In keeping with the original plan, Haimushi hadn't strayed very far from the site of the ambush. It didn't take long for Megitsune to find him... or rather for him to find her. With their respective Kyōki signatures masked, it was all but impossible to discern his presence. There was a good chance she'd have moved on, unaware, had he not called down to her as she'd passed by beneath him.

"Rough day, Ito-chan?"

Megitsune looked up sharply in the direction of that disembodied voice. There was a faint shimmer and a ripple in her vision as she slowly made out an outline in the trees... and then sure enough, there he was crouched on a high overhanging bough, his feet curled over the branch for purchase and his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Haimushi sprung noiselessly down from the branch. The seamlessness of the motion, paired with his relaxed grin and stance, suggested that the antics he'd pulled earlier with all those surrogates had barely caused him to break a sweat.

Megitsune felt a small prick of worry.

"Has Mukade gotten back with you?" she demanded.

Haimushi's face darkened.

"He's... around."

The yōkai felt her skin crawl again as her mind raced with possibilities. Around... as in here physically? Or just that Haimushi had managed to get a hold of him? Though clearly unintentional, the vagueness of the answer was infuriating in a way she didn't dare to articulate aloud.

Thankfully, Haimushi remained oblivious to her true state of mind. He seemed to be strangely agitated about something. Maintaining her nonchalant air, Megitsune shot him a sideways glance.

"It'll take him longer than he said, thanks to those pirates," she muttered.

Of course, as 'Ito' she hadn't had the opportunity to warn either of her accomplices when news of the Heart Pirates' unauthorized departure broke. She could easily envision Mukade's reaction, however. It was even likely that he had found out before anybody else when he'd woken at Takanotsume that morning to find the submarine – along with all his prospective victims – missing.

"Tch, that's old news! I heard the whole story from the imbecile himself. He was hopping mad, I'll tell you."

And judging from Haimushi's tone, hopping mad really seemed to be an understatement. Megitsune was glad she'd been spared the hysterics. She already had one babysitting job under her belt and was in no hurry to add another.

"What did he say?"

"Well I suggested that we go back to the Sea King plan...." – No surprise that you did, you coward, Megitsune thought, inwardly rolling her eyes – "...but of course that dumbass has convinced himself he can still make this all work!"

"How so?" Megitsune scoffed in a show of mock exasperation. It was peeving to know that she still had to put on somewhat of a performance even after her time undercover had technically drawn to a close... But the sooner she got Haimushi to believe that she was fully on his side, the better.

He needed to lower his guard for the next part of the plan to work.

Haimushi growled something unintelligible beneath his breath.

"...what?"

"I said he wants us to wait!"

Megitsune frowned, then quickened her steps to match his strides as they pushed through the brush.
"Wait?" she echoed. "For what?"

Haimushi deliberately slowed. The furrows etched into his pale brow had deepened inconspicuously. He shoved his arms into his sleeves again – a clear show of reluctance.

Megitsune squinted her eyes to feign further worry.

"Haimushi –"

"The family," Haimushi said, sounding as if it pained him to admit it, "managed to flee to the submarine."

"What?"

"Mukade was able to find the pirates after sensing some abnormalities in one of the ōnamazu's swimming patterns. He deduced that the elders must have deployed it to track them, and took things from there. He saw it all play out – a few of the pirates went ashore and came back with the family. And according to him, the brat was still alive by all accounts."

Haimushi almost spat the words out. From the tone of his voice alone, it was hard to tell where his source of frustration ultimately lay – in the prospect of the child having survived longer than any one of them could have anticipated, or in that of Mukade having actually accomplished something useful enough to disprove his supposed stupidity.

Megitsune blinked.

"We shouldn't leave until we confirm he's dead."

"He is as good as dead as far as we're concerned!" Haimushi burst out, wheeling around to face her. "As far as anybody is concerned! No doctor can bring him back from an infection so severe – I made sure of it! What do we gain by waiting around for a few more hours when the outcome is set in stone?"

