Chapter 363: Choices and Individual Actions
"This guest has really not visited our brothel in a long time!"
"…This is my first time here today," Eric replied with a twitch of his cheek, ignoring the snickering of Kurumi beside him.
The worker at the brothel wiped a few drops of sweat from his forehead. "You... brought a companion with you?"
"Is that a problem?" Eric shot a glare at the worker.
"Of course not!" The worker, intimidated by Eric 's demeanor, quickly reached behind him and waved them inside.
"Your courtesan's name is Kozuki, right?" Eric asked as he walked. "Bring her to me."
"Well, sir," the worker rubbed his hands nervously, "Kozuki is our courtesan, and regarding fees..."
"Keep it," Eric tossed a small piece of gold from his loose sleeve.
"Such generosity, sir!" The worker quickly scooped up the gold and happily led Eric and Kurumi to a private room, then bowed and retreated to the door. "Kozuki will be here shortly!"
Kurumi leaned toward Eric and quietly asked, "Did you really give him a piece of gold?"
"Of course not." Eric whispered to Kurumi, "Remember when I met Tesoro not long ago? I had him use his ability to create a lot of fake gold, which I use for buying information."
"Ah, Eric -, you really are a bad guy~"
As they conversed, light footsteps were heard outside the door. After stopping briefly, the sliding door made of wood and painted with patterns opened gently, and a woman in luxurious kimono stepped inside.
She had long, jade-green hair, styled in a noble, Edo-period hairstyle, a delicate face with cherry-red lips, and eyes that seemed like stars — though still not as beautiful as Kurumi beside him.
Eric leaned forward, whispering to Kurumi, "Kurumi, you look better than her."
"Shut up~" Kurumi waved her hand dismissively at Eric , though she didn't use much force.
Kozuki walked gracefully, her feet lightly stepping towards the seat. She partially covered her face with a folding fan and kneeled in greeting, "I greet you, my lords."
Eric nodded in response, "Hello."
"..." Kozuki had never seen a man bring a woman with him to the brothel, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.
Hearing that a wealthy guest had arrived, even the greeting worker had been given a piece of gold as a tip, Kozuki and Kyoshiro decided to deceive this rich man and get as much money as they could.
After a brief exchange, Kozuki decided the moment was right to act. She put on a sorrowful expression.
"What's wrong?" Eric asked, surprised.
"I really don't want to stay here anymore..." Kozuki bent down, leaning her body slightly forward.
Eric , now fully playing along, asked, "You're not happy here?"
Kozuki shook her head slightly, her earrings and headpiece swaying with the movement. "Because of my status as a woman in the brothel, I've had to obey General Orochi all this time..."
"Rather than continue living like this, I would rather be bought by you..."
"But the amount to buy my freedom is so absurdly high, so this is just a foolish dream..."
Kozuki let two clear tears fall. "If these words reach General Orochi's ears..."
"Oh..." Eric supported his head with his hand. "How much?"
"Three thousand... or thirty thousand gold..."
Eric raised an eyebrow. "That's truly absurd..."
Eric jumped up suddenly, shouting.
Kurumi retracted her delicate fingers.
"My lord, what's wrong?" Kozuki extended her soft, white hands to help Eric .
"No, I'm fine." Eric coolly withdrew his arm.
"Alright, you don't need to act anymore..."
Eric stared at the woman in front of him, Kozuki, who was actually Kozuki Hiyori, and said, "Kozuki Hiyori, I came specifically to find you."
With a loud "clang," Hiyori knocked over a low table beside her, her face full of shock. "You... who are you? How do you know...?"
"What's going on?!" Hearing the noise from inside, the thugs waiting outside barged in.
Seeing the scene in the room, Kyoshiro 's underlings immediately pulled out their blades. "How dare you lay hands on courtesan Kozuki! Pay up now!"
"Starting with demanding money?" Kurumi sneered. "Is this a robbery business, or an extortion business?"
Hiyori raised her hand to stop them. "W-wait..."
The low-life thugs, distracted by the gold in the worker's hands, ignored Kozuki's words.
"Really can't help it..." Eric glared at the thugs rushing towards him.
