"No, Uncle Denjirō, Father said the time hasn't come yet. And with the power we can muster right now, we're nowhere near strong enough to defeat Kurozumi Orochi!" said Kozuki Hiyori firmly.
Kawamatsu was still imprisoned in Kaidō's quarry, and Ashura Dōji was still living as a bandit, leading the remnants of the former samurai.
And they still didn't know who the person was that had just fought Kaidō. That was a key point—perhaps it could be an opportunity!
"Uncle Denjirō, can you find out who it was that fought Kaidō? If you can, maybe we could try to contact that person first," Hiyori suggested.
Denjirō realized he had been too impatient lately. Ever since Kozuki Oden's death, the Land of Wano had fallen into ruin, and his own temperament had changed drastically.
Now, under the alias Kyoshiro, he had established the Kyoshiro Family in the Flower Capital—a powerful and infamous yakuza group.
Because of Kyoshiro's exceptional swordsmanship, Kurozumi Orochi had even taken him in as his personal bodyguard. That meant Denjirō had a good chance of finding out who Kaidō's mysterious opponent was.
"Alright, I'll go to Orochi's side and investigate. I'll get going now," Denjirō said before leaving in haste.
Hiyori, meanwhile, had her own preparations to make. She had only recently become the oiran of the capital, and today she would be participating in the oiran parade.
On the other side, the chaos on Onigashima had calmed down after King and Queen returned. Kaidō himself was back in his quarters, brooding over a jug of sake.
"Hey, Karl! When are you guys leaving Wano?" Yamato burst into Karl's courtyard as soon as she got back, clearly itching to see the world beyond Onigashima.
"Show some respect and call me Uncle Karl! I'm of the same generation as your father, you know. And why are you asking? Don't forget—Kaidō doesn't allow you to leave Wano. I can't help you with that. If you want to go, do it yourself. I'm not taking you." Karl immediately saw through Yamato's intentions.
"Fine, fine! I'll go on my own one day anyway! Hey, An, how about we go to the Flower Capital? I haven't been there since I was eight! They've got amazing oden there!" Yamato said excitedly to An.
"Uncle, can I go?" An asked, looking at Karl expectantly.
"Go ahead. I'm not coming—I've been flying all day and had a fight on top of that. I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed." With that, Karl turned in for the night.
"Let's go, An! I'll take you around the Flower Capital!" Yamato said, pulling An along as they ran off.
The moment they left, someone immediately went to report to King.
"You're saying Young Master Yamato went out with the little girl who's been following Lord Karl?" King asked the guard who came to report.
"Yes, sir. Should we follow them?" the guard asked uncertainly.
"No need. Young Master Yamato might be reckless, but that little girl has been with Lord Karl long enough to handle herself. With her there, nothing will happen." King believed that even if trouble did arise, the two of them could deal with it—they both possessed Conqueror's Haki, after all.
"Yes, understood," the guard said before leaving.
"How strange… what happened to the Flower Capital?" Yamato wondered aloud as she and An arrived. It looked nothing like she remembered.
"It's been years since you were last here—of course it's changed! Do you even know where we're going? Maybe we should ask someone for directions," An sighed helplessly.
"No need! Let's just head where the crowd is!" Yamato said confidently, dragging An along again.
Before long, they reached a street packed shoulder to shoulder with people.
"Yamato, is there some festival or special event today?" An asked, puzzled by the crowd.
"Uh… I'm not sure either," Yamato admitted sheepishly.
"You two don't know? Today's the parade of Komurasaki, the number one beauty of Wano! Everyone's here to see her!" an excited man nearby explained. Normally, the oiran only entertained nobles and high-ranking officials—commoners like him rarely had a chance to even glimpse her.
"The number one beauty in Wano?" Yamato's eyes lit up with interest. "An, let's stay and see what she looks like!"
"Sure. Everyone's already gathered here anyway, and we're not getting any oden at this rate," An replied indifferently. She'd seen plenty of beautiful women before—each of her three aunts was a peerless beauty in her own right.
Suddenly, the unique music of the courtesan parade began to play, and everyone craned their necks toward the street.
"It's the oiran Komurasaki! The parade's starting!" someone shouted excitedly.
Komurasaki appeared, walking slowly with her attendants. Her sky-blue hair was styled high and adorned with ornate pins, her lips painted a striking crimson. A golden headdress gleamed atop her head, and her kimono shimmered like peacock feathers. On her feet were impossibly tall geta—at least half a meter high. In short, she was the picture of extravagance, her beauty dazzling yet heavy with the aura of the pleasure quarters.
"Ah! A goddess!"
"She's blinding!"
"So beautiful!"
"My eyes! They can't take it!"
The crowd on both sides gasped and swooned, overwhelmed by her brilliance.
"Wow, An, look! Komurasaki is so beautiful!" Yamato said, eyes sparkling.
"She's… alright, I guess," An muttered, pouting slightly. The woman was indeed beautiful, but the heavy makeup and courtesan's air weren't to her taste.
Just then, Komurasaki's gaze fell upon Yamato and An—and she froze for a moment when she saw the horns atop Yamato's head, the same as Kaidō's. Her mind churned with questions. She longed to approach and ask directly who Yamato was to Kaidō, but the parade wasn't over; she couldn't break formation. So she simply burned Yamato's face into memory—she would ask Kyoshiro to investigate once he returned.
"Yamato, that oiran just stared at you for quite a while. I think she's interested in you," An whispered.
"Huh? Really? Komurasaki looked at me?" Yamato's eyes lit up in excitement. The number one beauty in Wano had noticed her!
"I mean she might have some ulterior motive, Yamato! Don't forget—you're Kaidō's daughter. Maybe she recognizes you from before," An said bluntly.
"Recognize me? Hmm… maybe. How about we go meet her later?" Yamato mused. She didn't recall ever seeing the woman before, but the curiosity had already taken root.
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