The Ghost of Kozuki Oden
18 years ago, Wano, Kuri.
In the burning wreckage of Oden castle I, Kozuki Toki, had just sent my son Momotaro and some of my most trusted retainers 20 years into the future and having my daughter taking by one of the few trusted retainers, Kawamatsu, that decided to stay behind to go and protect my daughter Hiyori.
But I let them use the secret path out of the castle to escape and as I was trying to get away as well, Kaido, the man who set my home ablaze appeared and came with intent to kill me.
I tried to fight back, but the difference in power was immense, and with a single strike of his large kanabo he shattered my sword which barely was able to block it before breaking a few of my bones and being thrown off the upper part of the castle down to the stables below.
Luckily I landed in a large pile of hay that even more fortunately hadn't caught on fire yet so it cushioned my fall.
But I was still breathing heavily as a lot of my bones had been broken, I even believe one of my ribs had punctured my lung, which later I found that had happened.
But I had no time to just sit around and wait to die, I had one more thing to do, so I grabbed my horse from the stables and rode off at my fastest of speeds before they could see my escape.
But it seems that they did notice me and as I was escaping I was under the fire of arrows, and unfortunately I was hit by one in the back and through my stomach, but since it went clean through, after I had gotten far enough away from them, using my good arm I broke the arrow that was lodged inside me and pulled it all out.
Maybe Kami-sama was smiling down on me since it didn't hit any major arteries so I was able to do some basic first aid just to get by, but I didn't try to completely fix it because I knew I was going to die, but I still had one last thing to do.
So riding as fast as I could I made it all the way to Bakura town where I stopped at the large Tori Gate where a lot of people had gathered as they watched Oden Castle burn in the distance.
When I got there I could see the shock on there faces when they saw the wife of Oden half dead, with broken bones and blood coming down her face, but I still had a bright smile as I saw the people of Bakura town.
So I shouted out, "People of Bakura Town! Listen well! For I, Kouzuki Toki, have a prophecy that I must past to the people of Wano!" But as I said this, off in the distance I could see that some Beast Pirates were in the town and heard my shout as they grabbed there weapons and began to run in my direction, so I needed to say it now or they will never have faith that the future will change for the better, or the prophecy of the four that would work together to take down Kaido.
So I took a deep breath and spoke.
"Like the Moon, you are ignorant of the Dawn. If there is one ardent wish that must be fufilled, it will be when nine shadows are cast woven together through twenty years of moonlits nights. Only then shall you understand the radiance of Dawn."
Though when I said that the beast pirate had already arrived, and I knew it was too late to say the second prophecy of Kaido's down fall as one raised his gun and…
*BANG!!!*
The bullet went right through my chest, right above my heart, but as I was slowly falling off my horse blood was beginning to pour out of me as my body was getting colder and colder and my consciousness was fading.
'So I guess this is it then, this is where I die.' I thought to myself as I could feel like time itself was going to a crawl as my life flashed in front of my eyes, the Great War of the Void Century, me jumping through time trying to make my way to Wano over the course of 800 years of jumping into the future over and over, meeting my late husband Oden, having the time of my life on the seas with him with both the WhiteBeard and Roger Pirates, getting sick and staying on Wano with my children, my husbands return from Laughstale.
Though as the memories got closer to the present at the time, time itself stopped and the scenery changed, I was in a field of flowers with a yellow river nearby, and on that river was a boat which was being rowed by a man in a black cloak, but there he was, my husband in a white funeral Kimono as he was smiling at me happy but also somewhat sad smile as he waved to me.
"TOKI!!!" He said as he shouted out my name as he got off the boat and ran towards me before hugging me in his arms.
I began to cry as I was held in his arms and I was ecstatic to see my husband once more, but after hugging me he pushed me away for a bit with a rather serious look in his eyes.
"Toki…. Are both Momo and Hiyori okay? There safe right?" He seemed to be very worried about his children.
"There okay, I had to use my powers to send both Momo and a few of our retainers along with him into the future so they can end the terror that both Orochi and Kaido have caused, and Hiyori was taken away by Kawamatsu and got faraway from it all…. But our home is gone and…. I have died as well so that I can be with you husband."
But I could tell from hearing that Oden was conflicted about how he should feel happy she decided to come with him into the afterlife but he was more worried about there children than anything, but then he turned to look at the hooded man.
"I told you of what was there in Laughstale, now I want you to keep your end of the deal and keep my family safe, I want you to save my wife from death!" He said looking over towards the hooded man.
At that moment I was very confused as I looked between the hooded man and my husband, "Oden… what do you mean keep your end of the deal?"
"This is a Shinigami, a god of Death but I made a deal with him to keep my family safe, but I had to tell him the secret of Laughstale and the One Piece in exchange for keeping all of you safe, honey I'm happy you want to be with me, but I want you to live and look after our children and…." But then he was having a hard time saying this before he looked back at the Shinigami who just nodded his head back at Oden.
Seeing that he sighed before looking back at me, "And never forget about me, but you must move on and protect our children with all you have, but you must live on ok?" He says sadly as he looks apon me lovingly before kissing my forehead and moving back.
"No! Oden don't leave me! I don't want to lose you!"
"But you can't leave Hiyori and Momo behind now can we? So please for me, protect our children, they need a mother more than anything else, now please go! Shinigami-sama, please help save my wife." Oden says after moving away from me and taking a full dogeza in front of the Shinigami.
The Shinigami then stands before leaving the ship which disperses into nothingness as he leaves it to step back onto land, "Worry not Kozuki Oden, I keep the end of all of my deals, Kozuki Toki." He says as he looks over to me and slowly walks to me.
I couldn't say anything as I could feel the pressure coming off of him before he placed his hand on my head, "I shall use the last of your power that's left in your body to send you into the future and send you to a place that will be safe for you in the land of Wano, you will find some new Allies there that will help your family and at one point to another help save your country." He says as he forcibly activated the power within my body and I could feel myself getting ready to be sent into the future.
"Toki, please go and protect our children, just know that I will always love you, but you must live for them okay?" Oden says as he comes up to me and kisses me one last time.
But as he kisses me everything in that world slowly fades away and I feel myself being brought forward in time.
After what feels like forever I feel my body fall against something that seems to be made out of wood and vines and before I completely lose consciousness I hear a rather old and elderly voice.
"Oh where did you come from? Don't worry everything will be okay…" Alenu said as he held me in his vines while slowly healing my body as I faded from consciousness.
…
..
.
"And after that Eagle-sans came and healed me up good as new, and now here we are right now." Toki says as she ends her tale of the ghost of Kozuki Oden.