Super Card System
Chapter 735: The Oiran

Ian did not avoid Hidakira and Princess Naya when he was on the call with Whitebeard Pops, so they heard most of the conversation.

Princess Naya didn’t fully understand what Ian and the others were talking about, but Hidakira, as a daimyo, grasped some of it.

Although he didn’t know what the Soul-Soul Fruit they mentioned was, he understood that Emperor Kaido of the Beasts seemed to have left Wano Country for some important matter.

Not only did he leave, but he also seemed to have taken his significant pirate forces with him…

So while Ian was talking to Whitebeard, Hidakira listened quietly, his expression thoughtful.

Ian was not from Wano Country, so he didn’t understand the relationships among the noble classes there. If he carefully observed the family crests of the Shirasaki family and the Kozuki family, he would realize that these two families were connected; both of their family emblems featured the same Nine Stars symbol.

All the families that could become daimyos in Wano Country were prominent clans. In such a strictly hierarchical society, the marriage partners of the noble class could only be from the noble class. The Shirasaki family and the Kozuki family were no exception. Strictly speaking, Princess Naya, in terms of seniority, was actually the cousin of the Kozuki family’s heir, Kozuki Momonosuke!

Although, in terms of their positions, each region’s daimyo ruled their own territories and had to be loyal to the shogun, these great families often paid attention to blood relations among themselves. Therefore, regarding the shogun’s campaign against the Kozuki family this time, the Shirasaki family showed sympathy toward them. This was not only because of the Kozuki family’s reputation in Wano Country but also because there was a certain blood relation between the two families.

Of course, sympathy was one thing, but the Shirasaki family couldn’t do much for now. Hidakira had to think of his own family and even had to consider whether their blood ties with the Kozuki family might cause the shogun to vent his anger on the Shirasaki family as well. This was why, during the war, he sent his only daughter, Naya, to the ninja village for protection.

Now, the Kozuki family’s head, Kozuki Oden, had been executed. On the surface, the shogun’s authority had been upheld, but Hidakira understood very well that, in fact, the shogun’s actions had planted a thorn in the hearts of the other daimyos.

The reason was simple: the shogun had borrowed the power of the Beasts Pirates!

No one could understand what the shogun was thinking. Was he worried about the impact of the Kozuki family’s opening-up ideology on his ruling position, or did he have other concerns? He ignored the opposition of Hidakira and several other daimyos and not only acted against the Kozuki family but also borrowed the force most hated by the people of Wano Country: the Beasts Pirates.

You must know that over the years, the Beasts Pirates had harassed and attacked Wano Country countless times. If it weren’t for Wano Country having enough samurai as a significant military force to repel the Beasts Pirates time and again, Wano Country might have long been a pirate haven…

In Hidakira’s view, this was absolutely a foolish move! Many people in the country saw this, but due to the shogun’s authority and the Beasts Pirates’ formidable strength, they dared not speak out. The long-standing hierarchical system had cultivated the people’s nature to obey, but the admiration and sympathy for the Kozuki family had, instead, caused the opening-up ideology they advocated to influence more people in secret.

All along, Wano Country had prided itself as a strong nation, but it had to be said that this time, Kaido of the Beasts’ intervention made the people of Wano Country see the development and strength of the outside world. Even members of the ruling class like Hidakira realized that perhaps the Kozuki family’s ideology of opening the country had merit. If they continued to be closed off and stick to old ways, one day, Wano Country would fall behind the outside world…

An incompetent shogun was unfit to be a ruler. A ruler who introduced external pirates to suppress his own people was even more unfit. Hidakira was a daimyo under the shogun’s rule; such thoughts were dangerous and treasonous, but the tragedy that befell the Kozuki family made it impossible for Hidakira not to have these thoughts.

Moreover, no one knew how long the Beasts Pirates would continue to occupy Wano Country after the destruction of the Kozuki family… Not only Hidakira but other daimyos probably had the same concerns.

He looked up at Ian and at Marco. These two young men before him—one was a capable subordinate of an outside Emperor, and the other was even more remarkable—a newly risen Emperor himself!

Perhaps he could open his mind and seek some help from this young man??

Probably, only an Emperor could oppose another Emperor?

Of course, while Hidakira thought this, he also understood that if he wanted to seek someone else’s help, it would be best to offer some assistance when the other person needed it.

So, after Ian finished his call, Hidakira stood up, went to another room, and brought out a map, spreading it out in front of Ian and the others.

“This is…” Ian and his companions looked curiously at the map, then at Hidakira.

