Chapter 127 The player has completely become a part of Wano Country...
The assassin who tried to kill Kurozumi Orochi, Kurozumi Orochi's loyal henchman, and the retainer of Kozuki Oden who was killed by Kurozumi Orochi and Kaido.
Could these three people not only know each other, but also trust each other so quickly and decisively and reach a cooperation agreement after the incident?
This sounds a bit unbelievable.
But then Violet thought of Kyoshiro's other identity—Ugly Boy.
According to the information Robin gathered, Ugly Boy, though a thief, is a righteous thief who robs the rich to help the poor.
Under Orochi's leadership, Wano Country, apart from the Flower Capital which has a relatively good economy, is quite poor in places like Kuri, Nozomi, and Ringo. Many people struggle on the edge of poverty and live a life of irregular meals.
Ugly Boy would often exchange the money he stole for food and distribute it to these poor people for free, so that they could rely on these supplies to get through one harsh winter or lean day after another.
Upon hearing this information for the first time, Violet exclaimed: What kind of Wano Country Batman is this?
However, if we follow this line of thought, and Kyoshiro, who is loyal to Kurozumi Orochi, is merely a disguise, while Ushimitsu Kozo, who robs the rich to help the poor, is closer to his true soul, then it makes sense that the assassin, Kyoshiro, and Kikunojo would tacitly choose to cooperate with each other.
However, there is still a question: even if Kyoshiro exposed his true identity as the Robin Hood-like Ushiro, how did he find Kikunojo, who was disguised as Sakura at the time? And why was Kikunojo persuaded by him in such a short time?
It's important to know that even Violet only gained Kikunojo's trust after she had Izo's hairpin and repeatedly expressed her relationship with Newgate and Izo!
Unless... Kyoshiro and Kikunojo knew each other long ago, and not just in a normal way, but in a way that Kikunojo believed as soon as Kyoshiro revealed his identity.
Violet's eyes sharpened.
Could Kyoshiro be one of the missing Nine Red Scabbards?!
Just as Violet was still processing the shocking secret she had deduced, Kikunojo, disguised as Kyoshiro, walked in and reported the situation to Kurozumi Orochi.
Stripping away the workplace rhetoric, to put it simply, the assassin wasn't found, and the ugly young man escaped.
Vera: ...
They didn't catch a single person? This is such a perfunctory job!
Violet quickly lowered her head to avoid laughing out loud.
Upon hearing this news, Orochi unsurprisingly flew into a rage, unleashing a torrent of abuse on Kyoshiro. He angrily drew his sword and strode toward Kyoshiro with an air of "If I can't kill an assassin, can't I kill you?"
Wilmer silently raised her eyes, preparing to make a move.
But Sakura was a step ahead. This geisha, whose emotional intelligence was off the charts, stopped Kurozumi Orochi and then, in less than three minutes, coaxed the enraged Kurozumi Orochi into a state of blissful oblivion, completely forgetting about the damned assassin and his stupid subordinates.
Violet drank the last bit of juice in the pot. Since "Mad Death" was unaware that Violet had discovered her identity, Violet simply greeted "Mad Death" and then strolled off to find Jin.
From dusk till dawn, Violet didn't know how the other pirates were doing, but King didn't seem tired at all. When Violet walked in, King glanced at her but didn't blame her for the fact that she and her subordinates had searched but found nothing.
Then Jhin immediately unleashed a bombshell.
"Kurozumi Orochi has rats under his command from the Kozuki family."
Violet nearly bit her tongue.
Wasn't it supposed to be that Kaido, the governor of the Beasts Pirates, is a guy who's always drunk, does high-altitude no-parachute jumps, and surrenders to the Marine Headquarters to freeload? Why is the Wano Country and Beasts Pirates arc so complicated, like a political struggle?
The NPC setup in this dungeon is a bit too complicated; Violet is finding it a bit overwhelming.
As the "rat in the Beasts Pirates," Violet listened with some unease as Queen berated the "rat in the General's Mansion."
"Oh, and you too, kid." Quinn suddenly pointed at Vera while cursing, making the already guilty Vera tremble. "You went to see Sakura later, right? She was alright, and she wasn't scared, was she?"
