The Great Voyage: The Props Master on the Straw Hat Ship

However~~~

"At this critical juncture, for someone to suddenly emerge and cause trouble is rather...unconventional..."

Isn't that too much of a coincidence?!

A vague sense of unease began to surface in Sanji's mind, and then...

Then I saw a group of ronin with samurai swords at their waists hurrying past on the street.

At the same time, the leader, whose face was grim, shouted at the warriors behind him:

"Our opponent is a prisoner wearing a straw hat. He seems to possess some kind of sorcery and is extremely powerful. We must not be careless!!"

"I'll understand later!!"

The remaining samurai responded loudly and followed closely behind their opponent, disappearing into the street in the blink of an eye.

I walked towards the entrance in the distance.

Sanji: "..."

A prisoner wearing a straw hat... Could this symbol be any more obvious?!

He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag: "That idiot, he's caused so much trouble again..."

Sanji paused, glanced in the direction the soldiers had left, and a red glint flashed in his eyes.

"They're all just average samurai and ronin, so Luffy shouldn't be a problem either."

Thinking this, he immediately turned around and walked in the exact opposite direction from the doorway.

He hadn't achieved his own dream yet, and he didn't want to get involved with Luffy and become a prisoner.

Moreover, he had not yet achieved his goal.

Besides the bathhouse, there are even better places in this inner city!

Recalling the residents of this place huddled together, whispering and laughing about a certain spot, I couldn't help but feel a slight stirring in my heart.

