Arisa glared at them and folded her arms obstinately.

"Why can't she be normal? What's so great about being a yōkai hunter, anyways?"

"I don't think she's doing it for greatness or anything like that," Suzume answered patiently. "Towa-san is just trying to protect Amenoka-ji in the way she knows best. And by extension, she's protecting you too."

Arisa still didn't look convinced but didn't argue any further. She brought her knees up to her chin and hugged herself protectively.

"I don't get you either, Suzume," she suddenly muttered.

The older girl blinked.

"What do you mean?"

Arisa's voice remained sullen.

"Why you would want to do what she's doing, becoming a yōgari and everything." She scrunched up her face as she looked over to them both. "Shiori, I understand. She's gonna be Hidamari Village's protector some day. You need to be strong for that, right? But you don't have that same sort of obligation. So why put yourself through all of this trouble? It isn't worth it!"

"That's..." Suzume trailed off, her face going blank for a moment. Then a small giggle left her lips, which she barely staunched by pressing her sleeve to her mouth.

"What?" Arisa frowned, flushing a little in embarrassment. "Spit it out!"

"Nothing – sorry! It's just..." Suzume smiled widely. "Of course I have an obligation to Amenoka-ji! Everyone here does to a certain extent. Even you!"

"I do not!" Arisa clenched her fists. "I never asked to be brought here!"

"Mmmhmm. And I bet you never asked to be Kyōki-sensitive, either. But life doesn't work that way, does it?" Suzume's expression grew slightly more somber. "It's a dangerous world out there for Kyōnōsha. I'd like to think we're all lucky to have been raised here, where we're at least given a choice. That isn't something you can say for the rest of the clan remnants!"

Arisa pouted.

"...I don't like owing people," she insisted.

"Well, if you weren't relying on Amenoka-ji now, then you'd be stuck in the same boat at Valeris Island with the Amatsuki." Suzume's voice grew brisk, practical. "Like it or not, nobody can survive in isolation. We all have to depend on each other through one way or the other."

──────────────────

Isseki Shiori didn't know what possessed her to start telling the pirates about Suzume. It was easy to say that their questions had pointed her towards the subject, but deep down she knew how weak of a justification that was – their initial reactions had made it clear that neither Arisa nor Riyu had breathed a word of the matter to them during the voyage here.

Maybe it was partially out of the knowledge that there would be no harm in telling them. In telling anyone, for that matter. The story was already well-known amongst all the clan remnants and the Kodera-Ikki. Where was the harm in recounting it to a few outsiders after so many years had passed?

It felt strange, mentioning her aloud now. Until Arisa had brought her up yesterday, the name Akasuka Suzume hadn't so much been vocalized by anyone in their close circles for years, whether that be out of fear or anger or misery. Everyone had lived through the incident, had internalized their grief in their own special way. In the end, there was not a single person left willing to talk or listen regarding the matter because nobody had the heart to.

Even Shiori had thought so herself.

Suzume... Poor Suzume.

How old would you be now if you'd been allowed to live?

Would you be married by now? Have kids, maybe?

Followed in Towa-san's footsteps and earned a position on the ruling council? Or become an instructor alongside Tatsuhito-kun?

Suzume had spoken of wanting all of these things. They had all been expressed as idle fancies, exactly the sort of carefree aspirations blurted thoughtlessly throughout childhood...but Isseki Shiori remembered all of them to this day. The thing about Suzume was that she never, ever treated her dreams as a joke, no matter how far-fetched they were. It was that very same earnestness which made it easy for her to want so much with little sense of propriety or shame.

Both she and Tatsuhito had known Suzume long before Uzuki Towa had brought her eight-year old daughter to Amenoka-ji. When they'd first been introduced, Shiori had had no clue that this tall, lanky dark haired girl who smiled boldly back at her was anyone important; she'd just figured that she was one of many Kyōki-sensitive orphans taken in by the order.

So they already gave you a codename, huh? she remembered asking.

Suzume had laughed – she'd been the type of girl who laughed over the smallest things.

No, are you kidding? This is my real name! Su-zu-me!

Wait, really~?

It wasn't until after a conversation with her father that Shiori found out exactly who this strange newcomer was.

"Suzume was sent here from another clan remnant. She came from a well-respected retainer family, but they'd... ah, fallen on difficult times in recent years."

That was a vast oversimplification of the situation. But given her audience's implied ignorance of Wano's fall to Kaidō, Shiori decided to just leave things at that.

