Flower Capital, General Castle.
"Guhahaha!"
"Without Kaido here, the sake just doesn't taste as good!"
In the banquet hall, Orochi, surrounded by numerous prostitutes, drank merrily with his trusted subordinates, quickly becoming intoxicated.
Orochi stood up with a sake bowl in hand, swaying drunkenly as he waved for attention. "Listen well, all of you! Since you're all here, I must reiterate this once more!"
"Against the Kozuki Samurai, we must crush them with overwhelming force! Never give them a chance to rise again!"
"Guhahaha! I heard about Kaido's daughter opening a shop. That fellow Gurd did an excellent job!"
"All of you, learn from him!"
Orochi was in an exceptionally good mood.
Since Kozuki Oden's death, he had only two remaining wishes.
One was to completely eradicate the Kozuki clan—especially Oden's son, Kozuki Momonosuke, and his retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards. The other was revenge against the people of Wano Country!
The most recent thing that delighted him was Gurd's capture of over two hundred Kozuki Samurai more than a month ago.
It perfectly aligned with his desires.
The only regret was that he hadn't witnessed the miserable deaths of those Kozuki Samurai with his own eyes!
Orochi's eyes bulged like copper bells.
"Do you all understand?"
"We understand, Lord Orochi!"
His retainers echoed in agreement, barely suppressing their laughter.
Here we go again!
Almost every grand banquet, Lord Orochi would remind them of the "terrifying" Kozuki clan, even though they had long been wiped out, with only a few rats left scurrying in hiding.
How pathetic!
Just then, Fukurokuju, the leader of the Oniwabanshu, approached Orochi's side and whispered something in his ear.
"Guhahaha! Keep drinking, everyone! I'll be back shortly!"
After giving his orders, Orochi followed Fukurokuju to an adjacent room, his expression immediately darkening.
"Speak. What's the situation?"
"Lord Orochi..."
Fukurokuju detailed the events unfolding in Ebisu Town.
A massive construction project like building a town was impossible to conceal, especially since Gurd hadn't made any effort to hide it.
"Building a town?!"
Orochi was shocked and suspicious.
"Where did they get so many workers?"
"According to the Oniwabanshu's investigation, all the workers are prisoners from the Prisoner Quarry—around a thousand in number."
"And the funds for construction?"
"Lord Orochi, when Kaido's daughter's shop opened, you personally gifted ten thousand gold. Combined with the gifts from other guests, the total likely amounts to forty thousand gold."
Forty thousand gold was certainly not enough to build an entire town, but with free labor and readily available materials, it was more than sufficient.
The stone from the Prisoner Quarry and the forest resources of Kuri—both could be obtained at no cost.
Orochi grew restless.
Using his money to build a town just to spite him?
"What about food and water? Where are they getting those?"
"Kuri's Peach Orchard Farm."
Fukurokuju calmly explained.
The Peach Orchard Farm in Kuri, located north of Boro Town, primarily served the Beasts Pirates. Now that the Beasts were on an expedition, the demand for food had drastically decreased, leaving the surplus to supply the construction team in Ebisu Town.
Orochi was furious.
"What the hell is Holdem doing?!"
"..."
Fukurokuju frowned at the question.
Holdem was responsible for guarding Boro Town and overseeing Peach Orchard Farm, but as a member of the Beasts Pirates, he had reportedly been beaten half to death by Gurd before. He wouldn't dare disobey Gurd.
Not to mention, there was also that Ogre Child present.
"Lord Orochi, with Kaido leading the elite forces of the Beasts Pirates on an expedition, all remaining members in Wano Country must follow the orders of Lady Yamato."
"That little brat."
Orochi's expression darkened.
He and Kaido had long since reached an agreement not to interfere with each other's territories. Yet now, Kaido's daughter was building a city in Ebisu Town.
Truthfully, he didn't care about the state of the other regions outside the Flower Capital. But the location of Kaido's daughter's new city was dangerously close to the Flower Capital, which would inevitably have an impact.
He didn't want the residents of the Flower Capital migrating to Ebisu Town!