"That region called [Wandering Valley]..."

~~~~~~~~~

In Wano Country, there are pleasure quarters that serve the same function as those in ancient times.

The red-light district, also known as the red-light district, is where people are sold to provide services; the specific purpose is something you all understand.

In this place, women are divided into two categories: courtesans and prostitutes.

Generally speaking, these two types of people either end up here because they have committed crimes and have been demoted, or because they are poor and have been sold by their families or themselves to come to this place.

However, within the country, there are also cases of illegal abduction, kidnapping, or trafficking of women to prostitutes in brothels.

When eight-year-old Tama was captured by the Beasts Pirates, they had considered selling her here.

Becoming a prostitute is fine, but if one is a courtesan, one can only redeem herself and return to a respectable life through other people's money or savings, and the amount required for redemption depends on the courtesan's rank.

It was quite an achievement.

In terms of rank, the highest-ranking courtesans or prostitutes are all collectively referred to as "flower queens".

The highest-ranking courtesan has the title of "Tayu" and is served by "Batu-tong," who are apprentice courtesans or geisha under the age of ten who serve as maids.

When a courtesan is invited by the city's powerful and wealthy to provide services at a designated location, a grand procession is held, which corresponds to the "Oiran Dochu" in Japan in reality.

However, under the current circumstances, there is only one courtesan in this pleasure quarters, and she will not participate in banquets of other high-ranking officials and nobles except for invitations from General Orochi.

Even if the other high-ranking officials didn't say it, they would secretly be annoyed by such a petty and ungrateful courtesan.

In their minds, she was nothing more than a woman from a brothel; even if she was the most beautiful courtesan, they could always choose someone else.

However, not a single high-ranking official made a move against this courtesan.

On one hand, she is indeed very much favored by Lord Kurozumi Orochi, and on the other hand...

Behind her stood a powerful figure.

Within the pleasure quarters, atop the tallest brothel.

Inside the secluded top-floor rooms 3 and 4.

Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner.

Near the attic balcony, in a spot bathed in warm sunlight, a figure knelt and gently plucked the strings of a musical instrument.

Her beautiful, emerald-green hair cascaded down like a waterfall, reaching her waist.

Beside her was a little girl with short, pink bangs, wearing a red dress, white socks, and black shoes.

With that lingering smile on her face, she carefully tended to the cigarette, preventing it from burning out too quickly.

In a corner to one side of the two, a man with a huge topknot shaped like an airplane was also casually lounging to the side.

His eyes were slightly narrowed, and he seemed to be half asleep.

The room was very quiet; apart from the soft, soothing sound of the guitar strings, there was no other noise.

And this tranquil atmosphere will vanish in the next second~

dong dong dong! !

Suddenly, a series of rapid footsteps came from outside the attic.

595 The Kyoshiro Family!! Pirates who stormed Orochi's mansion!! A captain killed in one punch!!

The sudden commotion outside caused the piano music inside the room to stop at the right moment.

The man with the pompadour who was taking a nap suddenly opened his eyes.

"How is this going?!"

The woman who stopped playing the piano, with her hair styled like a noble princess from the Edo period of Japan, had delicate features, dignified manners, and wore a pink flower headdress and an embroidered kimono. She slightly furrowed her beautiful brows.

"Why is it so noisy at this time?!"

In the past, this time of year was reserved for them to gather and rest briefly.

However, the moment was still interrupted by the people below.

"Something unexpected must have happened again, right?"

The man with the pompadour hairstyle, wearing a dark blue kimono with circular patterns and a high-necked cloak, slowly sat up from his seat.

I shook my head to shake off the lingering sleepiness from last night.

"I'll go down and take a look."

He yawned as he placed the samurai sword with the red hilt at his waist and slowly walked down.

Just as he arrived on the first floor below~

"Boss Kyoshiro!!"

Having only taken a couple of sips of water and caught his breath, the underling hurriedly spoke:

"Lord Orochi wants you to go find him right now!!"

"Did something happen?"

He scratched his pompadour, still looking sleepy.

"Something terrible has happened!!"

The henchman was used to this, after all, the other party had the title of "Sleep Kyoshiro" and had been acting like this for more than ten years.

"An intruder has invaded!!!"

"Invasion by outsiders?"

Kyoshiro paused slightly.

The prophecy that Madam Shi left behind before her death gradually surfaced in his mind.

If we calculate the time, it's about time.

"What kind of outsider are they?"

He asked casually, "A rebellious Kozuki samurai? Or a penniless wretch who can't afford to cause trouble in the City of Flowers?"

"None of them!!"

The underling shook his head vigorously, "They say they're pirates from the high seas!"

"Pirate?"

Kyoshiro was taken aback at first, then nodded slightly.

Pirates are nothing new in this country.

Whether it's the Namoria Pirates from 21 years ago, or Portgas D. Ace of the Spade Pirates from 2 years ago...

Ever since Kaido came and took control of their island, pirates have been constantly coming and going.

But their final results were all the same.

They either escape by sheer luck, or they are killed or captured by Kaido and thrown into a prisoner quarry to serve their lives.

Of course, some were appreciated by Kaido and then recruited into his ranks to strengthen his forces.

Therefore, the Beasts Pirates are quite happy to deal with pirate invasions.

"If they're pirates, why didn't you just send the Beasts Pirates? Why did you have to call me?!"

He said, with a mixture of confusion and dissatisfaction.

"That's where things started..."

The underling, sweating profusely, said anxiously, "According to General Orochi, Kaido of the Beasts explicitly told him this after this pirate landed on the island."

"This time, since the other side has caused trouble, they will not take action themselves; they will leave everything to General Orochi to handle!"

"Leave it entirely to the giant snake to handle..."

Kyoshiro's heart suddenly stirred.

This situation is truly rare, even completely different from the past.

"Boss Kuangshiro..."

Seeing his elder brother lost in thought, the younger brother couldn't help but show a look of anxiety on his face.

"General Orochi specifically instructed me that after finding you, I should immediately go and meet up with him, so we are now..."

"how?"

Kyoshiro snapped out of his thoughts.

He looked up at his younger brother and asked, "Is the situation over there urgent?"

"It can't be described as very urgent..."

The younger brother swallowed hard. "It can only be described as extremely urgent!!"

Kyoshiro: "Hmm?"

Brother: "I heard that pirate is incredibly fierce. He's fought his way from the entrance gate all the way to the center of the street, and is heading straight for General Orochi's residence!!"

"So ferocious?!"

A look of surprise appeared on Kyoshiro's previously lazy face:

"I remember, aren't the patrol teams supposed to control the whole city? Even they couldn't stop them?"

He looked at it more closely. "Where is their captain, Budai? Hasn't he shown up?!"

The patrol team is a force of warriors and rogues gathered together and commanded by Orochi.

The current number of people is as high as five thousand, and they are led by the patrol team leader, Budai.

It can be said that it was a large and powerful force.

Besides relying on the Beasts Pirates and Kaido, Orochi also has his own forces to consolidate his rule.

These teams are divided into three categories. One is the yakuza organization led by Kyoshiro, which is responsible for protecting his personal safety. Kyoshiro's family is responsible for his safety when he goes out.

The second group was the Oniwabanshu, a ninja group led by Fukurokuju who secretly protected and guarded his residence.

The third is the patrol team responsible for patrolling and managing the entire city, led by Budai, which is responsible for managing the entire city and deterring petty thieves.