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“Ready?”
Tama wasn’t sure. Seated at the front of a big crowd, surrounded by the Red Scabbards, she was feeling more than a little bit nervous. But their time limit was running out, and it couldn’t be paused. She nodded. “Ready.”
Kin’emon watched her for a moment, as if doubting her, but finally turned to face the audience. In front of the stage, all the Gifters that’d tasted Tama’s taming dango had been gathered in the field below. Each one sat row by row, column by column, their myriad of beastly limbs tied up and restrained as tightly as possible. They’d offered no resistance, because their master had asked them to play along.
But she wasn’t going to be their master much longer.
Her control over them only lasted one month. When the moon’s shape came back around, all the pirates she’d forced to join their side wouldn’t be beholden to her anymore. Usually when her power wore off, she gave her former ally the choice to willingly stay or leave... but given these guys were about to fully comprehend how they’d been used, enslaved, and made to disband their old crew, they might be a liiiiittle crankier than her usual helpers.
That’s what the Scabbards were for. On top of that, city guards were lined up on both sides of the crowd, scanning for any sudden movements. The Gifters were strong, but not strong enough to get past every precaution. Everything was in place.
“Stay focused!” Kin’emon reminded his comrades, hand wrapped around his blade’s hilt, ready to retrieve it at a moment’s notice. “It is our duty to keep O-Tama safe once her spell breaks. We’ve prepared as much as we could... if any harm comes to her, the shame will follow us into the next life.”
The rest agreed, nodding or humming their acknowledgement as they gripped their own swords. If they couldn’t protect one child from a bunch of bound baddies with all these advantages, how could they call themselves warriors?
Kin’emon finally addressed the crowd, shouting over their heads. “Heed my words, scoundrels!”
“Hey, they’re my friends...”
Kin’emon glanced down at Tama before huffing, starting again. “Heed my words, Gifters... any moment now, your enchantment will end. Your old allegiances will return, you will truly realize the Beast Pirates have been undone, and you’ll realize you played a part in it. Just know that if any of you attempt to seek revenge, you will have to answer to the Red Scabbards. O-Tama is under our protection!”
Tama chewed on the inside of her cheek, not wanting to disrupt the serious moment, but she couldn’t help but add her own piece. “A-And if anyone wants to stick around and play nice, you can!”
“Of course we will!” one Gifter called, smiling wildly despite the cuffs around his wings.
“Yeah! We couldn’t be happier!”
“How could we hate that little face?”
“We love you, O-Tama!”
Tama really, really wished she could believe them. They’d all find out how much they really cared about her in just a moment.
It was time for the moment of truth. An uneasy silence filled the area as they waited for the first pirate to come to their senses.
At last, it happened. Someone stirred in the crowd, putting everyone on high alert. It’d begun.
The results varied. While none of them seemed to like her as much as they’d claimed, not all of them took it poorly. Some actually seemed pretty grateful to be out of the Beast Pirates, lacking the bravery or means to escape on their own. Others were upset, yet also relieved to be forced onto the winning side now that they knew they would’ve lost in the end. Those who didn’t put up a fight were given the choice to either leave in peace or stay in Wano, forsaking their old ways to help rebuild the country they would now live in. They might not be part of Tama’s fan club anymore, but they parted with their master on good terms.
Others, well... let’s just say it was a good thing they’d had them restrained beforehand. Even unarmed and in chains, a few were enraged enough to cause a scuffle once they’d woken up, bowling over guard and fellow Gifter alike in their outrage. These ones were quickly subdued and taken away, to either be put on a boat and exiled or thrown in prison until the guards could figure out what to do with them.
An hour passed. Soon enough, the crowd had dwindled to only a few. Whether they’d left peacefully or not, none had stayed with Tama. She didn’t really mind... people were more complex than animals, after all, and she’d sort of seen it coming. They had lives to get back to, for good or bad.
But... there was one that Tama really hoped would stick by her side. One seated in the front, that she hadn’t taken her eyes off of. One that still hadn’t come to their senses yet.
One by one, the remaining Gifters left or were escorted out... until only that last Gifter remained. All eyes fell on the woman laying in front, the centaur, her rope-bound legs folded under her.
Speed. The very first Gifter to eat her dango. The one she’d grown closest to.
But had she really? Tama had started to look up to Speed like a mother in their time together, but as the month wore on, she’d started to realize the pirate might not feel the same. Speed was happy as could be under her control, but once she broke free and realized just how she’d been used, would she still like her?
...Or was Tama about to lose a parent again?
Agonizing seconds ticked by, the Scabbards on standby, Tama growing increasingly worried. At last, she couldn’t take it any longer. She peeked up at the grown-ups around her. “Can... can I get closer to her?”
Kin’emon blinked back surprise, as if she’d asked if she could march into a lion’s cage. The man seemed reluctant, but still thought it over. “A Gifter is stronger than the average man... but without her bow, she shouldn’t be a problem. Are you sure, O-Tama?”
The girl nodded, the most sure she’d ever been in her life. If this was possibly the last moment she could spend with Speed before the centaur hated her guts, she would take it. “Very well.” The samurai glanced to his fellow retainers, who nodded their agreement. “You may.”
Beaming, Tama jumped up, leaping offstage and racing for the centaur. “Speed!”
