Kyoji, as the head of the underworld, was a big shot in Flower Capital.
He kept a gang of underlings, who were responsible for keeping the peace on a daily basis. Places like the brothels couldn't operate without a bit of muscle to maintain order.
Upon learning of Kozuki Hiyori's abduction, Kyoji immediately dispatched his men to search the entire city.
Such a commotion quickly caused a stir in the city.
Many people knew about it.
"It's the thugs from the Green House... what happened?"
"I heard the doctor, Komurasaki, was kidnapped!"
"What? Someone dared to do something like this!"
"Damn, I'm so envious..."
On the street, a round, plump man overheard the gossip and couldn't help but be curious.
"What kind of courtesan?"
His subordinate replied: "Quinn-sama, there's a brothel in Flower Capital called the Green House. The courtesan is theirs, apparently she was kidnapped."
Quinn, with a cigar in his mouth, bald, wearing sunglasses, and a gold braid on his head, was one of the top executives of the Beasts Pirates, a "Disastor" among the Three Disasters.
As a pirate, his bounty was 1,320,000,000 berries!
"Who did it?"
"I don't know, I heard it was a bizarre disappearance. Right now, the Green House people are searching the entire city." The subordinate pirate shook his head repeatedly, "That woman is super beautiful, the most beautiful woman in Wano Country."
Quinn's eyes lit up.
"Hurry, go find her!"
"Eh?!" The subordinate was dumbfounded, "But, we have a mission? If Kaido-sama finds out we're not doing our job, he'll be angry!"
"Cut the crap, go!"
Quinn snorted.
Ever since the Kozuki family fell, and they, the Beasts Pirates, took over this country, there had been a constant stream of underground resistance.
He was short-handed at the quarry in Prisoner Mines, so he could grab a bunch of lurking Kozuki family remnants to work.
However, this wasn't really urgent.
The most beautiful woman in Wano Country, he wanted to see just how beautiful she was...
...
Wano Country, Shogun's Palace.
Kurozumi Orochi also heard about the commotion outside.
"The most beautiful woman in Wano Country?"
As a man who loved money and women, Kurozumi Orochi's eyes lit up when he heard the title of the most beautiful woman.
A ninja from the Oniwabanshu, on one knee, reported: "The entire city is in an uproar right now, Shogun-sama, should we dispatch 'Shinobi Warriors' to handle this?"
Oniwabanshu was an elite ninja force, specifically responsible for protecting the Shogun.
And the Shinobi Warriors, similar to police, were a force made up of a group of lower-ranking samurai, their primary duty was daily patrols, maintaining order, and so on.
"Gukukukukukuk... No, you go find that courtesan and bring her to me!"
Kurozumi Orochi chuckled, holding a young, beautiful woman in his arms, drinking the sake that another woman offered to his lips.
"Yes!"
The ninja disappeared instantly.
...
The night in Flower Capital was full of twinkling stars.
It was late at night, but the chaos continued, and it was getting worse.
The Green House thugs, the Beasts Pirates, and the Shogun Kurozumi Orochi's ninja force and samurai...
Three forces were all searching for Kozuki Hiyori.
On the other hand.
Shadow Space.
Navy Branch 187.
Eric was eating the delicacies brought by his subordinates, and looked up at the woman on the sofa opposite him.
"Aren't you eating? Aren't you hungry?"
She was hungry... But compared to hunger, Kozuki Hiyori felt uneasy about her unfamiliar surroundings.
She didn't dare move around, but just stretched her neck to look out the window.
It was night, why was it daytime outside?
From her angle, she could directly see the soldiers in the training ground practicing.
"Where is this? Why is it daytime here?"
"This is..."
Eric pondered how to explain it. The matter of the Shadow of Offspring was too complicated to explain.
"This is a world that exists in the shadows of Flower Capital. Here, there's only daytime, no night."
The Shadow of Offspring is eternal day, even though there's no sun in the sky.
Eric didn't know where the sunlight came from.
Shinobu had once transformed into a black dragon and flown to the sky, but she flew for a very long time, and never found the end of the sky.
"A world with eternal day?" Kozuki Hiyori was stunned, "How is there a place like this?"
"Don't be surprised, the World Government's Judicial Island is also in eternal day, nothing unusual."
Eric smiled and continued to fill his stomach.
If one were to look towards the universe, there are countless tidally locked planets, with eternal day and eternal night.
Kozuki Hiyori nervously grasped her kimono skirt, looking suspiciously at the soldiers outside, then at the handsome middle-aged man who was feasting.
This man was probably around thirty years old, and although he was wearing Wano Country clothes, she could still tell that he wasn't from Wano Country.
