The General’s Mansion.
The dignitaries and nobles of Flower Capital were invited to attend a banquet. The room was filled with clinking glasses and lively chatter as guests toasted each other. The atmosphere was warm and festive.
Kyoshiro, attending the banquet for the first time, could only stay in a corner.
Thanks to yesterday's Flower Capital courtesan, Komurasaki, who had risen to fame overnight with her "Way of the Courtesan" performance, the moniker "Most Beautiful Woman of Wano" was firmly attached to her, thanks to Kyoshiro's behind-the-scenes efforts to spread the word.
The plan was going smoothly. General Blackbeard Orochi, having heard of Komurasaki's fame, had invited the Green Tea House to the banquet.
At this moment, the geisha performing music and dance at the banquet all came from his Green Tea House.
Only one thing had gone wrong...
Komurasaki was gone!
A whole day had passed, and his men hadn't found any useful information. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.
Kyoshiro was deeply worried.
The pile of gold left in Komurasaki’s room… it was likely the culprit’s doing.
Ransom money?
Forcing someone away, yet leaving behind a large sum of money.
From this, it seemed Komurasaki was at least safe.
But where could she be?
The most likely person...
Kyoshiro narrowed his long eyes and glanced at General Blackbeard Orochi.
“Could it be him?”
“Did Blackbeard Orochi find out about Komurasaki's true identity and send the Oniwabanshu ninja to take her away?”
“Or maybe he simply took a fancy to Komurasaki’s beauty and wanted to keep her in a secluded mansion?”
Kyoshiro suppressed his unease.
“Kyoshiro, what’s wrong? Don’t you like the wine here?” Blackbeard Orochi noticed that Kyoshiro was distracted.
“No, General, it's just that I'm honored to be invited to your banquet,” Kyoshiro bowed, speaking with respect.
“Guhehe, I heard you have a Flower Capital courtesan in your Green Tea House. Why not bring her here for me to meet?”
Blackbeard Orochi, one arm around two beautiful women, spoke with a hint of displeasure.
“That... I apologize, Komurasaki is not feeling well and is currently recovering.”
Kyoshiro couldn't say that Komurasaki had been kidnapped. It would disrupt his plan.
Of course, he knew that Blackbeard Orochi was aware of the kidnapping. Since yesterday, samurai on the streets had been searching for Komurasaki.
Likewise, he knew Blackbeard Orochi knew he knew.
The reason why he spoke like this was simply to vent his dissatisfaction.
“Hmph, bring her to me within three days!” Blackbeard Orochi snorted. He suspected that Komurasaki wasn't missing at all, but that the Green Tea House was deliberately hiding her.
Kyoshiro's expression changed slightly. Could it be that Blackbeard Orochi wasn't the one who did it?
“…Yes.”
In this situation, he couldn't say no.
“You don't have to.”
Suddenly, a calm voice broke the lively atmosphere of the banquet.
At the same time, a black shadow spread from the guests' feet, expanding instantly to cover the entire room.
Two figures, one male and one female, appeared in the center of the banquet hall.
“Who… who are you?!”
Blackbeard Orochi stared at this scene, his voice thin and sharp, clearly frightened.
“Wood Style: Four Pillars Prison.”
After appearing, Eric immediately activated the Wood Style.
The guests saw countless wooden branches growing wildly, completely sealing the banquet hall, forming an airtight cage.
“Assassin! There’s an assassin!”
“Protect the General!”
“They’re here! Quick, someone!”
The guests panicked and scattered, but the Wood Style’s barrier prevented them from escaping.
The Oniwabanshu responsible for protecting the General were also locked outside, unable to break in for the time being.
Blackbeard Orochi was both surprised and furious. He never thought anyone would dare to assassinate him.
“You… you’re Kaido’s daughter!?”
Noticing Yamato, Blackbeard Orochi was stunned.
Every year during the Wano Festival, “Night of the Fire Festival,” he would go to Onigashima to worship Kaido, and he had seen Yamato a few times.
“I’m not Kaido’s daughter, my name is Kozuki… Ow! Eric, you stepped on my foot!”
Yamato held her spiked club, confidently put her hand on her hip, but before she could finish speaking, she was stepped on hard.
The delicate toes immediately ached, causing her to cry out in pain.
“Should I send you back then?” Eric glanced at her, thinking it was quite difficult to correct this girl's stubbornness.
But it wasn’t a big deal.
Earlier at the bathhouse, Yamato played solo queue by herself and felt happy, which meant her body’s estrogen secretion was normal.
From a scientific standpoint, so-called love was nothing more than the brain secreting phenylethylamine.
It can make people excited, make their hearts beat faster, make people fall in love at first sight, and fall in love.
When a couple is in the heat of passion, their bodies will secrete dopamine, making them happy, satisfied, and wanting to be together all the time.
Unfortunately, this stuff comes and goes quickly. Its effect will last for one or two years and then decline.
Therefore, as long as Yamato experienced the joy of being a woman, she would sooner or later stop being stubborn.
Humans are slaves to genes, higher animals controlled by hormones.
“I know, I’m Yamato! Kaido’s daughter!”
Yamato wiggled her toes. The thought of being taken back to Onigashima made her shiver, so she quickly changed her mind.
“What do you want?!”
At this moment, Blackbeard Orochi pushed aside the geisha beside him, stood up, and shouted.
He was no longer afraid since she was Kaido’s daughter. After all, he and Kaido were partners.
“Why are you yelling so loud?”
Eric turned his attention back to the man, and with a wave of his hand, he unleashed a Wood Style technique: “Burst Gun Tree!”
Multiple sharp vines shot out from the palm of his hand. The vines were tipped with Armament Haki and pierced through Blackbeard Orochi's body in an instant.
Then the vines continued to grow wildly, binding him into a ball and hanging him from the ceiling.
“Lord Orochi!?”
The guests hiding in the corners were shocked.
“AAAAAH!”
The geisha screamed, frightened and frozen in place.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the man hanging from the vines.
Blood flowed from the pierced wound, staining Blackbeard Orochi’s luxurious clothes red. It dripped down onto the floor, drop by drop.
Silence!
The scene suddenly fell into extreme silence. A pin could be heard dropping.
Eric suddenly remembered something and said softly, “Almost forgot, on such an important occasion, we need to have Komurasaki witness it.”
With a snap of his fingers, Kozuki Komurasaki and Jade appeared from the shadows.
“Eric!!” Upon appearing, Kozuki Komurasaki pouted, glaring with big eyes: “You promised to take us for a walk, but you left us…,”
Her voice stopped abruptly.
Kozuki Komurasaki saw a hanging corpse. It was Blackbeard Orochi.
For a moment, her expression became blank, as she stared at the body.
Eric was a little embarrassed. With a new love, he almost forgot his old love.
Although he didn’t have any love for Kozuki Komurasaki, it was purely a lustful desire to fulfill his mission of procreation.
But since he had married her legally, promising her something and then forgetting it was a bit embarrassing.
“…Something unexpected happened. I’ll definitely take you and your daughter for a walk next time.”
Eric pointed to Blackbeard Orochi, changing the subject: “This is the treacherous usurper, the enemy you’ve always dreamed of killing. How about that? Am I good to you, honey?”
Kozuki Komurasaki lightly covered her mouth. Her tears twirled, her gaze soft and watery. She was touched beyond words.
“Who is she?” Yamato said, ignoring the atmosphere.
Kozuki Komurasaki's expression froze. She also noticed Yamato.
“Who is she!?”