The Shogun and the Courtesan

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At Flower Capital Orochi Castle, a nighttime banquet unfolds under a full moon. Komurasaki plays the shamisen while seated on a raised platform, strumming with musical notes and SFX "STRUM STRUM". Bubbles show voices calling "DRINK! SING! IT'S A BANQUET!" and "PLEASE, KOMURASAKI!". In the audience, a man with a topknot exclaims "WHOA! IT'S THAT SONG!" while a large man with a mustache shouts "YES! THIS SONG... IT PLEASES ME!". A blonde woman in a kimono sighs with hands to her cheeks, "I CAN'T HELP BUT SIGH! WHAT TONE!". The castle towers and cityscape are visible in the background.

Masked attendants and guests react as Komurasaki continues playing. A wolf-masked figure asks "WHY DOES SHE WEAR A MASKI". Another voice wonders "I WONDER... WHENEVER SISTER PLAYS THIS SONG...". Two stern figures confront a woman in ornate robes and headdress, demanding "ANSWER US. WE WILL ASK YOU ONLY ONCE." and "WHO ARE YOU, AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HEREI". Threatening speech bubbles declare "IF YOU LIE, EXCRUCIATING TORTURE AWAITS YOU." and "IF YOU SPEAK TRUE, YOU WILL DIE A PAINLESS DEATH." The woman remains silent with "......". Large SFX "ベベくっ!!!" erupt at the bottom as tension fills the room.

A young girl with flower ornaments stares wide-eyed, bound and gagged. Nearby, a figure in a net struggles as an enraged man with sharp teeth and a netted mask glares. A composed woman with dark hair tied back watches silently. She declares, "I'M TRACKING THE FLOW OF MONEY INSIDE THE FLOWER CAPITAL." An older man with sunglasses and a goatee smirks, replying "OX-THREE BOY." The woman reacts with surprise, "!I" The man calls it "A PRUDENT ANSWER" and orders, "CATCH HER!" In a sudden burst of motion, the woman spins and strikes with her sword, "Shapp!!" The netted man grunts "URGH!" as impacts land, "Jall!! THUNK THUNK." A voice announces, "OX-THREE BOY JUST APPEARED IN THE CAPITAL!" The older man watches the chaos unfold.

An explosion erupts as the woman in the kimono is hurled backward amid debris and smoke, "HUHI!" A massive masked figure with horns and a net recoils, "FUWA..." while a skull-faced man tumbles away. The woman lands in shock, "WHAT THE-I!" The horned figure and a goggled man react with surprise, "!!I" She thinks, "NINJUTSU OR FAIRY MAGIC, IT MATTERS NOT. HER REAL BODY SHOULD BE SOMEWHERE NEARBY. FIND HER!" The goggled man exclaims, "A NINJAI!" and "OR A SPIRITI!" Footsteps echo, "STEP STEP," as the woman hides nearby, thinking, "THAT WAS CLOSE... I'M GLAD I MADE A CLONE JUST IN CASE."

The woman speaks into a small Den Den Mushi, "I'M SORRY! THEY FOUND ME! I'VE CONFIRMED AT LEAST 11 NINJAS INSIDE THE CASTLE!" while gripping a knife. A voice replies, "O-NAMI! SHINOBU! BONEKICHI!" Inside a room, a small girl with pigtails and a blonde woman with a ponytail listen as the girl says, "WE'RE YOUR BODYGUARDS, O-ROBI! CONFIRM YOUR LOCATION! OROCHI'S ONIWABAN, LED BY FUKUROKUJU, ARE QUITE SKILLED." The woman answers, "11 NINJASI!" and "WHA-I! THEY FOUND YOU, ROBINI!" A large man in a skull mask panics, "ROGER!" while another figure warns, "DO NOT DISTURB HIM! THIS IS BUT ONE RAT," and "LISTEN UP! LORD OROCHI IS IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS BANQUET!" The skull-masked man laments, "OH NO! THEY FOUND YOU, O-ROBII! AND TO THINK I'D FINALLY BEEN ASSIGNED SOMETHING OTHER THAN GATHERING FOOD..."

