Twenty-two, twenty-four, twenty-eight...
Today, Gawain has been in this world for twenty-nine days.
He sat upright on the throne of the daimyo, his eyes closed, meditating as he felt his inner self.
In the world within his mind, he was conversing with Kaido.
At this moment, Kaido was uncontrollably emitting mournful howls.
Those chains had long since burrowed into his flesh, advancing from his muscles toward his heart and brain.
The ensuing pain and fear continued to erode Kaido's soul.
He spoke to Gawain with difficulty.
"Faster, faster!"
"Either end my suffering, or... completely end my suffering!!!"
Indeed, faced with the world's will locking and obliterating them, even a fierce warrior like Kaido has considered using death to escape.
He wasn't afraid; it was just... too much pain!
Feeling Kaido's pain, Gawain pondered for a long time.
Things are getting better day by day, and his plan is gradually unfolding. If he were given another half month, he could not only secure his position as the supreme ruler of the Land of Fire, but also control the Land of Fire to make some progress and first gather the neighboring countries under the name of fire!
Through these actions, he has ignited the map of the Shinobi World and now possesses a territory on it that is even larger than the Pirate World!
As for Gawain's plan...
While focusing his efforts on controlling the Shinobi World, Gawain boldly put forward a conjecture!
That is, what if I unified the world in the Shinobi World ahead of time, creating a unified world?
Is it possible for him to completely break through the barriers from the Shinobi World?
If possible, he would establish a connection between the Shinobi World and the Pirate World ahead of time, and then lead Kaguya Otsutsuki and Hagoromo Hamura to have their final battle in the Pirate World ahead of schedule.
Even if someone like Kaguya Otsutsuki wasn't a match for the deeply hidden Imu, Kaguya couldn't possibly lose completely!
Because there are no sealing techniques in the Pirate World!
This is Gawain's plan, a grand plan to push open the door to the world from the opposite direction!
But the key issue is...
I don't have time!
Kaido is nearing his limit...
I can indeed control Kaido, draining him of his last drop of soul and allowing him to unleash his full potential to buy myself more time.
But can I do that?
Once you abandon your bottom line, that bottom line ceases to exist.
Gawain knew this well, so he remained silent for a long time before finally speaking to Kaido.
"Kaido, I feel your pain, so I will leave this world as soon as possible and end my exploration of the New World."
I have basically mastered the new power system you requested, which can enhance our strength. After we return, I can give you everything you desire.
Before I leave, I need some time to explain a few things.
In addition, I have everything else to take care of.
Please give me two last two days, just two more days!
I must bid farewell to the important figures in the New World and leave behind some extra time to facilitate our next exploration!
After saying that, Gawain looked at Kaido with concern.
Meeting Gawain's gaze, Kaido grunted and then nodded heavily.
"Two days isn't my limit, I can... I can hold on for at least another week!"
A week from now, I'm afraid I'll lose all my sanity, and my terracotta warrior will be completely shattered!
That's fine, that's fine too!
All decisions are in your hands; you decide my fate, Your Majesty!
After saying this, Kaido abandoned his conversation with Gawain and instead made a final effort to resist the torment of the world's will.
Seeing Kaido exerting all his strength, Gawain bowed apologetically before leaving the mental world.
Sitting in the seat of the great name, Gawain sighed softly.
There's not enough time!
If erasing Kaido's soul could buy him at least two years, then he might actually do it.
Kaido's sacrifice brought about the complete unification of the two worlds.
Gawain might not be able to resist the temptation in this situation.
Even if Kaido sacrifice himself, the time he could gain wouldn't exceed half a month.
Even if Gawain and Otsutsuki acted separately and killed all the nobles in the world within half a month...
Their officials didn't have time to travel to all the countries and influence their national policies.
In short, the plan has to be put on hold for now; Gawain has decided to end his first journey.
Although Kaido can hold out for about another week, since time is never enough, there's no need to subject Kaido to any more torment.
Whether you leave early or late, you're going to leave eventually. Maybe if you leave sooner, Kaido will recover faster.