"But Masabe-sama said –"

"Masabe-sama isn't here with us now, is he?" Haimushi's eyes thinned to a glare. "Besides, I wouldn't be surprised if they've gotten word out by now with how damn unreliable those Horned Snails can get! All it takes is one call, and they'll start sending in people to look for us – then it really will become impossible for us to escape!"

There was real desperation in Haimushi's voice, try as he did to suppress it. Megitsune let out another sigh. Kyōgui or no, a coward would always remain a coward.

Ue-sama surely wouldn't approve... That jab was at the tip of her tongue, but she managed to restrain herself. She hadn't suffered for an entire year just to ruin everything under a moment of pettiness!

"So what did Mukade say?" she heard herself ask instead.

"Mukade? He...! He's delusional! Putting all his hopes on some things he overheard before they submerged. Something about a surgery...." Haimushi clenched his teeth. "Of course, that's what's got him so pumped up again. He thinks it'll be easy to hijack the crew once their captain's depleted his Devil Fruit abilities. But who's to say the pirates would be our biggest worry by then?"

Something clicked at the back of Megitsune's mind then. Fleeting... but it was there.

A glimpse of an opportunity.

"– and I kept trying to tell him, it'll be faster to just nab the fucking catfish!" Haimushi raged on. "But he wouldn't listen, that braindead idiot...! Argh! I guarantee you, nothing good will come out of waiting around here!"

"How can you be so sure about that?"

"Hah?"
Megitsune looked around. Assuming a ruminative frown, she folded her arms – as best as she could with the arrowhead still embedded into the corpse, anyhow – and leaned in to lower her voice.

"The child's uncle... Did Mukade see him get evacuated along with the rest of the family?"

Haimushi squinted, slowing to a stop again.

"Kurowashi's apprentice?" he clarified in a gruff voice. "Who's to know? What about it?"

"If Mukade saw him, surely he'd have mentioned it... That means there's a good chance he's still assisting in the search efforts."

"What does that have to do with any of –"

"Well, would it surprise you to know that he is the one in talks to be sent to Tenkū-jō for the marriage alliance? I overheard his brother mention it a few times." Megitsune's lips curled in mischief as she leaned in closer. "Maybe we should be taking this window of time as an opportunity."

Haimushi's face had grown closed off. He pushed her away with a dismissive scoff and started walking again.

"Nonsense."

"Oh, but why not?" Megitsune hurried to come up beside him again, latching onto his sleeve with a playful tug. "Ue-sama will be pleased, don't you think?"

Haimushi stiffened and jerked his arm free with a growl.

"If it concerned Ue-sama so much, he'd have instructed Masabe-sama to take it into account with everything else!"

"You're no fun..." Megitsune suddenly paused as if thunderstruck. A new strategy had occurred to her then – one so blatantly obvious that she felt like an idiot for not resorting to it from the start. "Or... Wait. Could it actually be that...?"

"What."

"Don't tell me you're scared now!"

Haimushi stopped mid-step and slowly turned his head to glower over his shoulder.

At that moment, she knew she had him.

──────────────────

Polar Tang

Operating Room #1

Though short lived, the remainder of their wait was tortuous.

Tsubu had long lapsed into a sulky silence but that was of very little consolation, with his newfound sulkiness somehow managing to communicate his impatience just as effectively as his complaints from before. The problem lay in how contagious his restlessness was. It was suffocating – seeming to magnify with each passing second – to the point where poor Shiro was almost at his wits' end by the time the doors to the operating theater hissed open.

Four pairs of eyes – with Azarashi's much less critical than the Navy doctors' – snapped expectantly over to Law as he casually strode up around the operating table. Shiro didn't really know if he had been expecting anything different, but he found himself feeling somewhat relieved by the surgical wear he donned – the same nondescript gown, mask, and gloves that made him virtually indistinguishable from everyone else in that room.

Perhaps Shiro's own preconceived notions about the Ope Ope no Mi had skewed his perceptions of its user... thus fostering a certain element of unfamiliarity with regards to the procedure they were about to commence. A sense of innate inferiority. Helplessness in the face of the supernatural. So the sight he beheld now of Law dressed...well, as a surgeon, just like the rest of them, helped to shatter that illusion. It was unburdening in a strange way.

