Wano Country — Onigashima
Without a competent navigator to guide him through the treacherous seas of the New World, Jack took nearly twice the usual amount of time to return from Elegia—the famous island known as the Capital of Music and now under Luffy's control—to Wano Country. The journey was slow, tense, and riddled with forced detours, which only heightened his irritation.
The moment he finally set foot on Onigashima, Jack wasted no time. He headed straight to Kaido and reported everything that had happened.
"Oh? Really?" Kaido raised an eyebrow, surprised. "That brat's territory is that close to Wano…?"
Even he couldn't help but be astonished. Elegia was extremely close to Wano Country.
"Captain Kaido," Jack continued. "Straw Hat Luffy said he intends to visit us soon."
Kaido let out a deep, satisfied laugh.
"Understood. Prepare someone to receive them."
It was impossible not to notice that Kaido was genuinely excited.
He then raised his voice and shouted outside the hall:
"Bao Huang!"
At his call, a relatively short young woman with short, light-blonde hair entered.
She had two long horns pointing upward from the top of her head and a large squirrel-like tail extending from her back.
She wore a thin mask with a single eye drawn on it and four tower-shaped protrusions at the bottom. In addition, she wore a low-cut red furisode decorated with floral patterns that left most of her legs exposed, a large bow tied at her back, and geta sandals on her feet. In her hands, she carried a large uchiwa fan with a long handle, bearing the kanji 風 ("wind").
"Master Kaido, what are your orders?"
"How is Yamato?" Kaido asked immediately.
Bao Huang hesitated briefly before replying:
"Black Maria-sama is conducting special training for Her Highness Yamato… but, um… the progress has not been very satisfactory."
---xXx---
At the same time
Pleasure Hall
The Pleasure Hall was, without exaggeration, a true gold sink within the Beasts Pirates.
For pirates, wine and women had always been essential forms of entertainment. And Kaido, despite his brutality, possessed a strangely efficient economic mindset. Rather than allowing his subordinates to spend money at the brothels scattered throughout Wano, he preferred to keep everything in-house.
And for that, he relied on an extremely capable subordinate.
One of the Tobi Roppo—Black Maria.
As the owner of the Pleasure Hall, Black Maria controlled a large number of prostitutes, all forced to serve the Beasts Pirates. Every month, when the pirates received their pay, they flocked there waving bills and coins… only to return almost all of it straight back to Kaido.
What do you call that?
Internal economic circulation.
Or, as Kaido would call it: the Kaido Economy.
Strange as it sounded, the system worked. The Beasts Pirates' economy was stable, supported by establishments like the Pleasure Hall and other "special services." Moreover, the pent-up energy of the men was released right there.
The price?
The silent suffering of those girls.
Wano Country, once a prosperous and flourishing land, was now devastated. The people could barely survive. Many parents, cornered by hunger, sold their own sons and daughters.
Many girls were taken to Onigashima and turned into yūjo, as they were called in Wano.
In practice?
Prostitutes.
---
Inside the Veranda
Dressed in a luxurious and heavy oiran outfit, Yamato struggled immensely to learn proper etiquette under Black Maria's direct supervision.
"That's not right, Your Highness Yamato," Black Maria said, exhaling smoke from her pipe. "That's not how you walk. Four diagonal steps. Your posture is far too stiff… relax."
"How am I supposed to relax wearing all of this…?" Yamato complained, clearly exhausted.
She wasn't wearing her usual mask or kimono. Instead, she was fully styled as an oiran: elaborate, excessively "elegant" clothing, a complex hairstyle, and heavy makeup. It had taken five or six people working for nearly three hours just to prepare her.
"Why do women have to wear so many things?!" Yamato sat down cross-legged, completely abandoning her refined posture. "This is pure torture!"
She wasn't physically tired—but mentally, she was on the verge of collapse.
"Because men like it," Black Maria said with a lazy smile. "Take this opportunity to change those habits of yours. What's wrong with being a woman? Even objectively speaking, Yamato, you're one of the most beautiful women in Wano."
Yamato didn't look happy at all.
"You don't lose to Komurasaki at all," Black Maria continued. "In fact, you're even more beautiful than she was. Captain Kaido has high expectations for you. He even removed the shackles from your wrists."
Yamato lowered her gaze.
The shackles really had been removed.
If she wanted to escape… maybe she could.
But she knew. Better than anyone.
If she ran away, that damned father of hers would hunt her down without mercy. And next time, it wouldn't be so easy to get rid of the chains.
"He just wants me to seduce Straw Hat Luffy and turn him into a subordinate," Yamato muttered. "So why all this absurd oiran training? Just teach me how to seduce men and be done with it!"
Seduce Monkey D. Luffy? With looks alone?
Black Maria sighed, exhausted. Training Yamato was far more difficult than training any other girl.
"Let's start with how you refer to yourself. No 'I.' You should call yourself 'this one.'"
"Why?! I am Kozuki Oden!"
"It doesn't matter if you think you're Oden. You have to learn how to behave like a high-class woman in front of distinguished guests! Those were Captain Kaido's orders!" Maria snapped. "Wasn't that how Komurasaki acted before she died? Just copy her!"
Inside, Black Maria was on the verge of exploding.
So stubborn…
If she were an ordinary woman, she would have already learned—painfully—what it meant to obey.
---
Hakumai Coast
A floating platform slowly descended from the sky.
From above, columns of black smoke could be seen rising from the mountains.
"The air here smells strange…" Robin covered her nose, frowning. "Luffy, what is that?"
"Kaido's SMILE factories."
Luffy adjusted the platform's controls, lowering its altitude.
Compared to the air of Elegia, this place was suffocating. The pollution was so thick it felt like it could be cut with a knife.
"Are you going after Kaido now?" Nami asked.
"No. First, we're going to find someone."
The platform landed on the shore, and everyone disembarked.
Ace surveyed the area in silence before speaking.
"I was here once, two years ago…" he said with a sigh. "I wonder what happened to Tama."
"Tama?" Sanji frowned.
"A little girl. She should be about six years old now," Ace said with a bitter smile. "I stayed here for a few weeks and promised that when she grew up and became a kunoichi, I'd take her out to sea."
He pressed down on the brim of his hat.
"This country was destroyed by Kaido. People can't even eat properly. Back then, I… wasn't strong enough to help them."
Marco listened in silence, his expression grave.
It reminded him of Kozuki Oden.
The former daimyo of Kuri, the rightful heir of Wano Country…
And the man who had been executed at the whim of a usurper.
(End of chapter)