Yamato went through some hardships, Olga was caught in some dilemmas, and Kaidou got a reasonable excuse to train more. Besides that, this incident didn't have much impact on Wano Kuni, and some people were not at all interested in the outside world, like Zeraora.
Tesoro's team-building training lasted a long time, and Zeraora was urgently called back to Ghost Island around the same time. After finding out he was going to be a father, even he was panic-stricken for a while.
Especially watching Setsuna's belly grow day by day, he was more excited than anyone else, albeit a bit erratic.
"Zeraora, the due date is the end of the year, five months away. Can't you not be so anxious?"
Setsuna was the one pregnant, but she felt that the one behaving oddly was Zeraora.
"Better safe than sorry. Oh, I brought your parents here too, so you should be able to relax a bit. I'll go fetch them now; don't move around too much."
Saying that, he vanished in a flash, leaving Setsuna no time to react.
"You…"
Digging out her diary from the drawer, Setsuna continued writing down her days.
[July 8, 1510, Sunny
Ever since finding out I'm pregnant, Zeraora has been acting strangely. He keeps taking me for check-ups. I think he might need a check-up himself.]
After confirming the pregnancy, she and Zeraora basically stopped everything else, which was also Arceus and Kaidou's intention.
They wanted them to focus on having the baby, without worrying about anything else. As for things they were supposed to do, a few cadres working overtime meant it wasn't much.
Moreover, Jack, Maria, and Yamato gradually reached an age of responsibility. Although Maria wanted to stay by Kaidou's side, she knew Kaidou only recognized strong individuals, so she'd also take on assignments outside, and the three of them became representatives of a new generation for the Hundred Beasts.
The uneventful days left her with little to record in her diary. Hearing that Zeraora had brought her parents, she decided to go out for a look.
She had always been action-oriented, and even pregnancy didn't affect that. Putting away her pen and paper, she was about to head out when she saw two bears at the door standing like door gods.
Dressed as bears, Kuma and Bepo stood on either side like guardians.
"What are you two up to?"
"Duke, Lord Zeraora asked us to follow you when you go out, to prevent any accidents..."
"Ah... Zeraora, that guy..."
Patting her face, Setsuna felt Zeraora was being overly concerned, yet he had become particularly decisive lately.
Previously, Zeraora wouldn't contradict her on most things, even if she was wrong, he'd let her be. But not on these matters, he wouldn't budge at all.
Even Perona voluntarily gave up her authority over Kuma. As an adoptive daughter, she was also concerned, and recently she'd been busy in the kitchen.
"Never mind, you can follow if you want."
This was just the beginning and even caused a chain reaction. For instance, in Zou, Hichugiskhan found the pile of documents before him increasingly daunting.
He had groomed a few people to help share his administrative duties, but those involved needed to have a good understanding of the outside world and be familiar with Setsuna. Otherwise, it would affect future transitions, so after consideration, Ring and Hatch were brought in.
An unusual version of parental debt repayment appeared in Zou. Given the customs, he didn't have much leverage over Setsuna, so he could only let Hatch and Ring "repay the debt."
Initially, Ring and Hatch helped him with a lot, but with Setsuna's pregnancy, Zeraora started acting neurotic and recently took Hatch and Ring away under the pretense of taking care of Setsuna.
"What bad luck..."
He half-slumped in his rocking chair, which was a gift from Setsuna, supposedly custom-made for his build, making it very comfortable.
Logically, this should be a joyous occasion, and Setsuna's pregnancy should indeed be a cause for celebration. A new generation is always vital for the Fur Race, but he simply couldn't feel happy.
In a way, he wasn't the only one who was unlucky; Hatch also shared the same fate due to this matter.
There's no harm without comparison. Ring and Hatch had lived together for many years and had two daughters, a life he was quite content with.
But after witnessing Zeraora's attitude toward Setsuna, the more Ring looked at Hatch, the more annoyed she felt.
"Aren't you guys overreacting? The Fur Race is not that fragile. When you had kids, did we do all this, and didn't everything turn out fine?"
"You can say that! But it's not you who's giving birth!"
Occasional arguments were normal for them, as they'd always reconcile in the end. But after Hatch and Ring were picked up, a bizarre situation emerged.
Hatch and Setsuna reached a consensus on several issues, both feeling Zeraora was making a fuss over nothing, while Ring wholeheartedly agreed with Zeraora, believing him to be a qualified son-in-law.
Besides these two camps, there was the neutral group of Perona and Wanda. They stood by neither side, helped when needed, and otherwise amused themselves, living leisurely days in Kuri under Zeraora's extensive family umbrella.
Meanwhile, after a series of voyages, Tesoro also returned to company headquarters on the Red Earth Continent.
"Are we going to live here from now on?"
Uta spent most of her time sailing the seas with Shanks. When they went to fight, she would stay on the ship alone. It was her first time seeing such an extensive continent.
"Only temporarily. Though this is the headquarters, it's not the real headquarters."
Hundred Beasts Fruit's headquarters on the Red Earth Continent was just an office handling various communications, taxes, and official interactions with the World Government. The real headquarters was on an island, the true heart.
Tesoro often appeared here, but even if the Red Earth Continent headquarters were destroyed, it wouldn't affect Hundred Beasts Fruit's normal operations.
Before the team-building, they were all indeed here, but they met up because Cindry had just finished her identity proofing process.
This return was also to get Uta a legal identity, as in certification issued by the World Government.
The World Government is the most colossal organization in this world, and even the Navy is just a military arm under it.
Usually, the World Government doesn't interfere much with ordinary people, but among the dwarves, government-affiliated citizens live significantly better than those from Non-Adhering Countries.
Although just a card, this can allow people to traverse most member countries' borders freely, provided nothing unusual happens.