For the time being at least, Law could very well have ceased to be a Devil Fruit user in Shiro's eyes. Have ceased to be a pirate, an enemy...even someone to be remotely suspicious of.

He was just a doctor, no different from the rest of them. Shiro could work with that. The only question was...

Law's calm voice interrupted that train of thought.

"We'll start with the pneumonectomy and thoracic drainage." Sharp gray eyes flicked sideways to Koshi. "Vitals?"

Shiro narrowed his eyes at Tsubu while Koshi gave his readout.

The only question is whether you're of the same mind...

"Azarashi, is the bypass pump set up?"

"Ready to go any time you need it, Captain!"

Unlike the sono, the aforementioned heart-lung pump was an early Vegapunk invention and a considerably pricey one at that, with most units being confined to World Government-affiliated institutions. By diverting the patient's bloodstream to an extracorporeal oxygenation circuit, it allowed surgeons to temporarily pause the functions of the heart and lungs during invasive procedures. Shiro had secretly been shocked to discover the Hearts had access to not just one, but two of these pumps — one for each operating room. The idea that they could have come to possess them through underhanded means wasn't lost to him or his two colleagues...though the direness of the emergency ensured that even the combative Tsubu had kept his mouth shut regarding any accusatory speculations that could fan the flames.

Of course, this cooperative charade was not fated to last.

Once Koshi was done with the readout, Law nodded over to Azarashi as a clear indication to start. But Tsubu looked up swiftly with narrowed eyes.

"Wait a second here. Are you sure this is gonna be alright?" He jutted his chin in the engineer's direction when Law shot him a questioning look. "Having this guy stand in."

Azarashi didn't appear remotely surprised by the insinuation, only shifting his weight as he shot an expectant glance at his captain.

Save for a minuscule squint, Law didn't look to be too nonplussed himself.

"He's trained."

Tsubu's scowl deepened.

"Waka-sama's life is on the line. Training alone shouldn't cut it for a surgery as important as this!" A note of genuine incredulity bled into his voice. "Seriously... are there no other scrub nurses on this crew? No one with actual experience?"

A palpable chill descended over the room in the wake of this demand. Law didn't move an inch, but the nonchalance in his steely eyes had shifted to a cold glint of malice – the sort of quiet, simmering anger so potent that it could reasonably be construed as murderous.

That sight alone was enough to completely siphon away all feelings of reassurance from before, and for perhaps the first time... Shiro felt a glimmer of genuine fear in the presence of this man.

But the moment had passed as soon as it had materialized. Law recovered his composure so swiftly that Shiro almost doubted himself.

"You're more than welcome to take his place."

His eye giving a visible twitch, Tsubu only clenched his jaw but said nothing further. He wasn't stupid; no doubt that strange reaction had put him back on the defensive.

Law turned his attention back to Azarashi, who straightened to attention from where he stood waiting by the instrument tray.

"Scalpel."

──────────────────

"Off to a shaky start."

Hokyū's observation, expressed with about the same degree of dry resignation as one might describe a schoolyard brawl, was accompanied with a page turn of a heavy, leather bound volume he had spread open before him. Unheeding to the troubled look his companion slanted his way, he narrowed his eyes at the moving projection with vague interest.

"Hmm. And it looks like he's going for a standard clamshell incision, too."

"....a what?" Kurowashi echoed, narrowing his eyes "And how can you tell?"

Hokyū gestured vaguely towards the screen.

"Look at the direction of that cut. Horizontal across the ribs and sternum. Once they've got the retractors in place, they will have easy access to both lungs."

A small metallic clatter rang out from the screen as the lead surgeon deposited the used scalpel in the tray.

"Electrocautery knife."

The two watched on in silence as the scrub nurse quickly handed the instrument over.

"And here I was thinking that he would've gone in from the side," Hokyū presently mused, as if to carry on his previous thought.

Kurowashi shifted in discomfort and shot him another dubious glance (which went totally disregarded, of course).