"Vroom—"
Without even lifting a finger, four of the thugs were reduced to one, with the last man covered in cold sweat, trembling in fear as his legs involuntarily took a step back.
Eric waved his hand, telling him to leave. "Go find your boss and bring Kyoshiro here."
"Thud thud thud." The hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway as the thugs rushed off. "Kyoshiro , Kyoshiro -sama!"
Eric grabbed the unconscious thug by the arm and threw him out of the window.
"You... who are you really?" Hiyori sat motionless in the room, knowing she couldn't escape with her abilities.
"We?" Eric stood by the window and turned back a smile . "We are dragon slayers!"
...
"Someone causing trouble?" Kyoshiro narrowed his eyes. "And you left Kozuki alone?"
"Y-yes..." One of his subordinates panickedly explained. "That guy, somehow, made the other three lose consciousness in an instant..."
"Is that so..." Kyoshiro slowly stood up, drew the blade from his waist, and slashed his subordinate down.
The crimson blood splattered like cracked agate, painting his fearful face with the bright color of death.
The underling collapsed to the ground, his body limp. Using his remaining strength, he looked up and asked, "Why...?"
"Why?" Kyoshiro repeated the question, wiping the blood off his blade, and spoke coldly. "Because you're useless!"
"Hiyori, you must not be harmed!" Kyoshiro , holding his katana, rushed towards Hiyori.
"Kozuki!" Kyoshiro rushed into the private room, but the worst-case scenario he had envisioned did not happen.
"Should I say you're protective of your master?" Eric laughed softly. "It's clear now what kind of relationship you two have."
"..." Kyoshiro stood silently in front of Hiyori.
"Wait, Kyoshiro -sama," Hiyori called out. "If they wanted to attack, I would already be dead."
"At least you have some brains." Eric nodded in approval.
Hiyori took a step forward. "Sir, what did you mean by 'dragon slayers'?"
"We've come to take down Kaido."
"..." After a brief silence, Kyoshiro stared at Eric . "What you said could lead to your death in the Flower District."
"Heh, that's still better than the status of the princess of the Kozuki family and the Red Scabbards, don't you think?"
Eric 's words stunned both Kyoshiro and Hiyori. Kyoshiro quickly turned around, checking the surroundings to ensure there were no ears in the walls.
"No need to look around." Eric said. "I've already checked the area."
Kyoshiro 's tone was heavy. "What's your business with us?"
"As I said earlier, we're here to take down Kaido." Eric spread his hands. "So we came to find the remnants of the Kozuki clan."
Kyoshiro sheathed his sword and led the way. "…Please follow me."
...
The four of them moved to a secret room, and Eric spoke first. "Don't even think about trying to kill me in this room. You know you're nowhere near my match."
"..." Kyoshiro clenched his palm, thinking for a moment, and after a while, his body relaxed.
"So, you really are here to challenge Kaido?" Kyoshiro didn't believe Eric 's words. "Just the two of you?"
"Of course not." Eric shrugged. "I'm here today to give you a choice."
"A choice?" Kyoshiro was confused.
"Yes, a choice. A choice to wait for the prophesied person to show up in nine years, or to join us in taking down Kaido?" Eric said. "We will battle the Beast Pirates and Orochi's forces in two days. If you want to fight, join us before then..."
Kyoshiro gritted his teeth. "What are you joking about? What can be done in just two days of preparation? We're not going to go and die with you!"
"Is that so? That's fine." Eric shrugged. "I'm just letting you know that if your samurai don't lend a hand, don't expect to share in the spoils after the battle."
"Spoils?"
"Don't tell Orochi about our upcoming fight with the Beast Pirates. I know Orochi trusts you right now." Eric ignored Hiyori's question and continued. "Even if we lose to Kaido, we can still help weaken the Beast Pirates' strength. Isn't that a good thing for you?"
Kyoshiro was somewhat dissatisfied. "But your actions could tip them off!"
"We're not samurai. Kaido and Orochi won't connect you to us." Eric stood up, preparing to leave.
"Who exactly are you?"
"We are — the Dawn Pirates, who will clear the darkness of the night." Eric said as he reached the door, leaving with a final statement: "I will open the closed-off Wano Country!"
