Chapter 125: Players' Acting Skills Soar
After Kikunojo explained his identity and purpose for infiltrating the Tsuki family, the conversation naturally turned to Violet's identity and her purpose for coming to Wano Country.
Vera coughed lightly and straightened up.
Now it's time for players to show off!
Kikunojo: "Eh, R'lyeh, what's that?"
Kikunojo: "What? That sea emperor is seriously ill? Are you talking about Whitebeard? The Whitebeard I know?"
Kikunojo: "Seven, seven...what?"
Clearly, Kikunojo, who was transported from the past and landed in Wano Country, a closed country that has not communicated with the outside world for a long time, was like a TV viewer who only watched the beginning and then fast-forwarded to the end when faced with the changing forces on the sea. His only reaction to everything Violet said was blank "Huh", "Who is this?" and "What is that?".
Violet: "...Just imagine me as a farmer who is about as rich as the daimyo of Wano Country and as powerful as Izo."
Kikunojo: "Ah, I see. Well, that's really... uh, it's hard to imagine."
A farmer who is as rich as a daimyo and as strong as Izo-nii...? Does he not understand the meaning of the word "farmer," or has the situation outside Wano Country deteriorated to the point that farmers need the strength of Izo-niii to defend their land?
Thankfully, Kikunojo kept his complaints to himself, otherwise Violet would have nodded in agreement.
Yes, she just wants to farm quietly, and she really doesn't understand why people like Big Barrel, Kuzan, Tesoro, and Doflamingo always bother her.
Alas, even a peace-loving farming player like her has been forced to take up arms to protect those fragile and innocent farms.
Although Kikunojo had deep doubts about Violet's professional attributes, he was still very lucky to have a reliable ally in this bewildered and helpless situation.
Moreover, their goals overlap to some extent. Violet wants to go to Onigashima to meet Kaido and trigger a mission, while Kikunojo wants to quickly learn about the Kaido-Orochi duo and the situation of his former master's daughter, Hiyori.
To prevent the Kozuki family bloodline from dying out, of Kozuki Oden's two children, Hiyori, the older sister, was kept in the present timeline, while Momonosuke, the younger brother, was sent to the future timeline.
Vera was a little surprised: "Aren't you going to overthrow Kurozumi Orochi?" Vera had been listening to Kikunojo talk for a long time about his dissatisfaction with Kurozumi Orochi becoming the shogun, and she thought Kikunojo was planning to join forces with her to do something big.
Kikunojo was quite surprised: "Why would you think that? That's too risky!"
It's a pipe dream for him and Violet alone to challenge Orochi and the entire Beasts Pirates that support him.
Kikunojo, a loyal retainer of Lord Oden, felt that Vera was a bit extreme.
"The most important thing is to confirm the safety of the other Nine Red Scabbards who were not transported to the future, and to take care of Miss Hiyori Kozuki."
After all, the other insurance is that if nothing unexpected happens, Kozuki Momonosuke will not reappear for more than ten years. Even if Wano Country really does open its doors to the world as the prophecy says, Kozuki Momonosuke will only be a little kid a few years old at that time.
As for Hiyori Kozuki, she was already in her twenties at that time. Although she was still a bit too young, she could still manage to push herself to the limit.
Okay, okay...
Violet shrugged, indicating that she would not act rashly. Just as Kikunojo was about to smile and say, "Although I can't do that, I can feel your feelings," the two heard hurried footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.
Although both Violet and Kikunojo were skilled warriors with keen hearing and eyesight, the fact that the sound could reach their ears through the bamboo forest and cherry blossom grove was enough to prove that the chaos outside was quite severe.
The two exchanged a glance, and Violet took the initiative to get up and go investigate the situation. When Kikunojo wanted to go with her, Violet gave him a subtle look, reminding him that his current identity was that of a geisha who was powerless to even kill a chicken.
"You stay here and take good care of Sakura and the others." No matter what, her mission targets can't be harmed!
Kikunojo looked at the strange purple-black book that had appeared out of nowhere in Violet's hand and nodded: "Okay."