"After her parents were killed in the line of duty, none of her relatives were capable of taking her in. In the end, it was Misokatsu-sama who agreed to take her in as his ward."

"Misokatsu?" Shachi repeated, sounding shocked. "As in...?"

"Yes, the lord." Shiori nodded. "He'd been close with her late grandfather, so he probably considered it his duty to take care of his friend's family."

"So she was his adopted daughter, pretty much," Penguin clarified.

"Well... Technically, yes." Shiori smiled sadly. "But I think Suzume herself would have rebuffed that sort of characterization. She always considered herself unworthy of it."

Indeed, that same duty Uzuki Misokatsu had taken on had served to be one of Suzume's main motivations for choosing the path that she did.

It's all thanks to Misokatsu-sama that I'm here, Suzume had once told her. They had wandered up to the shoreline cliffs near Benigoi Village and were sitting side by side on one of the boulders, legs dangling off the ledge. I'll forever be in his debt for that!

Otherwise, I would have been sent to die for the Osoegawa Uzuki. Just like Mother and Father.

Die? Shiori remembered repeating. Really?

Oh, surely. Haven't you heard? They've been dueling non-stop with Kaidō's forces ever since the regime change. To deal with that on top of the Kyōgui...! It's a hopeless cause. But the elders won't listen. They say it's necessary to avenge the Kōzuki. But right now, we at Osoegawa are killing ourselves doing it.

The only way we can ever stand a chance at re-taking Wano is through the unification and restoration of the daimyō clans. Misokatsu-sama is the only person who seems to understand.

I believe he's the only one capable of bringing it about, and I want to be by his side when it happens. Just like Kurowashi-sensei and Towa-san!

Shiori had laughed a little, swinging her legs. Even back then, she couldn't have helped it. At the tender age of nine, she had already overheard enough cynical mutterings from her father to have started to foster skepticisms towards such a prospect.

...do you really think something like that is possible? Unification, I mean.

Of course it is! Suzume had answered earnestly. We should all believe in it!

Why should we be doomed to hate and kill each other to the end when we all share the same homeland?

Shiori could still hear the sheer conviction in Suzume's voice as she'd said those words. Remembering them now, she couldn't help but smile somewhat bitterly. The look was only fleeting, but in the moment she'd worn it, one would have been struck by how closely she'd resembled her father.

Poor, naive Suzume.

Led like a lamb to the slaughter.

Shiori took a deep breath.

"It all started twelve, close to thirteen years ago. Arisa had been with us for about a year at that point..."

Outside, the shadows began to elongate, eventually crawling over the thin gravel pathway snaked through the courtyard garden. A gentle wind stirred past the open doorway, causing the lamplight to flicker ever so slightly. Shiori folded her arms tighter over her ribs and fixed her gaze back to the table

"The ruling council was in talks to form an official alliance with the Fūgetsu clan remnant in the West Blue. As a part of the negotiations, both sides agreed to a mutual hostage exchange."

"A hostage exchange?" The horror in Shachi's voice was undisguised.

"Yes. These sorts of things are necessary to discourage betrayals."

Shiori paused and swallowed, finding herself faltering again.

"Arisa... was the one who was originally chosen to go," she went on in a hollow voice. "And it was Suzume who volunteered to take her place."

──────────────────

"...an alliance with the Fūgetsu clan?" Koga frowned, chopsticks freezing over her bowl of rice.

Her older brother, Takagishi Yoshimitsu, nodded from his place at the head of the room. With their father Yoshikazu's frequent absences due to his duties on the ruling council, the young man had taken charge in much of the family's domestic affairs on top of his duties as yōgari. The responsibility came with a host of privileges too, one of them including the permission to take his father's usual seat at mealtimes.

Koga considered this for a moment, before putting her chopsticks down.

"If it was with the Amatsuki, I'd believe it in a second. They're so much closer, so it makes sense. But the Fūgetsu...? They may as well be on the other side of the planet for goodness' sake!"

"Apparently they're serious about it," Yoshimitsu said, shoveling a bite of salted grilled fish into his mouth. He chewed a couple times and gulped. "The lord has been exchanging letters with Fūgetsu Chazuke, and according to Father they've reached some sort of deal.."

"I still can't believe it!" Koga shook her head as she rose to pour him another serving of sake.

"Isn't it a good thing, Koga-nee?" Suzume spoke up. "An alliance would be huge for us! If the lord is able to negotiate a deal with the Fūgetsu, then we could very well consider the Kurozumi to be on our side too! It'd be killing two birds with one stone!"

