The Courtesan's Kamuro

In Wano Country, the Flower Capital is still talking about Sanji's soba stall. Voices call through the streets, "Speciality soba...!!" and "It's Sangoro's speciality soba!!" Franky eats with full delight and says, "Mmmmm... Deeeeeelicious!! It's stupidly delicious!! I thought I'd never get to eat Sanji's cooking again!! Thank goodness you came back to us in one piece!!" Robin, dressed as a geisha, asks quietly, "Any news on Luffy?" Franky answers, "He's on a different island, so... I'm sure he'll be out in time for the battle!!" Sanji is less focused on strategy than on Robin herself, shouting, "O-Robi chaaaaan!!" and admitting, "I don't care what you guys think, but..." He turns to Robin and asks, "Does you think it tastes good?"

Robin tastes the soba and says, "It tastes amazing." Sanji erupts with joy: "No. O-Robi-chan as a geisha is what's really amazing!!" The others try to steer him back to the mission. One woman says, "Sangoro, it tastes good, but isn't it a little too popular with the ladies!?" and advises, "You should spice it up a little so it tastes good with alcohol. That way, all the samurai will line up!!" Sanji notices the problem himself: "Hold that thought, Franosuke! I see some male customers heading this way." When someone asks, "Why are you looking at me like that!?" Sanji snaps, "Are you even trying to gather allies for us, you bastard!?" The peace at the stall breaks as men force through the crowd, saying, "Excuse me!!" "Our apologies, ladies!" and "'Scuse me, mister! Please don't cut in line!!" A woman screams, "Kyaaaaaaah!!" and Sanji orders, "Shut your trap!!"

The intruders are the Kyoshiro Family: Kaku, Kuni, and Suke. One of them grins at Sanji, "Hey bro, you've got a nice shop here." Sanji politely answers, "Yes, thank you!" but the politeness vanishes when the gang reveals its purpose. "No, you've misunderstood... We want to know who gave you permission to come to this island!!" they say, then declare, "We're part of the Kyoshiro Family. This is our island!! You'll have to pay us before you can operate a shop here!!" Sanji asks, "Why?" and the fish-like thug explains the logic of their protection racket: "It's so that if something bad were to happen, we'd be able to protect your shop for ya." Sanji stays calm and replies, "That's not necessary. I'm strong enough by myself."

Robin recognizes the danger behind the thugs. She remembers being sent to the sitting room of a man named Kyoshiro and thinks, "They must be his subordinates." She recalls, "He was quite an arrogant samurai. I heard that he's the leader of a yakuza group. Lord Orochi is such a coward!!" The gang proves its cruelty immediately. A child drops her soba with an "SFX: Spill!!" and someone cries, "Kyaaah!!" One of the thugs kicks at the child and yells, "Fine, then why don't you try protecting your shop from us!!?" The child wails, "My sobaaa aaaa!!" while another shouts, "Hey, don't eat the soba at this shop!!" Sanji's eye hardens. Bystanders warn, "Everyone, leave right now!!" and "The shop's closed for the day!!" while someone says, "This is bad, get back!!" and another asks, "Did the one thing that will anger Sanji the most!!!"

The Flower Capital erupts as the Kyoshiro Family prepares to rampage. People cry, "Run away, everyone!!" and "The Kyoshiro Family is about to go on a rampage!!" One of the thugs orders, "Hey!! Kaku!! Suke!! Do it." Another threatens the child, "You're going to have to eat all of it, sir." When asked, "What are you asking for a beating?" the answer comes in action. Sanji moves first, his kick slamming into the thug's face with a brutal "Bnugh!!" Then Franky joins in from the side, smashing another man into the ground with enough force that someone screams, "Whoaah!! Big brooooooo!!" The thugs who tried to terrorize the shop are suddenly the ones being beaten in the street.

Franky throws one of the Kyoshiro men high into the air and yells his name in Wano style: "Franosukeeeeeeee Iron!!" The thug pleads, "Stop it, dammit!! This is dangerous!! What the hell are you doing to me!?" but Franky drives him down with a full "Suplex!!!" The street shakes as the crowd screams, "Aaaaahhhhhh!!" and a witness says, "Oh, how wonderful! Mr. Soba-shop-owner!!" Another asks in disbelief, "Huuuhh!? What's with that soba shop owner? He's so strong!!" Sanji watches with resolve and says, "Let's do this!!" The fight is no longer a quiet protection-racket dispute; the Straw Hats have openly struck back against Kyoshiro's men.

The damage is immediate. One bystander cries, "That carpenter is also...!!" while another says, "But... this is pretty bad...!!" The beaten thugs twitch in the ruined street, still threatening, "Y-you... you'll regret this!!" Sanji and Franky do not let them off gently. They force the gang to eat the soba they knocked down, shouting, "Eat it!! Hey, eat all of it!! Eat all of the soba that you purposely knocked down to the ground!!" In the aftermath, Robin observes, "Well... it went as expected, but... this is just asking for trouble... is this situation okay?" Usopp, disguised nearby, laughs nervously, "Ufufu... I guess we did fight back against some troublesome fellows..." The street is suddenly empty. Someone notes, "The huge line that was here... has disappeared without a trace!!" and another warns, "Those guys are definitely going to come back with stronger forces!!"