The woman leaps through an ornate corridor as a horned guard shouts, "WHERE DID YOU COME HERE!" Guests react with surprise, "OOH! NEWCOMER! O-ROBI!" In the banquet hall, the shogun Kurozumi Orochi lounges with attendants while the woman, now revealed as Komurasaki, faces him. Orochi leers, "GUFUFI! DO YOU ALSO WISH TO BECOME MY CONSORTI" and "A LOVELY THING YOU ARE, IT PLEASES ME." Komurasaki replies, "THERE ARE MANY THINGS I, TOO, WOULD WISH TO DISCUSS. I'M SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE, MY LORD..." She thinks, "'HIDE A LEAF IN THE FOREST,' AS THEY SAY. I CAN'T ESCAPE NOW. THERE IS MUCH I HAVE LEFT TO DO." Attendants gossip, "I DON'T SUPPOSE YOU'VE HEARD OF KOMURASAKI'S OTHER SIDE, LORD OROCHI," and "HER GOOD LOOKS LET HER GET AWAY WITH EVERYTHING!" Orochi laughs, "GUFUHA HAHAHA!" while fawning women coo, "YOU'RE LOVELY, TOO! SO LOVELY!" and "YOU'RE SUCH A MEANIE, MY LORD!"

Inside a lavish Wano chamber, Shogun Orochi sits with his entourage. A subordinate reports nervously, "Shogun, I am quite interested in Onigashima. OhI That island... Er... No." Another figure asks, "HmI Is something the matter, O-RobiI" A courtesan reacts with surprise, "Su..." Kyoshiro grins and praises the courtesan Komurasaki, "You sure do tame them well! That woman came from your brothels, boss Kyoshiro. Courtesan Komurasaki!" Komurasaki replies gracefully, "Oh, my! So beautiful!" Kyoshiro continues, "Yours would bloom well, too. 'People are flowers.' If your water was pure, don't speak of women as dogs or pets." Orochi bursts into laughter, "Wahahaha! You got me there! Gahahaha! Don't worry! She won't fall for you anyway! I'm quite jealous of him, but I'm too scared of the other side of that woman to get involved with her."

The conversation grows tense as Kyoshiro's men press Orochi. One demands, "What'd you do if you came home to find your child beaten to a pulpI" Another states, "Doesn't matter what sort of lowlife you are; if you drink with us, you're family. You see, for us yakuza... ruling with an iron fist! And I heard that you sent out some of Kaido's fiercest today!" Orochi's subordinate warns, "The enemy must always be crushed with overwhelming strength! Flattened so they may never rise again!" Kyoshiro affirms, "Indeed, Kyoshiro! Your chivalry is admirable, boss." A voice declares, "None from the capital would so lightly lay hands on a member of the Kyoshiro family. Lowlife or not, do not look lightly upon this situation. An outsider has snuck into the capital! Even if they are ghosts!"

A large man in a floral kimono stands with his back to the room as narration recalls, "His wife spoke of a year of revenge! That Oden's will lives on! This year marks the twentieth year since the death of Oden Kozuki!" He raises his fist and shouts, "Listen up, men! Now that you are here, allow me to speak!" A retainer asks, "Do you remember the extraordinary strength of Oden's retainers, the Nine Red ScabbardsI!" Another notes, "Here he goes again..." The man continues, "Now, twenty years later, they've begun their plans for revenge in this country! Slowly, but surely, they are coming for my head! I barely remember him any more... He was their leader, Kin'emon, is a man to send heads rolling! They're all dead..."

Orochi rants about recent attacks, "And the capital's soba seller! A ronin even attacked some yakuza at a lodge! All of this may have occurred at Kin'emon's instructions! But in Kuri, the Yokoizuna and Jack's men were attacked! Kaido's already taken care of them. We've already buried countless followers of Oden... And you are still afraid of the KozukiI!" He glares and yells, "Oden died before my very eyes! I'd cut him to bits with one stroke and lay him before you! Or any of his samurai! I would love nothing more than to come across Foxfire Kin'emon!" A subordinate laughs, "Gufufu fufufu! Very reassuring, Kyoshiro." Another warns, "These fools are plotting the return of the Kozuki clan! The Kozuki bloodline has not yet run dry! We have yet to find his body! But his son, Momonosuke, is still alive! And they're obviously after Kaido's head, too! This guy's dreaming..."