From her spot sandwiched between Suzume and Shiori, Arisa peered up questioningly at the former as she dutifully tucked down bites of vegetables and rice. She had long managed to muster her way through her serving of grilled fish despite not liking the strong smell, though she did leave behind a few pale chunks of meat behind on the skeleton to smuggle to Fumi later.

Yoshimitsu chuckled once.

"Who gives a shit about the Kurozumi?" he sneered.

Shiori let out a knowing snicker while Arisa merely blinked in confusion. Koga shot her brother a warning look as she poured herself a serving of alcohol.

"What do you mean?" Suzume challenged Yoshimitsu with a frown. "Of course we shouldn't exclude them! Unification includes all five of the daimyō clans!"

"They're the ones who made themselves irrelevant by forfeiting their autonomy and merging with the Fūgetsu." Yoshimitsu shrugged dismissively. "They haven't mattered for centuries, and you're deluding yourself if you think that the lord – much less anyone else – has them in mind."

"That's not true!" Suzume flushed. "The lord is nowhere near as cynical as you!"

"Alright now," Koga started to intervene.

Yoshimitsu sighed and put his sake cup down.

"I'm not being cynical, Suzume-dono. Even if we were to look at this alliance, it's hard for me to believe that the cause of unification is at the heart of the matter. Fūgetsu has plenty of reasons to want to cozy up with the Uzuki – plenty of reasons beyond squabbles from several centuries ago. They're in a rocky position now as is."

"Father told me they're only budging because the elders at Tenkū-jō bullied them to!" Shiori piped up with a grin. "Isn't that real pathetic?"

"Really?" Arisa turned to her, widening her eyes.

"Come on now, Shiorin," Koga chided with a small chuckle. "It isn't as simple as that."

"But that's what he said!" Shiori pouted. "I'm not lying!"

Arisa turned to the Takagishi siblings.

"Why would the Tenkū-jō bully Fūgetsu?" she asked with a confused frown. "And why would Uncle allow it? He wants to prevent war, right?"

Yoshimitsu poured himself another cup of sake.

"It's simple," he answered. "Seastone."

"...Seastone?" Arisa and Shiori repeated blankly in unison.

"Think about it this way." The heir jabbed a finger into the air. "How do you think the clan remnants who settled outside the Grand Line survived for so long?"

Arisa blinked, thinking back to her history lessons with Hokyū back at the shrine.

"By... hunting yōkai?" she guessed. That was how the Uzuki factions mainly operated, so wasn't it fair to assume the same for the other clan remnants?

"In the four Blues?" Yoshimitsu laughed and shook his head. "Good guess though!"

"But the Kodera-Ikki originate from the West Blue!" Shiori argued as Arisa merely huffed and lowered her chin in embarrassment.

"Most of their activity is confined to the Grand Line though, remember?" Koga said patiently, "because that's the only place where they can find worthwhile prey."

"Then what is it?"

"Trade, of course!" Yoshimitsu let out a guffaw of laughter when he saw Shiori's face fall in disappointment at the mundanity of his response.

"Trade?" Arisa prodded.

"Yes. Like it or not, the clan remnants outside the Grand Line learned early on that they needed to engage with the outside world to be able to survive. The Shimotsuki in the East Blue took up sword making and martial arts pedagogy. The Kurozumi – at least while they were still in the South Blue – excelled in theater and wagasa making. The Fūgetsu's specialty, meanwhile, is the same as ours. Seastone craftsmanship."

"Isn't that supposed to be kept a secret, though?" Shiori demanded.

Arisa nodded along rapidly. Hokyū had taught her this as well. Seastone crafting was considered one of Wano's highly treasured secrets – one sacred to bind the clan remnants even after they had been exiled. The Uzuki and Amatsuki in the Grand Line were exceptionally fastidious about this rule, taking special care that any of the Seastone weapons that they produced never fell into the hands of outsiders.

Koga nodded.

"It is. But the demand for Seastone has skyrocketed ever since Gol D. Rogers' execution, and for a clan as isolated as Fūgetsu... well, you can see how attractive the monetary gain would be. All around them are powerful countries like Kano and Ilisia that are willing to dish out millions upon millions of berries to arm their troops with Seastone weaponry. And then there's pressure from the World Government to consider as well."

"So they just... caved and started selling?" Shiori snapped. "That's shameful!"

