The next morning, golden sunlight spilled across Kozuki Hiyori’s body.
Feeling the warmth she had not experienced in a long time, Hiyori’s eyelashes fluttered before she slowly opened her eyes.
When she saw that Lucas had already disappeared from the room, she couldn’t help freezing for a moment before falling into silence.
"Hiyori, are you awake? Can we come in?"
Kozuki Sukiyaki’s voice came from outside the door.
Hiyori came back to her senses. She quickly wiped the traces of drool from the corner of her mouth, put on her clothes, and said,
"Grandfather, you can come in!"
"He’s gone?"
Kozuki Sukiyaki carefully pushed the door open and looked around.
Although he had already been mentally prepared for this outcome, he still couldn’t help revealing a trace of disappointment and letting out a faint sigh.
"Last night..."
Hiyori’s cheeks immediately flushed red. She hurriedly shook her head.
"Grandfather, nothing happened last night. Is it because... I’m not attractive enough?"
"Nothing happened?"
Kozuki Sukiyaki rolled his eyes.
"No wonder. I didn’t hear a single sound while I was listening at the door all night..."
"No... I mean, Grandfather was just worrying for nothing all night."
"Still, you can’t really blame him. The Marine Headquarters is currently preparing to fight two of the Four Emperors, while Wano isn’t even a member country of the World Government."
"If anyone is to blame, blame me. I failed to raise Oden properly. Otherwise, Wano wouldn’t have ended up like this."
"Father..."
Hiyori fell silent.
If someone had criticized Kozuki Oden like this in the past, Hiyori would certainly have argued with them.
But after hearing Lucas’s thorough analysis yesterday, she simply couldn’t find a way to refute him.
Who would have thought that the peerless hero of the past would end up being such a hopeless fool?
"All right, Hiyori. Don’t dwell on it too much."
Kozuki Sukiyaki was the first to recover. He sighed before continuing,
"Whether that man chooses to intervene or not, Kaido and his pirate crew are now going to war with the Navy. For Wano, that’s an enormous stroke of good fortune."
"We aren’t asking the Marine Headquarters to completely crush the Beasts Pirates. As long as they can inflict serious damage on them, that alone will be an enormous benefit to Wano."
"When the time comes, I’m afraid we’ll have to trouble you again, Hiyori, to approach that man and try to recruit him..."
"Trouble me again?"
A flash of delight and excitement appeared in Hiyori’s beautiful eyes.
She immediately understood what Sukiyaki meant.
Kozuki Sukiyaki couldn’t help freezing.
He had clearly caught the change in Hiyori’s expression.
He had never imagined that his granddaughter, regarded as the foremost oiran of Wano, would actually have such thoughts herself.
However, when Kyoshiro suddenly entered the room, Sukiyaki’s expression sank slightly.
"Denjiro, didn’t you say you were going to the shogun’s palace to see Orochi? Why have you suddenly returned?"
The moment the subject changed, the embarrassment on Hiyori’s face faded somewhat.
She turned toward Kyoshiro.
The reason Kyoshiro had returned to the shogun’s palace this time was to investigate whether reopening Wano was actually possible.
For him to suddenly return now clearly meant that something had changed.
A grave expression appeared on Kyoshiro’s face.
"Lord Sukiyaki, Princess Hiyori, something has indeed happened."
"Shutenmaru—Ashura Doji, who has occupied Atama Mountain in Kuri for years—suddenly sent out a signal yesterday calling upon the samurai to rise up and reopen Wano."
"The entire country of Wano has been thrown into an uproar. Even Orochi has been alarmed."
"Orochi has now summoned the entire Oniwabanshu, and all the samurai throughout Wano have been called to gather in the Flower Capital."
"According to my rough estimate, more than twelve thousand samurai will eventually gather in the Flower Capital."
"With Ashura Doji’s current influence and forces, he has absolutely no way to fight Orochi, much less reopen the country!"
"He’s walking straight into his own death!"
Hiyori and Sukiyaki’s expressions changed instantly.
Neither had expected the situation to change so suddenly.
"Uncle Kyoshiro, according to your assessment, Ashura Doji has always been extremely patient. Even ten years ago, when the samurai launched a surprise attack on Onigashima, he didn’t participate and continued to endure."
"Why would he suddenly act now?"
"Is it because Kaido’s sudden departure made him believe this was the best opportunity?"
"But he has still underestimated Orochi’s treachery!"
Kozuki Sukiyaki and Kyoshiro’s faces turned grim.
They both knew very well that Ashura Doji, whom Kaido had deliberately left to his own devices, was essentially the lord of his own mountain.
However, Kaido would never allow him to build up too large an army.
There were fewer than three hundred samurai who could be gathered at Atama Mountain.
Having once been one of the Nine Red Scabbards certainly gave Ashura Doji considerable prestige and could encourage some samurai who had gone into hiding to come out and fight.
But compared with the newly established samurai forces under Orochi, the difference was simply too great.
If the two sides clashed, Ashura Doji would likely face certain death.
"Uncle Kyoshiro, is there any way to stop Ashura?" Hiyori hurriedly asked.
Kyoshiro shook his head.
"Orochi already knows about this. If I step forward to stop Ashura, I’m afraid I’ll only expose our identities."
"There’s only one option left. If that man is willing to participate in the battle, we can try to reopen Wano and stake everything on one desperate gamble."
"But finding him now will probably be extremely difficult."
Hiyori’s face turned grim.
She clenched her delicate fists before finally letting out a helpless, bitter laugh.
"Grandfather, Uncle Kyoshiro... I regret something."
"I regret that I didn’t make a move last night."
"Otherwise, at the very least, I could have made the Navy Admiral owe me a favor."
"But I’ve thought of a way that might allow us to find him."
"It’s extremely risky, but this may be our last chance."
"My father may have been described as completely worthless by him, but Wano really has been lacking one thing: the courage to take the initiative and fight for a chance."
"Uncle Kyoshiro, I want to gamble."
"I want to place that gamble on this outsider."
"Are you willing to take that gamble with me?"
Kyoshiro and Kozuki Sukiyaki’s expressions changed dramatically.
Neither had expected Hiyori to say something like this.
However, looking at the determination on Hiyori’s face, the two exchanged a glance.
In the end, they silently nodded.
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