"Who are you? You're not from Wano Country?"
"My name is Prodemere Eric. I used to be a Navy Commodore, but something happened, so I quit the Navy and formed the Allied Navy."
He's definitely a foreigner...
Kozuki Hiyori bit her lower lip, saying in a sullen tone: "What did you catch me for?"
"I'm redeeming you, I paid for you." Eric laughed, "I've already sent someone to prepare for the wedding, we're getting married soon."
Kozuki Hiyori's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
What kind of person is this?
He forcibly gave her a bunch of gold, forcibly redeemed her, and now he forcibly wants to marry her.
"I don't want to!" Kozuki Hiyori said stubbornly, "I have important things..."
"The important things you're talking about... are they getting close to Kurozumi Orochi and performing the singing and dancing you've learned over the years?"
Eric couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head: "If your mom knew you've only learned this stuff in these years, she'd be so angry that she'd return from the Underworld and smack you hard."
Kozuki Hiyori's mother, Koyuki Hoshi, was a Time Time Fruit user, from eight hundred years ago, she had died 13 years ago.
At the mention of her mother, Kozuki Hiyori's eyes filled with tears, and she was made to cry by Eric's words.
Eric was speechless, and comforted her:
"Think about it this way, at least your singing and dancing are pretty good."
"Wuuuu Wuuuuu~~"
Kozuki Hiyori cried even louder.
Eric: "..."
"You can cry, but you're still marrying me."
"..."
Kozuki Hiyori's crying stopped, and her voice was full of grievances: "This way you can only get my body, not my heart!"
Why would I want your heart?
Eric was amused, and after interacting with her, he found that this little princess of a fallen country was quite interesting, her brain was a little silly.
"Time's almost up, hurry up and eat, we still have a wedding to attend."
"I'll starve to death before I eat! Humph!"
Kozuki Hiyori snorted, her expression stubborn.
Then her stomach growled uncontrollably.
Eric didn't care if she ate or not. If she was really hungry, she would naturally eat. If she could actually starve herself to death, then she's a tough one, clearly Kozuki Hiyori wasn't.
"Then you stay here, I'll have someone deliver a wedding dress later."
Eric got up and left, walked to the door, and turned back, "If you starve to death, I'll have someone carry your corpse to the wedding."
"... Demon! Devil!"
Kozuki Hiyori muttered a curse under her breath, unable to bear the hunger, and looked at the food in front of her, her hands uncontrollably picked up the chopsticks.
Just as she took a bite, click, someone opened the door and came in.
"I didn't eat! I'm just tasting it... huh?"
Looking up, she saw it wasn't Eric, but a female soldier in military uniform, looking valiant and spirited.
"Hiyori-sama, this is the wedding dress Eric-sama had me deliver, please change into it as soon as possible."
The female soldier respectfully placed the wedding dress on the sofa, then walked out, "I'll be waiting outside, if you need anything, just call me."
Kozuki Hiyori silently looked at the wedding dress, her mood heavy.
What should I do? Who will save me?
...
Two hours later, it was 12 midnight in Flower Capital.
The wedding was held at the base. Calvin was very impressed that the Commodore had married another wife. This was his third, right?
He really wasn't afraid of causing trouble at home!
Robin-sama, a wanted criminal wanted by the World Government for 15 years.
Reiju-sama, the princess of Germa Kingdom.
Now another one, I heard she's the former princess of Wano Country.
If these three women were to fight, it's unimaginable!
This was the fourth wedding, Eric was already quite experienced, and pulled Kozuki Hiyori through the ceremony at lightning speed.
Afterward, he sped into the bridal chamber.
Pushed onto the bed, Kozuki Hiyori said in a panic:
"You, you, you... wait a minute, wait a minute! If you help me kill Kurozumi Orochi, I'll marry you!"
"What are you talking about, we're already married. Whether or not we kill Kurozumi Orochi, we'll talk about it tomorrow, now it's business time!"
While Eric was on top, nothing she said mattered.
While others were searching the entire city for Kozuki Hiyori, the most beautiful woman in Wano Country had completed the transformation from girl to woman, and then to mother.
【Congratulations on marrying your third wife, reward lifespan + 5 years.】
【Congratulations on successfully starting a family, your wife, Kozuki Hiyori, has given birth to your offspring, reward lifespan + 5 years.】
【Your offspring has received blessings from an unknown time and space, reward Wisdom Blessing "Mysterious Breathing Technique".】
【Ding! Your offspring has reached 10 people, family prestige has been raised, current prestige: Level 2.】
【Ding! You have received a prestige reward: Wood Style!】