Phew—so that's what it was about. I gave her quite a fright.
Not only is Sakura unharmed, but her progress on the "[Cherry Blossoms Falling from Branches]" quest has also advanced significantly.
At first, based on the character names and descriptions of important quest items, Violet thought the quest was a tragic story. However, after a night of chaos, Violet interpreted the phrase "fallen from the branch" as having a different meaning.
Violet suspects that this mission requires her to help Sakura escape from the Yue Family Craft House where she grew up, and even from the entire Flower Capital and Wano Country. This escape could be achieved by helping her break free from Wano Country's isolationist policies and freely pursue her dreams in the open sea, or by letting Sakura live in anonymity with that doll-loving guy in a corner of Wano Country, or even more extremely, by physically causing the cherry blossoms to fall from the branches to escape the life that she finds increasingly tiresome day after day.
The game features an overly ideal and beautiful happy ending, a true ending bound by reality, and a bad ending with a strong sense of irony. The outcome depends entirely on the player's choices, which is a consistent reflection of the game's extremely high degree of freedom.
After waiting for several more hours until almost noon, Jin, having confirmed that the assassin had completely escaped, finally ordered the removal of the pirates outside A-Yue's house and allowed everyone to leave.
Having eaten a hearty dinner and secretly ate quite a bit of food from her backpack, Violet wasn't as weak-kneed as those fearful and hungry nobles who needed help to leave. While pondering whether to continue to follow local customs and put on her vest again that evening to chat face-to-face with Sakura, she walked with her hands behind her back toward the "staff dormitory" assigned to her by Timu.
Oh dear, I've been stopped.
Violet looked up and saw her direct superior, Timber.
Timu: "I received a message from Ayue's family this morning, but Jin ordered that no one is allowed to enter or leave... He didn't do anything to you, did he?"
Given Jin's cold-blooded and ruthless style and his reputation for loving bloody interrogations, it's perfectly normal for Tim to worry about what might happen to Violet, who is involved in it.
But was it really worth Timo coming all the way here to ask, waiting outside like a parent picking up their child from school?
Taki: "I heard that Kurozumi Orochi was assassinated. Has the assassin been found? Is Kyoshiro injured?"
Oh, so he was just checking in on his drinking buddies. That makes no surprise.
However, considering the true identity of the madman she had analyzed, Violet couldn't help but mentally give this great friendship a thumbs up.
Of course, as a rising star with ambitions to replace the big boss, Timber wasn't just there for gossip and entertainment; he had something to tell Violet.
Vera: "We...we're going to fight at sea?"
"That's right, this is your first time going out to fight since joining the Beasts Pirates, so do your best!"
"...May I ask in advance who it's with?"
“Namur, the 8th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.” After saying this, Timberkine keenly noticed that Vera’s expression was a little… strange. “You know him?”
"Haha, haha, I've heard about it before..."
——
Standing beneath the Beasts Pirates' banner fluttering in the wind, and watching Namur's crew gradually approaching in the distance, Violet felt a strong sense of absurdity.
Because she was genuinely afraid that this new identity was a deeply concealed one, and because Violet had absolutely no trust in the safety of Wano Country, she brought Chopper and Robin with her to this battle.
Because of their different timing and strengths, Chopper and Robin didn't participate in many formal battles after becoming residents of Violet Island. This was not good in a game where, on the surface, people are farming but in reality, everyone is full of martial spirit, and you have to defeat the monsters of all sizes that occasionally spawn on the edge of your field before you can continue farming in peace.
Vera patted the two on the shoulders: "Practice is very important. Although you are not on the main ship, the pirates under the squad leader's fleet are quite strong, which is a good opportunity for you to practice."
Good heavens, using the Whitebeard Pirates as practice on two kids, this kind of attitude is something even Kaido, another Emperor of the Sea, wouldn't do.
"Attack boldly, defend carefully." Vera patted the two children's heads. "Don't be afraid, your island lord will be watching over you."
With the island owner, who wields honey ointment in his left hand and "The Call of Tentacles" in his right, as their backer, Chopper and Robin are much safer than anyone else on this ship.
