Chapter 123 The players were harmed by you cross-dressing masters...
The banquet was still going on.
This exceptionally beautiful Sakura clearly holds a prominent position among geishas. Her birthday party not only attracted the current ruler of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi, but also Queen and King, who are stationed on Onigashima for many years.
Sakura, the protagonist and initiator of this grand banquet, possessed extraordinary charm not only because of her stunning beauty. However, within half an hour of the banquet's commencement, Violet realized that this geisha was also exceptionally skilled in emotional intelligence and creating a lively atmosphere.
Violet stared expressionlessly at the black charcoal serpent dancing in the center of the banquet, and at Quinn opposite him, who was dancing with him while holding a microphone and playing music for himself.
Help! She felt her hearing was dying a little.
She stopped complaining about how unpleasant the little deer goose's call was. Vera earnestly repented in her heart, realizing that compared to Quinn's singing, the little deer goose's voice was simply heavenly.
It's unclear whether Quinn possesses some extraordinary leg-training technique that allows him to keep his round body bouncing non-stop.
The banquet hall floor trembled with Quinn's dancing. Vale could see the young lady pouring wine across from her trembling hands like popcorn on a hot plate. Instead of pouring any sake into the glass, she spilled it all over Vale's back, and even her well-trained smile was almost impossible to maintain.
In stark contrast was the man sitting next to her, Jin. Apart from the tips of his wings, which were being carefully straightened by Violet, shaking with the floor, this man, who was covered in black leather from head to toe, sat there silently like a cast iron sculpture. He was neither embarrassed by his crazed colleague nor did he show any intention of joining in the commotion.
He was like a dark, cold shadow, abruptly and incongruously intruding into the brightly lit, bustling banquet.
Violet always felt that he was more suited to a funeral than a birthday party.
Like Jin, the only one who could maintain her composure in the face of the eye-searing and ear-splitting performance in the room was Sakura, who sat next to the main seat.
Sakura, kneeling there with her hands on her knees, smiled and looked admiringly at Queen and Orochi, who, despite being just two people, somehow managed to create a chaotic dance-like effect.
They would occasionally find something of praise in that disastrous dance and singing, such as "Your voice is really loud" or "Your movements are so uninhibited and natural."
While it's true that people should have eyes to see beauty, Sakura's eyes seem to be forcing beauty where none exists. With just a few words, she managed to turn two men who held extremely high positions and were absolute rulers in Wano Country and Onigashima into silly, giggling whelps.
Vieille: 6
Vera looked at Sakura with admiration. "Miss, with your ability and perseverance, you'll succeed at anything."
Unable to enjoy the banquet performances, Violet turned her attention to the food in front of her, which, though she couldn't name it, was quite a local specialty.
Violet tentatively picked up a cherry blossom pink dessert and put it in her mouth, then her eyes lit up the next second.
tasty!
With a lingering sense of satisfaction, Violet licked her chopsticks and scanned the room. Apart from seeing the pirates drinking heartily and refilling their barrels of wine one after another, she didn't see anyone having any extra food.
Oh no, does that mean each person only gets one serving?
I wish she had eaten more slowly.
However… Violet’s gaze secretly fell on her boss’s desk beside her, and she couldn’t help but greedily lick her lips as she looked at the untouched food.
ember:"……"
If Violet's glance can be described as "secret," then Quinn's constant grip on the microphone can be described as "socially awkward."
Unable to ignore the excessively intense gaze, Jin lowered his eyes to look at Violet, whose eyes lit up instantly when they met.
"Lord Jin, will you still eat the food in front of you?" You definitely won't eat it, right? You definitely won't eat it.
Look at Jhin, who covers his face completely. People who cannot easily show their faces should strictly adhere to the principle of concealment. How could he take off his mask to let others see his true face, even just a small part from his chin to his mouth, just to eat?
Of course, Jin wouldn't eat it.
As a Lunar remnant who can earn a bounty of 100 million Berries simply by providing intelligence to the World Government, Jin doesn't even drink water when he's out, let alone eat.
Aside from Governor Kaido, King wouldn't feel comfortable showing his face to anyone else.