"What do you mean? From the side?"

Hokyū glanced down at his book.

"Because it is only the left lung they intend to replace," he answered. "The standard approach would have been to create a smaller opening through the ribs on that side, instead of straight across the chest. But if the infection has spread, perhaps he also anticipates a partial resection of the right lung..." He tilted his chin against two crooked fingers, his placid gaze still affixed to the flickering screen. "Well, we'll see."

Kurowashi folded his arms, drawing in a deep breath as if to calm himself.

"What's... what's going on with the other team then?" .

"Still on standby, I'd anticipate." The screen switched to the view of the second operating room as Hokyū adjusted the dial. "Yes, it appears so."

"Why is that?"

"Well, timing is of the utmost importance to minimize the graft's exposure outside the body before they implant it." Hokyū glanced at the clock. "Keep in mind that Dr. Yotsuji will likely take much less time with Mototatsu-sama's procedure. Trafalgar needs to deal with Waka-sama's infection on top of replacing the lung. Not to mention that pediatric surgeries tend to be much more difficult in general."

Kurowashi narrowed his eyes in understanding.

"So they're delaying Mototatsu's operation..." he began slowly, "...in order to align the time of transfer."

"It seems that way, yes."

Hokyū switched the screen back to the first view. Kurowashi exhaled shakily and leaned in to watch closely, seemingly with a renewed sense of appreciation.

"Tatsusada..." he murmured beneath his breath. "Hang in there...!"

──────────────────

Shortly after Murasaki Arisa relayed her message from Hachinobe Tatsuhito to her uncle, another alarming call came through from the rescuers approaching from the north. It purported the discovery of several Horned Transponder Snails planted in the forest near Yuzu-gawa and more importantly two additional bodies bearing signs of the same mysterious infestation Tatsuhito had alleged. Though Himuro Kōyō and Kushihashi Riyu had already been dispatched to the site of the ambush soon after Arisa's contact with Tatsuhito, this report was what spurred defensive efforts into overdrive.

But the yōgari of Amenoka-ji were not the only ones put to work as a result of this latest development.

Far from it.

──────────────────

"An evacuation, huh..." Hakugan sounded only mildly surprised over the Transponder Snail. From the pings of the sonar faintly visible from the background, Penguin surmised that he must be chilling in the control room – likely lounging back in his favorite chair with his heels propped up as he typically did during downtime, no matter how hectic the circumstances. "Sure, I'll let him know." There was a creaking sound, presumably as he shifted in his seat. "Don't know when I'll be allowed to interrupt, though..."

That's right, Penguin realized. Captain surely must have started the surgery by now.

"Don't sweat it," he answered. "Just let him know when you can. 'Snot like we're gonna be in any real danger or anything."

The Snail snorted.

"Yeah. Still sounds like you're gonna have your hands full though. Are you sure you don't wanna bail?"

Penguin hid a small sigh. Glancing over his shoulder, he was greeted by the sight of Shiori instructing a group of volunteers that had gathered near the village entrance, with Shachi's orca cap clearly visible towards the back of the crowd.

True to Hakugan's characterization of recent events, Isseki Yanjirō had ordered an emergency lockdown and evacuation of the fiefdom, with all residents from the rural mountainside ordered to retreat to various safe zones secured near the central village until the threat was neutralized. Of course, his daughter had taken the order in stride. Penguin hadn't known Isseki Shiori for longer than a week, but it still seemed completely natural that she had taken immediate charge in organizing the whole effort.

What was baffling – and Penguin really still was struggling to wrap his mind around it, believe it or not – was how swiftly and effortlessly she'd managed to rope him and Shachi into helping.

Not that it was an unwelcome development in any real sense. It was far from the worst case scenario the two had envisioned and planned for while they were still discussing the plan with Captain last night. (Shachi had been the most resistant to the idea that they would be in any real danger of physical retaliation from the yōgari after Captain's true motives with regards to the kid came to light... but still, Captain had been adamant they'd explore all avenues of escape just in case things went south.) Just... well, exactly that. Baffling...because they were pirates, for crying out loud! Pirates, not a charity!