Upon hearing Violet's encouraging words, the two children, who were about to face the Whitebeard Pirates in their first battle, immediately relaxed and looked at Violet with admiration, nodding vigorously.
"Hmm!" X2
As for Violet, on the one hand, she needs to keep her inexperienced islanders from getting hurt, and on the other hand, she needs to make a good impression without revealing herself, at least to secure a chance to go to Onigashima and meet Kaido.
Gently stroking the book "The Summoning of Tentacles" in her hand, Violet watched as the figure gradually became clearer, and stood at the bow of the ship, mourning for him for a second.
Sorry bro, I'll borrow your head for a bit (laughs).
...
Of course, Violet couldn't bring herself to kill him.
On the surface, Namur was beaten so badly that he could not rise again and sink to the bottom of the sea. In fact, he cleverly used the Frost Staff to freeze a layer of ice on his body to stop his struggle. When Vil left and the effect of the Frost Staff disappeared, Namur could thaw again and swim freely in the sea.
To reiterate, no one from the R'lyeh faction was harmed in this battle.
Chopper and Robin, who had just participated in the battle, had not yet fully recovered from the exhilarating feeling of their adrenaline rush. They watched with excitement as Violet leaped back onto the deck from the retreating Whitebeard Pirates.
As for Timo's other subordinates, regardless of how much they had objections to Violet's age and gender before, they all took a step back in the face of the undeniable strength she displayed in this battle, making way for Violet to reach Timo.
Vera walked up to Timber, facing the gazes of everyone who were either fearful, admiring, or wary.
She shrugged: "It's a shame we couldn't keep him."
Timo was also stunned by the skill that Violet had shown in the battle. He recalled the scene when he first called her to the training ground to spar with her.
Compared to the fighting prowess that Violet had just displayed, she clearly hadn't fully unleashed her full potential back then due to concerns about the space and durability of the training ground.
Dìmù tapped the hilt of his katana lightly with his index finger. After realizing that Violet was completely on par with him in terms of strength, his original affection for his useful subordinate quickly turned into antagonism towards a rival in the same ecological niche.
Just as Timo opened his mouth, intending to give Violet a dressing-down about her failure to stop Namur, a Den Den Mushi from Onigashima called.
"Tomorrow night, Brother Kaido will gather the top members and the Flying Sons to head to Onigashima."
"Timu, take Wilson with you."
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Taki looked at Violet with a complicated expression, clearly not understanding how Violet had gotten involved with Jin.
Violet thought for a moment: "It should still be about the assassins."
As a key partner of Kaido, Orochi has a traitor within his ranks who even protects the assassins who tried to kill him. From Kaido's perspective, this is something that Violet should take seriously.
"I see... How about you come on my boat that day?"
Vera squinted her eyes, then smiled and said, "Of course, Boss Timu, I don't have my own boat, so of course I'll hitch a ride on yours."
The tense atmosphere dissipated completely after those words. Timu nodded in satisfaction, then smiled and said to the other pirates on the ship, "Not bad, we successfully repelled the Whitebeard Pirates today. There are drinks downstairs in the cabin, everyone please help yourselves!"
"Yay!"
"Boss Timu, we are willing to follow you forever!"
Sigh, these pirates really do all have some degree of alcohol dependence.
Violet had no interest in alcohol, and Chopper and Robin, having lost their initial excitement from the battle, also felt extremely tired. So the three of them decided to return to their cabin to rest.
It's true what they say, in the Great Pirate Era, strength is everything. Despite acting as aloof as when she arrived, quite a few of the drunken pirates celebrating outside actually came over with drinks in hand. And when they heard Violet's reply, "I don't like drinking," they loudly proclaimed, "Water is better! It's healthy and saves money!"
Vera: ...
Let's see who dares to say these pirates have no emotional intelligence from now on.
After dealing with her boring colleagues at work, Violet returned to her residence in Wano Country to rest for a while. After the moon rose, Robin woke her up, and she put on a paper bag containing newly bought crepes to continue her investigation.
First, Vera planned to stake out Ushiro. Although she wasn't sure if Kyoshiro knew she was being suspected, Vera felt it was necessary to remind him.
The problem is that the pure darkness causes Violet's sanity to plummet, while her outfit is far too eye-catching when she stands in the light.
