Chapter 77: Arrival at Wano Country
After deciding that their next destination would be Wano Country, Yumesaki didn't act immediately.
The primary reason was that Hawk-Eyes Mihawk had just finished a grueling, high-intensity battle against Shimotsuki Ryuma and desperately needed rest. Thus, the group returned to the floating restaurant, Baratie, to share a meal, recover their strength, and recuperate.
It wasn't until the following morning that they were ready.
Once everyone had finished breakfast, they set out once again.
Yumesaki used his Clairvoyance magic to lock onto the exact coordinates of Wano Country. He pushed open the great portal, and in an instant, they arrived within the borders of the isolated nation.
In fact, they arrived right in the heart of Wano... the Flower Capital.
Despite the country being devastated by the tyranny of Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi, the Flower Capital—as the nation's central hub—still appeared prosperous at a glance.
It was as if the storms raging outside the capital's walls couldn't touch this place.
However, if one looked closely, the cracks in the facade became obvious. In certain street corners of the Flower Capital, beggars were everywhere.
These were the souls who could no longer survive in their home regions and were forced to flee to the capital as refugees. But having no specialized skills, they couldn't find a place to belong or a roof over their heads, eventually reduced to begging for scraps.
Shimotsuki Ryuma observed this sight with a complicated expression. The once-magnificent Flower Capital had withered into this state; it was truly...
Just as he was overcome by a wave of sorrow, a sudden roar of excitement erupted from the street ahead.
In the blink of an eye, both sides of the road were packed with people.
Even the second floors and rooftops of the surrounding buildings were crowded with spectators.
A grand parade was slowly making its way toward them.
Cheers thundered through the crowd.
"It's Komurasaki! It's the Oiran Komurasaki!"
"Komurasaki is here! She's coming!"
"Komurasaki, look this way! Look at me! Aaaaaah!"
Hearing the name Komurasaki, Yumesaki immediately realized that Kozuki Hiyori had made her appearance.
Yumesaki looked up, and sure enough, in the center of the throng, he saw an extraordinary woman. She wore a Kimono adorned with intricate peacock embroidery and lavish hair ornaments, her long, beautiful hair a striking shade of emerald.
She was the woman praised as the number one Oiran in all of Wano Country, Komurasaki—who was actually the daughter of Kozuki Oden, Kozuki Hiyori.
Though she was undeniably beautiful, Yumesaki felt no interest in her.
In the world of *One Piece*, there was certainly no shortage of princesses.
There was Rebecca, the princess of the fallen kingdom Dressrosa; Princess Shirahoshi of Fish-Man Island; and Princess Vivi of the Alabasta Kingdom, among others.
In terms of identity and status, these princesses were in no way inferior to Kozuki Hiyori.
Furthermore, their nations had all faced dire crises.
Take the Alabasta Kingdom, for example. It was toyed with by one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile. King Cobra was framed for a heinous crime, and rebellions broke out across the land.
What did Princess Vivi do?
She secretly left the royal palace. To find the truth about the Dance Powder, she infiltrated Baroque Works, disregarding her own safety to gather evidence.
Then there was Rebecca. Despite being pushed to the brink after the fall of Dressrosa, she never gave up on herself. She trained relentlessly in swordsmanship to become strong, and then stronger still.
Both were typical characters who didn't wait for a miracle from the heavens; they helped themselves.
In contrast, after Wano Country was overthrown, instead of fighting back through struggle, Kozuki Hiyori became Wano's top Oiran, spending her days selling smiles to survive.
No, it couldn't be said that she didn't work hard.
In reality, she worked very hard; one doesn't become the top Oiran of Wano without effort.
The problem was that the direction of her effort was misplaced.
She didn't become strong, nor did she become independent. Instead, she relied on her beauty to navigate between many men, swindling vast fortunes from corrupt, wealthy officials who oppressed the people, often leaving them bankrupt.
On paper, that might sound fine.
But the question remained: did this actually help Wano Country?
Was it to provide funds for the nation's restoration?
Perhaps that was the logic.
However, when held up against the examples of Princess Vivi and Rebecca, Hiyori's actions felt merely "okay" at best. Once compared to them, she appeared incredibly weak.
Particularly because she seemed capable of nothing other than charming and pleasing men.
This made her look even more fragile in Yumesaki's eyes.
Thus, Yumesaki truly had zero interest in a woman like her, regardless of her beauty.
After all, across the thousands of worlds he could traverse, the one thing that was never in short supply was a beautiful face.
Shimotsuki Ryuma's face darkened. He turned to look at Nico Robin. "If I recall correctly, you told me before that this Oiran Komurasaki is the heir to the Kozuki clan, didn't you?"
Nico Robin nodded. "That's right. She is Kozuki Hiyori, daughter of Kozuki Oden and granddaughter of Kozuki Sukiyaki."
The veins on Ryuma's hand bulged as he gripped the famous sword, Shusui. "The descendant of the Great Shogun of Wano Country... reduced to an Oiran selling her charms. Truly..."
Even in Wano, an Oiran was not considered an honorable profession.
Ryuma let out a heavy sigh, his gaze shifting toward the Shogun's palace. He began to walk forward without a hint of hesitation.
Today, it was time to set things right.
Before long, the group arrived at the Shogun's residence.
"Rebel of the Kurozumi clan, come out!!!"
Ryuma opened with a massive strike. A Flying Slash spanning dozens of meters tore through the air, instantly cleaving the luxurious palace in two. One corner of the residence collapsed with a thunderous roar, unable to withstand the sheer power of the blow.
The massive sound echoed, shocking the entire Flower Capital.
The capital had enjoyed a long, if hollow, peace. A blatant, frontal assault on the Shogun's palace like this hadn't happened in a very long time.
The last time something of this scale occurred was when... oh, it was when the "Foolish Lord" Kozuki Oden returned from overseas.
At that time, the citizens of the Flower Capital thought the legitimate heir of the Kozuki clan would save them.
Instead, that man spent five years dancing in the streets and saved no one.
Since then, the people had stopped placing their hopes in the Kozuki name.
Who would have thought that after more than a decade, someone would once again openly challenge the Shogun?
Just whose subordinates were these? They were incredibly fierce.
*Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...*
As the dust settled from the collapsed wing of the palace, several figures appeared. Their movements were as light as swallows, and their appearances were varied and strange. They materialized suddenly before Yumesaki and Ryuma's group.
It was the Orochi Oniwabanshu.
An elite force of eleven ninjas led directly by Kurozumi Orochi, responsible for armed escort duties and intelligence gathering. Every member was an elite ninja possessing high-level Ninjutsu, capable of lethal surprise attacks from the shadows.
On the surface, each of them had their own specialized "secret techniques."
In reality, however, they were nothing special. They could act like big shots within the isolated borders of Wano, but once they left the country, they were nobodies.
"Who are you? How dare you come here to cause such chaos?" the leader of the Oniwabanshu, Fukurokuju, asked with a grim face.
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