One Piece: Starting with Sharingan, First Mate Uchiha

Inside the private room, the smoke from sandalwood incense lingered in the air.

Hearing Viktor's mocking and disdainful remark, "She really is... a courtesan,"...

The smugness that had just risen in Hiyori's heart was instantly frozen into ice.

Her delicate, coy expression froze completely on her stunningly beautiful face.

Her watery eyes widened slightly as she looked at the man towering above her in disbelief.

"She really is a courtesan?"

What does this mean?

In this man's eyes, was his pitiful plea for help, which he had just humbled himself to, and his use of his physical charm to win her over, merely the act of a lowly prostitute flaunting her allure?

Viktor casually shook off her slender wrist, which had been trying to touch his cheek.

That slight force caused Hiyori to instantly lose her balance.

With the soft rustling of silk clothing against the tatami mat, the most beautiful woman in Wano Country slumped backward onto the soft cushion, looking rather disheveled.

The exquisite hair ornaments on her head swayed slightly, and a few strands of hair hung messily beside her cheeks.

For twenty years, her charm, which she was so proud of and which had captivated countless men, was utterly trampled underfoot at this moment.

A flicker of shameful anger and indescribable humiliation flashed in Hiyori's eyes.

She bit her rosy lower lip hard, tilted her head back, and loudly questioned Victor in front of her:

"Lord Victor! Since you already knew my true identity, why did you choose to humiliate me in this way?"

"Do you, the high and mighty second-in-command of the Sea Emperor, think that the last bloodline of the Kozuki clan deserves only such ridicule?!"

Viktor didn't even blink when faced with Hiyori's questioning.

"Humiliate you? No, I'm just stating a ridiculous fact."

"Do you really think you can fool everyone with those little tricks you play in the City of Flowers?"

"Using her status as a courtesan, she amassed a fortune and exploited the lust of scoundrels to swindle them out of their entire fortunes."

"Then, in secret, I'll act as a so-called chivalrous thief, helping those poor people who are about to starve to death..."

Viktor let out a short laugh: "This is the so-called 'revenge' you've been plotting for twenty years, clinging to life?"

"This clumsy trick, which is like children playing house, cannot shake Kaido and Orochi's iron-fisted rule in the slightest."

"Besides saving a few more civilians from dying of illness and slightly alleviating your guilt, does it have any impact on the overall situation?"

"This is nothing more than a laughable tactic used by the weak to wallow in self-pity amidst endless despair!"

As Hiyori's face grew increasingly pale, Viktor's gaze sharpened, becoming like a blade capable of piercing the heart.

"I think you've become addicted to being a courtesan, and have long forgotten your original identity and the responsibilities you should bear, haven't you?"

"For several years, you were at the center of power in the City of Flowers."

"You are only one step away from your father's killer, Kurozumi Orochi!"

"But what did you do?"

"You have never used your beauty and status to gather even a single piece of core intelligence, nor have you ever planned even a single decent assassination operation."

"The so-called 'patience' you keep talking about is nothing more than your complacency and idleness in the glitz and glamour of the city."

"You've placed the entire burden of the Kozuki clan on Denjiro's shoulders, relying entirely on him to carry the weight for you in the darkness!"

Hiyori's body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She wanted to speak in rebuttal, but found that her throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton, and she couldn't make a sound.

Because what Victor said precisely struck at the dark side of her heart that she had never dared to face.

Viktor slowly bent down, closing the distance between himself and Hiyori:

"You always firmly proclaimed, 'I must personally slay the great serpent to comfort my father's spirit in heaven.'"

But what is the reality?

"When it really comes down to a decisive battle where swords clash and blood flies everywhere, would you dare to pick up a knife?"

"If I'm not mistaken, by then, your only role will probably be hiding in a safe corner of the ruins, pitifully playing your shamisen, right?"

"You samurai of Wano Country shed blood and risk your lives on the battlefield to defeat Kaido."