As Violet rushed out, she grabbed a pirate dressed in the classic Beasts Pirates outfit and asked him what had happened.
The pirate, grabbed by Violet, glared indignantly: "Who are you? I don't know you. What are you asking me? Who knows if you're one of those people's accomplices?!"
Violet: "..."
Violet slowly raised her hand: "Have you ever seen a fist the size of a sandbag?"
After a quick and in-depth exchange, the pirate realized the mistake of his unfriendly attitude towards his colleagues and began to actively share what he knew with Violet.
"It was an assassination!" he said. "The assassination attempt targeted Kurozumi Orochi. It happened right after the banquet, when Lord Kurozumi Orochi was waiting in his room for another geisha to fetch his shamisen. A masked man broke in, and if it weren't for Lord Kyoshiro hearing something amiss and arriving in time, Lord Orochi would have..."
He hissed and gave Vera a knowing look.
Am I about to die? Wow, that's so exciting!
Vera: "Have you caught the assassin? Who was he trying to assassinate?"
"No." The pirate shook his head. "That assassin was evenly matched with Lord Kyoshiro. After Lord Kyoshiro forced him back, he chose to escape by jumping out of the window. Although Lord Kyoshiro chased after him immediately, there is still no news."
"Lord Jin said that the assassins are remnants of the Kozuki clan and have surrounded the entire Kozuki residence, searching it inch by inch."
"They dared to make a move when Lord Jin and Lord Quinn were present. This is no ordinary remnant of the Kozuki faction. We must strike hard!"
His pirate nature, with its thirst for blood and excitement, had him in a state of high arousal, so much so that he failed to notice the strange expression on Violet's face, which was right next to him.
The remnants of Light and Moon?
Does Kikunojo know about this?
Violet was stunned by the news. Although everyone in the game except her had a blindness debuff, and Kikunojo's cross-dressing skills were so good that he might be able to evade Jin's investigation, don't forget that the real Sakura is still at the Kozuki family!
Kikunojo's current identity is Sakura. What will happen when the Beast Pirates find the real Sakura who is hiding?
If you're Sakura, then who am I? .jpg
Even if Sakura could withstand Jin's aura and insist that she wasn't Sakura, the fact that a maid who was unknown and unrecorded suddenly appeared in Tsuki's geisha house on the day Kurozumi Orochi was assassinated is still suspicious no matter how you look at it.
No, she had to go to Jin's side and try to smooth things over.
Where are Lord Jhin and Lord Quinn now?
Upon hearing Violet's question, the pirate's eyes first flashed with shock, followed by deep admiration.
"Aren't you going to stay with Sakura? Dr. Sakura must be terrified by what happened." A friend in need is a friend indeed; this is a golden opportunity to win Dr. Sakura's favor. If you won't go, I'd be happy to go!
...So this guy did recognize her from the start, but he pretended not to know her and yelled at her. Tsk tsk, male jealousy, huh?
"I advise you to calm down." Given Kikunojo's fighting strength and his hatred for the Beasts Pirates, Violet was worried that if this guy went there, someone would indeed be afraid, but the person who would be afraid would definitely not be Kikunojo. "Fine, you come with me to find Lord Jin and Lord Queen."
When Violet found Jhin, he was in the banquet hall where he was holding a birthday party.
Don't misunderstand, King didn't neglect his duties under these circumstances. As Kaido's most trusted subordinate and one of the founding members of the Beasts Pirates, King was actually very conscientious and responsible.
He directly requisitioned A-Yue's house. All the cushions and wooden tables prepared for the banquet were removed, and the decorations of flowers, fruits and vegetables were swept away. Only the lingering fragrance of cosmetics and the smell of wine in the air reminded those who entered the place how luxurious and prosperous it had been just a few hours ago.
The pitch-black Jin stood on the tatami mat where the black charcoal orb had been sitting, talking to the owner of A Yue's Art Gallery as Violet walked in.
