Chapter 82: Shutenmaru is Exiled to the Guardian Forest
In the end, Saya paid the price for stealing food, and later on, she didn't even know when the fireworks festival had ended. She was bullied by Yukiko and Ren working together until she felt as if her entire body was crawling with ants.
Moreover, that feeling of being neither here nor there made her both happy and pained. It was like wanting to use the restroom but having to hold it in.
As a result, when Saya was on her way back, she was completely boneless, lying motionless and collapsed in the palanquin.
If it weren't for the fact that O-Tsuru was an outsider present, Yukiko might have gone even further, making her lie down right there to serve as a platter for the lavish food.
The fireworks continued for an hour straight, and long after they had ended, the crowds of people from Kuri, gathered by the river, stood watching into the distance, unwilling to leave. For some of them, this was a spectacle they had never seen in their entire lives. It was a dreamlike beauty that even fantasy could not conjure.
And so, the first Fire Festival Night in Kuri finally came to aperfect (perfect) end.
"Finally, it's over," Shutenmaru said with a sigh of relief after seeing Ren and the others back to the daimyo's residence. His chest and mouth felt as if they were being tickled by something, and the sake bug, which had been dormant for so long, was practically crawling to get out.
"Brothers, let's go drinking! We're going to get properly drunk today!" Shutenmaru shouted. In his hand, he held the sake pass Ren had given him; without this pass, he couldn't drink a single drop, even if someone offered him sake.
"The Fire Festival Night, what a wonderful day!"
He laughed heartily and led a group of samurai who hadn't had a drink in a long time as they rushed into town to buy sake. These men were even worse off than Shutenmaru; at least Shutenmaru had drunk quite a bit at the shogun's banquet the last time he went to the Flower Capital. The last time the others had drunk was back when they were still in their old mountain stronghold.
"Hahahaha, Lord Shutenmaru really is a drunkard!" someone laughed.
"Well, I'm a drunkard by nature, after all!" Shutenmaru didn't deny it. He was simply addicted to sake, but now that he followed Ren, he had suppressed his usual desire to drink.
"Days without sake are truly not fit for living, but I only have to endure it for two more years. Ren has already promised us that in three years, we'll be able to receive a small stipend as
One Piece: Starting from Turning Wano into Inazuma
well," Shutenmaru said with a laugh.
"Really? Then I must go visit the pleasure district. I've heard that the one in our Kuri has the best service quality and is the cleanest in the entire country," one samurai said excitedly.
"What's so great about the pleasure district? Once you're in a place like that, they dare to sell even the weakest alcohol at exorbitant prices. A while back, didn't Ren bring back some officially sanctioned courtesans from overseas? Those women are just like us—unforgivable scoundrels, so there's no need to feel sorry for them," another person shook his head.
While these words were convincing, the number of female pirates Ren had brought back last time wasn't large. Female pirates were a minority on the seas to begin with, and finding one who was good-looking was even rarer.
Not every female pirate is like Boa Hancock, Nami, or Robin. Most are burly and ugly women like the one from the Black Pirates, Catalina. Even women who weren't originally ugly would look very aged after enduring the hardships of the sea.
It was also common to leave scars from battles.
How could such rough women compare to the delicate courtesans in the pleasure district? The way they please people isn't even on the same level.
...
In the evening of the next day, Ren heard that Shutenmaru, along with his original group of reformed bandits, had been exiled to the Guardian Forest by Yukiko to work on the reservoir.
The leader of the Tenguyama region's forces had actually been exiled to a remote location in Kuri by Yukiko, the leader of the Kancho region's forces. This made Ren want to laugh in amazement; he didn't know what Shutenmaru had done this time to offend Yukiko.
"What's going on?"
"Ren, I'm not questioning your decision, but we really can't let that bastard Shutenmaru touch any more sake," Yukiko, curled up in Ren's arms, said through gritted teeth. "That drunkard got dead drunk last night and, as a result, didn't even complete today's security patrol. When we finally found him, this guy was soaking in a sake vat!"
"He dared to neglect his duties just from getting to relax once. If he relaxes often, he might end up causing trouble."
"He really has no self-control at all." Ren shook his head and didn't ask any more about Shutenmaru's matter. It was probably good for them to go work on the reservoir to reflect. Although he had agreed to let Shutenmaru have one drink, it wouldn't do for him to neglect his work because of it.
"By the way, Kozuki Oden is also in the Guardian Forest area right now. If he finds out Shutenmaru is there too, he'll surely go to visit. Tell Shutenmaru not to reveal himself."
"Mm, I've already taken care of that," Yukiko said. She was now handling things very smoothly. While she might not be perfect, she was able to consider this kind of small matter.
One Piece: Starting from Turning Wano into Inazuma
Ren nodded, but then it was as if he suddenly remembered something and said, "Good. By the way, have Keiko come over now."
"Two people today?" Yukiko asked, her face turning red. "Although I might not be able to handle it by myself, there's no need to specifically ask Keiko to come. A maid from outside the door would do as well."
Ren: ???
"No, I intend to have her write a letter to the daimyo of Hakumai. It's time to discuss the matter of the hidden port with him," Ren explained. "As our current power continues to grow, it has become more and more troublesome for Kurotsu Basya every time they try to set sail or return. the Gold Country has been back for several months, but it still hasn't been completely transported out. This efficiency is too low."
"I understand." Yukiko nodded, then walked to the door to instruct a maid to find Keiko. When she returned, she said with concern, "But will Shimotsuki Yasuie agree to lend us the hidden port?"
The people of Wano Country are very stubborn and old-fashioned.
They are accustomed to days of national isolation and have a psychological fear of everything outside their borders. They are very afraid that external forces will come to this Wano Country, and they have no confidence in being able to resist invaders.
"Let's give it a try. If it really doesn't work, we can just use Kozuki Oden to persuade him."
"If you ask me, we might as well just control him directly," Yukiko said. "It would be even better if all those daimyos and that foolish shogun became your servants!"
"That would be too boring." Ren shook his head.
It would be like playing a game with invincibility mode on. It might feel great at the beginning, but after a while, it would become completely meaningless. There would be no sense of accomplishment at all.
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