"They're just doing what they need to survive!" Suzume argued. She raised her chin and frowned. "Maybe we should have put our differences aside and worked together to help them before it got to this point!"

"Point is," Yoshimitsu broke in, "Fūgetsu is currently split between two sides that are vehemently opposed regarding this issue – the older, traditional faction led by Chazuke-dono, and the modern faction led by his son, Fūgetsu Anago. Anago and his followers have entirely rejected their responsibility as yōgari and are in favor of expanding trade relations with nearby kingdoms like Kano, with the ultimate goal of gaining formal recognition as a Government-affiliated nation.

"Chazuke-dono is afraid that such an arrangement will lead to an exploitative arrangement for his people – either by another country or the World Government itself. That is why he reached out to the lord for an alliance. No doubt he hopes that the Uzuki will provide the Fūgetsu with enough material support to keep any fence sitters from rallying over to his son's side. It's a clever move if you ask me. From our point of view, it's in our best interest to keep Fūgetsu from spilling its secrets on Seastone crafting to the outside world. The Tenkū-jō in particular – apparently Hiyamugi-sama is very suspicious of Fūgetsu Anago's intentions and is keen on putting an end to his entire operation."

"The feasibility of it is the true question," Koga said with a sigh, taking up her rice bowl with a slightly aggrieved air. "We at Amenoka-ji are already stretched thin as is, and the Osoegawa fare no better... Can the lord really trust the Tenkū-jō Uzuki to follow through on a prolonged commitment to Fūgetsu Chazuke?"

"He'll have to, if there's any hope of this alliance getting off the ground." Yoshimitsu paused to reflect, before shrugging and downing the rest of his drink. "We'll be hearing of his decision soon enough. There's no point in losing any sleep over it."

"Do you think we'll know by the next council meeting?" Suzume asked, visibly brightening. "Towa-san will be back by then, won't she?"

"I don't know." Yoshimitsu looked up and furrowed his brow, as if to remember something. "Ah, but that reminds me. Arisa, you're to go with Suzume and Shiori up to the shrine first thing in the morning tomorrow. Towa-san called to let me know that the lord summoned you."

"Me?" Arisa merely blinked, though she was not quite able to hide the trepidation in her face. She had met Uzuki Misokatsu in person only a handful of times up to this point, but the thought of meeting him again was nothing short of terrifying. Even with Mother at her side and the knowledge that he was her great uncle, she still couldn't help but be intimidated by his stern features and the brusque, unsentimental way he spoke to her. "Why?"

"Beats me." Yoshimitsu shrugged. "It sounded pretty important though."

──────────────────

Captain's definitely gonna kill me if he finds out about this, Rakko thought glumly, suppressing a shiver as a cold wind blew down the lonely alleyway he'd huddled up in. He sniffed impatiently and peered out over the empty street. From beyond the thin wooden walls of the rundown izakaya next to him, he could hear the clinking of glassware and the customers' raucous chattering.

Rakko scowled and folded his arms as he leaned back against the wall. (In doing so he was subconsciously mirroring one of Captain's usual poses – the one where he always managed to look so effortlessly cool – though Rakko would die a million times than admit that aloud.) Those bastards could take all night if they so pleased; he was all too happy to remain this way as long as it took, stewing away in self-righteous resentment.

Yotsuji – you pompous, arrogant jackass! How much longer are you gonna make me wait, eh?

And why take your boss to a ratty old joint like this? He sneered with all the childish bravado he could muster. I would never!

Tch, your fashion sense may be impeccable – for even amidst all his annoyance, Rakko begrudgingly had to give credit where credit was due – but your taste in alcohol surely isn't!

He was so preoccupied in his hyper-critical spiral that he completely missed the sound of the door scraping open. It wasn't until Yotsuji and Mototatsu had crossed the street that he noticed them both.

"Oi, wait!" he barked, barreling unceremoniously out after the pair. "Wait up, both of you!"

"Who –?" Yotsuji immediately spun around and squinted his eyes through the darkness. His expression immediately hardened when he caught sight of Rakko's signature boiler suit.

Mototatsu took a hasty step back as Rakko leveled his finger at him.

"You...! You're that kid's father, right?" he demanded, fumbling a little in his haste.

"Kid?" Mototatsu frowned, seemingly taken aback by his crudeness. "How did you –"

He cut off short, eyes widening in amazement when Rakko straightened his posture and bowed his head low.

"Please let Captain do the surgery!" he shouted.

Even Yotsuji looked slightly taken aback by the gesture, though he recovered his composure in an instant.