But seeing that Vera was clearly eyeing the food on his table, Jin, who hadn't intended to speak, said, "I won't eat."
Vera sat up straight.
"I'll put it in front of me and watch."
Crack.
Violet looked at Jin as if struck by lightning: "Look, are you watching?"
"Yes." Jin nodded. "I appreciate it."
"..."
Is the Beast Pirates some kind of strange gathering place for failed artists? How come everyone's hobbies are so unbearable?
With a dejected look, Vera reluctantly shifted her gaze from the food that had been enlarged several times in size to the food in front of her, and stared blankly at the empty plate in front of her.
*Smack*
The soft sound of a plate hitting the table brought Vera back to her senses. She looked up and saw a maid smiling as she cleared her empty plate and replaced it with fresh, hot food.
"I've left your refill here. Please feel free to call me if you need anything else."
Hey, she didn't call out...
Realizing something, Violet suddenly looked up and saw Jin giving her a cold, disdainful look.
"Stop embarrassing yourself here," Jin said coldly. "Just order them what you want."
"You're a member of our Beasts Pirates."
Orochi's rule over Wano Country is only due to the support of Governor Kaido. As a member of the Beasts Pirates, how could he dare to refuse a request from Violet?
Wow, so touching!
It seems that those who can become the second-in-command of the Sea Emperor are not just reckless brutes.
If it weren't for Violet's ulterior motives and the impossibility of her actually joining the Beasts Pirates, she would probably have wholeheartedly followed the great Governor Kaido based solely on King's move.
"Then let's decide by tossing a ball."
Sakura's gentle voice rang out, immediately eliciting a chorus of sounds, some excited and some disappointed.
Huh, what happened?
Violet, preoccupied with eating, looked somewhat bewildered at the people rubbing their hands together, eager to try their luck.
Sakura stood up next to Orochi, holding a beautifully embroidered flower ball in her hands, and looked at the people on the table.
"Is everyone ready?"
What preparations are needed? What should be prepared?
"Then I'll be lost~"
Sakura turned her back and tossed the flower ball high into the air. Leaning forward, she placed her arm on the table. The pirates, who were already prepared to fight over it, all stood up and rushed towards the embroidered ball that was still hovering in the air.
"It's mine!"
"Damn it, get out of my way! This ball belongs to me!"
"A bunch of trash dare to take Sakura's ball? It's laughable!"
[You have identified an important quest item. Pick it up?]
[[whether]
Facing the angry glares of a group of pirates, Violet, holding a flower ball in both hands: Huh?
Can she say that she forgot to turn off the auto-pickup function and ask Sakura to do it again?
Violet blinked blankly, vaguely sensing that she had unknowingly become the target of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
"Tsk."
Jin glanced at Violet, whose movements were so fast that he couldn't catch her, clicked his tongue, and stood up.
The Beasts Pirates' number one man after Kaido, a tall man dressed in jet black, only needed to glance around to silence the pirates who were so excited they were ready to roll up their sleeves and fight with Violet for the flower ball. They looked at King with fear in their eyes.
Violet: Wow.
Jhin: "It's so noisy, all of you shut up."
Quinn took a deep drag on his cigar and exhaled a large cloud of smoke: "Phew—this is clearly the passion and youth of young people! That's why I said you bastard Jhin, you're completely unsuitable for this kind of place."
"Oh!" Sakura, who had turned around, was surprised to see that it was Violet who had caught the ball. "What a surprise, it was this lady."
"Sakura!" Orochi slammed his fist on the table in anger. "In my capacity as the Shogun of Wano Country, I order you to throw it again!"
"Eh?" Sakura covered the lower half of her face with her folding fan. "But didn't I tell the adults the rules of the game from the beginning, and they all agreed to them? If we go back on our word now, won't the game lose its meaning?"
Orochi: "What, what rules? This is Wano Country, and I am the Shogun here. What I say..."
"Enough!" Jin was annoyed by the noise of this group. "She's just a geisha, and you're making such a scene, Kurozumi Orochi."
Violet heard a distinct gasp from beside her, unsure whether it was fear of the enraged King or shock at King's direct address of Orochi and his merciless reprimand in front of everyone.
