Chapter 125: Recruiting Amatsuki Toki! Pirates Attack
When the girl's words fell.
It was clear to see
A look of astonishment appeared on Lotte's face. For a moment, he didn't react.
Amatsuki Toki.
The possessor of the Time-Time Fruit.
Capable of sending herself or designated targets through time and space, achieving time travel effects—but only forward into the future, never back to the past.
One of the extremely rare fruits in the pirate world involving time.
She was also a key figure in the later Wano Country arc. Without sending the Red Scabbard Nine through time, none of that subsequent plot would have unfolded.
Recalling the ability Imu had used earlier.
Amatsuki Toki did, in a sense, counter Imu—but the effect she could achieve right now was roughly the same as the Time-Time Fruit back then.
However, if the Time-Time Fruit were developed to its awakened level,
It might give birth to entirely new time-based abilities.
For Lotte's future plans, this would undoubtedly be a major asset.
"Hm. Go ahead—what's your question?"
Lotte thought for a moment and calmly responded to the girl's inquiry.
Amatsuki Toki looked at the young man, took a deep breath, and asked with anticipation in her eyes.
"Um… do you know how to get to Wano Country?"
Her current goal was to return to Wano—there were things she needed to do there.
Hearing her question.
Lotte wasn't surprised at all. He simply narrowed his eyes slightly and raised an eyebrow with a smile.
"Wano Country—I have heard of that name."
"As the famous Land of Samurai, they don't welcome outsiders at all. Are you sure you want to go there?"
Hearing this.
A puzzled look appeared on Amatsuki Toki's face. Then she quickly regained her composure, her gaze firm as she nodded deeply toward Lotte.
"That's my homeland. No matter what, I must return there."
"I hope you can lend me a hand, sir!"
As her words fell.
Lotte raised an eyebrow while narrowing his eyes to size her up.
"Though I don't know the exact location of Wano Country, I do have a way to get there. But why should I help you for free?"
"A traveler who arrived here from the past."
With that.
Amatsuki Toki's face froze in place.
She never expected her identity to be seen through so easily by the other party.
For a moment, she was at a complete loss.
"H-How did you know?!"
"Could it be that you're also someone who came here from there… but how is that possible!"
Amatsuki Toki remembered clearly.
The time she had traversed was a full several hundred years!
Unless the other party had come from the same era as her, how could he possibly know such secret information!
Hearing the girl's question.
Lotte simply curled the corner of his mouth into a smile.
"This isn't difficult for me. Just think of me as a prophet."
"Rest assured—I won't ask about your past. But I'm quite interested in the Time-Time Fruit ability you possess."
"If possible, I hope you can become a member of my crew."
He said it directly. To him, recruiting Amatsuki Toki required no great effort.
After all, with the Voice of All Things assisting him, such a small matter was effortless.
Amatsuki Toki hesitated slightly.
She was unfamiliar with this era and completely lost. Having a guide would indeed save her a lot of trouble.
Moreover, this young man looked so handsome—he didn't seem like a bad person at all.
Agreeing to become a crew member didn't seem like a problem.
After thinking it over, Amatsuki Toki raised her head and looked at Lotte with a firm nod.
"I can indeed become your crew member, but I must first finish my business in Wano Country. Only then can I fully commit."
"Is that okay, Captain?"
Lotte grinned.
"That's no problem at all. Even if you hadn't mentioned it, I was planning to take you to Wano anyway."
According to the current timeline he knew.
Whitebeard should already be on his way to Wano at this point.
Moreover, Wano—as one of the key plot locations—was undoubtedly recognized by the check-in system as one of the few places where he could sign in.
This would be hugely beneficial for Lotte's strength.
So this was just going along the way—agreeing was no trouble at all.
Seeing Lotte agree.
Amatsuki Toki also breathed a sigh of relief. A smile appeared on her face as she looked at Lotte.
"Then please take care of me from now on, Captain."
"May I ask your name?"
Lotte paused for a moment.
"Just call me Captain for now. When the time is right, I'll naturally tell you my real name."
"Now isn't the right moment."
As his words fell, brown branches coiled up to form a single-eyed spiral mask, exactly like the one Aoba wore in Naruto.
For the time being, he couldn't reveal his identity yet.
Otherwise, if Imu learned of it, they would surely come chasing after him from afar. Though he now had Amatsuki Toki as a human Time-Time Fruit.
He didn't want to jump through time again so soon.
He still had many things to handle here—whether Wano, Water 7, or Ohara in the West Blue.
All of them required his personal attention.
Seeing that Lotte wouldn't reveal his real name, Amatsuki Toki pouted slightly.
"Got it, Captain."
He's so handsome, yet he insists on wearing a mask.
I really don't know what he's thinking. Could he be on the run?
While she was lost in wild thoughts, rustling sounds came from the surrounding jungle, along with several swaying figures.
From the nearby bushes.
Several pirates armed with weapons suddenly emerged.
The moment they saw Amatsuki Toki, their eyes lit up. A beauty like her was something they had never seen even in the slave trade business.
If they sold her, they'd make a fortune!
Then they noticed Lotte beside her and began whispering among themselves.
"Hey, see that girl? If we sell her, we'll hit the jackpot!"
"But there's a masked guy next to her. We need to deal with him first."
"Later, the three of us rush him together. You two handle the masked guy—the girl is ours."
After discussing their plan.
They raised their heads confidently toward Lotte and Amatsuki Toki.
Then they stepped forward and charged together.
"Heh heh! Kill the man, keep the woman!"
"Once we sell this girl to the Celestial Dragons, we'll get a huge payout!"
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