Seriously, what on earth would Captain say if he saw them now?

Just the thought of his reaction had Penguin folding his arms with a grunt of mock disgust, as if to muster the will to rise above the situation with as much masculine nonchalance as he could manage.

Again. He wasn't sure how Shiori had managed to convince him and Penguin to help out, but –

Then his eyes landed on another familiar face in the crowd of volunteers, cutting the thought off short as his cheeks warmed and his poor little heart skipped a beat.

Or wait...

I think I do know.

Akane-chan was here...

No... Not even that. His flush deepened as he recognized more faces in the crowd. Ah~ That was right! Shiori-san managed to get the entire staff at Tsukinoya to volunteer!

Working alongside so many beautiful ladies... How could we have said no to that~?

"Penguin," Hakugan's voice crackled over the line. "Earth to Penguin! You there?"

Snapping back to reality, Penguin sweat dropped again as he shifted his gaze back to Shachi.

"Why... do I get the sense that we were tricked into this..." he muttered to himself.

"What?" The Snail squinted back at him in confusion.

"Nothing! I'll – uh... Just..." The Heart scratched the back of his neck, letting out a small laugh. "Tell everyone not to worry. It'll be good for us anyhow, having eyes on the ground!"

"Oi, Penguin!" Shachi called, gesturing him closer. "You listening at all?"

"Right, sorry!" Penguin shouted back, before turning his attention back to the Snail. "Gotta run! I'll keep you guys updated, alright?"

Hakugan didn't get a chance to answer in words, but Penguin could have sworn to have seen his crewmate start to shake his head knowingly before he fully deactivated the Transponder Snail.

──────────────────

Polar Tang

Operating Room #1

In order to access the thoracic space, layers of subcutaneous fat and muscle needed to be dissected with an electrocautery. Once the main cavity was breached, metal holders could then be inserted to keep the ribs spread, allowing for maximal access and visibility. This was all standard procedure, and if the all-zealous Tsubu had been primed to pounce for any deviations from said procedure, he would surely have been left disappointed.

All of this was to say that the first leg of this operation had gone largely uneventfully, to Shiro's secret relief.

Save for the occasional one-word directive, Law was mostly taciturn as he did his work. The tensions that had flared at the beginning of the operation having dissipated entirely, he was indifferent to the scrutiny put upon him via both his own team and Surveillance Transponder Snail that watched his every move... so much to the point where at times, Shiro felt that he seemed too relaxed for his own good.

This feeling was only amplified a thousandfold when they ran into their first potential roadblock. That moment was demarcated precisely by the stroke of Law's electrocautery blade which cut away the final tissue barrier, allowing them their first fleeting glimpse into the pleural space.

Along with that glimpse came the horrendous stench – a wet, foul odor of rotting flesh, potent enough to make Shiro's eyes water. Even through his mask, a fraction of a breath was all it took for a wave of nausea to nearly overtake him. It took all his willpower to not succumb to the urge to double over, to physically dispel every atom of corrupted air from his lungs.

"Argh!"

Koshi was the first to react vocally. His free hand had come up to clamp down over his mask as he shoved his chair back, physically retreating from the operating table. Tsubu, too, flinched back with a muttered obscenity, his eyes narrowing into pained slits over the fold of his mask.

His brow furrowing a little, Law merely placed the used electrocautery knife in the tray and looked over to Azarashi, who had also cowered back by the force of the stench.

"Rib retractor."

The fabric of Azarashi's mask shifted a little, concomitant to a gulping motion. He hurriedly retrieved the object from the instrument rack and handed it over without objection.

Little by little, the opening made in the patient's chest widened as Law inserted and spread the retractors. The illumination cast by the overhead light revealed the full extent of what lay within the rib cage.

Shiro felt his insides freeze over in a mixture of horror and revulsion.

"This is....!"

Tsubu's face had grown several shades paler.

"Oh my fucking god," Koshi whispered.