Narration notes that Orochi appears to believe in the legends to a fault, though his underlings dare not say so. In a grand hall, panicked voices cry out: "WHAT'S HE AFRAID OFI! KAIDO'S BY HIS SIDE! NO HUMAN CAN KILL THAT MONSTER!" "NO! I WANNA LAUGH, BUT IF I DO, THEY'LL KILL ME!" "PPPPFFFFT!! HOW MUCH OF A COWARD ARE YOUI!" A sudden burst of laughter erupts. "HUHI!" "WHA-I! WHO THE HELL IS THAT! KNOCK IT OFF! HE'LL KILL YA!" "!!I" "NO! WHO LAUGHEDI! HOLD IT IN!" "AHAHA HAHAHA!" The source is revealed as a small girl in a kimono, O-Toko, clutching her sides and laughing uncontrollably. "WHO IS THATI! PLEASE! JUST GET OUT OF HERE!" "IS SOMEONE... LAUGHING AT MEI!" "WHO IS THATI!" "O-TOKO!" "AHAHA HAHAHA!" An older man pleads, "B-BUT, EVERYONE'S MAKING FUN OF THE LORD!"

Voices call out desperately: "O-TOKO!" "THE COURTESAN'S KAMURO! STOP HER!" "A CHILDI!" O-Toko continues laughing wildly, tears streaming: "I CAN'T STOP! I'M SO SORRY! AHAHAHAHA!" "I KNOW I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO, BUT..." A woman shouts, "KYAAAH! NO! STOP!" Orochi looms forward, snarling, "I AM THE VICTOR. I BEAT ODEN... ARE YOU SAYING I AM AFRAID OF THE LAST WORDS OF A WOMAN 20 YEARS AGOI" Retainers panic: "THAT'S NO USE! SHE'S ALWAYS SCHEMING!" "THE COURTESAN-SANI!" "MY LORD!" "SHE'S STILL A CHILD!" "KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, KOMURASAKI." Orochi raises his hand as Komurasaki kneels before him. "HOW UNPLEASANT. I AM SHOGUN." "STOP THIS!"

Retainers yell, "THAT GIRL LAUGHS AT EVERYTHING! SHE DOESN'T MEAN ANY HARM BY IT!" "SOMEONE, SAVE HER!" "GIVE IT UP! IT'S USELESS!" Orochi draws his sword and swings furiously at the laughing O-Toko. "YOU DARE LAUGH AT ME, YOU BRATI!" "MY LORD! SHE'S A CHILD! MERCY!" "KYAAA! NO! PLEASE!" The blade strikes with massive impact: "ZUUUN!!" "BACHI!!" O-Toko is sent flying amid debris and motion lines as Komurasaki shields her. Shocked faces fill the hall.

Orochi roars in rage, "APOLOGIZE, KOMURASAKI! GRIND YOUR HEAD INTO THE FLOOR! GROVEL!" "ARE YOU SERIOUSI!" Courtiers scream, "COURTESAN! WHAT HAVE YOU DONEI!" Komurasaki stands tall and defiant, declaring, "I REFUSE." "IF I BELIEVE I AM IN THE RIGHT, I SHALL NOT YIELD A SINGLE STEP!" "REFUSE TO BOW TO ANYONE!" Orochi's face twists in fury as background figures recoil. He growls, "OI, KOMURASAKI... I... I WAS GOING TO MAKE YOU MY WIFE..."

Explosive dragon-headed serpents surge across the page in a chaotic swirl of ink and motion lines. Komurasaki stands defiant on the right, eyes fierce as she declares, "IF YOU WISH FOR A WEAK WOMAN, THEN, BY ALL MEANS, KILL ME AND TOSS ME ASIDE!" A voice retorts, "A WHORE LIKE YOU HAS NO RIGHT TO TALK OF WARRIOR HERITAGE," while smaller panels show panicked retainers shouting "LORD OROCHI! WE'RE IN THE CASTLE!" and "KOMURA-SAKI!" with a scream of "KYAAH!" Below, chaos erupts in the palace: "THIS IS NOW A BLOODBATH!" "UH-OH." "WE FOUND HER!" "DON'T LET HER ESCAPE!" "WAHA HAHA!" O-Toko is spotted fleeing as someone yells "O-TOKO! THIS WAY!" and laughs "AHAHAHA! HUHI YOU'RE THE LADY FROM THE SOBA SHOP!" Komurasaki finishes with a bold cry: "I AM A WARRIOR'S DAUGHTER! I SHALL NOT LIVE ON MY KNEES!" The chapter number 932 and Luffy's face appear in a small box amid the turmoil.

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