The helpless, bewildered sound of crying echoed across the grass, lingering for a long time.
Kyoshiro stared blankly at Kozuki Hiyori.
The woman who was usually as tough as a rose covered in thorns was now crying her heart out, her face streaked with tears.
The ideals that had supported Kyoshiro all these years—the conviction that had allowed him to endure humiliation and remain in Wano while waiting for an opportunity to take revenge, as well as his once-glorious image of Kozuki Oden—had completely collapsed at this moment.
Just as Lucas had said earlier.
If Kozuki Oden had actually followed even one of those suggestions back then, would Wano’s current situation have been completely different?
Perhaps Wano would have become one of the strongest military powers on the seas by now.
After all, having witnessed the strength of the Beasts Pirates, Kyoshiro knew very well that Wano itself possessed many powerful warriors.
The former daimyō and underworld bosses were all formidable fighters proficient in swordsmanship and Haki.
With tens of thousands of samurai assembled, along with the Nine Red Scabbards and Kozuki Oden himself, they might even have been able to cripple Kaido in that battle.
If Kozuki Oden had truly made preparations beforehand, perhaps Wano would now be flourishing instead of forcing them to endure humiliation while helplessly watching their homeland being poisoned and destroyed.
"Admiral Lucas, what you said just now is even more painful than killing them. You’re truly attacking them at the heart of their convictions," Tenguyama Hitetsu said with a long sigh as he walked over behind Lucas.
"However, I can’t refute what you said either. I knew long ago that Oden wasn’t suited to being shogun."
"Heh. Lord Sukiyaki, you never expected that even after cutting off your father-son relationship with him, that idiot son of yours would still turn out the same, did you?"
Lucas took out a bottle of liquor and tossed it over.
"Kindness cannot command an army, and righteousness cannot manage wealth. Kozuki Oden really was a failure."
"You knew my identity?"
Kozuki Sukiyaki was stunned.
However, he did not pursue the matter.
At the very least, in his eyes, this Navy Admiral had been able to casually expose so many of Wano’s deepest secrets.
That alone was enough to make him understand that this man was anything but ordinary.
Perhaps only someone like him was truly suited to helping Wano reopen its borders.
Looking at the slender young man before him, Kozuki Sukiyaki’s eyes flickered with thought.
After spending the day together without incident, the group eventually returned to the Flower Capital.
With Komurasaki’s and Kyoshiro’s reputations preceding them, their journey went surprisingly smoothly.
When Lucas saw the table laden with food and alcohol, he made no attempt to be polite and immediately dug in.
After several rounds of drinks, Kozuki Hiyori, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly prostrated herself before him and spoke urgently.
"Admiral Lucas, I’ve thought it through."
"As long as you can help Wano reopen its borders, I’m willing to pay any price."
"Even if that price is myself!"
Kyoshiro and Kozuki Sukiyaki fell silent.
Facing a Wano that had virtually nothing left, they both understood that Hiyori offering herself as a bargaining chip was, in fact, their greatest possible bargaining chip.
The two exchanged a glance before quickly turning around and leaving.
Seeing how cleanly they abandoned the room, Lucas couldn’t help rolling his eyes.
Were they really willing to sell even their own daughter once things got serious?
It seemed that during their journey back, Kozuki Sukiyaki had already revealed his identity to Hiyori and Kyoshiro.
The two of them must have been thoroughly persuaded by Hiyori.
Otherwise, faced with such a drastic decision from Hiyori, they would never have silently turned around and left.
The open doors closed with a click.
The surrounding attendants likewise withdrew into the distance.
Lucas helplessly rubbed the tip of his nose.
Was she actually serious about this?
Beside him, Hiyori slowly stood up.
After serving as an oiran for so many years, she had always maintained her chastity. She was someone who entertained guests without selling herself.
Even Orochi, despite being Wano’s shogun, could only look at her from afar.
She had said those words now purely for the sake of Wano.
Even so, Hiyori still felt her cheeks burning like a furnace.
She looked at Lucas, who remained seated on the floor without the slightest reaction.
Gritting her teeth, she reached down and loosened the sash around her clothing.
In an instant, the thin fabric slipped down from her fair skin and fell to the floor, revealing her graceful figure before Lucas.
Even Lucas was slightly surprised by the sight.
It was no wonder Hiyori had been hailed as the goddess of Wano.
She truly possessed every quality one could ask for, and in an exceptional form at that.
Combined with the quiet night outside, the scene was undeniably alluring.
Feeling Lucas’s gaze upon her, Hiyori’s entire face flushed crimson, and her body grew hot with embarrassment.
She could no longer think about anything else and quickly turned around, slipping into the bedding that had already been prepared nearby.
"Come. I’m ready."
"Tonight, you can do whatever you want."
Hiyori spoke through gritted teeth, her face bright red.
Lucas came back to his senses, rolled his eyes, and said,
"Forget it. I have my own principles. I’m not interested in taking advantage of someone."
"Besides, I came to Wano with a certain sense of duty."
"If you still want to offer yourself to me afterward, I certainly won’t refuse."
"For now, go wash up and get some sleep."
"Although the weather is a little cold, having someone to keep the bed warm isn’t bad either."
Hiyori froze.
Her mind clearly needed a moment to process what he had said.
By the time she finally understood, she saw Lucas already lying beside the bed.
He had fallen asleep in an instant.
Hiyori stared at him.
They were lying on the same bed.
This was supposed to be a classic case of sparks flying between two people.
Yet somehow, the entire situation had suddenly gone completely silent.
He really is just sleeping with me!
He didn’t even make a move!
For Hiyori, whose mind was normally quite sharp, this was something she simply couldn’t process.
She lowered her head and pulled back the covers, looking down at herself.
She froze.
Was she really not attractive enough?
Why wouldn’t anyone accept her when she had practically offered herself to him?
Then she remembered that Kyoshiro and Kozuki Sukiyaki were still outside waiting for the result.
Had they secretly been listening at the door?
Hiyori’s face turned grim as she bit her lip.
She wondered whether she should simply take the initiative and somehow put on a convincing performance for a few hours so that she could give them an answer.
But the moment that thought arose, Hiyori couldn’t help letting out a quiet giggle.
In the end, she abandoned the idea and curled up beneath the covers, watching Lucas sleep.
When she had initially made this decision, her heart had been filled with reluctance.
She was only doing it because Wano needed her to.
But when she saw that Lucas showed absolutely no impulse toward her body—the very figure that countless men in the world dreamed of possessing—her lingering discomfort vanished completely.
At the same time, she found herself strangely looking forward to the next time.
Lucas glanced at the sweet smile on the face beside him and helplessly rubbed the tip of his nose.
As expected, women always seemed to want what they couldn’t have.
Using the tactics of Piratesx—remaining completely unmoved in the face of temptation—was undoubtedly a woman’s fatal weakness.
More importantly, however, Lucas suddenly remembered something.
Would this kind of passive situation count as working overtime according to the system?
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