“Master!” Her arms still free, Speed caught the giggling girl midsprint and lifted her up. “Thank goodness. I was getting antsy, stuck down here away from you.”
Tama’s laughter died down, as well as her smile. Speed held her close, yet her soft embrace didn’t bring any comfort. “Well... that’s why I came down here. I wanted to talk.”
“Hmm?” The older woman looked down at her, brow furrowing. Slowly, she lowered the kid back to the ground and reached out to cup her cheek. “What’s wrong? I know everyone else left... but we don’t need them. It can just be you and me! I’ll take care of you, I promise. Why are you upset?”
Somehow, her soothing words stung. “Because...” Tama’s stomach twisted, afraid to mention the thought that’d been haunting her all month. She sank down to sit on her knees, bunching up her yukata in her fists. “Because I don’t want to be your master anymore... I want to be your daughter!”
Speed’s lips briefly parted in a soft ‘oh’, only to spread wide in a beaming horseish grin. “You already told me that before, silly! Just before we left Onigashima? I told you I’d love nothing more, master.”
“Yeah...” There was that word again. Master. She’d grown to dislike whenever Speed used it. Tama hung her head, unable to meet her gaze. “But I told you when you were forced to listen to me. And you won’t have to much longer...”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean...” Tama sucked in a shaky breath. “I mean... please, please don’t hate me...”
Tama waited for Speed’s response, dreading it. It never came. Confused, she looked up to meet her eyes again. “Speed...?”
The woman had frozen up, her eyes glazed over. The sign that Tama’s power had ended. The girl felt her heart beat faster, excitement and fear churning together while she waited to see what happened next.
Finally, Speed’s eyes focused again. She blinked. She slowly glanced down, looking at the young girl kneeling before her as if she barely recognized her. A moment later, a flash of realization lit up her face... and then she lunged for Tama. “You little...!”
Tama screamed as the centaur snatched her up. In an instant, the field filled with the shing of a dozen unsheathed swords as everyone else in the room prepared to step in.
“Wait!” Kin’emon had been the first to react, leaping for the stage’s edge, yet something struck him. He studied the scene before him, then slowly, ever so slowly, put his weapon back in its holster. “Stand down. ”
Tama wasn’t screaming anymore... she was laughing. Rather than wring her little neck, Speed had pulled her close to her chest, rocking her back and forth as she hugged her. “You little troublemaker. Tell them to get these things off my legs right now! I’m getting a cramp...!”
It felt like a dream. Speed still cared about her when none of the others had. As happy as Tama was, it seemed too good to be true. “So... you’re not mad?”
“Mad? No, no, of course not.” Speed’s face quickly shifted, her grin growing more forced, eyebrows tilting into a glare. “I’m furious. You cost me a job with one of the strongest crews in the world, used me like your workhorse, destroyed everything I’ve given so much for, and all of it against my will.” Tama swallowed nervously, but Speed’s face relaxed soon enough. “Still... I think you helped me find something better.”
“I... I did?”
“Yeah.” She lifted the girl a little higher, letting her hang onto her shoulder while she held her. “I don’t think I can forgive what you did, but... I can’t be mad at you either. This month in Wano has been the happiest time of my life. So peaceful, so free... I didn’t have to fight to keep my position, or order bumbling slackers around. It was... nice, not being a pirate for a while. Just being able to live.”
To live with her, Tama hoped went unsaid. The girl clutched at her robes, growing nervous again. “Do... do you remember what I asked you?”
“I said I’m not mad,” Speed replied. Tama stared at her until the centaur realized she’d meant a different question. “Oh! You meant about me being your...”
A long, uncomfortable silence hung over them as Speed stopped to think. “I... didn’t think I could ever be a mother anymore. Not after...” She briefly glanced back at her horsey hindquarters. “After I changed myself to get stronger.”
Tama didn’t quite understand how becoming half horse meant she couldn’t be a mother anymore, but she didn’t interrupt Speed as she went on. “I’d resigned myself to that. But now...” She went quiet another moment, ears drooping. “None of that time we spent together was real, was it? Everything you did was honest... but everything I did was forced.”
Fear gripped Tama’s heart again... until Speed smiled gently. “That just means we can make a real bond now. If I’m not a pirate anymore, then maybe it’s time I retire.” She tapped Tama’s nose with a finger, making her giggle. “And if I’m retired, I don’t see why I can’t take care of a cutie like you.”
Speed tensed up when she heard a guard sniffle off to the side. She looked up to see that even the Scabbards had started smiling at the scene. “HEY!” she snapped, giving the peanut gallery a strong glare. “No one said you could watch our private moment!”
But Tama didn’t care one bit that they had an audience. She could barely contain herself after everything they’d just talked about... she had to know for sure, to hear a direct answer from Speed’s lips. “So will you be my mother?!” she pleaded.
Speed took a breath, and for a moment, Tama could’ve sworn she sounded a little choked up. “Yes... I’ll be your mom,” she finally said. “But if you ever try to pull that trick on me again...!”
Tama wouldn’t... she had no reason to anymore. Unable to keep the smile from her face or the relieved tears from her eyes, Tama threw her arms around Speed’s neck, nuzzling her new family member. ‘Daughter’ would sound much better than ‘master’ did, she could tell already.