There was another thing.
To exact revenge on Wano Country, he had gone to great lengths to make the people of every region suffer miserably, creating countless Ebisu Towns and Rasetsu Towns.
But Kaido's daughter's city-building could very well change that, especially with the resolution of the water pollution issue—something he absolutely could not tolerate.
Those lowly commoners didn't deserve clean water and food. They should die in agony, drowning in regret for persecuting the Kurozumi clan!
The problem was, he couldn't openly oppose Kaido's daughter.
After a long deliberation, Orochi suppressed his rage for the time being. "Fukurokuju, I want to see Kaido's daughter and that Gurd!"
"Yes, Lord Orochi."
Fukurokuju bowed in acknowledgment.
The most pressing issue now was figuring out Kaido's daughter's true intentions behind building the city. If it was just a whim, fine—but if there was something deeper behind it...
Ebisu Town, Ebisu Town.
After half a month of effort, the once-ruined town had vanished, replaced by construction materials, facilities, and work sheds.
"Push harder, put your back into it!"
"Faster, faster!"
"Bring the stone materials over here!"
The prisoners shouted slogans as they desperately pushed carts loaded with stone to the eastern side, where the largest Government House in the new city was being built—the residence and workplace for its administrators.
They had expected an even worse hell awaiting them, but to their surprise, their hopeless lives had taken a turn.
Freedom!
Though only ten spots were available each month, it was enough to make them risk their lives—like drowning men grasping at straws.
Moreover, compared to the quarries, while the workload hadn't lessened, their living conditions had improved. They were now provided two meals a day and even had straw mats to sleep on at night.
Most importantly, there were no cruel jailers torturing them for amusement, nor did they have to fear sudden executions. Their lives were finally secure.
"Look, Lord Gurd is here!"
The moment Gurd appeared at the construction site, all the prisoners straightened their backs. Without any urging, they worked even harder.
"Brothers, push yourselves a little more!"
"Don't let Lord Gurd look down on us!"
"Ooooh!!!"
The prisoners' morale soared.
They knew full well that everything they had now was granted by that man—even Boss Hyogoro and Lord Yasuie held him in the highest respect.
Though he was a Pirate, he was different from the others. He was a Pirate of "benevolence and righteousness"!
And so, they would repay him in kind!
"Wahahaha, I'm here to help!"
Yamato lifted a boulder weighing dozens of tons—over ten times larger than her own body—and dashed about effortlessly. Her strength alone was equivalent to a hundred prisoners combined.
Though slightly tired, the girl's spirits were exceptionally high.
These past days, sweating and laboring alongside the prisoners had genuinely brought her a long-lost sense of joy.
She was helping the people rebuild their homes!
Night fell at the Hot Spring Shop.
In the owner's private bath.
Covered in grime, Yamato tore off her clothes and leaped bare-bottomed into the hot spring, splashing water all over Gurd's face.
"Mmm, sooo nice~!"
The girl squinted blissfully.
After a full day's work, nothing was more relaxing than soaking in the hot spring.
"This girl..."
Gurd sighed helplessly.
Lately, Yamato had been joining him for baths every night. At first, she'd been a bit shy, but soon she'd completely let loose.
She didn't treat him as an outsider at all.
"Will this girl ever find someone to marry?"
Gurd glanced at the stark-naked girl but quickly lost interest.
He could count every single hair on her.
After soaking for a while, Gurd pulled the limp Yamato over to scrub her down. As a Devil Fruit user, she became powerless in water and needed help washing.
"Zzz~~ Zzz~~"
Soon, even snores filled the air.
A vein throbbed on Gurd's forehead as his fingers involuntarily dug into the girl's buttocks, leaving five distinct finger marks.
Why did this girl always fall asleep during her baths?!
Ayachou arrived at the bath and, seeing Gurd with a drooling Yamato, couldn't help but cover her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"Lord Gurd, the Oniwabanshu's Lord Fukurokuju has sent an invitation."
"Fukurokuju knows, then."
Gurd smiled.
(End of Chapter)