Feeling the gazes of everyone, especially those of Sakura, whom he currently loves most, Orochi's face flushed red.
He took deep breaths, and the power of the Devil Fruit gradually revealed a terrifying inhuman form due to his anger.
It's been too long. Ever since Kozuki Oden's rule over Wano Country was destroyed by him and Kaido, and he became the Shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi has not heard any disobedient words or felt that contemptuous look in his eyes, as if he were a speck of dust.
So much so that Orochi almost forgot that a large part of his so-called absolute power came from the fact that Kaido and his top lieutenants did not often come to Wano Country.
Bloodline, status, power... In this era of rampant pirates, only those with martial prowess are truly deserving of the title of king!
Then, under everyone's gaze, Orochi slowly took a step back: "This general, this general must be drunk. Jin is right, the rules of the game, of course the rules of the game must be followed... Haha."
Sakura looked at Orochi, a barely perceptible hint of mockery flashing in her eyes.
Sakura: "It seems everyone has reached a consensus? That's great. Birthday parties should be a happy occasion, and I don't want anyone to feel sad or hurt."
"Sakura~~"
"Sakura is so kind, I feel like I've fallen in love."
"That kid is so lucky, I'm so jealous!"
Violet: "..."
So can someone tell her what exactly happened, what game it was, what the rules were, and what catching that colored ball really meant?
Who was it that suggested playing games instead of eating at the banquet?!
"Lord Wilson, Dr. Sakura requests your presence. Please come with us."
After the banquet, Sakura left her seat first. The two bald girls who had been helping her earlier approached Vera and bowed, inviting her to join them. Completely bewildered, Vera thought about her mission, which she had no idea how to complete, and then got up and followed the two girls.
They looked younger than Violet, but their movements and postures already exuded a mature and elegant air.
Vera followed them through the front hall of A-Yue's house to the back house with its stream and bamboo grove, and stopped in front of a wooden house covered with cherry blossoms.
"Dr. Sakura is waiting for you in the room, sir."
Looking at the warm, ambiguous yellow light faintly shining through the paper door, Vera seemed to suddenly understand something in that instant.
No, oh, her?!
Vera's eyes widened. Had she... had she unlocked some hidden side quest?!
Isn't this a bit inappropriate? How can someone as upright, brave, and kind as her, who has transcended vulgar tastes, be tempted by beauty?
She was determined to refuse outright...
"My lord, aren't you coming in?" Sakura's voice rang out from behind the paper door. "Do you think I'm too ugly to look at, and that's why you don't want to come in?"
I swear to God!
The fact that Violet thinks Sakura's eyes and eyebrows resemble Izo's proves that she is truly beautiful.
Vera glanced around cautiously and noticed that the two bald men who had brought her there had quietly left sometime earlier. The secluded courtyard, with its layers upon layers of lush cherry blossom trees, made the wooden house a completely enclosed and undisturbed haven.
No one will know what happens next.
Vera opened the paper door.
Sakura, who had removed her hairpins and jewelry, sat upright on the tatami mat with her purple-black hair loose, reaching out her hand to her.
Looking into those alluring dark purple eyes, Violet couldn't help but take a step forward.
Wait, dark purple eyes?! Sakura's eyes aren't...
A pair of strong hands grabbed Vera's wrists and pulled her forward sharply. Vera stumbled two steps and fell directly into the other person's arms. Sakura grabbed Vera's shoulders and spun her around in her arms. With one slender finger covering Vera's mouth, she held a small dagger to Vera's neck in the other.
Shh—don't make a sound.
"In a place like this, at this time, no matter what I do to you, those pirates won't be so 'unromantic' as to barge in."
Am I...am I?
This is not...
Violet looked up in disbelief, her eyes meeting the other's long neck and the faintly visible... Adam's apple beneath the raised collar?!
Her gaze, no, it should be his, fell on the hairpin in Vera's hair.
"This is Brother Yizang's hairpin. Why is it on your head?"
"Who exactly are you?"
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Author's Note: Do you remember the hint that Vera went to her father's hometown to dig for treasure? This cross-dressing master is the altered history and future. [Let me see]
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