The human lung was divided into lobes consisting of soft, spongy tissue with a pinkish tinge. In a healthy person, these lobes were visually distinct and void of scarring – a far cry from the horrific view they currently beheld. The infection had reduced Tatsusada's entire left lung into a bubbling, pulpy mass of flesh utterly indistinguishable from its prior framework. Oozing with pus, clots of infected tissue clung to the chest walls like a thick paste. Large patches of the lung had necrotized and sloughed away entirely, forming blackened voids in the bulk and had collected at the base of the cavity in a foul sludge.

The acrid taste of vomit crept up to the back of Shiro's throat. Swallowing thickly, he forced himself to breathe evenly through his mouth, ordering himself to focus. Amidst the corporeal revulsion, a more potent horror emerged and tugged at his conscience.

Waka-sama... You had to live with this for the past year...?

Next to him, Tsubu appeared considerably more queasy as he blinked multiple times down into the opening. The gloved hand bearing the suction tube began to shake a little.

Law only looked slightly annoyed as he glared down into the opening.

"So much more adhesion than I thought... So annoying." He looked up, seemingly oblivious to the reactions around him. "We'll put him on bypass now. Azarashi. Arterial and venous lines."

"Y-yes, Captain!"

"Koshi-ya, prepare to administer cardioplegia."

"...u-understood..."

Tsubu still appeared shaken up as they set to work inserting the lines. Law showed no indication of having noticed until he suddenly spoke up again.

"If you aren't up to it, just leave."

Shiro stiffened, anticipating the resulting flare-up. Which, true to form, commenced near-instantaneously.

"What...?" Tsubu reared back and glared, his face visibly reddening. "Q-quit joking around! Who else would be there to keep you in check!?"

"Hmm." Law appeared to be more preoccupied with monitoring the patient's exposed heart. For a moment he looked as if he were about to say something further, but seemed to decide against all further conversation as he continued to work.

Shiro couldn't help but sweat drop.

What... what is up with this guy...?

It wasn't until the patient was fully on bypass, with the heart sufficiently cooled and paused, that the surgeon turned his attention back to them. He stared at them both with a critical air totally unbefitting of his usual lax bearings.

"Projectile vomit into my patient," he said lowly, "and I will stab you in the eye. Understood?"

Ridiculousness of the threat aside, the words were uttered with such a degree of deadpan severity that Koshi blanched and the meek Shiro instinctively was driven to pipe up a quiet "Yes sir." Normally so defiant, Tsubu only scoffed and glared back over his mask, though the look was mustered with considerably less venom than either of his friends were used to (likely due to the fact that he was still trying to hold back from gagging).

"Alright. Next we'll dissect the left inferior pulmonary vein. Azarashi, vascular clamp."

──────────────────

"We will now begin the graft retrieval operation," Dr. Yotsuji's voice sounded over the Proko Snail speakers. "A median sternotomy for lower left lobectomy." He looked around the operating table and gave a small nod of acknowledgement. "Thank you all for your assistance today. Scalpel, please."

Watching on, Kurowashi shook his head in appreciation.

"Yotsuji is truly a phenomenal physician. So professional...."

"Indeed. Keeping his head in a situation like this... It must be commended." Hokyū's answer was automatic, though the distant look on his face indicated that the matter of Yotsuji Tsutomu's professionalism was the furthest thing from his mind. He flipped a page of his book. "It is curious, though. His choice of incision."

His lips quirked into a dry smile when Kurowashi tore his gaze away from the screen.

"A median sternotomy creates a vertical opening down the center of the chest. It is mostly used in heart procedures, though I have heard of it also being used to access the right lung. But as for the left lung..." He tilted his chin thoughtfully. "I suppose it isn't impossible, though it would be considerably more difficult to pull off. The heart is in the way, after all."

"What would be the normal procedure, then?"

"Same as with Trafalgar – thoracotomy through the left side." For once, Hokyū seemed to notice and take account of his colleague's visible concern. "Like I said. It isn't impossible with this approach. However, he would need to have considerable faith in his assistant's abilities, to keep the heart from obstructing his view."

"Why would he...?" Kurowashi trailed off and frowned at the screen. "Do you suppose... he might've put him up to it?"