Violet could only tragically flash back and forth between light and darkness, and when she encountered any unlucky souls who saw her, she could only choose to read "Bedtime Stories" to hypnotize them.
...I have a feeling that if things continue like this, Wano Country will be filled with all sorts of strange urban legends.
Fortunately, it was already past midnight, and there weren't many people wandering around outside. The weather was also relatively mild. Although it was a bit funny to just fall asleep on the street, Violet assured them that they wouldn't even catch a cold the next day.
While hiding and searching, and transforming into a hypnotist, Violet finally found Ugly Boy who was committing the crime when she was numb from eating green mushrooms.
With a powerful hypnotic spell, Violet picked up Ugly Boy and ran all the way to the woods outside the Flower Capital before putting him down.
As they placed the other person on the grass, the Ugly Third Boy, who should have been asleep, suddenly opened his eyes and pulled out a short dagger from somewhere, stabbing at Violet.
Although it was an unexpected close-range attack, since she got a new teacher in [Handmade Tombstone], Vera had long been used to all kinds of unpredictable and tricky attacks. It can be said that Ugly Boy's move was something that even Vera, who had been trained by Rocks, could dodge, let alone Vera, who was beaten by John for three days in a row.
He used a cooling technique on the area below the neck, and the ugly boy's fierce gaze froze for a moment, then immediately became clear.
This ability, this attire... even though the paper bag over his head was from a different manufacturer, Kyoshiro still recognized that this person was "Yukihime".
"Snow Princess, you've shown up again."
Violet: "..."
Alright, it seems that several of her identities are part of the traditional customs of Wano Country, so she has no choice but to accept it.
Since she was already using a fake identity, Violet didn't bother arguing with the other person about how to address them; let them call her whatever they wanted.
Violet: "The Beasts Pirates are starting to suspect you."
Ever since that night he met "Snow Princess," Kyoshiro had been cramming on all sorts of literary works about spirits and monsters from Wano Country, expecting some kind of romantic encounter. But the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a bombshell: ...
Kyoshiro: "...How did you know?"
The shock of hearing such words from a spirit that was far removed from human society was no less than that of someone who had never seen a mermaid in their entire life finally making it to Fishman Island only to discover that mermaids are actually creatures with fish heads and human bodies.
How did she find out? Jin told her directly.
However, this is something that cannot be told to outsiders.
Violet said mysteriously, "I know everything."
Madman frowned slightly, clearly not believing it, since this wasn't mentioned in folk novels.
Violet looked at the madman, who was silent but clearly suspicious, and a slight smile appeared on her lips beneath the paper bag. Her eyes flashed with four parts mischievousness, three parts insight, and three parts nonchalance.
As Kuang Shilang watched, the bag printed with "[Buy 2 Get 1 Free on the Most Delicious Crepes in the Flower Capital]" slowly approached him. Cold, dark hair, bathed in the silvery light of the moon, slid down her shoulders. Before Kuang Shilang could take a step back, he heard the other person speak in his ear.
"Which of the Nine Red Scabbards are you?"
Kyoshiro: !!!
Mad Death's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at Vera with surprise and uncertainty.
How could she know that after Lord Oden's death, he changed his appearance in extreme anger, changed his name, and infiltrated Kurozumi Orochi's side to wait for the opportunity to take revenge? Apart from the accidental recognition with Prime Minister Kikunojo at the Tsuki family that day, only Oden's daughter, Kozuki Hiyori, who went by the name Komurasaki, knew his identity.
How did Yukihime know this?
Is she really as omniscient as she claims?
Having made a joke and gotten the answer from Madman's expression, Vera was quite satisfied. She stood up, patted the grass on her skirt, and gracefully withdrew like a hermit, leaving Madman alone with his mind racing.
She's in a hurry to get to the second half of the game!
Finding Sakura would be much easier than finding Kyoshiro, but Sakura is just a young girl with little fighting ability. Violet certainly can't just use a sleeping spell to kidnap her from Yue's house like she did with Kyoshiro, and then ask her what her real dream is.
After thinking for a moment, Violet used her ice staff to make a small ice figure, placed it on the outer corridor, and then quietly hid under the cherry blossom tree, struggling to control the small ice figure with her ice staff.
