I assembled the strongest swordsman group.

However, Shintaro Nakaoka had no time to pay attention to his joke.

After taking a deep breath, Shintaro Nakaoka leaned forward, closing the distance between himself and the other person in one breath, until he was right in front of him, and lowered his voice:

"Regardless of the state of the 'Northern Dynasty,' if our dynasty were to unify the world in the future, we would never allow officials from the 'Northern Dynasty' to enter the new government."

"Besides, there's absolutely no point in you writing this list."

"Let me be frank, you're not some big shot."

"Whether it's this dynasty or the 'Northern Dynasty,' why should we use your list as a reference?"

"Who do you think you are? You're just a powerless nobody, yet you dare to interfere with the new government's personnel appointments?"

Shintaro Nakaoka became more and more excited as he spoke, and his spittle almost sprayed onto Ryoma Sakamoto's face.

Sakamoto Ryoma Kanji:

"Shintaro, let's put the knife aside for now."

"If we get into a heated argument and impulsively draw our knives and start attacking each other, that would be troublesome."

As he spoke, he took out his sword—the famous sword Mutsu no Kami Yoshiyuki—and placed it in a niche out of reach of his hand.

This knife was a parting gift from his sister to him on the eve of his departure from his fiefdom.

Because of this incident, when the Tosa Domain investigated Sakamoto Ryoma for his defection, she was implicated and had to commit suicide to atone for her sins.

Shintaro Nakaoka hesitated for a moment, then placed his sword into the alcove as well.

After disarming themselves, Sakamoto Ryoma crossed his arms and a candid smile appeared on his slightly upturned lips:

"Shintaro, my original intention has never changed."

"I sincerely hope that this country will become more open and better."

"This country should no longer be divided into North and South, nor should it be divided into feudal domains and shogunate."

"The bloody slaughter among our own people... this is something I absolutely cannot tolerate."

"Mr. Saigo, Mr. Katsura, and others were determined to carry out a bloody revenge against the upper and lower levels of the 'Northern Court' after defeating it."

"Shintaro, ask yourself honestly—is this behavior really right?"

Shintaro Nakaoka pursed his lips and remained silent for a long time.

Sakamoto Ryoma then continued the conversation:

"It was precisely to prevent such tragedies that I was willing to fall out with Mr. Saigo."

"Conversely, even if Tachibana Seido were to become the 'King of the World,' I would do everything in my power to persuade him to adopt a policy of appeasement towards the 'Southern Dynasty'—and that is precisely why I insisted on meeting him."

"Shintaro, my strength alone is too weak to accomplish anything."

"But with your help, we might just be able to achieve something great!"

Sakamoto Ryoma's eyes sparkled.

The phrase "sincere and heartfelt" is truly the most fitting description of his words.

Shintaro Nakaoka remained silent.

A moment later, he silently picked up the list he had just thrown aside and began to browse through it again.

"...Ryoma, I want to ask you a question."

"Please speak."

Why isn't your name on this list?

The list contained hundreds of names, including his own, Shintaro Nakaoka.

But the only thing missing was the name "Sakamoto Ryoma".

Sakamoto Ryoma scratched his head and laughed a few times:

“I am not suited to be an official. I am used to being a carefree person and I cannot adapt to the rules of officialdom.”

Shintaro Nakaoka couldn't help but ask again:

"So, when the new era begins, what do you want to be?"

Sakamoto Ryoma replied without hesitation:

"It's probably about forming a 'World Sea Aid Team'! Leading like-minded friends and family to travel around the world together!"

"Shintaro, do you know? There are still many undiscovered places in this world!"

"It is said that at the southernmost tip of the world, there is a vast ice continent!"

"Hahaha! I really want to see it with my own eyes!"

Ryoma Sakamoto enthusiastically recounted his dream.

Upon hearing this, Shintaro Nakaoka let out a long sigh of relief.

"...Ryoma, you really are a selfless person."

"Of course! In the face of righteousness, how can 'selfishness' find a place!"

……

……

Omi-ya, first floor—

After Fengji went to buy chicken, the already deserted shop became even more desolate.

A few shop assistants quietly went about their work.

Boom!Boom!Boom!

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

The shop assistants all stopped what they were doing.

"Hmm? Feng Ji is back?"

"He can't possibly be back so soon, can he?"

"He doesn't need to knock when he comes back, does he..."

Fujiyoshi—Sakamoto Ryoma's personal attendant—rushed down to Doma in three quick steps, getting close to the shop door:

"Sorry, we're closed."

A deep, resonant male voice immediately came from outside the door:

"I am Totsugawa Goji. If Mr. Sakamoto is here, I would like to pay him a visit."

As Sakamoto Ryoma's personal attendant, Fujiyoshi knew that several Totsugawa villagers were on good terms with Sakamoto Ryoma.

With that thought in mind, he gently pushed open the shop door.

There was only one samurai wearing a low-brimmed straw hat outside the door.

The other person handed over a neatly folded piece of paper through the crack in the door.

"Please give this to Sakamoto Ryoma. Once he sees this, he'll know who has come to visit."

Seeing that the other party was alone, Fujikichi had no suspicions and took the piece of paper to go upstairs.

Because he had turned around, he didn't notice at all—behind him, outside the shop door, several ghostly figures suddenly appeared...

……

……

"...Ryoma, you are truly amazing."

Shintaro Nakaoka breathed a sigh of relief.

"You are selfless and devoted to the public good."

Compared to you, I seem petty.

"Since you have such lofty ambitions, I am willing to risk my life to accompany you!"

Sakamoto Ryoma's eyes shone even brighter.

"I am deeply grateful! Shintaro, with your assistance it is as if I had the strength of a thousand men!"

Shintaro Nakaoka chuckled a few times, then waved the list in his hand:

"Ryoma, remove my name from this list. Like you, I don't want to be an official."

Upon hearing this, Sakamoto Ryoma raised an eyebrow:

"Oh? In that case, Shintaro, would you be interested in joining my 'World Marine Rescue Team' in the future?"

Shintaro Nakaoka gave a wry smile:

"To be honest, I'm quite interested. But..."

He said this with a serious expression, his face hardening.

Sakamoto Ryoma was taken aback.

"But what?"

"Ryoma, come closer, I have a secret to tell you."

Sakamoto Ryoma obediently leaned over.

Shintaro Nakaoka brought his lips close to Ryoma Sakamoto's ear, lowered his voice, and whispered:

"I...can't swim, I'm afraid to go out to sea."

Sakamoto Ryoma paused for a moment, then slapped his thigh and flashed a cheerful expression:

"That's easy! I'll teach you to swim someday! I guarantee you'll learn to swim in just one day!"

The two looked at each other and smiled.

The tense atmosphere that had lingered between them since they left Samo dissipated like melting snow at this moment.

Sakamoto Ryoma patted his belly:

"Oh dear, isn't Feng Ji back yet? This is the perfect time to enjoy a hot drink while we're at it!"