"Denjiro will shield you from all dangers and personally kill the giant serpent for you."

"And you, my noble princess, only need to change into your most magnificent new kimono after the smoke of war has cleared, and walk out in your most radiant and dazzling appearance."

"To accept the gratitude and worship of hundreds of thousands of people in Wano Country, and to enjoy the glory of restoring a country that others have risked their lives for with a clear conscience."

"you……"

Hiyori's pupils trembled violently, and her breathing became rapid.

Viktor straightened up, his gaze falling on the flower city outside the window, shrouded in a false sense of prosperity:

"When you are in the pleasure quarters of the City of Flowers, wearing a priceless and gorgeous twelve-layered kimono, enjoying the adulation of countless men who are like stars around you."

"Do you know that it's just a few dozen miles away, at Jiuli?"

"The civilians your father risked his life to protect are now enduring excruciating pain as they drink the deadly poison discharged from the weapons factory in order to live one more day."

"Those two tears you shed here, your so-called 'abandonment of dignity'—a flimsy sacrifice."

"It is utterly worthless compared to the real suffering that ordinary people experience every day."

Victor turned his head:

"In the end, you simply don't have the courage to draw your sword and face death."

"You fear death, you fear Kaido's power."

"So you can only hide comfortably in the desires and protection of men, living like a parasite."

"Kozuki Hiyori, your hypocrisy and weakness are truly disgusting."

This lengthy and incisive critique stripped away all of Kogetsu Hiyori's psychological defenses and self-esteem, leaving nothing but skin and flesh.

She constantly used grand and tragic phrases like "bearing humiliation and hardship" and "for the sake of restoring the country" to numb and hypnotize herself.

She thought she had made a huge sacrifice that was unimaginable to ordinary people.

However, today, this gorgeous veil of pretense has been ruthlessly torn away by the man in front of her.

"No...that's not it...I didn't..."

Hiyori collapsed weakly onto the cold tatami mat, covering her face with her hands.

Warm tears welled up from between her fingers like a burst dam, dripping onto her expensive silk kimono.

Inside the spacious and luxurious private room, the suppressed, heart-wrenching cries of Guangyue Rihe began to echo.

Viktor stood there, quietly watching the most beautiful woman in Wano Country, who was crying her eyes out.

"Don't cry in front of me, it's pointless."

"We will go to Onigashima to defeat Kaido, but it is definitely not for you, nor for your self-proclaimed noble Kozuki clan."

"It is for our own sake, and for the people of Wano Country."

"Your so-called Kozuki bloodline has made you feel superior since childhood, and that you deserve the support of the entire Wano Country."

"But you've forgotten that while this bloodline grants you power, it also brings with it an inescapable and heavy responsibility."

"Stop crying and stop running away."

"If you still want to stand on the land of Wano Country as a princess in the future, you should think carefully about what you should do now."

Having said that, Viktor slowly lowered the brim of his straw hat, hiding his cold, sharp eyes back into the shadows.

He didn't glance at the woman on the ground again, and pushed open the ornate shoji door of the private room, which was carved with intricate patterns.

In the magnificent yet empty room, a cold wind blew in through the open door, causing the candlelight to flicker.

In the room, only Hikari Kozuki remained, slumped alone on the tatami mat.

She clenched her fists tightly, her sharp nails digging deep into her soft palms until bright red blood seeped out, but she seemed not to feel any pain.

The "Little Purple" who once maintained her noble elegance and captivated countless men has now lost all semblance of her former self.

Her carefully applied makeup was completely ruined by crying, and snot and tears streamed down her face without restraint.

She clenched her teeth, which had turned white from the force of her grip, and stared intently at the empty door where Viktor had left.

His body trembled violently from shame, self-blame, and overwhelming emotional turmoil.

In the suffocating silence of the private room, she murmured that name over and over again:

"What a joke... what a joke..."

"Crimson Lotus... Victor..."