Adventures of the Roronoa Family

The Slight Misunderstanding

In the eerie Northern Graveyard, an abandoned house served as the backdrop for a tense conversation among a small, somber group.

Brook's voice trembled slightly, a rare display of apprehension, as he relayed the grim news. "...He is to be put to death in the Capital City today!" His skeletal frame seemed to shrink as he carefully watched Toko's reaction, sensitive to the impact of his words.

"WHAT!?" The single word exploded from Toko like a cannonball, shattering the heavy air.

In a blur of motion fueled by panic and determination, Toko bolted out the door. Zoro, Hiyori, and Brook barely had a moment to process her reaction before springing into action. Hiyori was swift, her movements echoing her urgency. "I'll go after her! Thank you for everything yesterday!" she called over her shoulder, already dashing towards the door.

Zoro, with equal haste, snatched up his kimono and followed in hot pursuit, his voice gruff with concern. "Don't be an idiot. You couldn't protect her at all!"

~~~

Meanwhile, the unsettling cacophony of screams and shouts near the Prisoner's Quarters painted another grim picture. A little 4-year-old, Olivia, clung to her mother Robin's side, her small fingers gripping tightly in fear.

Robin, ever the stoic and calming presence, tried to make sense of the chaos to the group of Straw Hats huddled around her. "It sounds like Tonoyasu was a thief," she observed, her voice steady but her eyes showing a hint of confusion.

Usopp, his face full of shock, struggled to comprehend the situation. "I don't even understand what this means!? Wasn't he supposed to be a saint?" he exclaimed.

The crowd's please rose like a tide, a chorus of desperation and grief.

"STOP THIS!!"

"Let him down!!"

"Lord Yasuie!! Take him down from there!"

The cries seemed to merge into a singular, heartbreaking lament.

Olivia's small voice quivered as she looked up at her mother, her eyes wide with fear. "Mommy, where is Daddy? Why isn't he here? Will we be okay?" The vulnerability in her question was palpable.

Robin, masking her own worry with a brave front, bent down to Olivia's level. Her smile was gentle yet carried the weight of her worry. "Nothing will happen to us. I promise. Your father should be here any moment." Robin kissed the top of her daughter's head as she picked up Olivia.

The scene at the execution site was a spectacle of despair. Yasuie, displayed for all to see, maintained a defiant demeanor. His laughter, though strained, echoed through the air. "Hahaha! I guess they haven't forgotten about me after all... You will not be heard my good people. Orochi won't ever let me go!" His smile, unwavering even in the face of death, was a testament to his spirit. "But first, I have two things to apologize for! And one thing I want to say to that fool, Orochi! Once I have made my peace, I intend to go into the great beyond laughing!"

~~~

The air hung heavy with tension in the aftermath of Yasuie's death, the sorrow of the Smile Fruit's curse still lingering like a stench. Hiyori, her eyes full of grief, clung to Zoro as if he were her lifeline amidst the chaos. But her heart lurched as she noticed Toko's absence—a small, precious spark missing in the gloom. "Toko!?" she cried, her voice a beacon of desperation slicing through the ruckus of the crowd. "She slipped through the gate!" a bystander yelled. "Get her back!" Hiyori cried to Zoro.