Although we don't know how long the next journey will take, it's always good to let Kaido recover as soon as possible, no matter how long the interval is.
With that in mind, Gawain picked up his charcoal pencil and carefully wrote down some words.
He left Hagoromo and Hamura some letters with teachings as their core message.
He was about to leave, but he didn't know how long he would be gone.
Therefore, he needs to make some preparations in advance to avoid going too far and causing the world to revert to the situation of the future.
If when I come back next time, Kaguya is still sealed away.
Then he would lose his biggest support.
As for his two sons at that time...
They dared to seal away their mother; who knows, if their own father were to appear, his two sons might just seal him away too.
In short, after writing the letter home, Gawain left it on the table.
He then stepped forward and quickly appeared beside Kaguya, who was studying chakra control.
Sensing Gawain's approach, Kaguya turned around and immediately frowned.
"Azure Dragon, you don't look very happy. You look like you're about to die."
"Ha, you mean I look a bit down?"
Gawain patted Kaguya's shoulder irritably, then pulled him to sit quietly next to Kaguya.
Gawain casually put his arm around Kaguya's waist, causing Kaguya to shift slightly in discomfort, and then said something insightful.
"Kaguya, I'm afraid I'll have to leave for a while!"
"Okay, I understand. Don't worry, I'll take good care of our plans."
Kaguya didn't find anything strange; it wasn't the first time Gawain had left.
In recent days, Gawain has been going away for two or three days at a time, supposedly to find the lair of some toads and snakes.
Although it's unclear why Gawain is particularly interested in toads, snakes, and snails.
Wait, that doesn't seem to be called a snail, it's Katsuyu.
In short, regardless of why Gawain was interested, Kaguya herself did not want to get involved or participate.
Although they formed a family, Kaguya had no idea what it meant to care or worry.
Listening to Kaguya's carefree words, Gawain smiled with relief.
"Fortunately, your personality never worries me, and my departure won't make you sad."
In that case, I'll do one last search for the toad in the next couple of days. If I can't find it, I'll just leave this planet.
As you know, there are no dragons on this planet, and my hometown isn't on this planet either.
Right now, something has happened in my hometown that needs my help, but don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can after I've dealt with it.
After all, you and our son are here.
At this point, Gawain gently put his arm around Kaguya, wanting Kaguya to lean on his shoulder.
He had only known this woman for a short time, but they did have a child together, and Gawain genuinely liked Kaguya's... selfless and unconditional care for him.
How can I describe that feeling?
It's like there's a seemingly aloof girl who's secretly in love with you.
No man would refuse this feeling.
However, this seemingly ordinary woman is not very happy these days.
Kaguya frowned, her displeasure undisguised.
"Wait, when you said 'leave,' you didn't mean leave to go find the toad."
Instead... you're planning to find the toad, and then leave for good?"
At this point, a hint of hesitation appeared in Kaguya's eyes.
"If you leave like this, will you ever come back?"
So, now that you've obtained my chakra, you're not planning to waste any more time on me?
In the past few days, I've read some books by indigenous people.
It seems men are always like this with women: once they get them, they no longer need to cherish them?
Are you also...?
"I haven't received it yet!!!"
Gawain interrupted Kaguya impatiently, and casually grabbed Kaguya chin.
"You idiot, I asked you to learn chakra manipulation, and you can't even unleash a Great Fireball."
You can't learn the Substitution Jutsu either; you'll only ever be able to use that Limbo: Border Jail you wear on your eyes.
You won't study when I tell you to, but you're very serious about reading all sorts of random books!
Don't look at that nonsense. Neither you nor I are human, and we don't need to live like humans!
After emphasizing this, Gawain released Kaguya and picked up a flask of sake.
After taking a couple of sips, Gawain handed the sake bottle to Kaguya.
"Have a drink, I'm leaving soon, consider it a farewell."
Don't worry, I'll be back soon.
I've done a preliminary calculation, and if all goes well, I should be able to return in a month or two.