"!" Both Hiyori and Kyoshiro widened their eyes in shock.
As they saw the two leave, disappearing into the crowd, Hiyori anxiously asked, "Tensho, do we really not have to help them?"
"Hiyori-sama," the man formerly known as Tensho, now called Kyoshiro , said, "I've been living in hiding, waiting until the moment of [the final battle] arrives. During this time, my main task is to protect your safety!"
"They're just a bunch of outsiders, dying at Kaido's hands will help us keep our identities secret!"
"B-but..."
Kyoshiro knelt before Hiyori. "Hiyori-sama, protecting your safety now is my most important responsibility!"
"I... I understand."
...
"This place is so rundown..." Yoshino, Wendy, and Perona walked through the dilapidated town, wearing kimonos.
The broken houses, ragged people, and the expressionless faces of the residents, whose bodies were so thin they could fall over with the wind.
"Mom, I'm so hungry!" A child cried out.
The mother looked guilty, comforting her child, while her own stomach rumbled from hunger.
"How pitiful..." The compassionate girls immediately took out their rations and gave them to the children on the street.
"Ah, food!" The children eagerly devoured it.
"Thank you so much." The adults thanked the girls.
"No, no need to thank us." Yoshino hid her shy face behind her doll, Four糸奈.
"Why is it so desolate here?" Artoria furrowed her brows, pointing in the distance. "What's that place with black smoke rising?"
The woman was about to answer but was interrupted by a sudden shout.
"Someone drank river water again!" A voice shouted suddenly.
"We told you, don't drink the river water!" Several residents shouted from afar. "Quick, take him to the [tea house] owner!"
"I'll handle this!" Wendy volunteered, pushing through the crowd and reaching out to the poisoned person.
"Little girl, don't get in the way..." The man froze for a moment.
The green light spread, and the poisoned person's condition slowly improved, their closed eyes opening. The effect was even better than the tea house owner's herb mixture!
"That's incredible! How did you do that?"
The poisoned person knelt down in gratitude. "Thank you for saving my life!"
"No problem." Wendy curiously asked, "Is it always this toxic to drink the river water here?"
"Sigh..." Someone sighed deeply, pointing to the distant black smoke. "The river water is poisonous because Kaido's factories are carelessly dumping wastewater, polluting the river, which has caused this land to no longer grow crops, and the animals have toxins from drinking the river water..."
"I see." Artoria nodded. "That's why Eric didn't let us drink the river water or eat the animals here."
Robin looked at the crowd, their faces full of hope, and shrugged. "Sorry, the food we brought is all gone."
The residents dispersed in disappointment.
"So, if we defeat Kaido, everything will return to normal?"
"Shh!" The woman quickly covered Artoria's mouth. "Don't say that! If Kaido or Orochi's men hear you, you'll be thrown into prison!"
"The land is polluted like this, it needs to be treated." Reiju casually grabbed a handful of soil.
"We'll talk about this in two days." Artoria removed the hand from her mouth and turned to leave.
"I think I understand why Eric wanted us to visit here," Robin chuckled. She turned to the others and asked, "Do you have the will to fight?"
"Of course!" Wendy clenched her small fist and spoke with determination. "We will defeat Kaido and the Beast Pirates!"
Yoshino's eyes were equally resolute. "I... I'll do my best too!"
...
Scáthach and Chiron, using Porche's Gate Gate fruit ability, infiltrated the prisoners' excavation site in Rabbit Bowl.
Chiron said, "If there's a serious riot at the excavation site, Quinn will come."
"Do we defeat the guards at the excavation site? Or... should we unlock the prisoners' handcuffs and let them cause a riot?"
From one of the cells, a voice suddenly called out, "Who are you?"
"Eh!" Porche was startled by the sudden voice and quickly covered his mouth to prevent a scream.
"You're neither the guards nor prisoners, who are you?"
Porche whispered, "Who are you?"
"I am..." the man inside answered in a low voice. "Kawamatsu ."
"Oh, you're one of the Red Scabbards."
"You know me?!"
(END CHAPTER)
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