The middle-aged woman, who was over forty and whose looks had faded, was clearly terrified in the face of the tall and menacing signboard. However, she still bowed repeatedly and said in a consultative tone, "We understand and will cooperate in capturing the assassin, but regarding the matter of keeping people around and not allowing anyone to enter or leave until the assassin is captured... Lord Jin, there are other patriarchs and young masters of other great families here."
Tsk tsk.
Look at how decadent Orochi and his leadership team have become. You should know that apart from places like the Flower Capital, which can still maintain a superficial prosperity and safety, places like Kuri in Wano Country are poor and chaotic. Instead of trying to solve the problems, the leaders of the country spend their days indulging in pleasure in such places.
Considering the tragic state of Wano Country, which possesses the unique mineral resource of Seastone, and then considering Alabasta, which, despite suffering from drought, still managed to forge its own resilient path, Violet could only lament that although both were rulers with feudal backgrounds, the differences between people are sometimes greater than those between people and pigs.
Violet waited curiously for Jhin's response.
Although the boss's words were veiled, the meaning was clear—as the most famous geisha house in the Flower Capital, the Yue family has not only your Beast Pirates and Lord Kurozumi Orochi, but also many important figures from the Daimyo's Mansion. Is it a bit excessive to order those pirates who don't look like good people to put them under house arrest with a single order?
They understand capturing assassins, but these daimyo are clearly Kurozumi Shogun's men, absolutely loyal subjects. How could they possibly be involved in assassination? So, they'll loosen their grip and release them for now. After that, the Beast Pirates have no objection whether they want to capture assassins or, for something more exciting, conduct a public interrogation.
Violet had to applaud the naiveté of those famous figures and the bosses who were responsible for relaying their messages.
As expected, after the boss finished speaking, what awaited her was neither a nod of agreement after weighing the pros and cons, nor the stalling tactic of "reporting to Kaido and Kurozumi Orochi."
What awaited her was a scimitar placed on her shoulder by a pirate next to Jin.
The sharp blade and the lingering, strong smell of blood, even after cleaning, reminded the shopkeeper that this was no ordinary nobleman's decorative dagger, worn only once every few years, but a real weapon of murder.
No matter how illustrious one's origins or how noble one's bloodline, they are useless in the face of such a weapon.
The boss shut up.
Jhin: "Tell them that everyone must stay where they are and not move. Anyone who tries to leave the gallery will be killed on the spot."
These daimyo and nobles are not the same as Kurozumi Orochi. The former were puppets trained by Kaido to control Wano Country, while the latter... well, we can only thank them for their much stronger reproductive desire than the Kozuki family. Even if King killed all the nobles and daimyo in the Kozuki family's art gallery on the spot, he would still say "if you don't do it, someone else will" after leaving the house. He could easily find someone to take over the job the next day.
Moreover, thanks to their tradition of never doing anything concrete, the people of Wano Country might not have even noticed that the person in charge had been replaced.
...It's a hellish joke in another sense.
Feeling that the trembling boss was a bit unlucky, Violet decisively stepped forward and, amidst the surprised expressions of the pirates, walked familiarly to the side of King, who exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.
"Lord Jin, I rushed over as soon as I received the news. Lord Kurozumi Orochi has been assassinated! My God, how could this happen?"
While exaggerating her shock at the assassination attempt on Kurozumi Orochi, Violet winked at her boss. It's safe to say that no one who becomes a geisha house owner is lacking in emotional intelligence. Understanding Violet's hint, he immediately bowed and left.
As expected, Jin didn't pay any attention to the owner of a small art gallery.
The pirates were shocked by Violet's audacity, and the next second, Violet's actions made everyone in the room take a step back, fearing that Violet would offend King and they would suffer the same fate.
Violet walked directly into a range where King could easily hit her: "How dare they attack us, the Beasts Pirates, while we're here? These guys are so reckless!"
"We absolutely cannot ignore such provocation. We must make those who look down on our Beasts Pirates and challenge Lord Kaido's supreme authority pay the price!"
"I wonder if the assassin has been found. If not, Lord Jin, please give me a chance. I am willing to personally go and capture him!"
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Author's Note: Vera: It's just flattery, right? I'm very good at it.
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