Yuriko had merely proposed the idea, but Ayame was the one who arranged for its implementation. She knew far more about these matters.
In truth, the plan was quite simple. She had merely sent a group of people to the other provinces, instructing them to develop from the ground up, starting as undercover agents before eventually rising to become leaders of the underworld.
One could only say Ayame truly understood the art of infiltration.
This matter was simpler than expected; the only thing required was strength!
The underworld organizations were mostly composed of samurai, men who cared nothing about lineage or ancestral glory. They valued only strength!
With enough power, one would gain followers. With sufficient strength, one could rise to high positions!
After returning to Kuri, Yuriko saw Matsuri practicing sword swings. Behind her followed three children. The oldest was a girl—Ayame's daughter, Iris.
Iris had begun training with Matsuri several years ago.
Meanwhile, Enel and Buggy had only started training this year. Although they trained under Matsuri, neither had specifically focused on swordsmanship.
From the very beginning, these two children displayed extraordinary talent. Especially Buggy, who had a habit of slacking off during training, but upon closer inspection, one could see that even during the most grueling exercises, he would grit his teeth and persevere.
"Alright, that's enough for today," Matsuri said, sheathing her sword and wiping the sweat from her brow. Her figure was now as impressive as Yuriko's, and her expression had matured considerably.
After all, if one were to be precise, she was already twenty-one years old.
"Mother, you're back," Matsuri said happily upon seeing Yuriko, while Iris, ignoring her own sweat, rushed toward Ayame.
"The adults have returned during this time, but only stayed for a few days," Matsuri said.
"Did Lord Ren leave any instructions?" Yuriko wasn't surprised. With Ren's abilities, returning to Wano was as easy as taking a stroll.
In fact, except for the time he fought against Shiki several years ago, he had basically returned once every month, though no one besides them in the daimyo's mansion knew of it.
"No, but Lord Ren said he'll take me out to sea next time," Matsuri said joyfully.
"Matsuri is quite strong now too," Ayame said, lifting Iris into her arms. At this, Matsuri immediately puffed up with pride.
Yuriko ignored her daughter, whose tail seemed about to reach for the sky, and instead stretched lazily, walking up into the attic.
Buggy and Enel were exhausted, collapsed on the ground. Although completely drained, they exchanged a glance, finding confirmation in each other's eyes.
That night, the two children sneaked out of their rooms.
"Hey, Buggy, are we really going to do this?" Enel looked at the high tower in the daimyo's mansion. Against the pitch-black sky, the tower was only visible in silhouette, appearing like a giant devil that inspired terror.
Although they had confirmed their plan during the day, Enel now felt a sudden urge to back out.
"Idiot, didn't we agree?" Buggy, his nose red, glared at him. Although they were temporarily staying in the daimyo's mansion, they couldn't approach the tower, especially its upper floors.
"There must be some secret in that tower!" Buggy declared with conviction. "Last time I saw Lord Ren taking several fruits up there!"
"But they were just fruits, right? If you want fruit, why not just buy some?" Enel shook his head, and his large earlobes flopped around with the motion.
"Those weren't ordinary fruits! I saw those fruits covered in black patterns—they were literally the devil's fruit!" Buggy tried to make his words more terrifying to capture Enel's attention.
However, this had the opposite effect, making Enel even more frightened.
"What if, what if we get caught... Matsuri-onee-san and Aunt Ayame... they're both so strong..." Enel worried.
"We won't get caught! I'm already very strong!" Buggy said proudly, hands on his hips, chest puffed out. Then he looked at Enel with disdain and said: "You, long ears! If you don't come, don't ever say you're my brother, Buggy the Clown!"
"Don't call me long ears, you red nose!" Hearing Buggy's personal attack, Enel immediately became angry and yelled at him.
"Who are you calling red nose, you bastard! I'll kill you!" Buggy also lost his temper. Although his personality had changed considerably from the original, it was clear that his red nose remained his weak point.
The two argued, their faces inches apart, as if they wanted to devour each other.
(Red-Haired Shanks: Should I leave?)
Yet even while quarreling, their footsteps unconsciously led them toward the high tower.
"Shh, quiet... guards..." Enel had been about to grab Buggy's ears to yell at him, but he suddenly closed his mouth as if noticing something, covering Buggy's mouth and pulling him into the bushes.
One had to admit that even without the Rumble-Rumble Fruit or awakened Observation Haki, Enel's senses were still abnormally keen.
Almost the moment they hid in the bushes, several female guards in light armor walked around the corner.
"Huh, no one here? I could've sworn I heard a voice..." one guard said strangely to her companion.
These words instantly made Buggy and Enel's little hearts leap into their throats. They clamped their hands over their mouths, not daring to take a deep breath. Coincidentally, a small insect landed on Buggy's nose, making him tremble.
'Hold it together, Buggy! If we're caught, we're done for!' Enel frantically pressed on him. If they were caught sneaking into the tower, they would definitely be punished.
Others might be lenient, but Aunt Ayame would absolutely make them run around Kagegawa Town for a whole day without food, or face the terrifying Cotton Candy!
Cotton Candy was that Komainu that had received the soul of a bird-of-paradise. Now the creature had grown larger than the rock garden in the courtyard!
"Could it have been wild cats or something?" another guard asked.
This gave Enel and Buggy an idea. The two immediately pinched their noses and started meowing like cats.
"Meow~"
"It really was cats, let's go..."
As they listened to the guards leave, Buggy and Enel breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good thing we weren't caught... huh, why am I flying, Buggy the Great?" Buggy stared, watching himself rise higher from the ground, a bad feeling dawning in his heart.
He stiffly turned his head and sure enough, saw a woman's face.
Ayame, with her beautiful features, was undoubtedly a rare beauty, but in Buggy's eyes, trained through hardship, this face was more terrifying than a demon.
"It's, it's the spider woman's ghost!"
Buggy's scream echoed through the night sky.
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