"Trafalgar? Who knows." Hokyū thought for a moment, then changed the settings on the Proko Snail to switch screens. The grainy footage of Operating Room #2 was replaced with the view of the recipient surgery.

"Shiro-ya, suction." The surgeon sounded annoyed.

"Got it."

"Further in. How many times do I need to tell you?"

"S-sorry!"

"Azarashi, more gauze. And don't tell me you still haven't finished those sutures, Chibi-ya. Do I really need to do everything myself?"

"Are you kidding me?" the first assistant snapped, his head whipping up. "How can you expect any of us to concentrate with this god damn stench – ...Oi, wait a second! Who the fuck are you calling Chibi-ya?!"

"What do you...?" Law glared at him over his mask. "...Isn't that your name?"

"HAH?!! It's Tsubu! TSU-BU!"

"Quit yelling, you're getting on my nerves! Shiro-ya... What did I say about suction?"

"I'm sorry..."

The two men sweat dropped as the bickering continued.

"...it certainly wouldn't surprise me if he did," Hokyū finally said. "That man is a mystery to me in more ways than one."

──────────────────

Shortly after Dr. Yotsuji began his operation on Hachinobe Mototatsu, another critical development shook Amenoka-jima down to its foundations.

As more of those incapacitated in the ambush continued to be identified and taken in, several Seers who had been called in to assess from the perimeter suddenly raised an alarm.

Inexplicably and seemingly out of nowhere, a new Kyōki signature had emerged in the woods surrounding Yuzu-gawa. Unlike Trafalgar Law's anomalous signature, however, this one was well-documented.

Within minutes of the discovery, the report had spread like wildfire.

At least one Kyōgui was now confirmed to be present on the island.

──────────────────

Deep in the forest, a lone figure hastened through the brush with reckless abandon, bearing a visible limp to its frenzied tread. The early afternoon sunlight struggled through the dense vegetation, catching only fleeting snatches of the snarling countenance shadowed beneath disheveled skeins of inky hair – the pale, twisted mouth, the bloodshot eyes.

"That stupid bitch...!" Haimushi's hands were dappled in blood and visibly shaking. He staggered forwards a few more steps before his pace skittered to a stop. Pulse screaming, he clutched at a nearby tree, fingers gouging into the aged bark with a brittle crackle as he scanned his surroundings, erratic and wild-eyed.

Had he caught sight of her then, there was no guarantee what sort of maddened frenzy would have overtaken him. What he would have been driven to.

"Ue-sama..." Gaunt fingers staked deeper and deeper into the fibers. "In the end... y-you got what you wanted... right?"

His throat seized up with a wounded sound, and the distant familiarity of that sensation repulsed him to a degree he would never allow himself to express had he remained in control. He hadn't felt this way since he'd still been a human, and he hated it – hated it, hated it –

His breathing quickened and his vision momentarily swam as another deluge of panic fought to engulf his senses. Suddenly his shoulders began to shake in silent paroxysms of laughter.

"I'll... I'll kill her...!" he managed to get out between maddened giggles, a fatalistic gleam kindling in his eyes. He let go of the tree and took several steps forwards with skeletal frame swaying slightly back and forth with each motion and his grin stretching wider and wider – all of these things done as if to dredge every last shred of reassurance from the consolation. If it could even be called that.

"I'll kill her... I'll kill her." He keeled forwards, a dull pain registering as his knees hit the ground. "Even if it's the last thing I do. I'll kill that fucking bitch."

One pale hand began to claw into the ground, awash in a rare patch of sunlight cast upon the forest floor. And very slowly, inexplicably, a swarm of movement rippled to life from beneath his skin.  

Note: In the Japanese alphabet, the letters for "chi-" and "tsu-" are right next to each other, as are "bi-" and "bu-" So mix up between "chibi" and "tsubu" isn't as out of the blue as it might sound in English... Whether or not the confusion was intentional on Law's part is totally up to the reader's interpretation, ofc-

Any idea of what happened with Megitsune and Haimushi?

Thanks for reading & see you next chapter,

-shiba