Tenma reached out and affectionately ruffled Hiyori's hair, then shifted his gaze to Kozuki Toki, who was standing not far away.
"You've worked hard. For half a year, you held this home together for me. Everything looks impeccably managed."
"I merely followed the regulations you set in place," Toki replied gently, shaking her head. "The daimyō of each region have been very cooperative with the Shogunate's directives, so governing hasn't been too taxing."
She was just about to begin reporting the backlog of affairs from the past six months when Tenma smiled and raised a hand to stop her.
"I just got back—I'm physically and mentally exhausted. Work can wait. Right now, I only want to relax properly."
As he spoke, his deep, penetrating eyes fixed unblinkingly on Kozuki Toki.
That mature charm refined by time, along with her graceful figure, had been something he'd revisited countless times in his dreams over the past half year.
Under his gaze, Toki felt her cheeks heat up. She couldn't help sneaking a glance at him.
This man looked vigorous and full of spirit, his eyes bright—where was there even a hint of being "physically and mentally exhausted"?
Catching the meaning hidden in his words, Toki's face flushed like a ripe apple. Half shy, half delighted, she gave him a light push.
"Stop it. You've brought back so many people—there are still living arrangements to take care of."
Tenma's smile deepened. Taking advantage of the motion, he wrapped an arm around her slender waist.
"Leave those trivial matters to Shinobu. Right now is a critical moment for us to deepen our emotional bond."
After more than half a year drifting at sea, this return was truly a bumper harvest—both materially and spiritually.
That very night, Tenma fully exercised his privileges as a dictatorial Shogun, acting willfully as he dragged Kozuki Toki straight back into the inner city.
Separated for half a year, and having already crossed that psychological threshold long ago, Toki might have protested verbally, but her body was very honest.
With a mixture of grievance and bashful sweetness, she let Tenma have his way. The two indulged in passionate entanglement.
The feeling of long-awaited rain after a drought, combined with emotions fermented by half a year of longing, pushed them both into unprecedented indulgence. Tenma, in particular, enjoyed himself thoroughly.
This absurd "rest" lasted from afternoon all the way into the dead of night—until the sun was already high in the sky the next day.
Only then did Tenma leisurely switch back into Shogun mode and begin arranging the newcomers and new matters he had brought back.
First and foremost came the centerpiece—Amazon Lily.
This nation composed entirely of female warriors would be incorporated into Wano as a special autonomous region, serving as an external auxiliary military force.
While retaining autonomy, they would enjoy all the same benefits as other regions of Wano—material supplies, educational resources, medical systems, and more.
To facilitate travel, Tenma even used the power of the Float-Float Fruit to create an aerial route out of thin air, connecting the Land of Women directly to Wano proper.
This not only saved time and resources when Kuja forces were required for battle, but also made it convenient for female technical personnel to enter Amazon Lily for support.
Naturally, within the framework of autonomy, the fortress remained a land forbidden to men.
At the entrance to that aerial route, Tenma installed a massive lift-gate as a form of physical isolation.
Although he had issued strict orders and believed most men in the country wouldn't dare violate the law, the word "lust" always had a blade hanging above it.
Faced with such a mysterious nation filled entirely with beauties, who could guarantee no one would harbor twisted intentions?
Understanding men's base instincts all too well, Gloriosa insisted on keeping this line of defense as an added precaution.
That said, Tenma had recently heard some rumors—something like a "siege mentality."
Those outside wanted to get in and chase romance; those inside wanted to come out and see the world.
For the prosperous new nation of Wano, the Kuja citizens were filled with curiosity.
Having never been exposed to the outside world, they were eager to stroll through Wano's streets. Lately, the topic was being discussed everywhere within the country.
After all, this didn't really violate ancestral rules. The Kuja Pirates of old had gone out to sea too. Now the new nation was right at their doorstep—what risk could there be?
On this matter, Tenma's stance was tacit approval. As for the precise limits, he tossed the headache back to Amazon Lily's internal leadership.
After settling the affairs of the Kuja, the next step was the detailed placement of his newly accepted retainers.
Lafitte, wielder of a rare Mythical Zoan.
Perona, who had eaten the Hollow-Hollow Fruit and possessed absurdly powerful support abilities.
The twin stars destined to shine in swordsmanship—Kuina and Zoro.
Robin, brilliant and gifted in both intelligence gathering and administration.
Nami and Nojiko, sisters who could be trained as navigators and were also pleasing to the eye.
All of them were arranged to reside within the Shogun's residence, to be cultivated as the future core of the Oniwabanshu and as key stewards of the state.
Of course, this list also included the future Empress—Hancock.
For now, however, her focus still had to remain on Amazon Lily, undergoing Gloriosa's hellish empress training. At most, she could only spare a few days each month to "drop by" Tenma's side.
As for Shimotsuki Kōshirō, who stood only a single step away from the realm of great swordsmen, Tenma respected his wishes.