"So now he's sending his lackeys to harass us. How pathetic." He turned to Mototatsu with a scowl. "Just let him be, my lord. If anything a tool like him is to be pitied more than anyone else."

Mototatsu gave a slight nod and began to follow as the doctor motioned for him to turn away. But Rakko gritted his teeth and moved in front of them, holding his arms out to obstruct their path.

"No, wait – WAIT! I won't let you leave until you hear my piece!" He shrugged away when Yotsuji scowled and attempted to corral him away from his superior. "Oi, Mister – you've gotta listen to me! Don't bother with this bastard; Captain is the only one who can help your son!"

"Have you gone mad?" Yotsuji snapped, reaching for the pirate's arm again.

Rakko shook his head wildly as he pulled away.

"You have to trust him!" he insisted, still speaking directly to Mototatsu. "Captain...he isn't a bad man! He can be a little insensitive sometimes, but... but you shouldn't ever have to question his intentions when it comes to his patients!!"

"His track record proves otherwise!" Yotsuji shot back, piercing him with a cold look.

"That isn't true! Y-you don't know the first thing about him, you pompous piece of shit!" Rakko was nearly shouting now in his desperation. "Are a few biased reports from the Navy really enough to convince you of his character? How can you act so shallow and still call yourself a competent doctor?"

A spark of genuine anger flared in Yotsuji's pale eyes, but he masked it with a frigid smile and only shook his head dismissively.

"We need to get going, my lord."

Mototatsu had been studying Rakko with an unreadable expression, but he gave a slight nod and began to follow the internal physicians.

No, wait a godamn second here –! Rakko started to take off after them again, only to stop in place as a rare burst of anxiety gripped his insides.

I won't be able to convince him. Not like this. Not with that smug bastard present.

So do I...

Do I dare to tell him the truth?

His hesitation was immediately uprooted with a rush of conviction. Rakko's teeth came clashing together to form a determined scowl.

I have to. This is a kid's life that's on the line... Not to mention Captain's honor!

His mind made up, Rakko clenched his fists and took a step forward. His voice shook a little as he uttered the following words:

"Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. That was my diagnosis!"

Their footsteps ceased as his voice swelled into a forceful shout. Mototatsu started to turn back, but Yostuji remained perfectly still, his face entirely averted.

"The cancer had spread through the connective tissue layer of the esophagus wall and spread to the surrounding lymph nodes." Rakko gulped back a sudden surge of emotion and forced himself to go on. "It was beyond the level of medical care that was available on my home island. I was told that I had less than three years left to live."

"...what?" Mototatsu was staring directly at him now, clearly listening to every word.

"My doctor referred me to a hospital that offered an experimental surgery. They proposed to remove the diseased portion of my esophagus and reconstruct it with tissue from my stomach. But the side effects..." Rakko shook his head. "I was told I would have difficulty eating and swallowing for the rest of my life. There was also a good chance that I'd lose my sense of taste and smell. As an aspiring chef, that would have rung the death knell to my career.

"So I refused – multiple times. Even when my family begged me not to, in tears." Rakko drew in an unsteady breath through his clenched teeth. "I was a selfish bastard. I didn't want to die. But I couldn't see myself living without my dream either...!"

("I'm just saying, Mister," Rakko grouched, slamming the oven door shut, "you better be outta this kitchen before Manager Blake arrives and throws a fit again!"

"I'm not leaving until I hear you say that you're at least going to consider it," came the unbothered response.

"That again...! Gah!" Rakko bristled and swung around to glare at his visitor, fighting the urge to throw his hands up in frustration. "Are you really expecting me to trust you so easily now? Some no-name pirate bastard who can't even appreciate the taste of good sourdough bread?"

Trafalgar Law merely shrugged.

"You need to relax. There's nothing to be afraid of, really –" he began.

"Hah! That sure must be easy for you to say!" Rakko interjected, angrily flicking a dish towel in the surgeon's direction. "How about you put yourself in the patients' shoes for once, ya asshole? Now shoo! Begone! I don't wanna think about it any more than I have to!"

A languid smile slowly crept over Law's face.

"I'm telling you. You only have your life to gain, Cook-ya." he answered simply, propping an elbow on the counter. "My surgeries never fail.")

Recounting the memory, Rakko nodded faintly to himself.

"Captain... He came off so crude and inconsiderate at first, but he turned out to be the only one who understood my fear," he went on earnesty. "When he finally convinced me to go through with the surgery... he didn't just save my life – he kept my dream intact, too!"