After the crowd scatters, Sanji and Franky notice the little girl whose soba was ruined. A bystander explains, "That's the kid whose soba was spilled earlier. She was laughing while crying, she's a weird child, that's for sure." The girl eats the replacement bowl with a huge smile and cries, "Yummmmmyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!" She introduces herself as Toko, "a child from the capital," and laughs, "Ahahaha haha!! I've never had soba that's this yummy!!" Sanji kneels and gives her the bowl, saying, "Take it. We still have one bowl that wasn't destroyed." Toko beams, "Wow!! Thank you!!" She explains why it matters so much: "The speciality soba noodles were really popular, so I definitely wanted to taste them! That's why I stood in line for so long!! To be honest... I stayed even though it would make me late for work! I saved up my pocket change to finally buy your soba, but then those guys spilled it! I was really sad!!"

Sanji finds Toko's laugh impossible not to answer: "Hahaha!! Your laugh is contagious!" He asks, "Hey, what's your name?" She replies, "It's Toko. Go ahead and try adding 'O-' in front of it." When he says, "O-?" she proudly becomes "O-Toko-chan," then jokes, "I'm not a boy, though!! Ahahaha!! But I am O-Toko!!" She adds, "I'm funny, right? Ahaha haha! It's easy to remember, so I tell people that all the time!! Fufufu!" After thanking him again, "Ah, it was delicious!! Thank you for the meal!!" and "Come again!" Sanji realizes her position: "Toko-chan, are you, perhaps... a kamuro?" Toko confirms the title of the chapter: "Ah! That's right! I'll be passing through this area again later today, since today is the courtesan procession!! Oh, no, I'm really going to be late!! Super late!! Ahahahaha!"

Toko runs off, waving, "That's right!! I'm a kamuro!! It's about to start!! I gotta go!! Bye bye~!! See you again sometime!!" She tells them, "The courtesan is beautiful... so make sure to come and watch!!" The news lands hard. Someone asks, "Courtesan? Kamuro?" and another realizes, "So the rumoured courtesan procession will be passing through here!!!" The people who met Toko remember her fondly: "Kukuku...!! Aaahh, she was really funny!" and "Toko-chan is such a bright child. How cute!" Then O-Robi receives urgent gossip: "O-Robi, I've got good news for you!! It's already spread around the capital!!" In the street, an old woman shrieks at a paper lantern, "Whoaaah!! Where'd this paper lantern granny come from!?" and the offended woman snaps, "Who are you calling a wrinkled paper lantern granny!? Shall I dazzle you to death!? You shitty brat!!"

The commotion gives way to the central attraction: "Courtesans are...!! They're superstars!!! Top idols here in the Wano Country!!!" The old woman explains the greatest of them all: "She's the dream of all men! Her womanly charisma... along with her beauty, can sway men from even the most sophisticated of countries!! She is the only one who has been chosen so far!! Her name is Komurasaki!!!" The crowd reacts with disbelief and awe. One man gulps, "Gulp!!" while another says, "Impossible!! There's just no way that such a woman exists!!!" The woman shouts back, "Then why don't you go and see it for yourselves!? She is the courtesan, Komurasaki!!! She is more dignified than a goddess!! She is the perfection that women strive to be!!"

The procession is already near Orochi's Castle. A voice announces, "Today is the shogun's banquet!" and another adds, "It's at Orochi's Castle!!" Music and signals announce her arrival: "...Listen, you can hear them already! The cheers surrounding her and the light clicking of her sandals." Someone explains, "The courtesan is on her way there!! And that little girl from earlier was a kamuro. They are young girls that serve courtesans." Robin is suddenly pulled into the same event: "Oh, that's right, I almost forgot! O-Robi, congratulations! You've also been summoned to Orochi's sitting room!" Robin asks, "Huh!?" but the others are thrilled: "You wanted to meet Shogun Orochi, didn't you?" and "Amazing!! As expected of O-Robi-chaaaaan!!!" Robin smiles, "Yes... I'm really looking forward to it." The order is immediate: "Come with me immediately!! We must prepare!!"

The courtesan procession fills the Flower Capital. People raise their hands and cry, "Lady Komurasaki!!!" "A courtesan!!" "Look this waaaay!!" and "Is passing through!!" When Komurasaki appears, the crowd can hardly bear to look directly at her: "The dayu, Komurasaki..." and "Ooooohh!! She's so dazzling that I can't even look at her!!" A note explains that a dayu, or tayu, is the highest rank for a courtesan. The procession is so powerful that officials warn, "Due to Lady Komurasaki passing through, multiple people have fallen unconscious after losing too much blood or being blinded!!" and order, "It's an emergency! We'll need about 20 stretchers. Understood." Toko finally catches up, apologizing, "I'm sorry that I'm late!! Ahaha!" Komurasaki answers gently, "Hey, now. I was worried about you, Toko." Toko grins, "Ehehe. I'm sorry, miss!!"

At the Flower Capital's Sakyo district, Kyoshiro reports the fight to Orochi. He says, "A soba shop owner beat you guys up?" One of his men explains, "Yes... but only because...!! He was so powerful!!" Kyoshiro, amused rather than worried, says, "I'm going to be pretty busy for a while. I've been invited to Shogun Orochi's banquet. Give Queen a call!! Get 'em to send some assassins this way." When someone warns, "That'll create quite the commotion, though..." he answers, "It doesn't matter!!" The page then reveals Orochi inside his castle as the narration says, "That form... the Wano Country's shogun is..." A servant calls, "Master Orochi! The courtesan is on her way." Orochi laughs, "Gufufu fufu... I see, Komurasaki... Today's the day that I make you mine...!!" The chapter ends with his fixation on her and the promise of danger gathering around Sanji's stall.

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