Since unlocking the Frost Staff, Violet, who had never done such delicate work before, was having some difficulty operating it. Fortunately, the distance was not far. After the poor little ice man fell a few times, he finally staggered to Sakura's window and gently knocked twice.
Sakura, who is usually a light sleeper, opened her eyes groggily when she heard the noise and looked towards the window with some confusion.
She wasn't worried about thieves; as the most famous geisha in the most famous geisha house in the Flower Capital, the security in her room was quite good.
It can only be said that Sakura's naive idea stems from two factors: firstly, those who have such ideas lack Violet's strength, while those with Violet's strength are not as bored as her; secondly, the Yue family intentionally created a false image for Sakura that is incompatible with the real world, using fine silks, satins, and warm jade.
Sakura opened the window and, in the bright moonlight, saw the little ice man standing on the windowsill.
The little ice man looked up at Sakura, and Sakura gasped when she saw this. She blinked and pinched her hand to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
"You, did you come here to see me?"
The little ice man nodded, then lifted its foot to step over the windowsill and into the room. However, it was clear that the short legs that Wil had shaped for it could not support such a difficult movement, so the little ice man fell headfirst over the windowsill, its two long legs kicking weakly in the air.
Sakura: "Hey!"
Sakura quickly picked it up and tenderly rubbed the cracks on the little ice doll's face with her fingers.
"Oh my god, are you... are you alright?"
As soon as Sakura finished speaking, the little ice man raised his hand and touched his face, and the crack miraculously disappeared in an instant.
The little ice figure sat in her palm, looked up at her, and then stretched out its hand to write and draw under her palm. At first, Sakura was curious and thought the ice figure was playing with her, but she quickly realized that the ice figure wasn't just scribbling, but writing!
Oh my god.
Sakura's expression was serious as she tried to figure out what the ice man wanted to say to her.
"Do you...do you want to leave here?"
Sakura looked at the little ice man in surprise: "How did you know...?"
The little ice man nodded his head, then his eyes, and Sakura immediately looked enlightened.
So this little ice man is a little elf or a Zashiki-warashi here?
Sakura wants to leave Yue's house.
This idea originated when Sakura was still a bald girl who could only follow other geishas around serving tea and water, and was undergoing arduous training in tea ceremony, fan art, and koto.
The stamens growing on the cherry blossom tree yearn to leave the branch from the moment they are born. Sometimes, when Sakura sits in her room looking at the cherry blossom tree outside and watching the petals fall from the branches like a pink rain curtain, she imagines that one day she will become a cherry blossom petal, blown by the wind over the high wall of Tsuki's house, to see the world beyond the Flower Capital, or even beyond Wano Country.
Every geisha in the Flower Capital is trained to be the same: gentle, beautiful, considerate, and understanding...
But Sakura just wanted to get away from that cherry blossom tree.
"That's what I'm thinking." Sakura didn't know if she was having an incredibly realistic dream, or if some kind of magical spirit had actually broken through the boundaries of fantasy and reality under the hazy moonlight to stand before her and imagine a beautiful future that was impossible to come true. "I want to leave Tsuki's house, I want to leave the Flower Capital, I want to leave Wano Country."
"I want to see the ocean and the mountains outside, to see the Iceland that is covered in snow all year round and the summer island that is always covered in green, as described in books."
The more Sakura saw the vast world outside and the many possibilities of life through books, the more painful it became for her to be confined to Yue's house, living the same repetitive life day after day.
“Of course, and of course, there’s A-Gui.” Xiaoying smiled shyly when she mentioned him. “I want to see those beautiful landscapes with him. At least I hope that when I think back to those beautiful landscapes, he will be there.”
"Little Ice Man, don't you think my dream is too greedy?"
The mouthless ice figure sat in her palm, neither mocking nor approving, but simply looking up at her silently.
Join her in a dream that is too beautiful to be true.
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Author's Note: The 8k-word bonus chapter is finally here after a long wait!
Sakura's personality is somewhat similar to Oden's; she's also someone who values adventure above all else, except she's been more thoroughly tamed by society and the art school.
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