("...a colonic interposition?"

"Yes. It's an alternative to the standard gastric pull-up procedure." Law tapped the anatomical diagram with his pen. "So instead of using your stomach, I'll reconstruct your esophagus using tissue from your colon."

Rakko immediately winced, a hand instinctively coming up to press against his lower abdomen.

"Oi, that sounds even more painful!" he protested.

"You won't feel a thing. Besides, we can minimize the side effects that way." Law flipped the page to reveal another drawing. "I'm also going to go with this inversion procedure to preserve your esophageal plexus. That'll keep your vagal nerves intact and reduce the impact on eating and swallowing."

"This all sounds well and good, Mister, but..." Rakko hesitated. "...isn't it a whole lot more difficult to pull this off over the original surgery?"

Law shot him a look of mild amusement.

"Well of course some people might consider it more difficult..."

"And yet you're still saying that you can do all of this? By yourself?"

"Of course I can do it." The young doctor leaned back into his chair, a hint of a smirk emerging. "Haven't I told you before, Cook-ya? I don't make mistakes.")

"'My surgeries never fail,'" Rakko quoted. "'I don't make mistakes.' Captain would always be saying things like that. It seems ridiculous, right? There's no such thing as a perfect surgery. Just as there's no such thing as a perfect doctor or a perfect human being. But Captain doesn't make impossible statements like that to fulfill his own ego. He says those things because he understands that for the patient, that is the only acceptable outcome!"

Yotsuji turned back to glower at him.

"Did you make the same sort of arguments to the poor patients that he killed?"

Rakko shook his head, his hands balling up into fists at his sides.
"No..." he got out from between clenched teeth "You're wrong about that too! Captain didn't kill anyone in his care!"

"Ah, yes. Because of course that's what he'd like you to believe –"

"No! I know because I was one of those patients!"

Mototatsu's eyes widened. Yotsuji's scornful smile froze on his face.

"It was the Navy that twisted our stories to vilify Captain!" Rakko blurted out, taking a step forward. "Every single one of those patients who went 'missing' made the decision to join his crew; we chose to follow him because we owe him our lives and dreams!

"So please, Mister... don't bother with those rumors! Please let Captain do this surgery – I'm begging you! He's an honest doctor! He'd never go out of his way to hurt your son!"

Gripped by another impulse, Rakko bowed low again.

"I say this not as a Heart Pirate, but as that selfish, petulant piece of shit from all those years ago who he somehow thought was worth saving!" he declared. "See this? I'll happily bow to you and any other bastard so that he doesn't have to, if that's what it takes to get you to listen!"

Only a long, terrible stretch of silence followed his words; even Yotsuji had momentarily been struck speechless from such a forceful outburst. Rakko gritted his teeth and forced himself to remain frozen in place, his gaze directed stubbornly down into the pavement below and his heart thudding painfully in his chest. He could feel Mototatsu's gaze leveled on him. Could sense his growing uncertainty. In fact, he'd gotten so caught up in his own explanation that for a fleeting second, he almost dared to hope that his words could have had an actual effect –

Please. If only you'd listen...!

Then, Yotsuji's dismissive sigh shattered that illusion as swiftly as it had materialized.

"...let's not waste any more time on this nonsense, my lord."

Mototatsu visibly hesitated, before nodding and turning away after the doctor. Rakko swiftly looked up, his heart plummeting.

"It isn't a lie!" he shouted, his voice growing frantic. "Oi, Mister! Yotsuji, you bastard! Come back! You need to listen before it's too late –!"

So frenzied he was in his desperation, Rakko didn't stop yelling after the pair until they were long out of earshot. After a while he turned and stumbled back to the alleyway, pressing a hand up to his face with a muffled curse.

"Damn it!" he seethed to himself. "Why won't they listen...?"

Translation(s):

- Chazuke (茶漬け): A dish where green tea is poured over rice, often with various seasonings.

- Anago (穴子): Salt-water eel.

- Wagasa (和傘): Traditional Japanese-style umbrella.

I've had this headcanon for a while now, that many of the Hearts were Law's former patients (maybe it's an influence from his novel). It feels good finally being able to reference it in this story. :)

I wanted to add one additional childhood flashback scene for this chapter, but the word count was getting quite high so it shall be in the next update. We will (finally) encounter the Nightingale for the first time as we go deeper into this particular chapter in Arisa's life. Exciting, right?

Thanks for reading & see you next chapter.

-shiba