He allocated a plot of land in the Flower Capital and built a brand-new Isshin Dojo for him, then used the ANBU-like ninja corps for overwhelming publicity—aimed at supplying Wano with a steady stream of samurai warriors.
Before the dojo was completed, Koshiro, like a true martial fanatic, began visiting famous samurai and swordsmen across the country, seeking breakthroughs through sparring.
That eccentric doctor Hogback was instructed to bring his proprietary techniques together with Drum Island's advanced medical equipment to form an elite medical team in Wano—the vanguard of national healthcare reform.
The scientific division followed a similar pattern.
After Caesar and his group returned to the research institute, aside from being ordered to prioritize SAD development, all other weapons and mechanical research projects continued as usual.
Tenma also pointed them toward a new path—combining high technology with Wano's traditional craftsmanship to create special weapons that were both more powerful and aesthetically refined, comprehensively enhancing Wano's military hard power.
Naturally, whether in medicine or science, knowledge transmission was essential.
Tenma planned to select eloquent individuals from both groups to give regular lectures, using their expertise to promote cultural dissemination and elevate the overall quality of the populace.
Special facilities, applied technologies, and precious books brought back from overseas also began, bit by bit, to fill out Wano's intellectual and cultural body.
This was his completely controlled home base. Tenma had no intention of turning it into a warped nation that was strong only in force but barren in culture.
After all, in his grand blueprint, Wano was meant to become a central hub radiating influence across the entire sea.
…
…
While Tenma was busy restructuring Wano's internal affairs—
Due to the fallout from the Punk Hazard incident, at this very moment atop the Red Line, in Mary Geoise, the atmosphere inside the chamber symbolizing the world's highest authority was so heavy it felt ready to drip.
"Regarding intelligence on that 'Flying Admiral' Tenma—Morgans finally spat it out."
One of the Five Elders, with drooping mustaches, leaned gloomily against the sofa, fingers unconsciously tapping the armrest.
"That man… seems to have played a perfect trick under our noses. Not only did he become the ruler of Wano, he even relocated Amazon Lily and the Punk Hazard research facility into that country."
—Bang!
A thin sheet of paper was slammed hard onto the table.
It was a summary pieced together by CP intelligence agencies through Morgans' information network.
Although the Float-Float Fruit's movements were bizarre and difficult to track, and Wano's long-standing isolation caused severe information blockage—
There was no such thing as an airtight wall. Morgans, the news bird dealing exclusively in information, combined with flight trajectories captured around Punk Hazard, made it possible to roughly infer the Float-Float Fruit's destination.
That said, limited by Observation Haki range, they could only tail it from afar.
It wasn't until Tenma landed in Wano—coupled with the thunderous local cheers—that Morgans realized he had dug up a truly earth-shattering scoop.
Naturally, the old fox didn't broadcast it immediately. The World Government had paid a hefty price to temporarily buy out first publication rights.
The other four Elders each picked up the paper, scanning it at lightning speed and grasping the core details in an instant.
"Wano…"
The blond-haired Elder frowned, his eyes icy.
"So that's why Kaido's pirates suddenly appeared in other regions of the New World… Were they driven out?"
They all knew that not long ago, Wano had been jointly controlled by Kaido and a man named Kurozumi.
In the past few years, the World Government had conducted quite a bit of arms trading with those people through the underworld.
"The problem now is—how do we deal with this threat."
The Elder in the flat hat swept his gaze across the others, his tone solemn.
From this intelligence alone, one could already infer just how terrifying the Flying Admiral's foundation had become.
To forcibly seize Wano from a monster like Kaido—this strength could not be underestimated.
Add to that Wano's native military resources, and in some respects, Tenma's current threat level was already comparable to Golden Lion's terrifying flying armada back in the day.
If this trend continued, it would be Golden Lion reborn—perhaps even more troublesome than Shiki ever was.
Silence fell over the chamber.
Even the sword-bearing Elder, who oversaw military affairs and was known for his fiery temper, pressed his lips tightly together.
The Wano under Tenma's control had indeed become a hard bone to chew.
The World Government wasn't afraid of him per se, but to cross the New World and attack a nation with natural geographic advantages—whose leader also possessed strategic-level flight capability—the cost would be astronomical.
It was the same reason they currently had no desire to mobilize the Navy's main force to fully crusade against Whitebeard or Big Mom.
Those seated here were no reckless brutes who only knew how to shout about killing.
While preserving the World Government's dignity, they had to carefully calculate the cost-benefit ratio of every action.
If Tenma had taken Vegapunk himself—that mind beyond the era—or if he were a "D" like Roger, capable of overturning the world, the Five Elders might have ordered the Navy Headquarters to move out without hesitation.
But now, just for a Caesar and an abandoned research island, was it worth going to all-out war with Tenma?
No matter how you calculated it, the numbers didn't add up.
Caesar might be called the number two of the science division, but compared to Vegapunk, he was firefly to moonlight.
Making a huge fuss over Punk Hazard wasn't worth it—but swallowing this insult outright was equally unacceptable.
After all, Tenma's actions were a naked slap in the face of the World Government.