“This is the defense map of the capital, Kyoto!” Hidakira said with a smile. “It includes all the streets and alleys of Kyoto, and naturally, the location of the ‘Heavenly Prison’… I think it might be useful if you’re planning to rescue your people…”

Ian and Marco exchanged a strange glance. A daimyo from faraway Nishi-Ueno had such a detailed map of Kyoto…

Hidakira might have guessed what they were thinking and smiled bitterly, “To be honest, I originally planned that when the Kozuki family was escorted to Kyoto for imprisonment, I would find a way to send ninjas to rescue them and then send them out of Wano Country. Then, I would unite with several other daimyos to plead with the shogun, hoping to resolve the matter peacefully. But…”

But no one expected that the shogun would directly execute the Kozuki family’s head, Kozuki Oden, through Kaido. This immediately dashed Hidakira’s plans…

Hearing his frank confession, Ian and Marco no longer doubted and looked down at the map.

“There are three ‘Heavenly Prisons’ in Kyoto!” Hidakira pointed them out one by one. “But the other two only hold ordinary criminals. Your friends are from the outside seas and can only be held in the ‘Heavenly Prison’ for felons, which is here…”

Following Hidakira’s finger, Ian and his companions looked at the location on the map and firmly memorized it, asking detailed questions about the surrounding area.

“As the largest capital city of our Wano Country, Kyoto has the strongest defensive forces!” Hidakira said. “Moreover, Kyoto has the largest number of samurai. If any disturbance occurs in Kyoto, these samurai will become obstacles for you. So I think it’s best if you sneak in!”

After speaking, he clapped his hands, and a ninja suddenly appeared, kneeling before him, holding three sets of clothing in his hands, head lowered.

Hidakira took the clothing and handed it to Ian, saying, “Your clothes are too conspicuous. If you enter Kyoto like this, you’ll immediately be inspected! And the people of Kyoto are the most xenophobic. If you walk the streets of Kyoto in these clothes, you’ll be watched wherever you go. It’s better to disguise yourselves as people of Wano Country; it will make your actions much more convenient!”

“Yes! Big brother Ian, you carry swords; you can disguise yourself as a samurai!” Princess Naya happily agreed. “And a two-sword style samurai at that!”

Ian took the clothes and found that two of the sets were outfits for Wano Country samurai. Not only were there clothes, but there were also two straw hats!

When Marco saw the straw hats, he immediately reached out and took one, saying with some surprise, “Ha, I’ve seen this kind of hat before. That guy Ace made one for Little Oars Jr.; it’s a technique he learned from Wano Country…”

By wearing these straw hats, they could naturally cover their hair, meaning Ian and his companions wouldn’t need to style their hair into the samurai topknot, which was good because Ian thought the samurai topknot looked too strange and ugly.

Moreover, the straw hats were wide-brimmed. Marco didn’t look like a local of Wano Country, but as long as he wore the hat and kept his head down, no one would be able to see his face clearly.

Perhaps they could get a sword for him to wear at his waist; then there would be no problem.

But… while Ian and Marco’s disguises were solved, Bonney’s…

“Hey, hey, what’s with this outfit!?” Bonney held up her set of clothing, her face livid. The clothes were beautiful, but why did they look so complicated?

“Oh, that set is an Oiran’s attire!” Hidakira explained.

“Oiran? What’s that?” Bonney asked, puzzled.

Marco knew and stifled a laugh, leaning over to whisper in Bonney’s ear.

As a result, Bonney exploded in the next second. She grabbed Hidakira by the collar and shouted, “Hey! What do you mean!? You want me to dress up as an Oiran!?”

However, Hidakira was also dumbfounded. He didn’t understand why Bonney reacted so strongly and asked in confusion, “What’s wrong? In our Wano Country, the Oiran of Yoshiwara are very popular!”

“What!? Say that again!?” Bonney was furious, grabbing Hidakira’s collar and shaking him violently.

This was a cultural difference. In Wano Country, Oiran were indeed very popular, but to outsiders, the so-called Oiran were equivalent to women from the red-light district. Although Bonney dressed in a sexy and fashionable way, it didn’t mean she was willing to be seen as a woman in that line of work…

The surrounding ninjas were anxious. Their lord was being grabbed by Bonney. They wanted to step forward to rescue him, but the current situation didn’t seem like a conflict was erupting.

In the end, it was Ian who stepped in to resolve the situation. Holding back his laughter, he said, “Alright, alright, Bonney, let go of Lord Hidakira!”

He had previously casually teased Bonney, calling her a scantily clad lady, and didn’t expect that this time it almost became real…

Seeing Bonney huffing as she released Hidakira, Ian thoughtfully looked at Princess Naya.

Princess Naya felt a bit embarrassed under Ian’s gaze. She twisted her hands in front of her and blushed, saying, “Big brother Ian, why… why are you looking at me?”

“Naya, could you lend one of your outfits to Bonney?” Ian asked with a smile. “Not your princess attire, but the clothes you usually wear.”

“Of course I can, but… can sister Bonney wear them?” Naya asked doubtfully.

Heh heh! Ian glanced at Bonney. Of course she could wear them…

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