If things don't go smoothly, then perhaps... at the very least, it will take about twenty or thirty years!
At this point, Gawain was constantly trying to determine when he would return.
If Kaido recovers, I can immediately continue exploring.
They should be able to come back in a few months at most.
If I can only explore once, that's fine. At most, it will take a few decades. Once I have completely unified the Pirate World, I can open the door to the world.
So at the latest, it will be a few decades, just a few decades. By then, even Hagoromo and Hamura probably won't be old yet.
They can live for at least a hundred or two hundred years. As long as they don't die, even if Kaguya is still sealed by them, I can bring my subordinates to unseal Kaguya.
The only problem is, what if I fail to unify the Pirate World and instead die or am defeated in the waters of that Pirate World?
After all, Gawain hadn't read the ending of One Piece.
Just how deep are the waters of the Pirate World?
Nobody knows.
However, Gawain wouldn't tell Kaguya this. He simply gave Kaguya a confident smile and continued.
"At the latest, it will only be a few decades before I return to this planet to continue the work that we two haven't finished."
I promised you I would help you fight against the Ōtsutsuki Main Family.
And I will never go back on my word!
After speaking, Gawain looked at Kaguya seriously, and Kaguya nodded helplessly after a brief hesitation.
Nodding, Kaguya couldn't help but tug at Gawain's sleeve.
She pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but couldn't quite bring herself to say it.
But she finally spoke up; keeping things to herself wasn't in her nature.
She looked unhappy, her eyes lowered, and she spoke haltingly and intermittently.
"These past few days... especially the days since I met you."
I felt... a peace and joy I had never experienced before.
I am no longer alone. With your help and support, I feel much more at ease.
At the same time, watching Hagoromo and Hamura grow up, watching them surround us and call us "Dad" and "Mom".
I also felt the joy and anticipation of being a parent...
I don't want to escape this feeling, I don't want you to leave, and I'm somewhat content with everything I have now.
But I won't stop you from returning to your hometown either, because if I had the chance, I would also like to go home and visit.
I would never do anything to make myself unhappy, but I have to admit that it's hard for me to be happy, whether or not you're allowed to leave.
Without you, the children would be without a father, and I would feel anxious and lonely.
If I leave you here, you're destined not to be happy, and we might not be the same as we were before.
Thinking about it that way made me even more unhappy!
I don't want to be alone!
So why don't we think of a better way?
You once told me that discussion is necessary, and that the entanglement of multiple ideas can spark far more brilliant ideas than a single one.
Therefore, I want to share my opinion with you!
I plan to leave with you; we'll leave with our sons!
Go back to your hometown first, and I will help you solve the problems your hometown is facing, as a way of repaying you for your help.
After that, let's come back together. That way, I'll be happy because of you, Azure Dragon.
What do you think of my suggestion? Would you like to include me?
I'm waiting for your answer, Azure Dragon.
As soon as she finished speaking, Kaguya looked at Gawain with her usual indifferent expression.
Inevitably, although her expression was cold, her eyes held a hint of timidity and... worry.
Meeting that gaze, Gawain took a deep breath.
Kaguya needs him more than she realizes.
If I could stay...
No, the people of the Pirate World need themselves more!
His great undertaking has just begun; they need his guidance and protection, and he still owes them a future!
As for Kaguya, even without him, no one can harm her; she is immortal!
Besides, I'll be back!
Moreover, I have no choice but to leave!
Thinking this, Gawain gripped Kaguya's wrist tightly.
He forced a smile, then spoke with difficulty.
"I can't take you with me because the way I get home doesn't allow me to bring another person with me."
So I'm sorry, it seems you'll need to miss me for a while longer.
But I promise you, I will get back as quickly as possible.
Don't worry, Kaguya, I'll probably be back by your side after you've had a few naps..."
And so, two days later.
Gawain, having failed to find the toad, passed away in front of Kaguya and his sons.
Hagoromo and Hamura watched as Gawain disappeared from their world like a shooting star in reverse.
But what none of them expected was...