If left unchecked, with his lawless style, he might use the Float-Float Fruit to expand even more brazenly in the future.
"How about… requesting that lord's instructions? Using the power of the national treasure to erase him from the map directly?"
"Don't be ridiculous! It's not the prophesied time yet! Neither that lord's existence nor the power of the national treasure can be exposed prematurely!"
As soon as one Elder floated the idea, it was shot down harshly by the others.
"Then let pirates deal with pirates. That's always been our specialty."
The kimono-clad Elder's eyes flashed with malice.
"Isn't Charlotte Linlin very interested in Tenma? Leak Wano's intelligence to her. With her level of greed, she'll rush over like a shark smelling blood."
With this direction established, the other Elders' minds immediately came alive, adding details one after another.
"Add a media offensive—praise him to death as the 'Third Emperor of the Sea'! He doesn't have Big Mom or Whitebeard's seniority. That title will only turn him into a target."
"Exactly. Pirates value empty fame like this. And didn't Whitebeard once have a second-division commander named Kozuki Oden—the legitimate heir of Wano? That angle can be exploited too."
"Once war breaks out and forces Tenma to use the Float-Float Fruit to flee, he'll lose Wano as his natural fortress and suffer a devastating blow to his reputation in the New World—cutting off his momentum entirely."
Sometimes, killing didn't require a blade. Rumors and slander were often more effective than cannons.
The World Government, which controlled the narrative, excelled at such insidious tactics.
Before long, a perfect "praise-to-kill" scheme targeting Tenma took shape through casual discussion.
As the meeting was about to conclude, the blond-haired Elder still looked grim—clearly not finished.
"Besides Tenma, we must also remain vigilant toward the pirate forces in the New World that are swelling like rolling snowballs."
Whitebeard controlled half of the former Rocks Pirates' territory, with dozens of affiliated crews.
Charlotte Linlin had established Totto Land, ruling over thirty-four islands with terrifying manpower.
Add to that rising stars like the Beasts Pirates—the New World's balance was undergoing drastic change.
Although this multi-emperor standoff maintained a certain fragile equilibrium, the explosion in pirate numbers also provided these overlords with endless manpower.
Roger's dying proclamation had opened the damned Great Pirate Era. Now, the bitter fruit was finally ripening.
More and more desperados poured in from the four seas into the Grand Line. After survival of the fittest in the first half, the remaining elites all flooded into the New World to serve as nourishment for the Sea Emperors.
As one side rose, the other fell—and for the World Government, this was terrible news.
"We can't allow this situation to keep worsening."
"Relying on the Navy alone can no longer achieve absolute deterrence. Just like with Tenma—we must use pirates to check pirates!"
"You mean the Seven Warlords of the Sea program? It really is time to speed that up."
The other Elders nodded in agreement.
The policy had been proposed for some time, but at present only Crocodile, Gecko Moria, and that drunkard Bartholomew were on board.
The threshold for Warlords was high—they needed enough deterrent power. In today's emperor-dominated New World, such figures were exceedingly rare.
The blond-haired Elder suddenly let out a strange smile.
"Tell me—if this praise-to-kill plan succeeds and Tenma's forces are crippled, and we then invite him to become a Warlord… what do you think the success rate would be?"
…
In the end, Morgans—armed with first-hand explosive material—was so excited that he dispatched all his news birds overnight.
From the destruction of Punk Hazard to Tenma's ascension over Wano, these bombshells snowed down upon every corner of the world.
Following the Five Elders' script, the papers deliberately glossed over Tenma's destruction of the Marine base, instead lavishly highlighting Wano's wealth and power.
The front-page headline, in bold, blood-red letters, read:
"Birth of the Third Emperor of the New World?! The Man Who Commands the Golden Nation and Wields World-Destroying Power!"
Without suspense, the entire sea erupted once more over the name Tenma.
Like a deep-sea bomb, he stayed hidden beneath the surface most of the time—but once he moved, he blew the entire pond sky-high.
"Again this guy?! He wiped out a base guarded by a Vice Admiral that easily?!"
"Has he gone insane? That's World Government territory—he's courting death!"
"Hah! Just lucked into Golden Lion's power. What real achievements does he have? Calling him the Third Emperor is a joke!"
"Wahahahaha! If I take down this so-called Third Emperor, wouldn't I replace him? Men—turn the ship around! Target Wano! Loot all its treasure!"
The world was in uproar. Some feared Tenma's ruthlessness; others coveted Wano's riches.
But in the New World, pirates who had clawed their way out of piles of corpses felt nothing but disdain and fury toward this heaven-descended "Third Emperor."
They had kept their heads down in this monster-infested sea, dodging Big Mom, avoiding Whitebeard, barely carving out a place for themselves.
What right did Tenma—this nobody who'd barely shown his face—have to shit on their heads?
After all, the cake of the New World was already small. One more mouth meant less meat for everyone else.
"Those bastards in the government…!"
At Marine Headquarters, a thunderous crash echoed from the Fleet Admiral's office.
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